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

Chapter 25 The Rabbit Disappears Again

The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly. Li Lizhi immediately stood up, and Li Zhi quickly suppressed his overtly inquisitive expression, reverting to his composed demeanor as a young prince, though his gaze still involuntarily drifted towards Xiao Qingyi's wrist. Si Zi subconsciously moved closer to his elder sister.

Li Chengqian strode into the hall as usual. His black casual clothes accentuated his upright posture, but there was a hint of weariness between his brows, as if he had just finished dealing with government affairs.

His gaze first fell on Li Lizhi, and he nodded slightly. Then it swept over Li Zhi and Si Zi, and finally settled on Xiao Qingyi, who was trying to hide her phone and watch behind her back with a somewhat guilty look in her eyes.

"Greetings, Your Highness/Elder Brother," Li Lizhi and Li Zhi said in unison.

"No need for formalities." Li Chengqian's voice was calm, revealing no emotion. He walked to the head seat and sat down, looking at Xiao Qingyi, "Did you have a good time?"

Little Qingyi nodded, then shook her head, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with her little hands: "It's...it's alright...Grandma, why is there mud?"

Li Chengqian did not answer directly, but looked at Li Lizhi: "Lizhi, it's getting late, Sizi should go back to take his medicine and rest." His tone was ordinary, but it carried an unquestionable sense of arrangement.

Li Lizhi instantly understood that her brother must have heard something. Perhaps a palace servant saw the Crown Prince, a "distinguished guest," and went to report it, or perhaps her brother had always paid special attention to this child. The unease she felt because of the watch's secret subsided strangely when she saw her brother's composed figure.

"Elder brother is right." She nodded obediently, took Sizi's hand, and said, "Sizi, we should go back now."

Sizi obediently agreed, then looked reluctantly at Xiao Qingyi and her scattered colorful building blocks. Xiao Qingyi ran to Sizi's side, quietly slipped two remaining fruit candies into her hand, and whispered, "Sizi, play again next time!"

Li Zhi also stood up. He looked at Li Chengqian, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something about the magical "watch," but when he met his brother's deep gaze, he simply bowed respectfully and said, "This servant takes his leave." Before leaving, he gave Xiao Qingyi a deep look, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

After Li Lizhi left with her younger siblings, only Li Chengqian, Xiao Qingyi, and a few trusted palace maids remained in the side hall.

The air fell silent. Li Chengqian didn't speak, but simply picked up the tea that the palace servant had just served, took a slow sip, and calmly fixed his gaze on Xiao Qingyi.

Xiao Qingyi felt a little uneasy under his gaze. The little bit of pride she felt for being surprised by her older siblings' exclamations when she showed off her "treasure" had long since disappeared, leaving only a guilty feeling, like being caught doing something wrong.

She sidled up to Li Chengqian, tugged at his sleeve, and said in a soft, sweet voice with a hint of ingratiation, "Grandpa... are you angry?"

"Why should I be angry?" Li Chengqian put down his teacup, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Because...because I showed my watch to Brother Zhinu and Sister Sizi...and there were sounds..." Xiao Qingyi's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her head drooped down.

Li Chengqian sighed almost imperceptibly. Sure enough. This child's "strange possession" was too conspicuous; it couldn't be hidden from those close to him. Lizhi, being meticulous, might help conceal it; Zhinu, intelligent and curious, had probably already noticed something; Sizi, being young, was still manageable. But… within these palace walls, what real secrets could there be?

"Your 'watch,' from now on, must not easily make a sound or display its...photographing ability in front of others." Li Chengqian's tone wasn't stern, but it carried an undeniable force. "Not everyone is as innocent as Zhinu or Sizi, nor will everyone protect you like your beautiful elder sister. Do you understand?"

Xiao Qingyi seemed to understand, but she could sense the seriousness and protectiveness in Li Chengqian's words, so she nodded vigorously: "I understand! From now on, I'll only show it to the Ancestor!"

……

There's no need to do that.

He rubbed his temples, feeling that since meeting this little guy, he seemed to have a lot more things to worry about.

"You've been gone for a while; your parents must be worried." He changed the subject, subtly reminding her. The child's appearances and disappearances were always unpredictable, but seemed related to her own will or state. Last time she was hungry and wanted to go home, this time…

After he mentioned it, Xiao Qingyi suddenly felt a little empty in her stomach again. And after playing for most of the day, the excitement had worn off, and sleepiness was creeping in. She rubbed her eyes and yawned slightly, "Hmm... I think so. Daddy can't find his nest, so he's going to start talking about it again..."

Her voice gradually faded, her eyelids began to droop, and her body unconsciously leaned towards Li Chengqian, as if seeking support.

Li Chengqian looked at her dazed little face, which looked particularly confused due to exhaustion, and felt a warmth in his heart.

He reached out and pulled that soft, milky, and sweet-smelling little body into his arms, letting her rest against his chest.

"Go to sleep," he whispered, his tone gentle to himself. "Perhaps when you wake up, you'll be home."

Xiao Qingyi gave a muffled "hmm," her long eyelashes trembled, and finally closed. The hall was quiet, with only the sound of her gradually even and shallow breathing.

Li Chengqian remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the watch on her wrist, which had automatically turned off and reverted to its ordinary pink "bracelet" appearance. The warmth of a child's body emanated from her fingertips, so real. Yet everything she brought challenged the boundaries of his understanding of reality.

Just as he was deep in thought, the weight in his arms suddenly began to lighten in an extremely strange way.

It wasn't a gradual relief, but rather as if I was completely drained in an instant!

Li Chengqian's arm suddenly felt heavy, and when he looked again, his arms were empty! Only a faint, sweet scent mixed with milk and fructose remained, along with a few fine creases on his robes, proving that the small figure had once truly existed.

Again

It vanished into thin air before his eyes.