The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 413 (Extra Chapter) (First Encounter 4)

She had never seen a mother like this before. If it weren't for the fact that she had watched her young lady being born, she would have thought that the master had brought the young lady from outside.

The maid fed Shen Qingwan water, and when she turned her head, she saw Jiang Yuyan standing not far away.

"Greetings, Third Prince. May the Third Prince be blessed."

Jiang Yuyan waved his hand, signaling her to leave. After the maid had gone far away, he walked over and stood in front of Shen Qingwan. "Doesn't your mother like you either?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingwan's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked up in confusion.

and also?
"Doesn't your brother's mother like him either?"

Jiang Yuyan shook his head. "My mother is very good to me, but my father has never liked me since I was a child."

Father Emperor?
Shen Qingwan seemed to remember something and hurriedly knelt down, "Wanwan greets the prince, may the prince be well."

Jiang Yuyan was taken aback. He took a small step back and helped her up from the ground. "Didn't you call the Seventh Emperor 'Brother Xian' and not bow to him? Why are you bowing to me like this?"

Shen Qingwan looked at him thoughtfully, and after thinking for a while, she said, "But Father said that you are all very noble people, and when Wanwan sees you, she should kneel down and pay her respects."

“Since Wanwan considers me a distinguished person, I grant her special permission to not bow to her brother in the future.” A hint of gentleness flashed across Jiang Yuyan’s face. “Was the osmanthus cake your brother gave you delicious?”

"It's delicious! Wanwan loves osmanthus cake the most." Shen Qingwan said, nodding heavily. But after a while, she seemed to remember something, and her eyes dimmed. "But... brother, do you have any more osmanthus cake? Can I have two more pieces?"

"Wanwan, do you want to eat more?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuyan had just lifted his foot to walk towards his room when he heard Shen Qingwan continue speaking.

"The osmanthus cake that my brother gave me was so delicious that I couldn't resist and ate it all. But I forgot what my mother said: if there is something delicious, I can't eat it all by myself. I have to leave half for my sister."

Jiang Yuyan's steps suddenly stopped.

He came in late, but she overheard some of what Madam Shen said.

Shen Wenqian only has one daughter, Shen Qingwan. The younger sister she mentioned should be the younger sister from her maternal family that Madam Shen was referring to.

and so……

"Are you asking me for two more pieces of osmanthus cake for your cousin?"

Jiang Yuyan already knew the answer in his heart, but he still asked the question knowingly.

Shen Qingwan nodded. "If Wanwan eats it all, Mother will be angry. Mother was angry just now."

Jiang Yuyan's eyes trembled, and an indescribable heat surged within him.

He had always thought that such favoritism from parents only occurred in their royal family, but he never imagined that it would be the same in the home of an ordinary official.

He was clearly the Emperor's son, but in front of his Emperor, he was always like a transparent person.

He never understood why, despite being born so much earlier than Jiang Yuxian and being so outstanding, studying diligently day and night, he still couldn't win his father's favor.

But Jiang Yuxian was different. From the moment he was born, his father loved him dearly. He would hold him wherever he went, teach him to write, ride horses and shoot arrows. Even his mother, Consort Ying, was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort because of his birth.

This time, during the trip to Jiangnan to quell the epidemic, Father Emperor even took him to bed with him. They're both princes, so why, why does Father Emperor never seem to like him? He only likes Jiang Yuxian. What is it about him that he lacks compared to Jiang Yuxian?

Jiang Yuyan's steps suddenly stopped. He slowly turned around, looking down at the little girl who was much younger than him. "Then let me ask you, do you like me more, or do you like your Xian-gege?"

Shen Qingwan thought about it seriously. Actually, she liked Brother Xian because he was fair-skinned and tender, just like a freshly steamed bun. When he smiled, it was like the pleats on a bun.

But this older brother was different; he seemed to have something bothering him and never smiled.

Is it because she ate all his osmanthus cake that he was unhappy?

Shen Qingwan was afraid that he would stop giving her osmanthus cakes, and that would make her mother angry.

"I like my older brother."

Jiang Yuyan was stunned for a moment before a deep smile appeared on his lips.

He thought the little girl would say she liked Jiang Yuxian. Last night, seeing the two of them sitting in the courtyard, chatting happily, he thought she would say she liked him.

Shen Qingwan frowned as she watched him stand there smiling, not making any move to get him the pastries. "Brother."

She called his name softly again, which brought Jiang Yuyan back to his senses.

"I'll get it for you."

After Jiang Yuyan finished speaking, he quickly walked into his room and took out all the pastries that his mother had prepared for him before he left the palace. In fact, he didn't usually like to eat these sweet things, but his mother was worried that the journey was long and that he would not have enough to eat in Rongcheng, which had been suffering from a drought for three years. So she forced these pastries on him.

"These are all yours," Jiang Yuyan said generously.

"Give it all to me?" Shen Qingwan was shocked. "Brother, aren't you going to eat any?"

“I’m going back to the palace tomorrow. There are plenty of these things in the palace. You can keep them for yourself. Although it’s raining in Rongcheng now, it’s probably not until next autumn that the disaster in Rongcheng will really be alleviated.” After Jiang Yuyan finished speaking, he raised his hand and touched his head. “Go and give these things to the maid who serves you. Tell her to keep them safe for you. Be careful that no one takes them secretly.”

Shen Qingwan thought for a moment, shook her head, and stuffed the box of pastries that Jiang Yuyan had given her back. "Brother, this is too much. I only need two pieces. You have already given me so much. I will have Mother send these two pieces to Sister Ruyan later. Please keep the rest for you."

Jiang Yuyan frowned deeply as he looked at Shen Qingwan.

He vowed in his heart, "Wanwan, one day, neither you nor I will need to give way to anyone anymore. Believe me."

"Wanwan, Wanwan..."

From afar, Jiang Yuxian's voice could be heard.

Jiang Yuyan hurriedly took the pastry box back to his room, leaving Shen Qingwan alone in the courtyard, holding two pieces of osmanthus cake.

"string together……"

When Jiang Yuxian ran in, he immediately saw the osmanthus cake in his hand. His eyes trembled slightly, and the smile on his face suddenly froze.

"Brother Xian!"

The moment Shen Qingwan looked up, she saw the crab with its claws outstretched that he was holding in the middle of the week.

She was so frightened that she burst into tears.