CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 337: A FAMILY GOES OUT

Yet she has always been as pure and beautiful as a lotus emerging from clear water, and rarely dressed up as she does today.

The Emperor couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

"You’re willing to dress up for your brother’s sake, but you always appear bare-faced before me every day."

Lin Wanyi was somewhat at a loss whether to laugh or cry at the Emperor’s words.

So she comforted him, saying.

"If I were to adorn myself like this every day, I’m afraid the children would be covered in powder when they rush to me. Once they grow older, if Your Majesty still prefers me like this, I’ll dress up every morning for Your Majesty to behold, how about that?"

With her playful expression, the Emperor could see that Lin Wanyi was definitely teasing him.

But who could blame him for doting on her and loving her, making him play the part of the foolish one.

His eyes regained clarity as he rose and began the grooming and changing of clothes.

Today, the Emperor also dressed up magnificently like Lin Wanyi.

He naturally possesses the dignity of an emperor, but at this moment it dissipates considerably, his attire adding a touch of spirited confidence.

Once they were finished with their preparations, Nanny Ji brought the Second Prince over.

He was the earliest of the children to arrive, and compared to the other innocent little ones, he was as thrilled as Lin Wanyi and had not slept a wink the night before.

Not feeling sleepy at all, he was quite delighted at the moment.

"Your son greets Father Emperor and Mother Consort."

"Hmm, you may rise."

He was dressed ceremoniously today, perfectly befitting a Prince.

His stature had grown considerably since last year, making him look quite like a young lad now.

The coming year would mark his eighth birthday, therefore the Second Prince now carried a sense of maturity that had been absent before.

Looking at him brought Lin Wanyi a feeling of seeing her son growing up.

She felt very gratified.

"Are you dressed warmly enough? Outside isn’t like the palace, make sure you don’t catch a chill."

Although the Lin Family wasn’t short on money, it still wasn’t feasible to bring in hot spring water like Yihua Palace did to warm the floors.

Thus, Lin Wanyi voiced her concerns.

"Mother Consort, you don’t have to worry. I’m wearing plenty, Nanny Ji even added a little fur-lined waistcoat inside for me, it’s very warm."

With that, he slightly opened his collar to show Lin Wanyi the waistcoat.

The waistcoat was sent by Mrs. Dong; both the Second Prince, Second Princess, and Fourth Prince had one.

As for the Fifth Prince and Third Princess, because they were still young and couldn’t handle being too warm, they weren’t made. Instead, their usual clothes were lined with a bit of soft silk.

Lightweight yet warm.

Seeing the Second Prince’s preparations, Lin Wanyi was finally at ease.

She patted his shoulder and said.

"The Second Prince represents the Imperial Family today, so while it’s alright to be excited, don’t get too carried away, or else those outside might think our Second Prince hasn’t learned enough manners, understand?"

"I understand, Mother Consort, don’t worry."

He continued to say.

"After all, I have to set an example for my younger siblings, right?"

Mother and son exchanged a smile, communicating silently.

Soon, several little ones also arrived, properly dressed, accompanied by the nannies.

Each one was quite jubilant, making the main hall of Yihua Palace feel a bit crowded with them all there.

"Servants greet the Emperor and Empress."

The nannies either held hands or carried the children.

As such, their courtesy was a half-bow, not directly kneeling.

Seeing this scene, a long-lost sense of warmth washed over the Emperor.

He didn’t have many siblings and couldn’t feel it.

Previously, there were a few children, but they were raised scattered among the palaces, thus not seeing such scenery.

When it appears in the Royal Family, it always feels somewhat unreal.

But taking a glance at Yihua Palace, it seems a bit more down-to-earth.

The Emperor looked at Lin Wanyi, the love in his eyes was nearly overflowing.

Everyone in the palace saw it.

But none dared to utter a word, and they all bowed their heads, letting humor linger silently in their hearts.

"Let’s have breakfast, and after eating, we’ll leave the palace."

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Chunqi brought in breakfast.

With many people today, naturally, there were more varieties of dishes.

However, the portion size of each dish was small to avoid waste.

The Second Prince dined with the Emperor and Lin Wanyi.

As for the Second Princess and Fourth Prince, they were at the age of learning to eat on their own, so Lin Wanyi had prepared a small table and chairs for them.

This way, they could sit peacefully and attempt to eat by themselves.

In recent days, the Emperor hadn’t eaten with them, and seeing this scene for the first time, was genuinely surprised.

"They’re already feeding themselves?"

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

In his mind, children seemed only to be able to eat on their own by four or five years old.

Yet now, the Second Princess and Fourth Prince were just over a year old, starting to learn.

Lin Wanyi explained, as expected.

"They’re still quite far from mastering it, right now it’s just the novelty, so they’re insisting on feeding themselves. Take a closer look, three mouthfuls of rice may not even contain one bite."

Lin Wanyi laughed, and the Emperor looked closely.

Just as she said.

Especially the Second Princess, who was enthusiastically trying to use a spoon at first.

Later, when she realized it was not working, she simply used her hands.

Fortunately, Chunqi served dishes easy to grasp, such as dumplings and steamed buns.

Thus, it didn’t take much effort.

The Fourth Prince was now the Second Princess’s little follower, imitating whatever she did.

Perhaps their ages were closest, making them the closest companions over recent days.

The two were happily eating, and the nannies beside them did not interfere.

Though the bibs wrapped around them suffered a bit.

But compared to the children’s cheerful demeanor, a bit of mess hardly mattered.

The Emperor watched for a while before he started taking his breakfast.

Finished eating, once he reached eighty percent full, he paused.

Then he earnestly said to Lin Wanyi.

"The children should learn their table manners well in the future. Look at their manners at the table..."

The disdain in his eyes was barely concealable, and Lin Wanyi finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Poor Second Princess and Fourth Prince were oblivious to their Father Emperor’s "displeasure," blissfully enjoying their meal.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Prince and Third Princess, who were still nursing, wore a resolute "when are we leaving" expression.

Especially the Fifth Prince, who was about to start wailing.

Lin Wanyi went over, held him, and spoke softly.

"Be well-behaved today, don’t cause too much fuss at your eldest uncle’s wedding, okay?"

The Fifth Prince sensed his familiar scent and shifted from fuss to smiles.

Sadly, once he opened his mouth, he resembled a toothless elderly lady, with a hint of comical flavor.

Looking at the milk-scented baby, Lin Wanyi almost couldn’t resist giving his cheek a kiss.

But remembering she still had makeup on, she gave up the thought.