The Elegant Dancing Years By Huo Li (火狸) | BL

Chapter 22 | Ranxin Pavilion

"This child will not talk about this in front of Father Emperor, Mother doesn't need to worry." he leaned into her arms, pulled An Ruolan's sleeve and gently shook it, "I haven't seen Mother for a long time. Did you miss me? I always accompanied Father Emperor but failed to come to Mother from time to time. I hope Mother won't blame me..." An Roulan held the young man sitting beside her, listened to his sentimental words, and recalled how she gently held him in her arms when he was a child. Back then, she loved him, but now...

"Mother feels very happy that you came for a visit." She smiled softly and gently pulled his hand, "Come and sit with me for a while. The snacks in the Imperial dining room are not delicious enough. I made some myself and was about to send some to your Father Emperor. Since you're here, you can try them."

"Mother made them? I can't wait, let's go!"

He held her hand and dragged her the way back to the room. An Ruolan smiled lightly. She had heard that her child was brilliant, calm, and had a noble temperament, but in front of his consort mother, he still showed such childishness. She couldn't see the things described in the rumours.

He was just a twelve-year-old child.

Letting go of her doubts and worries, she let him sit down at the table and watched him sit quietly as he waited for her to order someone to get the snacks. He had a clever and quiet look, An Ruolan could not help saying, "No wonder His Majesty favours YueEr among all the princes. To have a son like you, I'm very proud. However, it's a pity...  With a sigh, she furrowed her eyebrows and her expression turned sad as she stopped talking.

Qi Mingyue took a piece of the pastry that was placed on a fine flower porcelain plate. It was of jade-clear colour, with a slightly red tint. He bit into it and the sweet, soft, and waxy texture filled his mouth. With a satisfied face, he ate the pastry and listen to her words. Seemingly casually asked, "Is there anything worrying Consort Mother? Tell your child, I can share Mother's worries."

An Ruolan smiled, "At such a young age, YueEr already knows how to care about his Mother which is really delightful. About that, it's actually nothing much." She sighed, "Your Father Emperor has always been surrounded with beauties. He has always been fickle and never gave affection to just one person. I heard that Feng Zhaoyi, who has favoured for a while, suddenly got demoted to the Cold Palace, and that Wang Meirin was also involved and changed her pavilion overnight. I don’t know the reason." When she said this, Qi Mingyue's chewing of the pastry suddenly paused. He closed his eyes and listened to her worried complaints. A Roulan continued, "His Majesty is like this, how can your mother not worry? I have even lost my favour, I don’t know what will happen in the future..." Tears filled her eyes and were on the verge of falling.

Qi Mingyue swallowed the pastry, lifted his sleeve to wipe her tears, and said softly: "Ah, how come every time your child comes to see you, you are like this? Don't cry, Mother. As long as you still regard me as your son, I promise you that as long as you're in the palace, no one can hurt you."

When his voice fell, An Ruolan's body stiffened and her heart shook. Did this child know anything? Suddenly, Qi Mingyue looked up and his eyes still held a soft smile. "What's wrong, Mother? Why are you looking at me like this? Did I say something wrong?"

An Roulan smiled, "It's nothing. After listening to YueEr's words, your consort mother feels very happy. As long as YueEr continues to be loved by your Father Emperor, I don't need to worry." She held up the small food box on the table and continued, "Take these to your Father Emperor for me. They are just like the ones you ate just now; they have all been made with Luotong flower's juice, are soft and glutinous, and also smell sweet. But I don’t know whether they are to your Father's tastes or not..."