“Your father is here. Keep talking nonsense, and he’ll punish you!”
Su Xian quietly warned Duoduo, then stood up and pulled her along to bow to Xiao Yi.
Their little exchange had been seen by Xiao Yi as he entered.
“Rise.”
“What were you two whispering about behind my back?”
Su Xian helped Duoduo to her feet and smiled sweetly.
“What brings Your Highness here?”
Xiao Yi noticed Duoduo staring him up and down. For some reason, he had the distinct feeling that something was crawling up his spine.
“What mischief are you plotting now?” Xiao Yi asked, getting in first.
Duoduo blinked innocently.
“Father, why would you say that?”
“I was just thinking.”
A moment ago, Princess Consort Rui’s words had suddenly popped into Duoduo’s mind.
“Father, Fourth Aunt prayed to Buddha today, asking for a son in her next pregnancy!”
The moment Xiao Yi heard that, his face darkened. It was this topic again.
Duoduo pretended not to notice and began counting on her fingers.
“Second Uncle’s legitimate son is Xiao Yun'an. Third Uncle’s is Xiao Yunchuan. Fourth Uncle doesn’t have one, and Fifth Uncle has Xiao Yunshi…”
“If Fourth Uncle has a legitimate son too, then you’ll be the only one without one, Father!”
Xiao Yi silently ground his back teeth.
“Having you and your mother is enough for me!”
Su Xian froze for a moment and couldn’t help looking at Xiao Yi.
His face was stern, and he didn’t look as if he were joking.
Su Xian lowered her head in disappointment.
Duoduo was stunned. “Why?”
Xiao Yi couldn’t help himself. He raised his hand and smacked Duoduo lightly on the head.
The moment Su Xian saw that, she hurriedly pulled Duoduo into her arms.
“Your Highness, how could you hit her?”
“If Duoduo said something wrong, just explain it to her properly. There’s no need to hit a child—and certainly not on the head!”
Su Xian rubbed the spot where Duoduo had been hit, looking extremely worried.
“Does it hurt? Do you feel dizzy? Do you feel like vomiting?”
Duoduo shook her head with a beaming smile.
“Mother, Father held back.”
Su Xian relaxed, but she still couldn’t help saying, “Holding back isn’t enough. What if you hurt her?”
Xiao Yi rubbed his forehead.
No wonder people said an indulgent mother spoiled her child!
Now he truly understood what they meant.
Xiao Yi glanced at Su Xian and Duoduo, who was still grinning happily, then lowered his hand.
“Then should I leave?”
Duoduo hurriedly broke free of Su Xian’s arms and ran over to grab Xiao Yi’s hand.
“Don’t leave, Father!”
She placed Xiao Yi’s hand on top of her own head.
“If you want to hit me, then hit me. I won’t dodge!”
Xiao Yi was both amused and exasperated.
“Oh? Aren’t you afraid I’ll hurt you now?”
Duoduo gave him an ingratiating smile.
“Father loves me the most. You won’t hit me hard!”
Xiao Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. He curled one finger and flicked her on the forehead.
Her forehead immediately turned red.
Tears welled up in Duoduo’s eyes.
Su Xian was just about to speak when Duoduo hurriedly stopped her.
“Mother, it doesn’t hurt!”
Su Xian was both distressed and anxious. She glared at Xiao Yi in silent protest.
Xiao Yi shifted uncomfortably.
He hadn’t expected her forehead to turn red from such a light flick.
It seemed he had wronged his wife earlier.
Duoduo was still young. She truly couldn’t take much of a beating.
Duoduo’s gaze moved back and forth between her parents.
Oh no!
Mother seemed to be angry with Father!
Her eyes rolled, and she ran to the side to pour a cup of tea.
“Mother, have some tea!”
Su Xian didn’t suspect anything and took the cup for a sip.
Duoduo ran back to the table and poured another cup.
“Father, have some tea!”
Xiao Yi looked at Duoduo’s radiant smile and felt certain that something was wrong.
He stared at the tea in her hands but didn’t take it.
“Father, are you still angry with me?” Duoduo asked pitifully.
“No.”
“But you won’t drink the tea I poured for you!”
“Mother drank hers!” Duoduo accused him, looking deeply aggrieved.
Xiao Yi hesitated before taking the cup.
“Drink it!” Duoduo urged, staring at him.
Xiao Yi shot her a glance. He brought the teacup to his lips, merely pretending to take a sip, then set it down again.
Duoduo pouted. “You didn’t drink it at all. The tea hasn’t even gone down!”
Xiao Yi’s expression turned cold.
“It’s only a cup of tea. Why are you taking it so seriously? Is there something fishy going on?”
Duoduo looked a little guilty.
“No!”
“I just thought it was hot today, so I wanted Father to drink more water!”
At the mention of the heat, Xiao Yi remembered something.
“I heard that Prince Rui will be going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray the day after tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
The subject changed so quickly that Duoduo was momentarily confused.
“Pray? Is he asking for rain?” she asked, quickly catching on.
“Not just that.” Xiao Yi smoothed the fabric over his knees.
“Lately, the frontier has sent urgent reports, while the east is suffering from a severe drought and the south has been hit by floods…”
When Xiao Yi finished, he saw Duoduo staring at him with her mouth hanging open.
“Close your mouth. A bug will fly in,” he said, unable to bear looking at her.
“Oh.” Duoduo closed her mouth.
But she soon had another question.
“Father, how did so many problems suddenly appear the moment Fourth Uncle began acting as regent?”
“What do you think?” Xiao Yi asked instead of answering.
Duoduo thought for a while.
“A drought doesn’t happen in just a day or two, and neither do floods.”
“Neither of those things was an accident. That means they must have been there for a long time.”
“Ah! I understand now!”
“Father, Second Uncle was the one who kept them hidden and refused to report them!”
Duoduo had figured out the key point.
Xiao Yi nodded approvingly. “That’s right. Good analysis.”
Duoduo clicked her tongue.
“Second Uncle is really scheming!”
Prince Ling, while acting as regent, had apparently anticipated that something might happen with his brothers.
So he had kept all these matters under wraps.
Whoever took over afterward would have to face this enormous mess.
Whether the problems were caused by natural disasters or human actions, ordinary people wouldn’t care about the details.
All they would know was that the moment Prince Rui began acting as regent, disasters and war had broken out.
That would make it seem as if Heaven itself disapproved of him.
If Prince Rui couldn’t handle the situation properly, the people would most likely grow discontented, leading to unrest and rebellion.
Then Prince Ling could seize the opportunity to force Prince Rui out!
What a brilliant scheme!
Even Duoduo couldn’t help admiring it.
“Father, if Fourth Uncle’s prayers don’t work tomorrow, what will he do next?”
Duoduo remembered that her father had told her Prince Rui favored scholarly pursuits and kept the military officials in check.
With the frontier under attack, shouldn’t he send a military commander to fight first?
Could praying really make the Xiongnu withdraw?
Was he out of his mind?
“What do you think he can do?” Xiao Yi asked without answering.
Duoduo rolled her eyes as she considered the possibilities her father had hinted at.
“Then he’ll definitely have to find someone to help him or come up with a plan!”
“His first choice will certainly be his father-in-law. But the Minister of Revenue will probably offer advice that Fourth Uncle won’t accept.”
“He may look for someone else too. But who would that be?”
Duoduo tilted her little head, and her gaze landed on Xiao Yi.
“Father, he wouldn’t come looking for you, would he?”
