The mistress is not a cannon fodder, the cold prince falls in love with her every night

As soon as the children went out, they would poop and pee, delaying their entry into the palace by half an hour.

"Hahaha, having many children is a blessing! Unlike me, I can't even hold a child if I want to."

The Queen Mother said this with a smile and waved to Pei Le and Pei Xi.

Su Li had sensed a strange atmosphere the moment she entered the bedroom. The air inside the bedroom felt a bit low. Hearing the Queen Mother's words, she felt a deep well of resentment.

She secretly glanced at the emperor, and his expression was not good either.

She secretly glanced at Pei Xi.

Xi Jieer replied with a signal of "Received, leave it to me", then she put on a big smile and said in a coquettish voice:

"Empress Dowager, if you want to hold a child, hold Xijie'er! Xijie'er has been raised by you, Your Majesty, since she was a child. Xijie'er misses you so much."

"Your Majesty, you don't know that my mother stopped holding me after she had a younger brother. I really want someone to hold me! Your Majesty!"

Xijie'er took the empress dowager's hand and acted coquettishly.

Seeing this, Pei Le did not dare to fall behind and used his hands and feet to climb into the Queen Mother's arms. The two siblings were so soft that they made the Queen Mother laugh out loud. She pinched Xi Jie'er's nose and said:

"You clever little thing! Of all the younger generations, I like you the most! Every time you come, you make me so happy that I can even eat an extra bowl of rice!"

Xi Jie'er hooked her arm around the Queen Mother's neck,

"If the Queen Mother is happy, then Sister Xi won't leave today. Would you mind staying to have dinner with her? Sister Xi watched as the Queen Mother ate an extra bowl of rice and became plump and white. May she live a hundred years! Oh no, a thousand years!"

"And me! Queen Mother, Pei Le wants to stay too. Big brother said that the food in the Queen Mother's palace is very delicious, and Le Le wants to stay and try it."

Pei Le also showed his support with all his might.

The Queen Mother was even happier after hearing this. She hugged Pei Le and gave him a kiss on his chubby face, then said cheerfully:

"Okay, okay, everyone stay! The Princess and her family will be here soon, so stay and have dinner with me. Let's have some fun."

After saying that, he did not forget to ask Pei Le:

"Did your elder brother really say that the food in my palace is delicious?"

"Yes!"

Pei Le nodded heavily and began to count on his fingers:

"Emerald White Jade Soup, Water Shield Bamboo Shoots, Chives and Eggplant, Horse Chestnut Orchid, Five Treasures Fresh Vegetables..."

The Queen Mother nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

That's not bad. Every time Li Ji came to her palace, he only ate vegetarian dishes. Pei Le said that these were what Li Ji liked. After hearing this, the resentment in her heart subsided a lot, and the look she gave Huan Ge'er was also much softer:

"As long as you like it, eat more today."

Huan Ge'er bowed his head and saluted:

"Yes, Queen Mother."

"Well, you've lost some weight, but you're still in good spirits. It seems that Madam Dingguo has taken good care of you."

The Queen Mother paused and said,

"You've been a guest at the Duke Dingguo's residence for a few days now. You can have fun, but you can't always disturb them. When are you planning to return to the palace?"

When these words came out, Su Li's heart skipped a beat.

Huan Ge'er had grown up in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, calling her mother and Pei Heng father. How could she become a guest? How could returning to her own home be considered a disturbance?

The Queen Mother's words clearly meant that she wanted Huan Ge'er to choose a side.

What's wrong with the Queen Mother today?

He is usually kind, gentle and approachable, so why is he speaking so harshly today?

But Su Li couldn't say this.

Because when Huan Ge'er was still Li Ji, he had chosen to return to his ancestral home and had even lived in the palace for almost two years.

At the same time, she was worried about Huan Ge'er.

It was obvious that the Queen Mother was in a bad mood today. She was afraid that Huan Ge'er might say something wrong and anger the Queen Mother.

She glanced at Pei Heng worriedly, and saw that Pei Heng looked at her calmly, suggesting that she should be patient.

At this moment, the emperor spoke softly:

"Ji'er, Duke Dingguo and his wife have raised you for so many years, and I'm very happy that you know how to be grateful. During the New Year holiday, the government affairs are not busy, so I will give you a holiday. You can live in the Duke Dingguo Mansion with peace of mind, show your filial respect to them, and take this opportunity to take good care of yourself."

The emperor and the empress dowager sang a different tune, and the empress dowager's expression, which had finally eased, began to darken again.

In front of everyone, the Emperor couldn't let the Queen Mother lose face, so he changed the subject and said:

"However, you have to come back after the Lantern Festival. You still can't fall behind in your studies, understand?"

Huan Ge'er had been standing there with his eyes lowered, as still as a mountain. After hearing the emperor's words, he bowed and said:

"Thank you, Your Majesty and Your Majesty, for your care and guidance. Ji'er understands. I will keep your words in mind and be filial to Duke Dingguo and his wife. At the same time, I will not forget my own duties."

Su Li also quickly made a guarantee:

"Don't worry, Queen Mother. After the Lantern Festival, I will personally escort His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin back to the palace. I dare not keep His Royal Highness in the palace for long."

The Queen Mother then nodded.

Xi Jie'er took the opportunity to hug the Queen Mother and said coquettishly:

"Your Majesty, Sister Xi left home early this morning and didn't even have a proper breakfast! Now her stomach is growling with hunger. Your Majesty, please listen!"

Pei Le also showed off his bulging belly, imitating the others:

"Queen Mother, Lele's stomach is growling too!"

"Empress Dowager, my eldest brother said that the cakes and pastries you make are the most delicious. He made us drool. Empress Dowager, Xijieer wants to eat some too!"

The brother and sister joked around and managed to make the empress dowager smile again.

"Okay, okay, let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious."

Turning back, he asked Mammy:

"Has the little princess arrived?"

Mammy looked at the time.

"Queen, it's time."

"Let's go pick up the little princess and go back to the palace to eat delicious food."

Finally, the Queen Mother went out surrounded by the children.

Su Li glanced at Pei Heng and slowly followed.

Pei Heng stayed to talk to the emperor.

When the emperor saw the empress dowager leave, he leaned back in his chair as if his whole body was falling apart.

"emperor?"

Pei Heng saw that the emperor was unwell and was very worried.

Li Gan waved his hand.

"I'm fine."

After a long while, he said weakly:

"Duke Dingguo, am I really useless?"

"Why did the emperor say this?"

Li Gan sighed softly:

"Duke Dingguo, back when I was just a playboy on the streets, idle all day long. If it weren't for Ji'er, I wouldn't have made it this far."

"At first, I only wanted to protect Ji'er from harm. I never thought about becoming an emperor. I also never thought that being an emperor would be so tiring. But if I hadn't become an emperor, how could I have protected Ji'er and you?"

How can one achieve both in this world?

You always have to lose something to gain something.

Pei Heng had already sensed what had happened between the Emperor and the Queen Mother today. Listening to Li Gan's emotional recollections, he simply asked directly:

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

Li Gan was silent for a long time. Finally, he made up his mind and waved away everyone around him. After leaving only Pei Heng, he looked at him firmly and said:

"Duke Dingguo, today I want to speak to you from the bottom of my heart."

Pei Heng nodded.

Li Gan said:

"Duke Dingguo, I no longer want to be emperor. I want to pass the throne to Ji'er."