"Mother!" Si Bao rubbed her eyes and looked back at Ji Junye somewhat uncertainly. After receiving an affirmative look from the latter, she quickly ran over and threw herself into Shen Qing's arms.
Shen Qing stood steadily under the corridor and caught her. She squatted down and stroked Si Bao's head. Her eyes couldn't help but turn red. "Si Bao has grown so tall..."
Si Bao was already three and a half years old. In fact, she could hardly remember her mother's embrace. But being tightly held, she inexplicably felt a sense of familiar peace.
This familiar peace healed Si Bao's uneasiness and fear.
"Miss!"
Seeing Shen Qing again, Zhuxing was extremely excited. Her eyes also couldn't help but turn red.
"Zhuxing..."
Ji Junye walked up to the mother and daughter. "It's windy outside. Let's go inside and talk."
As he said, he was about to pick up Si Bao.
"Okay." Shen Qing wiped the corners of her eyes but refused the hand Ji Junye offered. "I'll carry Si Bao."
Ji Junye didn't fight with her. It was just such a short distance. She wouldn't get tired.
Zhuxing also wiped away a tear but didn't follow them in. The emperor, the miss, and their daughter were having a family reunion. It would be the same if she went to see the miss later.
Liyue was tidying up the sewing basket Shen Qing had just used. Before she could go out to take a look, she saw Shen Qing carrying a pink and jade-like little girl, followed by that Young Master Ye. The little girl looked like Shen Qing, but her manner was extremely similar to Young Master Ye's.
It was clearly a family of three.
Liyue's mind went blank for a moment. "Your Highness, this is..."
Shen Qing's answer confirmed her guess.
"This is my own daughter, Si Bao."
Liyue was struck like by lightning. Her legs went weak, and she knelt down with a thud.
"This servant pays respects to the little highness, pays respects to... Emperor Ye!"
Liyue let out a mental scream. She... she had really regarded Emperor Jingye as a mistress! She hadn't given him a good look for the past ten days!
How could she be so stupid?
A man who could appear beside the princess so naturally couldn't possibly be an ordinary mistress!
But she would never have thought that the emperor of a country actually had the hobby of hiding his identity and being a mistress!
In just a few breaths, Liyue had even thought of her last words.
Ji Junye took Si Bao and put her on the couch to avoid tiring Shen Qing.
"You're not too stupid."
Liyue was stunned.
Shen Qing said, "You may go. Ask the kitchen to prepare some dishes that Si Bao likes. Zhuxing is outside. She will tell you what Si Bao likes to eat."
Liyue walked away in a daze. She was so stiff that she didn't even notice she was moving her hands and feet in the same way. Only after going out did she realize that she hadn't been punished?
Wasn't it said that Emperor Jingye was cruel-tempered, moody, and killed people like hemp, enough to stop a child from crying at night?
She had just... walked out unharmed?
Shen Qing couldn't help but look at Ji Junye with a smile. "Look how scared you've made her."
Ji Junye looked innocent. "She scared herself. I didn't say anything."
Suddenly, Shen Qing felt her sleeve move. Looking down, she saw Si Bao gently tugging at her sleeve. "Mother, Father isn't scary. Really."
If she and Father were both obedient, Mother probably wouldn't abandon them, right?
Shen Qing didn't know what she was thinking. She stroked Si Bao's fluffy little head. "Yes, Mother knows."
As Shen Qing said, she took out a lotus-pink ruffled dress from the side and compared it in front of Si Bao. "Mother doesn't know what kind of clothes Si Bao likes, so I made one according to my own preference. Mother asked your father about the size, but I don't know if it fits. Would Si Bao like to try it on?"
Si Bao's pair of black eyes instantly lit up. "Is it for Si Bao?"
"Of course. Let Mother change it for you, okay?"
"Okay." Si Bao looked at Ji Junye beside her. "Father, go out first. Si Bao and Mother are going to change clothes!"
Ji Junye looked at the clothes Shen Qing had been making for several days. A trace of obscure emotion flashed across his eyes, but Shen Qing's attention was all on Si Bao at this moment and didn't notice at all.
He stroked Si Bao's head. "Okay. Call Father when you've changed your clothes."
"Okay." Si Bao nodded heavily, her eyes shining.
Ji Junye got up and went to the outer room. From time to time, silver bell-like laughter came from the inner room, hers and Si Bao's.
This was the joy of the world.
Shen Qing not only changed Si Bao's clothes but also combed her hair into two flower-bud buns. She pinned a hairpin with a small bell on each side. The bells jingled when Si Bao walked.
"Father, look. Does Si Bao look good?"
The lotus-pink ruffled dress was decorated with sky blue. Exquisite cloud shoulders were embroidered with flowers and auspicious clouds. Si Bao bounced over, looking exactly like a little fairy walking out of a painting.
"You look good."
With his praise, Si Bao was even happier. She bounced away to find Zhuxing. "I want Sister Zhuxing to see the dress Mother made for me!"
Just then, Shen Qing came out from inside. "The size is just right. You measured it so accurately."
Ji Junye put his arm around her and sat down again. "You made it well. Si Bao likes it very much. But you, you've been staying up late embroidering for the past few days. Aren't you afraid of hurting your eyes?"
Shen Qing shook her head. "Si Bao has grown up so much, and I've done too little for her. I just want to do a little more..."
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Shen Qing smiled understandingly. "Yes, in the future, we'll have plenty of opportunities to accompany Si Bao's growth."
"A Ye, I can tell that Si Bao really likes and depends on you. Thank you for raising Si Bao so well."
The natural closeness between father and daughter couldn't be faked.
And he even knew Si Bao's size exactly, which showed that he must have been very concerned about Si Bao.
"Si Bao is our child. How could I not love her? But you," Ji Junye suddenly changed the subject, "these days you've only been making clothes for Si Bao. I haven't even asked you. When did you become so good at needlework? I haven't seen a single thing you made over the years."
"I gave you something. You just didn't want it."
Ji Junye frowned tightly. "Impossible. When did I ever say such a thing?"
Shen Qing snorted. "I remember clearly. That time I went to give you clothes at night, but I interrupted your good time with Concubine Xiao. As soon as she left, you said not to make clothes for you in the future. There were embroiderers in the palace for such things..."
Ji Junye remembered. He was sweating all over.
"I didn't mean it like that at the time..."
"Humph!"
Shen Qing turned around and ignored him.
It was a good thing that the clothes weren't made by her. If they had been made by her own hands, she would have burned them rather than given them to him!
Ji Junye turned her back. "By the way, was that dress really made by you? Not only was it too short, but the workmanship was also much rougher than your current stitches..."
Before he could finish, Shen Qing covered his mouth.
"Stop bringing up the past!"
Ji Junye removed her hand. "Then will you make one for me too?"
"I'll make you a sachet. Okay?"
"Okay."
A sachet was better than nothing.