You cause trouble and I collect your body, the little emperor’s aunt abuses the scumbag again

Sui Sui was indeed attracted, reaching out her chubby hands to grab the rattle drum, making babbling sounds.

Looking at the child's innocent smiling face, Ji Yongyan's lips unconsciously turned up, revealing a gentle smile that even he himself did not realize.

At that moment, he was not the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty.

He was just an ordinary father.

Seeing this scene, Meng Siya's heart suddenly softened.

She turned her face away and did not insist on getting the child back.

The hatred is real.

But the fatherly love emanating from the man before me was undeniable.

Sui Sui played with the rattle drum for a while, but quickly got bored.

His attention was then drawn to a dragon-patterned jade pendant hanging from Ji Yongyan's waist.

He reached out his little hand and grabbed the jade pendant, stuffing it forcefully into his mouth.

"Don't……"

Ji Yongyan, worried that the jade pendant might hurt him, quickly reached out to stop it.

Sui Sui held on tightly, her little mouth agape, and she uttered a syllable that would change everyone's fate.

"Dad... Dad..."

The sound was very faint and muffled.

But it was like a thunderclap, exploding in the quiet courtyard.

Ji Yongyan was completely petrified.

He looked down in disbelief at the little one in his arms who was still struggling with the jade pendant.

What did he just say?

Meng Siya was also stunned, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Dad... Dad..."

Sui Sui called out again, this time a little clearer.

He clutched the jade pendant that belonged to his father and called out the name he had waited so long for in his pure voice.

With a loud bang.

The last taut string in Ji Yongyan's mind snapped completely.

His eyes instantly turned red.

The next moment, tears uncontrollably rolled down from his reddened eyes, splashing onto his bright yellow dragon robe and leaving a dark stain.

He had waited for this "father" for far too long.

In countless midnight dreams, he fantasized about such a day.

But he dared not acknowledge it, nor did he dare to accept it.

He felt he didn't deserve it.

He held the small body tightly in his arms, buried his face in the child's neck, and a strong man burst into tears, his shoulders trembling violently.

"Eh."

He choked back tears and managed to respond with all his might.

"Father is here."

"Father is here."

The sunlight cast long shadows of the father and son, creating a stark contrast with the cold, imposing palace walls around them.

Warmth, yet tinged with endless bitterness.

This scene was clearly seen by a young palace maid hiding behind a rockery not far away.

She covered her mouth, her face filled with shock and ecstasy.

She quietly slipped out and ran towards Qingqiu Palace.

……

Qingqiu Palace.

The hall was filled with the finest benzoin incense, yet it could not dispel the chill in the air.

Shangguan Yun'er leaned against the soft couch, absentmindedly drawing orchids on paper with a wolf-hair brush in her hand.

Since being confined to her home, she has been feeling restless and anxious every day.

Especially after hearing that the vile woman had gotten involved with the Empress Dowager, she was so angry that she couldn't eat for several days.

"Miss!"

A young palace maid tumbled in, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

Shangguan Yun'er frowned in displeasure.

The palace maid knelt on the ground, panting heavily, and spoke urgently.

"Your Majesty! This servant...this servant saw it with my own eyes, at Tingyu Pavilion..."

She leaned close to Shangguan Yun'er's ear and quickly recounted what she had just witnessed in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"...That bastard called His Highness the Crown Prince...Father!"

pat.

The wolf-hair brush in Shangguan Yun'er's hand snapped in two.

She gripped the broken pen tightly with her sharp nails, the ink staining her fingers black.

Her face was completely drained of color, turning deathly pale.

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point.

After a long while, Shangguan Yun'er let out a very soft, cold laugh.

The laughter was sinister and terrifying.

"Bastard, how dare you call me father?"

She slowly raised her head, her once beautiful face now filled only with twisted jealousy and insane murderous intent.

"Good, very good."

She stared at the bright sun high in the sky outside the window, a cruel smile curving her lips.

"The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is almost here."

"Send a message to Night Owl, telling them that I intend to make them, mother and son, the most dazzling fireworks under the moon that night."

"Let that banquet be the day you and your son die!"

……

The atmosphere in the Golden Palace was somber.

All the civil and military officials lowered their heads, even deliberately keeping their breathing soft.

The emperor on the dragon throne rubbed his temples, looking utterly exhausted.

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

As soon as the eunuch's shrill voice fell, an old but powerful voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Prime Minister Shangguan Hong walked out from the front of all the officials. He was Shangguan Yun'er's grandfather.

He held the jade tablet, his back ramrod straight.

"speak."

The emperor didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

"Your Majesty, there are rumors circulating all over the capital recently, and they are all related to the Crown Prince's Palace."

Shangguan Hong's voice echoed in the hall, each word spoken clearly.

"There are rumors that His Highness the Crown Prince has brought back a widow who runs a business. He dotes on her and even defies the Empress Dowager for her sake. This woman's origins are unknown, and she has a child whose father is unknown. She has been living in the Eastern Palace, which damages the royal family's reputation and is not conducive to the stability of the country."

He didn't speak ill of Meng Siya directly, but instead accused her of undermining the foundation of the nation.

Standing in front, Ji Yongyan clenched his fist into a fist, his hand hidden in his sleeve.

"What does the Prime Minister mean?"

The emperor finally opened his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I implore you to thoroughly investigate this woman's identity in order to ensure the purity of the royal bloodline, so as to give the people an explanation and appease their hearts!"

Shangguan Hong knelt down.

A large group of officials, all from the Shangguan family, immediately knelt down behind him.

"We, your subjects, second that proposal!"

This is not a petition; this is clearly a coup.

The emperor's face darkened. He glanced at the expressionless Ji Yongyan and understood.

"I will make my own decision on this matter."

He gave a curt reply and then waved his hand to announce the end of the court session.

However, this imperial decree caused a huge upheaval in the inner palace.

Shangguan Yun'er's confinement has been lifted.

On the afternoon of the day the confinement was lifted, a large entourage from Qingqiu Palace arrived at the entrance of Tingyu Pavilion.

Shangguan Yun'er wore a gold-embroidered phoenix-tail skirt and a red gold hair ornament inlaid with rubies. Her makeup was exquisite and her aura was imposing.

She led a group of palace maids and eunuchs into this place she had always dreamed of visiting but had never been allowed to.

Meng Siya is teaching Sui Sui to recognize osmanthus flowers in the yard.

She wore a faded cotton dress, and her hair was loosely tied up with only a wooden hairpin, completely different from Shangguan Yun'er's luxurious style.

"Oh, my sister, you're living such a refined and elegant life."

Shangguan Yun'er covered her mouth with a round fan and laughed. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear clearly.