Chapter 217.2

“Alright, alright. You don’t cause any trouble. Then who was it who took the fish from the Emperor Emeritus’s fish tank to feed Huahua the other day? And who was the one who released the Emperor Emeritus’s kingfisher?” Yaoniang smiled but sounded exasperated.

“It wasn’t me; it was third brother.”

Sanbao, who had been used to taking the blame for everything since childhood, just glanced at Sibao and calmly ate his porridge.

“Why must you blame everything on your third brother? Is it because you think your third brother can’t be bothered with you?” chimed Erbao, grinning.

Sibao, who had just been about to sit down for breakfast, lost her appetite and stamped her foot in frustration, heading over to Emperor Jin’an.

“Father Emperor, look, second brother is bullying me.”

Her lips pouted, and her chubby face wrinkled, with tears glistening in her large almond-shaped eyes. Her expression seemed to say, “I’m being treated so unfairly.”

Erbao protested, “I didn’t bully you; I just said the…”

The word “truth” disappeared from Erbao’s throat as Emperor Jin’an cast a faint, meaningful look at him.

At the same time, another gaze followed. This was from Xiaobao, who was next to Erbao. Xiaobao teasingly said, “Xiaosi is still so young. How old are you?” There was a warning look in his eyes.

Erbao didn’t doubt that if he continued speaking, not only would his Father Emperor teach him a lesson, but his big brother would as well. His eldest brother appeared gentle and refined, but that was just a facade. Every time he got into a fight, it hurt, and the worst part was, he usually couldn’t win against his big brother!

Even though he had eaten so much more than his big brother!

“Mother…” Erbao had a secret weapon too.

Yaoniang, who had been watching from the sidelines, laughed and said, “Look at you, all grown up, and still trying to act cute with your mother?”

Sibao added insult to the injury from the side, “Look at you acting cute! Second brother is acting all shy.”

Erbao was utterly frustrated. So what if he acted cute? Just because he was bigger, they wouldn’t let him be cute?

Yaoniang then turned to reprimand Sibao, saying, “Look at you, bullying your second brother again. Eat your breakfast, no more acting cute. Today is a special day for your Imperial Grandfather. Make sure you don’t forget what you’re giving him.”

At the mention of this, Sibao immediately shifted her focus. She chattered away about the birthday gift she had prepared for the Emperor Emeritus, confidently asserting that he would definitely like it.

Of course, the Emperor Emeritus would like it. He liked anything Sibao gave him even if it was only a blade of grass. No one dared to compete with her for his favour; she was his favourite. For him, not seeing her for a day meant he would eat one less bowl of rice.

Breakfast was finished, and the sky outside was getting brighter. At the same time, the various palace gates had already opened, and the officials, nobles, and imperial family relatives were lining up to enter the palace. Emperor Jin’an would first lead the ministers to Fengxian Hall to pay their respects, and then they would proceed to Qianqing Palace for congratulations.

On the other hand, Yaoniang had to lead the wives and noblewomen. They also had to follow a set of cumbersome protocols.

Sibao still remembered that she had to be the first to present a birthday gift, so she hurriedly left with the eunuchs and palace maids. Sanbao, who had always been inseparable from her, naturally followed behind.

“Imperial Grandfather, have you awakened?” Even before entering the hall, Sibao called out.

Li Dequan rushed to greet her and said, “Your Majesty has already awakened. Little princess and Your Highess, please come with me.”

Inside the hall, the Emperor Emeritus was getting dressed with the help of attendants.

Today, Emperor Emeritus looked very spirited, quite a change from his usual casual attire in the palace. As soon as Sibao entered, she pounced on him, sitting on his lap and tugging at his robes. “Imperial Grandfather, I wish to be like Mount Tai, never growing old and boundless blessings like the endless sea, year after year.”

Emperor Emeritus laughed heartily and didn’t mind how troublesome it was for the palace attendants to help him put on such elaborate clothing. He embraced Sibao and said, “Oh, this is remarkable! Little Sibao can even recite birthday blessings.”

Sibao, proud and pleased, raised her chin and nodded. “Of course, my third brother and I specifically asked big brother to write it for us. You can ask big brother if you don’t believe me.”

Sanbao, who had followed a few steps behind, nodded and bowed to Emperor Emeritus. “I, your grandson, also wish Imperial Grandfather joy as immense as the Eastern Sea and life as long as the Southern Mountains!”

“Very good. Sanbao is good as well.” Emperor Emeritus ruffled the stray hairs on Sanbao’s and said, “Today’s birthday blessings are the best that Zhen has ever heard.”

The thing was, Emperor Emeritus, do you not feel guilty when you say that? So many people are coming to celebrate your birthday today, and before anyone else even has a chance to say anything, you’ve already concluded that this was the best birthday blessing you’ve heard? Was that fair to others?

Emperor Emeritus didn’t care about these things. Since he said it was the best, then it was the best.

Sibao smiled and said, “Your Majesty, my third brother and I have prepared a birthday gift for you.”

Emperor Emeritus was surprised, “What birthday gift?” He didn’t expect there would be a gift in addition to birthday blessings

Sibao waved his hand, and a eunuch came over carrying a tray. With Sibao’s gesture, another eunuch carefully lifted the cover, revealing a plate of something inside.

In that clear sky-blue porcelain plate, there were small longevity peaches.

These longevity peaches were delicately crafted, only about half the size of a child’s palm. Some were smooth on the surface, while others had fingerprints. They were clearly made by children.

“I specially filled these with red bean and jujube paste. They’re delicious. Imperial Grandfather, please try one.”

The appearance of these peaches didn’t affect their taste. Even the blush on the peaches was uneven.

“I made these together with my third brother, it took us a long time. He teased me, saying I couldn’t make them as smooth as him. Your Majesty, please judge, did little Sibao do better or did my third brother make them better?”

Little Sibao’s peaches all had fingerprints and an uneven blush. In contrast, those made by Sanbao were more uniform, and the plate of longevity peaches relied on those few with better appearances to look presentable.

What could Emperor Emeritus say? Li Dequan was twitching at the corner of his mouth as he watched. If he were a loyal subject, he would naturally stop Emperor Emeritus from eating. Clearly, these children just moulded the dough like clay without much technique.

But he also knew Emperor Emeritus would definitely eat them; they were made by his two grandchildren, so even if it was a piece of mud, he would still eat it.

Sure enough, Emperor Emeritus didn’t judge who made them better or worse. He picked up one of the small longevity peaches and tasted it, saying it was delicious, then ate another.

He had one of each and he didn’t favour one over the other.

“They’re all good, all good.”

Hearing this, Sibao immediately smiled, and even Sanbao showed a shy and bashful smile.

Li Dequan quietly reminded them that the emperor and empress would be arriving soon. Sibao immediately stopped acting spoiled, jumped down from Emperor Emeritus’s lap, and considerately helped straighten his wrinkled robes.

Unfortunately, the more she tugged, the more wrinkled it became. Sanbao hurriedly pulled her over, and the eunuchs rushed forward again to tidy up Emperor Emeritus’s appearance.

…

It was early spring, and the weather wasn’t too hot yet. The fragmented golden light danced on the yellow-glazed tiles. The high-flying eaves and majestic beast statues on the ridge symbolized the wealth and supreme status that belonged to the imperial family.

On both sides of the square in front of the Imperial Palace, officials, generals, and royal relatives stood solemnly, their faces serious, and the scene was quiet.

At this moment, a person was walking along the wide white jade path that extended from the Vermillion Steps. She was dressed in a complete set of an empress’s ceremonial attire, with a magnificent crown and an aura of nobility, moving slowly forward.

In front of her stood a man on the white jade platform.

He wore a bright yellow robe with a wide collar and wide sleeves. He wore a crown adorned with golden thread and two dragons playing with a pearl on top. His ceremonial robe was decorated with twelve dragons, with the sun and moon on his shoulders and mountains of stars on his back. In the sunlight, it seemed as if there were countless golden edges, dazzling enough to make people dizzy.

Yaoniang walked forward step by step, ascending the steps one by one until she stood in front of him.

Seeing him like this, she inexplicably felt a sense of hesitation.

“Come.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He stood with his hands behind his back and then extended a hand towards her. His expression was calm, but his gaze was focused, just like it had been for many years, always focused on her and never wavering.

In that moment, many images flashed through Yaoniang’s mind, from her past life to this one, various scenes came rushing in, but eventually settled on his reserved eyes.

Suddenly, she felt at ease in her heart, smiled, and reached out her hand.

Their palms met, and they continued the walk side by side.

She saw it, she saw the Emperor Emeritus sitting high on the throne in the hall, she saw their children, and she saw many more things in the future…

The future was still unfolding, but she believed that the days ahead would be beautiful.

gingercat's notes:

Last chapter of the main story!!! Can't believe it's over T_T ! There are still a couple of extras left that you definitely don't want to miss out on so stay tuned for those!!