Chenchen stopped talking.
Lying silently in Xia Ruqing’s arms.
The carriage swayed gently, and he eventually fell asleep.
It took a total of one and a half Shi Chen from the suburbs to the palace.
By the time they reached Duanning Palace, it was already dark.
The hall was brightly lit.
No need to guess, the Emperor must be there.
Sister Huang and others came out to greet them.
Xia Ruqing instructed her to carry Chenchen inside.
"He didn’t eat much at noon, make him some supper!"
"Yes! I understand!"
Watching Sister Huang carry the sleeping Chenchen away, she was finally at ease and went inside.
As expected, she saw Zhao Junyao reading on the bed.
She approached and greeted him.
"Emperor!"
Zhao Junyao glanced up at her.
"You’re back?"
She responded with a smile.
"Yes!"
"Come and sit!" Zhao Junyao put down the book in his hand and gestured to the seat beside him.
Xia Ruqing chuckled and moved closer.
She took off her shoes and sat on the bed, her ice-cold feet inching towards the warmth of his body.
Zhao Junyao frowned and teased.
"Smelly!"
Xia Ruqing giggled.
"Not smelly! I don’t have sweaty feet!"
Even if they are smelly, it’s the scent of commoners.
But despite her words, she still went to take a hot bath after a while.
After coming out, she saw Zhao Junyao still engrossed in his book.
She approached him playfully.
"Emperor, are you hungry? Want some supper?"
In truth, she had been hungry for a while.
Seeing him so busy, she didn’t dare disturb him.
But to her surprise, even after her bath, he was still busy!
Oh... she’s starving!
"I’m not hungry!"
"Eat if you’re hungry!"
Xia Ruqing thought it over and didn’t refuse.
"Then I’ll eat alone. It’s been a long day, and I only ate well in the morning!"
"I barely ate at noon and haven’t eaten tonight!"
Zhao Junyao couldn’t help but laugh.
"You insisted on going out, I couldn’t stop you!"
In other words: see, you wouldn’t listen to my advice!
Xia Ruqing glared at him, thinking: Is he laughing at my unfortunate state?
She quickly followed up with a response.
"Oh indeed!"
"I did it for the child!"
"You should have seen Chenchen today, he seemed to have matured several years in just a day!"
"He was quiet all the way back! I was quite uneasy!"
"Now I’m regretting it, I shouldn’t have taken him there!"
Zhao Junyao frowned.
"Why?"
Xia Ruqing said ’regretfully.’
"I feel he’s too young to see these things!"
"At such a young age, he should focus on studying!"
"He can learn about the hardships of the people when he’s older!"
"Now, seeing him act so mature at such a young age, it pains my heart!"
Zhao Junyao was speechless.
"Just for that?"
"Hmm!"
He gave her a cool, sidelong glance.
"Indeed, mothers spoil their sons! A real man should understand the hardships of life from a young age!"
Xia Ruqing secretly laughed to herself.
’Exactly!’
’My son can avoid hardship, live in wealth and stability, but definitely should not be a fool!’
’He should know the vastness of the world, understand its challenges, and live clearly and transparently!’
Zhao Junyao noticed the mischievous smile on her lips and suddenly understood.
"Qingqing, you said this on purpose, didn’t you!"
Xia Ruqing realized she was caught and quickly tried to act cute.
"Emperor, I just wanted you to understand that letting him endure a little hardship isn’t a bad thing!"
Meanwhile, she thought to herself.
’Who asked you to keep refusing?!’
"It’s you who said mothers spoil their sons!"
Zhao Junyao: "..."
"I really can’t handle you!"
The supper was brought in.
It was Xia Ruqing’s favorite, pepper-salt lamb ribs.
However, in the middle of winter, she couldn’t eat just that.
The small kitchen also prepared a bowl of stewed deer meat, a bowl of beef noodles, and a dish of crispy fried peanuts.
It wasn’t much, but they were all her favorites.
The food was placed on a small table on the bed.
Xia Ruqing slipped her bare feet into the warm bed.
After washing her hands, she began to eat heartily.
Across from her, Zhao Junyao was feeling hungry watching her eat.
But he couldn’t let go of his pride.
He only gave her a cool glance and meekly advised her.
"Eat slowly!"
Xia Ruqing, between bites, mumbled.
"Emperor, these lamb ribs are crispy and crunchy. They’re best eaten with hands!"
As if she should imitate those women in the harem.
Pretending to be demure?
Sorry, I can’t do that!
In less than two quarters of an hour, the table was a mess, spotless like autumn leaves swept clean.