Xie Yuantang’s smile was as dazzling as the midday sun.
Her two small hands tightly clutched a pile of silver bills and a jade pendant as she cheerfully expressed her gratitude: “Sixth Brother is truly extravagant! Your sister-in-law will bless you with a long life.”
“Don’t call me Sixth Brother!”
He refused to be a younger brother to a nine-year-old girl!
Situ Xu was so furious he nearly wished to wring her slender neck, glaring at her as he snapped: “Get lost! I don’t want to see either of you again!”
Besides, why would he need her blessings!
He was already destined to live a long life!
Having obtained the money, Xie Yuantang immediately grabbed Si Tu Yan and fled without another word, as if fearing that any delay would allow Situ Xu to reclaim his gifts. This only infuriated Situ Xu further, who cursed loudly.
Si Tu Ye, who had been watching the entire scene with amusement, finally remarked leisurely: “See? I told you Fifth Brother is different now.”
Situ Xu snorted irritably and shot him a sidelong glance: “Stop gloating. You just want to see those unlucky ones suffer, don’t you?”
With Xie Yuantang and Si Tu Yan gone, all traces of anger and ferocity vanished from his face.
It was as if the person who had been enraged moments ago wasn’t him at all—his gaze now deep and composed, devoid of any irritation.
“Don’t tell me Sixth Brother doesn’t want to see it too?”
Si Tu Ye curled his lips and stroked his chin: “The palace hasn’t been this lively in a long time. It’s about time someone stirred the pot.”
“I think Fifth Brother and our Little Imperial Consort here are the perfect pawns. What do you think, Sixth Brother?”
Situ Xu remained silent for a moment before letting out a sinister chuckle: “That depends on their capabilities. None of those above are simple.”
Si Tu Ye would take the lead, and he would back the play.
But it all hinged on whether Xie Yuantang had what it took to bring down those in power!
“I hope Fifth Sister-in-law doesn’t disappoint me. Let’s make this hunt more entertaining!”
After they had walked a considerable distance, Si Tu Yan was still shaken by Situ Xu’s earlier outburst and couldn’t help asking: “Wife, has Sixth Brother gone mad?”
Otherwise, why would he suddenly give them so much money?
“Perhaps.”
Xie Yuantang stuffed all the silver bills into her floral satchel and examined the jade pendant from every angle. Her eyes sparkled with an idea as she beckoned to Si Tu Yan: “Husband, bend down a little.”
“Okay.” Si Tu Yan obediently leaned over, and Xie Yuantang fastened the warm jade to his waist. She patted it contentedly: “Good things should be displayed for everyone to see.”
Preferably, so that others who hadn’t contributed their share would notice. She was still quite poor, after all—the more monetary gifts that came her way, the better!
Before long, following the Fourth Prince’s lead, news of the Sixth Prince’s generous wedding gifts spread like wildfire throughout the Royal Hunting Grounds.
From the Emperor and his consorts down to officials and guards, everyone knew about it.
Thus, when Xie Yuantang and Si Tu Yan went to pay their respects to Situ Qing, they found him staring with a mocking smile at the jade pendant on Si Tu Yan’s waist: “I heard you’ve received quite a few wedding gifts these past two days?”
Si Tu Yan nodded: “Fourth Brother gave us a Wu Zhui Horse, Sixth Brother gave us a very pretty jade pendant, and lots of money… I don’t remember how much.”
His expression was utterly guileless, and when speaking to Situ Qing, he showed none of his previous timidity. Instead, he was open and sincere, his eyes especially clear and untainted by any impurity.
Situ Qing smiled faintly, gazing at this son he had long neglected. Recalling Qu Pei’s words, the amusement in his eyes deepened imperceptibly.
“Since you’re here, make the most of this opportunity to learn. I don’t expect you to master equestrian archery, but acquiring some skills would be beneficial.”
His expectations for this son weren’t high—maintaining his current state was already quite satisfying.
Si Tu Yan nodded obediently. “Father Emperor, rest assured, I will study diligently.”
Situ Qing gave an acknowledging hum. Just as he noticed the unusual quietness today, he turned to see Xie Yuantang—usually so talkative—with her head bowed low, both small hands rummaging through her floral satchel like a clumsy little hamster.
Amused, Situ Qing asked, “Xie Yuantang, what are you looking for?”
“Father Emperor, please wait a moment. There are too many silver bills in my bag, making it hard to find.”
Situ Qing: “…” Just how much gift money had his sixth son given her?!
After quite some time, Xie Yuantang finally pulled out two folded papers from the bag, sighed in relief, and trotted forward.
“Father Emperor, look! This is a gift from my husband for you~”
As she approached, the bell hairpins on her head jingled crisply, making her appear utterly adorable.
“Oh?”
Situ Qing looked surprised, glancing between the paper and Si Tu Yan. “I receive a gift too?”
Si Tu Yan scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. “Father Emperor helped drive away Du Wei. I wanted to express my gratitude.”
Only then did Situ Qing understand—this gift was his son’s way of thanking him?
He found it both amusing and bittersweet.
In all his years as a father, he had never truly done anything for this son. The one time he helped him, he actually received a thank-you gift.
Unfolding the two large sheets, Situ Qing discovered they were calligraphy practice sheets.
“Joy and Happiness, All Matters Proceed Smoothly.”
A simple blessing, with characters even poorly written, yet it was enough to stir Situ Qing’s heart.
He examined the eight characters, then looked at Si Tu Yan. “You wrote these?”
This son had been intellectually disabled since childhood, never attended school, struggled to recognize characters—let alone handle brush and ink.
Now he could actually write!
“My wife taught me…”
Si Tu Yan nodded, blushing as he said, “I’ve just started learning. The writing isn’t good.”
“Father Emperor, my husband wrote so many sheets~”
Xie Yuantang spread her small arms wide to demonstrate. “Enough to fill a whole room! His hand grew sore from writing. These two are the best ones, so we’re giving them to you.”
Situ Qing observed his son—embarrassed yet not timidly avoiding eye contact—and then his lively, gracious daughter-in-law. The smile on his lips deepened.
“Yuantang recognizes characters?”
Xie Yuantang paused momentarily, thinking before replying, “When I lived on the farmstead before, I saw others writing and learned secretly.”
“Good, very good!”
Situ Qing nodded, patting her small head. “Yuantang teaches well, and Yan’er learns well too!”
Seeing that his father wasn’t angry but actually praising him, Si Tu Yan’s peach blossom eyes curved happily. “I’m glad Father Emperor likes it. I… will learn more characters and write for you again.”
After some thought, Situ Qing waved his hand decisively. “In that case, both of you shall attend school from now on.”
His son’s willingness to learn was a good thing—of course he hoped Si Tu Yan would continue to improve.
Si Tu Yan looked stunned, but Xie Yuantang reacted quicker, pulling him along as she expressed thanks. “Thank you, Father Emperor.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Situ Qing looked at Xie Yuantang and smiled slightly. “The Empress mentioned to me about you learning palace etiquette. After this hunting trip concludes, you’ll need to report to the palace.”
“Ah?”
Xie Yuantang was stunned, hesitantly asking, “Can I not go?”
Situ Qing smiled meaningfully. “What do you think?”
Xie Yuantang: “…”
Damn!