The Emperor's Beloved: My Ancestor is the Crown Prince?

Chapter 48 A Warm Afternoon, Before the Lychee Feast

Du He stood in the shadows of the outer corridor of the East Palace, clutching a brocade box in his hand, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly. The eunuch's words, "Your Highness is tired," still echoed in his ears—polite, yet as cold as well water in the twelfth lunar month.

He stared at the exquisitely packaged gift box in his hand. In the past, even if Chengqian didn't particularly like it, he would have accepted it with a smile, and at least let him in to say a few words.

But now...

Du He tugged at the corners of his mouth, shoved the brocade box into the hand of the servant beside him, and turned to walk out of the palace. His footsteps pounded on the bluestone slabs, each one heavy and muffled.

---

Lizheng Hall, afternoon.

Empress Zhangsun was reviewing the summer expense book presented by the Shanggong Bureau when she suddenly heard the clear laughter of children coming from outside the palace.

"Auntie Empress! Auntie Empress!"

Xiao Qingyi burst into the hall like a little cannonball. A few flower petals clung to her pale yellow jumpsuit, and her hair was a bit disheveled, clearly indicating she had run all the way. The pink backpack on her back bounced with her movements, and the rabbit doll hanging from the zipper swayed back and forth.

Empress Zhangsun's eyes softened with a gentle smile as she opened her arms: "Slow down, be careful not to trip."

The little girl rushed into her arms, smelling of sunshine and fresh grass: "Auntie Empress, look! The flowers in the Imperial Garden are all in bloom! Sister Sizi said the biggest peony is as big as Yiyi's face!"

She exaggeratedly drew a large circle around her face with her little hand, her eyes sparkling.

"Really?" Empress Zhangsun took the damp handkerchief handed to her by a palace maid and gently wiped away the fine sweat from Xiao Qingyi's nose. "Then Auntie will take you to see her later."

"Okay, okay!" Xiao Qingyi snuggled against Empress Zhangsun's lap like a spoiled kitten. Suddenly remembering something, she turned around and started rummaging through her little schoolbag. "Oh right, right, Yiyi brought you a present!"

It was a small, light green velvet box. When you opened it, there was a hair clip lying quietly inside.

It wasn't made of gold, silver, or jewels, but of plastic, shaped like a small sunflower with bright yellow petals and a reflective rhinestone in the center. In the Tang Dynasty court, this material was considered "shabby," but the sunflower's radiant smile surprised Empress Zhangsun.

"Yiyi chose this herself!" Xiao Qingyi stood on tiptoe, holding it up high like a treasure. "My brother took me to the mall, and there were so many hair clips! But this one looks most like Auntie Queen!"

Empress Zhangsun took the hair clip, her fingertips tracing the plastic petals: "Like Auntie?"

"Mmm!" Xiao Qingyi nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling. "When Auntie the Empress smiles, it's like a sunflower facing the sun—warm and bright!"

The palace maids standing inside the hall all lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling slightly, clearly trying to suppress their laughter.

Empress Zhangsun felt as if something soft had gently touched her heart. Looking in the bronze mirror, she fastened the sunflower hair clip to one side of her hair. The pale yellow color unexpectedly complemented her light blue palace dress.

"Is it pretty?" she asked Xiao Qingyi, turning to her.

"Beautiful! Super beautiful!" The little girl clapped her hands and twirled around. "Auntie Queen is the most beautiful auntie in the whole world!"

Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to pull Xiao Qingyi close and gently pinching her chubby cheeks: "Your little mouth is so sweet, did you sneak some candied fruit again?"

"No, no!" Xiao Qingyi quickly shook her head, but then took out a small paper packet from her schoolbag. "But...but Sister Sizi gave Yiyi this..."

The paper package contained several pieces of osmanthus candy.

Empress Zhangsun smiled, tore off a piece, broke off a small half, and held it to her lips: "You can only eat this much, otherwise you won't be able to eat any more snacks."

Xiao Qingyi took a big gulp of the candy and squinted her eyes contentedly. She then climbed onto the couch next to Empress Zhangsun and nestled into her warm embrace with practiced ease.

Before long, a palace attendant announced from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived!"

When Li Shimin strode in, this was the scene he saw: Empress Zhangsun was sitting on a couch by the window, with a small, pale yellow dumpling on her lap, and the two of them were looking at a... strange book, their heads close together.

The book's paper was clean and crisp, and the illustrations were so brightly colored they were almost blinding. What was even stranger was that the people in the illustrations were dressed in extremely bizarre clothing.

"Guanyinbi, what are you all looking at?"

Hearing the voice, Xiao Qingyi looked up and saw Li Shimin. She immediately climbed down from Empress Zhangsun's lap and stood properly, saying, "Greetings, Uncle Emperor!"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow: "Emperor... Uncle?"

"Yes, the Crown Prince is my brother, and the Emperor is my uncle." Xiao Qingyi said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, completely unaware of how improper such a title was in the palace.

Empress Zhangsun covered her mouth with her sleeve and coughed lightly: "Your Majesty, children speak without thinking."

Li Shimin stared at Xiao Qingyi for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Uncle? Good, good, then I will be this 'uncle'."

Li Shimin pointed to the strange book in her hand, "What is this?"

"This is the 'Early Childhood Cognition Picture Book'!" Little Qingyi proudly flipped through it. "My brother said that Qingyi is three and a half years old now and needs to learn more things. Look, this is an airplane, it can fly in the sky! This is a ship, it can run on the sea! This is…"

She flipped through the pages, pointing to the pictures of modern vehicles, appliances, and animals, talking with great enthusiasm. Although many words were unclear, her excitement was genuine.

Li Shimin became increasingly alarmed as he looked. Although he couldn't understand the structures of those "airplanes" and "cars," the drawings were exquisite and didn't seem to be random fabrications. The strangely dressed people, buildings, and street scenes... everything exuded a sense of surrealism that transcended time.

He looked up at Empress Zhangsun. His wife gently shook her head at him, her eyes tender yet firm.

"Qingyi," Empress Zhangsun spoke up at the right moment, "go to the small kitchen and see if the milk pastries your aunt asked you to make are ready."

"Okay!" Xiao Qingyi closed the picture book, hugged it to her arms like a treasure, and skipped out.

The hall fell silent.

"Guanyinbi, that book..." Li Shimin said in a deep voice.

"I have seen it," Empress Zhangsun said calmly. "The writing is completely different from what is used now, and the illustrations are also incredible. But Your Majesty, please look—"

She picked up another item that Xiao Qingyi had left on the tatami mat—a plastic cartoon water bottle. With a gentle press of a button, a straw popped out.

"These objects are exquisite in every way, yet they contain not a trace of malice." Empress Zhangsun handed the water jug ​​to Li Shimin. "Your Majesty, think about it. Since this child appeared, Chengqian has become much more cheerful. My concubine and Sizi's illnesses have not flared up severely again. Even Zhinu has developed an interest in mathematics and physics because of her 'toys'."

Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "You're right. But..." He looked towards the East Palace, "Chengqian has changed quite a bit recently. The disaster relief strategy for Henan Province, and the proposal for reforming the summer tax collection submitted by the Ministry of Revenue yesterday, are not like his usual style. I'm worried that if there really is a mastermind behind this, their intentions are hard to fathom..."

"Has Your Majesty ever considered," Empress Zhangsun said gently, "that perhaps it isn't a 'wise person,' but rather a 'family member'?"

Li Shimin was taken aback.

"Look at the way Chengqian looks at that child." Empress Zhangsun gestured for him to look out the window—Li Chengqian had arrived at Lizheng Hall at some point and was standing under the eaves, his gaze gentle as he watched Xiao Qingyi playing among the flowers. That expression was a pure warmth that Li Shimin hadn't seen on his eldest son's face in a long time.

"The child calls him 'Crown Prince Brother,' and he responds so naturally," Empress Zhangsun said softly. "I once inquired, and she does indeed have an elder brother whose name contains the character 'Qing.' Your Majesty, don't you think... this seems like a connection between bloodlines?"

Li Shimin remained silent for a long time. The wind blew through the courtyard, bringing with it the silvery laughter of children and the fragrance of peonies.

"Enough," he finally said. "As long as it benefits the country and the family, I will tolerate this little 'adventure'."

However, the emperor's inquisitive mind had not completely dissipated. He watched Qingyi's bouncy figure and suddenly spoke, "Qingyi, come here."

The little girl ran over at the sound, the pale yellow ribbon in her hair fluttering in the wind: "Uncle Emperor?"

"Tomorrow I will host a small banquet in the Imperial Garden to admire the newly arrived lychees from Lingnan," Li Shimin said with a smile. "You should come too, bring your novelties from your satchel, and let me broaden my horizons, how about it?"

Xiao Qingyi blinked and turned to look at Li Chengqian under the corridor. The Crown Prince nodded slightly.

"Okay!" The girl readily agreed, completely unaware that this seemingly casual invitation would propel her and her "secret" onto a much wider stage.

Empress Zhangsun and Li Chengqian exchanged a glance. The same thought simultaneously crossed their minds—

What's meant to happen will happen eventually.

At this moment, Xiao Qingyi was only thinking about what toys she should bring for Sizi and Zhinu to play with tomorrow. She took out the rabbit-shaped toy from her schoolbag, squeezed it with her little hand, and it made a soft "squeak" sound.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet hall. Li Shimin raised an eyebrow: "And what is this?"

"This is a pinchable toy!" Xiao Qingyi handed it over like a treasure. "Brother said that if the Crown Prince gets tired from reviewing memorials, pinching this will make him feel better!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's ears turned slightly red. Li Shimin took the soft rabbit, tried to squeeze it, and indeed found it to have a peculiar feel.

"That's thoughtful of you." The emperor gave his eldest son a meaningful look and returned the rabbit.

As the sun set, the glazed tiles of the Lizheng Hall were bathed in golden light. Xiao Qingyi, carrying her pink schoolbag, held Sizi's hand in one hand and Li Chengqian's hand in the other, the three figures slowly walked towards the East Palace.

Meanwhile, in the modern Li family study, Li Qingge was researching "Etiquette and Taboos of Tang Dynasty Palace Banquets," while Li Minghua murmured to himself, staring at a portrait of Li Shimin:

"Emperor Taizong... my little girl will be meeting you in person tomorrow. You must... be patient with her."

The portrait of Li Shimin has a bright gaze and a half-smile, as if he is responding to this entrustment that spans a thousand years.