He was momentarily unhappy, but hearing the Emperor and Nanny Du’s words, he realized that if he remained sulky, he’d only be troubling himself.
"Then about Lady Lin there..."
"I will pay my respects to Lady Lin three times a day—morning, noon, and night—and dine with her well, to ease her mind. I’ll also make sure to watch over Second Sister, so she doesn’t jump around Lady Lin carelessly, and be a good brother."
The Second Prince’s declaration received a nod of approval from the Emperor.
With a small smile in his eyes, he then said, Follow current novᴇls on ⓝovelFire.net
"This autumn hunt, I’ll take you along. In spring, follow your riding and archery master to practice well, understood?"
The Emperor could see that the Second Prince’s slight sulkiness stemmed from a lack of affection growing up.
Instead of gentle and pleasant guidance back and forth, better to give him something to do!
When one has tasks at hand, there’s naturally no time for idle thoughts!
In this regard, the Emperor saw through it more clearly than anyone else.
After Nanny Du brought back the food, the Second Prince indeed ate heartily.
In no time, he asked for another bowl.
Even clamoring for more.
Nanny Du added another half bowl for him, which finally seemed enough.
After eating to his heart’s content, he called for Xiao Luzi.
"Lady Lin feels quite nauseous nowadays. Perhaps seeing some red plums might lift her spirits. Xiao Luzi, come with me to pick a few more branches, and they will look nicest arranged in a white porcelain bottle."
"The road outside is indeed clear. Second Prince, wear something warm, and I’ll take you to the Plum Garden to have a look—the plums are at their finest there."
Then he said to Nanny Du,
"Nanny, you’re getting on in years, rest more inside. It’s freezing outside; you don’t have to go."
"What are you saying, Second Prince? I’m not that old yet."
Nanny Du couldn’t trust anyone these days in the Imperial Palace with its dangers.
Better to be a bit more cautious about everything.
She then called for two eunuchs and two palace maids to accompany the Second Prince out of the Yihua Palace straight to the Plum Garden.
Having served in the palace for a long time, Xiao Luzi was quite familiar with all areas.
Leading them down a shortcut, they soon arrived at the Plum Garden.
It was the Second Prince’s first visit to the Plum Garden.
Seeing the sight of hundreds of plum blossoms blooming, he was slightly surprised.
He liked this branch and that one too.
Finally, Xiao Luzi, carrying him, picked several high branches, bringing smiles to their faces.
As he sniffed it under his nose, the Second Prince joyfully said,
"Lady Lin will definitely love it, with the plum flowers’ fragrance mixed with the lightness of the snow."
"It’s good you’ve picked them, Second Prince. Come down quickly, be careful not to fall."
Nanny Du watched over him cautiously from the side, not relaxing a bit.
Only when he was safely on the ground did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"Well, we’ve picked the plum flowers. Let’s go back and find a pretty porcelain bottle to pair them with."
The Second Prince nodded firmly and then followed Nanny Du back together.
As they left, their group didn’t notice another group behind them.
Princess Ming Ruo stood on the other side of the Plum Garden. Seeing this scene, her gaze turned complex.
Once, she never even acknowledged this Second Brother.
Always thought he wouldn’t live long.
Moreover, his gloomy disposition was indeed not endearing, so she mostly ignored him.
But just now, she clearly saw the happiness the Second Prince felt from deep within his heart.
She once had this happiness too.
Her mother concubine was left at the Taishan Palace, with no clarity on when she would return.
And with the Empress Dowager’s carriage already on its way, it meant that soon she’d have to stay at the Cining Palace.
She felt a deep fear for this unfamiliar grandmother.
Some older nannies had said that the Empress Dowager was very strict with the Emperor, so she didn’t expect any leniency towards her either.
Thinking of these, her once bright innocence could no longer appear, rather replaced by a sense of deep resentment and bitterness.
"Princess, it’s too cold outside, let’s go back to Linzi Palace first."
It was Nanny Chi, who had served the Princess for many years, genuinely caring for her well-being, though sadly in the past, she couldn’t convince the somewhat willful princess.
Princess Ming Ruo stood in place for a while, feeling a chill in her hands and feet before speaking.
On the way back, her small figure almost seemed as if it was about to be swallowed by the towering palace walls.
In the Yihua Palace, Lin Wanyi, originally feeling a bit drowsy, was woken up by the arrival of the Second Princess.
The Second Princess, as always, liked to drool.
But to Lin Wanyi’s surprise, she had started teething.
Though it was just a little white spot, it genuinely piqued Lin Wanyi’s curiosity.
"Now that there’s a little white spot, will they all come out together?"
"It’s still early, this is just one tooth. To have a full set, it probably won’t be until she’s about two years old."
Ah, so that’s how it is.
She had experienced everything since the birth of the Second Princess, so she had mentally prepared in advance.
Babies are indeed hard to care for, but they’re truly fun too.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but show a loving thought.
She then gently touched her belly, eagerly anticipating the birth of her child.
"Lady Lin, Lady Lin..."
The Second Prince’s voice came from afar, quickly approaching from outside.
Judging by the sound, it seemed he was running.
Sure enough, the boy rushed into the main hall like a whirlwind, bringing some chill with him.
The Second Princess sneezed suddenly, either startled or coincidentally.
Lin Wanyi frowned and immediately asked,
While others were fine, the Second Princess had been snatched back from King Yama.
Even though her health seemed much better than before, she couldn’t withstand cold winds.
Hence, they took great care of her.
Nanny Ji carefully observed and then smiled, responding.
"Lady, you worry too much. The Second Princess’ nose was probably just tickled, nothing to worry about."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanyi’s heart relaxed.
Then she looked at the Second Prince and immediately noticed the white porcelain bottle and red plums in his hand.
"Did you pick these?"
"Yes, I thought Lady Lin would like them, so I specifically went to pick them."
Lin Wanyi could see at a glance that the Second Prince no longer seemed unhappy about her pregnancy like he did at noon.
Thus, she spoke with a comforting heart.
"I like them, I like everything the Second Prince gives."
After speaking, she gestured for him to come closer.
Xia An, worried that his lady might feel nauseated by the fragrance of plum blossoms, was about to stop him.