Yun Jiangli was stunned for a long time by Yan Muning’s words.
Fortunately, his reason prevailed slightly, so the young hall master still knew that he had to take care of the little prince’s health.
Otherwise, this old fox would probably be eager to launch a campaign to prove his skills.
But Yun Jiangli still kept this grudge in his heart—
Sooner or later, this arrogant little thing will have to pay the price for what he said.
.
On New Year’s Eve, according to custom, people would go to the palace in the afternoon to prepare for the family dinner.
Although it is a family dinner on New Year’s Eve, in fact, not only royal family members are present, but also some important officials in the court, vassal kings in the capital, and some nobles will come as well.
Therefore, this family dinner that lasted from the afternoon to the evening could be considered quite unfriendly to Yan Muning’s current situation.
If it was really just a family dinner, the little prince could sit more casually in front of his brothers.
But those uncles, clan members, and various noble old men from the aristocratic families… were all present, and they were all very smart, every pair of eyes was looking at them. Yan Muning had to sit upright throughout the family dinner and had to remind himself to pay attention to the rules and etiquette. Otherwise, once he left the palace, who knows what people would do to him behind his back?
Yan Muning was unwilling to go.
He was carrying a baby now, and although there might not be anyone who was blind enough to say anything to his face, but those feudal, old-fashioned people would definitely talk about him behind his back. The little prince felt very uncomfortable when he thought about himself, the big beauty, and their baby being talked about behind their backs.
What’s more, he has been sitting for a long time now, and his waist and legs are aching. It’s simply torture.
“Fifth Brother, go and talk to them for me! Can’t I just not go?” Yan Muning pulled Prince Cheng’s sleeve and swayed left and right in a coquettish manner.
Prince Cheng was so annoyed by him that he could only wink at Yun Jiangli behind him and coax him, “Be obedient. Everyone knows that His Majesty just arranged a marriage for you a few days ago, if you didn’t even show up for the family dinner, don’t you know how outrageous it would be if this word got out?”
“Muning, be good. Imperial Brother and I have discussed it. You don’t have to stay all night. I’ll find an excuse to let you go back home early. Is that alright?”
Yan Muning knew all this very well. He had been hanging out with the royal family since he was a child, and he knew the twists and turns in everyone’s heart very well.
Yun Jiangli sat aside and watched the two brothers talk quietly. After listening for a while, he interrupted and said, “Xiao Qi, are you worried about me?”
Prince Cheng was slightly startled when he heard this, and he turned his head to look at his youngest brother and said in surprise, “What is there to worry about? Your marriage with Young Hall Master was arranged by our Empress Mother herself!”
“Ah?” Yan Muning was a little confused.
Yun Jiangli raised his hand to support his forehead. How could he have forgotten about this matter?
Prince Cheng is truly a lousy teammate.
“Ningning, it’s getting late. Let Fifth Brother go back early. We will be busy tomorrow.” Yun Jiangli stood up and walked behind Yan Muning, preparing to carry him back to the bedroom.
Prince Cheng was embarrassed and immediately understood what he meant. He bid farewell to his youngest brother in a hurry and left.
Yun old fox Jiangli carried the little prince back to the bedroom steadily and stuffed him into the bathtub that had been prepared early in the morning. He then stepped back and said slowly, “According to my father, your empress mother and my mother had arranged a marriage for us as children. I also just found out about this.”
Yun Jiangli had made up his mind. His little prince was shy and would be too embarrassed to jump out of the bathtub and beat him up. He added, “The token of engagement is a pair of jade pendants. You and I can wear them at the family dinner tomorrow.”
Yan Muning curled up in the bathtub, slowly figuring out what had happened.
Two emotions were intertwined in his heart, one half was happy about his fate with the big beauty, and the other half was annoyed that it was clearly his business, but why was he always the last one to know about it?
The little prince tilted his head, a sly look flashed across his eyes, and he pursed his lips in pretended surprise and said, “Really? Tell me what the child marriage is all about!”
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and gestured to Yun Jiangli to come closer.
When Yan Muning said this, he used the little bit of vixen he learned from Yun Jiangli to the fullest and successfully deceived the big beauty.
Yun Jiangli relaxed his guard and approached, obviously not expecting that this little thing was eager to take revenge on him: “Speaking of which, do you have any opinion on that jade pendant…”
“Blah—”
Yun Jiangli was halfway through his words when the little prince splashed a handful of water on his head.
Yun Jiangli: “……”
Good. The little thing has learned to deceive people.
The little prince was so happy that he curled up in the bathtub and looked at the big beauty who was in a state of panic. He kept giggling and muttering, “Next time, I’ll see if you dare to forget to tell me again!”
The bathing time was originally no more than half an hour a day, but because the little prince was too complacent, it was extended to nearly two hours on this day and was eventually forced to turn into a bath for two…
Hot water was added several times during the process, and the room was full of water. The whole room was filled with steam, and the mess on the floor was unbearable to look at.
.
The next day, Yan Muning woke up in the warm pavilion. He sat on the warm couch with his hands on his belly and thought about what happened last night. The little prince’s cheeks turned red again. He was afraid that he would not be able to look at the bathtub properly from now on.
As he had to go to the palace in the afternoon, the little prince lazily returned to the warm pavilion after breakfast, ready to take a nap.
He had just closed his eyes for less than half a minute when Yuchi Zhao’s loud voice came from the yard.
Yan Muning muttered to himself, I’m asleep and couldn’t hear it.
However, Yuchi Zhao had no intention of giving the little prince a chance to pretend to sleep. He jumped directly onto the warm couch and pulled his hand and shook it vigorously: “Ah Ning, get up quickly! I will dress you up, and we will go to the palace together later!”
The little prince squinted his eyes and glanced at him reluctantly: “Why are you pestering me and not going into the palace with the Old Prince?”
“I don’t want to go with that old man. My second brother is following him!”
Yuchi Zhao sat on the couch and sighed: “Ah Ning, let me tell you, my father is really going too far! Today is New Year’s Eve after all! Do you know when he pulled me out of the quilt?”
“Wasn’t it just Choushi(1-3am)? When else can it be?”
Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, the little prince sat up on the couch, reached out to pour himself a cup of tea, and drank it in small sips.
“It isn’t!” Yuchi was extremely emotional, patting the couch, “He dragged me to the yard before Choushi even arrived ah! Choushi hasn’t even arrived! Even the cocks haven’t crows yet!”
Yan Muning looked at his friend with sympathy and silently handed him a cup of tea: “Come, have a drink of water.”
Yuchi Zhao raised his head and drank the whole cup, rubbing the corner of his mouth fiercely with the back of his hand, and said, “The day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow at the latest! I will move to your place! As long as this old man doesn’t go back to the Western Territory, I will not go back to the Prince’s Mansion!”
“You left just yesterday, and you’re coming back again?”
Yun Jiangli entered the warm pavilion holding a pile of Yan Muning’s clothes.
“Well, I won’t affect you two, can’t I just take Xiao Tan’er and live alone in the yard next door this time?”
Yuchi Zhao turned his head and spoke to Yun Jiangli.
Yun Jiangli smiled and ignored him and said to his youth, “Xiao Qi, come here, I will help you tie your hair and change your clothes.”
Yan Muning then looked at Yun Jiangli carefully, and his round eyes brightened a little.
In the past, Yun Jiangli never liked to tie his hair up or wear a crown. So, this was the first time he saw the big beauty with his hair tied up. His round eyes were sparkling and full of surprise.
Although Yun Jiangli only tied his hair into the simplest bun and wore a crystal jade crown, but that extremely simple style made his handsome face look less lazy and more handsome than before.
The perfect bone contours of the cheeks are clearly visible, the eyes are cold, the eyebrows are slightly raised, and the thin lips are lightly pursed, adding a bit of coldness.
He was wearing a dark, long robe with wide sleeves and a cross collar, a small white cloak, and a wide belt with dark patterns around his waist, outlining his slender and powerful waistline. He did not wear any extra ornaments, only a warm and transparent white jade pendant.
The little prince looked a little infatuated, staring at the small red mole on Yun Jiangli’s earlobe for a long time without moving his eyes away.
“Xiao Qi, come back to your senses.”
Yun Jiangli raised his hand and waved it in front of the dazed youth, then called him with a smile.
The little prince then hummed softly, but his cheeks slightly blushed.
“What? Are you fascinated by me?”
The young hall master approached the little prince, leaned over slightly, and looked at the youth with a smile.
The little prince then realized that there were only two of them in the warm pavilion, and Yuchi Zhao had gone out without him knowing when.
With his eyes lowered and his eyelashes trembling slightly, the little prince was embarrassed but said very honestly, “Well, I am fascinated, you are so beautiful.”
Yun Jiangli laughed dumbly. This little thing was so straightforward that he didn’t know what to say. He could only raise his hand to rub the youth’s soft hair before saying, “Come, let me, the princess consort, help Xiao Wangye change his clothes, alright?”
Compared to Yun Jiangli’s clothes, Yan Muning’s clothes today seemed much more complicated. Although he didn’t have to wear court robes for this kind of New Year’s banquet, but he still had to wear the clothes arranged for the prince. It was very troublesome to put them on piece by piece.
Yun Jiangli specially selected a wide-fronted robe for him, which completely covered his pregnant belly, making it impossible to tell that Yan Muning was nearly five months pregnant.
The little prince seldom wears dark-colored clothes on a normal day, but today’s crimson robe makes him look solemn.
His collar and cuffs were trimmed with inky black fur, his black hair was tied up on his head, and he wore a prince’s pearl crown, which completely hid his soft appearance. His whole body exuded a natural and arrogant royal aura.
“My Xiao Wangye is really good-looking.”
Yun Jiangli finally hung the jade pendant that matched his own around Yan Muning’s waist and touched the tip of the youth’s nose with his finger.
Due to the height difference, the little prince could only tilt his head slightly to look the big beauty in the eye. From this angle, the youth was so cute in Yun Jiangli’s eyes that his heart almost melted.
Yun Jiangli cupped Yan Muning’s neck with his palms, lowered his head, and touched the round eyes that seemed to contain bright stars with his slightly cold lips. His voice was slightly hoarse: “Wangye, please don’t look at me like that anymore. If you look at me for a moment longer, I’m afraid that neither you nor I will be able to attend the family banquet in the palace today.”
The little prince smiled shyly, lowered his eyes, took Yun Jiangli’s hand, and walked out first.
No one could see that the two of them intertwined their fingers and tightly clasped together under the wide sleeves.
.
Although the palace banquet was a bit restrained, but there were a lot of novel songs and dances and delicious food. The emperor loved Prince An the most, so naturally he ordered the kitchen to prepare all the food that Yan Muning liked.
Prince Huai was not in the capital, and the little prince’s position in order of precedence happened to be with Prince Cheng on the right and Yuchi Zhao on the left.
The little prince was much more casual now. His calves were bent unruly under the low table. Taking advantage of the fact that Yun Jiangli was sitting behind him and couldn’t see him, he secretly ate a lot of sweets.
He doesn’t know where his imperial brother got the chef from, but the pear wine he made was so delicious that the little prince squinted his eyes and smiled secretly with satisfaction.
“Hey, Ah Ning, you and the Young Hall Master are so stunning today. You made so many people jealous. Did you see the look in Wu Liangman’s eyes? He must be so jealous that he’s about to burst into flames.” Yuchi Zhao approached Yan Muning and whispered to him.
Speaking of which, Yan Muning felt strange. He seldom interacted with the eldest son of the Wu family and might not meet him very often throughout the year either.
In previous years, when they met, they would just greet each other politely, but this year, the way that person stared at him was as if he had a deep hatred for him, which was simply unreasonable.
“Why do you mind him? Don’t provoke him.”
The little prince frowned and instructed Yuchi seriously.
As the heir in the capital, Yuchi Zhao lived a much more comfortable life than Wu Liangman. Yan Muning knew that the Wu family regarded the Yuchi family as a thorn in their eyes. So compared to himself, he was more worried about Yuchi Zhao’s temper.
However, Yan Muning didn’t want to bother with the other party, but there were always people who came to make trouble for him.
The little prince was just stretching his head to talk to his fourth brother, Prince Heng, about his wedding across from Prince Cheng, when the light in front of him suddenly dimmed and a figure stood in front of his small desk, blocking most of the candlelight.
“Why did Xiao Wangye only drink pear wine today? Is it because the Yulu Chun prepared by His Majesty did not please you?”
The person who came was a son of a clan relative. In terms of seniority, he was of the same generation as Yan Muning, but he was seven or eight years older than him. However, he had accomplished nothing and could only live his life relying on the protection of his ancestors.
Normally, he was a bully who only bullied the weak and feared the strong, and he didn’t really dare to provoke those serious princes. He only dared to act rashly outside, not sure what made him crazy today, he dared to come directly to Yan Muning to make trouble.
Yuchi Zhao was about to lose his temper, but Yan Muning secretly pulled the hem of his clothes under the table.
What this person said was totally unfounded and could not even be considered the lowest level of instigation. Although the little prince was sitting, and he should have lost his imposing manner due to his high position, but the posture when he slightly raised his chin suddenly brought out a sense of strong oppression.
Although Yan Muning still had a well-behaved and kind smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold without any warmth. He didn’t even look at the man. He just said lightly, “People close to me know what I like. This pear wine was specially prepared for me by my imperial brother for the family banquet this year. It’s normal that you don’t know it.”
After saying this, he raised his hand and beckoned to the young palace attendant waiting beside him: “Go and check, if there is no pear wine on the Young Master’s table, then bring a pot.”
Then he turned to that young master and said with a smile: “Although Yulu Chun is mellow, but drinking too much can easily make you lose your mind, so you should drink it in moderation. There are many delicious foods at the family banquet today, so you might as well go back and try more.”
The words may seem soft and peaceful, but they make the person who said them appear like a thorn in their back.
Any normal person should have understood the implicit meaning in the little prince’s words. This person came here for no reason and got nothing, so he had to return to his seat in shame.
.
The emperor sat on the high seat, so he could see every move clearly.
He exchanged a glance with Yan Muning and knew from the way the little bastard blinked that he was asking for compliments from him again. He smiled secretly in his heart, turned around, and called Eunuch Li, whispering to him to add a portion of milk and bird’s nest for Prince An.
As for the family member of the instigator just now, the emperor will arrange for people to investigate their recent dealings. To be so brazen, he really doesn’t know if it’s because of their overconfidence or stupidity.
The little prince, who had eaten and drunk his fill, began to feel sleepy. He secretly rubbed his belly under the table with one hand and played with his child, while with his other hand he supported his chin and stared in a daze at the dancers who were dancing to the music.
There were many people in the palace, and the little prince did not notice that there was a sinister and cold gaze staring at him from the corner.
However, Yun Jiangli, who was sitting behind him, was quick to notice the unfriendly gaze at the first moment.
“Your Highness, I’m going out for some fresh air and will be back soon.” Yun Jiangli suddenly stood up and whispered in Yan Muning’s ear.
The sleepy little prince turned to the big beauty and said coquettishly, “Then go ahead, I’m so sleepy.”
“Don’t go too far. If you are not familiar with the palace, ask Shiyi to follow you.”
The little prince thought for a moment and then gave another soft reminder.
Yun Jiangli raised his hand and pinched his fair neck affectionately: “I won’t go far, I’ll be back in a moment.”
Seeing the little prince nod, Yun Jiangli retreated from the main hall.
The moment he left the hall, his face immediately darkened, and a chill suddenly appeared in his phoenix eyes.
Yun Jiangli’s appearance really added a layer of concealment to him naturally. People who saw him would only sigh at his stunning beauty and naturally ignore his identity and ability.
This was the case with the person who was staring at the little prince just now. That person didn’t notice Yun Jiangli at all, or he didn’t care at all.
But Yun Jiangli was always paying attention to the other party’s actions—
The owner of that sinister look had just left the hall secretly when he was noticed by him.
At this time, Yun Jiangli was standing in the shadow on one side of the palace gate. After squinting his eyes to identify, he quickly dodged and chased after somewhere in the darkness.
The author has something to say:
[Daily life of the two fathers and their child]
The Little Prince interacting with his child: Poke.
The Child: Push!
The big beauty interacting with the child: Attack.
The child: Not moving.
(The child’s double standards are perfectly inherited from the big beauty)
