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Chapter 158: The Mischievous Child
Chapter 158: The Mischievous Child
Since arriving in the capital, Sui Sui had only encountered kind and gentle young men.
This was the first time she met someone naughty, someone who pulled faces at her.
However, this person was still different from the mischievous children back in her village.
There was not much malice in Tang Lingheng's actions; it was probably just pure playfulness.
Sui Sui was startled for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise as she snuggled closer to her mother, the Empress.
The little girl's actions caught the attention of Princess Qi, who gently lowered her head to glance at Sui Sui, huddled close to her. She raised her hand and softly stroked the little hat on Sui Sui's head.
When Madame Tang saw Princess Qi's actions, she also turned to look at Sui Sui. Noticing the little girl staring at her, Madame Tang turned her head to glance in Tang Lingheng's direction.
Tang Lingheng was in the middle of making another face, his tongue sticking out, when Madame Tang's gaze landed on him.
She immediately dropped the smile from her face and gently chastised him, "Why are you making such impolite faces?"
After reprimanding her son, Madame Tang lifted her head and smiled apologetically at Princess Qi, "Please forgive us. The child is a bit too playful."
With her attitude and apology, what could Princess Qi say in response?
She could only smile and nod, dismissing the matter, "It's just children playing around. Don't mind it too much."
Although she said these words, the smile on Princess Qi's face had faded noticeably compared to before.
Madame Tang noticed the change in Princess Qi's attitude and felt annoyed, but she did not show it outwardly. Instead, she shot a discreet glare at Tang Lingheng.
Tang Lingheng was completely unfazed by the reprimand and continued to pull faces at Sui Sui, pretending to scare her.
If not for the presence of others, Madame Tang would have loved to pull him by the ear and ask if he was trying to cause trouble for her. However, as he was her beloved youngest son, she ultimately could not bring herself to do so and could only smile, steering the conversation toward another topic, chatting with Princess Qi about other matters.
Previously, Madame Tang had been leading the way, slowing down her pace.
To maintain face for Madame Tang, Princess Qi had also intentionally slowed her steps to match.
Now, Princess Qi was no longer interested in accommodating them, and her pace naturally quickened.
When Madame Tang noticed this, she realized that Princess Qi must be somewhat annoyed with her fifth son, Xiao Wu.
Madame Tang felt annoyed and also a bit resentful.
She thought, 'It's just an adopted child from outside. Why is she making such a fuss?'
'Even if he truly gains the favor of Prince Qi in the future and is granted the title of a princess, when compared to my son Xiao Wu, his identity and status will still be inferior.'
'She's just a country girl, after all.'
Madame Tang felt displeased, but she could not show it on her face.
The group quickened their steps, and soon they entered the dining hall.
Madame Tang, intending to ease the tension, wanted to join Princess Qi and her group at a table.
However, they arrived a bit late, and there were no empty tables available. They could only share a table with others.
With the need to share a table, there was no longer enough space for their entire group to fit.
Moreover, when Tang Lingheng heard his mother suggest sitting with "that ugly girl," he immediately pouted and expressed his displeasure, "I don't want to sit with an ugly girl!"
As soon as these words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned awkward. Madame Tang smiled awkwardly and said, "Please forgive us. The child is young and doesn't know how to watch his mouth. Blame me for not teaching him well."
The smile on Princess Qi's face had completely faded, and in response to Madame Tang's words, she merely nodded, "Let's have our meal first."
She did not engage with Madame Tang's attempt to smooth things over, and this left Madame Tang feeling uncomfortable, although she could not express her displeasure openly.
After parting ways with Princess Qi, Madame Tang glared angrily at Tang Lingheng.
As he stuck his tongue out at her, the young boy showed no fear at all and even retorted, "Whatever!"
At nine years old, Tang Lingheng was still at an age where he could be mischievous and annoying like a cat or a dog.
Madame Tang was completely helpless with this youngest son of hers; she could only glare and whisper a few stern words, careful not to let others hear and bring shame to the Tang family.
From the side, Tang Youqing watched for a while. Seeing her mother's anger, she finally spoke up, "Little Five is just being himself. Why are adults making such a fuss over a child who doesn't know any better?"
She complained, then casually glanced over at Sui Sui before continuing in a low voice, "And besides, Little Five isn't wrong about that."
A mere village girl, even if adopted by a royal consort, could never be more noble than her fifth brother.
Madame Tang was so furious that she felt like she was going to explode. She pressed her hand against her forehead and whispered harshly, "Both of you, shut up now and calm down!"
Although the Tang family's behavior had somewhat affected Princess Qi's mood...
Fortunately, the vegetarian meal prepared today was quite sumptuous, with a good variety of dishes to choose from.
Seeing Sui Sui's eyes light up as she eagerly scanned the options, Princess Qi's mood improved significantly.
She thought to herself, "Our connection with the Tang family has always been superficial anyway. There's no need to let their behavior ruin my day."
However, she had clearly sensed their subtle disdain.
Therefore, Sui Sui's identity needed to be established as soon as possible.
Princess Qi planned to visit the palace again in a few days, bringing Feng Xuanrui along to ask the Young Emperor to persuade the Empress Dowager to acknowledge Sui Sui's identity sooner!
Sui Sui remained unaffected by the previous incident.
Although Tang Lingheng was somewhat unpleasant, she thought, "After all, he's not my brother, and I don't even know him."
First of all, he didn't seem to have any malicious intent; it was probably just pure playfulness.
Even if he did have malicious intent, it didn't matter to her.
Since they were strangers, Sui Sui easily turned a blind eye to it all.
Lele had said that life couldn't be perfect, and there would always be some regrets.
When someone didn't like you, there was no need to be sad or upset about it.
Even the Emperor, high above everyone else, had his detractors.
How much more so for an ordinary girl like herself?
Sui Sui had an open mind and a positive outlook on the matter.
And now, the most important thing was...
Mealtime!
All these vegetarian dishes looked so delicious.
Sui Sui wanted to taste every single one of them.
Unfortunately, her small stomach couldn't accommodate that much food.
The vegetarian meals at Lanruo Temple were quite tasty, but compared to the dishes prepared by the mansion's chefs, they fell short, no doubt.
Upon closer inspection, however, it wasn't necessarily the chefs' skills that were lacking but rather the limitations in the ingredients used.
After all, vegetarian cuisine had numerous restrictions, and the absence of certain seasonings would undoubtedly affect the flavor.
However, vegetarian meals emphasized the natural flavors of the ingredients themselves.
So, upon closer inspection, they tasted rather delightful.
Sui Sui had been treated to many delicacies recently, but the temple cuisine was still novel and exciting to her.
Everything tasted so good!
The little girl happily savored each dish, and seeing her enjoyment, Princess Qi's mood, which had soured earlier, finally calmed and returned to peacefulness.
While Sui Sui and Princess Qi enjoyed a peaceful and pleasant meal, on the other side of the dining hall, it was a whole different scene with the Tang family.
Tang Lingheng couldn't sit still and kept wandering off to chat with people from other tables.
The problem was that he didn't just talk; he provoked and challenged them!
(End of Chapter)
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