Chapter 18

Chapter 18

At lunch, Tun’er came in carrying the Fourth Prince, with the Second Prince, Third Prince, and Second Princess trailing behind them. The whole string of children appearing at once took me by surprise. The Fourth Prince climbed down from Tun’er’s arms, paid his respects to me along with the others, then immediately squeezed into my lap.

“How did all of you end up together?”

“I ran into my older brothers and sister in the Imperial Garden, and I missed Empress Mother too.” Raised by Lady Xue, the Fourth Prince was very well-behaved, fair and chubby, with a soft, milky little voice.

Compared with him, the slightly older Second Princess looked as if she were a year or two older than he was, and their complexions made an even sharper contrast. The Second Princess loved to play and make mischief, and she was as dark as a little monkey. In that respect, she looked more like a true sibling to the Third Prince.

The Second Prince and Third Prince were born of the same mother. When they were young, Consort Kang raised them with meticulous care, and the palace consorts all liked them as well. They had always been dressed exactly alike. But as the children grew older, their interests began to differ. The Second Prince loved literature, and His Majesty had praised him several times in front of me. The Third Prince, however, preferred martial arts and had little interest in studying. He had been punished by the Grand Tutor countless times, and Consort Kang got a headache every time she mentioned it. But martial training was not easy either, and somehow he had stubbornly stuck with it. The only thing was that he had grown darker and thinner. Now, standing beside the Second Prince, one dark and one fair, the two made quite an amusing pair.

“I missed Empress Mother too. It just so happened that Third Brother and I ran into Crown Prince Brother and Second Brother.”

“What a coincidence. You’ve arrived just in time for lunch. Empress Mother hasn’t eaten with all of you in quite a while either.”

I sent palace maids to notify their mothers in each of the palaces, lest someone once again have no idea where the children had gone.

As for their tastes, the Second Prince and Third Prince had a sweet tooth, while the Second Princess loved spicy food. Every time her little face turned bright red from the heat, she would still keep stuffing more into her mouth. Because of the Fourth Prince’s health, Lady Xue had always allowed him to eat only light foods, and anything with a heavier flavor was forbidden. Fortunately, the palace was filled with famous chefs, and they could make any sort of dish delicious. As for Tun’er and me, the two of us accepted anything as long as it tasted good.

After the meal, the Fourth Prince lay lazily in his chair, patting his belly. He was absolutely adorable. I told him not to rest immediately after eating, and only after much coaxing did I get him to stand up and stroll around with the Second Princess and the others.

On ordinary days, Lady Xue actually kept quite a strict watch over him, so he was not especially close with his brothers and sisters. Fortunately, the Second Princess was a chatterbox. She tugged him along, calling him little brother, and coaxed him until his face bloomed with smiles.

Only, I had not expected that perhaps the Second Princess had made him too happy. Before long, there was a little tail following behind her as well.