Chapter 95

“Sister Qiao!”

After the Emperor left, everyone felt relieved, and even the Western Prince became more lively, with a joyful smile on his face.

Mrs. Qiao sat on the cushion, seeing the Western Prince squatting down to talk to her, and she smiled at him, which was rare.

【Seeing as you’re always in danger, I’ll give you a good face.】

Mrs. Qiao couldn’t help but smile at her words.

Sometimes Sister Qiao talked like a strategist, but she was still like a child when she was with children, which added a bit of innocence and fun.

The Western Prince lightly poked Sister Qiao’s cheek and suddenly looked expectantly at Mrs. Qiao.

“Sister Qiao, the Crown Prince said that after the Dragon Boat Festival, I can hug Sister Qiao. Can I try it now?”

Upon hearing this, Sister Qiao immediately shook her head like a rattle drum.

【No, no, last time in the study, I was almost stabbed to death by Di Zaiying and almost strangled by you!】

Mrs. Qiao didn’t dare to joke about Sister Qiao’s safety, so she smiled and said:

“Your Highness, boys have to grow taller and stronger. I think when you’re seven or eight years old, you’ll be able to lift Sister Qiao easily, right?”

The Western Prince frowned slightly at her words, but in the next moment, he showed a smile again.

“Mrs. Qiao is Sister Qiao’s mother, and Mrs. Qiao’s words are always right. Then I’ll wait a little longer. I think I’ll have a lot of strength when I’m six!”

Upon hearing the sincere words of the Western Prince, Mrs. Qiao couldn’t help but feel delighted with this lovely Western Prince.

It’s no wonder the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince both doted on the Western Prince so much. This child was indeed adorable.

The Western Prince held Sister Qiao’s hand, his eyes sparkling, “Sister Qiao, I’ve also prepared a gift for you!”

Sister Qiao looked puzzled.

【It’s your birthday, why are you preparing gifts for me?】

After finishing his own words, the Western Prince became a little shy.

“When you were one month old, I didn’t think it through and didn’t give you a separate gift. After thinking about it, today is the perfect time to make up for it!”

“In the future, on Sister Qiao’s birthday, I won’t miss it. I’ll give you gifts every year, the first…”

At this point, the Western Prince’s face turned slightly red, and he refused to say more.

What he was thinking was: The first gift to Sister Qiao will be to make her his Crown Princess!

With that in mind, everything he had would belong to Sister Qiao, so there was no question of whether he would give gifts or not!

The Western Prince happily stood up, “Wait for me, Sister Qiao! I’ve already put the gift in the side hall. I’ll go get it and give it to you!”

After the Western Prince finished speaking, he ran out with small steps.

Sister Qiao was slightly stunned.

【This…this silly sweet is actually quite thoughtful.】

【Wait, I can’t let the silly sweet out of my sight! Where’s Big Brother? Where’s Second Brother?】

Sister Qiao turned her head and saw that Qiao Tianjing had been pulled away by his colleagues, leaving only Qiao Diyi sitting there obediently.

Seeing this, Sister Qiao hurriedly reached out to Qiao Diyi.

“Brother, Brother…”

【Second Brother is just right! Second Brother is good at martial arts and can go anywhere! Second Brother, come and hug me. Let’s catch up with the silly sweet!】

Qiao Diyi heard Sister Qiao calling him and quickly went over to pick her up.

Sister Qiao immediately pointed towards the door.

“Okay, okay, little sister, be careful, Second Brother will take you out for a walk.”

Qiao Zhongguo and Qiao Tianjing both noticed this and quickly gave Qiao Diyi a signal.

Qiao Diyi nodded solemnly and carried Qiao Jiaojiao out of the Funing Hall in big strides.

At this moment, everyone was mingling in groups, even the concubines had exchanged handkerchiefs before entering the palace.

Concubine Jing, especially, detested the coquettish demeanor of Consort Yu Zhao. Whenever she had the chance, she would gossip with her handkerchief in hand.

“Look at her, so seductive! She’s just a bit similar to someone, so she’s got some favor, but her eyes are always on the top of her head.”

“I’ve inquired about her. She was originally a dancing girl, very lowly. She just happened to be seen by His Majesty’s people and was brought in.”

“Look at the dance she just performed, it’s really inappropriate!”

Concubine Jing had lost favor, and now she was showing signs of aging, so she was feeling very unbalanced.

The Second Princess was accompanying Concubine Jing and, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but frown.

Now that Consort Yu Zhao was so favored, her mother’s words were really untimely. If this were to be heard by Father Emperor, she would definitely be scolded.

Thinking of this, she quickly hugged Concubine Jing’s arm and said coquettishly, “Mother, the daughter’s birthday is coming soon. Have you thought about what gift to give the daughter?”

This sentence did indeed shift Concubine Jing’s attention, and the Second Princess breathed a sigh of relief.

However, this sentence also brought up her sad memories. She and her brother were twins, but her brother…

Ah, I don’t know how he is now, his face didn’t look good just now…

On the other side, Qiao Diyi, carrying Qiao Jiaojiao, had already reached the door of the side hall.

The Western Prince had entered by himself, and even the eunuch specially arranged for him by the Crown Prince had been dismissed, looking mysterious.

Qiao Diyi was about to knock on the door when suddenly a scolding voice came from behind, “Who’s lurking around here!”

Qiao Diyi turned his head and saw that it was Consort Yu Zhao and her palace maids.

He quickly lowered his head and retreated to the side, as it was a serious offense for an outsider to offend a palace concubine.

“I am Qiao Diyi of the Qiao family, unintentionally offending Consort Yu.”

Consort Yu Zhao snorted and hurried into the side hall without giving Qiao Diyi a chance to speak.

As the door slammed shut, Qiao Jiaojiao was dumbfounded.

【She said my Second Brother was lurking around, but look at her, she’s in such a hurry. How much more suspicious can you get!】

【What kind of gift is the silly sweet getting? It’s been a while! Logically, he should have met Consort Yu Zhao inside by now!】

Seeing Qiao Jiaojiao so anxious, Qiao Diyi suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his mind. I wonder if there’s a back door to this side hall?

According to his little sister, the Western Prince drowned in the lake, so if there’s a back door to the side hall leading to the Chunhua Garden, it could be dangerous!

Thinking of this, Qiao Diyi quickly walked around the side hall and was soon blocked by a wall.

After looking around for a while, he suddenly muttered, “I’ll quietly climb over the wall. It should be fine if no one sees, right?”

Qiao Jiaojiao instantly understood what Qiao Diyi meant and nodded quickly.

【Second Brother, you’re so clever, hurry up! If there’s a back door, it’s bad!】

Qiao Diyi was skilled in martial arts. Seeing that there was no one around, he leaped over. Qiao Jiaojiao tightly closed her mouth, not daring to make a sound.

After landing, they found themselves in a small bamboo forest.

Qiao Jiaojiao looked up and saw a lake not far away!