FID – Chapter 887

Chapter 887: Who Does Heaven Spare?

The next day, Feng Qingbai went to the court in the morning to carry out official duties with the Dongyue Emperor and the delegation of envoys. They had been visiting Nanling and staying in the capital for over a month, so it was about time to leave.

Especially since Yan Rongjin had just reclaimed the throne, there were many things to be done and he couldn’t afford to delay.

After the court session ended, Feng Qingbai returned with someone following behind. It was none other than Yan Rongjin himself.

Because Liu Yusheng was still in her postpartum confinement, it was inappropriate for a male guest to enter the main bedroom to visit or say goodbye, so Yan Rongjin could only stand outside the door to bid farewell.

Before leaving, he went to the nursery to see the two little ones who were not yet a month old.

A boy and a girl, perfectly delicate and exquisite, like a pair of golden children and jade maidens stepped out from a painting—soft, rosy, and charming.

The baby girl, especially, who had a red water-drop-shaped birthmark between her brows, like a jewel, was very beautiful.

When faced with the sudden appearance of a strange face, Xiao Badou showed no reaction. He only gave him a brief glance, then closed his eyes and went back to sleep, too lazy to pay attention.

Xiao Hongdou was slightly more responsive, only glancing twice before looking away.

“Is this one called Badou, and this one Hongdou?” Yan Rongjin smiled as he looked at the babies who bore a strong resemblance to someone.

“Mm.” Feng Qingbai nodded, clearly showing some disdain toward his son.

Father and son looked at each other with mutual dislike.

Yan Rongjin found it amusing. Such little babies already had quite a range of expressions.

“May I hold her?” he asked, looking at Hongdou.

It wasn’t that he purposely chose the girl; in fact, since Xiao Badou seemed to dislike him, he decided not to bother with him.

Feng Qingbai glanced sideways at him and said, “No, it’s inappropriate for males and females to have physical contact.”

Yan Rongjin was momentarily speechless.

The Liu family members sitting nearby all chuckled quietly when they heard this.

Because this was a phrase Liu Dalin used to say the most, but he never managed to stop Axiu and Nannan from getting close.

Back then, Liu Dalin often got annoyed over this issue of propriety.

Now that he was a father himself, he finally understood that feeling.

Liu Dalin laughed especially proudly, releasing much of his former frustration at that moment.

What goes around comes around. Who does Heaven spare?

Before leaving, Yan Rongjin looked at the baby girl with a hint of regret, then quietly brushed his hand over the red droplet birthmark on her forehead.

Soft, smooth, warm, and tender.

That touch could make anyone reluctant to let go.

He glanced back once more at the little girl, who, surprised by the touch on her birthmark, opened her big black eyes wide and stared at him. Yan Rongjin smiled and then left.

The next day after the Dongyue envoy delegation boarded the ship to return to court, major news broke out again in the capital.

It turned out that Prince Yan and his son, previously believed dead, had actually returned completely unharmed.

As for where they had been during those missing days—whether abducted, escaped on their own, or some other reason—the father and son remained tight-lipped.

On that very same day of their return, Consort Liu met with misfortune.

A perfectly fine person suddenly became a cripple—unable to move or speak, only able to lie there and be cared for.

Since losing in the power struggle, she had been under house arrest; Qingning Palace had long become like a cold palace. There wasn’t even a single maid or granny inside the hall, let alone someone dedicated to tending to her.

She could only wait for the eunuchs guarding Qingning Palace to be in a good mood to come in and feed her a few mouthfuls; if they were in a bad mood, she went hungry, barely hanging on.

When the news reached the Yangxin Hall, the Empress Dowager said nothing.

Instead, the old maid snorted and muttered, “She finally got what was coming to her.”

Back when the late emperor was still alive, Consort Liu used endless ruthless methods in her bid to gain favor in the harem, harming many concubines. Not to mention, she even once reached out to the Empress Dowager herself.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was the Empress, which gave her the status to keep her in check. Plus, the Empress Dowager had the backing of her maternal clan and General Qin, so her schemes never succeeded.

What was most infuriating was that even after being placed under house arrest in her chambers, she still harbored evil intentions, trying to manipulate the Empress Dowager into harming the young heir and young princess of the King’s Manor.

Her fate today was well deserved.

Served her right!

Time quietly passed. No matter how much the matter was discussed at first, once the heat died down, people’s attention gradually shifted elsewhere.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Yusheng finally finished her confinement period, and both Xiao Badou and Hongdou reached one month old.

To celebrate, the King’s Manor held a full-moon banquet for the children.

They did not invite court officials or city elites, but closed the manor’s doors and celebrated with family only.

Without all the toasting and socializing, this kind of full-moon banquet was more to the liking of Grandpa Liu, Grandma Liu and the others.

The only one probably displeased was the Empress Dowager.

She wanted to throw a lively celebration for the babies, but since she had no authority to decide on their behalf, the full-moon banquet turned out rather meager, which made her sulk for an entire night.

That dissatisfaction only truly dissipated when she arrived at the King’s Manor and saw the bustling scene in the hall.

Although the two little ones didn’t make an appearance in front of the officials, the lively and joyful atmosphere in the hall, with the babies being held by their elders and grinning widely, was not much worse.

On the contrary, it felt more casual and comfortable.

No one needed to wear a mask that day or deal with a bunch of unrelated people on such an important occasion.

“The Empress Dowager has arrived.” Liu Yusheng was the first to notice and stood up to welcome her, seating her next to Grandma Liu and Chen Xiulan.

The two women held the babies, and the Empress Dowager came to be with the children.

At this time, the banquet hadn’t started yet. The women gathered around the babies, amusing themselves, while the men sat together on the other side and set up a chessboard.

Grandpa Liu and Liu Dalin, two terrible chess players, sat down and played a game that was so chaotic it was hard to tell who was winning, as if war smoke filled the board.

Feng Qingbai, Feng Mohan, Qian Wanjin, and Xue Qinglian stood nearby, occasionally giving pointers, which inevitably led to disputes.

After turning red-faced and hot-headed, and making a couple of moves, they got confused about what to do next and would ask again.

The Empress Dowager glanced over casually and was surprised to see that old Qin Xiao was also there!

That casual glance happened to be noticed by him, and he looked over at her, smiling and nodding politely in greeting.

The Empress Dowager immediately withdrew her gaze, putting on a composed expression as she pretended nothing had happened and asked in a low voice, “Why is he here?”

“Him?” Grandma Liu was momentarily stunned, then slapped her thigh. “Oh! You mean General Qin. Today is the twins’ full-moon celebration. Axiu happened to run into him on the road while they were out, so he invited him over to have a drink for the occasion. General Qin and the Empress Dowager are both court officials, surely you two go way back? You never seem to have much to chat with us about. Now that General Qin is here, you two can talk and catch up.”

The Empress Dowager’s face darkened instantly.

She had deliberately lowered her voice just to avoid being overheard, and Grandma Liu could have just quietly replied. But this crude woman!

This crude woman was clearly her nemesis!

With that loud outburst, she had completely lost face!