Extra: Xiao Shaoduo 2

Upon returning to the East Palace, the group immediately sensed something was amiss.

Because the Crown Prince and Crown Princess preferred quiet, and the Crown Prince did not take any concubines, and had only one child, Xiao Shaoduo Xiao Shaoduo lively but not noisy, the Eastern Palace was never noisy.

But now, people were coming and going, walking hurriedly, and everyone looked worried and anxious, making one's heart pound.

Recalling the Crown Princess's prominently protruding belly and her unusual behavior this morning in asking everyone to take Xiao Shaoduo outside to play, the wet nurse guessed what was going on.

She grabbed Xiao Shaoduo's hand. "Young Prince, let's go back to the courtyard to change our clothes, or we'll catch a cold."

Ever since Zhao Ruxi became pregnant with her second child, Xiao Lingyan was afraid that Xiao Shaoduo might hurt Zhao Ruxi without thinking, and also bother Zhao Ruxi. So he cleaned up the yard next door and moved two-year-old Little Duo'er to live there.

Fortunately, Little Duo'er had been cared for by wet nurses and palace maids since he was a child; Xiao Lizi was also specially selected by Xiao Lingyan and came to his side when he was six months old. With these people by his side, and since he always slept in a separate room and never shared a bed with Zhao Ruxi, he wasn't too clingy to Zhao Ruxi.

Therefore, even after moving from the next house to the next yard, he accepted it well after Xiao Lingyan had a manly conversation with him. He moved without making a fuss and even cared for Zhao Ruxi.

Zhao Ruxi was diagnosed with twins not long after becoming pregnant with her second child, and her pregnancy was very difficult, leaving her with little energy to take care of Xiao Shaoduo.

She felt contractions today, and fearing it would frighten her son, she specially asked someone to take Xiao Shaoduo to play in the garden.

Although Xiao Shaoduo was young, he was a clever little man. He had overheard his maternal grandmother and mother chatting about Zhao Ruxi's childbirth.

Hearing his wet nurse's words, he didn't move, but instead looked up at her and asked, "Wet nurse, is my mother about to give birth?"

The wet nurse had been instructed by Zhao Ruxi and forced to read a large number of parenting books written by Zhao Ruxi. She was now a professional parenting expert with a head full of modern parenting knowledge, and she understood Zhao Ruxi and the little rascal in front of her very well.

She didn't dare hide anything and nodded, saying, "I guessed that's how it is. But let's put this matter aside for now and go take a bath and change our clothes. If Her Majesty gives birth to the baby, and you, Little Prince, fall ill, just think about the consequences..."

Xiao Shaoduo immediately felt a chill.

He remembered that two months ago he caught a cold, had a runny nose and cough. His mother not only made him drink bitter medicine, but also forbade his wet nurse from giving him candied fruit to sweeten his mouth. His father also forbade him from getting close to his mother.

During that time, he could only stand far away and watch his mother, unable to even get a loving hug from her. It wasn't until ten days later, when his cold had completely subsided, that he finally received a hug and a sweet kiss from his mother.

Ten days! A full ten days! It felt like a year! Just thinking about it was terrifying!

For those ten days, he was the kind of poor, unwanted child his grandmother always described, sob sob sob...

Xiao Shaoduo didn't need anyone to urge him; he turned around and strode into his courtyard, rushed into the house, and immediately ripped his clothes off his body.

The wet nurse and palace maid knew his personality, so they quickly took turns, one finding clothes and the other dressing him, and soon he was dressed.

Fortunately, it's autumn now, and the weather isn't too cold yet. He can wear an inner garment and a light jacket over it, so there's no worry about Xiao Shaoduo getting cold.

After changing his clothes, the wet nurse swiftly grabbed Xiao Shaoduo, who was about to rush out, and said, "Young Prince, listen to me. Your mother is giving birth right now. Not only you, but even His Highness the Crown Prince cannot go in to visit her. If you go, the Empress will be worried about you inside and won't be able to focus on giving birth."

"If the young prince wants to be the eldest brother, why don't you play with your toys here and wait? Once your younger siblings are born, they will surely come to announce the good news. Then we can go visit the Empress, the young prince, and the young princess, okay?"

Xiao Shaoduo hesitated for a moment, then stared with his clear, large eyes and asked, "Really?"

"Really." The wet nurse nodded vigorously.

When Xiao Shaoduo was very young, Zhao Ruxi trained the wet nurse and the eunuchs, palace maids, and Imperial Guards who accompanied Xiao Shaoduo. She selected several modern parenting books that she thought were excellent, copied them down, and made these people memorize them. Afterward, she would check on them and give them a warning every now and then.

One of her requirements for these people was: do not lie to the children. If they were unsure whether they could tell the children something, they should ask her and Xiao Lingyan, or use a more tactful approach. In short, they must not deceive the children.

She inquired about her son's daily life, including his food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and even had the upgraded system monitor him, all because she was afraid that the people around her would corrupt Xiao Shaoduo.

The late Crown Prince was the son of the late Empress and Xiao Ge. He was carefully educated by a great Confucian scholar from a young age. Although Xiao Ge favored Consort Jin and thus also showed favoritism towards the Third Prince, she never neglected the education of the Crown Prince.

Why did the crown prince become like that? It's simply because he didn't trust the people around him, which fostered his paranoid and suspicious personality.

Therefore, the words and actions of those around a child are especially important. If these wet nurses, palace maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Guards are not good, no matter how many great scholars teach him, it will be useless. After all, these are the people he spends the most time with.

At this moment, Xiao Lingyan, who was standing at the door of the delivery room, also knew that his son had come back from playing. He sent someone over to tell Xiao Shaoduo, and Xiao Shaoduo no longer suspected anything and obediently sat on the mat to play with building blocks.

Unlike his usual focused self, he was unusually absent-minded today, glancing out of the yard every time he stacked two blocks.

Seeing this, the wet nurse sighed inwardly and whispered to the palace maid, "Look at the young prince, he's so young and already knows how to worry about the Empress. The Grand Tutor was right, our young prince is naturally precocious."

The palace maid clasped her hands together and bowed, saying, "Dear gods, please bless Her Highness the Crown Princess with peace and good fortune..."

The wet nurse quickly clasped her hands in prayer.

Zhao Ruxi treated her servants very well, and they all genuinely wished Zhao Ruxi well.

In the neighboring courtyard, Xiao Lingyan paced back and forth in front of the house, listening to Zhao Ruxi's moans inside. He wished he could break down the door and enter.

In modern times, men are allowed to enter the delivery room.

However, probably because they were afraid he would rush in, both the imperial physician and Nanny Yan said that his presence in the delivery room would be bad for Zhao Ruxi and the baby.

Having experienced time travel, he held a deep reverence for ghosts and spirits; moreover, he knew Zhao Ruxi wouldn't want him to see her in such a disheveled state. He could only try his best to restrain himself and not go in to stay by Zhao Ruxi's side.

"I'm not having any more. After this one, I'll never have another." He murmured again, staring at the closed door.