Chapter 1153 - 835: Acting Cute (Part 2)
Chu Ruoyan still shook her head, as if recalling something, and said with a bitter smile, "In the past, Fei’er and I made mistakes and didn’t know how to admit them, only acting spoiled in front of father—mother. In hindsight, that probably wasn’t a good thing either."
Seeing her increasingly desolate expression, Shang Ruyi suddenly smiled and said, "How could that not be a good thing?"
Chu Ruoyan looked up at her, "Hmm?"
"Being able to act spoiled is a good thing at any time. Just because acting spoiled doesn’t work now doesn’t mean it’s not good."
"..."
"It’s just like a good person who has accumulated virtue and enjoyed blessings all their life. Just because they face hardships in their later years, it doesn’t mean they should deny the goodness of accumulating virtue all those years. That’s unfair."
"..."
"You can’t use the outcome to deny the beginning and the process."
Hearing her words, Chu Ruoyan seemed stunned, staring at her wide-eyed and silently, her lips trembling slightly, she softly said, "You, you seem to..."
Shang Ruyi looked at her, "What?"
Chu Ruoyan immediately came to her senses, her eyes still somewhat dazed, but she quickly shook her head and turned her face away, as if a little embarrassed. However, after a while, she turned back to look deeply at Shang Ruyi, her gaze still somewhat desolate, yet in that desolation, there was a newfound gentle expression.
She wasn’t lost for long, just glanced at the sky outside, then waved her hand lightly to someone behind her.
The chief palace maid Panqing came forward immediately, holding a box that, though not exquisitely crafted, appeared solid and secure, and placed it in front of Shang Ruyi. Chu Ruoyan said, "I heard that eating some Fuling after childbirth is beneficial for health. This is Fuling Cake I made myself. If sister doesn’t mind, please have a taste."
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi quickly opened the box and found several neatly arranged pieces of Fuling Cake inside, emitting a faint sweet fragrance.
She smiled and said, "Your skills are getting better and better."
Chu Ruoyan also smiled and said, "There hasn’t been much to do these days, so I’ve just been passing the time with these. If you have anything else you’d like to eat, just let me know."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Then I won’t be polite."
After speaking, she asked Tushere to put the box away, while Chu Ruoyan looked at the sky again, and with the excuse not to disturb her rest, got up to say goodbye.
Watching them leave, Tushere, holding the heavy box, sighed softly and said, "I was previously worried that Lady Chu, after being confined for half a year, would come out with resentment. Unexpectedly, her temper has improved so much."
"Of course,"
This is indeed a good thing, yet recalling the once gentle and kind yet also proud and spoiled Princess Xinyue, and then thinking of her recent desolate yet peaceful appearance, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sorrow. A person’s change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the saddest change is when fate forces one to relinquish the right to act spoiled, becoming no longer greedy, no longer fantasizing, and even passively receiving what fate offers. Such a change is the most heart-wrenching.
She glanced at Tushere again, smiled, and said, "If you get beaten a few more times, you wouldn’t have so much to say."
Tushere wrinkled her nose at her.
After the two laughed for a while, Tushere put the box aside. Noticing that Shang Ruyi’s teacup was empty, she brought over the teapot to refill it, only to find this Princess Qin leaning on the couch, looking pensive, lost in thought.
After a while, Shang Ruyi murmured softly, "Act spoiled?"
Tushere whispered, "Princess, what are you thinking about?"
Shang Ruyi blinked and suddenly looked up, "Where is the child?"
Tushere was momentarily stunned, unsure why she suddenly asked about the child, but quickly replied, "When Lady Chu came over earlier, she was worried about making noise, so the nurse took the child to the rear hall, where it’s sunny. The little master seems to particularly enjoy sunbathing, happy as can be."
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi smiled and immediately said, "Let the child come back."
"Yes."
Although Tushere was puzzled, she didn’t ask further, quickly leaving, while Shang Ruyi glanced at Wo Xue, who was coming up to clear away the cups Chu Ruoyan had used, and softly said, "Wo Xue, after you’ve cleaned up, go outside and see what Your Majesty is doing, then report back to me."
Wo Xue looked up at her, didn’t ask much, nodded, and carried the items down.
Soon, the child was brought back.
When Tushere placed the considerably heavier swaddle into Shang Ruyi’s arms, all her previous worries vanished the moment she heard the soft babbling from inside.
Shang Ruyi’s eyes curved with a smile as she looked down at the adorable little face in the swaddle.
The child wasn’t yet a month old, but their appearance was already quite different from when they were just born. As Yu Wenye had said, the child didn’t look particularly good at first, wrinkled like a peeled kitten, and even Shang Ruyi, who was usually tough, often found herself unable to sleep after seeing the child at night. However, within less than a month, the child had grown a lot, with much smoother and fairer skin, and plump, rosy cheeks like an apple.
Moreover, only a few days after birth, the child opened their eyes, and sure enough, they had a pair of bright, large eyes, with deep, dark pupils like longan seeds.
The child wasn’t afraid of strangers; everyone in Qianqiu Palace could hold them without causing fuss. Even when strangers approached, the child wasn’t afraid, simply staring with those dark pupils that seemed to draw people in.
Just seeing him almost melted Shang Ruyi’s heart.
While she was smiling and playing with the child, Tushere gently said, "Princess, the little master’s nearing a month old, how come he hasn’t been given a name yet?"