Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

The next morning, Li Quan rushed back from the Ministry of Works. His forehead was slightly damp with sweat, but his face beamed with an excited smile.

"Your Majesty, I have retrieved the molds for making the reunion cakes that you instructed me to use from the Ministry of Works." As Li Quan spoke, he carefully placed the five molds he was holding tightly on the table and arranged them neatly in order.

Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan quickly stepped forward. She gently picked up a mold and examined it carefully.

The mold was exquisitely crafted, adorned with beautifully carved patterns and designs. The lines were smooth and natural, and the details were handled with perfect precision. Su Nuannuan couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, "I must say, the ancient craftsmen were truly ingenious and skillful; such exquisite craftsmanship is truly admirable!"

After admiring all the molds, Su Nuannuan nodded in satisfaction, then put them back in their place and instructed Li Quan, "Take these molds to the small kitchen and give them to Zhixiang."

Just then, a childish and urgent cry suddenly came—"Ah! Ah!" It turned out to be the voice of the Fifth Prince, Canglan Jingcheng.

The little guy's eyes lit up when he saw the molds on the table, and he was overjoyed, thinking that they were new toys specially prepared for him.

When he discovered that his mother not only didn't hand him the toy, but instead put it back, he became very anxious and couldn't wait to reach out his little hand to grab the mold.

"Cheng'er, be good, this isn't for you to play with." Su Nuannuan quickly bent down, hugged her son tightly, and coaxed him gently. However, young Jingcheng couldn't hear her words at all. At this moment, he was completely focused on the molds, his two chubby little hands waving in the air, trying to break free from his mother's embrace and reach for the "toy" he longed for.

Su Nuannuan felt that the child in her arms was like a lively little rabbit, twisting and turning with surprising strength.

She held her son tightly, afraid he might fall if she wasn't careful. But seeing that little Jingcheng was struggling more and more, Su Nuannuan secretly groaned: This child is so naughty, I can hardly hold him anymore!

"Fifth Prince, please take a look. What is this old servant holding in his hand?" Li Quan, with a mysterious smile on his face, slowly pulled his hand out of his sleeve as if by magic.

Immediately afterwards, two small and exquisite animal models appeared in his hands. One of them was lifelike and vivid, a fine horse; while the other was majestic and poised to take flight. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a gyrfalcon.

"Wow! How come you have such interesting things in your hands?" Su Nuannuan asked curiously, her beautiful eyes fixed on the two animal models in Li Quan's hands.

Li Quan bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, a few days ago I asked the Ministry of Works to make two wooden horses, didn't I? During the making process, they had quite a few scraps left over. I felt it would be a waste to throw them away, and since I happen to have some carpentry skills, I used those scraps to carve these adorable little animals." At this point, Li Quan couldn't help but show a hint of shyness.

Ao Lan Jingcheng, who had just been trying to reach the reunion cake mold, was instantly drawn to this scene.

He had initially been quite interested in the reunion cake mold on the table, but at this moment he abandoned it without hesitation, focusing all his attention on the little horse and gyrfalcon in Li Quan's hands. The little guy was so excited that he waved his arms and legs, making "Ah! Ah!" noises, while vigorously waving his chubby little arms, as if begging Li Quan for the two exquisite models.

Seeing how much the Fifth Prince liked the two trinkets, Li Quan naturally dared not neglect them. He quickly stepped forward and carefully handed the two small models to Cang Lan Jingcheng. Cang Lan Jingcheng happily accepted them, holding them tightly in his hands and playing with them with great affection.

At the same time, Li Quan carefully took out an exquisite and cute puppy model and a lifelike rabbit model from his sleeve, and then handed them to Cang Lan Jing Yao with a big smile.

He's not the kind of lackey who favors anyone, absolutely not! Just look at these two gifts, and you'll know he treats everyone equally.

When Canglan Jingyao saw the two small and exquisite animal models, her eyes lit up instantly, as if the whole world had been reduced to just the two of them.

He picked up one of the animal models and put it in his mouth.

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly looked down to examine the two animal models. She first gently stroked them a few times, feeling the smoothness of their surfaces, and then carefully inspected them to make sure that no paint had been applied. Only then did she feel relieved and let Canglan Jingyao handle the models as she pleased, even biting them.

Just then, something suddenly flashed through Su Nuannuan's mind, and she asked, "By the way, did you find the Sichuan pepper wood that I asked you to look for before?"

Su Nuannuan had given instructions about this a long time ago, but because she hadn't asked the servants about it, they had almost forgotten about it.

Upon hearing his master's question, Li Quan quickly bowed and stepped forward, respectfully replying, "Your Majesty, since Your Majesty has never asked me for it, the pepperwood is still kept by me." After speaking, he raised his head and stole a glance at Su Nuannuan's face. Seeing that she was not angry, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Nuannuan nodded, smiled with satisfaction, and then said, "How about this, I will draw up the blueprints and give them to you later. You can process that piece of pepperwood according to my requirements and make a teething stick for the Fifth Prince and the Little Princess respectively."

Upon hearing this, Li Quan's face immediately lit up with joy, and he nodded hurriedly, replying, "Yes, Your Majesty, please rest assured, this servant will do his utmost to handle this matter properly!"

His meager carpentry skills finally had their moment to shine.

Originally, Su Nuannuan planned to complete this task herself. However, now that such a skilled carpenter had suddenly appeared before her, wouldn't it be a waste not to make use of him? It would be a disservice to herself!

After all, why should one do everything personally? As the saying goes, knowing people and assigning them appropriate tasks is the key to achieving great things.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Quan happily took the carefully crafted reunion cake mold and walked briskly towards the small kitchen.

Last night, Su Nuannuan had meticulously taught Zhixiang the tricks and techniques for making delicious reunion cakes using perfectly preserved salted egg yolks. And now, Zhixiang, along with two clever and obedient palace maids, was bustling about in the kitchen. When they saw the reunion cake molds Li Quan had brought, they were overjoyed and exclaimed, "They've come just in time!"

Looking at Su Nuannuan's side, she saw a gentle smile on her face as she watched the two adorable children playing happily and interacting intimately with their nanny. Seeing this, she turned to Jinse beside her and instructed her to quickly fetch a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Su Nuannuan planned to draw a design for the teething stick so that Li Quan could make it accordingly. After all, the two little ones were currently in a period of strong oral desire, full of curiosity about everything around them, especially keen on chewing on all sorts of things, even their little hands, which they would often put in their mouths to gnaw on.

They explore and understand the world in this unique way, and truly experience the wonderful feelings brought about by all things in the world.

At this moment, Su Nuannuan was completely focused on drawing a special picture—a teething stick, but its shape was exactly the same as the pacifiers commonly seen in her previous life. After some careful sketching, the teething stick finally came to life on the paper.

After completing her task, Su Nuannuan didn't dare to delay for a moment. She hurriedly called Jinse over to quickly tidy up the writing implements on the table. At the same time, she turned to Yaoqin and instructed her to take the completed drawings to a ventilated place to dry. The reason for her haste was that she noticed her adorable son had already begun to roll over and wriggle towards her.