Chapter 305: A Mother's Treasure
Chapter 305: A Mother's Treasure
In the Imperial Garden.
Meng Qianqian and Lu Yuan sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, this was a rare moment of leisure for the family.
Lu Yuan was gleefully watching a certain little fellow dozing off in the corner.
Because of the mischief caused by Liu Qingyun's hairpin, which resulted in him getting covered in dung, Liu Qingyun had punished the little one to reflect in the wall.
Bao Shu couldn't understand what she had done wrong.
The dung had dirtied the courtyard, and she had gone to clean it up, was that a mistake?
This was being clean.
After cleaning, she thoughtfully returned the hairpin to her grandmother.
This was returning things to their rightful owners.
She thought and thought, and still felt that the mistake lay with the three new little brothers; they shouldn't have pooped in the first place.
So, Bao Shu pressed down on the three little wolf pups and joined her in reflection by the wall.
After three breaths, Bao Shu started pecking like a chick, swaying as if drunk, and soon dozed off.
"Mother, she's slacking off again!"
Lu Yuan cruelly reported.
Liu Qingyun, halfway through washing his hair, rushed out of the house, tears streaming down his face, and stood before Lu Yuan, "You just...called me Mother?"
Lu Yuan: "I didn't."
"You did! You called me Mother! You called, called, called! I heard it! Those four over there heard it too!"
Liu Qingyun pointed righteously at the four little cubs reflecting by the wall.
Bao Shu, who was dozing off: "..."
The three little wolf pups, caught in their attempt to escape: "..."
Liu Qingyun, with soap suds in his hair, hugged his son and shook his head vigorously, "Waaah, my son, you finally called me Mother! Mother is so happy!"
Lu Yuan, having been fanned by her long hair several times, said exasperatedly, "First...go and dry your hair!"
Liu Qingyun hugged him tightly, "Call me Mother again, please? If you call me Mother, I'll go!"
Lu Yuan didn't call.
"Mother."
Meng Qianqian raised her hand, "I'll call on behalf of my husband."
Liu Qingyun: "It doesn't count if you call!"
Meng Qianqian helplessly spread her hands, moved her small stool further away to avoid being fanned by Liu Qingyun's hair.
Liu Qingyun clung to Lu Yuan, "Son, call me again, Mother hasn't heard enough, just once more, Mother promises not to be greedy."
Lu Yuan: "Are you sure?"
Liu Qingyun, very cleverly, raised her finger, "Twice...is also acceptable."
The consequence of greed was that he didn't call again.
Liu Qingyun returned to the house, sobbing, and sadly rewarded each servant in the courtyard with a gold coin.
Meng Qianqian picked up the sleepy little one and held her close.
At this moment, she was happy, and probably wouldn't punish Little Fat Bun.
Bao Shu snuggled into the familiar and soft embrace, lifted her chin proudly, and fell fast asleep.
The three little wolf pups tried to escape again, but Tan Er caught one with each hand and hooked the third with her foot.
"Where are you going? First Wolf, Second Wolf, Third Wolf?"
The three little wolf pups: ...
Lu Yuan's clothes were dampened by Liu Qingyun's hair, and Meng Qianqian took a cloth to wipe him carefully.
He still maintained an unruly and free-spirited demeanor, cold as if someone owed him money.
But Meng Qianqian could sense his happiness.
No matter how old, one is always a mother's child.
A mother's love, though late, had finally arrived.
In the courtyard, only Zong Zhengxi's injured world was fulfilled.
He was wrapped up like a zongzi, his inner rage evident, he was the Son of Heaven, the Emperor, and yet, did anyone care about him? A little wolf pup approached with short legs, panting, and gently rubbed its head against his footwear.
Zong Zhengxi recognized it as the pup that had bitten him.
"Considering how close you are to me, I shall forgive your previous offense."
Before he finished speaking, the little wolf pup lifted a leg and urinated on his dragon-patterned footwear.
Prince Zong Zhengxi: "..."
After lunch, Lu Yuan broke with tradition and permitted Prince Zong Zhengxi to go hunting in the woods, accompanied by Bai Qingchen and several highly skilled imperial guards, but they were not allowed to cross the stream.
Meng Qianqian raised an eyebrow, "You're in a good mood today?"
Lu Yuan maintained a stoic expression, "It's been two days. The woods on this side of the stream should have been cleared by the Imperial Guards, Capital Guards, and Embroidered Robe Guards. There shouldn't be any large beasts left."
Meng Qianqian made a meaningful 'oh' sound and leaned closer to him with a mischievous smile, "I thought you were just being hugged by your mother, and in your happiness, you agreed to let His Majesty play in the woods!"
Lu Yuan furrowed his brows, "What do you mean by 'let'? Is His Majesty a puppy?"
Meng Qianqian laughed, "You didn't deny the first part, so are you admitting that being close to your mother makes you happy?"
Having spent so much time with Bao Shu, Meng Qianqian unconsciously adopted her playful tone.
Lu Yuan gave her a cold look, "Meng Xiaojiu, what did you mean by what you said in the cave?"
"Oh dear, I'm so sleepy, I'm going to take a nap!"
Meng Qianqian quickly made her escape.
Lu Yuan let out a cold huff.
Meng Qianqian had just entered the house but poked her head out again, "I haven't seen Si She in two days. Did you see him in the woods?"
When dealing with Luo San, only Ji Li was present, and Si She had disappeared.
Lu Yuan replied, "He went to find Xun Qi."
Upstream of the stream, Xun Qi was dressed in a fisherman's raincoat, wearing a bamboo hat, and sitting on a rock, fishing.
After catching another fat fish, his fish basket was full.
Surprisingly, instead of leaving with the basket of fish, he emptied it with a splash, releasing all the fish, and then began a new round of fishing.
A grayish-blue figure approached and stood by his side, gazing silently at the distant mountains across the stream.
Xun Qi smiled and pointed to another fishing rod prepared beside him, "If you don't mind, feel free to fish for a while."
Si She bent down, picked up the fishing rod, skillfully attached the bait, and cast the hook into the water.
Throughout the process, Xun Qi kept observing him until the hook sank into the water, then he withdrew his gaze.
Xun Qi smiled, "I thought you'd forgotten how to fish after being away from the island for so long."
Si She didn't sit on the stump Xun Qi had prepared for him but stood by the stream, fishing while asking, "Why did you join the Xun family?"
Xun Qi countered, "And why did you join the Chu family?"
Si She replied calmly, "I didn't join the Chu family; I joined the Grand Marshal."
Xun Qi said, "You and I serve different masters. It seems we'll be enemies from now on."
Si She continued, "Have they come after you?"
Xun Qi shook his head, "No, what about you?"
Si She said, "I'll go find them."
Xun Qi looked at him with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to be so bold."
Si She's eyes deepened, "I don't care about the lives of the other Chu family members, but no one should harm the Grand Marshal. Xun Qi, it's best if you weren't involved in the events of that year."
Xun Qi asked, "If I was involved, would you let me go because I'm a member of your clan?"
Si She answered without hesitation, "No. So, Xun Qi, were you involved?"
Xun Qi shook his head, "I wasn't."
Si She caught a large fish, tossed it into Xun Qi's basket, dropped the fishing rod, and turned to leave.
Xun Qi gripped the fishing rod tightly, "I'm already a dog of the Xun family. If you don't kill me today, one day, I'll help the Xun family deal with you."
Si She said, "When that day comes, I'll come for your life."
Xun Qi asked, "Is this your final act of mercy towards your clan?"
Si She didn't answer and didn't turn back.
Xun Qi took a deep breath, "I'm a penny-pincher and hold grudges, but I also don't like owing people favors. I'll tell you about the leverage I left in the Chancellor's hands, and we'll be clear."
(End of Chapter)
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