"Young lady, how did you come up with this idea?" Nanny Rong asked with a sigh.
Yanran smiled, her expression unchanged. "Actually, I hadn't thought of it at first, but then I heard someone mention Xiao Wu and remembered that when I returned to the palace this time, I met an old palace maid with white hair..."
She encountered it while walking in the palace.
In fact, she had encountered it several years ago, but hadn't paid attention.
It was only then that she realized the old palace maid looked somewhat familiar.
She didn't think much of it at the time, but the more she thought about it afterward, the more something seemed off, so she went to see Madam Wang.
Wang Fu is now in a semi-retired state. The emperor has other people in his favor, but he is quite satisfied with the current situation, as it allows him to spend more time with Madam Wang.
No one knew more about the old stories in the palace than Wang Fu.
If asked by others, Wang Fu would remain tight-lipped.
However, Yanran had the advantage of being young, sweet-talking, and outspoken. Under her charm, Wang Fu revealed some of his secrets.
That white-haired palace maid was Consort De's person.
In order to please the Emperor, Consort De selected a group of people to stay by her side.
Among those young and beautiful palace maids, there were always one or two who resembled Xiao Wu...
So there was no sudden turn to the dark side; Consort De was never a good person from the beginning.
Nanny Rong sighed deeply.
What kind of karma is this?
"Granny, I know you don't want to be bothered by worldly affairs. But think about it, saving so many lives is such a great act of merit. Don't you want to participate?"
Nanny Rong pursed her lips and pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll help you, young lady."
I don't seek merit, I only wish that the Prince and Princess will have a smooth and successful life.
Yanran did her homework and went to the palace on the third day.
The Emperor was reviewing memorials in his study when he heard that Yanran was requesting an audience. He sighed and said, "This child is pitiful; she's worried about her parents now. Let her in!"
But when Yanran walked in with the eunuch, the emperor's pupils suddenly contracted, and he didn't even notice the ink drop from his vermilion brush falling to the ground.
Yanran, dressed in a pale yellow gauze high-breasted dress adorned with phoenix and peony patterns, wearing embroidered shoes inlaid with Mingzhu, and carrying a basket in her hand, slowly walked in.
This is clearly the image of Xiao Wu picking flowers with a flower basket back in the Xiao Family...
Yanran stepped forward and knelt down to pay her respects.
The Emperor called out, "Rise," and then asked her, "What have you brought to see me?"
Yanran said loudly, "These are pastries I made myself. Although they don't look very nice, they are still a token of my affection for my grandfather."
The moment she spoke, she didn't sound like Xiao Wu at all.
Xiao Wu's figure was supple, her voice gentle... but Yanran possessed a spirited and cheerful air.
The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief.
If they are exactly the same, he'll probably have to think about it more.
"It's kind of you to think of me. I'm actually quite hungry, so please have a taste."
Yanran stepped forward gracefully and took out a plate of crabapple cakes from the basket, placing them on the table.
When she put the snacks down, she gently raised her little finger, the movement natural and fluid.
Xiao Wu also made this subtle move back then.
"Grandfather, you should try it. I gave it to Cui Xiaoqiu, but he complained about it!"
Yanran's words brought the Emperor back to reality.
The Emperor reached out and picked up a pastry, asking, "Who is Cui Xiaoqiu?"
"You like the Cui Family the most, the grandson of Grand Secretary Cui, named Cui Ling. I call him Cui Xiaoqiu. We're childhood sweethearts, hehe."
Before coming, Cui Xiaoqiu specifically instructed that the Cui Family must be mentioned.
That's how the emperor is; if you try to hide something, he'll become suspicious.
If you just make the relationship public, he won't think too much about it.
Yanran spoke with a radiant smile, displaying the playful wit appropriate for her age.
She recounted some amusing anecdotes about the two of them.
The emperor couldn't help but smile as he listened, "How come such a perfectly good child has become a ball in your eyes?"
The grandfather and granddaughter talked for a while. Yanran occasionally reminded the emperor of Xiao Wu, but most of the time she was innocent and carefree, as if all the similarities were just the emperor's wishful thinking.
Yanran said that this was exactly the effect she wanted.
"Grandfather, could you please write a piece of calligraphy for me?" Yanran looked at the Emperor with pleading eyes.
The Emperor smiled and asked, "What do you want me to write for you?"
Yanran said, "Mount Tai Stone Guardian!"
emperor. "..."
This child always reminded him of Xiao Wu.
But after saying three more words, he reverted to his true colors.
This is the same little heroine who swept away assassins and exuded domineering aura during the Dragon Boat Festival.
"Why write that?" the Emperor asked with a smile.
"Grandfather, I haven't been sleeping well at night. In this vast palace, I'm the only mistress..." Yanran's voice was somewhat pitiful. "I regret coming to the capital. But I heard there's been an earthquake in the border town... Nanxing told me that my father and mother wrote to her, telling me not to go back..."
The Emperor understood.
When the devastating news arrived, the adults kept it from the children.
"Could you write me a piece of calligraphy to ward off all demons and monsters? Or you could simply give me an imperial edict, ordering me to return home. That way, if my father and mother complain that I came to the capital for fun, I can produce the edict and they'll have nothing to say! Hmph!"
Her smug and self-important demeanor stirred a pang of sorrow in the Emperor's heart.
This poor child still doesn't know that her parents' fate is unknown...
The Emperor has been experiencing mixed feelings these past few days.
The Prince of Jin was his own son; how could he not covet him?
But he always felt that nothing would happen to the Prince of Jin.
He has already sent people with 500,000 taels of silver to purchase supplies along the way and go directly to the border town for disaster relief.
He's waiting for news.
If the Prince of Jin were to truly be in trouble, he would certainly send even more manpower and resources to rescue him.
But if the situation in the border town isn't so serious, then he... would probably be more cautious.
He feared that the silver would turn into weapons used against him.
"But now that there's an earthquake in the border town, my father probably won't have the energy to care for me. I wonder if his injuries have healed yet, and my mother is pregnant with my sister... Grandfather, I'm a little homesick."
Yanran leaned her head on the Emperor's shoulder, intimately close to him, completely unguarded with him.
"Grandfather, why don't you go to the border town too?" Yanran said softly. "Father misses you very much. I've seen him in his study several times, stroking the paperweight you gave him as a reward. But he doesn't have much time to think about it; he's too busy."
Are you busy?
"I'm so busy. To help my father, my brother went to the Xia Kingdom, and I miss him so much. I didn't want him to go, but my father said it was the duty of the Yuwen Family's sons. So I've been practicing martial arts like crazy. I want to help my father and brother, and together with them, protect our Yuwen Family's empire."
A subtle mix of emotions stirred within the Emperor.
His son and grandson were both exceptionally talented.
They are protecting the Yuwen Family's empire.
The Emperor reached out and patted Yanran on the back. "Go back now, I know what you want."
Yanran's body stiffened.
The Emperor laughed, "I've had more than sixty years more salt than you. Go."
Even though he knew Yanran had something in mind, her words did indeed touch him.
Moreover, it was a face he wanted to grant, just like many times before, doing things he knew were impossible.