Lin Xuan couldn't help laughing when he heard that. So it was all because of that one remark.
"Why did he say I look like a girl, Daddy?" Lin Xuan asked.
"Because he said your face is really pale, and boys don't have faces that pale. Only girls do!" Xuanyou said indignantly.
The adults present couldn't help laughing.
They never expected that one remark would cause the two children to fall out.
That said, Lin Xuan's handsome, striking looks were a rare sight even in Northern Profound Heaven.
His good looks could even make many women seem dull by comparison.
Donghuang Deye pinched Donghuang Haoyu's cheek, half amused and half exasperated, and chided him, "You little rascal, the Emperor Consort is handsome!"
"Men can have pale, good-looking faces too, you know?"
Donghuang Haoyu looked utterly bewildered. "Boys can be that good-looking too?"
"Of course!"
Donghuang Deye nodded. "The Emperor Consort—your grandaunt's husband—is the best-looking man in the world. Got it?"
As he spoke, Donghuang Deye even took the initiative to strike up a closer connection with Lin Xuan.
Given his relationship with Donghuang Ziyou, it wasn't at all inappropriate for Donghuang Haoyu to call Lin Xuan his grandaunt's husband.
"Oh, oh, got it!" Donghuang Haoyu hurried over and bowed to Lin Xuan. "I'm sorry, grandaunt's husband!"
Lin Xuan ruffled his hair. "It's all right."
"Hmph!" Xuanyou crossed her arms over her chest with a smug, haughty look that said, See? I wasn't the one in the wrong.
Donghuang Deye nudged Donghuang Haoyu. "Go apologize to your little sister."
Donghuang Haoyu had clearly taken more hits, but there was no helping it. He was the one in the wrong.
Besides, Xuanyou was the Empress's child, so Donghuang Deye could only have his son admit his mistake first.
Donghuang Haoyu stepped forward and took Xuanyou's little hand. "Xuanyou, I was wrong."
"Hmph!" Xuanyou was still haughty.
Donghuang Haoyu had no choice. He took a small, wrapped sugar figurine out of his pocket.
"Xuanyou, I'll give you this sugar figurine. Please don't be mad at me, okay?"
Xuanyou snatched the sugar figurine from him. Without unwrapping it, she said, "My daddy is the best-looking boy!"
Donghuang Haoyu nodded. "Mm!"
Xuanyou continued, "And my daddy is the most capable boy!"
Donghuang Haoyu replied, "Mm!"
Xuanyou saw that Donghuang Haoyu was being sincere.
Only then did she unwrap the sugar figurine and lick it. "It's so sweet. All right, I forgive you!"
Donghuang Deye secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At last, he'd managed to settle the little devil.
Xuanyou then turned and threw herself into Lin Xuan's arms, grinning.
"I finally have a daddy too!"
"Before, the other kids were always showing off their daddies, but I didn't have one!"
"Now I can finally show off my daddy to them too!"
Lin Xuan felt a pang in his heart when he heard that.
So the little girl had reacted so strongly because she'd been bottling up too much emotion.
Ever since she'd grown up, she'd watched the other children show off their fathers.
She must have felt so miserable inside.
"You're such a good daughter!" Lin Xuan couldn't resist kissing her chubby little cheek. "Daddy promises he'll always stay by your side!"
When Xuanzhu, Xuanxi, and Xuanhan saw Lin Xuan kiss Xuanyou, a surge of jealousy welled up in them.
The three little girls rushed over together and hugged Lin Xuan. "Daddy, give me a kiss too!"
"Hahaha, all right!" Lin Xuan immediately granted his daughters' wish and gave each of them a kiss filled with fatherly love.
Everyone present felt envious at the sight of such a warm, loving scene.
Having daughters was wonderful!
Four little darlings gathered around him all day. What could be happier?
"Wow, so much love!"
Mu Youqing had come up behind Lin Xuan and happened to see him kissing his four daughters. Her heart nearly melted.
Brother-in-law, the tea party is about to begin. I'll take you there.
When Xuanzhu and the others saw Mu Youqing, they greeted her warmly. "Hello, Auntie!"
Among the younger members of the Eastern Imperial Clan, Mu Youqing was closest to Xuanzhu and her three sisters.
Seeing Xuanzhu and Xuanxi jump into Mu Youqing's arms, Lin Xuan nodded. "Let's go."
Mu Youqing gathered Xuanzhu and Xuanxi in her arms and kissed each of them.
"My two little darlings, I haven't held you in a few days, and you've gotten a little heavier."
Xuanzhu and Xuanxi exchanged startled looks.
"Ah, did I get fat?"
"Did I eat too much last night?"
The two little girls had spent a lot of time by Donghuang Ziyou's side. They often saw her go many days without eating anything at all.
After watching her for so long, they'd picked up a little about keeping their figures.
Now that Mu Youqing had said that, a dark cloud seemed to settle over each of their hearts.
"Haha, your auntie's just teasing you!"
Mu Youqing smiled fondly. "Your auntie may not be as formidable as your mother, but I'm still in the Quasi-Emperor Realm. How could I think you're heavy?"
Hearing that, Lin Xuan felt secretly embarrassed.
As expected of the Eastern Imperial Clan's young talents. Mu Youqing was already in the Quasi-Emperor Realm at such a young age.
What would happen when she got a little older?
They chatted and laughed along the way, and Lin Xuan soon followed Mu Youqing to the gathering place.
It was a pavilion on a small hill in the middle of the garden.
The pavilion was called the Elegant Breeze Pavilion.
Just from the name, it was clear that this was a place where refined scholars gathered.
Everyone there had an extraordinary air about them.
Their clothes were luxurious and elegant, and even their expressions carried an air of wealth and privilege.
Still, not one of them had the arrogant, overbearing air of a spoiled young master.
That put Lin Xuan at ease.
It made sense. If they could spend time with a girl as seemingly innocent as Mu Youqing, they couldn't be bad people.
Mu Youqing introduced him as proudly as if she were presenting a treasure. "Let me introduce him. This is Lin Xuan, the man of our Empress!"
The young men and women of the imperial family all looked at him with admiration.
"As expected of the Emperor Consort. His bearing is truly remarkable!"
"The Emperor Consort is handsome enough to be the best-looking man in all of Northern Profound Heaven!"
"So handsome! I'm so envious of Big Sister Empress!"
Hearing everyone praise Lin Xuan, Xuanzhu, Xuanxi, Xuanhan, and Xuanyou all wore satisfied little smiles.
Wherever they went before, they'd seen other children showing off their dads.
Now it was finally their turn to enjoy having a daddy!
At Mu Youqing's invitation, Lin Xuan took the seat of honor at the table.
Since he needed help looking after the children, Mu Youqing sat beside him.
She then introduced everyone at the table to Lin Xuan.
Of them, Shangguan Jie and Chong Lingting seemed to be the most outstanding young talents.
"Brother Shangguan and Brother Chong are only one step away from the Emperor Realm."
"Not only that, they're both renowned scholars in Northern Profound Heaven, masters of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."
"They're also learned in every field, and are known as the 'Twin Marvels of Northern Profound Heaven.'"
After Mu Youqing finished, an imperial girl present added a couple of details.
Then the tea party officially began.
After chatting for a while, one of the young royals asked Shangguan Jie, "Brother Shangguan, at the last tea party, you said you had a timeless masterpiece to share with all of us."
"Could you tell us what it is now and open our eyes?"
Shangguan Jie shook his head with a wry smile. "Alas, that masterpiece is just too difficult!"
"I've thought it over and over, but my talent and learning are too shallow. I still can't come up with a poem that fits it perfectly."
Chong Lingting chimed in. "That's right. Brother Shangguan came to ask me for help too, but I couldn't write anything either."
Mu Youqing clicked her tongue. "Is it really that difficult? Your command of poetry is so impressive. You can't even write a single matching couplet?"
Shangguan Jie and Chong Lingting nodded at the same time.
"Not just us. Even our teachers couldn't do it." The two smiled wryly.
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