Qingyang Princess held it in and held it in, but finally couldn't resist and burst out laughing.
Her precious baby was truly silly and adorable.
To keep her precious baby from worrying about unnecessary things, Qingyang Princess stopped introducing the pastries, lest her baby say something shockingly outrageous again.
Then, she calmly explained what Dragon's Beard Candy was made of—not a dragon's whiskers—and that Donkey Rolling wasn't a real donkey, but just a name.
After hearing the explanation, Luo Ranran smacked her lips, her wildly thumping little heart finally settling down.
Alright!
So it was just her own ignorance!
Fortunately, she was thick-skinned, and her mother didn't know about her embarrassing moment. Hehe, that way, she didn't have to feel shy, much less want to dig a three-bedroom apartment out of sheer embarrassment.
Qingyang Princess: …There was something she wasn't sure if she should say or not.
"Eldest Imperial Sister, don't just stand there in a daze. Come and sit. It's been a long time since we've gathered together. Let's have a good chat today."
It wasn't just a long time; they had never gathered together alone. Even for imperial banquets, she would feign illness whenever she could.
The Eldest Princess jolted violently.
Only then did she snap out of her dazed stupor. She cautiously glanced at Qingyang Princess's belly, the shock and disbelief in her eyes yet to fade.
"Thank you, thank you, Princess Qingyang. I was rude just now."
Qingyang Princess smiled and corrected her, "Imperial Sister, just call me Imperial Sister. Calling me Princess Qingyang is truly too distant."
The Eldest Princess felt incredibly flattered, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears of emotion. "Alright, then I'll call you Imperial Sister."
With that, she quickly walked over and sat down on a chair.
Although she was timid and weak, she was sensible and knew how to read people. She could tell that her Imperial Sister was treating her with genuine kindness.
But…
A myriad of thoughts raced through the Eldest Princess's mind. After a bout of internal struggle and hesitation, she finally mustered her courage and looked at Qingyang Princess with a frank and clear gaze.
"Imperial Sister, I… I think I just…"
She didn't dare say more, merely shifting her gaze to Qingyang's protruding belly.
"Imperial Sister, no need to say more. I understand what you mean." Qingyang Princess's expression turned solemn as she raised a hand to stop the Eldest Princess from continuing.
She didn't want to see her Imperial Sister go meet their ancestors.
Although she didn't quite understand why her Imperial Sister and her son could hear her precious baby's inner voice, she knew that those who could were relatives with whom she shared a bloodline.
And they were of good character and trustworthy.
Seeing her Imperial Sister's calm and knowing expression, the Eldest Princess's heart filled with mixed emotions, followed by a smile of relief.
Heaven knew what she had just experienced.
Fortunately, her Imperial Sister could also hear her own child's inner voice. She finally no longer had to worry that her and Yi'er's strange ability would anger her Imperial Sister.
But why could she and Yi'er hear the child's inner voice?
Could it be that the heavens saw how pitiful she and her son were and specially granted them a cheat?
Or perhaps this child would become a benefactor to her and her children?
"Sis… Sister, cake."
At that moment, Qian Zhanyi, with a piece of pastry in his hand, grinned happily. He foolishly offered it to Luo Ranran through the belly.
The Eldest Princess couldn't help but laugh.
"Good Yi'er, your little sister hasn't been born yet, so she can't eat pastries right now. When she's born, you can feed her pastries then, okay?"
As she spoke, she reached out and pulled her silly son's little hand back, lest he, not knowing any better, soil her Imperial Sister's dress.
Qingyang Princess gently stroked her belly. "Yi'er, your little sister will probably be born in about half a month. You'll be able to see her then."
It was unclear if Qian Zhanyi understood what the two adults were saying. He just kept nodding and giggling foolishly.
With pastry in his mouth, he mumbled indistinctly, "Sis… see sister, hehe."
【Sigh!】
Luo Ranran sighed. It was rare for this silly big brother to think of her, and her heart felt warm and fuzzy.
【You poor thing. You were originally bright and clever, not born with a disability. But you were poisoned by your father's concubine, which is why you became like this.】
【You were just a baby of a few months back then, harmed by that vile woman. How truly pitiful!】
What?
Harmed by a concubine!
Not born with a disability!!
The Eldest Princess was aghast. She clutched her chest in indignation, almost unable to breathe.
Qingyang Princess quickly reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "Eldest Imperial Sister, take a deep breath, then slowly exhale. You mustn't let yourself get worked up. Don't forget, you still have three children."
That's right, she still had three children to raise.
A mixture of anger and resentment filled the Eldest Princess, and large tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She desperately wanted to ask Luo Ranran which vile woman had harmed her Yi'er.
But a woman's intuition told her she couldn't ask these questions directly.
And she completely trusted what Luo Ranran had said.
As for why an unborn child would know these things? It was obvious—her origins must be extraordinary!
Qingyang Princess sighed.
The inner courtyards of large households were just like the Imperial Harem. Wherever there were many women, there was never a shortage of schemes and plots.
The child was innocent.
Forget it. Since she had encountered her Imperial Sister's troubles, she certainly wouldn't ignore them. She quickly gave the Eldest Princess a reassuring look.
Then, she spoke nonchalantly, offering a little guidance to avoid being too abrupt and making her precious baby notice anything amiss.
"Eldest Imperial Sister, did you come to see me today for something important?"
The Eldest Princess's body suddenly stiffened. Only then did she remember the important matter she had yet to tell her Imperial Sister.
"Um, Imperial Sister, I…" The Eldest Princess opened her mouth, seemingly unsure where to begin, feeling it was a bit sudden.
Qingyang Princess saw her predicament at a glance and gave her a gentle and considerate smile. "Imperial Sister, just say what's on your mind. There's no need to worry about anything else."
Alright!
The Eldest Princess took a deep breath and mustered her courage. "Imperial Sister, a few days ago when I was out, I ran into Consort An in an alley. He… he was standing outside a small courtyard, embracing and bidding farewell to a delicate-looking woman. The two of them seemed very intimate, not like a simple relationship between a man and a woman."
After speaking, the Eldest Princess explained with some trepidation.
"Imperial Sister, I… I didn't mean to speak ill of Consort An, nor did I want to harm the relationship between you two. I only came today to give you a reminder. Consort An, he…"
He was not a good person.
He was a beast in human clothing. Daring to be lovey-dovey with another woman behind his Imperial Sister's back, he was probably capable of even more terrible things.
Hearing this, Qingyang Princess's heart felt warm, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but lift.
Her timid and cautious Imperial Sister… she must have had several sleepless nights before finally resolving to come and tell her about that scumbag.
How should she put it? Having someone care about her like this, how could she not be happy?
Qingyang Princess leaned over and gratefully hugged the Eldest Princess, her tone now carrying a more heartfelt intimacy than before.
"Imperial Sister, thank you for the reminder."
"What a coincidence. Just yesterday, I found out that An Dongzhang is keeping a woman outside. I also learned that he and that woman were poisoning me, attempting to cause 'One Corpse, Two Lives.'
Then they would logically use his illegitimate child to replace my child's identity and seize my Princess Mansion for themselves."
"What?"
The Eldest Princess was both shocked and horrified, her eyes instantly widening like bronze bells.
"He… how dare An Dongzhang?"