Jiang Yunshu carefully noticed that several courtyards within the Yun Residence seemed to be designed specifically for raising young children.
Judging by the courtyards still under construction, it was clear that Xie Lin intended to raise far more than just two children.
With so much space set aside, it could easily accommodate ten or even twenty children!
It made sense—having only two shadow guards for the emperor was obviously insufficient.
From the modern novels Jiang Yunshu had read, shadow guards usually numbered at least a dozen.
Xie Lin himself had shadow guards; Jiang Yunshu had seen more than one before. Yet none of Xie Lin’s shadow guards resembled him at all—indeed, it was probably impossible to find anyone else in the world as strikingly handsome as Xie Lin.
From Jiang Yunshu’s observations, Xie Lin’s shadow guards mainly handled important intelligence work and reported directly to him.
She guessed that the little emperor’s shadow guards would be more like assassins?
That must be why they were recruiting orphans and raising them from a young age, cultivating their loyalty.
The only thing Jiang Yunshu couldn’t quite understand was why Xie Lin cared so deeply about the little emperor.
The little emperor was still a newborn infant, yet Xie Lin had already begun preparing shadow guards for him.
Hmm, perhaps although the little emperor was a puppet in Xie Lin’s hands, this puppet was his only heir.
If this one died, Xie Lin wouldn’t be able to find another, which explained his concern for the little emperor’s safety.
“Your Highness, do you think these two children resemble the little emperor at all?” Xie Lin asked.
Jiang Yunshu looked carefully and shook her head.
“Although the children are so young that their features haven’t fully developed, these two don’t look much like the little emperor…”
Strangely enough, although the emperor was handsome and Consort Wu was a beauty, their newborn little emperor was… rather plain. His features were small and scrunched together.
The two orphans both had double eyelids and big eyes. After being nursed by wet nurses in the Yun Residence for some time, they had grown chubby and healthy.
The child who had been crying earlier had fallen asleep, tears still clinging to his eyelashes.
The other child, who had been sound asleep, woke up but didn’t cry. Instead, he opened wide eyes and looked curiously at Jiang Yunshu and Xie Lin.
Whoever had left these children at the nursery gate must have been too poor to keep them. But judging by appearances alone, these two children were more beautiful than the precious little emperor.
Xie Lin nodded. “Then, Your Highness, what kind of child do you think is the most beautiful?”
Jiang Yunshu’s aesthetic was fairly mainstream. She replied, “Fair skin, high nose bridge, rosy lips, and white teeth…”
“The eyes don’t have to be especially large, but they must be expressive. The shape of the eyes and eyebrows should be pleasing…”
As Jiang Yunshu spoke, she noticed Xie Lin watching her with a faint, amused smile.
Suddenly, she realized that every point she mentioned perfectly matched Xie Lin’s own appearance, as if she were describing him.
Jiang Yunshu blushed. “Beautiful people tend to look alike.”
Flustered, she quickly changed the subject. “But wouldn’t it be better if the shadow guards resembled the little emperor? Or at least had unremarkable appearances so they wouldn’t attract attention… It’s not necessarily better to be more beautiful, right?”
Xie Lin smiled. “Your Highness certainly knows quite a lot.”
“I was merely asking casually,” she replied.
For some reason, Jiang Yunshu felt that Xie Lin was in an unusually good mood today. Mustering up her courage, she cautiously asked, “Concubine Qiao is very fond of children. Might the Chief Steward allow her to visit the children here more often in the future?”
Xie Lin replied casually, “She may.”
He deliberately made time for Jiang Yunshu to speak with Concubine Qiao and share the good news.
As expected, Concubine Qiao was overjoyed. When she heard that the Yun Residence would soon have more and more children, her smile stretched from ear to ear. “Really?”
Upon learning from Jiang Yunshu that these children would one day become the emperor’s shadow guards, she sighed softly, “That’s good, that’s good.”
Although serving as shadow guards meant risking their lives for the emperor, in times of peace, there wouldn’t be so much danger.
“At the very least, they’ll all grow up safely.”
Jiang Yunshu reluctantly held Concubine Qiao’s hand, chatting with her for a long time. When it was time to return to the palace, she kept glancing back as she walked away.
Concubine Qiao teased her, “Enough now. I have my children and cats here. Life is quite good.”
But after Jiang Yunshu had taken a few steps, Concubine Qiao’s voice grew choked with emotion, “Take good care of the Chief Steward… and be careful in everything.”
To ease Concubine Qiao’s worries, Jiang Yunshu smiled brightly, “I have children and cats in the palace too.”
The children, of course, were the little emperor, and the palace kept some cats to catch mice.
“But neither the children nor the cats in the palace are as beautiful as those in the Yun Residence.”
Concubine Qiao was startled. “Your courage grows bolder by the day!”
Jiang Yunshu grinned, “Just speaking the truth.”
After returning to the palace, Jiang Yunshu saw the little emperor several more times. The infant’s appearance changed rapidly, different with each passing month.
Winter faded into spring, and the little emperor had grown quite a bit—though he was still not very good-looking.
March arrived, bringing the spring imperial examinations.
Jiang Zhaohua was already showing, her belly noticeably swollen as she prepared the pens, ink, and food that Duan Jinxing would need in the examination hall.
“I’m waiting for my husband to achieve the triple crown,” she said confidently, as if winning all three highest honors was a simple matter.
Duan Jinxing suppressed his disgust and responded with forced politeness, “I’ll take my wife’s good wishes to heart.”
