Chapter 235: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 235: Shopping
The Physician, still feeling uneasy, eventually had to leave as the time was up. The next morning, when Suisui woke up, her mind was full of images of tai chi and Baduanjin exercises. As she spoke in her childlike way, Sister Xiang thought the little girl was eager to exercise.
Sister Xiang cheerfully agreed, "All right, all right, we’ll go practice."
During breakfast, Sister Xiang shared this little story with Sister Qiu.
Qi Wangfei, always attentive to Suisui, hugged her close and gently asked, “Suisui, do you want to learn tai chi? Your father knows it; he can teach you.”
The Prince, not having had his turn to hold Suisui, moved closer, hoping he’d get the chance to feed her a spoonful of food as well. Hearing Qi Wangfei’s suggestion, he nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, yes, Father can teach you.”
Suisui, who still hadn’t completely forgotten her thoughts from the night before, quickly nodded, “Tai chi, Baduanjin.”
The Prince chuckled, “My precious one is so clever! She knows everything. Although, Father’s not the best at Baduanjin; I’d need to consult Physician Liu for that.”
He paused for a moment, then added, “The weather is nice today. No lessons! We’ll go out to the streets and have some fun. Children can’t be studying every day.”
Qi Wangfei looked at him with surprise. Surely they couldn’t be canceling classes after just two days! And what about the other children in the household? The boys were watching intently, hoping they’d get a chance to go along too. The Prince, however, waved his hand decisively, “Your sister is still young; what are you competing for?”
Feng Xuanrui muttered, “But I’m not that much older. Why can’t I go too?”
Feng Xuanbin nodded, “Exactly!”
The other three brothers, being older, held back their protests, but one could see their disappointment.
After breakfast, the boys headed off to their lessons, and the Prince took Suisui, Liu Hemeng, and Shen Huatang out for a day on the town.
Qi Wangfei wanted to join as well, but couldn’t neglect household matters, especially since it wouldn’t be fair to leave everything to the two concubines. Remembering that Concubine Meng had almost been injured on an outing before, Qi Wangfei instead asked Concubine Ren.
With nothing better to do, Concubine Ren decided she’d join in as well—plus, she’d have Suisui to hold. The moment she got in the carriage, she cuddled Suisui, lovingly leaning close to her.
Noticing Liu Hemeng’s cuteness too, she reached out to pat her. And then her gaze fell on Shen Huatang, who was equally gentle and quiet, so she gave her a little pat as well.
Little girls were just so adorable! Concubine Ren thought about her two sons and couldn’t help feeling irritated. She cast a look of disdain at the Prince and teased, “It’s all your fault. You couldn’t give me a daughter!”
The Prince was taken aback. How dare she!
He shot her a glare but quickly realized Concubine Ren’s glare was fiercer than his own. Resigned, he looked away and awkwardly rubbed his nose. He decided it wasn’t worth arguing with a woman!
Seeing him back down, Concubine Ren took advantage of her position, scooping Suisui into her arms and saying with a smile, “Am I wrong? Just look at the situation in the household! You can’t blame us for that.”
Concubine Ren wasn’t just confident; she was also holding Suisui, happily saying, “If it weren’t for heaven blessing Qi Wangfei with Suisui, giving you such a wonderful child, you’d never get to enjoy this good fortune!”
The Prince grumbled inwardly, thinking he’d secretly draft a letter of dismissal for her…and then quietly burn it afterward.
Suisui, too young to understand the relationship between her father and Aunt Ren, looked around and, remembering how people in her village had always wanted sons, said, “Father, don’t worry! You’ll have many sons in the future!”
The Prince: ???
Concubine Ren: …!
“Hahaha!” Concubine Ren couldn’t contain her laughter. While she had her suspicions, she wasn’t entirely sure of the details. Still, it didn’t stop her from laughing heartily.
The Prince’s heart took another blow, feeling as if someone had twisted a knife in his chest.
What was so funny about this? Concubine Ren was laughing so hard that she could barely hold Suisui.
The Prince was at a loss for words. Physician Liu had already told him that his chances of having more children were slim. The court Physicians had said they were only trying to prolong his life, and he shouldn’t expect too much. But the Prince knew he’d probably not be able to father any more children and his days might be numbered.
Cursed be the Che family! He thought maybe he should sharpen his sword and pay a visit to the dungeons in the middle of the night.
Though he felt bitter inside, he didn’t want to worry the child. He gently stroked Suisui’s head and said, “Father already has many sons and a precious daughter like you. That’s enough. More than enough.”
The Prince mused that he should be content. He had longed for a daughter, and though not of his own blood, Suisui was so endearing and looked just like him in the eyes—she might as well have been his own.
Feeling his luck, the Prince instinctively reached out, intending to carry Suisui.
Suisui looked up at Aunt Ren, who was holding her, while Aunt Ren, noticing the Prince’s less-than-happy mood, released Suisui but patted her gently.
Their outing had no particular agenda; they were simply wandering around.
Concubine Ren suggested buying Suisui some jewelry. Although the palace already had plenty of treasures, when were more treasures ever a bad thing?
After browsing three stores, the Prince and Concubine Ren could barely contain their desire to buy everything.
Concubine Ren, with her family wealth intact despite some past setbacks, spent freely. Seeing this, the Prince couldn’t let himself be outdone, so he joined in on the spree.
Just as they finished shopping and were about to get in the carriage, they caught a whiff of something delightful from a nearby pastry shop. The Prince recalled that he’d once bought food from there, guessing Suisui probably hadn’t tried it, so he decided to carry her over.
Concubine Ren, also drawn by the scent, followed along with the two girls.
The smell captured Suisui’s nose, but her gaze wandered behind them. After a while, she raised her little hand and whispered, “Father, I want to drink that.”
The Prince, delighted that she’d finally asked for something, turned around and saw that she was pointing at a small tea stall on the corner of the street. It was primarily for travelers to rest and refresh.
To put it bluntly, even the tea served to the palace servants was better than the tea here.
But if Suisui wanted it, then even ditch water would go down smoothly for the Prince.
Low-grade tea leaves didn’t deter him in the slightest. The Prince turned back, his mind set, and led the way to the stall.
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