Chapter 34

Qiao Tianjing turned his head to see and immediately bowed slightly to offer his respects.

“No need for too much formality, Eldest Brother.”

The person who spoke was Crown Prince Shen Yuanzhan.

Qiao Diyi was much more genuine. Seeing the Crown Prince in another covert visit, he couldn’t help but grin and say, “Brother Shen, we meet again!”

Qiao Tianjing: …

This… is also a kind of talent, Second Brother!

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but chuckle, “Well done, well done, being as carefree as Second Brother is the way to go!”

The Crown Prince then approached to look at Qiao Jiaojiao and extended his hand with a smile, “Would little sister like a hug from Brother Shen?”

Qiao Jiaojiao naturally wouldn’t reject the Crown Prince’s offer. She immediately flashed him a sweet smile and leaned towards him.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince was in a particularly good mood, gently picking up Qiao Jiaojiao.

“Last time you and Mrs. Qiao visited my mother in Yikun Palace, my mother praised you endlessly, saying there’s no other maid as lovely as you in the world.”

The Crown Prince’s words were affectionate, showing genuine fondness for Qiao Jiaojiao.

Since the day Mrs. Qiao and Qiao Jiaojiao visited Yikun Palace, the Crown Prince noticed that the Empress’s smile had indeed increased, and he often mentioned Qiao Jiaojiao.

“If you have time, visit my mother with Mrs. Qiao again. Brother Shen will definitely bring you lots of delicious treats.”

Upon hearing about the delicious treats, Qiao Jiaojiao immediately bounced in the Crown Prince’s arms, her adorable appearance instantly bringing joy to the Crown Prince.

“Let’s go, the poetry festival is about to begin. Let’s go and take a look together.”

Saying this, the Crown Prince showed no intention of returning Qiao Jiaojiao to Qiao Diyi’s care and continued to carry her.

Qiao Diyi: ?

What’s going on? I haven’t had enough hugs yet!

Is the Crown Prince here to steal his little sister?!

Qiao Tianjing smiled and shook his head, asking who could resist doting on their precious little sister from the Qiao family?

Just now, with the crowded street, Qiao Jiaojiao’s group didn’t attract much attention.

But once they arrived at the eastern suburbs, three handsome and extraordinary young men accompanying a soft and adorable little doll immediately caught everyone’s eyes.

And since they were attending the poetry festival, most of the attendees were young masters and misses from the aristocratic families of the capital. It didn’t take long for someone to recognize the Crown Prince and Qiao Tianjing.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was in high spirits, no one dared to approach him, but they couldn’t help but be curious about the identity of the little doll in the Crown Prince’s arms.

“Hey! Don’t you know? That doll must be the youngest of the Qiao family!”

“At the poetry festival in the capital, which family would bring along a baby who can’t even speak? It’s only the Qiao family, rumored to love their daughter and sister like a jewel.”

“I remember now, isn’t this the Miss Qiao who peed on the Crown Prince at the full moon banquet!”

With this remark, everyone burst into laughter.

Qiao Jiaojiao’s ears were sharp, and when she heard this, she felt embarrassed and buried her head in the Crown Prince’s arms.

“Damn it! That was months ago, why do they still remember it!”

Qiao Jiaojiao could already imagine that when she grew up, someone would dig up this old story to tease her!

The Crown Prince smiled warmly and said, “It’s a pity Little Xi isn’t here today, otherwise, he’d make fun of Jiaojiao again.”

At this moment, Qiao Jiaojiao couldn’t help but be curious.

“Why isn’t that silly and sweet Little Xi here today? He always loves to join in the fun!”

Qiao Tianjing saw Qiao Jiaojiao’s curiosity and casually asked on her behalf.

The Crown Prince shook his head helplessly and said, “Little Xi has started his studies. His teacher is Mr. Di Zaiying, specially invited by Father Emperor. He’s very strict and doesn’t allow him to come out and play.”

“When I left the palace, Little Xi was holding onto my sleeve and crying. He said he was sure Little Sister would come, but now he can’t see Little Sister.”

Upon hearing this, a picture of the Crown Prince’s nose and tears suddenly appeared in Qiao Tianjing’s mind, causing him to chuckle.

He couldn’t help but turn to look at Qiao Jiaojiao, expecting her to be smiling broadly. To his surprise, however, her little face was slightly wrinkled, looking unusually serious.

Qiao Tianjing’s heart skipped a beat, and then he heard Qiao Jiaojiao mutter softly:

“Uh-oh!”

Qiao Tianjing’s heart trembled suddenly. What’s wrong now?

Qiao Jiaojiao’s expression was grave.

“Oh no, oh no, could it be that the King of Hell is feeling bored in the underworld and insists on summoning that foolishly sweet Little Xi to accompany him?”

“Di Zaiying is from the Northern Kingdom, and he’s also Princess Yuliu’s former lover from the Northern Kingdom!”

“For so many years, he has hidden his identity in the Great Yong Dynasty, building up his reputation just to get close to the Second Prince, help him ascend the throne, and avenge Princess Yuliu who died back then!”

“But the text didn’t say that he was Little Xi’s tutor, right? I remember when Di Zaiying and the Second Prince first met, Di Zaiying was in charge of the compilation in the Wenying Palace.”

The Wenying Palace was a palace dedicated to storing books and scriptures, and Di Zaiying’s job was similar to that of a librarian.

Upon hearing this, both Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi felt their scalps go numb, their hearts filled with horror.

A northerner, and Princess Yuliu’s former lover, had effortlessly infiltrated the palace and become Little Xi’s tutor!

Isn’t this equivalent to throwing Little Xi into the lion’s den, allowing anyone to pick and choose as they please?

Suddenly, Qiao Jiaojiao exclaimed again, almost causing Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi to collapse.

“Oh no! Could it be that Di Zaiying drowned him in a pool on the day of his birthday?!”

“After all, as clever as Little Xi is, he wouldn’t be on guard against his tutor.”

“And as the tutor of the Second Prince, even if Di Zaiying temporarily called the Second Prince away, no one would suspect anything!”

“That’s it! It all makes sense!”

Qiao Jiaojiao clapped her hands suddenly, feeling more and more convinced.

“Di Zaiying is also a patient person. Before the Dragon Boat Festival, he had so many opportunities, but he waited until his birthday, just to make the Empress and the Crown Prince heartbroken!”

Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi felt relieved when they heard this.

If it weren’t for Di Zaiying’s malicious intentions, they wouldn’t even have had time to react.

After today’s poetry festival, they must go back and discuss it with their father properly!

“Sigh, Little Xi’s cause of death is figured out, but what about mine?”

Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly digressed in her thoughts. She, as a minor character, had lived for three years, and the author couldn’t even be bothered to come up with a cause of death for her, simply dismissing it with “died at the age of three”.

Isn’t that outrageous?

At least add a couple more words, whether it’s falling to death, drowning, poisoning, or catching a cold, she can handle it all!

Now, she’s lived through the entire year of being three, constantly on edge!

With just this one sentence, Qiao Jiaojiao made Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi instantly lose all their emotions.

“Died at the age of three” was like a mountain, weighing heavily on the hearts of the Qiao family.

As the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy, a lively female voice suddenly rang out nearby, immediately catching Qiao Jiaojiao’s attention.

“Haha, riding a horse freely is indeed invigorating! Sister, hurry up and catch up!”