The Emperor's Beloved: My Ancestor is the Crown Prince?

The early summer morning light streamed through the window, illuminating the Li family restaurant.

Little Qingyi was struggling to scoop up the last few slippery lotus seeds from her bowl with a spoon, a grain of rice stuck to her little face. Her mother, Ye Yier, instinctively reached out to wipe it off, but found that her father-in-law, Li Minghua, sitting opposite her, was faster—the old man had somehow already pulled out a tissue and, with a dexterity beyond his years, gently wiped the grain of rice from his granddaughter's face, his eyes full of love, mixed with a kind of… indescribable, deeper appreciation.

"Dad, you spoil her too much." Ye Yi'er shook her head with a smile, but felt a little strange in her heart. It's true that her father-in-law loves his granddaughter, but lately, the way he dotes on her seems a little...overly anxious? He even nags that "it's not good for children to eat too much salt" when Yi Yi takes an extra bite of pickled vegetables. He wasn't this meticulous before.

Li Minghua chuckled and placed another piece of tender steamed egg on his granddaughter's plate: "Our Yiyi is growing up, she needs to eat more good food." His gaze swept over Li Qingge, who was sitting quietly drinking porridge and whose eyes were slightly bluish, and he knew perfectly well that his grandson had probably been thinking about "over there" matters until midnight last night.

After breakfast, while Ye Yier was tidying up in the kitchen and Li Qi was taking a work call, Li Minghua winked at his grandson. Li Qingge understood and took the hand of little Qingyi, who had just finished eating and was rubbing her round little belly: "Come on, Yiyi, come with your brother to the study. Your brother will show you something fun new."

Upon hearing that there was something fun to do, Xiao Qingyi immediately perked up and followed her brother upstairs.

The moment the study door closed, the atmosphere shifted from casual to a kind of "war room" mode. Li Minghua was already sitting behind his desk, a brand-new leather notebook spread out in front of him, its title page bearing his strong, vigorous handwriting—"Yiyi's Handbook (Family Trial Version)."

"Come here, Yiyi, come to Grandpa." Li Minghua beckoned, picked up his granddaughter and placed her on his lap. He opened the notebook to the first page, where some simple diagrams were drawn in colored pens. "Grandpa and your brother have made some 'special operation rules' for Yiyi, so that every time we go to 'Prince Brother's' place, it will be safer and more enjoyable, okay?"

Xiao Qingyi seemed to understand but not quite, but when she heard that it was for safety and fun, she obediently nodded.

Li Qingge added from the side, "Grandpa means that from now on we should follow some special agreements, just like in a game."

Li Minghua pointed to the first drawing: a simple sketch of a little person (representing Yiyi) carrying a backpack with a checkmark drawn on it. "First rule, backpack check. Before Yiyi goes anywhere, your brother and grandpa will check your backpack together. You can only bring small, safe items that we've agreed upon. Like that little medicine bottle from last time," his expression became more serious, "you can't bring it anymore unless absolutely necessary. Okay?"

"Okay." Xiao Qingyi nodded seriously, remembering the panic she felt when her older sister Sizi was sick last time.

The second picture: A slightly taller figure stands in front of the first little person, with a speech bubble between them containing a horizontal line above a mouth. "Second rule: Boundaries. If someone you don't know well, such as someone other than Crown Prince, Sister Lizhi, Sister Sizi, Brother Zhinu, and... that 'Uncle Father,' asks you questions about where you live, where your things come from, or who your brother is, just say 'I don't know,' or 'Crown Prince/Sister Lizhi gave them to me/told me about them.' Got it?"

This makes the previous instructions more systematic and contextualized. Li Qingge repeated in simpler terms: "That is, apart from the older brothers and sisters you know, if anyone asks you strange questions, Yiyi should pretend to be stupid or pass the buck to the Crown Prince and the others."

"Pretending to be stupid?" Xiao Qingyi blinked.

"It's like this," Li Qingge said, making a blank expression and shaking her head, "'Huh? Yiyi doesn't understand.'"

Little Qingyi was amused by her brother's funny appearance and giggled, mimicking him by shaking her head and saying, "I don't understand~"

"Yes, that's it!" Li Minghua smiled and patted his granddaughter's head, continuing, "The third one, the emergency call. If you suddenly feel scared or encounter trouble over there, immediately think hard about your brother, think about your grandpa, think about going home. Just like when your sister Sizi was sick last time. As soon as your little brain thinks about it, you can come back immediately. That's your most powerful 'emergency button,' understand?"

"I know! I'll come back as soon as I think of it!" She's the most experienced in this regard.

"The fourth and final rule," Li Minghua closed his notebook, looking into his granddaughter's clear eyes, his tone exceptionally gentle, "Happiness is the most important thing. Going there is mainly about playing with Sister Sizi and the others, making friends, and having fun. If anything makes you unhappy or uncomfortable, don't hesitate, press the 'emergency button' and come back immediately. Grandpa and your brother will always be here waiting for you."

Little Qingyi stretched out her little arms and wrapped them around her grandfather's neck, saying softly, "Yiyi knows. Grandpa is the best, and brother is the best."

…Tang Dynasty…

Si Zi's health was gradually improving, and she was able to walk slowly in the warm pavilion. That day, when Xiao Qingyi "returned," besides her usual small backpack, she was also carrying a transparent plastic jar like a precious treasure. Inside were colorful homemade cotton candies shaped like stars and animals—made specially by the family kitchen at Xiao Qingyi's request. The ingredients were simple (just sugar), the shapes were adorable, they didn't spoil easily, and they were sure to elicit cheers from children.

Sure enough, when Xiao Qingyi carefully opened the jar and took out the fluffy, cloud-like, and dreamy cotton candy to share with Si Zi and Li Zhi, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, the two children's eyes widened in amazement.

"What...what is this? So light and beautiful?" Li Zhi held a pink bunny-shaped cotton candy in his hand, afraid to squeeze it too hard for fear of crushing it. He held it to his nose and sniffed it; there was only a pure sweet fragrance.

"It's a marshmallow! It's sweet and melts in your mouth!" Xiao Qingyi demonstrated by taking a bite of the yellow star in her hand, her eyes squinting happily.

Sizi licked the pale blue fish in her hand with her small mouth, the sweetness melting on her tongue, bringing a pure smile to her pale face: "So sweet...like eating clouds."

The three children were sharing their sweet moments when a palace maid announced nervously from outside the warm pavilion: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived, and Minister Changsun has arrived."

Li Chengqian's arrival was not surprising, but the presence of Changsun Wuji (then serving as Minister of Works) caused a slight tension in the warm pavilion. Li Lizhi immediately rose to greet him, quickly considering the purpose of her uncle's visit. Xiao Qingyi subconsciously hid the remaining half of her cotton candy behind her back—her brother and grandfather had told her to be careful when unfamiliar adults were present.

Li Chengqian walked in, first glancing at his younger sister Sizi. Seeing that she looked alright, a look of relief appeared in his eyes. Then his gaze fell on Xiao Qingyi, and the pink cloud that couldn't be hidden behind her. Changsun Wuji followed behind him, his eyes sharp, scanning everyone in the warm pavilion. Naturally, he also saw the strangely dressed little girl who was shrinking behind Princess Changle, and the "sweet treat" he had never seen before in her hand.

"Is Sizi feeling any better today?" Li Chengqian asked gently.

"Thank you for your concern, Brother. I'm much better," Si Zi replied softly.

Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and smiled, "The princess's good health is a blessing to the nation. His Highness the Crown Prince's brotherly affection is truly admirable." His gaze then turned seemingly unintentionally to Xiao Qingyi, "And this young lady is...?"

Li Lizhi thought to herself, "They've arrived," but calmly replied, "Uncle, this is Yiyi, the daughter of an old friend of my elder brother. She's temporarily residing in the East Palace to keep Sizi company."

"Oh?" Changsun Wuji's gaze lingered on Xiao Qingyi's clothes, which were quite different from those in the Central Plains but were clearly of superior quality. He then looked at the peculiar sweet in her hand. "This thing is beautiful in appearance and color. I have never seen it before."

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. Li Zhi gripped the cotton candy in his hand tightly, and Si Zi also stopped what she was doing, looking at Xiao Qingyi with concern.

Xiao Qingyi remembered what her grandfather and brother had taught her: "play dumb" and "blame it on someone you know." She looked up at the "Lord Situ" with a long beard and sharp eyes, her little face showing just the right amount of confusion, and then... she did something that surprised everyone.

She toddled over to Li Chengqian's legs, stretched out her hand that wasn't holding the candy, gently tugged at the hem of his robe, tilted her little face up, and said in a sweet, soft, and slightly aggrieved voice, "Crown Prince... this uncle asked about Yiyi's candy... the candy was given to Yiyi by Sister Lizhi... does that mean Yiyi can't eat it?"

She perfectly put into practice the idea of ​​"pushing it to someone she knows," and she chose the "prince brother," who had the highest status and could best command the room. Her dependent yet slightly tattling look, and her natural physical intimacy, made anyone who saw her think that she was just an ordinary child who was startled by an elder's question and subconsciously sought out the most familiar person to rely on.

Li Chengqian paused slightly, looking down at the little hand tugging at his clothes and the upturned face filled with pleading. A strange softness welled up inside him. He looked up at Changsun Wuji, his tone calm and even: "They're just some children's snacks brought by overseas merchants, just a bit novel in appearance. If Uncle is interested, Chengqian will have some sent to the manor for my cousins ​​to try another day." He deftly deflected the question, explaining the origin of the items (to the foreign merchants), implying that they were just insignificant trinkets, and also giving Changsun Wuji a way out.

Changsun Wuji was no ordinary man. Since the Crown Prince had already set the tone, he naturally wouldn't continue to argue over a few "children's snacks." He laughed heartily and said, "Your Highness is too kind. This young lady, on the other hand, is quite clever and lovely; no wonder the princess likes her." His gaze swept over Xiao Qingyi once more.

The crisis was over. Li Li breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief and gave her brother a grateful glance. Li Chengqian gently patted Xiao Qingyi's head and whispered, "Go play with Sizi and the others."

Xiao Qingyi felt as if she had been granted a pardon. Clutching her cotton candy jar, she ran back to Sizi's side as if the little incident had never happened.

Changsun Wuji sat for a while longer, inquired about Sizi's condition, and then took his leave with Li Chengqian. After walking quite a distance from the warm pavilion, Changsun Wuji casually said to Li Chengqian, "Your Highness, that young lady… though young, she is not shy at all. However, people from overseas are ultimately of unknown background; Your Highness should be cautious."

Li Chengqian did not stop walking, but said lightly, "Chengqian knows what he is doing, thank you for your concern, Uncle." What he was thinking about was the completely trusting look in Xiao Qingyi's eyes when she tugged at his clothes, and the words "Crown Prince Brother".