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

When asked whether they were playmates or not, Xuan Yuanjing did not give an answer, neither affirming nor denying, only saying, "It depends on what Xingxing thinks."

As for the person involved, Xiao Lanxing looked at Pei Qingzhu for a while, then looked at Xuan Yuanjing again, leaned on his shoulder, and said softly, "Sleepy."

There was no indication that they intended to answer.

Seeing the little girl's reaction, a smile flashed in Xuan Yuanjing's eyes, and he thought to himself, "As expected of Xingxing."

Clearly, the little girl, though young, understood her father's meaning. Instead of excitedly expressing her thoughts at this moment, she said, in a manner typical of children, that she was sleepy and wanted to go to bed.

It's perfectly normal. At this age and at this time of day, isn't it normal for kids to be sleepy?

Pei Qingzhu didn't think much of it and didn't think there was anything wrong with Xuan Yuanjing's attitude. He just mentioned it casually, and Xuan Yuanjing hadn't considered these things before, so it was normal for him to act this way.

Xuanyuan Jing: "Go to the study and wait. I will take her back to rest and will be there in a while."

Upon hearing this, Pei Qingzhu showed a hint of surprise, but still responded.

Pei Qingzhu thought to herself, "If I hadn't known that Chen Li was there, he definitely wouldn't have let someone take the place of the prince. I never thought that the prince would be such a loving father after having a child."

Xuanyuan Jing smiled.

The father and daughter returned to the little girl's residence and stayed there for a while. Gradually, the room also became tinged with the "colors" that the little girl liked.

Brightly colored ornaments were displayed on the display cabinet, and several lifelike pith flowers were placed in a vase on the table. A jewel-encrusted dagger sat on a shelf in the corner...

Normal parents would never allow their children to come into contact with sharp objects that could potentially cause harm.

Unfortunately, firstly, Xuanyuan Jing is not a normal parent, and secondly, Xiao Lanxing is not a normal child.

"Father." The little girl was gently placed on the couch. As she watched Xuan Yuanjing squat down to look her in the eye, she asked curiously, "Uncle Pei, is he a good person?"

Xuanyuan Jing smiled and nodded.

Xiao Lanxing seemed to understand something and nodded, "I understand."

Xuanyuan Jing: "Hmm? What do you know?"

Xiao Lanxing: "Uncle Pei is Daddy's friend."

Xuanyuan Jing thought about it and agreed with the statement.

Xiao Lanxing: "I will protect him."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanjing's expression subtly changed. His first thought was of the little girl's constant murmurs about protecting him.

Before this, his little star had only said that he wanted to protect himself.

Neither Chen Li nor Nuandong were on this protection list.

It was hard not to have some thoughts about this, but before the bitterness in his heart could rise, Xuan Yuanjing met the little girl's clear eyes and a flash of inspiration struck him.

Wait a minute, Lanxing isn't the kind of child who cries for no reason; her behavior is always logical.

Thinking of this, Xuan Yuanjing turned his head slightly and glanced behind him. In the short time that the two of them were exchanging a few words, Nuan Dong had already had someone bring hot water for washing up, as well as clothes for the little girl to wear to bed at night.

Although he wasn't constantly watching the two, as Xiao Lanxing's personal attendant, Nuandong Yuguangzhong was always keeping an eye on their movements.

After noticing Xuan Yuanjing's actions, she paused for a moment, looked up and met his eyes, understood his meaning, and quickly lowered her head.

He bowed, led the group out of the room, and did so in one smooth motion.

After everyone had left, Xuanyuan Jing looked at the little girl again and asked gently, "Why did Xingxing protect him? Isn't it enough for Xingxing to just protect me?"

Hearing this, Xiao Lanxing nodded: "To protect Daddy, we must protect Daddy's friends."

As if to prove something, she raised her little hand, clenched her fist, and said earnestly, "Unity is strength!"

He said it quite loudly, as if only in this way could he demonstrate what power truly meant.

Xuanyuan Jing: "Hmm... that's not wrong."

It just feels a little strange on him.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something else, but in the end he couldn't help but ask, "Where did Xingxing hear that from?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lanxing tilted her head and thought about what Xuan Yuanjing said, but she couldn't remember anything.

She scratched her little ears, blinked, and looked completely innocent: "I don't know, I just figured it out myself?"

The idea that automatically popped into her mind... must have been something she came up with herself?

The system for listening in on the entire process: ...

If it had claws, it would definitely be covering its face right now, unable to bear looking at it.

Oh, sorry, it doesn't have a face either.

That's fine.

But it's better for the girl to say it this way than for the system to explain it to her.

Just then, the little girl mumbled some unintelligible words and exclaimed, "Oh, it's a song!"

System: Wait! Stop—no, shut up!

Singing "Unity is Strength" in front of a prince in a feudal dynasty is really outrageous!

Fortunately, before the system could intervene, Xuan Yuanjing remembered that there was someone waiting for him in the study, and the little girl yawned slightly at that moment.

It was obvious that the little girl was really sleepy.

So Xuanyuan Jing quickly skipped over this obviously unimportant question and gently patted the little girl's head: "Okay, Xingxing is really amazing."

"Then, can I tell Father why you didn't say you wanted to protect Chen Li or Nuandong before? You like them too, don't you?"

"Chen Li is also a very important friend and subordinate to Father."

The little girl blinked, and this time she finally got to the point: "Tell everyone, Uncle Pei, that he will die."

The system that had taken a break a quarter of an hour ago to talk to Xiao Lanxing about some things: ...

numbness.

Since the host can't save anyone anyway, it's not a bad thing for Xuanyuan Jing to find out.

Although this is also dangerous, who knows if the corruption level will directly reach the maximum.

But... what else can we do? At worst, it will just take its host and get lost.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanjing's pupils contracted slightly.

Even so, the gentle smile on his face remained unchanged, and his tone was still gentle: "Hmm? Did Tongtong say that? Did it say why?"

Xiao Lanxing tilted her head, her clever little brain still remembering what the system had just said: "Daddy is not awake, Uncle was trying to save people, but he was killed."

Xuanyuan Jing remained silent.

As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, Xiao Lanxing jumped down and grabbed his clothes: "It's true, tell me everything! Someone got shot... uh..."

The little girl's inner thoughts: "Impeached? What is impeachment? Why does Uncle Pei have to save me if I'm impeached? If he doesn't save me, will Uncle Pei not die?"

System: [The person impeached was also a friend of your father's, but not many people knew about their relationship. The Emperor was one of them, because your father had praised him several times in front of him, so he was remembered.]

System: [Pei Qingzhu was also in the know, and knew that the other party was being framed. That's why she rushed back from Zhangzhou to gather evidence and save the person, only to be killed by an assassin who was prepared in advance.]