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

Inside the East Palace, servants quickly brought a food box from the Imperial Kitchen. As soon as the lid was opened, Xiao Qingyi's eyes widened—the food was contained in crystal-clear jade, far more exquisite than the bowls and plates she used at home.

"Wow, this bowl is so big and shiny!" She pointed with her little finger, then turned to look at Li Chengqian sitting behind the table, giving him a sweet, ingratiating smile. She knew that it was because of this "ancestor" that she had so much meat to eat.

"Grandma, you're so kind!" she said in a soft, childlike voice. "Since you've given me meat, I'll tell you my name—my name is Li Qingyi."

Li Qingyi.

His surname is Li.

Li Chengqian's eyes flickered slightly, but before he could speak, the little girl leaned closer, her face full of seriousness: "Grandmother, I've told you my name, but you haven't told me yours yet! That's not right."

"Mommy said that to be friends, we should tell each other our names, that's how we become good friends." She held up two little fingers, gesturing to represent "you and me," and added, "Grandpa, how can we be friends if we don't tell each other our names?"

Li Chengqian: "..."

Du He stood to the side with her head bowed, sighing inwardly: Only His Highness the Crown Prince is so kind as to not hold a grudge against a child. This little brat, he's so quick to speak.

Li Chengqian remained silent for a moment. Friend? As the Crown Prince, that word was long gone from his mind.

"My name is Li Chengqian," he finally spoke, his tone steady.

"Li...Chengqian?" Xiao Qingyi's eyes suddenly lit up even more, as if she had discovered a huge secret. "Wow! Ancestor, do you have lots and lots of money?!"

Du He's shoulder twitched almost imperceptibly.

Should he step down?

Hold it in.

Think about unhappy things... don't laugh.

Li Chengqian glanced at Du He expressionlessly, then looked at the little dumpling in front of him with an innocent and curious expression.

...Never mind, he's just a child.

Moreover, her identity is unknown, the "China" she mentioned is unheard of, and she shares the same surname as Li. It would not be difficult for the Crown Prince to raise another child.

At this moment, the palace servants had already placed several kinds of tender meat dishes on the table in front of Xiao Qingyi. Looking at the bowl full of meat, she excitedly exclaimed, "I want to eat that!"

The palace maid quickly picked up a chopstick, carefully blew on it to keep it warm, and brought it to her lips. Little Qingyi swallowed it in one gulp, but her little face instantly scrunched up like a bun. The next second, she spat it all out with a "pui!"

"It's awful! Ugh, ugh, ugh!" She looked at the remaining meat in the bowl with a wronged expression, as if she had been utterly deceived—how could so much meat be cooked so badly?

The palace servants serving the meal were so frightened they lay prostrate on the ground, too afraid to move. How could the imperial cuisine be any different? If they were to be blamed for this…

"Disgusting?" Li Chengqian's gaze fell on the plate of meat, but he did not blame the palace servants. "Bring it here, let me try it."

The meat soup was respectfully placed before him. Li Chengqian picked up his chopsticks and took a bite—it was exactly the same as what he usually ate.

He looked up and met Xiao Qingyi's big eyes, which seemed to say, "Right, right, it's really hard to eat," and said calmly, "This meat is fine."

Perhaps it's just that children are picky eaters.

Xiao Qingyi pouted, clearly not believing it. The meat just didn't taste good! How could the ancestors not tell?

"I don't want to eat this meat anymore," she said, turning around and rummaging through her pink bag. "I want milk!"

She quickly pulled out a clear, sparkling bottle, ran to Li Chengqian's desk, and tiptoed to hand it over: "Grandma, here! Make some milk!"

Li Chengqian took the object; it felt warm and light to the touch. The material… seemed to be glass? It was so clear and uniform, without any impurities, and its unique shape suggested it was no ordinary object. There was also some fine white powder inside the bottle; he wondered what it was for.

"Grandma, hurry and help me soak Grandma!" she tugged at his sleeve, urging him on.

Du He watched from the side, his eyelids twitching. This little brat, ordering the Crown Prince around so naturally…

"Your Highness, please entrust this to me." He quickly stepped forward, "How could I trouble Your Highness to do it personally?"

Li Chengqian didn't say much and handed over the bottle.

Du He took the bottle with both hands, her fingertips touching its smooth, cool surface, and she was secretly astonished. It was truly glass! And such a pure and large piece was rare even in the palace. This child was using it… to drink milk?

He was secretly amazed when Xiao Qingyi ran up to him, tilting her little face up and looking at him with pleading eyes—and her empty milk bottle.

Du He: "..."

"I will go and fetch the milk," he said.

Little Qingyi blinked, then suddenly shook her head, her two little pigtails swaying as she said, "Silly Uncle, this isn't for collecting milk, it's for making milk!"

Du He's fingers froze in mid-air: ...Stupid? He, Du He, the son of the current prime minister Du Ruhui, was called stupid by a four-year-old child?

Xiao Qingyi ignored the interesting expression on his face and explained to herself, "This is milk powder! Just add hot water, shake it, and you can drink milk."

She held up four slender, white fingers and emphasized earnestly, "I'm only four years old, and I already know this. Uncle is so stupid."

"Milk...powder? Foam?" Du He felt her understanding of the world was being challenged.

"Someone, bring hot water." Li Chengqian's voice rang out at the right moment, interrupting the speechless standoff.

Hot water was served quickly. Du He, holding the baby bottle, looked at Xiao Qingyi: "And then... what should we do?"

Xiao Qingyi tilted her head and looked at him with a helpless expression that seemed to say, "How come you can't even do this?" for a while. Then, she sighed like a little adult.

"Don't worry, Uncle," she patted Du He's hand, her tone full of comfort, "I won't mind that you're clumsy."

Du He: "..."

Before he could explain further, Xiao Qingyi stood on tiptoe, pointed to a faint engraving on the bottle, and instructed in a childish yet clear tone: "Pour the water here, just until it's about the same length as this line! Xiao Ling taught me that."

She shook her head, looking as if to say, "I've really gone to great lengths to get this milk."

Sigh, if she relies on this silly uncle, she's probably going to go hungry.