CHAPTER 604: CHAPTER 394: THE CHANGE IN THE EASTERN PALACE_2

Although she had wiped it with clean water again, the milk scent seemed unusually strong, which led to Xiao Shu and Xiao Ji, those two little rascals, crawling over to lick her, leaving Ruoruo with a face full of drool and bawling her eyes out. Every time Ruoruo cried, the two boys would sit obediently to one side, scared, as if they knew they had done something wrong, but they were extremely forgetful and would do it again next time.

But separating them made all three little ones unhappy, the crying unceasing.

Seeing that the three children were no longer in danger, we chose a day when flowers bloomed and spring was warm to throw them a belated full-moon feast.

Xiao Song was well-liked, and with colleagues from court, close friends, and relatives attending, the gathering was almost more lavish than during their big wedding.

Dressed in red silk clothes, the three little ones, cute as buttons, instantly caught everyone’s attention as soon as they appeared, especially the ladies, who immediately crowded around them.

Xiao Shu and Xiao Ji were quite cooperative, smiling at everyone on sight, grabbing anything pretty they saw. The ladies didn’t mind at all, giving the charming little fellows whatever they liked, as long as it wasn’t something sharp.

Happily holding their new treasures, they each snuggled into Ge Lan and Wan Lu’s arms to inspect their loot earnestly.

Ruoruo looked startled, with big eyes brimming with tears and tiny fists clenched as she silently lay on Ran Yan’s chest, irresistibly adorable. Moreover, with everyone never having seen such an exquisitely beautiful and well-behaved child, they were extremely fond of her, and many even openly considered her for their future daughter-in-law then and there, only to be politely declined by Ran Yan one by one.

The proudest person today was Xiao Song, who, though nearly thirty before having children, was blessed with both a son and a daughter at once, and a wonderful wife to boot. There’s no helping it...

"Lady, do you have a secret to bearing children?" Cheng Huailiang somehow made his way to Ran Yan’s side, and with many ladies and wives present, he wasn’t embarrassed to ask.

Cheng Huailiang was also anxious. Since his fiancée was a Princess, he couldn’t just easily take concubines, and he had only two maids at home, with one daughter. As he was also nearing his thirties, once he married the Qing He Princess, even if they started trying for children non-stop, he’d be about Xiao Song’s age before he could hope for a son, not to mention there were no guarantees of having a boy on the first try.

The other ladies and wives didn’t have the chance to laugh at Cheng Huailiang, for they were even more curious than he was. However, they felt it was improper to ask among so many people, so they planned to inquire privately after the feast. His question was exactly what they wanted to hear.

Ran Yan really didn’t know what to say, and after a long hesitation, she cautiously responded, "Just... try hard."

Hearing this, everyone might have just let it pass, but Cheng Huailiang, who often spoke without thinking, immediately laughed and said, "That’s three at once, Sister-in-law has been very diligent indeed!"

The expression on everyone’s faces suddenly became very amusing. Ran Yan’s face was especially interesting.

Cheng Huailiang, oblivious, looked at Ruoruo in Ran Yan’s arms and exclaimed in surprise, "Such a tiny child, so good-looking!"

Ruoruo, terrified at the sight of the strange uncle with a face full of beard, pouted her lips as if about to cry and turned to bury her face into Ran Yan’s chest.

Seeing this, the hearts of the ladies present shattered all at once, and they collectively shooed Cheng Huailiang away, "Alright, stop scaring Ruoruo, off you go, shoo!"

After playing outside for a while, the three children were brought back to the rear courtyard to be breastfed by their wet nurses. Ran Yan also took Ruoruo back to the rear courtyard.

A five-month-old child, no matter how naughty, has limited energy. As soon as it got dark, the three children were sound asleep, and Ran Yan finally had a moment of relief.

Ran Yan’s childbirth was not notified to the Suzhou Ran family; this was Ran Yan’s wish. She asked Shao Ming to pay attention to the news from Suzhou and learned that ever since Ran Shiba’s wife passed away and Gao’s had a miscarriage, she had become somewhat mentally unstable. As for the specifics of her instability, the details were not clear—it was something Ran Yan did not want to pose any risk to her own children.

Moreover, her family had never taken Ran Yan seriously. When Ran Yan got married and returned home three days after the wedding, Ran Wen left hurriedly for Suzhou, unconcerned about losing face, even the face of the Xiao family, not willing to stay in Chang’an for even one extra day because Ran Shiba’s wife was ill.

Indeed, Ran Wen was a father who doted on his daughter, but he had nothing to do with her.

Thereby, Xiao Song simply went along with Ran Yan’s wishes. He gave the Ran family face entirely for the sake of Ran Yan’s dignity; if not for this reason, what reason would he, the legitimate heir of the Lanling Xiao family, adorned with a title from the Emperor himself, second-in-command of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, have to think highly of the Ran family?

Thus, the matter was only disclosed to the Zheng family. The Zhengs also wanted to form good relations with the Xiao family, so they were very willing to act as Ran Yan’s maiden family. The wife of Zheng Renji paid frequent visits to Ran Yan and the three little ones.

It was early summer now, and the pond in the Xiao residence was teeming with lotuses in full bloom, emanating a faint fragrance.

After a recent rain, the entire yard was filled with the fresh scent of lotuses mixed with earth. The Water Pavilion was draped with thin bamboo curtains on all sides, and thick mats were laid out on the floor. Maids were positioned every four feet along the water’s edge to prevent the three children from crawling around.

But this was evidently just a precaution. The eldest Xiao child lay on the mat in a sprawled position, with a thin brocade quilt over his little tummy, while Wan Lu tirelessly fanned him as he sleepily blew bubbles from his mouth. The second Xiao child was fiddling with some intellectual toys made by Liu Qingsong, with Ruoruo obediently sitting beside him, watching him play.

Ran Yan was also lying on the mat, accompanying them.

"Lady, the master has returned," a maid reported in a whisper.

Ran Yan hummed softly, sat up, and saw Xiao Song walk briskly into the Water Pavilion.

His eyes were brimming with joy as he looked at the few jade-like babies on the mat and Ran Yan waiting for his return, filling his heart with happiness and contentment. However, with the recent events, he too was feeling uneasy, so he sat down and spoke with Ran Yan for a while.

"After the children’s first birthday, I’ll find a chance to take you back to Lanling. Father and mother also want to see the three children," Xiao Song said.

"Yes, that’s only right, but Ruoruo is still weak; I’m afraid she needs to grow a bit bigger before that," Ran Yan replied, worried that the frailness of the children and the rigors of travel would be too much for them.

Xiao Song nodded, waved the maids away, then said, "Actually, there’s no immediate rush, but the palace has been unstable lately. I haven’t mentioned it to you before, but two courtiers from the Crown Prince’s side have already been lost."

The Eastern Palace’s courtiers, who assisted the Crown Prince in governance, might hold low positions now, but if they managed to gain the Crown Prince’s favor, once the new sovereign was enthroned, they would surely become highly influential officials.

"What happened?" Ran Yan asked. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to give a monthly ticket, a recommendation ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)