Xiao Yi shook his head gently.
"Let it be, Grandmother. Your grandson is doing quite well as he is now."
The Empress Dowager's gaze swept over Xiao Yi's legs.
"I heard the Emperor allowed Changle to enter the Imperial College?" The Empress Dowager changed the subject.
"Yes," Xiao Yi replied evenly.
"She only has one senior maid and one servant girl by her side. That is far too few."
"Qinglian, who serves by my side, is steady, reliable, and fiercely loyal to her master. Let her go and serve Changle."
Xiao Yi looked up at the Empress Dowager.
"I thank Grandmother for your kindness, but Changle does not like having too many people following her."
"As for the maids who serve her, she didn't bring any of the others back to the capital."
"Lüdou has served her since childhood; the bond between them is different."
Xiao Yi tactfully declined the Empress Dowager's suggestion.
Although the Empress Dowager meant well, Xiao Yi did not believe that Qinglian was necessarily truly the Empress Dowager's person.
There were far too many monsters and demons hiding in the shadows of this palace.
If something went wrong later, and Qinglian's nominal master was the Empress Dowager...
No matter how it was handled, it would easily damage the bond between grandmother and grandson.
Given that, it was better to simply refuse from the start.
Hearing Xiao Yi's refusal, the Empress Dowager fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Forget it. I am old now, and I can't be of much help to you anyway."
"Later, have Changle come over every day at noon to keep me company for a meal."
Xiao Yi had no mother consort, so Duoduo had nowhere else to go in the palace.
The Empress Dowager was offering Duoduo convenience, and simultaneously backing her up.
"Grandmother, at noon today, Changle and I already had Kunning Palace cleaned out."
Xiao Yi once again politely declined the Empress Dowager's suggestion.
The Empress Dowager looked steadily at Xiao Yi. "Yi'er, are you resenting your grandmother for failing to protect you back then?"
Xiao Yi shook his head.
"Grandmother, your grandson does not think that way."
"Imperial Father decreed that not only Changle, but Funing, Anning, and the others are also to attend the Imperial College."
The Empress Dowager preferred peace and quiet. If Duoduo came here to dine, the other children would surely come as well.
Originally, the Empress Dowager merely felt tender affection for Duoduo out of the goodness of her heart.
Once there were more children, there would be more friction, which would needlessly create a lot of trouble out of thin air.
Xiao Yi didn't want the Empress Dowager's momentary pity now to turn into resentment toward Duoduo later.
He and Duoduo never needed anyone's pity!
After listening, the Empress Dowager did not continue to insist.
"I really loved the gift Changle gave me last time."
"Lately, when paying respects to Buddha, I feel much more clear-headed and at peace."
"Thanks to the Buddha's blessings, I have been eating well and sleeping soundly these days."
"Therefore, I made a vow to thank Changle."
"Since you are here today, you can conveniently take back the things I have prepared for Changle."
The Empress Dowager turned her head and gave a low command.
The senior maid behind her stepped away.
"On Changle's behalf, your grandson thanks Grandmother for your profound love!" Xiao Yi did not decline.
The Empress Dowager's complexion finally improved significantly.
"That child Changle is wonderful. When she is free another day, she can come over and chat with me!"
The Empress Dowager looked at Xiao Yi with some curiosity.
"Is that child Changle four or five years old?"
"To answer Grandmother, she is five by traditional reckoning."
The Empress Dowager felt a trace of curiosity toward Duoduo.
She had no children of her own; living in the deep palace was merely a matter of passing the days.
She couldn't figure out how a five-year-old child could paint such a lifelike portrait of Buddha.
"Did you teach her how to paint?" the Empress Dowager asked probingly.
Xiao Yi pondered for a moment. "I was the one who gave her her foundational lessons."
Xiao Yi paused, then added a rare extra sentence.
"She is very talented. Everything after that, she figured out on her own."
The Empress Dowager noticed that when Xiao Yi spoke of Changle, his features softened, and a faint pride shone in his eyes. He looked nothing like his usual aloof and cold self.
The Empress Dowager broke into a smile. "She is like you! But her temperament is not like yours; she takes after Pingting."
Xiao Yi lowered his eyes.
The child he taught would naturally be like him!
"Since you were her first teacher, it is no wonder she could paint such a lifelike portrait."
The Empress Dowager nodded in gratification.
The senior maid who had gone out earlier walked up to Xiao Yi, holding a small box.
"This is for Changle. Keep it safe."
The box was not large, only about the size of a palm.
Xiao Yi accepted it. "Thank you, Grandmother. I will definitely deliver it."
"It has been a very long time since I last stepped out of Kunning Palace." The Empress Dowager looked at the sky outside.
The senior maid beside her hurriedly tried to persuade her.
"Empress Dowager, the weather is lovely today. Although the sun is out, it isn't hot."
"Why don't you go out for a stroll today? Many flowers are blooming in the Imperial Garden!"
Hearing this, Xiao Yi said, "Grandmother, shall your grandson accompany you for a stroll?"
"It just so happens that I want an excuse to wait for Changle to finish her classes."
Hearing Xiao Yi say this, the Empress Dowager suddenly felt enthusiastic.
"Alright! Grandmother will go out for a walk with you."
Now that the Empress Dowager was going out, the maids and older servants of Cining Palace immediately sprang into a flurry of activity.
The Empress Dowager leaned on her walking stick, supported by her personal senior maid.
Yunxiao pushed Xiao Yi's wheelchair, following behind the Empress Dowager.
The other serving maids and senior maids trailed behind them.
As soon as the Empress Dowager stepped out of her bedchamber, she was dazzled by the sunlight outside.
"Grandmother, close your eyes for a moment before walking."
Xiao Yi saw the Empress Dowager stop, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the maid's hand.
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes as told, and when she opened them a moment later, she indeed felt much better.
The Empress Dowager laughed. "Why do I feel as if I've just crawled out from underground?"
"The sun is yang energy. If you stay inside the palace all day, your yang energy will be insufficient."
"Coming out for walks more often is good for your health." Xiao Yi supported the Empress Dowager's hand.
The Empress Dowager felt the sunlight on her body, a warm and cozy sensation.
"When you get older, you just don't want to move anymore," the Empress Dowager sighed with emotion.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor was quite surprised to hear the eunuch report that the Empress Dowager was strolling in the Imperial Garden.
"I am tired from reading memorials. I shall go for a stroll in the garden."
The Emperor tossed aside the unfinished memorials and walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Upon hearing that the Emperor was strolling in the Imperial Garden, the concubines from the various palaces immediately dressed themselves up gorgeously and rushed toward the garden.
"Your Highness, Consort Shu and the others have all gone. Aren't you going?"
Noble Consort Li's personal maid was anxious on her master's behalf.
Noble Consort Li waved her hand.
"I'm not going! With the Empress Dowager there, those people won't be able to gain any advantages."
"I am not like those brainless fools."
"I asked you to bring out the Plum Intoxication wine and chill it on ice. Is it done?"
"This servant will go right now." The maid hurriedly took her leave.
Noble Consort Li picked up a piece of fruit from the fruit platter beside her and placed it into her mouth.
"I thought the Prince of Pingyang had left the palace, but he actually stayed?"
Noble Consort Li muttered to herself.
"How utterly cunning, using the Empress Dowager as his stepping stone!"
"This Empress Dowager is strange too. She hasn't stepped out of Cining Palace for a year or two, yet today she suddenly has the mood to stroll in the Imperial Garden?"
The more Noble Consort Li thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, and she stood up.
"No, I must go and take a look as well!"
"The Prince of Pingyang and that old hag of an Empress Dowager getting together can't mean anything good!"
"What if the old woman takes the opportunity to seek benefits for the Prince of Pingyang..."
With this thought in mind, Noble Consort Li walked briskly out of her palace.
At this moment, the Emperor was respectfully paying his respects to the Empress Dowager.
