Mo Yanchen took her small hand, patted the back of it lightly, and stepped forward to perform a proper greeting.
Nuannuan remembered her aunt’s instructions before they arrived. Seeing Brother Chen bow, she hurriedly followed his example, performing a clumsy but exceptionally earnest curtsy.
In a milky voice, she spoke one word at a time, “Nuannuan… greets Her Highness.”
She was young, and her pronunciation was a bit unclear, but her etiquette was proper.
Looking at that small face—so similar to Xiao Yunheng’s yet more delicate and tender—the Empress couldn’t help but chuckle behind her hand, her gaze softening.
She had heard about the Wu’an Wangfu finding the bloodline of the Heir.
Seeing the child with her own eyes now, and thinking of the Xiao family’s current situation, her heart couldn’t help but soften.
“Good child, get up quickly,” she leaned over slightly and touched Nuannuan’s unmistakably thin little face. “Look at this little face; she must have suffered a lot.”
She turned to the attending palace maid. “Go, fetch that pair of Chijin Inlaid Treasure Exquisite Bracelets recently sent by the Imperial Household Department, as well as that set of pink Cloud Brocade fabric. Oh, and bring several kinds of soft, glutinous pastries as well.”
The palace maid complied and left, returning quickly.
Looking at the sparkling things presented to her, Nuannuan raised her small face and shook her head stubbornly. “Nuannuan doesn’t want them. Mommy said… no.”
Hearing this, the admiration in the Empress’s eyes deepened. “Take them. This is a gift because your Imperial Grandmother likes you; it’s not just anyone’s things. Be good.”
Nuannuan was a bit at a loss, her large, dark-grape eyes blinking.
Mo Yanchen’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, and he gave her a very subtle nod.
Nuannuan pursed her lips and performed another proper curtsy. “Nuannuan, thank you.”
Since the Empress had spoken and clearly favored this little child, the other consorts naturally followed suit with their own rewards.
Every time Nuannuan received something, she would first look at Mo Yanchen. Only after receiving his silent permission would she obediently thank them one by one.
Amidst this harmonious atmosphere, Nuannuan’s gaze was suddenly drawn to Consort Li, the one wearing the most vibrant colors among the consorts.
She stopped her movements abruptly, tilting her small head as her clear, black-and-white eyes scrutinized Consort Li.
Suddenly, she pointed her small finger straight at her and spoke loudly, “Dark! Auntie is all dark!”
The moment she spoke, everyone’s gaze shifted simultaneously to Consort Li.
The Yuhua Yuan, which had been filled with quiet whispers and laughter just moments ago, instantly fell into a dead silence.
Several timid palace maids instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to look at Consort Li’s expression.
Everyone in the harem knew that Consort Li, relying on the Emperor’s favor, was arrogant and overbearing. She placed the utmost importance on maintaining her appearance and was highly superstitious about any ominous words.
To be told by a two-year-old child in public that she was “dark” or “black”—the outcome was predictable.
Sure enough, Consort Li’s well-maintained face darkened at a visible rate.
“Presumptuous! You wild brat, how dare you curse me! Men, come!” She took a sudden step forward, her fingers stained with balsam flowers nearly poking Nuannuan’s nose, her voice sharp and piercing.
Nuannuan trembled with fear, let out a cry, and turned to bury her head in Mo Yanchen’s arms.
Mo Yanchen’s expression also turned cold.
He looked at the frantic Consort Li with a frigid gaze, his voice carrying a pressure that didn’t match his age. “Consort Li, Nuannuan is but a two-year-old child. Why must you lower yourself to her level?”
Consort Li’s heart skipped a beat under Mo Yanchen’s gaze.
Remembering the importance the Emperor placed on this Imperial Eldest Grandson, her fury was forced back down her throat.
She suppressed her anger, though her tone was still unpleasant. “The Imperial Eldest Grandson is far too protective of this girl. Such malicious words…”
“Enough,” the Empress said, her gaze sweeping indifferently over Consort Li with a hint of warning. “It was just the mindless words of a child. Consort Li, you are making too much of a fuss.”
Turning to look at little Nuannuan, who was being held tightly by Mo Yanchen, her tone became more considerate.
“Chen’er, it seems we have interrupted your enjoyment of the fish. I am also tired. You stay and play with this child.”
Consort Li was unwilling, yet she didn’t dare defy the Empress.
As she turned to leave, she shot a vicious glare at Nuannuan before departing resentfully.
Once the crowd of colorful figures had vanished into the distance, Nuannuan timidly raised her head from Mo Yanchen’s arms, her large eyes still fixed on the direction where Consort Li had left.
She puzzledly mumbled in a low voice, “But it really is dark…”
Her large eyes were filled with a sense of being wronged.
Mo Yanchen took out a silk handkerchief he carried and wiped her small hands. “Nuannuan, don’t be afraid of her. As long as I am here, no one dares bully you.”
“Brother Chen is amazing!” Nuannuan tugged at his sleeve, her large eyes full of admiration.
Mo Yanchen didn’t respond, simply allowing her to tug on him.
Nuannuan was quiet for a while before a new question popped into her small head.
She thought about it and pulled his sleeve again. “Brother Chen, was that Po-po… your grandmother?”
“Yes,” Mo Yanchen replied. “She is the Empress, my Imperial Grandmother. You should respectfully call her ‘Her Majesty the Empress’.”
Nuannuan nodded as if she understood, indicating she had remembered.
She blinked her large eyes and continued to ask, “What about Mommy? Brother Chen’s mommy…”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expression of the head eunuch standing behind Mo Yanchen changed drastically.
He stumbled forward, not caring about his breach of etiquette, and interrupted her with a shrill voice, “Little… Little Miss, look! That Golden Dragon King has swum over again.”
Fufeng and Zhuyue, the two maids following Nuannuan, were also turned pale with fright, wishing they could faint on the spot.
Mo Yanchen’s body stiffened slightly, and the aura around him plummeted.
In those eyes that were always calm, a deep, icy chill was now surging.
He looked down.
But meeting Nuannuan’s crystal-clear eyes again, the hostility rising in his heart strangely dissipated bit by bit.
While the head eunuch was trembling uncontrollably, Mo Yanchen shifted his gaze toward the distance. “Let’s go. I will take you to see other places.”
The terrified Fufeng couldn’t take it anymore. She stepped forward trembling and bowed. “Huangzhangsun Dianxia, the hour… the hour is getting late. The commandery princess must be anxious. Please allow us to take the Little Miss back to the Wangfu.”
She was truly afraid… afraid that if they stayed any longer, the Little Miss would ask something else life-threatening.
Nuannuan also noticed that Brother Chen was unhappy.
After thinking for a moment, she stepped forward, reached out her short arms, and gave Mo Yanchen a gentle hug. “Brother Chen, Nuannuan gives a hug. Mommy says hugs are the warmest.”
This sudden hug caused Mo Yanchen’s body to freeze.
He instinctively wanted to push her away, but his hand stopped mid-air.
After a long moment, he raised his other hand and patted the top of her soft hair somewhat clumsily. “…Mn, it’s fine.”
Just then, a young eunuch stopped a few paces away. Looking hurried, he bowed and reported, “Reporting to Your Highness, the Wu’an Wangfu has sent word that Miss Wei has regained consciousness.”
Miss Wei?
Mommy!
The moment Nuannuan heard this, she immediately let go of Mo Yanchen, all her attention captured by this good news.
“Mommy!” she cheered, turning around and taking off on her short legs in the direction they had come.
After running two steps, she stopped and waved her little hand at Mo Yanchen, who was still standing there.
“Brother Chen, Nuannuan is going to see Mommy! I’ll find you to play next time!”
Mo Yanchen stood in place, his gaze following that skipping figure for a long time without moving.
Wu’an Wangfu.
Nuannuan was carried by Fufeng all the way, practically flying through the many courtyards of the Wu’an Wangfu.
Nuannuan’s little heart was thumping rapidly. She tightly hugged Fufeng’s neck, her little head straining forward. “Sister, faster! Faster!”