Before Yan Mingli could ask further, the Prince of Rui quickly got into the carriage parked at the gate. He moved so fast that he seemed afraid of being seen by Li Xingzhi.
Just then, Li Xingzhi chased after them. From a distance, Yan Mingli saw him and silently cursed the old man for provoking Teacher Li again. Now the man had even chased him to the door!
Although Yan Mingli was complaining in his heart, his body was very honest. Before Li Xingzhi could get closer, he stuffed Shen Baozhu, Qiuqiu and the Fourth Prince, who had just entered the mansion, into the carriage.
When Li Xingzhi caught up with them at the gate of the Princess Mansion, he saw Yan Mingli standing in front of the carriage.
Out of breath, he gasped, "Mingli, where is Old Man Gu?"
Looking at Li Xingzhi, Yan Mingli replied calmly, "The old man should be having dinner at the Drunken Ballad Tower. Do you have something to ask him, Teacher Li?"
"I chased him all the way here. He disappeared right around here. Hurry up and hand him over!" Li Xingzhi didn't believe Yan Mingli's words and angrily demanded the old man.
Facing Li Xingzhi's anger, Yan Mingli gritted his teeth and protected the Prince of Rui. "He's really not here. I just got off the carriage and was about to help Baozhu..."
"Who? Baozhu? Shen Baozhu? Do you mean Shen Heqing's younger sister, Shen Baozhu?" Li Xingzhi couldn't help raising his voice. At the same time, he looked back at the plaque on the mansion.
After confirming that the mansion behind him was the residence of the Princess of Jingning, Li Xingzhi's tone changed completely. His voice became very gentle. "Is Baozhu in the carriage? I was just too angry just now. I'm not like this usually."
He gently blamed Yan Mingli. "You child, why didn't you say so earlier? If I had known Baozhu was in there, I would have tidied myself up. It's a pity that I rushed out in such a hurry and didn't bring any gifts."
Inside the carriage, the Prince of Rui looked at Shen Baozhu in disbelief when he heard Li Xingzhi's gentle tone. What was going on? Could Li Xingzhi speak in such a high - pitched voice? It was so scary!
Shen Baozhu felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and subconsciously moved closer to Qiuqiu.
The Dragon King: [Hahaha, Old Man Gu's eyes are about to pop out.]
The Dragon King: [Who is that person outside? He changed his attitude as soon as he heard the little cutie's name. He has good taste!]
Lin Yu: [This voice and tone sound familiar. I seem to have heard them somewhere.]
The Dragon King: [Why don't I think so?]
The Qingyun Real Man: [It does sound familiar.]
The Dragon King: [Who on earth is it? Why does everyone think it sounds familiar?]
Shen Baozhu also thought the voice was familiar. Curiously, she lifted the curtain and poked her head out, meeting Li Xingzhi's gaze.
Li Xingzhi's tone became even gentler, but he couldn't hide his excitement. "Baozhu, long time no see. Teacher was in a hurry when he went out and didn't bring anything. Here's this paperweight for you to play with."
The Prince of Rui almost let out a cry of surprise. That rosewood paperweight was made by Li Xingzhi himself. He cherished it so much that he even wouldn't let the Prince of Rui touch it. But now he was offering it to Shen Baozhu voluntarily. Was the person outside really Li Xingzhi? Could it be some evil spirit?
Shen Baozhu hid back in the carriage and said firmly, "Baozhu doesn't want it. Big Brother said that Teacher Li doesn't like Baozhu. He just wants to take a disciple with a photographic memory."
"Since Teacher Li doesn't like Baozhu, Baozhu can't accept your gift."
Lin Yu: [I remember. It's him!]
Lin Yu: [That's right! What Baozhu's big brother said is right.]
The Dragon King: [Remember what? Who is he?]
Lin Yu told the Dragon King about the time when Shen Heqing took Baozhu to the school to show off.
Outside the carriage, Li Xingzhi was pacing around anxiously. In his anger, he began to blame Shen Qingshan.
Li Xingzhi cherished talented people, especially hard - working geniuses. He couldn't bear to blame Shen Heqing, so he could only blame Shen Qingshan.
Seeing Shen Baozhu, Li Xingzhi forgot all about the Prince of Rui, allowing the latter to narrowly escape.
Out of caution, the Prince of Rui didn't dare to get out of the carriage until it drove into the Princess Mansion.
Shen Baozhu stepped forward and grabbed the Prince of Rui's right hand. "Grandpa Gu, Baozhu will treat you to pastries!"
Qiuqiu also grabbed his left hand. The Fourth Prince stood beside them, trying hard to learn so that he could hold the strange old man's hand like this next time.
...
While the Prince of Rui was making plans for the Fourth Prince outside the palace, the Queen inside the palace was also taking action.
After the Queen stopped the Emperor from seeing the Fourth Prince for the ninth time, the Emperor complained, "Since the birth of my son, I've only seen him once. You've seen the prince, so you naturally don't know how anxious and longing I feel."
The Emperor knew about the Queen's trip outside the palace. After learning the truth, he had always wanted to see the Fourth Prince. He even wanted to welcome the prince back to the palace with the same grandeur as his own coronation. But the Queen had dissuaded him, saying that the Fourth Prince was still too young to bear such a grand occasion. Then the Emperor wanted to go out of the palace to see the prince, but was still stopped by the Queen.
Being stopped again and again, the Emperor didn't speak nicely to the Queen.
Hearing the Emperor's complaint, the Queen's eyes turned red. Big tears rolled down her cheeks. Choking with sobs, she said, "I didn't mean to stop you on purpose. It's just that the prince was bullied by the eunuchs in the Yunshang Palace. He's afraid of men. When he went to the Princess Mansion with his little brother, he trembled when he saw the little brother... He's not fully recovered yet. I'm afraid that you'll be estranged from him and suspect him."
The Queen deliberately used the address she had used when they first got married, trying to evoke the Emperor's old feelings.
Seeing the usually dignified and elegant Queen looking so vulnerable and hearing the word "husband", the Emperor's mind drifted back to his youth. He pulled the Queen into his arms. His complaint turned into heartache. "It's my fault that I didn't protect our child well. Don't be afraid. He's our son. No matter what, I won't suspect him."
The Queen reached out and hugged the Emperor, nodding gently.
After they had been affectionate for a while, the Emperor left the Fengyi Palace.
Zhuoyue brought warm water and a towel and served the Queen to wash up. "Your Majesty, why did you stop His Majesty? The news from outside the palace said that the prince is recovering very quickly and is not as resistant to men as before."
Taking off her ornaments and wiping off her makeup, the Queen looked at her haggard self in the mirror and let out a soft laugh.
She thought that she was favored by God. She came from an ordinary family, her parents died early, and she had a dim - witted younger brother. But she was very lucky. She was betrothed to a prince as his main wife, and that prince became the emperor. She herself became the Queen of Dayong and managed the palace very well.
But reality gave the Queen a slap in the face. Her first child never got a chance to come into the world, and her only remaining child was switched.
Since the day she saw the Fourth Prince, the Queen hadn't had a good night's sleep. Every night, she would dream about that scene.
After Cui was given the death penalty, the Queen didn't know when the child was switched. She dreamed about every possible scenario.
Right after giving birth, Cui ordered someone to switch the child. She was in a coma after giving birth, and Cui went into the side hall to switch the child. The child was taken away on the morning he was born...
As long as the Cui family was not completely destroyed, the Queen couldn't sleep peacefully. She told Zhuoyue, "No matter how fast he recovers, he's not completely normal yet."
"A prince who can't speak and is afraid of men will make His Majesty pity him. But what about a crown prince who can't speak and is afraid of men?"
"His Majesty can only see a smart, studious and gentle son who is capable of inheriting the throne."
The Queen only had the Fourth Prince as her child, and she would love him whole - heartedly. But the Emperor was different. He had many children.
For example, the Third Prince, who still held the title of the legitimate son of the middle palace.
Thinking of the Third Prince, the Queen asked, "What has Gu Xuyang been doing these days?"
"According to your Majesty's order, we've been preparing storybooks and common - folk toys for the Third Prince. The prince became obsessed with crickets yesterday and ordered the eunuchs to buy them at a high price outside the palace." Zhuoyue reported in a low voice.
The Queen nodded. "Since he likes them, buy more. We don't want him to throw a tantrum."
In the past, the Queen often quarreled with the Third Prince because of his studies. Now that she knew that her real child was the Fourth Prince, the Queen completely indulged the Third Prince. After all, she wasn't his biological mother and had no right to discipline him.
While serving the Queen, Zhuoyue said indignantly, "It's really too good for the Third Prince. Our little master has suffered a lot, but he's living in luxury and having fun. This servant feels so aggrieved for our little master!"
The Queen looked at herself in the mirror again. She reached out and stroked her hair. "I remember all the sufferings our son has endured. I'll make the Cui family pay for it bit by bit."
"Go and prepare some things. Follow me to the Ci'an Palace tomorrow."