Emperor Jingxiang took the jade pendant from Xue'er's hand.
He held it under the lamp and examined it carefully. As Xue'er had said, it was indeed as described. But he had privately collected many jade pieces carved by Lan Miao. Why hadn't he noticed anything special about the others?
Xue'er watched Emperor Jingxiang frown tightly.
Didn't His Majesty believe what she said?
"Your Majesty, Xue'er has truly never seen the pattern on this jade pendant before. But this jade must have been carved by Mother. And it must have been carved more than five years ago," Xue'er said.
Hearing Xue'er's certainty, Emperor Jingxiang couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt in his heart.
"Why are you so sure?"
"When I turned four, Mother gave me a jade pendant on my birthday. That pendant had this mark on it. But there are also many jade pieces carved by Mother at home, and they don't have this mark. I often took it out to look at. Later, I asked Mother about it."
"And then?"
"Hehe." Xue'er deliberately held back the answer for a moment, blinking her bright black eyes.
"Mother said that when she first started carving jade, she saw some master craftsmen claim the jade pieces carved by their apprentices as their own, and the apprentices had nowhere to argue. So she made this little mark. As long as it wasn't for a business transaction, all of Mother's finished pieces would have this mark. But it seems that she stopped doing this after I was born. And—"
"Mother took back all the jade pieces with this mark and kept them at home. She said that the marked jade pieces were too obvious and not appropriate."
Xue'er finished speaking in one breath and her throat felt dry. "So, Your Majesty, this jade pendant in your possession is a unique piece that Mother left in the outside world."
Hearing this, Emperor Jingxiang suddenly understood.
His wife was so clever.
She was afraid that he would notice this mark, so she took back all the jade pieces with the mark early on. Even if he did notice, it would be very difficult for him to find out.
It had been five years, and he really hadn't noticed this special feature.
If it weren't for this smart girl Xue'er, he would still be kept in the dark.
His wife was truly intelligent and gentle.
After fully understanding, Emperor Jingxiang let out a hearty laugh. The laugh was so broad that one could sense his excitement and joy at this moment.
Xue'er was even startled and took a step back.
Why was His Majesty so serious one moment and laughing the next?
Did His Majesty have some kind of problem?
Then, Emperor Jingxiang poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xue'er. Xue'er took it and drank it all in one gulp. She was really thirsty after saying so much.
Looking at the little girl in front of him, Emperor Jingxiang seemed to see the cleverness and slyness of his wife when she was a child.
It turned out that the person that night was his wife.
This was truly wonderful.
Their fateful encounter had started five years ago. It was a match made in heaven, a fated destiny.
He had thought that person was a female thief, but it turned out to be his wife, the thief who stole his heart.
By now, he fully understood. No wonder his wife always had an unusual reaction whenever he mentioned the jade pendant. He had thought she was unhappy that he had something to do with other women...
His wife had kept it from him for so long.
Now, it was his turn to tease his wife.
While drinking water, Xue'er watched His Majesty's changing expressions. So she poured a cup of tea for His Majesty with her teacup.
"Your Majesty, why don't you drink some water? Your complexion looks so strange."
"Pfft..."
Emperor Jingxiang burst out laughing again. After the laugh, he finally controlled his expression and became serious. He looked at Xue'er and said solemnly, "You must not tell anyone what I've told you today, especially your mother."
"Okay... I remember."
Xue'er nodded obediently. Last time she told her mother what His Majesty had said to her in private, and her mother told her not to do it again.
This time, she wouldn't say anything.
Because His Majesty was really scary.
"Xue'er, do you like your father?"
Emperor Jingxiang looked at the little girl who was like a snowball in front of him. There was a bit of regret in his heart. How wonderful it would be if this clever and cute child was his and his wife's.
But there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
Xue'er neither shook her head nor nodded. She was rarely silent for a while. "I've never met my father, nor seen what he looks like. I don't know if I like him..."
Her voice was soft and milky, with a trace of confused melancholy.
Out of love for the mother, Emperor Jingxiang reached out and patted Xue'er's little head. "I'm your elder. From now on, you can also think of me as your father."
"Huh?"
The melancholy in Xue'er's eyes hadn't faded yet, and suddenly she felt something was very wrong. How could His Majesty be her father?
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. I can't think like this. You are Yu Jia's father. Even if my father has passed away, I won't have a second father."
Xue'er said word by word, extremely stubbornly.
Emperor Jingxiang's face immediately turned a bit ugly. This little girl was just like her mother, sticking so rigidly to these feudal etiquettes.
"If your mother remarries, won't you have a second father?"
Emperor Jingxiang deliberately contradicted her.
Xue'er frowned and was just about to refute when she caught a glimpse of His Majesty's mischievous expression. She laughed twice. "Is Your Majesty teasing me? Xue'er is no longer a child."
"Haha..."
Emperor Jingxiang couldn't help laughing again. He pinched Xue'er's cheek and looked at the little girl who acted like a grown - up. He was in a very good mood.
"Alright, it's getting late. I'll arrange for you to sleep in the side room. As for your mother, someone will take care of her. Don't worry."
Emperor Jingxiang stood up, and his sleeves fluttered with the movement. Xue'er immediately stood up and saluted. She knew that this conversation was finally over. "Yes."
Her mother had said that no matter how kind His Majesty was to her, the etiquette could not be ignored.
Emperor Jingxiang left satisfied.
He called Yan Hong to help Xue'er wash and groom. Then he gave An He a few instructions and walked into the bedroom where Lan Miao was resting.
When Han Bi saw His Majesty coming, she quickly retreated.
At this time, there were only the two of them in the room.
Emperor Jingxiang sat down on the edge of Lan Miao's bed. The gauze curtain on the edge of the bed hung down, making Lan Miao's face hazy, like a flower seen through the mist.
He reached out and touched Lan Miao's warm cheek, which was flushed.
A warm current surged into his heart. It turned out that his fateful encounter with his wife had been destined long ago.
Emperor Jingxiang blew out the candle on the bedside.
The room immediately became dark.
The moonlight shone in from afar. Emperor Jingxiang leaned over and kissed Lan Miao's rosy lips, then reluctantly let go.
Then, Emperor Jingxiang lay down beside Lan Miao fully dressed and hugged her soft body into his arms. Her steady breathing came into his ears, making his heart flutter.
Since he found out that Lan Miao had been lying to him, he didn't want to leave her for a single step.
He just wanted to wait for her to wake up and see how she would cover it up again.
The moonlight was clear, and the fragrant clouds covered the mist.
A night passed.
Lan Miao still hadn't woken up.
After Emperor Jingxiang got up to wash and groom, he stayed by Lan Miao's side for another hour, but Lan Miao was still sleeping soundly.
Xue'er came to pay her respects in the middle, but he sent her away.
Lan Miao was sleeping soundly like a child. Her eyebrows were peaceful, and her closed - eye appearance was as calm as water. One couldn't bear to wake her up.
Emperor Jingxiang stayed by Lan Miao's side, not wanting to wake her up. It was very late last night when Lan Miao fell asleep. It was normal for her to sleep longer after being tired. But just to be on the safe side, he called the imperial doctor.