The three-year-old host decides to raise an emperor father for himself.

If it weren't for the fact that he had spent some time with the little one and had developed a habit of trying to decipher her meaning because of her speaking habits, Xuan Yuanjing might not have been able to understand her meaning immediately.

After understanding, Xuanyuan Jing's smile deepened, and he affectionately nuzzled her cheek: "Whether it's Xingxing or not, Daddy will give Xingxing a reward too!"

Xiao Lanxing waved her hands and exclaimed, "Yay!"

At the same time, Xuan Yuanjing heard Warm Winter's synchronized thought from outside: "Yay!"

The voice was different, but the tone was exactly the same as the little girl's.

Xuanyuan Jing: "..."

puff.

Although something unpleasant just happened, he still felt more relaxed with the little one around.

No wonder he likes this little one; he truly treats her like a daughter.

Look, it's only been a short time since Nuandong was assigned to the little girl's side, and although she doesn't seem to have changed much on the surface, she's become much more lively inside.

Xuanyuan Jing looked around the room but couldn't find a suitable container, so he simply carried the little girl in one arm and the plum blossom in the other, and the two of them went to his private treasury in the Jingwang Mansion.

Then, the father and daughter, one after the other, chose a plain-colored vase to hold the sprig of plum blossom.

When Chen Li arrived, he saw Xuan Yuanjing sitting in a chair as soon as he entered. Although his posture was the same as usual, he inexplicably exuded a sense of relaxation.

On the other side, the little girl stood on a chair, her small hands supporting her backrest, while the other hand tugged at the branches in the vase, seemingly doing something unknown.

Maybe they're just playing around?

Thinking this, Chen Li first bowed to Xuan Yuanjing, and then, at the man's prompting, explained the situation: "This investigation went very smoothly. He took Zhou Fu's money, saying that he only needed to help deliver a few pots of flowers to the mansion, and didn't require them to be delivered to anyone in particular."

It was because the old gardener didn't deliberately send anything to Xuan Yuanjing that Chen Li didn't notice him.

Xuanyuan Jing raised an eyebrow.

"Zhou Fu?"

Chen Li lowered his head: "Yes."

Zhou Fu is Su Jianming's wife and Su Mingxuan's mother.

She was also someone whom Xuanyuan Jing's mother saved back then.

Chen Li thought Xuan Yuanjing would question him or get angry, but in the end he heard him laugh.

Chen Li: Did the prince laugh out of anger?

Thinking this, Chen Li didn't look up.

At times like these, even if he and Xuan Yuanjing have a good relationship, although they are in a superior-subordinate relationship, he is still considered a trusted brother of Xuan Yuanjing. However, when the other party is in a bad mood, the former will be more obvious.

However, Xuanyuan Jing was not amused by the situation.

At least, not entirely.

If he hadn't suspected Su Mingxuan, and hadn't noticed Xuan Yuanlin's wariness and hostility towards him, his emotions might have been even more intense upon hearing this news.

But right now, at this moment, Xuanyuan Jing only found it funny.

Xuanyuan Jing: "I had no idea that I was so hated."

Chen Li: "Your Highness is mistaken..."

Xuanyuan Jing raised his hand to stop him, "Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who wallows in self-pity, I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."

Chen Li: "The Su family prioritizes profit, and they tacitly approved of that person's relationship with you back then... I'm afraid they're also worried that you might hold onto the past and seek revenge."

The old gardener didn't just enter the manor in the last two years, and he had been bribed for longer than two years, which means that the person who bribed him had planned to scheme against Xuanyuan Jing from the very beginning.

Xuanyuan Jing: "Now that she has entered the palace, I am not the kind of person who would get entangled in such things. Doing so would only make it seem as if I am so infatuated with her."

"It's really ridiculous."

Hearing their conversation, Xiao Lanxing turned around and asked curiously, "Who? Bullying Daddy?"

Who bullied her father again?

The gloom that Xuan Yuanjing had just shown instantly melted away, and he beckoned to the little girl with a gentle expression: "No one, just some annoying people who need to be dealt with."

"Star, come to Daddy's, is the flower arrangement done?"

The little girl beamed and exclaimed, "Yeah!"

She thought her flower arrangement was really pretty!

Even though it is actually just a single plum blossom.

Although she was a little girl, not even as tall as the chair, she didn't need anyone's help. She quickly jumped off the chair and ran to Xuan Yuanjing's side, throwing herself into his arms.

While listening to the various thoughts that suddenly flooded his mind without changing his expression, Xuan Yuanjing continued to say to Chen Li, "Now that you've determined who it is, just take the evidence and send the person back to the Su family. Just say that my Jingwang Mansion has limited resources and doesn't have enough money to support someone else."

Chen Li was slightly taken aback: "Isn't this a bit too ostentatious?"

Didn't Xuanyuan Jing say before that he wanted to keep a low profile?

Xuanyuan Jing smiled and said, "Although we should keep a low profile and show weakness to the enemy for the time being, that doesn't mean we should target the Su family."

The implication was that the Su family was not someone he needed to bother with.

If it's someone from Xuanyuan Lin's group, Xuanyuan Jing really can't deal with it openly. At least for now, he doesn't plan to directly break ties with that person.

Two years ago, he might have actually had a chance.

But two years have passed, times have changed, and many things have changed. If one acts rashly without understanding the situation, Xuan Yuanjing is not so foolish as to seek his own death.

Chen Li: "...Understood."

Chen Li thought to himself, "That's true. As for the one on the dragon throne, even if the prince has a good reputation among the people and some have secretly prayed for him over the years, before we have solid evidence,..."

"The legitimate line is still the legitimate line. Without a suitable reason, the prince can only be in a passive position. Even if the prince has the ability to raise an army directly, the resulting stigma is unavoidable... That would be too unfair to the prince."

"As for the Su family, I always felt they weren't honest people. I had previously discovered that some of the servants in the mansion had some connection with the Su family, but in the past two years, quite a few of them have secretly bribed people in the mansion to gather information."

“But gathering information and taking direct action are not the same thing. Besides, after the prince wakes up, those people in the prince’s mansion should be cleared out one by one.”

“We can’t keep calling this Prince Jing’s Mansion the Prince’s Mansion, even though it’s not really the Prince’s territory. Even if the Prince wants to play dumb to take advantage of others, acting too weak will only arouse suspicion.”

Chen Li thought to himself, "As expected of the prince, he is very thoughtful. A necessary deterrent is still needed."

Xuanyuan Jing: "..."

smile.

In comparison, the little girl's feelings were much simpler.

Xiao Lanxing: "The Su family?"

Xiao Lanxing: "Is it the Su family, the ones who want to arrange a stepmother for me?"

Perhaps some being answered her question, or perhaps the girl never intended to answer at all. She then began to mutter to herself, "This Su family is no good."

Xiao Lanxing: "We need to give them a talking-to!"

Xuanyuan Jing: "Hmm?"

Chen Li: "Your Highness?"

Xuanyuan Jing: "...It's nothing."

Xuanyuan Jing: Did you learn the word "knock" from him?