At the palace gates.
Jiu Jiu stepped down from the Eldest Princess’s carriage and spotted Xiao Jiuyuan sitting in a wheelchair not far away.
“Yuan, are you here to welcome me? Such filial piety.” Jiu Jiu stood on tiptoe, reaching out to pat Xiao Jiuyuan’s head.
Xiao Jiuyuan’s sharp gaze fell on Jiu Jiu like a blade. “What did you just call me?”
“Yuan, it shows how close we are.” Jiu Jiu wore a smug expression.
Then, with a sly grin, she added, “You can call me ‘Dad’ too. We’ll each address each other however we like.”
“Is your bottom itching?” Xiao Jiuyuan made a motion as if to spank her.
Jiu Jiu quickly covered her little bottom and took several steps back.
Xiao Jiuyuan glanced at her and said, “Come here.”
“What do you want?” Jiu Jiu eyed him suspiciously, suspecting he was trying to lure her over to spank her.
Xiao Jiuyuan saw right through her little scheme and raised an eyebrow. “Scared?”
“Who’s scared? Fine, I’m coming.” Jiu Jiu thought to herself, she wasn’t raised to be easily frightened.
Seeing her blustering act, a flicker of amusement flashed in Xiao Jiuyuan’s eyes.
As she approached him, he reached out and pulled her onto his lap.
“Little County Princess, His Highness knew you were coming to the palace and came especially to wait for you at the gates,” Zhui Ying said while pushing the wheelchair.
Jiu Jiu was pleased and patted Xiao Jiuyuan’s shoulder. “Yuan, you’ve grown up!”
“Shut up!” Xiao Jiuyuan closed his eyes and snapped.
Jiu Jiu stayed quiet for a few seconds before poking Xiao Jiuyuan’s Adam’s apple with her finger. “Yuan, what’s that old man of yours like? Is he easy to get along with?”
Xiao Jiuyuan’s lips twitched. “That old man is your Imperial Grandfather.”
“Do I look like a fool? Tell me, what’s his personality like? Did he bully you while I was away?”
Jiu Jiu patted her little chest. “Don’t be afraid, tell me the truth. If he bullied you, I’ll avenge you.”
“With you?” Xiao Jiuyuan scoffed.
Jiu Jiu grabbed his hair and glared at him fiercely. “Who are you looking down on? Don’t forget who helped you detoxify! I’m amazing!”
“Looking at you like this, you must have been bullied a lot. That father of yours is really something, just like mine.”
After saying this, Jiu Jiu sympathetically patted Xiao Jiuyuan’s shoulder.
The first half of her words moved Xiao Jiuyuan slightly.
How long had it been since he last felt this kind of unconditional protection?
But the second half made him want to grab her and give her a good spanking.
Unaware of the danger, Jiu Jiu sighed. “Ah, what can we do? We just have bad luck, ending up with fathers like this.”
“If it really comes to it, I’ll be your dad from now on. Whether you want to rise up in rebellion or slaughter cities, I’ll spoil you! I promise to make you the happiest son in the world.”
Xiao Jiuyuan: …
“Ouch, why are you attacking me out of nowhere? Xiao Yuanzi, you have no martial virtue!”
Jiu Jiu’s pitiful cries echoed all the way.
Not far away, Ye Lixuan: …
Who said the Crown Prince was a cold-blooded, cruel devil?
He was clearly a flesh-and-blood normal person who could be provoked into a rage by his own daughter.
Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The chief eunuch had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Xiao Jiuyuan arrive, the chief eunuch hurried forward to bow.
Then he saw Xiao Jiuyuan holding a little girl in his arms. She wore a light pink cloud-patterned brocade dress, was as delicate as carved jade and as pure as snow, with especially large, round eyes that were lively and cunning.
The Chief Eunuch was stunned for a moment.
Who said the Little County Princess of Donggong was a fake?
With those brows and eyes so similar to the Crown Prince’s, who would believe she wasn’t his own flesh and blood?
When he looked at her, she even gave him a sweet smile.
That smile was so sweet it nearly melted the Chief Eunuch’s heart!
“Lead the way,” Xiao Jiuyuan said coldly.
As they passed by, the Chief Eunuch whispered a reminder, “Upon learning of the Eldest Princess’s poisoning, His Majesty flew into a rage. The Crown Prince and the Little County Princess should be careful later.”
Xiao Jiuyuan glanced at him in surprise.
Why hadn’t he shown such kindness in the past?
Little did he know, he was entirely benefiting from Jiu Jiu’s influence.
Entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xiao Jiuyuan, seated in his wheelchair, cupped his hands and bowed to Emperor Jinyuan:
“Your son pays respects to Emperor Father.”
Jiu Jiu imitated Xiao Jiuyuan’s gesture, cupping her hands and about to bow.
Just then, something flew toward her, nearly hitting her head.
Xiao Jiuyuan swiftly pulled her into his arms to shield her. “Since Emperor Father does not wish to see your son, I shall take my leave!”
With that, he turned his wheelchair to depart.
“You rebellious son! You… cough, cough… Are you trying to anger me to death? I’ve tolerated your willfulness in the past, but now you dare to confuse the imperial bloodline—are you trying to defy heaven itself?”
Emperor Jinyuan’s furious roar echoed through the hall.
It was followed by a gentle woman’s voice, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Crown Prince must have been momentarily confused and deceived, nearly costing the Eldest Princess her life.”
Jiu Jiu suddenly understood.
Ah, so this was aimed at her.
Jiu Jiu patted Xiao Jiuyuan’s chest and whispered, “Endure for a moment, and you’ll get ovarian cysts; take a step back, and you’ll develop breast nodules. How many times have I taught you this? Why can’t you learn?”
“Be good, turn back.”
Seeing that Xiao Jiuyuan still hadn’t moved, Jiu Jiu simply jumped out of his arms.
She looked at the woman in palace attire, beautiful and gentle, patting Emperor Jinyuan’s chest to soothe him, and nodded in satisfaction.
Not bad, quite beautiful.
When her Xiao Yuanzi ascends the throne in the future, she could follow in her father’s footsteps and bring her into the harem.
“Hua Jin has treated you so well. How can you be so cold-hearted? Could it truly be as the rumors say—that the Crown Prince I raised with my own hands is a cruel and bloodthirsty beast who would not even spare his own siblings…”
Emperor Jinyuan, enraged by the poisoning of the Eldest Princess and further provoked by Consort Ru, spoke with increasingly harsh words.
The veins on the back of Xiao Jiuyuan’s hands, gripping the wheelchair, bulged.
A faint red light flickered in his beautiful phoenix eyes.
Beside him, Fu Bao’s eyes gleamed with cunning.
She pinched her fingers into a seal, silently chanting something.
Jiu Jiu saw golden light fly out from Xiao Jiuyuan’s head and vanish into Fu Bao’s body.
The faint black aura at Fu Bao’s brow was instantly enveloped by the golden light.
She had once again become the Fortune Luck doll, overflowing with Qi Luck and blessed with profound fortune.
Jiu Jiu was furious!
She had already sensed that Fu Bao’s Qi Luck did not belong to her.
But she never imagined that the Qi Luck on Fu Bao’s body was actually siphoned from Xiao Jiuyuan.
No wonder he died so early in the book.
So he had been someone else’s power bank.
“Disregarding your siblings, cruel and bloodthirsty—how are you fit to be the Crown Prince of a nation!”
“Guards, by my decree…”
Emperor Jinyuan closed his eyes, preparing to issue the edict to depose the Crown Prince.
Before he could finish, he was interrupted.
“Who said the Eldest Princess was poisoned? She’s perfectly fine. Why would Imperial Grandfather curse her like that?” Jiu Jiu’s soft, sweet voice carried a hint of confusion.
Emperor Jinyuan was taken aback.
“You’re saying Hua Jin wasn’t poisoned?”
Jiu Jiu nodded. "The Eldest Princess is clearly pregnant. If Imperial Grandfather does not believe it, you can summon Old Imperial Physician Chen from the Imperial Hospital to clarify."
"My Handsome Uncle-in-law is also here. Imperial Grandfather can ask him as well."
Emperor Jinyuan immediately summoned Old Imperial Physician Chen and Ye Lixuan.
Upon learning that the Eldest Princess was not poisoned but pregnant, Emperor Jinyuan also breathed a long sigh of relief.
He then looked at Fu Bao and said with satisfaction, "Truly worthy of Fu Bao. Your blessings run deep. Hua Jin's long-cherished wish has finally been fulfilled, all thanks to Fu Bao. Master Wangchen was right—Fu Bao is indeed the Lucky Star of Da Qi."
"Today, I shall confer upon Fu Bao the title of—"
"Wait a moment—"
"What does the Eldest Princess's pregnancy have to do with her? My Handsome Uncle-in-law is right here. Imperial Grandfather, are you rewarding the wrong person?"
Jiu Jiu interrupted Emperor Jinyuan, pointing at Ye Lixuan and saying, "Imperial Grandfather, doing this will lead to misunderstandings. People might think my Handsome Uncle-in-law has a green forehead."