The old Duke of An Guo slowly approached, crouched down, and embraced Yuanbao’s shoulders.

The Crown Prince’s eyes narrowed as he noticed tears welling up in the old Duke’s eyes.

Hmph, this old man is really something.

“What’s your name?” the old Duke asked.

Although some people in the hall were seated far away and could not clearly see the situation, the old Duke’s voice, like a thunderous bell, made almost everyone feel the instant change in his tone.

The once fierce and intimidating old lion seemed to have suddenly turned into a gentle and kind old sheep.

His expression and tone of voice were now like those of an ordinary great-grandfather meeting his great-grandson.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering what was happening today.

Yuanbao replied, “My name is Liu Jing.” After saying this, he looked up at the Crown Prince.

Seeing that the Crown Prince’s expression was calm, he added, “Great-grandfather, you can also call me Yuanbao.”

“Good, Yuanbao, Yuanbao…” The old Duke kept nodding as he spoke. “Very good! Very good!”

Rongrong could see that the old Duke’s attitude toward Yuanbao had gone from the ground to the heavens.

She looked up with some confusion, only to see the Crown Prince nod slightly, indicating that everything was fine.

She stood up and quietly moved to the side.

“Father, please get up. You have an old ailment in your legs and should not squat for too long.”

Hearing this, the old Duke looked up at the Empress and scolded. “Why didn’t you bring Yuanbao to see me earlier?”

The Empress opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, feeling aggrieved.

She had wanted to bring Yuanbao to see him, but whether it was inviting him to the palace for holidays or sending him gifts, the eunuchs she sent were all scolded by the old Duke.

When palace servants went out on errands, they were met with crowds and attention everywhere, but when they went to the Duke of An Guo’s residence, they came back covered in dust.

In private, people in the palace considered visiting the Duke of An Guo’s residence a thankless task.

Anyone assigned to go there would inwardly curse their misfortune.

Delivering gifts and issuing decrees to other households was met with rewards, but going to the Duke of An Guo’s residence meant getting scolded.

“Grandfather’s words are mistaken,” the Crown Prince said calmly upon seeing this. “Mother invites Grandfather to the palace every year during festivals. When has Grandfather ever shown gratitude to Mother?”

“Liu Zhen,” the Empress called softly, and the Crown Prince snorted and turned his face away.

Normally, if the Old Duke of An had heard such sarcastic remarks from the Crown Prince, he would have jumped up and scolded him.

However, today, the Old Duke seemed to ignore the Crown Prince’s cold words and instead pulled Yuanbao to his side.

Looking at Yuanbao’s deep-set eyes and high nose bridge, the Old Duke felt a mix of emotions.

He reached out and touched Yuanbao’s nose, his eyes filling with tears once more.

It was as if… it really was like…

Neither his daughter nor his granddaughter resembled him, but this great-grandson did.

In the grand hall, except for the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, Duke of An, and Marquis of Jingning, everyone was puzzled by the Old Duke’s sudden change.

Seeing him embrace Yuanbao so warmly, they realized that there was now another person who would spoil Yuanbao to the heavens.

The Duke of An, having been in the court for many years, quickly regained his composure.

He and the Empress were not from the same mother, so he did not dare act as recklessly as the Old Duke.

During these four years, he had continued to visit the palace, but always for official matters.

The Duke of An’s residence had fallen out with the Crown Prince’s residence, and the Crown Prince also avoided meeting members of the Duke of An’s family, so the Duke did not know that Yuanbao had such a resemblance.

As for his daughter, the Princess Consort of Qing… she was too young to know about this!

Even if she knew, there was nothing they could do to prevent the Old Duke from coming to the Eastern Palace.

“Father, why don’t we bring out the congratulatory gifts we prepared for His Highness?” Seeing that the situation was turning unfavorable, the Duke of An calmly reminded the Old Duke to present the gifts.

“Gifts?” The Old Duke, reminded by him, momentarily seemed confused, then remembered that when they had left, the Duke had mentioned sending two gold locks for Yuanbao.

Just gold locks…

The old Duke of An Guo took off the jade pendant from his waist and placed it in Yuanbao’s hand. “Yuanbao, this is a congratulatory gift from your great-grandfather. Keep it well.”

Seeing this, Duke Jingning clapped his hands and said, “The old Duke truly dotes on the Imperial Prince, even presenting the ancestral jade pendant of the Duke of An Guo’s family.”

The old Duke’s expression shifted slightly.

This ancestral jade pendant, crafted during the Warring States period, was traditionally passed down to the Chen family’s descendants.

His father was supposed to pass it on to him, so why did he give it to Yuanbao at their first meeting?

However, he knew his father’s temperament well.

Just as he had once disliked the Eastern Palace, once his father had made up his mind, even the King of Heaven couldn’t change it.

What others considered an invaluable ancestral jade pendant was, to Yuanbao, just an ordinary piece of jade.

He glanced at it, then handed it to Rongrong, saying, “Thank you, great-grandfather.”

“Come, Yuanbao, look at the gift your Grandpa Emperor has prepared for you.” The Emperor, seeing the previous tension dissolve calmly, waved his hand to Yuanbao.

Yuanbao left the old Duke’s embrace and ran towards the Emperor.

The Emperor’s gift was a jade seal with the characters “Liu Jing” engraved on it.

As the Emperor started, others also presented their gifts.

The Empress had prepared a new outfit for Yuanbao, while others gave various items like gold locks, necklaces, and stationery.

Only the gift from Duke Qing made Yuanbao’s eyes light up.

Duke Qing had carved a vivid wooden soldier, about the size of a hand, which fit perfectly in Yuanbao’s hand.

“Thank you, Fifth Uncle.”

Duke Qing bent down and smiled at Yuanbao. “I’m glad you like it. I’ll make more for you in the future to form an entire army.”

“Great.” Yuanbao looked at the wooden soldier, growing fonder of it with each glance.

The other children, Liu Yu, Liu Lin, and others, looked at the wooden soldier with envy.

Seeing that everyone had presented their gifts, the Empress said, “It’s almost time; let’s begin the feast.”

The banquet was set up in the side hall behind the main hall. As soon as the Empress spoke, everyone got up.

The Old Duke of An, taking the lead, pulled Yuanbao towards the side hall before the Emperor could say anything.

The Empress, seeing this, finally managed a smile.

Rongrong, like most people in the hall, was unsure why the Old Duke had reacted this way.

However, after what had just happened, she hoped no one would mind that her and Liang Muchen’s attire was of the same material.

She let out a small sigh of relief and was about to return to Yuhua Palace to change clothes when she turned and saw the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness… why aren’t you eating?”

“No appetite,” the Crown Prince said, pulling a corner of his mouth into a faint smile.

Others might think that the Eastern Palace had offended the Duke of An’s residence, but to him, it was the Duke of An’s residence that had offended the Eastern Palace.

He didn’t want to let go of the grievances of the past four years just like that.

At this moment, he was merely feeling sorry for the Empress.

The Old Duke of An was now occupied with Yuanbao, and the Crown Prince was irritated just looking at him.

He decided to avoid seeing him for now and would eat later.

“Your Highness, why was the Old Duke so fierce when he entered, but then became so affectionate towards Yuanbao?”

“Because… come closer, and I’ll tell you quietly.” The Crown Prince’s lips curled into a grin, and he seemed to have made up his mind.

Rongrong knew he might be teasing her but was too curious to resist.

She leaned in towards his shoulder.

He leaned down and gently blew in her ear.

“About the East Beads, we’ll discuss it tonight.”

In the evening… settling accounts?

Others only saw the Crown Prince as distant and otherworldly, unable to imagine that his mind was occupied with such trivial matters.

Rongrong’s face turned red with embarrassment.

She wanted to spit at him, but didn’t dare, so she had to endure and said, “Those two beads have already been given to me by Your Highness, so how they are handled is up to me. Besides, the two beads on Miss Liang’s head might not be the ones I received.”

People and things can resemble each other; Ruyi Pavilion might have received more than just two Eastern beads.

The Crown Prince, however, sneered. “You admit to pawning the beads?”

He didn’t care whether the extra two beads on Liang Muchen’s head were his or not; he only cared if Rongrong had pawned the beads he had given her.

Though Rongrong was frustrated, she felt she had done nothing wrong.

Once given, it was hers to do with as she pleased, and she refused to bow to him.