Even ghosts have to greet me as their ancestor

"Mother had no children of her own in this life. If not for your aunt, Lady Susu..."

Xia Siheng stopped there.

Had he said too much?

Dowager Consort Ling had adopted him from the Cold Palace.

"Prince, I understand."

Liu Wan picked up where he had left off, pressing her lips together slightly.

"It's getting late. If there's nothing else you need to attend to with the Fifth Princess, Mother would like you to come over for dinner."

"Mother seems to miss her old friend so much that she can barely eat. I often worry about her health."

As Xia Siheng spoke, his voice sank, carrying a hint of loneliness.

"I would like to visit the Imperial Consort Dowager, too. I'll have someone inform the Fifth Princess and the Empress Dowager right away."

Liu Wan nodded and went out with the little one in her arms.

The little one sucked her finger, peering at Xia Siheng over Mother's shoulder.

A smile curled at the corners of Xia Siheng's mouth.

No wonder the Empress Dowager wanted to make her a princess, and the emperor treasured her as well.

So this little one was no ordinary child.

His eyes brimmed with pride.

Liu Wan soon arrived at Dowager Consort Ling's palace.

The moment she entered, she felt a gust of cold wind sweep past, sending a shiver down her spine.

Remembering what her daughter had said upon entering the palace-that a ghost had latched onto Dowager Consort Ling-she grew afraid.

But when she saw the Imperial Consort Dowager's warm, kindly smile, she found a little more courage to approach her.

Xia Siheng was already keeping watch beside the Imperial Consort Dowager's couch. He said to Liu Wan, "Mother has so much she wants to tell you. Give me the child. I'll take her outside to play."

Liu Wan handed Little Wanwan to him.

Then Dowager Consort Ling took her hand, calling out with tears in her eyes, "Wan'er, you haven't visited in so long. I've missed you terribly."

When the conversation turned to her late aunt, Liu Wan's eyes grew warm with tears.

She remembered her aunt telling her, "If you ever run into trouble, go to the palace and seek out Consort Ling. She'll help you."

Thinking about it now, the Dowager Consort had been so close to her aunt, yet she herself had gone years without visiting.

Guilt welled up in her heart.

Xia Siheng carried Little Wanwan outside and sat her on a stone table. The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Little Wanwan offered Xia Siheng the finger she had been sucking.

"Share... wiv... you..."

Xia Siheng shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, but you're only three months old, aren't you? How can you already talk?"

He had never raised a child, but surely talking at just three months old was far too early!

"Can't..."

To keep him from growing suspicious of her identity, Little Wanwan shook her little head vigorously.

Oh no, he's getting suspicious.

Is talking at three months really that unusual? If I told him there was a ghost in this palace, wouldn't he be scared to death?

Sigh, poor Dowager Consort Ling. If the ghost isn't driven away tonight, she probably won't live to see tomorrow!

Xia Siheng's hand trembled, and he whipped his gaze toward her.

He wanted to ask what was going on, but he couldn't let the little one know he could eavesdrop on her thoughts.

What if she stopped thinking to herself after that?

So he lowered his voice. "Let me tell you a secret."

Little Wanwan immediately straightened and climbed onto Xia Siheng's shoulder. "You... tell..."

She loved a juicy bit of gossip more than anything.

Really.

Xia Siheng put on a terrified expression. "There's a ghost here!"

"Oh..."

Little Wanwan's head drooped, and she tried to crawl away again.

What kind of juicy gossip was that? She already knew!

Xia Siheng continued, "Unfortunately, I don't know how to drive this ghost away. Even Master Yuantong couldn't do anything when he came. I don't know how it latched onto Mother, but I'd give anything to get rid of it!"

Like becoming your father.

Little Wanwan pursed her lips.

Isn't that easy? Leave me here for one night, and every ghost that sees me will have to greet me as their ancestor.

Xia Siheng smiled faintly.

At dinner, he brought her over to Dowager Consort Ling. Sitting in her wheelchair, the Dowager Consort held the little one and couldn't bear to let her go.

"This child is so beautiful. She's the prettiest baby girl I've ever seen. Your Marquis's Residence is truly blessed."

At that, Dowager Consort Ling's eyes dimmed slightly.

That blessing should originally have been hers.

"Little Wanwan is still young. Her features haven't developed yet. How could she compare with the children of the Imperial Family?" Liu Wan said politely.

"With even half your looks, she would already be a stunning beauty. Besides, Marquis Jing'an's Heir Apparent is quite handsome himself. Only... I can't seem to find any trace of him in Wanwan's face. She must take entirely after you. My, she'll certainly be a beauty one day."

Dowager Consort Ling teased Little Wanwan as she picked up a bite of food with her chopsticks.

Hearing this, Liu Wan studied her daughter carefully. It was true that the girl resembled her.

But people said a daughter took seven parts of her looks from her father, and her own daughter looked nothing like Xie Jin'an.

"Of course you can't see any trace of Marquis Jing'an's Heir Apparent," Xia Siheng added leisurely from beside them.

All three turned their eyes toward him.

Xia Siheng smiled casually. "I also think she looks very much like her mother."

Dowager Consort Ling glanced at him. "Did we need you to tell us that? Such a chatterbox."

Then she smilingly served Liu Wan some food. As she picked up a piece of braised pork, a pair of tiny, chubby hands darted out and seized it.

Little Wanwan grabbed the meat and shoved it toward her mouth with astonishing speed.

Startled, Liu Wan hurriedly stood to stop her, but she was too late.

The little baby smacked her lips, sucking on the meat in her mouth.

She had no teeth and couldn't chew it, so she could only suck out some of the juices.

Liu Wan tried to take it from her hand, but she nestled into Dowager Consort Ling's arms with a pitiful look.

Dowager Consort Ling's heart melted.

She helped Liu Wan coax her. "You can't eat meat yet. You can only have a little taste. Come, Wanwan, shall we taste some other dishes?"

Little Wanwan nodded and put back the piece of pork belly she had sucked clean.

Dowager Consort Ling picked up some greens for her.

Xia Siheng's eyes, usually as cold as an iceberg, melted into a pool of tenderness.

This was what home felt like.

They chatted like this for a while, until the conversation turned to Liu Wan's aunt.

"Heng'er probably doesn't know this, but Wan'er was only this big that year. That day, Susu and I were holding her hands as we passed the Cold Palace, and Wan'er kept fussing and insisting that we go inside to look. Only after we went in did we find you..."

Even as Dowager Consort Ling brought up the incident, her eyes remained full of tenderness.

Back then, Xia Siheng had been thin and small, dressed in flimsy clothes and lying unconscious in the snow.

Had they not spotted him in time, the little one would probably have died long ago.

Only later did they learn that his mother had been a spy sent by the Enemy Kingdom. The Late Emperor had executed her long before, leaving him alone in the Cold Palace to live or die as fate dictated.

Fortunately, Susu had suggested that she adopt the child. The Late Emperor had refused at first, and only after Dowager Consort Ling staked her life on raising him properly had she been allowed to take him in as her son and give him a good life.

Xia Siheng's hand paused. Clearly, he had known nothing of this. He raised his head and looked at Liu Wan.