Because the visitor was from the palace, and no one knew why Jiang Luoxi was with the palace attendants.
Yun Changfeng happened to be out of the city on business. Seeing the situation, the people in the manor dared not obstruct them.
Zhan Xiaoli, being the young heir, had seen the empress dowager's palace attendants before, so he took Yun Xiaojing and Zhan Xiaofeng to the palace.
When Yun Shu learned of this halfway, they were already on their way.
She immediately rushed to the palace again.
Meanwhile.
In a carriage heading to the imperial palace.
Jiang Luoxi smiled gently, her gaze also holding a hint of approachability as she looked at the three little ones in front of her.
Just looking at them, their eyes were uncontrollably drawn to them.
Compared to the empress dowager's grandnephews and grandnieces, the three of them were truly eye-catching and impossible to ignore.
Their delicate features were flawless.
It was evident at a glance what kind of peerless elegance they would possess in the future; the three of them were equally matched.
They were not curious inside the carriage, nor did they say a word to her.
She gazed at them with smiling eyes and said softly, "Would you like something to eat? I brought some things, would you like some?"
Yun Xiaojing blinked his large, starry eyes, looking at Jiang Luoxi with some curiosity.
She seemed quite gentle.
However, he didn't like her; he disliked her from the first glance.
Zhan Xiaoli, with a stern little face, glanced at Jiang Luoxi and coldly replied two words, "No eat."
Zhan Xiaofeng shook his head.
Although he didn't seem as stern as Zhan Xiaoli, he also indicated that he didn't want to be close to Jiang Luoxi.
Jiang Luoxi's expression didn't change much; instead, she looked at Yun Xiaojing.
Among the three children, Yun Xiaojing was smiling, and seemed easier to get along with. However, Yun Xiaojing looked very much like Yun Shu, even sharing a hint of her carefree demeanor when smiling.
But it was normal for them to resemble each other, as they had grown up by Yun Shu's side.
"Inside are candies and pastries bought from Xu Ji just now. They are sweet and delicious," Jiang Luoxi didn't force them, but looked at Yun Xiaojing with great friendliness and warmth.
Children who smile often don't have many hidden thoughts.
As for Zhan Xiaoli, having lived by Zhan Tianye's side since childhood, he was bound to be defensive.
Therefore, if she tried to get close to them rashly, they would inevitably dislike her approach.
Yun Xiaojing blinked his eyes, appearing genuinely enticed by the candy, and looked down, "You bought a lot."
It seemed there was something he wanted to eat.
However, he had eaten too many candies recently, and his mother had forbidden him from eating more.
His two older brothers were watching him, so he wouldn't dare to eat.
Seeing Yun Xiaojing's desire to eat, yet his conflicted expression, Jiang Luoxi smiled, "Yes, many flavors, only available at Xu Ji. I heard children love candy, so I specifically bought some for you to eat on your way to the palace. This way, you won't be bored on the road. Look, there are some rabbit-shaped candies here, like little candy figures."
Yun Xiaojing's eyes sparkled like stars, and he swallowed. "I like rabbits the most!"
Jiang Luoxi smiled, "Then let's eat the rabbit candies first."
She reached out to pick up a rabbit candy.
Just as she was about to take it out.
A small hand grabbed her wrist.
"No, he can't eat it," Zhan Xiaoli said coldly.
It was strange, he clearly felt a sense of malice from the woman in front of him, but he couldn't hear her thoughts.
"Why?" Jiang Luoxi wasn't angry, but asked warmly with a smile.
The Zhan Xiaoli in front of her was like a miniature King Ye; the words "no" carried a great deal of authority.
Zhan Xiaoli said with a stern little face, "Mother doesn't let him eat candy."
"We won't eat it either," Zhan Xiaofeng added.
Candy given by a stranger was definitely not given without a reason!
"It's just one piece, it won't hurt," Jiang Luoxi said, slightly taken aback.
She hadn't expected Yun Shu to be so strict with her children.
She even controlled whether they ate candy.
And she hadn't expected that even if Zhan Xiaoli and the others hadn't grown up by Yun Shu's side, they would still be so obedient to her.
Jiang Luoxi's eyes flickered, and she glanced at Yun Xiaojing, who was clearly craving it.
She waited for Yun Xiaojing to say something like, "Then I'll just have one piece."
Yun Xiaojing looked at Jiang Luoxi and said helplessly, "Forget it, I won't eat it! I have to keep my promise. If I promise Mother something, I have to do it. So, you said eating one piece wouldn't hurt, does that mean you don't usually keep your promises?"
The unexpected question.
Jiang Luoxi was slightly surprised that a child of just over four years old could ask her such a sharp question at this moment.
"People who don't keep their promises are bad people. I think Aunt Jiang looks beautiful and is giving us candy, so she can't be a bad person," Yun Xiaojing said with a smile.
With such an innocent and cute demeanor, he didn't seem capable of asking sharp questions.
It seemed she had overthought things. Jiang Luoxi collected her thoughts and replied with a simple "Of course." Then, she didn't mention the candy anymore and put it away.
She then sat quietly to the side, watching them with a gentle gaze.
All three of them were very intelligent, not like the children she had encountered before who could be easily coaxed with a few words.
It would not be easy to scheme against these three.
In their eyes, no one could compare to Yun Shu.
She fell into contemplation.
Suddenly.
A little face leaned close to her.
Startled, Jiang Luoxi reached out to push it away.
But Yun Xiaojing reacted quickly and sat back, "Aunt Jiang, are you going to push me away?"
As he spoke, Yun Xiaojing's little face was filled with sadness.
Jiang Luoxi frowned slightly, "I wasn't, it's just that you came close so suddenly, I reacted instinctively. I absolutely didn't mean to push you away. You are so smart and adorable, I only love you and couldn't possibly push you away. Come, let me hug you."
She extended her hand towards Yun Xiaojing.
She hadn't expected Yun Xiaojing to be so close to her. It seemed he must like her; after all, most children liked her when they first met her.
Zhan Xiaoli and Zhan Xiaofeng looked at each other, "What is Yun Xiaojing doing?"
"No! I don't let just anyone hug me!" Yun Xiaojing said with some disdain. He only liked being hugged by his mother; he didn't like anyone else.
Besides, Aunt Jiang smelled unpleasant, not as nice as Mother's scent. He didn't want to be hugged at all!
A chill flashed in Jiang Luoxi's eyes. Her rare patience was wearing thin.
She pursed her lips slightly and didn't ask to hug Yun Xiaojing again.
Some things couldn't be rushed.
They needed to be done slowly.
Soon.
The carriage entered the palace.
Then Jiang Luoxi led the three little ones to the Empress Dowager's palace.
As soon as they arrived, they heard the chatter of several children.
There were no children in this palace because the young emperor had no heir.
Today, the Empress Dowager's palace was so lively, which was a rare sight.