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

At the beginning of the Wei hour (1-3 PM), the Tang Dynasty established the warm pavilion of the Zhengdian Hall.

Xiao Qingyi had changed into a pale yellow dress, her hair styled in two buns and tied with pink ribbons. She was lying on Empress Zhangsun's lap, showing off the jade rabbit paperweight—of course, she didn't say that it was a gift from Li Chengqian, only that "the Crown Prince lent it to me to play with."

Empress Zhangsun, with her keen perception, recognized at a glance that this was Chengqian's cherished possession. But she simply smiled gently and said, "As long as Yiyi likes it."

At this moment, Li Lizhi led Sizi and Chengyang in. The three little girls hugged each other as soon as they met.

"Yiyi! Look at my new embroidered purse!" Sizi proudly presented a small purse embroidered with herbal patterns—since her illness improved, she had started learning embroidery, saying she wanted to embroider many purses to give to those who had helped her.

Chengyang shyly handed over a handkerchief with a rabbit crookedly embroidered on it: "Yiyi, this is for you..."

Xiao Qingyi happily accepted the gifts, then took out gifts from her small backpack—a new type of asthma inhaler for Sizi (an antique-style version specially made by Li Qingge), a picture book of "Frozen" for Chengyang, and hand cream and lip balm for Li Lizhi.

Laughter and cheerful voices filled the warm room.

However, this warm moment was interrupted by an uninvited guest.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty," Li Tai's voice rang out from the doorway.

He walked in, dressed in a prince's everyday robes, his smile gentle. His gaze swept over the women in the room, finally settling on Xiao Qingyi.

"Is this the young lady from overseas?" Li Tai took a few steps closer, squatted down in front of Xiao Qingyi, and looked her in the eye. "I saw her at the lychee banquet a few months ago, and she's become even more adorable."

Xiao Qingyi remembered this "Brother Wei" who had given her some beautiful stationery at the last banquet. She politely said, "Hello, Brother Wei."

"Good boy." Li Tai took out a small brocade pouch from his sleeve. "I saw you liked those little trinkets last time, so I brought you this this time."

Inside the brocade pouch was a set of miniature carved stationery items—an inkstone, a brush, and an ink stick the size of a fingernail, all exquisitely carved and crafted with ingenuity.

"Wow—" Xiao Qingyi exclaimed, "It's so tiny!"

"This is a 'pocket-sized scholar's desk,' an object that scholars carry and play with," Li Taiwen explained gently, his gaze subtly sweeping over the jade rabbit paperweight beside her. "It seems that my brother, the Crown Prince, also gave Yiyi a gift?"

Xiao Qingyi nodded: "Brother Crown Prince, can I borrow your jade rabbit to play with?"

"Borrow?" Li Tai raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Yiyi, you really know how to talk." He stood up and said to Empress Zhangsun, "Mother, I have come today to borrow some agricultural books from my elder brother. I have heard that he has recently gained a lot of knowledge about farming, and I would like to learn a thing or two from him."

Empress Zhangsun said calmly, "Chengqian is in the study. Go find him yourself."

"Yes." Li Tai bowed and took his leave. Before leaving, he glanced at Xiao Qingyi one last time. "Yiyi, next time your brother Tai will bring you something even more fun."

After he left, the atmosphere in the warm room relaxed again.

Empress Zhangsun looked thoughtfully at the doorway and murmured to herself, "Qingque is getting more and more cunning."

In the study

Li Tai casually flipped through the agricultural books on the bookshelf that were clearly frequently read—"Essential Techniques for the Common People," "Essentials of the Four Seasons," "The Classic of Plows and Sickles"... Many slips of paper were tucked between the pages, bearing Li Chengqian's annotations.

"Brother, you are truly diligent," Li Tai said with a smile. "These annotations are insightful, and some of the ideas... I have never seen them in ancient books before."

Li Chengqian's expression remained unchanged: "These are just some superficial opinions. If Fourth Brother is interested, you may take a look."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Li Taizhen pulled out a few books, "but..." He paused, "elder brother's 'shallow views' don't seem to all come from ancient books."

Li Chengqian raised his eyes: "What do you mean, Fourth Brother?"

"I just feel," Li Tai took a step closer and lowered his voice, "that your recent strategies—disaster relief, agricultural affairs, and now the salt administration—all exude a kind of...peculiar thoroughness. It's as if you've been guided by a wise man."

The candlelight flickered in the study.

"Fourth brother, you're overthinking it," Li Chengqian said calmly. "I'm just reading more, thinking more, and asking more questions."

"Ask more questions?" Li Tai seized on this phrase. "Ask whom? Ask that young girl 'the descendant of an old friend from overseas,' or... ask the person behind her?"

The brothers' eyes met in mid-air.

After a long silence, Li Chengqian finally spoke slowly: "Qingque, knowing too much about some things is not necessarily a blessing."

This statement was practically a warning.

Li Tai laughed: "Brother's words are wise. I am only concerned about you, brother, and I am afraid that you will be deceived by people of unknown origin."

"I know what I'm doing." Li Chengqian turned to look out the window. "No need for my fourth brother to worry."

Li Tai cupped his hands in greeting: "In that case, I shall take my leave."

The door closed gently.

Li Chengqian stood by the window, the autumn wind blowing his robes.

He knew that Li Tai's probing was just the beginning.

And Yiyi, that innocent little girl, is standing at the center of all the undercurrents.

"Your Highness," the eunuch reported softly, "it's time for Miss Yiyi to go back."

Li Chengqian came to his senses: "Send her to the side hall."

In the side hall, Xiao Qingyi had already packed her little backpack. She carefully put away the miniature stationery set given to her by Li Tai, as well as the gifts from Chengyang and Xiao Sizi.

"Crown Prince Brother." She ran over to Li Chengqian as he entered.

Li Chengqian squatted down: "Is Yiyi going back?"

"Okay." Xiao Qingyi nodded and said earnestly, "Yiyi goes to kindergarten on Monday. After Yiyi learns a new song and draws a new picture, she'll sing it for Prince Brother and show it to him!"

Li Chengqian smiled: "Alright, Crown Prince, just you wait."

The little girl suddenly threw herself into his arms and whispered, "Brother Crown Prince, Yiyi will be brave."

"I know." Li Chengqian gently patted her back. "Go."

Xiao Qingyi waved her hand, and her figure gradually faded away.

Silence returned to the hall. Li Chengqian stood there for a long time, then murmured to himself:

"Yiyi, you must take good care of yourself."