496 Warm Family, Black and Cute Babies (2)
The Old Madam had just let the servant comb her hair when she opened her arms and hugged Little Steel. She said kindly, “Yes! Of course I miss Xiaobao! Did Xiaobao miss Great-Grandma?”
Xiaobao said, “Yes! I miss Great-Grandma the most!”
The old madam was quite charmed by this little fellow. When she heard this early in the morning, she didn’t even need to eat candy. Her heart felt sweet all day. Soon, Dabao and Er’bao also came.
Er’bao also called her great-grandma sweetly. Dabao did not say anything, but he also threw himself into the old lady’s arms for a while.
Old Madam liked everyone.
The three little fellows looked so similar that the servants would often call them wrongly, but Old Madam had never been wrong. In her own words, “How can I not recognize my little great-grandchildren!”
Yu Wan and Yan Jiuchao also came over. The Old Madam estimated that Helian Beiming was almost done. She instructed the maidservant, “Set up the food.”
Er’bao and Xiaobao ran out.
“Eldest Grandpa!”
“Eldest Grandpa!”
They went to call Helian Beiming for breakfast.
“Dabao, go along.” Yu Wan patted her son’s shoulder.
Dabao obediently left. When Helian Beiming came over, the wheelchair was filled with children. There was a Xiaobao on the left armrest, a Er’bao on the right armrest, and a Dabao on the back of the chair.
Breakfast was made according to the tastes of the young couple and the children. The Old Madam and Helian Beiming were more casual when it came to eating. When the little fellows ate happily, they had an appetite.
The little fellows burped. The old lady laughed hysterically. She smiled and burped herself.
The Old Madam was a little addicted to cards today. Yu Wan called Zi Su and Fu Ling over and the four of them made a table of leaf cards. Yu Wan and the Old Madam happily played the leaf card while Yan Jiuchao went to play with the children.
At first, the children were only playing crazily in the manor. Suddenly, they saw a servant’s child sitting at the door licking his candied hawthorn. The three of them gulped. “Slurp ~”
“You want to eat?” Yan Jiuchao asked.
The three of them nodded adorably. Yan Jiuchao turned around and brought his sons to buy candied hawthorn. The shop selling candied hawthorn was not far away. Yan Jiuchao did not take a carriage and walked with the three little fellows.
When they arrived at the candied hawthorn shop, the first batch of candied hawthorn had already been sold out. The second batch was being made. The shopkeeper asked them to wait a moment, and the three little fellows really waited obediently. Yan Jiuchao was impatient to wait for something, but he did not say anything when the three little fellows did not leave. He quietly guarded them.
The Queen’s carriage passed by at this time. She was traveling incognito and did not set up a ceremony for the Queen. She was only sitting in a carriage pulled by two horses. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was just an ordinary official’s family traveling.
The weather was a little hot, and there was a gap in the curtain of her car window. This gap was not enough for others to see the scenery inside clearly, and she could not see it very well. Fortunately, she was not here to admire the scenery.
However, for some reason, when she passed by the candy shop, she looked out and saw a familiar figure.
Looking at his back, she almost recognized him as the Prince Consort. However, when the carriage drove past, she saw his face and realized that he was not wearing a mask. Moreover, he had an extremely young face.
“Stop the carriage,” she said.
The coachman brought the carriage to a halt. The Queen pushed open the small window at the back of the carriage. Through the mottled jade bead curtain, she saw an incredible face.
“Young Master! The candied hawthorn you wanted is ready!” The shopkeeper handed over fifteen sticks of candied hawthorn. “That’s a total of a hundred copper coins. Sorry to keep you waiting. This box of glutinous rice balls is for you.”
Yan Jiuchao took the candied hawthorn and glutinous rice balls. The little fellows opened their mouths impatiently. Yan Jiuchao used a skewer to fork the glutinous rice ball to feed his sons. The little fellows stood on Yan Jiuchao’s other side. When he fed them, he turned his back in the direction of the Queen’s carriage. Because of his figure, the Queen did not see the children and what they looked like.
The Queen was immersed in great shock.
“Your Highness, what can I do for you?” The coachman asked.
The Queen retracted her gaze and her chest heaved violently a few times. She calmed herself down and looked towards the candied hawthorn shop, but Yan Jiuchao and the children were long gone.
“Did I see wrongly?” The Queen closed her eyes and instructed, “Let’s go back.”
“Yes!” The coachman drove the carriage back to the Queen Manor.
After the Queen alighted from the carriage, she did not go anywhere but straight to the Prince Consort’s study.
The Prince Consort loved to read. The Queen had searched for all the famous books in the world for him and built a library in the manor. Every day, the Prince Consort spent most of his time in the library, and this was no exception. The study was empty. Other than the Queen, no one dared to barge in.
The Queen walked to the desk with a cold expression and rummaged through the drawers and basket. Finally, she found a painting. She slowly unfolded the painting.
The face she had seen in the city today was revealed on the painting.
“Why did you draw yourself? And you drew yourself so young and beautiful. I said that I don’t mind your appearance being damaged, don’t take it to heart. Did I say something wrong? I’m not blaming you for drawing yourself… I…”
“It’s not me.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
At that time, she did not react, but the Prince Consort clearly meant that the person in the painting was not him. Since it wasn’t the Prince Consort, who could it be? That young man? The Prince Consort had seen him. The Prince Consort had even drawn him! Why did he draw him? Did he think that he looked like him, or…
The Queen felt dizzy. She pressed down on the table and stabilized herself. “Guards!”
A guard walked in, cupped his hands, and bowed. “What can I do for you, Your Highness?”
The Queen picked up the painting and faced him. She said firmly, “Go and investigate who this person is! When did the Prince Consort see him? What did he say to him?”
