As days passed by, the little Crown Prince Yuwen Heng of Great Liang grew day by day.
The little one was quite clever, learning to smile before two months old, and by three months, he could already babble in conversation with others.
Of course, Yanshu deserved the most credit for this achievement. Since her confinement period, being bored, she would chat with the baby daily, telling him all sorts of gossip. Watching his mother's mouth move constantly, the little one naturally learned quickly.
For instance, tonight, as Yuwen Lan emerged from the bathhouse, he witnessed mother and son engaged in parent-child communication on the bed—
Yanshu said, "My dear child, I heard that in the recent Imperial Academy examinations, the Jiangning Communications Commissioner's youngest son didn't study properly and ranked last, even getting caned by the teacher. How embarrassing! You mustn't be like him in the future."
Baby: "...ah...ah."
Yanshu continued, "I heard the Deputy Minister of Personnel's son argued with his mother, and the next day when he went out, he fell and knocked out his front teeth. His looks are ruined now, and he'll probably have trouble finding a wife. You must never argue with your mother in the future!"
Baby: "...ah..."
Yuwen Lan: "..."
The baby was still so young, yet this was how mother and son communicated daily?
Before he could speak, Yanshu placed the little one in his arms, saying, "Your Majesty, please watch the baby while I take a bath."
Yuwen Lan was more than willing and nodded in agreement, carefully holding his chubby son.
Now it was time for father-son bonding.
Yuwen Lan carefully examined his son in his arms, noticing that after not seeing him for just one day, the little one seemed to have grown bigger, with bright eyes clearly taking after him.
But good looks alone weren't enough, so he seriously began, "Heng, as the heir to Great Liang, you must always remember the words of the sages."
The little one looked at him with dark eyes, responding earnestly, "...ah...ah."
Yuwen Lan nodded with satisfaction, "Good attitude."
He cleared his throat and began reciting to the little one, "If the Son of Heaven is not benevolent, he cannot protect the four seas; if the feudal lords are not benevolent, they cannot protect their ancestral temples; if officials are not benevolent, they cannot protect their clan temples; if common people are not benevolent, they cannot protect their four limbs."
The little one paused, then after a moment said, "...ah..."
Yuwen Lan continued, "One who shares in the people's joy will find the people sharing in their joy; one who shares in the people's worries will find the people sharing in their worries. To share joy with all under heaven, to share worries with all under heaven - yet never to achieve kingship, such a thing has never happened."
After finishing this passage, he noticed the little one just staring at him blankly, without responding for a long time.
Yuwen Lan: "..."
...What did this mean?
After some thought, he decided his son's attitude was probably correct - after all, the words of the sages shouldn't be taken lightly, and should be listened to seriously and solemnly.
So he continued, "The gentleman preserves benevolence in his heart and propriety in his conduct. The benevolent person loves others; the courteous person respects others. Those who love others are constantly loved by them; those who respect others are constantly respected by them."
After finishing this passage, he looked down again, only to see the little one blink a few times before gradually closing his eyes, not opening them again even after waiting a while.
He had fallen asleep.
Yuwen Lan: "???"
Just then, Yanshu, fresh from her bath, entered the hall and glanced at father and son, exclaiming, "Your Majesty is amazing, putting the baby right to sleep! Hehe, this must be the result of prenatal education!"
Yuwen Lan: "..."
So it turned out that all those prenatal education sessions from the grand academicians and Imperial Academy instructors were actually meant to be lullabies for the baby?
Ah, the trials of being a father.
But... it was good that the little one was asleep.
He carefully placed the baby in the small bed beside their own, tucked him in carefully, and gently patted his belly. Only after ensuring the little one was sound asleep did he withdraw his hand.
Then, he suddenly lifted Yanshu by the waist and quickly carried her to their bed.
Yanshu was startled and didn't have time to cry out before being caught in his kiss...
Mmm...
Now, their time together had finally begun...
As several more days passed, when spring was in full bloom in the capital, the little Crown Prince reached his hundredth day.
Though it had only been a hundred days, the baby had already more than doubled his initial weight, becoming white and chubby like a little winter melon.
Of course, the little one was much more active than a winter melon. When excited, he would wave his arms and kick his legs with strength, and his little voice was quite loud.
However, due to the Grand Empress Dowager's passing, the Emperor decided not to hold a formal celebration. Nevertheless, since the hundredth day was still an important milestone, a few close relatives and friends were invited to the palace for a gathering.
The first to arrive were from the Empress's family at Duke Zhongyi's Mansion - the Crown Prince's maternal grandmother Madam Zhu and great-grandmother Old Madam Li.
Madam Zhu hadn't seen her little grandson for some time, and for Old Madam Li, this was her first time meeting her great-grandson. Upon entering the hall, both were immediately drawn to the little one.
The little one was particularly accommodating to his grandmother and great-grandmother, not only showing them bright smiles but also allowing his grandmother to hold him. Usually, only his mother and wet nurse could hold him in the palace, and even palace maids like Renchun and Lianxin had to rely on luck - one wrong move could trigger a bout of crying.
At this moment, Madam Zhu bounced her grandson in her arms and praised, "The little Crown Prince has gained good weight, clearly easy to feed."
Just as she finished speaking, the little one looked at his grandmother and made an "ah" sound, both sweet and clear.
This delighted the grandmother immensely, and she said, "Is the little Crown Prince talking to me?"
The little one made another "ah" sound, seeming quite ready for conversation.
Old Madam Li watched longingly and came forward to touch the Crown Prince's chubby little hand, sighing, "For this old woman to shake hands with the Crown Prince today, my life has been worthwhile."
Yanshu quickly said, "Listen to what you're saying, Grandmother. Heng is your great-grandson, why so formal?"
Just as she finished speaking, the little one also chimed in with, "Ah... @#%￥#&*..."
He actually babbled quite a string of sounds.
Yanshu's eyes lit up, and she laughed, "Look, Grandmother, Heng wants to chat with you!"
Old Madam Li was also deeply honored and quickly said to the baby, "Very well, very well, this old woman humbly accepts Your Highness's command."
This made everyone in the hall burst into laughter.
After the laughter subsided, the Grand Princess, Ankang County Lord, and other royal relatives arrived, and Old Madam Li and Madam Zhu tactfully stepped aside.
Today the little Crown Prince was the center of attention. After the Grand Princess and her daughter led everyone in paying respects to Yanshu, they all gathered around the little prince.
Like his maternal grandmother Madam Zhu, when the Grand Princess saw her little nephew, she couldn't help but praise, "My, the Crown Prince is truly easy to feed, look at this little body, how enviable!"
The little one was also very accommodating to his great-aunt, opening his mouth to make an "ah" sound.
The Grand Princess praised again, "Such a clever little Crown Prince, already knowing how to chat with people?"
Everyone joined in the praise.
However, the Grand Princess then sighed, "If only the Grand Empress Dowager were still here. She would have been so happy to see the Crown Prince being so clever."
At these words, everyone felt melancholic, and Yanshu could only put on a regretful expression.
Ankang County Lord quickly consoled, "The Grand Empress Dowager's spirit in heaven must be blessing His Majesty, the Empress, and the little Crown Prince."
At this, everyone hurriedly agreed.
Just then, Fu Hai entered the hall carrying a brocade box, announcing, "Your Highness, this is a congratulatory gift for the Crown Prince from Songhe Academy. His Majesty requests your review."
Songhe Academy?
Yanshu's heart stirred, but her expression remained unchanged as she said, "Thank you for your trouble, Chief Steward."
She then had Renchun accept it.
Although there was no formal hundred-day celebration this year, the court officials all remembered the Crown Prince's hundredth day and had already sent congratulatory gifts, so this gift from Songhe Academy wasn't out of place.
However, everyone was curious about what gift this world-renowned academy would present to the little Crown Prince.
Fortunately, Yanshu was generous enough to have it opened immediately.
Inside the box was an intricately carved peach pit strung with red thread, meant to ward off evil spirits for the little prince.
Additionally, there was a copy of "Mencius."
When Yanshu picked it up and opened it, she immediately smelled the clear scent of ink.
The text wasn't printed but handwritten, with neat and careful calligraphy that showed the writer's dedication.
Yanshu wondered in her heart if this might have been personally written by the Grand Empress Dowager.
The system said, "That's right, this book was indeed handwritten by the Empress Dowager, and the peach pit was personally carved by your idol. The red string on it was also hand-twisted by the Empress Dowager herself."
Yanshu was deeply moved, imagining the beautiful scene of the two great figures - one reading and writing, the other carving the peach pit and twisting the red string.
Oh, this must be what it means to envy love more than immortality - they finally found their happiness!
Around her, everyone was praising how creative and meaningful the gift was, while Yanshu winked at her baby and whispered in her heart, "Look, this is from Grandma and Great-Uncle for you, they've been thinking of you all along!"
Though the little one heard his mother's voice and didn't quite understand the meaning, he still happily waved his chubby arms and kicked his little legs.
On the first rest day after the little prince's hundred-day celebration, as spring warmth arrived, the Emperor and Empress changed into casual clothes and took their baby out of the palace.
The carriage headed towards Pine Crane Mountain in the outskirts, and during the swaying journey, the little prince went from excited to heavy-eyed, and eventually fell fast asleep.
When he woke up from his satisfying nap, he found himself in an unfamiliar new place.
There were no grand palaces here, but neat houses; no exotic flowers and trees like in the imperial garden, but comfortable little flowers and grass.
Most importantly, a kind grandmother was holding him, examining him carefully with eyes full of love.
Seeing him awake, grandmother's eyes brightened as she called him tenderly, "Heng'er, you're awake?"
The little one didn't know yet that there were very few people in the world who could call him "Heng'er."
However, he felt this voice was very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, giving him an inexplicable sense of security.
So the little one opened his mouth, showing his pink gums, and greeted grandmother with an "Ah... ah."
Grandmother was also delighted, kissing his forehead and saying, "Good child, just like your father when he was little."
Though he still couldn't understand, he knew grandmother was chatting with him.
Mmm, he liked it when people chatted with him, especially when they smiled.
So he opened his mouth and smiled again.
He accidentally put too much effort into it and giggled out loud, causing the adults around to exclaim in delight, coming over to hold and kiss him.
Mmm, the little prince thought, he liked this place where everyone's love surrounded him like sunshine, making him feel warm all over.
It was wonderful indeed.
