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Eunuch Qin served tea and refreshments.
Because he didn’t expect to meet Imperial Consort Zhuang and the Ning couple here, Eunuch Qin had only prepared all of Gu Jiao's favorite snacks.
Imperial Consort Zhuang looked at the table full of spicy jerky, crispy peanut kernels, and spicy roasted chickpeas… She asked with a frown, "Eunuch Qin, can Empress Dowager eat these?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang wasn't fond of spicy food in the past.
"Erm, well..." Eunuch Qin hesitated to answer.
Imperial Consort Zhuang instructed her own palace maid, "Go and bring some sweet pea dumplings and water chestnut cakes."
The palace maid quickly brought several plates of beautifully crafted sweet pea dumplings and water chestnut cakes from the imperial kitchen. The vibrant colors and exquisite appearance indicated that they were not ordinary refreshments.
Imperial Consort Zhuang smiled and picked up a piece of sweet pea dumpling, placing it on a plate in front of Empress Dowager Zhuang, saying, "Empress Dowager, try this."
Gu Jiao also picked up a piece and took a bite.
Imperial Consort Zhuang's expression turned slightly uneasy. Empress Dowager hasn't even tried it yet, when did it become your turn?
Gu Jiao put down the snack and said, "It's too sweet. Empress Dowager can't eat this."
Imperial Consort Zhuang's face darkened. She placed her chopsticks on the table and said, "It's still better than these spicy things!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang glanced impatiently at Imperial Consort Zhuang, "It's not for you to eat! You talk too much!"
Imperial Consort Zhuang choked up.
Fortunately, the three troublemakers of the Imperial Academy and the two young princesses came running over, which timely diluted the awkward atmosphere.
Everyone was sweating from their play.
Imperial Consort Zhuang forbade the two young princesses from playing around any longer, fearing that they would tarnish the imperial family's dignity.
"Little Seven is really… As his elder brother, you should control him. Don't let him keep playing around, or it will displease His Majesty when he sees him."
This remark was obviously addressed to Ning Wang.
Ning Wang looked at Qin Chuyu, who was scurrying around in the flower bushes, and couldn't help but smile helplessly, "Imperial father said Little Seven is too chubby, so it's good for him to move around."
Imperial Consort Zhuang felt even more stifled in her heart.
This wasn't her usual behavior. It was just that these past few days, she had been feeling irritable, finding fault with almost everyone.
The three troublemakers of the Imperial Academy ran off again, and the two young princesses wanted to follow, but they had to stay because of Imperial Consort Zhuang's imposing presence and the so-called imperial decorum.
Gu Jiao originally thought that Qin Chuyu, who seemed completely unrestrained, was the typical behavior of imperial children. However, upon seeing the two young princesses, she realized that he might actually be an exception.
The two-year-old princesses were quite sensible. They were the offspring of Ning Wang's two concubines and were only a few months apart in age. They were both very close to Ning Wang, nestling in his arms and refusing to leave.
It was a genuine and heartfelt reliance, and it was evident that Ning Wang was a loving father to them.
"Do you want some snacks?" Ning Wang gently asked his daughters.
Both young princesses nodded in agreement.
Ning Wang allowed them to choose their snacks themselves.
One princess picked a piece of sweet pea dumpling, while the other chose a piece of spicy jerky.
The latter was taken aback and stuck her tongue out in response to the spiciness.
Ning Wang smiled affectionately.
Gu Jiao supported her chin with one hand, leisurely observing Ning Wang doting on his daughters. He smiled like the melting snow in winter, exuding an air of authority and charm. With his high status and handsome features, he also emanated an aura of dignity and righteousness.
Gu Jiao couldn't help but think of An Junwang. He, too, was a gentle and refined man, but compared to Ning Wang, he had an extra touch of youthful vigor. On the other hand, Ning Wang possessed the charisma of a leader and the charm of a mature man.
There should be a few women who would not be fascinated by him, right?
Gu Jiao glanced at Ning Wangfei beside him.
The two children were also affectionate towards her. When they needed water or wanted to wipe their faces, they sought her help. After coquettishly acting spoiled in front of Ning Wang, they went to her.
Ning Wangfei fed them water and wiped their hands, looking every bit like their biological mother.
But after all, they were not her biological children. Could there really be no resentment?
Gu Jiao thought about Ning Wangfei's illness.
The most distressing thing in the world wasn’t that she minded, but that she clearly minded and yet had to pretend she didn’t mind. This would make her suffer twice the agony.
Empress Dowager Zhuang said to the palace maid beside her, "Take the little princesses to play. Children shouldn't be too restrained."
"Yes!" The palace maids didn't dare to disobey Empress Dowager Zhuang's order and took the two little princesses to play with the three troublemakers of the Imperial Academy.
Not sure if it was her imagination, but Gu Jiao felt that Ning Wangfei seemed to have let out a sigh of relief.
As they were basking in the sun in the imperial garden, a little incident occurred—— the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess happened to pass by.
With Grandaunt present, it was impossible for them not to come and pay their respects.
Members of the imperial family, no matter what they thought in their hearts, generally wouldn't show it on their faces. The Crown Prince and Ning Wang looked quite brotherly and friendly.
However, they didn't expect Qin Chuyu to snatch the loot— the freshly picked dates from the tree— from Xu Zhouzhou and run wild in the imperial garden, accidentally knocking into two people.
One was the Crown Princess, who hadn't had the chance to sit down, and the other was Ning Wangfei, who had just stood up.
The Crown Prince was separated from the two women by Qin Chuyu, while Ning Wang was closest to them.
Due to Qin Chuyu's chaotic collisions, the Crown Princess ended up even closer to Ning Wang. He could have easily reached out and supported the Crown Princess.
However, he didn't do that. He didn't even seem to look at the Crown Princess as he took a step forward and embraced Ning Wangfei, who almost fell on her face.
"Are you alright?" He held his wife tightly.
Ning Wangfei was still catching her breath in fear, "I'm fine."
The Crown Princess wasn't as lucky; she fell on her side, scraping her arms and legs.
"Qin Chuyu! You’re being mischievous again!"
The Crown Prince's angry roar echoed in the imperial garden.
"Yi!" Qin Chuyu, who caused the trouble, hid behind Gu Jiao and Empress Dowager Zhuang.
The Crown Prince couldn't find a way to get around Empress Dowager and beat Qin Chuyu. Besides, the Crown Princess had suffered a severe fall, so he couldn't think of anything else. He hurriedly helped the Crown Princess up.
The Crown Princess twisted her foot and couldn't walk any further.
"I'll have someone call for a sedan chair." Ning Wang said.
"No need!" The Crown Prince didn't want to wait for even a moment with the Crown Princess injured like this. He bent down and carried her horizontally in his arms. After bidding farewell to Empress Dowager Zhuang and the others, he quickly returned to the East Palace.
Except for the mention of the sedan chair earlier, Ning Wang was completely concerned about Ning Wangfei's injuries the whole time. This made Imperial Consort Zhuang a little uneasy, and she muttered quietly, "Seems like the fall was quite serious."
Ning Wang's performance was truly remarkable. He was a perfect father and an even more perfect husband.
Gu Jiao tapped her fingertips lightly on the tabletop and suddenly stood up, saying, "I’m a physician. I'll go to the East Palace and take a look."
Empress Dowager Zhuang cast a strange look at the departing figure of Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao returned quickly. Ning Wang and Ning Wangfei, along with Imperial Consort Zhuang, were still present. Only Qin Chuyu, after being scolded a few times, went to his imperial father to admit his mistake.
"Why did you come back so quickly? Is the Crown Princess seriously injured?" Imperial Consort Zhuang asked.
"Ah, it seems the timing of my visit wasn't quite right. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are currently… er,” Gu Jiao glanced at Ning Wang, "...not very convenient."
Ning Wang's hand holding the teacup paused.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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