Having taken a fleeting glance around the Imperial Zoo like a passerby admiring flowers, Tangtang couldn’t wait to drag Chunxu back to Fengyi Palace.
The Empress was mindlessly conversing with Gu Yanzhao when her peripheral vision caught a tiny figure dashing toward her with all her might.
“Imperial Grandmother, Tangtang is back! Are you feeling better?”
Tangtang came to a halt in front of the Empress, clutching her hand worryingly before she could even catch her breath.
“Thanks to my precious grandchild, Imperial Grandmother is fine!” The Empress embraced the little girl and kissed her face.
Seeing that her complexion looked much better than earlier, Tangtang buried her head right into the Empress’s arms. “Tangtang saw a super, super big panther in the zoo… bigger than Tangtang!”
Sister Chunxu said that the panther was very fierce, and when angry, it would gulp down a person with an *awoo*!
But the panther was clearly very obedient and had never eaten anyone before…
Because she saw it very clearly: the top of the panther’s head was completely bare, without even a trace of resentment.
,
The Empress couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh. “Because my darling is still small! You need to eat lots of food and get plenty of sleep so you can grow tall!”
Tangtang puffed out her small chest, pointing at her father as she asked, “If I eat lots of food and sleep plenty, can I grow even taller than Father?”
Father was currently as tall as several Tangtangs combined. How much food did her little tummy have to hold for her to grow taller than Father!
The Empress smiled so broadly her mouth couldn’t close, tears of laughter welling in the corners of her eyes. “My precious grandchild, you mustn’t grow into a silly giant like your father—strike him with a stick and not a single fart comes out, just like a sawed-mouth gourd…”
Tangtang’s head was filled with question marks. What kind of gourd species was a “sawed-mouth gourd”? She had never heard Master mention it…
Was Father a gourd that had gained sentience and become a spirit?
Then Father was truly amazing; she hadn’t even realized Father was transformed from a gourd!
Eastern Palace, Deyin Hall
The Crown Princess’s beautiful eyes were filled with utter astonishment. Three days had already passed—how were these flowers still in full bloom?
She remembered that in the past, no matter how brilliantly the flowers blossomed in the Eastern Palace, every single flower would wither and fall after three days.
Even Hongyu and Cuiyu had eyes full of disbelief.
These flowers had just been replaced on the morning the little Commandery Princess returned!
The moment the little Commandery Princess arrived, not only did the Crown Princess wake up, but now even the flowers in the Eastern Palace could survive past three days!
Did this mean that in the future, there would be no need to keep delivering flowers into the palace from the imperial manor?
Recovering her senses, the Crown Princess instructed in a low voice, “Keep this matter quiet. Continue to have the manor send flowers into the palace!”
This matter was of grave importance. If the culprit behind the scenes learned of Tangtang’s extraordinary nature and did something to harm her, the consequences would be unimaginable!
“This servant understands!” Hongyu and Cuiyu answered in unison.
The little Commandery Princess was the lucky star of the Eastern Palace; they would definitely protect her well!
Having finished lunch at Fengyi Palace, seeing tiredness creep onto the Empress’s face, Gu Yanzhao took his leave with Tangtang.
“Imperial Grandmother, rest well! Tangtang will come see you again in a couple of days!” The little girl waved goodbye reluctantly.
The Empress nodded with a gentle smile, her loving gaze full of lingering fond farewells until her figure vanished from sight before she finally withdrew her gaze.
Father and daughter walked hand in hand down the long palace corridor.
Tangtang tilted her head up, her curious gaze landing squarely on Gu Yanzhao’s mouth.
Father clearly had a mouth, and his mouth hadn’t been sawed off…
Her gaze was far too direct, and Gu Yanzhao couldn’t help looking down to ask, “What are you looking at?”
Tangtang tilted her small head and asked innocently, “Father, can everyone in your sawed-mouth gourd clan turn into humans? Is Imperial Grandfather a gourd too?”
The corners of Gu Yanzhao’s mouth twitched slightly. Just what was going on in his daughter’s tiny head?
What “sawed-mouth gourd clan”?
He was a human! A living, breathing, jumping human with a shadow who could talk!
Seeing his daughter staring at him without blinking, Gu Yanzhao took a deep breath. “Father is a human, just like Tangtang! Your Imperial Grandfather isn’t a gourd either; he is human too!”
“Then why did Imperial Grandmother say Father is like a sawed-mouth gourd?”
Gu Yanzhao choked on his words, his royal mother’s words floating into his mind.
“Your Imperial Grandmother was just making an analogy and saying it casually. That was just a joke you shouldn’t take seriously!”
Tangtang nodded in thoughtful realization. So that was how it was.
She had thought Father was transformed from a gourd, and she had even planned that if she caught black mist in the future without a porcelain bottle to put it in, she would just have Father turn into a gourd to hold it.
At the thought of this, Tangtang—having suffered the painful loss of a gourd father—slumped her shoulders in deep disappointment.
Gu Yanzhao rubbed his large hand over her head, saying warmly, “Do you want a gourd?”
Tangtang lowered her head, nodding first before shaking it.
She had gourds; she just wanted a gourd father.
Tangtang pouted her small mouth. *Sigh!* What a shame, she didn’t have that kind of blessing…
“Father, when we get back home, may I go see my brothers?”
Imperial Grandmother had given her so many delicious pastries; she wanted to take them back to share with her brothers.
Besides… she had never met her brothers before, and she didn’t know if they would be easy to get along with or if they would like Tangtang…
The little girl looked at him with a touch of anxiety, deeply afraid of being rejected.
Gu Yanzhao’s heart softened. Reaching out his arms, he scooped her into his embrace. “Of course you can! The Eastern Palace is Tangtang’s home, so Tangtang can go anywhere she wants!”
A sweet smile instantly blossomed on Tangtang’s face, and she planted a loud kiss right on Gu Yanzhao’s cheek. “Thank you, Father! Tangtang likes Father the most~”
She wondered what kind of gifts her brothers would like; she would ask Mother after getting back.
Having been busy all morning, the Crown Princess was resting on a soft couch when she slowly opened her eyes upon hearing her daughter’s voice.
“Mother! Tangtang missed you so much~” The little milk ball’s cheeks were rosy pink as her two short legs scampered over, throwing herself into Yun Jingshu’s arms. “Did Mother miss Tangtang?”
Yun Jingshu pinched her tiny nose, saying dotingly, “My darling daughter, of course Mother missed you! Hurry, let Mother hold you and dote on you properly!”
Tangtang let out a burst of giggles at her words, nuzzling against her chest before speaking, “Are my brothers resting right now? Imperial Grandmother gave me lots of delicious pastries, and I want to eat them together with my brothers!”
As the little girl spoke, she took a piece of osmanthus cake out of the food box and stuffed it into her mother’s mouth. “Mother, eat too! This cake is super fragrant!”
Yun Jingshu finished the osmanthus cake with a beaming smile before saying, “Your third brother has his day and night reversed; he’s probably still sleeping right about now… As for your eldest and second brothers, they’re probably reading books at this hour…”
Tangtang carefully closed the lid of the food box, then said in her crisp voice, “Got it! Then Tangtang will go see Big Brother and Second Brother first, and go see Third Brother later! I’m off~”
With that, Tangtang grabbed the food box and bounced off cheerfully.
Yun Jingshu’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly instructed, “Hongyu, go with Tangtang! Keep an eye on things while you’re at it, and don’t let Third Brother hurt Tangtang!”
This girl ran faster than a rabbit—she better not trip and fall!