The moment the door opened, the crying burst straight into their ears, no longer muffled by anything.
"Waaaaah-"
"Ch-Chengcheng was scared to death! Waaaah-"
This was no longer the room they had been staying in before. The rather small room was packed with people.
Jiang Yanchuan swept a quick glance around. Liaochen and the others stood beside the bed, awkwardly trying to soothe the little girl, while two somewhat helpless Shadow Guards stood farther out.
Everyone knew the little girl was crying so relentlessly because she feared being punished, but their eyes still betrayed a measure of sympathy.
Yu Xingmian was the first to "notice" Emperor Mingze. When he turned around, the delight in his eyes was remarkably genuine. "Your Majesty is here!"
Only then did everyone in the room "snap out of it" and turn to pay their respects.
Under their hopeful gazes, Jiang Yanchuan waved a hand and "released" them all.
Seeing her beautiful Imperial Father return, Jiang Yingcheng wanted to throw herself into his arms and snuggle up to him, yet feared getting her palms smacked. She could only sit where she was with a conflicted expression, crying as she kept stealing pitiful little glances at him.
Jiang Yanchuan slowly approached the bed, his gaze fixed entirely on the little girl.
Her cuff still bore traces of scorching, and the tip of her nose and the corners of her eyes were vivid red. Even if she was now pretending to cry to win sympathy, the sudden accident must truly have given her a terrible fright.
The bed was low. Jiang Yanchuan crouched down and found himself right at eye level with her.
"Were you frightened?"
With tears still pattering down, Jiang Yingcheng opened two little gaps between the chubby hands covering her eyes and peeked through them