The Empress Dowager was going to Prince Mo’s manor?
She and Ye Tinglan were both in the palace. Just last night, the Empress Dowager herself had asked them to stay. If that was the case, who was the Empress Dowager going to see at Prince Mo’s manor now?
Feng Yinwan’s heart sank. Almost immediately, a thought flashed through her mind.
Chenchen was still at the manor!
Yunxiu was unaware. Seeing the change in Feng Yinwan’s expression, she knew her reminder had been received. Without further words, she curtsied and prepared to withdraw.
A storm brewing within her, Feng Yinwan hurriedly tossed Yunxiu a sentence, "Please thank the Noble Consort on my behalf," and then rushed out of the palace.
As she left the palace, the Empress Dowager's carriage had already departed. With no time to spare, Feng Yinwan borrowed a horse from the Imperial Guard and headed straight for Prince Mo's manor.
Imperial horses were meticulously cared for and trained by dedicated personnel, so their speed was naturally not slow. Estimating the time, she certainly wouldn't be able to reach the manor before the Empress Dowager’s carriage.
Fortunately, she had reminded Xiwen and Jianye to remain vigilant. She could only hope they would be astute enough not to reveal Chenchen's identity.
The Empress Dowager's sudden arrival had left the manor's guards somewhat flustered. Ye Tinglan was still in the palace, and Qi Xuan had also gone out and had not yet returned. There was no one in charge at the manor at the moment.
As they were about to greet her, the Empress Dowager waved them off upon seeing them.
"I've come for a casual visit; you don't need to accompany me."
The guards dared not disobey and could only allow the wet nurse to help her into the manor.
Hengwu Courtyard.
Following instructions, Xiwen and Jianye had not allowed Feng Jin’en to leave for the past two days. The little dumpling was at an age where he loved to be boisterous, and the two had to put in considerable effort to keep him entertained.
After breakfast, Xiwen was picking his teeth when the little boy, with a satisfied burp, came over.
"Brother Xiwen, what shall we play today?"
The dishes on the table were only half cleared when Xiwen heard this, pushed them aside, took a bamboo tube from his waist, and placed it on the table. He then looked at Feng Jin’en mysteriously.
"Young master, have you ever heard of 'fighting crickets'?"
Feng Jin’en shook his head, his gaze fixed on the bamboo tube, and asked curiously, "What is that?"
It sounded rather interesting.
Xiwen was very pleased with his reaction. He hooked his lips and was about to speak when he received a glare from Jianye.
"Young master is getting older; you can't always play these frivolous games. You should guide him towards a proper path."
This was to prevent the people at Prince Mo's manor from gossiping about their Xuanmen sect again.
Xiwen glared at Jianye unhappily. "What do you mean by a proper path? In our Xuanmen, alchemy is the proper path."
"With young master's aptitude, once his body recovers, refining any elixir will be a piece of cake. What's there to worry about!"
Jianye found his reasoning somewhat contemptible, but then he thought about it. Feng Jin’en was less than three years old and still had to endure the erosion of toxins within his body. He had finally managed to be a little happy and joyful, so this was also fine.
Thus, he did not object further and quietly went back to clear the dishes.
Xiwen chuckled twice and then looked back at Feng Jin’en. "Young master, don't mind him. Let's continue."
He then reached out and removed the lid of the bamboo tube, declaring proudly.
"Today, I'll open your eyes!"
As he finished speaking, he fetched a clean bowl from the side. He flipped the bamboo tube in his hand, and two crickets of similar size immediately dropped out. After hopping twice in the smooth bowl, they quickly righted themselves.
Feng Jin’en found it novel. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Xiwen tap the edge of the bowl with a thin wooden stick and explain.
"Young master, this is called a cricket."
"The so-called 'fighting crickets' is to have these two crickets compete in the same bowl to see who is more powerful."
Feng Jin’en's little face was shocked.
"Compete? Can these two insects compete? How will they compete?"
Xiwen smiled mysteriously and took a small pinch of grass from his sleeve.
"With this."
"What is this?"
It looked no different from the dry grass outside.
Xiwen did not explain, but looking at him, he pretended to be mysterious and played a game of suspense. "Young master, let's agree first. We each get one cricket, and once chosen, it cannot be changed."
Yesterday, when they played Go, this kid had made a total of one hundred and twenty-eight moves.
The day before yesterday, when they had a competition to mold clay figures, this kid had secretly smashed the Saint Lord he had molded into a blob while he went to the toilet, insisting it was blown down by the wind.
What a joke! Could the wind move such a big Saint Lord?!
When he returned, he would definitely tell the Saint Lord about this!
Xiwen’s eyes were filled with indignation, and his face clearly indicated, "You're not getting away with cheating today."
Feng Jin’en felt embarrassed under his gaze and awkwardly shifted his eyes. "Brother Xiwen, what are you saying? I'll choose this one."
He waved his small, fleshy hand and pointed to the one on the left in the bowl, the one with a reddish tail.
Xiwen raised an eyebrow at this and looked at the remaining cricket in the bowl, almost bursting into laughter.
In the world of crickets, "white is inferior to black, black is inferior to red, and red is inferior to yellow" was an immutable law of hierarchy.
Feng Jin’en didn't understand these things. He picked a red cricket, and unfortunately for him, only a yellow one was left.
Heh heh, this time he was sure to win!
Xiwen chuckled secretly twice and pointed at the cricket with his wooden stick. "Alright, then I'll take this one."
As he finished speaking, he placed the pinch of grass into the bowl. In an instant, the two crickets seemed to have their fighting spirit ignited and immediately brandished their forelegs, confronting each other.
Seeing that the crickets, which had been listless moments ago, were now launching fierce attacks, Feng Jin’en’s eyes widened. His little face, full of wonder, leaned closer.
"Wow, they're actually fighting! How magical!"
Xiwen: "Of course!"
The two of them stood around, more nervous than the crickets fighting in the bowl.
As the match reached its halfway point and his cricket was at a disadvantage, Feng Jin’en frowned anxiously.
"Go, Little Red! Go, Little Red!"
"Yes, that's it! Beat it, beat it quickly!"
Perhaps his encouragement had an effect, as the red cricket, which had been suppressed, began to counterattack. Xiwen frowned and poked it directly with his wooden stick.
"Yellow Yellow, perk up!"
Feng Jin’en was displeased. "Hey, what are you doing? Didn't we agree that no one was allowed to interfere?"
Xiwen pouted. "I didn't poke yours; I poked mine!"
"That's not allowed either. You're cheating!"
"If you don't like it, you can poke it too."
"..."
The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down, and seemed to be competing to see who could shout louder.
Seeing the red cricket being forced to retreat step by step, and the two of them confronting each other with red eyes as if they had no regard for kinship, it was hard not to suspect that even if Luo Qingyi had entered at this moment, he would have to be slapped twice before leaving.
"Bang—"
The sudden sound of the door breaking down instantly shattered the tense atmosphere in the room.
The two of them turned their heads simultaneously. Their gaze swept over, only to meet Jianye's solemn expression, which immediately deflated their ferocity by more than half.
"What is it?"
Without time to explain, Jianye rushed forward, scooped up Feng Jin’en, and quickly moved outside.
"Quick, let's go! The Empress Dowager is here with her people, we have to leave immediately!"