Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Zhen Huan Chronicles, An Ling Rong

“Poor little princess.”

Noble Consort Hua immediately removed her nail guards and set them aside. She bent down and gently lifted the little princess into her arms, murmuring, “Your mother is dirt poor. How about your Noble Consort Mother raises you from now on? Your Noble Consort Mother will raise you nice and chubby, even healthier than your brother.

Then we’ll give your brother a beating, alright?” When everyone heard that, they all looked toward Li Si Qi. To Ruo Lan and the wet nurses, it sounded like Noble Consort Hua was about to adopt the baby.

“Your Highness, if you want to raise the little princess, I have no objections.” Li Si Qi shot her a reproachful look. “But you can’t teach a child to fight. Even if she wants to fight, she should fight other people. How can she fight her own brother? Did Your Highness fight with Grand General Nian when you were young?”

“How could that be?” Noble Consort Hua rolled her eyes. “If the Sixth Prince bullies his little sister, then I’ll beat him up.”

She looked at the tiny little person in her arms, and her eyes turned soft with pity again. “The little princess is the younger one. It’s the Sixth Prince’s fault for not yielding to his little sister.”

“If he won’t yield, then he won’t.” Li Si Qi smiled faintly. “The little princess isn’t really losing out. She isn’t frail, either. Later, she can still make her brother spoil her properly. Isn’t that a great thing?”

“That’s true.” Noble Consort Hua finally looked convinced. Then she suddenly furrowed her brows. “The dragon-phoenix twins should already be a month old. Why hasn’t anyone arranged a full-month banquet?”

“It’s fine. I don’t care.” Li Si Qi did not take it to heart. “The babies are still small. I don’t want them to be put through all that fuss.”

“Outrageous.” Noble Consort Hua immediately got unhappy. “No third-day washing ceremony, and now no full-month banquet either. They’re the imperial dragon-phoenix twins! No. We’ll hold the full-month banquet in three days. I’ll host it myself.”

“If Your Highness wants to host it, then host it. I’ll follow Your Highness’s lead.” Li Si Qi did not refuse her kindness. She was afraid of trouble, but she also did not want others to look down on her twins.

“At least you’re sensible.” Noble Consort Hua was satisfied. Holding the little princess, her heart melted into a puddle, and she asked, “Has His Majesty still not bestowed names on the Sixth Prince and the little princess?”

“No.” Li Si Qi pursed her lips. “I’m not a favored consort. It’s normal for His Majesty to forget.”

“Hmph. In the end, it’s because you’re a useless mother.” Noble Consort Hua looked even more displeased. “You idiot never fight for anything, and you drag the Sixth Prince and the little princess down with you so they aren’t favored.”

“It’s fine. As long as Your Highness dotes on the two of them, that’s enough.”

“Idiot!”

“Fine, I’m an idiot. If we don’t keep a low profile, someone will probably swallow the three of us alive.”

“Huh. Not bad. You’re not that stupid.”

… The two of them chatted idly like that. In the main hall, the Emperor and all the consorts kept waiting. Concubine Jing envied the two of them for leaving. If she could, she did not want to sit here like an idiot either.

Painful screams kept coming from the delivery room, and the consorts all felt conflicted and a little uneasy.

“Concubine Jing, stay here and keep watch.” The Emperor could not sit still either. He stood up at once and walked toward the side hall. “If anything happens, send someone to the side hall to find me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“We respectfully see Your Majesty off.”

Concubine Jing and the other consorts rose and saluted as the Emperor left. Once the Emperor was gone, Concubine Jing could only resign herself to keeping watch. The others said nothing, but Yu Ying’er could not help muttering, “Someone else is giving birth. Why do we have to stand guard?

Listening to her screaming like that makes my hair stand on end.” The moment she said it, everyone’s gaze turned to her. Facing all those stares, Yu Ying’er’s expression froze for a beat, and then she snapped back, unconvinced. “I’m not wrong.

Are you saying you don’t think the same? You don’t dare say it, but I do.” Everyone fell silent. In their hearts, they all agreed with her complaint.

Right Side Hall.

“Your Majesty, you’re here!” Noble Consort Hua looked at the man who walked in, delighted. “Your Majesty, look! The little princess is so cute!”

“Mm, of course…” The Emperor went along with her words, but the moment he saw the little princess’s face, he could not help freezing.

“Your Majesty…” Noble Consort Hua caught that dazed look. Her eyes reddened at once, and her voice turned a little choked. “Your Majesty, don’t you also think the Third Princess looks so much like her little sister?”

“Yes. Very much.” The Emperor came back to himself. Watching Noble Consort Hua refuse to let go of the little princess, he felt even more guilty.

Li Si Qi, standing to the side, finally understood. So her daughter resembled Nian Shi Lan’s child.

“Little Teapot, what’s going on?” Li Si Qi could not help asking. “How can my little princess look like Nian Shi Lan’s daughter?”

“That’s not strange, Mistress.” Little Teapot explained, “Think about those ordinary people who look like celebrities. They’re not related, but they still share a face. Your daughter and Noble Consort Hua’s daughter even share the same father. Sisters looking a bit alike – what’s so strange about that? Besides, little girls are all tiny, with delicate features. And she was just born. Isn’t it normal for them to look the same right now?”

That made way too much sense. Li Si Qi could not argue. The Emperor sat down. Noble Consort Hua sat on the other side, still holding the little princess.

As the hostess, Li Si Qi could only sit on a small round stool.

“Your Majesty, why was there no third-day washing ceremony for the little princess and the Sixth Prince?” Noble Consort Hua looked unhappy. “The third-day washing ceremony wasn’t held, and they’re already a month old. Are you saying there won’t be a full-month banquet either? That’s far too unfair to our little princess and the Sixth Prince.”

“The dragon-phoenix twins are an auspicious sign.” Mentioning it, the Emperor looked apologetic. “I didn’t want anything to happen to them. They’re too small. If we held the third-day washing ceremony, I was afraid the siblings would be startled. As for the full month… The Empress is recuperating, and the Empress Dowager is gravely ill. You, Shi Lan, are also in confinement, and Concubine Jing’s status is a bit low. It wouldn’t be suitable for her to host the full-month banquet for the dragon-phoenix twins.”

“No matter what, the Sixth Prince and the little princess were truly wronged.” Noble Consort Hua’s face still looked awful. “They’re the imperial dragon-phoenix twins. What should be given must still be given. Otherwise, some blind fools will think Your Majesty doesn’t care.”

“How could I not care?” The Emperor smiled patiently. “The empire’s first set of dragon-phoenix twins – of course I cherish them.”

“Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince and the little princess still don’t have names.” Li Si Qi’s little face was full of displeasure. “I keep calling them ‘Brother’ and ‘Sister’ every day. If Your Majesty doesn’t want to name them, then I’m going to name them myself.”

“Nonsense!” The Emperor finally looked awkward. “I already chose a name for the Sixth Prince. He will be called Hong Zhao. The little princess will be called Wen Ning.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing names on the Sixth Prince and the little princess.” Li Si Qi rose and saluted in thanks.

“Alright, sit.” The Emperor waved his hand, then looked at the person beside him. “Shi Lan, you really like Wen Ning?”

“I like her. This concubine will treat Wen Ning as my own daughter.” Noble Consort Hua smiled, gentle and pleased. “From now on, no one is allowed to bully my Wen Ning.”

The Emperor did not even think. He blurted out, “Since you like her, then from now on Wen Ning will be entrusted to you to raise!”

“No.”

Li Si Qi’s voice rang out sharply. The Emperor and Noble Consort Hua both turned to look at her. Meeting her bright eyes, the Emperor could not help feeling a little guilty. After all, he had personally promised that the child would be raised by An Ling Rong herself.

Noble Consort Hua narrowed her phoenix eyes. “An Ling Rong, you don’t believe I can raise Wen Ning well, do you?”

“Of course not!” Li Si Qi shook her head. “What I mean is, if you’re going to raise them, then raise them together. The dragon-phoenix twins are a pair. If you separate the siblings, they’ll definitely cry nonstop. If Your Highness wants to raise them, then Wen Ning and Hong Zhao are yours in the daytime, and they’re mine at night. We’ll raise them together.”

The Emperor and Noble Consort Hua both froze. Neither of them had expected her to say that.