Chapter 259: The Crying Children
The two children excitedly looked over their birthday gifts.
Yun Chu looked up at the man standing before her.
He must not have slept all night, his eyes were filled with crimson blood vessels, dark circles under his eyelids, and the stubble on his face gave him a weary appearance.
She already knew what had happened in the palace last night. She knew he had been working hard for their marriage.
She walked over, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from Chu Yi's forehead. "You've worked hard."
Chu Yi felt a warmth in his chest.
He took her hand, his sharp lips softening with tenderness. "I'll take the children into the palace first and will be back soon."
As per tradition, on the children's birthday, they would enter the palace to spend time with his mother.
Deep within Chu Yi's dark eyes was an intense, lingering affection.
Once they had confirmed each other's feelings, he wished he could be with the woman he loved every moment.
"Chu'er, wait for me to return."
Reluctantly, he let go of Yun Chu's hand and carried the two children out.
The carriage moved steadily along the main road. Chu Hongyu, unable to sit still, lifted the curtain and looked around.
"Sit properly."
Chu Yi spoke calmly.
In the past, whenever he used such a low tone, the little one would immediately sit upright and not dare to look around.
But clearly, since living with Yun Chu, every time he saw his father, he was gentle and kind, so the little one was no longer as afraid.
He still pointed to the interesting and beautiful things outside the window, calling his sister to look with him.
"Yu Ge'er." Chu Yi spoke again. "My marriage with your mother depends entirely on you."
The little one immediately put down the curtain, turned his head, and looked up, asking, "What does Father mean? I don't understand. Can you explain it more clearly?"
Chu Yi opened his lips and spoke unhurriedly.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the palace gates.
Since the children were too small to walk far, Yin Fei had specially arranged a sedan chair to greet them.
The sedan chair proceeded all the way to the Everlasting Autumn Palace.
Yin Fei stood at the entrance to welcome them. She was in high spirits, her complexion exceptionally radiant.
Early this morning, she had heard that Yi'er had barged into the Emperor's chambers last night, which frightened her out of her wits.
She had been thinking of preparing some soup to send to the Emperor after court to plead for Yi'er's sake.
Instead, she saw Gao Gonggong arriving at the Everlasting Autumn Palace with an imperial decree.
She had been conferred the title of Yin Fei.
She pulled Gao Gonggong aside to ask for details and learned that Yi'er's beloved, that peasant girl, had been killed.
Without her having to lift a finger, that peasant girl had been dealt with, and she didn't have to worry about estrangement from her son. Not only that, but she had also been promoted to Fei. Could there really be such a stroke of luck?
Yin Fei knew her son must be in a terrible mood now, after all, his beloved had died.
But it didn't matter; with time, he would naturally forget a dead person.
Her son's bad mood didn't affect her own good spirits.
Seeing the sedan chair arrive at the palace gates, Yin Fei greeted them with a beaming smile. "My little darlings, did you receive the birthday gifts Grandma sent? How were they? Did you like them?"
The sedan chair's curtain was lifted. Yin Fei expected Yu Ge'er to shout happily and throw himself into her arms as he always did.
Instead, she saw the little one with drooping eyes, looking up, his big eyes brimming with tears.
The little girl was also teary-eyed. She blinked gently, and tears streamed down her face, falling drop by drop."Oh my dear little ones, what in the world has happened? Why are you crying like this?" Yin Fei's heart was breaking as she quickly gathered both children into her arms, one on each side. "Did your father take out his bad mood on you two? Don't cry now. Later, Grandmother will summon your father to the palace and give him a good scolding, alright? There, there, stop crying..."
"Waaah!" Chu Hongyu threw his arms around Yin Fei's neck, wailing loudly. "Grandmother, it's not Father's fault... Sob... hic..."
He had started with fake tears, but as he cried, genuine sobs took over. He thought of all his sorrows - his cricket dying, snacks dropping on the ground, his toy being snatched by his sister... The more he dwelled on these misfortunes, the more heartbroken he became, and the louder he cried.
Chu Changsheng, nestled in Yin Fei's embrace, also burst into bitter tears.
The children's crying was truly earth-shattering, nearly deafening Yin Fei.
Her previously good mood plummeted straight to the depths.
After crying for nearly half an hour, the two children gradually quieted down, drinking goat's milk between hiccups and having some snacks.
Only then did Yin Fei ask: "Yu Ge'er, you're a little man now - no more crying, alright? Tell Grandmother what really happened."
"Father said... Changsheng and I don't have a mother anymore..." The little boy spoke through his tears, his face full of grievance. "Father had found us a mother who treated us so well... but Father said she died... Changsheng and I will never have a mother to love us again, waaah..."
Yin Fei felt a weight lift from her chest - so that was what this was about.
She said gently, "There are many people who can be good to you and Changsheng. How about Grandmother finds you another mother?"
"No, no! I only want her!" Chu Hongyu's mouth opened wide as he started crying again. "Grandmother is mean! I don't want Grandmother anymore! I want my mother!"
Chu Changsheng hugged her brother and cried together: "Mother... I want mother, waaah!"
The two children looked utterly pitiful in their distress.
Yin Fei felt her head would explode from the noise.
She frowned. Though that woman had been of low status, the fact that the children missed her so much showed she had genuinely cared for them.
It was truly pitiful that someone who had sincerely loved the children had died like this.
If the children were this heartbroken, Yi'er must be even more grieved. And the Emperor had simply granted her a consort's title and considered the matter closed.
This couldn't be left like this!
Having reached this conclusion, Yin Fei said: "Your Imperial Grandfather is the most powerful person in the world. Come, Grandmother will take you to him to find a solution."
Thus, the group made their way from the Everlasting Autumn Palace to the Imperial Study.
Throughout the journey, the children managed to hold back their tears, but the moment they reached the entrance of the Imperial Study, their crying erupted again, striking directly at the Emperor's eardrums.
Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor had Consort Qi sitting on his lap, the atmosphere quite lively, when suddenly the children's crying interrupted them.
The Emperor frowned: "Gao Gonggong, who's making noise outside?"
Gao Gonggong pushed the door open and entered to report: "Your Majesty, it's..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the two children rushed across the threshold and charged toward the Emperor, pushing Consort Qi right off the Emperor's lap.
"Imperial Grandfather!"
"Imperial Grandfather!"The two children cried out in succession, then threw their arms around the Emperor's neck, weeping bitterly with tears and sniffles.
Lady Qi: "..."
Emperor: "..."
He never expected that peasant woman to hold such significant weight in the children's hearts.
Yin Fei felt a sense of balance restored within herself.
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