Chapter 78: The Female Lead Appears

Not to mention the New Year, even if it were three more years, it would be no problem.

Others didn’t know why, but only the Queen Mother knew that all of this was thanks to Ah Bao.

Ah Bao had been helping her in her dreams, removing her calamities, curing her illnesses, and extending her life.

“Ah Bao, my little Ah Bao, I’ve missed you so much,” the Queen Mother said, feeling especially nostalgic after her recovery. A few times, she couldn’t help but sneak into Yihe Palace to visit Ah Bao.

Seeing Ah Bao sitting on the threshold, her round eyes counting chickens and eggs, the Queen Mother felt a surge of joy.

“Ah Bao, a little sister will come to play with you today.” The Queen Mother hugged Ah Bao and smiled widely, clearly delighted.

Ah Bao licked a milk candy as thick as her thumb, her eyes sparkling.

【A sister?】

【Among these imperial princes from my deadbeat father, there are no other princesses besides myself.】

Princess Changping spoke, “By the way, it’s been a year since we last saw the royal uncle and aunt. It’s quite a coincidence; I’ve heard that the royal uncle’s daughter shares the same birthday as Ah Bao.”

The royal uncle and aunt had a daughter named Di Hongluan. They married late and only had this one daughter, whom they cherished dearly.

【Di Hongluan?】

【Oh, finally going to meet you. Where have you been hiding all this time?】

Changping: “…”

Queen Mother: “?”

Concubine De: “!!!”

The three women had different thoughts, but were all curious at the same time.

Did Ah Bao know Di Hongluan?

It couldn’t be.

Ah Bao was only eight months old.

Di Hongluan, on the other hand, was ten years old.

Ah Bao didn’t understand what they were thinking. When she heard that Di Hongluan was coming, she felt indifferent, just a bit hungry.

Her eyes kept glancing at the sunflower seeds on the table.

The Queen Mother chuckled, picked up a few seeds, and waved them in front of Ah Bao. “Would you like some sunflower seeds, Ah Bao?”

Ah Bao nodded vigorously, “Mm… Mm…”

“But Ah Bao only has two teeth.”

Ah Bao: “…”

No teeth, no ability to eat, boohoo.

“Don’t worry, if Ah Bao wants to eat, we’ll eat. Grandma will peel them for you.”

To everyone’s astonishment, the Queen Mother began peeling the seeds for Ah Bao, even removing the sharp edges to avoid choking her.

Ah Bao ate with great enjoyment.

This was the first snack she had in a month, boohoo, it was so hard-earned!

【Thank you, Grandma】

【Grandma is so nice~】

Queen Mother: ?

A rocking horse?

It seemed that the rocking horse the Emperor had made for Ah Bao last time had grown tiresome for her. Now she wanted a new color.

Wanting a rocking horse wasn’t difficult.

It’s arranged!

Ah Bao had no idea that her toy room would soon add a new rocking horse.

The other Concubines were wide-eyed.

To say the least, the princes didn’t have this kind of treatment!

Not to mention having the Queen Mother peel sunflower seeds for them, the princes would have to queue up, flatter her, and actively peel seeds for her.

The Queen Mother had poor teeth, and the princes might not even get to eat what they peeled for her.

But with Ah Bao, the Queen Mother was different.

Soon, Ah Bao saw a middle-aged couple entering Cining Palace.

【The female lead’s parents are bringing her into the palace】

【Woohoo~】

Prince Han and Princess Han entered Cining Palace with a little girl in a white dress, greeting the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother had two sons: Prince Han and the Great Tyrant.

They were full-blooded brothers.

Seeing Prince Han, whom she hadn’t seen for over a year, the Queen Mother’s eyes filled with tears.

Everyone in the palace knew that the Queen Mother’s favorite was not the Great Tyrant, but Prince Han.

The Queen Mother rose from her seat, leaning on her cane as she approached Prince Han.

No one was surprised.

They all knew that Prince Han held a special place in the Queen Mother’s heart.

Prince Han, dressed in snow-white robes, had a face as smooth as jade. He resembled the Great Tyrant in some aspects, but his eyes… were unfocused and lackluster.

“Xuan’er, how is your health in Yucheng? Are your eyes any better?”

Prince Han’s voice was respectful but very subdued. “It’s the same as before.”

Even his voice sounded similar to the Great Tyrant’s.

The Queen Mother sighed, unable to stop her heartache.

Princess Han, seeing this, comforted her, “Mother, His Highness’s blindness is an old condition. Please don’t worry. His Highness has a kind heart. I believe Heaven will not be so cruel to him.”

“I never imagined my Xuan’er would have such a hard life.” The Queen Mother’s eyes reddened, and tears fell uncontrollably.

A mother’s care.

The other Concubines lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Concubine De and Princess Changping could only stand by and watch, unable to interject.

Prince Han’s situation was well-known in the Tiansheng Dynasty. Though he was blind, he still held considerable respect among the people.

The Queen Mother led Prince Han to a seat beside her.

She gazed at his eyes and then at his legs, “Xuan’er, with the weather getting colder, how are your legs? Are they alright now?”

Prince Han forced a slight smile. “Mother, I’m fine. Please don’t worry.”

The Queen Mother continued to speak with sorrow, “It’s been thirty-five years in the blink of an eye. Thirty-five whole years.”

Prince Han and the Great Tyrant were both forty this year.

The Queen Mother’s gaze drifted out the window, and she often shed tears when reminiscing about the past.

Thirty-five years ago, during a time of instability and turmoil in the Tiansheng Dynasty, the country was weak.

She had accompanied the late Emperor on military campaigns to quell rebellions and stabilize the regime. Despite their efforts, they were still suppressed by the neighboring Zisheng Kingdom.

During a national negotiation, Zisheng Kingdom demanded a hostage in exchange for withdrawing their troops from the borders.

The late Emperor had many heirs, but Zisheng Kingdom seemed intent on making things difficult and chose the then five-year-old Great Tyrant, Emperor Cangmo, as the hostage.

The Queen Mother was naturally unwilling, and the late Emperor was also distressed.

Emperor Cangmo and Emperor Moxuan were the late Emperor’s most valued sons.

The late Emperor intended to pass the throne to one of them after his death.

At that time, the Great Tyrant and Prince Han were only five years old.

On that snowy day, when the late Emperor was at his wit’s end, the five-year-old Prince Han appeared in the hall, standing before the Queen Mother and the late Emperor, and said in a tender voice, “Father and Mother, I am willing to go to Zisheng Kingdom as the hostage in place of my brother.”

“Do you know what being a hostage means?”

Little Prince Han shook his head. “I don’t. But I know that if my brother leaves, there will be no one to protect me like he does, or teach me to ride horses. I want my brother to stay in the palace, wait for me to return, teach me archery, and play with me.”

The late Emperor and the Queen Mother were speechless.

Especially the Queen Mother, who covered her mouth and cried immediately.

What a considerate little Prince Han.

When it came time to make the choice, the late Emperor ultimately allowed the young Prince Han to replace the Great Tyrant and go to Zisheng Kingdom as a hostage.

This decision became a lifelong emotional wound and nightmare for the Queen Mother and the Great Tyrant.

Little Prince Han spent five years in Zisheng Kingdom.

Being a hostage was no easy life. In a foreign country, being a hostage was, to put it nicely, a political pawn, and to put it harshly, a prisoner.