Baby, don't be afraid, I'll accompany you to the heavens and the seas!

"Your Highness! Your Highness, please, please let me explain!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince!!!"

Qianqianluo hurriedly got up, wanting to explain to the little tyrant who had already left, but she lost her footing and fell off the eaves of the palace.

"Ahhh!!" Her scream startled a flock of sparrows that were resting in the tree at noon.

With a series of chirping sounds, the flock of sparrows flew noisily over the Crown Prince's head.

Qing Tingyu sat in the sedan chair, gazing thoughtfully at the flock of birds chirping overhead for a moment, then unconsciously smiled.

"Your Highness, are you going to Qinrou Palace to visit the Empress?" Mei Zifeng asked, slightly worried.

"Hmph, that's my own brother, born of the same mother! How could I not go and see him?!"

"Arrange the carriage to Qinrou Palace!" Qing Tingyu flipped through the scriptures expressionlessly, his peripheral vision filled with a chilling aura.

Ever since Empress Lin became pregnant with the imperial heir, the situation in the court has become increasingly treacherous and turbulent. General Lin, who had originally been vehemently supporting Qing Tingyu as the crown prince, has gradually fallen silent.

Some ministers in the court chose to reposition themselves, while others turned a blind eye and watched the infighting unfold.

Qinrou Palace!

The various kinds of precious peonies bestowed by the Emperor are in full bloom, filling the courtyard of Qinrou Palace with a riot of color.

These flowers still held the morning dew, which tinged their colors like iridescent crystals, delicately dripping onto the back of the petals.

"May Your Highness be well!"

"May Your Highness be well!!!"

Plop! Plop! The sound of kneeling startled the morning dew, causing it to detach from the petals and fall wantonly onto the ground.

The palace maids, who were collecting morning dew to prepare bird's nest for the Empress, put down their jade bottles for collecting dew and knelt to pay their respects to the Crown Prince when he arrived.

"Um!"

Qing Tingyu tilted her head back, gave a curt reply, and then strode into the outer hall of Qinrou Palace with her personal guards.

Inside the outer hall, the floor was covered with several layers of gold and soft silk, and incense used for calming the mind and praying for children swayed gently in the air.

The little tyrant covered his mouth and nose with a silk handkerchief and waved his hand to disperse the dense, visible layers of incense in the air.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived?!" Upon hearing the commotion, Lin Qinrou, sitting on the chaise longue, quickly got up to greet the little tyrant.

Qing Tingyu did not accept her mother's embrace, but instead sat down on the soft chair that the guards had brought over.

"Your Majesty the Empress is carrying the imperial heir; I cannot bear to carry you!"

"It's good that Yu'er has come to visit Mother Consort. Mother Consort is very pleased!" Lin Qinrou, supported by a palace maid, sat back down on the chaise longue.

General Lin, who had come to exchange pleasantries, saw his younger sister being humiliated and gripped the corner of the table tightly in anger.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is so filial! His Majesty will surely be pleased to know!"

Lin Litian was still wearing his iron armor, and his body exuded a fierce aura accumulated over the years on the battlefield, making him awe-inspiring!

"General Lin is here too?!"

"Hahaha~ General Lin is too kind!!"

Qing Tingyu sipped the ginseng tea prepared by the palace maid, and met Lin Litian's piercing gaze with a forced smile.

The anxious, tug-of-war gazes met in the air, making the already warm and fragrant outer hall even more unbearably hot.

"Cousin~!!" Lin Wanwan's perfectly timed sweet voice eased the atmosphere.

Holding a full bottle of dew, Lin Wanwan playfully pounced on her cousin, the Crown Prince: "Haha, cousin, Wanwan is so glad to see you again!"

"Okay! Sit down!!"

Qing Tingyu calmly pried Lin Wanwan's hand off his neck and impatiently patted the spot on his back where Lin Wanwan had rubbed against him.

"Hahaha~ Great, Cousin Crown Prince is the best~!"

Lin Wanwan, dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), spoke in a charming voice and gracefully sat down next to the little tyrant.

"She often visits her mother, the prisoner, every night!!"

"This child truly loves Yu'er. They grew up together since childhood, yet they didn't have any children!!"

"Come, come! White Silk, go and fetch the jade hairpin that the Emperor bestowed upon Wanwan!!"

Empress Lin patted her slightly protruding pregnant belly, looking at Lin Wanwan, who was bowing her head shyly and remaining silent, with a mixture of reproach and a smile.

"Your Majesty, this...this is far too precious."

"Wanwan~ Wanwan is afraid she won't be able to enjoy this!"

Lin Wanwan accepted the sunken wood box, which was engraved with phoenix and dragon motifs, handed to her by the palace maid. She rose and bowed in thanks, intending to refuse.

"Alright, Your Majesty the Empress has shown your kindness, so please accept it!" General Lin gave the order to his daughter, Lin Wanwan, in a low, husky voice.

"Haha, Yu'er, why don't you try putting it on Wanwan for your mother? Haha~!" Lin Qinrou spoke softly, her eyes full of the gentle tenderness of a mother reborn.

"it is good!"

Qing Tingyu opened the wooden box expressionlessly, then took out the emerald green phoenix hairpin with floral tassels and bent down to put the hairpin on Lin Wanwan's head.

When the Crown Prince got close to her, Lin Wanwan's mind went blank, and her heart pounded wildly.

A cool, sandalwood scent rushed into her nostrils as her "crown prince cousin" raised his hand.

An unusual sense of intimidation enveloped her, making her tense up even more anxiously, afraid that she would lose her composure and become unable to stand upright.

Qing Tingyu placed a hairpin in the hair bun that Qing Tingyu had combed around her ears and temples, and naturally smelled a pungent, musty fragrance.

"Hmph, scared? So easily provoked?!" The little tyrant breathed coldly, whispering in Lin Wanwan's ear in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"I thank Your Highness, and I wish you good health!"

Lin Wanwan suppressed her overwhelming emotions, lowered her eyes, and shyly thanked Qing Tingyu.

The little tyrant looked at the trembling servant beneath him, who dared not raise his head, and found it quite amusing!

He gave a few sarcastic snorts and then left Qinrou Palace with a flick of his sleeve.

"The affairs of the Crown Prince's Palace are numerous, so I will go ahead first!"

The guards, providing cover behind His Highness the Crown Prince, left the outer hall in a grand procession.

Lin Qinrou's doting and warm smile shattered into deep resentment the moment the little tyrant left.

"That monster! I should have killed him in my belly long ago! How despicable!"

Bang! Bang bang bang! The jade Guanyin statue, carved to grant children, shattered on the ground. Empress Lin was still not satisfied and, trembling, she grabbed the silk pendant on the couch.

"Rou'er, be good. Aren't you afraid of hurting yourself by getting so angry while carrying the imperial heir?!" General Lin stepped forward, picked up the Empress, and coaxed her gently.

"Rou, Rou'er is in pain, Rou'er wants to kill this monster!"

"Rou'er only wants the child in her womb to be the ruler of the Qingting Dynasty!!"

Lin Qinrou, panting heavily, looked at her brother with red and teary eyes.

"Great! Great!! I'm getting started on preparations. I'll make sure Rou'er and the baby in her belly get what they want!"

Lin Litian patted the Empress's pregnant belly reassuringly and gestured for the guards and maids in the inner palace to leave.

Still kneeling on the ground, Lin Wanwan dared not raise her head. Her temples were covered in cold sweat from fear and unease, making her tremble even more.

"Wanwan is still here! Brother, don't scare Wanwan!!"

Lin Litian bent down and walked to Lin Wanwan, grabbing her shoulders with his rough, calloused hands, and said in a deep voice.

"go!!"

"Her Majesty the Empress's feet are extremely cold!!"

"Doctor Ma said that massaging the feet frequently can improve blood circulation. You all go and take good care of Her Majesty the Empress!"

Upon hearing the order, Lin Wanwan immediately stood up: "Yes!!"

The Empress's delicate, lotus-root-like feet were hidden in embroidered shoes covered in gold silk, never to see the light of day.