Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 278: Yundian Royal Mansion, At Your Service

Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Yundian Royal Mansion, At Your Service

"Is Xiao Wen leaving so soon?"

Though Murong Jiu knew that Xiao Wen was going to leave after she gave birth, when the day actually arrived, she felt incredibly reluctant to let him go.

She ruffled Xiao Wen’s head and said to him, "When you get there, remember to write to me. You can think of me as your godmother and confide anything to me. Don’t keep your thoughts buried inside, okay?"

What she was most worried about was the relationship between Xiao Wen and his father, the Prince of Yundian. She feared that if they did not get along well, it could psychologically harm Xiao Wen.

Xiao Wen was too young; he should have been carefree at his age, but due to years of wandering and his mother’s death, he had prematurely turned into a little adult, keeping his thoughts hidden away, not letting others know.

"Godmother..."

With a heart full of sorrow, Xiao Wen still cheerfully called her "Godmother," seeming to like the title very much.

Murong Jiu had wanted to formally take him as her godson earlier, but hesitated upon learning of Xiao Wen’s identity, not wanting to cause displeasure to the Prince of Yundian in the future. After all, the consent of both parents was needed to take a godson. Xiao Wen’s mother was no longer alive, but his biological father was.

The reason she spoke this way today was because of Xiao Wen’s kindness to Zhijin and Zhiyu. Whenever he had free time, he was sure to be in the twins’ room, playing with them when they were awake and simply watching over them or flipping through medical books when they slept, really acting the part of an older brother.

A few days ago, she had discussed this matter with Jun Yuyan. Jun Yuyan’s response was that if she liked Xiao Wen, she should take him as her godson without worrying about the Prince of Yundian’s opinion.

Actually, given Xiao Wen’s affection for her and the little siblings, even without formally taking him as her godson, he would always care for them. The Prince of Yundian must be well aware of this, so officially taking him as a godson seemed to make little difference.

Thus, when Xiao Wen came to say goodbye to her and Jun Yuyan, she brought it up herself.

Since Xiao Wen no longer had a mother, in his eyes, she was his second mother. Look, wasn’t Xiao Wen truly happy? She even felt that perhaps she had left it too late.

After wiping away the hot tears from his cheeks, Murong Jiu looked at him with affection:

"Prince Ling’s Mansion will always be your home. If you are unhappy there, write to me, and I will send someone to bring you back. The doors of Prince Ling’s Mansion will always be open to you. However, you must not run away on your own, we would all worry."

Xiao Wen nodded vigorously: "I won’t make you or Godfather worry! I will study hard and make myself strong so that I can protect my younger brother and sister in the future. And Father said there will be a chance to come back. When that time comes, I will accompany him. I look forward to that day! It’s just a pity I won’t see the twins grow up. I wonder if they will even recognize me the next time I come?"

Jun Yuyan spoke softly, "The portrait that I had an artist paint of us last year is still well preserved. When Xiao Jin and Xiaoyu are old enough to recognize people, we will show them your portrait."

Xiao Wen was overjoyed. He had always been somewhat fearful of the seemingly cold Prince, but now felt that the Prince was not unfeeling; it was just his nature, revealing smiles only in front of the Princess Consort. Now that he had become his godfather, it meant that he was also accepted by him; they were a real family now.

The little fellow was so happy that he started crying again. Murong Jiu’s handkerchief was completely soaked as she laughed, saying he was made out of water. Xiao Wen’s cheeks turned red as he declared that he was a man and certainly not made out of water.

After a bout of joking to dissipate some of the parting sorrow, Murong Jiu had Jun Yuyan bring out the gifts that she had prepared for Xiao Wen to take back with him. They were valuable and not so valuable, and there were all kinds of things. Most importantly, there were clothes that she had tailor-made well in advance, dozens of outfits that he could wear until he was a teenager. They were all incredibly lavish and stylish, completely different from Yundian’s style, as they were from the Capital City. She wanted Xiao Wen to be the most magnificent Young Heir in Yundian Royal Mansion and not be looked down upon.

Xiao Wen, receiving the gifts, had tears in his eyes again. By the time he left her room, his eyes had swollen like walnuts. After visiting his sleeping little brother and sister, his eyes turned even redder.

He then bid farewell to Grandpa Zhai with a bout of painful crying.

Following protocol, the Prince of Yundian waited in the outer courtyard and did not enter the inner one.

Originally, he had wanted to send someone to bring Xiao Wen back during the end-of-year period because he was busy and couldn’t leave his duties, planning to send a trusted aide. However, he still feared for Xiao Wen’s safety on the journey, so he decided to take the risk and come to the Capital City himself.

Upon seeing Jun Yuyan leading Xiao Wen out, his eyes narrowed slightly, but upon seeing Xiao Wen’s reddened eyes, he cast aside all other thoughts. Xiao Wen truly resembled Lady Yu; just a slight cry would redden his eyes, like a pitiable little rabbit.

Thinking of Lady Yu would cause his heart to feel as if it were being fiercely gripped, causing him piercing pain.

He crouched down and waved to Xiao Wen, "Xiao Wen, come here."

Xiao Wen looked up at his godfather.

Jun Yuyan let go of his hand and patted his shoulder, "Your godmother was right; Prince Ling’s Mansion will always be your home. Whenever you want to return, just write a letter."

"I understand, godfather."

Xiao Wen walked towards the Prince of Yundian.

The Prince of Yundian wiped the corner of his eyes and lifted him up.

Xiao Wen’s eyes grew wide, unafraid of the sudden sense of being lifted into the air. He just wasn’t accustomed to being held like this, especially by his father.

His father was tall and appeared thin in his long robe, but he was lean and muscular. Xiao Wen could feel the strength contained within his father’s body.

Regarding his move to the Yundian Royal Mansion, he hadn’t been without hesitation and fear, but in that moment, his father’s strength transferred to him, suddenly filled him with anticipation for the future.

The Prince of Yundian could not linger long, as the distance between the two places was far too great. He had to return home as soon as possible. He solemnly thanked Jun Yuyan, leaving many gifts of thanks, and discussed the presents for Xiao Wen’s adoption of the godparents. He would have Xiao Wen deliver them personally on his next visit to the Capital City since this time was too rushed.

"Please do not be offended by this, Prince Mu; my wife and I truly treat Xiao Wen as a child of our mansion. The adoption as godparents is to provide him with an extra layer of security and a fallback, without any ulterior motives."

The so-called ulterior motives naturally referred to leveraging gratitude to expect something in return, intentionally establishing a godparent relationship to make the connection between Yundian Royal Mansion and Prince Ling’s Mansion tighter. Jun Yuyan disdained such actions, and so did Murong Jiu.

Perhaps the Prince of Yundian might have thought this way in the past, but he did not entertain such thoughts this time around. He had left a confidant in the mansion to watch over Xiao Wen and knew well how comfortable Xiao Wen’s life at the mansion was and how kind Prince Ling and Princess Consort Ling were to him.

By merely inquiring with the servants at the mansion, he learned that Xiao Wen was treated exactly the same before the Prince of Yundian’s appearance, with no changes whatsoever.

He was more grateful to the couple than he could express. If it hadn’t been for Princess Consort Ling’s rescue, he shuddered to think where Xiao Wen might have ended up—sold into slavery or castrated and sold into the palace; anything could have happened.

"Prince Ling, I cannot repay today’s kindness; should you ever need anything in the future, just say the word. My entire Yundian Royal Mansion is ready to serve you and your wife!"

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