The Emperor's Beloved: My Ancestor is the Crown Prince?

Seeing his younger sister doting on this unexpected "little rabbit spirit" as if she were her own niece, Li Chengqian felt a pang of helplessness. He wanted to explain that the child's origins were mysterious and extraordinary, but seeing the two of them smiling at each other in such a warm atmosphere, he swallowed his words.

Never mind, I'll find another opportunity to talk things out with Lizhi alone.

He carefully placed the used lunchbox aside, composed himself, and picked up the unfinished memorial on the desk. As the crown prince, his studies and state affairs were the proper course of action.

Xiao Qingyi's attention was immediately drawn to the bright yellow scroll. She tilted her head and stared at the scroll in Li Chengqian's hand for a long time with her big, round eyes, but she couldn't find anything interesting about it.

"Grandma," she couldn't help but ask, her voice full of genuine confusion, "why are you playing with this? This roll looks so boring."

Li Chengqian's hand holding the scroll paused almost imperceptibly as he looked up at the little figure whose face seemed to say, "What's so fun about this?"

...Forget it, why argue with a child about the difference between "homework" and "play"? Even if I did explain, how could she possibly understand?

"Let's not disturb the Crown Prince while he's handling his business," Li Lizhi said gently, stepping down to be at Xiao Qingyi's eye level, and said softly, "How about Auntie takes you somewhere else to play?"

Upon hearing the word "play," Xiao Qingyi instantly forgot her curiosity about "Boring Curly" and immediately reached out her chubby little hand to grab Li Lizhi: "Okay, okay! Jiejie, let's go play!"

Li Lizhi was slightly taken aback by her impatient and impulsive manner, then chuckled. She had thought she would need to use some persuasion, but she hadn't expected the little one to be so "easy to persuade."

Outside the East Palace

The palace servants and eunuchs standing outside the hall were all taken aback when they saw Princess Chang Le leading a little girl dressed in a strange white velvet dress and wearing rabbit ears out gracefully.

That child's face... looks so familiar! Isn't he the little noble lady who inexplicably appeared in the East Palace a couple of days ago and then inexplicably disappeared? Now he's being led by the most favored Princess Chang Le herself, with an unusually affectionate demeanor.

In an instant, everyone's mind raced, and they had a more "conclusive" guess about the little girl's identity—it seemed that she had a close relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince, without a doubt! In the future, they must be extra careful and attentive in serving her, and must not be negligent.

This became a consensus among almost all the palace servants present.

"Jiejie, what are we going to do?" Xiao Qingyi shook Li Lizhi's hand, her upturned face full of excited anticipation.

What to play?

Li Lizhi was stumped by the question. Having grown up in the palace since childhood, she had only learned poetry, literature, etiquette, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She had never specifically thought about how to "play." Playing with such young children was a first for her.

Seeing Li Lizhi remain silent, a hint of suspicion gradually appeared in Xiao Qingyi's clear cat-like eyes. She stared at her without blinking, as if asking: Pretty Li Lizhi, you don't know what to play, do you?

Staring into those innocent and straightforward eyes, Li Lizhi, for some reason, had a sudden inspiration and blurted out, "Auntie will take you to find other children to play with, okay?"

She thought of her two young and adorable younger siblings in the harem—Prince Jin, Zhinu, and Princess Sizi, both born to her mother. When her mother was unwell, she, as the eldest sister, often went to take care of her. Now, it would only be taking care of one more child; it wouldn't be a problem.

"Great! Great!" Xiao Qingyi clapped her hands and cheered immediately, her previous slight doubts vanishing. "Yiyi loves making friends the most!"

Seeing that the little one had calmed down, Li Lizhi breathed a sigh of relief, took her soft little hand, and walked towards the more cozy and exquisite palace deep inside the inner palace.

After navigating several corridors, they entered a courtyard lush with flowers and trees. Li Lizhi called out loudly, "Zhi Nu, Si Zi!"

As soon as the clear voice fell, two sweet, cheerful voices responded from inside the hall:

"Sister!"

Two small figures, one tall and one short, came running out of the hall like fledglings returning to their nest.

Two small figures leaped out of the hall.

The slightly taller one was a boy of about six or seven years old, dressed in a light blue prince's robe and wearing a small crown. He had a handsome face, and his features already showed some of Li Shimin's heroic spirit and Empress Zhangsun's gentleness. He was none other than the future Emperor Gaozong of Tang, now Prince Jin, Li Zhi (Zhinu). He ran ahead, his eyes sparkling with joy at seeing his elder sister.

Slightly shorter, and carefully sheltered behind him, was a girl who looked even younger, about four or five years old. She wore a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair styled in two buns. From running so fast, her face was flushed with a healthy blush, and her large eyes were like black grapes soaked in water, clean and lively. She seemed a little weak, slightly out of breath after running just a few steps, but her smile was exceptionally sweet and radiant. This was Princess Jinyang, whose nickname was Sizi, and who was greatly loved by her parents and brothers.

"Sister!" The two exclaimed in unison, each grabbing one of Li Lizhi's sleeves.

"Slow down, be careful not to fall." Li Lizhi smiled and patted their heads gently. Then, she stepped aside, revealing Xiao Qingyi, who was hiding behind her and curiously peeking out half her head. "Look, your older sister has brought you a new friend today."

Two pairs of clear eyes immediately fell on Xiao Qingyi.

Xiao Qingyi's eyes widened as she looked at Zhinu, then at Sizi, finally settling on Sizi's pretty pale yellow dress with great curiosity. Today, she was still wearing that fluffy white rabbit onesie, the long ears on the hood swaying gently as she tilted her head.

"What an adorable bunny!" Si Zi exclaimed first. She loosened her grip on her older sister's sleeve, carefully took a small step forward, and stared intently at Xiao Qingyi's "bunny ears" and fluffy clothes, her eyes filled with childlike envy and curiosity. "Is it real rabbit fur?"

Zhi Nu, being two years older, was more composed. He first bowed respectfully to Li Lizhi before looking at Xiao Qingyi with surprise in his eyes: "Sister, who is this little sister...?" He had never seen a child dressed like this in the palace, so delicate and beautiful, like a doll in a New Year's painting.

Li Lizhi was momentarily speechless, pondering how to introduce this "suddenly appeared niece," when Xiao Qingyi, with an air of familiarity, hopped forward and, mimicking Sizi's earlier manner, began to speak in a soft, sweet voice:

"Hello everyone! My name is Li Qingyi! You can call me Yiyi!" She looked at Sizi and added, her tone exceptionally serious, "Your dress is so pretty! Even prettier than my bunny outfit!"

Friendships between children often form very quickly. When Sizi heard the compliment, her eyes curved into crescents, and the timidity she felt due to the unfamiliarity immediately dissipated. "Your bunny outfit is pretty too!" she said sincerely, unable to resist looking again at those long, swaying ears.

Zhi Nu also abandoned the young prince's reserve and asked curiously, "Li Qingyi? Your surname is Li? Which branch of the family are you from? How come I've never seen you before?" He vaguely remembered that there didn't seem to be any younger sisters in the imperial clan who were this age and so... plump and cute.

Xiao Qingyi was a little confused by the question. She had no idea what "which branch" meant. She just pointed in the general direction of Liangyi Hall and then in the direction of the East Palace, gesturing as she said, "I...I'm from the ancestral family! And that tall, handsome Crown Prince's family too!"

Ancestor? Crown Prince?

Zhi Nu and Si Zi exchanged a glance, both somewhat bewildered. Si Zi, being younger, quickly forgot her confusion and simply found her new friend's words amusing. Zhi Nu, however, secretly pondered: "Crown Prince... could it be Brother Cheng Qian? When did Brother Cheng Qian have such a young... daughter?" He couldn't help but steal a glance at his own elder sister.

Li Lizhi received a questioning look from her younger brother. Since the Crown Prince was not yet married, she could only vaguely say, "She is the daughter of an old friend of your elder brother, the Crown Prince. She was recently brought to the palace to stay temporarily and keep you company." She cleverly changed the subject, "Yiyi is new here and not familiar with the palace. As her elder brother and sister, you two should take good care of her and let her play."

Upon hearing that they would be "played with", Zhinu and Sizi's attention was immediately diverted.

"Little Yiyi, what do you want to play?" Sizi took Xiao Qingyi's hand, feeling its soft, fluffy texture, which was both novel and comfortable. "I can play pitch-pot, but I'm not strong enough to throw accurately. Ninth Brother (Zhinu) can play backgammon and tell stories!"

Xiao Qingyi grasped Sizi's slightly cool little hand and excitedly began to list: "We can play hide-and-seek! Play with building blocks! Play... play see who runs the fastest!" When she mentioned the last item, she remembered being forced to run by her father that morning, and her little mouth pouted slightly, but it was quickly overshadowed by the joy of playing with her new friend.

When Zhinu heard "hide-and-seek," his expression became somewhat subtle. He was already of school age and thought the game was a bit childish, but looking at his younger sister Sizi's expectant eyes and the bright eyes of the new little sister, he didn't say anything.

"What are building blocks?" Si Zi asked curiously.

"It's...it's lots and lots of wooden blocks that can be used to build houses and towers!" Xiao Qingyi tried her best to describe it, gesturing with her hands to show what a tall tower looked like.

"There are similar tangram puzzles and building toys in the palace, which might be a substitute," Zhi Nu suggested, demonstrating his reliability as a younger brother. "Why don't we go to my palace first? It's more spacious there, and there are many toys there too."

"Okay, okay!" Xiao Qingyi and Sizi agreed in unison.

Li Lizhi watched as the three children quickly became close, and her heart softened. She gestured for the wet nurse and palace maids to follow carefully, while she walked at a distance behind, watching the three small figures ahead.

Sunlight filters through the flowers and trees in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows. A little princess in a pale yellow dress leads a fluffy white "little rabbit," while beside her stands a young prince trying to stand tall and appear composed and reliable. Their clear, childlike voices drift on the breeze, adding boundless vitality and warmth to the solemn and dignified palace.

Li Lizhi thought that perhaps this unexpected little guest brought not only novel foods and objects, but also this exceptionally precious, pure and innocent laughter.

What she didn't realize was that the "telephone watch" on Xiao Qingyi's wrist, which she regarded as a novel accessory, occasionally shimmered with a faint, out-of-this-era luster in the sunlight.