Chapter 31 — The Three Little Ones: Niannian, Part 25
Xu Qingshi and Pingping, who had just felt sorry for An'an, immediately took back that tiny bit of sympathy.
“Dad, are you getting old? Have you lost your strength? You hit him so lightly.”
Xu Qingshi reached out and pressed An'an’s backside, thinking that the little brat had gotten off too easily.
“Dad, how about letting me do it?” Pingping rolled up his sleeves as well, looking eager to give it a try.
Xu Heming had been furious at first, but seeing how impatient Xu Qingshi and Pingping were, he remembered that he was An'an’s father after all. He had no intention of actually letting the two of them take a hand at it.
He had held back his strength. It was enough to make the boy hurt, but not enough to cause any real injury.
After all, every child was precious to him.
“Enough. This brat has a loose tongue and deserved a spanking. This old man has already taught him a lesson.” Xu Heming sighed, then looked at Xu Qingshi and Pingping with a frown.
“Has your sister come back yet?” Only then did Xu Heming remember that Niannian was still outside.
He had been so focused on hauling this brat away that he had actually forgotten about his own daughter.
“Dad, we only just got back ourselves. Where’s our sister? Is she back yet?” Xu Qingshi asked, frowning as he looked at Xu Heming.
“Useless things!”
Xu Heming shot his two sons an irritated look, thinking that neither of them was any help at all.
As he thought this, he headed outside.
But the moment he reached the doorway, he saw Li Zhiwei returning with several people in tow.
“Dad!” Niannian looked at Xu Heming’s anxious expression in confusion.
Had something happened?
“Why are you in such a rush? Where are you going?” Li Zhiwei asked Xu Heming with a puzzled frown.
“Niannian, are you all right?” Xu Heming asked worriedly.
“I...” Niannian had just been about to say that she was fine.
But then several carriages appeared outside the gate.
Everyone looked curiously at the carriages, puzzled by their arrival.
“Mother, did Uncle send something over?” Niannian asked, looking at the carriages in confusion. After all, her uncle often sent them supplies and gifts in this manner.
“I didn’t hear Grandpa and Grandma say that they would be sending anything today,” Li Mingyue said as she studied the carriages. They did not look like carriages from the Li family.
They seemed familiar somehow, but for the moment, she could not recall where she had seen them before.
“Your Highness, don’t you think that carriage looks rather familiar?” Li Zhiwei asked, frowning as she looked toward it.
It did not seem like the sort of carriage ordinary folk could afford to use.
Yet the suspicion in Li Zhiwei’s heart was still uncertain.
“You all go inside first.” Xu Heming looked coldly at the carriage. He had an instinctive feeling that whoever was inside was someone he did not want to see.
“Your Highness, shall I stay with you?” Li Zhiwei bit her lip and asked softly.
“No. Take them inside first.” Xu Heming shook his head.
Seeing that Xu Heming insisted, Li Zhiwei did not remain behind.
Still, as she turned back to look at the carriage, an uneasy feeling rose in her heart.
Thinking that it was not appropriate for the children to stay here, Li Zhiwei quickly led them into the residence.
“Lao Xu!”
Not long after Li Zhiwei left, an excited voice rang out.
The person stepping down from the carriage was none other than Zhu Jingchen.
“Master Huang, what brings you here today?” Xu Heming’s expression was unpleasant.
Inwardly, he cursed Zhu Jingchen for being shameless. At a time like this, there was no way the Emperor’s visit to Prince An’s residence could mean anything good.
“What? Is Prince An’s residence not welcoming me?” Zhu Jingchen was not offended in the least.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Xu Heming replied through gritted teeth. After all, under heaven, all land belonged to the Emperor. How could he possibly say that the Emperor was unwelcome?
The Xu family did not have enough heads for him to have chopped off.
But—
When he thought of why Zhu Jingchen had come today, he simply could not bring himself to like it.
“Lao Xu, aren’t you going to invite us inside?” Only after seeing the Third Prince help the Empress down from the carriage did Zhu Jingchen smile and ask Xu Heming.
Xu Heming choked on his words. Even the Empress had come.
It seemed that Zhu Hanyu, that brat, had acted quickly.
Were they trying to strike while the iron was hot, taking advantage of the situation before it cooled?
Though Xu Heming was furious, the Emperor and Empress were already at his doorstep. He could not truly refuse them.
“This humble subject shall summon—”
Xu Heming said reluctantly, intending to call Li Zhiwei out to greet them as well.
“No need. Today, an old friend is merely paying a visit,” Zhu Jingchen quickly stopped him, unwilling to make a great show of it.
“Master Huang, Madam Huang, this way, please.”
Xu Heming drew a deep breath and deliberately omitted any form of address for the Third Prince.
“Uncle,” the Third Prince said, respectfully offering the greeting of a junior.
Although he knew that what An'an had said under those circumstances today had been unintentional, he still worried that if someone with ulterior motives overheard it, it might damage Niannian's reputation.
That was why he had asked his father and mother to come and discuss the matter in person.
Seeing Xu Heming's attitude, Zhu Jingchen and the Empress exchanged a glance. They understood at once: this appeared to be nothing more than the Third Prince's wishful thinking.
They had no idea whether he had managed to win the young lady over yet.
The Third Prince was equally uncertain when he saw Xu Heming's expression. But since they had already come, they could not leave without doing anything.
At the very least, they had to make their position clear.
The Empress sighed. She had not wanted to make this visit in the first place, but Zhu Hanyu was her only biological son. She was the Empress, yes, but she was also a mother.
Even ordinary parents would go to great lengths for their children's marriages, so she had set aside her dignity and come.
Yet the moment she arrived, she knew this visit would likely not go as smoothly as she had imagined.
After soothing the young girls, Li Zhiwei hurried out and spotted the Emperor and Empress standing beside Xu Heming. Her heart skipped a beat.
It really was the two of them.
“This humble wife greets—”
Just as Li Zhiwei was about to kneel in salute, the Empress quickly reached out and pulled her up.
“Princess Consort of An, there is no need for such formalities. Today, we are merely Master Huang, Madam Huang, and Young Master Huang, paying a visit.”
The Empress spoke with a smile.
Li Zhiwei looked at Xu Heming in confusion.
Xu Heming's expression was grim, but he still nodded.
“Master Huang, Madam Huang, Young Master Huang, please come in!”
Li Zhiwei did not understand what the couple was up to today, but she nonetheless welcomed them warmly inside.
Still, she could not help wondering whether this was truly all right.
She was also worried that if the imperial couple later chose to hold them accountable, the consequences would be more than they could bear.
Once they reached the reception hall, Li Zhiwei hurriedly instructed the servants nearby to prepare refreshments.
She looked at Xu Heming in confusion, hoping he might give her some hint of what was going on.
“Master Huang, Madam Huang, what brings you to our residence today?” Though Xu Heming felt displeased, he nevertheless asked the question.
Li Zhiwei also looked toward the pair. Though she had her suspicions, she could not understand why the Emperor and Empress had come in person.
