FID – Chapter 1119

Chapter 1119 — Her Old Face Burns with Embarrassment

After the carriage entered the city, it did not return to the King’s Manor, but headed straight for the imperial palace.

From the moment their passenger ship crossed into the capital’s territory, Liu Yusheng had been aching to return. The closer they got, the more she missed the two children.

The longing she had held back during their time in Xinghua Village seemed to erupt all at once.

Mixed with that longing were guilt, and a faint sense of nervousness.

“Feng Qingbai, do you think Badou and Hongdou might not remember us anymore?”

Feng Qingbai chuckled, intertwining his fingers with hers, their hands clasped tightly. “No. A mother and her children share a bond. They might forget me, but they will definitely remember you. They’ll recognize you the moment they see you.”

“I hope so.” Liu Yusheng let out a small breath of relief. As for his ‘they’d better not forget me’ hidden between the lines, she didn’t take it seriously at all—much to Feng Qingbai’s helpless amusement.

So long as the two beans remembered her, whether they remembered their father apparently didn’t matter at all.

Xue Qinglian sat diagonally across from them, turning his face slightly, his gaze fixed outside the window.

The carriage sped along; the street scenes reflected in his pitch-black pupils, shadows and lights flickering in and out.

The vermilion palace walls towered high, grand and imposing, exuding the weight of centuries of history.

At the palace gates, the guards in silver armor shimmered with a cold gleam under the sun. Their expressions were solemn, their presence sharp and austere.

What fell into Liu Yusheng’s eyes instead carried a sense of warmth.

Because this was Nanling.

After they stepped out of the carriage, the palace guards were the first to see the four of them. They froze for a moment, then quickly bowed.

As the four of them entered through the palace gates, the news that the King of Nanling had returned spread through the palace and the capital like an autumn wind sweeping through fallen leaves.

At that moment, Feng Mohan was in the imperial study, racking his brains, desperately trying to figure out how to placate the Empress Dowager. Badou and Hongdou were her precious darlings, and since he was the one who brought the money-grubbing Qian Wanjin, who then bit Xiao Badou, the Empress Dowager beating him with a feather duster wasn’t surprising at all.

But this fire had to be put out. If he didn’t extinguish it soon, would he still have a way to survive once his imperial uncle returned?

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Big news!…”

“What in this palace isn’t big news? How many times have I told you not to shout and panic!” Feng Mohan snapped.

He was already irritated.Why did people insist on throwing themselves into the line of fire?

“No, Your Majesty, the King and the Princess Consort have returned! They’ve already entered the palace. The servants report that they are heading to the Yangxin Hall right now!” Xiao Banzi was aggrieved. 

His Majesty himself had ordered that news of the King and his consort be reported to him immediately. He was only doing his duty diligently, yet he was getting scolded.

How is this proper at all…

Crash! Feng Mohan’s chair toppled over as he shot to his feet and sprinted for the door. “Why didn’t you say so sooner!”

The wronged Xiao Banzi burst into tears.

At the same time, the news also reached the Empress Dowager. When the old maid reported it, joy immediately lit up her face.

The couple had finally returned. Although the Empress Dowager never said anything aloud while they were in Xiliang, the maid could tell she had been worried about them all along.

Sure enough, the moment she heard the news, the Empress Dowager’s expression brightened, and the corners of her lips even lifted with a faint smile.

But in the next instant, her face darkened.

“Granny, close the palace doors.”

“Your Majesty?…”

“They left for half a year and tossed those two children aside as if they didn’t matter. What kind of parents do that? Only after finishing their business do they suddenly remember Badou and Hongdou, thinking they can just take them back now? As if it were that easy. Close the doors!”

The old maid didn’t dare disobey. She instructed the attendants to shut the doors and bolt them.

After serving the Empress Dowager for so many years, how could she not understand her temperament?

Sure, she was angry at the couple for leaving the two little masters for so long, but more than that, she feared they would take them away the moment they returned.

These past few months, thanks to the two little ones, laughter had filled the Yangxin Hall every day. It had become lively and warm, and the long-standing loneliness surrounding the Empress Dowager had been gradually dispelled by the children. Although the old woman and the two toddlers couldn’t properly communicate, nothing could hide the joy of simply being together.

If the Prince and King’s Consort really took the children away, the hall would grow cold and silent again.

And the Empress Dowager would once more be alone.

Seeing the Empress Dowager sitting on the couch, the old maid quietly sighed.

The joy on the Empress Dowager’s face had already faded. As she looked at the little children in front of her babbling syllables, the smile she forced was clearly strained.

“Grandma, Grandma, play.” Badou held up a small wooden ruler, swinging it about as if it were a tiny club.

Hongdou wobbled upright, took a few short steps toward her, and when he was close enough, directly flung himself into the Empress Dowager’s arms. She caught him just in time, and he burst into giggles. Then he crawled back, toddled forward again, and flung himself into her arms once more, treating it as a delightful little game, repeating it tirelessly.

The Empress Dowager carefully guarded against either child falling off the couch and held them gingerly when they came tumbling into her lap. As she looked at their smiling faces and her lips curved upward, her eyes slowly reddened—redder and redder.

The children, clueless, continued to play, laughing innocently.

Outside the door, a report sounded again.

“Your Majesty, the King and King’s Consort request an audience.”

“I’m not seeing them.”

Outside, Liu Yusheng, anxious to see her children, was already standing right at the door, practically pressed against it. She clearly heard those two firm words from inside.

“…” She turned and glared at Feng Qingbai. “Did you make the Empress Dowager angry again?”

A vein twitched on Feng Qingbai’s forehead. He had just returned. How could he have possibly angered her already?

But since it was Shengsheng accusing him, he’d have to swallow this baseless blame.

He raised his hand and knocked the heavy bronze ring on the palace door. “Your Majesty, don’t struggle. You can dodge the first day of the month but not the fifteenth.”

Liu Yusheng nearly fainted.

The Empress Dowager shut the doors and refused to see them. How could Liu Yusheng not guess the reason? Of course she was afraid they’d come back and snatch the little beans away.

At a time like this, they should be coaxing her gently. But look at Feng Qingbai acting like some lofty second generation master, so arrogant. Was he here to pour oil on the fire?

Sure enough, the voice inside, which had previously held a faint hint of guilt, immediately grew righteous and firm: “I’m not seeing them!”

Liu Yusheng scratched her head, then scratched Feng Qingbai’s head.

Feng Qingbai tilted his face up, sighed softly, and caught the hand that was messing with him. “Let me handle it. Don’t stir things up.”

He lowered his voice as he said this, and since the Empress Dowager was sitting on the couch deep inside the hall, the distance kept her from hearing clearly.

That made her uneasy.

She needed to know what they were saying in order to come up with the best countermeasure.

Her gaze drifted toward the old maid, then toward the doors.

Unfortunately, the old maid was far too proper. At this moment she stood with her head slightly bowed, eyes lowered, completely missing the Empress Dowager’s hints.

The Empress Dowager wanted to give an order aloud, but then remembered Feng Qingbai had ears sharper than a dog’s. She had no choice but to grit her teeth, settle Hongdou into place, and tiptoe her way toward the doors.

Walking on her toes.

Only then did the old maid finally notice, and her face twisted.

No matter how hard she tried, she would never have imagined that one day the Empress Dowager would do something so improper and undignified.

This was the Empress Dowager—the person who valued etiquette and decorum above all!

The Empress Dowager turned and glared at the old maid, scaring her into lowering her head even further. Then she continued creeping forward, her old face burning with embarrassment.

She hated Feng Qingbai all over again. If not for him, would she ever be reduced to doing something like this?