“Good!” Yinshuang nodded cheerfully.

Cuibi stood to the side, chattering away as she told Bai Qingyan many details about that day’s palace banquet.

When Yinshuang called for help, and Bai Jinxiu was saved during childbirth, Qin Lang ordered someone to fetch Physician Hong. When Physician Hong arrived, Qin Lang grabbed the physician and said very seriously that if it truly came to saving only one, he begged Physician Hong to save Bai Jinxiu first.

Hearing this, Bai Qingyan felt somewhat relieved. If Qin Lang valued Jinxiu so much, that was good – it wasn’t in vain that their Bai Family had paved the way for Qin Lang to leave the mansion.

Before long, Nanny Jiang came to Qinghui Courtyard to invite Bai Qingyan to dine at Changshou Courtyard, saying that Wang Ge’er had awakened and was currently at Changshou Courtyard, making it very lively.

Since returning, Bai Qingyan had not yet seen her little nephew. She ordered Chun Tao to find from the small storeroom that hadn’t been moved back to Shuoyang the jade pendant Grandfather had given her on her tenth birthday, put it in a brocade box, and then went to Changshou Courtyard.

Just as Bai Qingyan stepped through the courtyard gate of Qinghui Courtyard, she heard cheerful laughter from above. It seemed Wang Ge’er had urinated on Bai Jinse’s hand, making Bai Jinse hurriedly call for the wet nurse, which amused the Grand Princess and Liu Shi, while Bai Jinxiu also laughed softly.

From the half-open windows of the main room, bright warm lamplight spilled onto the azure stone floor of the corridors, bathing Changshou Courtyard in warm amber light. Yet this wasn’t as warm as the courtyard full of laughter.

Bai Qingyan stood outside the courtyard, listening to the laughter, the wind… and the rustling of leaves, her features filled with warmth.

In October, there were no longer sounds of insects. The Bai mansion had already removed the light gauze and fragrant princess curtains from the corridors, long galleries, and pavilions. The curtains at the entrances of various courtyards had also been changed to embroidered cloth curtains in seasonal colors.

Though the Grand Princess’s Changshou Courtyard wasn’t often inhabited, Second Madam Liu still maintained it extremely well. The entrance had been fitted with an azure curtain embroidered with magpies perching on branches – very elegant indeed.

The sky seemed to have had a basin of ink poured over it, already darkening. The bright moon was clear, stars dotted the sky, clouds obscured the moon, but in just a moment, clear radiance again covered the ground.

The maid guarding the entrance saw Nanny Jiang personally carrying a lantern and leading Bai Qingyan into the courtyard. She quickly curtsied and lifted the curtain to invite Bai Qingyan in.

Just as Bai Qingyan was about to enter the room, the wet nurse from the Qin mansion happened to be coming out carrying Wang Ge’er, preparing to take him to the warm chamber to change his diaper and clothes. Seeing the maid lift the door curtain high, she quickly stepped aside and curtsied.

Wang Ge’er in the wet nurse’s arms was crying and throwing a tantrum because of his soggy diaper. Bai Qingyan glanced at Wang Ge’er… just as Grandmother had said, he was indeed fair and adorable.

She stepped aside with a smile: “Take Wang Ge’er to change his clothes first!”

Wang Ge’er’s wet nurse expressed her thanks and looked up. Seeing Bai Qingyan gazing at Wang Ge’er in her arms with such tender affection, she was suddenly stunned.

“Elder Sister!” Bai Jinse, who had been urinated on and was about to change clothes, saw Bai Qingyan and quickly bowed.

Wang Ge’er’s wet nurse had long heard that Princess Zhenguo was devastatingly beautiful. When Great Liang’s Fourth Prince had seen Princess Zhenguo, he mistook her for Great Jin’s premier beauty, Liu Ruofu, and vowed never to take concubines, seeking to marry her. This mistake made Nandu Princess Liu Ruofu the laughingstock of all Jin.

When Wang Ge’er’s wet nurse had chatted with others before, she had wondered what kind of stunning beauty Princess Zhenguo must possess. But seeing her today, she truly understood what it meant to be breathtakingly beautiful.

The lanterns in the corridor illuminated the woman before her – her skin lustrous, her features carrying a gentle, warm smile. She was completely unlike the legendary battlefield killer, that ruthless and brutal war god. Her whole being seemed to glow with warm light – she was extraordinarily beautiful.

The wet nurse was dazed for a moment, then came to her senses due to Wang Ge’er’s crying. She quickly bowed respectfully and carried Wang Ge’er to the warm chamber.

“Elder Sister has arrived!” Bai Jinxiu came through the hanging curtains, walking around from behind the screen with a smile, saying to Bai Jinse, “Go change your clothes quickly.”

“Alright! I’ll be right back!” Bai Jinse smiled and bowed before leaving to change.

Seeing Bai Jinse leave, Bai Jinxiu lowered her voice and said to Bai Qingyan: “Elder Sister, when you went to the Crown Prince’s mansion earlier, those monitoring Prince Xin’s mansion reported that Prince Xin’s attendant went to the Empress’s maternal family – the Zhong family – acting very secretively.”

When things were abnormal, there must be demons. Prince Xin, who had been hiding in his mansion since returning to the Capital City, suddenly sent someone to secretly contact his uncle’s family – he must be up to something.

How convenient – now that the Crown Prince was also investigating the Empress, let them fight each other.

Fortunately, the Emperor’s mind was still clear this time. Before falling unconscious, he had summoned back Imperial Teacher Old Tan and Grandmother. The two consulted together… fearing that the Empress, relying on Prince Xin’s return to the capital and carrying the dragon heir in her womb, might cause trouble while the Crown Prince wasn’t in the Capital City, they gave Prince Xin’s uncle Zhong Shaozhong a promotion that was a demotion, removing his position as Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards and stripping him of military power.

However, Zhong Shaozhong’s prestige among the Imperial Guards was still not to be underestimated.

“Have someone watch Prince Xin’s uncle Zhong Shaozhong. Report immediately if Zhong Shaozhong shows any unusual behavior in the coming days, especially pay attention to whether Zhong Shaozhong has contact with his former Imperial Guard subordinates.” As Bai Qingyan spoke, she walked around the screen with Bai Jinzhi and entered the room, bowing to everyone before sitting down.

Nanny Jiang personally brought red date and longan tea, placing it on the small table beside Bai Qingyan, then stood beside the Grand Princess, smiling as she watched Wang Ge’er, who had been brought back after changing clothes and diaper.

“When Little Eight was just born, he urinated all over A’Bao’s hand! Today this Wang Ge’er was equally impolite and urinated all over Little Seven’s hand.” The Grand Princess said cheerfully.

As the first child of the Grand Princess’s great-grandchildren generation, the Grand Princess was extremely fond of him, wishing she could give this little one all the best things.

Bai Qingyan took Wang Ge’er from the wet nurse’s arms. Perhaps because she had experience holding Little Eight Bai Wanqing, Bai Qingyan no longer showed the frantic confusion of before when holding Wang Ge’er.

The room became even more filled with cheerful laughter because of Wang Ge’er. When Bai Jinse returned after changing clothes and tried to take Wang Ge’er from Bai Qingyan’s arms, before she could take him, Wang Ge’er started whimpering as if about to cry. Bai Jinse gently tapped the little one’s nose: “You little thing, when Elder Sister wasn’t here, you liked Seventh Aunt to hold you most! Now that you have Big Aunt, you don’t want Seventh Aunt anymore!”

“Little Seven’s words aren’t wrong – before A’Bao came back, the one Wang Ge’er liked most… wasn’t it Little Seven!” Second Madam Liu covered her lips with a handkerchief, laughing directly.

Bai Qingyan had Chun Tao bring over the jade pendant and placed it in Wang Ge’er’s arms to play with for a while. Wang Ge’er then fell asleep in Bai Qingyan’s embrace, his little face chubby, with hints of drool at the corners of his mouth – fair and adorable.

In her ears were the cheerful laughter of the Grand Princess, Liu Shi, Bai Jinxiu, and Bai Jinzhi. Bai Qingyan looked at the little one sleeping soundly in her arms and thought of Little Eight.

Bai Qingyan gently touched Wang Ge’er’s little hand with fingers curled together, like made of water, soft enough to soothe one’s heart.