Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 342 - 340

Chapter 342: Chapter 340

Shangguan Xuanyi returned to the palace and leisurely walked into the quarters of the Seventh Prince.

"Sixth Prince, may you have good fortune!" As Shangguan Xuanyi passed, maids and eunuchs continuously paid their respects to him.

Upon reaching inside the hall, the head maid of the Seventh Prince hurriedly ran out from the interior room to pay her respects. Shangguan Xuanyi glanced at her indifferently and his expression softened, "Where is the Seventh Prince?"

"In response to the Sixth Prince, the Seventh Prince is in the study practicing his calligraphy. Today, the Seventh Prince has been truly diligent and has been practicing the entire day without wanting to go out and play," responded the head maid Ziyun with a smile; her words carried a subtle affection towards the Seventh Prince.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded and went inside.

There he saw a small child, dressed in a red outfit, sitting solemnly by the desk and seriously writing something.

Shangguan Xuanyi tiptoed, subtly moving closer. On the beige-colored Xuan paper, he saw the characters for "Xi’er."

He certainly appears to be taking it seriously!

Upon spotting his elder brother, the Seventh Prince excitedly extended his hand, "Sixth Brother, do you think the words I’ve written are pretty?"

Shangguan Xuanyi picked him up and nodded, "Not bad."

Shangguan Xuanyi extended one hand and flipped through the other characters that his younger brother had practiced all day, only to find that they were all "Xi’er."

Feeling helpless, he thought that this boy was already smitten with Xi’er! Apart from constantly talking about Xi’er, he was now even practicing writing the two characters for Xi’er!

"Why is it that everything you wrote is Xi’er’s name?"

"Because Xi’er said that she can write my name already, but I can’t write hers yet! She won’t play with me anymore if I continue like this! Alas, it really is my fault for not knowing how to write her name!" The Seventh Prince displayed remorse all over his face. Why hadn’t he thought of learning how to write Xi’er’s name first?

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded in agreement, "You’re correct. After all, Xi’er is about your age, yet she knows and can write more characters than you, and her handwriting is prettier. You really need to reflect on this!"

The Seventh Prince looked down upon hearing these words, appearing as if he had taken a severe blow, "I will work hard from now on!"

Then, as if remembering something, he lifted his head, his eyes shining brightly:

"Sixth Brother, could you help me choose the best written character to give to Xi’er? Also, could you tell her that I will visit her to play in a few days?"

"Alright! Last time, I noticed that Xi’er has grown as tall as you. Do you think she will surpass you next year?" Faced with his youngest brother, Shangguan Xuanyi was significantly more patient than usual.

Upon hearing these words, the Seventh Prince became unhappy again, his small face scrunching up.

The food in the palace is not as good as the food at Xi’er’s house. Xi’er eats more, so naturally, she grows faster!

Remembering that his father is much taller than his mother, and that the Sixth Prince is significantly taller than the Lady of Rui’an County, someone felt uneasy: "I will definitely eat well!"

And that’s how a little chubby boy was quickly cultivated.

"Hmm, what have you eaten today, and have you finished everything?" Shangguan Xuanyi asked casually as he nodded.

"Ginkgo porridge and crystal shrimp balls ..., I haven’t finished everything, but I will definitely finish dinner." It can’t be helped, Xi’er simply grows too fast! A little figure mumbled sadly in his heart.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded as if it was nothing important, then glanced at the western antique clock placed on the ground before instructing Ziyun who was standing outside the door: "Serve the meal. I will have dinner with the Seventh Prince."

"Yes." Ziyun bowed and then left.

Dinner was served soon after.

Shangguan Xuanyi glanced at the dishes on the table and asked in his cold and deep voice, "Who arranges the meals for the Seventh Prince?"

"Responding to the Sixth Prince, Empress Dowager brought back a cook when she returned this time. It’s said that she excels in cooking medicinal meals, so Empress Dowager had her prepare some medicinal meals to nourish the Seventh Prince’s health. Every day, that cook arranges the menu for the Seventh Prince, which is then shown and approved by the Empress before being prepared."

Shangguan Xuanyi glanced at the ginkgo egg custard on the table as well as a bowl of ginkgo pork rib soup, his eyes revealing a flicker of cold light.

"You may leave. I will take good care of the Seventh Prince."

Ziyun bowed and then left.

Sixth Prince prefers to eat alone without others serving him. He likes to help himself. This was no secret in the palace.

Shangguan Xuanyi personally served the Seventh Prince. The brothers silently ate their meals.

The Seventh Prince glanced several times at the steamed egg custard glistening in golden colors, but the Sixth Prince remained adamant and didn’t scoop out a spoonful for him.

Helpless, he extended his tiny arms, deciding to fend for himself.

Shangguan Xuanyi ate all the leftover custard after the Seventh Prince had scooped out a spoonful for himself.

The Seventh Prince looked at the empty black porcelain bowl, feeling wronged and determined not to eat with the Sixth Prince again! His brother didn’t understand the meaning of Kong Rong yielding the larger pears at all! Hmm, he felt like crying, and he couldn’t swallow his food. The Seventh Prince decided to drink some soup first.

After the Seventh Prince had scooped up a spoon of soup, Shangguan Xuanyi then drank all the remaining ginkgo soup.

This time, the little boy couldn’t help but burst into tears.

The imperial brother ate all his food!

Crying over such small matters?

Shangguan Xuanyi’s expression darkened, "Hasn’t your tutor told you that a man should not easily shed tears?"

Upon hearing cries, Ziyun hurriedly rushed in.

"Out!" Without even looking at her, Shangguan Xuanyi sternly yelled.

Ziyun glanced worriedly at the Seventh Prince and quickly left.

"If you continue crying, your imperial brother won’t accompany you out of the palace to see Xi’er."

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince dared not cry any longer, only using his eyes to accuse Shangguan Xuanyi.

Shangguan Xuanyi sighed to himself, children really were troublesome!

"Your imperial brother hasn’t had egg custard or pork rib soup for a long time, so I couldn’t help being a little greedy. Surely Seventh Prince doesn’t begrudge sparing a bit for your imperial brother, do you?"

A bit? It was obviously all eaten.

"But, imperial brother, you ate everything. How am I supposed to grow tall now?"

Shangguan Xuanyi couldn’t help laughing upon hearing this. "Tomorrow, your imperial brother will order the Imperial Dining Room to send you a bowl of soup which helps with height growth. You shouldn’t eat too fully at night as it might cause indigestion."

There is such kind of soup?

"I want to drink that height-increasing soup every day!"

"Alright!"

The next day, Shangguan Xuanyi took his newly adopted pet to Cining Palace to accompany the Empress Dowager for a meal.

After the meal, Shangguan Xuanyi picked out a small plate of ginkgo from the leftover mixed vegetable stir-fry to feed his newly adopted pet, the hamster.

"Sixth prince, if you randomly feed it with anything, will it eat? You’re really too casual in taking care of your pet!" The Fifth Princess couldn’t help but speak up for the hamster!

"Really?" Shangguan Xuanyi looked at the hamster in the cage, as it quickly finished one ginkgo fruit and then went on to the next one.

Perhaps because this was the first time it had eaten cooked food, the hamster seemed to be enjoying the taste, finishing one ginkgo fruit after another with relish.

The Empress Dowager watched the cute hamster eating, her face full of smiles: she had never thought there would be such an adorable rat in the world.