Consort Xuan led Qu Dubian in, curtsied, and said, "Marquis Xu, Madame Wu."
Hearing her address her as 'Madame Wu' rather than 'Marquis's Lady,' Wu Siwan's expression grew even more amiable. "This old woman pays her respects to Consort Xuan."
Consort Xuan: "No need for such formality. I've brought Little Seven here. The two palace attendants who serve him have also been brought along. Let him have a good time at the Marquis's residence for the next few days."
Only upon hearing this did Qu Dubian react: "?"
Good heavens, he could leave the palace? And even stay at his maternal family's home for a few days???
He couldn't help but glance at Xu Jin again.
Xu Jin was wearing a head covering with only two holes cut out for the eyes.
"?" Qu Dubian was utterly bewildered.
After a few brief words, Consort Xuan crouched down. "Little Seven, these two are your maternal grandfather and grandmother. How about going to stay with them for a few days?"
Qu Dubian nodded obediently. "Okay."
"Then Consort Xuan will be leaving?"
"Mm," Qu Dubian waved his hand. "I'll miss you."
Consort Xuan smiled, nodded towards the elderly couple, and left with her palace attendants. After the palace gate closed, before his grandmother could speak, Qu Dubian proactively took her hand and, with remarkable familiarity, pulled her towards the carriage.
"Let's go, let's go."
Two men were standing guard by the carriage, precisely Er Sen and Lang Qing. They bowed with clasped fists. "Greetings, Your Highness."
Qu Dubian looked at the tall carriage and proactively reached out to them. "Hold me up, I can't get on..."
Before he could finish, his view suddenly shot up by a huge margin. Xu Jin, holding his little grandson with one hand, bent down and entered the carriage.
The inside of the carriage was quite spacious; otherwise, it couldn't have accommodated Xu Jin's build.
Wu Siwan followed them in. The old lady paused for a moment after entering. "Why haven't you put the child down yet?"
Qu Dubian sat quietly and obediently on Xu Jin's lap. The difference in height and build between grandfather and grandson was so great that at first glance, it looked like a big black bear had stolen a little chick. Anyone seeing it would feel it was rather awkward.
"It's okay, Grandmother."
The soft call of "Grandmother" warmed Wu Siwan's heart, making her a bit emotional. "Good, good, good. Anyway, he's strong, and holding you is warm."
Xu Jin's deep, resonant voice came from behind. "Little Darling, your grandfather has plenty of strength."
Qu Dubian turned around. "You're the grandpa I saw last night, the one who was crying. Even with different clothes and your face covered, I can recognize your voice."
Xu Jin stiffened, remembering his appearance from the previous night, and felt his old face couldn't hold up.
His little grandson in his arms actually stood up on his lap. He protected him with both hands, afraid he might fall.
Qu Dubian asked, puzzled, "Then why do you cover your face? You used a pink handkerchief at the New Year's banquet, covered it with one hand when talking to me in the West Warm Pavilion, and now you're using this head covering."
His expression was clear, his reasoning sound, and his articulation precise.
Last night, Xu Jin had already realized that his little grandson was smarter than an ordinary child. Upon closer contact, he found him even more bright and clever.
Qu Dubian reached out and tugged at the head covering.
"Can I see?"
Xu Jin said helplessly, "Little Darling, your grandfather looks fierce. I'm afraid of scaring you."
"Let me see, so I can recognize you in the future, Grandpa."
Xu Jin cast a pleading look at his wife. Good heavens, what if he scared his little grandson into crying and demanding to go back? Marquis Xu, who had never feared leading troops into battle, was actually afraid of taking off a head covering.
Qu Dubian also appealed to her, pouting his lips. "Grandma, look, look! Grandpa thinks I'm timid!"
Xu Jin: "That's absolutely not true!"
Wu Siwan chuckled. "You old thing, take it off."
Who was it that said the young prince wasn't as delicate as a young princess? After returning home last night, he had even discussed this with her. Yet, when coming to pick up the child tonight, he still obediently wore the head covering—one might think the Marquis's household was so poor they couldn't survive, forcing the Marquis to become a cat burglar.
Xu Jin closed his eyes and slowly took off the head covering. After a moment of hearing no reaction, he secretly cracked open a slit in his right eyelid.
"So handsome!" Qu Dubian held his face, his eyes sparkling like stars. "Grandpa is so handsome!"
This was pure-blooded rugged masculinity. With the head covering off, his imposing aura instantly transformed. The martial arts instructors from the training grounds, compared to Grandpa, were instantly reduced to dust.
Seeing that he wasn't scared, Xu Jin finally relaxed, raising an eyebrow. "Your grandfather has long been a general and marshal. Ordinary generals and marshals can't compare to me."
"Not that kind of 'marshal'... I mean, um... exceptionally handsome!"
He gave a thumbs up.
"Is that so?" Xu Jin stroked the beard on his chin, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile he couldn't suppress.
"Grandpa thinks so too."
Wu Siwan said cheerfully, "He was even more handsome when he was young. Now that he's old, he doesn't bother grooming himself anymore." Otherwise, how could she have fancied him?
Qu Dubian: "Grandma is also very beautiful, a great beauty."
Xu Jin laughed heartily.
The initially somewhat awkward atmosphere inside the carriage gradually dissipated.
Outside, Er Sen drove the carriage, Lang Qing sat on the carriage roof, while Ye Xiaoyuan and Wen Xiaochun squeezed in beside Er Sen.
Er Sen: "Trained in martial arts?"
Wen Xiaochun paused slightly. "Yes."
Er Sen: "Your sitting posture is different. Stable lower body, it shows."
The two exchanged only these two sentences before falling into silence.
-
The carriage traveled all the way to the Sword-Holding Marquis's residence.
The entrance to the Marquis's residence was brightly lit. After Qu Dubian was carried down from the carriage by Xu Jin, a uniform chorus immediately came from both sides: "Greetings to the Marquis, to the Lady, and to Your Highness!"
Mother Fang led several maidservants, while another row consisted of burly manservants.
The manservants at the Marquis's residence were actually soldiers who had been injured in battle and had nowhere else to go. The Marquis's residence was their stable refuge.
Though no longer soldiers, they still retained a soldier's bearing.
Seeing the two of them had brought the little child, Mother Fang beamed with joy. "Marquis, My Lady, you've finally returned. We've been waiting anxiously."
Xu Jin: "Come on, come on, everyone inside first. Don't let my Little Darling catch a chill."
All the way to the bedroom prepared for Qu Dubian, everyone busied themselves—some heating water, others preparing snacks and cow's milk.
All the lanterns hanging along the covered corridors were lit.
Mother Fang bustled about busily. Even though they had rehearsed several times, she still felt it wasn't enough to demonstrate the Marquis's household's proficiency. They absolutely must not let the young master—this was how she addressed him in her heart, feeling it was more intimate than 'Your Highness'—feel uncomfortable.
Whatever the palace had, their Marquis's residence had too!
Mother Fang pulled Wen Xiaochun into the kitchen and, pointing at a table full of dishes, asked, "Eunuch Xiaochun, could you see if there are any dietary restrictions among these?"
Wen Xiaochun: "Originally living in the Peaceful Dwelling Hall, they often lacked clothes and food, so His Highness generally isn't picky." He thought for a moment and still removed a few unfamiliar dishes to avoid any food that His Highness might truly be uncomfortable eating.
"Heavens, how pitiful! What a disgrace!" Mother Fang cursed a couple of times. "If the Marquis and the old Madam hear this, who knows how heartbroken they'll be."
Inside the bedroom.
This room, prepared within a single day specifically for Qu Dubian to stay in, showed no signs of being hastily done.
Qu Dubian was like a little tiger, inspecting his new territory.
The old Marquis and his wife, however, were now feeling a bit nervous. They didn't know if their grandson would like the room they had prepared. They had asked the shopkeeper for the safest and most fashionable good items.
There was also a desk and bookshelf, with all the necessary writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Separated by a screen, it felt like two distinct spaces compared to the bedroom.
Qu Dubian: "It looks like someone lives here long-term."
Wu Siwan pinched Xu Jin. Xu Jin nervously rubbed his hands together. "Your grandfather and grandmother don't mean to snatch you away from your imperial father and Consort Xuan. It's just... to stay for a few days. If you don't get used to it, your grandfather will send you back."
Wu Siwan also nodded quickly.
"Yes, we two just... wanted to see you."
It took Qu Dubian a few seconds to realize they had misunderstood.
Putting himself in their shoes, it made sense. In his grandparents' hearts, their grandson had never met them before. Surely, he would feel closer to his emperor father in the palace and his newly chosen foster mother, Consort Xuan.
Suddenly taking him from the palace, the two elders must be extremely concerned about his reaction, afraid he might be uncomfortable or unaccustomed anywhere.
Sometimes, the elderly are like children, in need of a sense of security.
Qu Dubian looked around, ran to the desk, climbed onto the chair, grabbed a piece of charcoal, then hurried down and went to the pillar by the door.
He measured his height and made a mark on the pillar.
Wu Siwan: "Does Little Darling want to draw on this?"
Qu Dubian put his little hands behind his back, raised a smiling face, "No. Making a mark here, so next time I come, I can see if I've grown taller."
The anxiety in Xu Jin's heart immediately vanished, replaced by pride. "I told you our grandson would like it here!"
He whispered secretly into Qu Dubian's ear, "When your grandfather goes back to the frontier, you come visit your grandmother often. If she's cooped up too much, she'll turn into a stone!"
Wu Siwan: "Xu Jin, you old fool, what are you saying? Don't speak ill of me to my darling grandson!!"
Xu Jin: "See, your grandmother is actually the fiercer one, right?"
The old lady grabbed her walking stick, ready to hit him, but seeing her little grandson nestled in the old man's arms, smiling like an adorable little fox, her heart softened again.
Mother Fang brought up several dishes and pastries in small portions.
"Here, Young Master, eat something if you're hungry."
Qu Dubian ate a few bites, drank some milk, finished washing up, and was tucked into bed.
The room wasn't cold, but his grandmother still tucked the quilt corners around him again and again, her eyes full of affection. "Sleep now. Tomorrow evening we'll take you to the temple fair."
Qu Dubian yawned.
In the Marquis's estate, he felt much more relaxed than in the palace.
In the palace, he thought about the relationship between his maternal family and his nominal father, about who had harmed him, about how to survive safely, often lying awake at night.
Here, he didn't need to. He just had to be a cute little child who knew how to act adorable.
The fact that he could come out to stay seemed to indicate that the relationship between the Xu family and the emperor wasn't as bad as he had thought?
Perhaps in the future, he could worry less about finding a balance between his nominal father's side and his grandparents' side...
Thoughts swirled.
He hadn't realized the fatigue accumulated from pondering so many things lately. Drowsiness washed over him.
Half-asleep, he heard his grandparents whispering.
The two elderly grandparents, huddled with their hands and feet drawn in, gathered around the bedside, gazing fondly at the little child sleeping on the bed, reluctant to even blink.
Xu Jin gestured with his hand, speaking softly, "Just this tall, up to my leg here. Even shorter than his mother was as a child. You should often send delicious food to the palace for him, help him grow strong."
Wu Siwan said, "No need for you to tell me."
"Half the military power has been distributed, which was within your expectations. But who the Emperor will give the other half to, to go with you to the Northern Frontier, is hard to say. There might even be an army supervisor.
You've been used to freedom in the Northern Frontier. Suddenly having someone overseeing you, can you adapt?"
Xu Jin: "You know what the imperial family is like, full of schemes, one more cunning than the other. After the unrest in the Northern Frontier is pacified, I'll return immediately. I figured the military power would have to be given up eventually. If I give it up a year earlier, this child will be subject to the little emperor's schemes for one year less."
"Suspicion and checks and balances are inherent to the imperial family; it's too hard to avoid them. Children raised within it become heavy-hearted from a young age. I don't want my grandson to live as burdened as they do. After dividing the power, I can still back him up, and the little emperor's affection for his little grandson might also become a bit more genuine.
You don't know, this child actually likes his imperial father quite a bit, even tugging at the emperor to sleep at night. When he grows up and learns about the calculations in his father's heart, wouldn't he be heartbroken?"
Wu Siwan sighed: "He's the only little child left in our Xu family. It's enough for him to grow up safe and healthy."
Xu Jin whispered: "It's fine if he becomes a bit unruly. The Marquis's estate can handle it."
The old lady rolled her eyes.
Xu Jin patted her hand. "There's movement outside. I'll go check."
Their murmuring voices drifted into his dreams.
Qu Dubian turned over in his sleep, the corners of his eyes slightly damp. The string that had been taut in his heart slowly loosened.
Since arriving in this world and deciding to shoulder the karma of the original body, he had been prepared for revenge or getting blood on his hands. But in reality, the warmth he had felt far outweighed the coldness.
In his previous life, Qu Dubian had scant familial bonds. Having reached the top as a superstar, he had always plotted his own counterattacks against schemes and intrigues, long accustomed to fighting alone.
This was the first time he experienced the feeling of family clearing the path ahead for him.
He didn't need to carefully calculate on his own, weighing every word and action based on others' expressions. Someone was already paving the way for him, allowing him to walk joyfully and with integrity.
At least before he grew up, he could try to accept some familial affection free from suspicion.
-
Outside the courtyard.
Xu Jin flicked his fingers, and a pebble shot out suddenly.
"Come out."
Yi Shier dodged the pebble, landing lightly on the ground on the balls of his feet.
Xu Jin said coldly, "Return to your palace. Tell your master, since he agreed to let my grandson out, he should stop peeking secretly!"
The pink handkerchief and the one who scattered petals met for the first time, greeted only by a long silence.
Yi Shier pointed expressionlessly towards the bedroom.
Xu Jin immediately glared. "What are you pointing at? What do you think you're doing!"
Yi Shier: "My master is sleeping inside."
Xu Jin: "..."
Huh? Who?
