"The road in front of our house used to be uneven and full of potholes, making carriage rides particularly bumpy. But because I was pregnant before, it was too unsafe for me to walk on that road. So, my husband and I spent our own money to repair it," An Jing said with a smile, telling the Emperor of Xiyun the honest truth.
"I see," the Emperor of Xiyun nodded in understanding.
Just then, everyone entered the main living room where, upon seeing the four little ones, the Emperor of Xiyun’s eyes lit up immediately. He rushed forward, eager to hold this little one and then that little one, unable to decide which one to hold first.
An Jing couldn’t help but find the sight amusing.
Xiao Changyi remained expressionless as usual.
In the end, the Emperor of Xiyun chose to hold a child, and the one he picked was the eldest, Su Yi Jing, who also happened to look the most like Xiao Changyi.
Seeing that the Emperor of Xiyun had chosen to hold her eldest son first, An Jing was truly not surprised at all.
Who would expect any less when her eldest son looked so much like her husband?
"Yi Er, Yi Er, look quickly, take a look," the Emperor of Xiyun said excitedly. "Jing’er really does look so much like you!"
Xiao Changyi had seen his eldest son countless times before, yet he surprisingly didn’t snide at the now foolish-seeming Emperor of Xiyun. Instead, he rarely went along with the Emperor of Xiyun’s wishes and looked toward his eldest son.
"Chengyu said it’s as if he was carved from the same mold," the Emperor of Xiyun continued. "I thought he was exaggerating, but it’s true. Such a child will surely be of great use, definitely a prodigious genius just like you."
An Jing: "..." Just because he looks like my husband, he’s also a prodigious genius like my husband? Stepfather, don’t you think this reasoning is a bit forced?
Xiao Changyi didn’t say a word and simply shot a cold glance at the imperial guards, eunuch supervisor, Imperial Physician, and others who had followed them in. The imperial guards and others immediately took a step back.
The imperial guards and the rest were dressed as ordinary family servants, intending to follow into the main living room. But Xiao Changyi’s cold glance forced them to stay at the entrance instead.
Yet Xiao Changyi was still not satisfied and did not like that there were so many people standing at the entrance of the main living room.
So, Xiao Changyi continued to give the imperial guards and others cold stares, making them so uneasy that they wanted to turn tail and run.
But they couldn’t run away, as they were there to follow and protect the Emperor of Xiyun, who was at the moment holding a child in the main living room.
It was only then that the Emperor of Xiyun noticed that the imperial guards and others had followed him inside, and seeing that Xiao Changyi was very displeased, he immediately smiled at Xiao Changyi and said, "Yi Er, I was just so delighted to see you that I forgot for a moment."
Right after, the Emperor of Xiyun turned to the imperial guards and others and said, "Didn’t Deputy General Meng say that those rooms over there are livable? Go stay there for now."
"Your Excellency, this..." Eunuch Fu truly felt this was not appropriate.
But the Emperor of Xiyun insisted, "The safest place is by my Yi Er’s side. You lot combined aren’t worth one of my Yi Er’s fingers. Scram, and don’t make me say it twice."
The imperial guards, Eunuch Fu, and others, fearing the Emperor of Xiyun might be displeased enough to order their beheading, quickly scattered.
With everyone gone, the Emperor of Xiyun looked appeasingly at Xiao Changyi: "Yi Er, they’re all gone now, don’t be angry. I really just forgot in my excitement. Besides, as a monarch, it’s normal to have people around me. If something happened to me, Xiyun would be shaken to its core."
The last sentence was said by the Emperor of Xiyun in a particularly low voice, afraid that walls have ears.