07 Children (Part 2)
The ten-year-old prince smiled brightly. Looking at this smiling face, he thought of the emperor: "I heard that Madam Hou can do a series of kicks and somersaults beautifully. We want to see it!"
"Who said that?"
Xu Junying looked at Heng'er, and Heng'er said softly: "It was Meiyi who told His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
The prince said, "Meiyi watched us practice the other day and told me that Madam Hou's chain kicks are much better looking than ours... It's a pity that she's not at home today!"
Meimei was helpless. It was true that the female external appearance was the best thing to say. Meiyi, who was only seven years old, fell in love with the prince with all her heart and even dared to sell out her mother.
As a mother, she tried so hard not to let her child have anything to do with the princes, but she could not resist the imperial power. Xu Jiheng, the son of Weiyuan Marquis, inevitably became the current prince's follower, accompanying him in studying, practicing martial arts, and having fun. He completely followed the old path of Xu Junying. The prince and Heng'er were inseparable. Just like his father, he could not do without his friends. When he got tired of playing in the palace, he liked to follow Heng'er back to the Marquis' Mansion. Heng'er loved his younger siblings, and took them out to play as soon as he got home. Naturally, the prince would play along, and over time he became very close to the Xu family's children. It was hot, and the prince would sometimes bring other princes with him. Meimei thought the children were still young and didn't understand anything, but she didn't expect that the seven-year-old Meiyi and Meijuan particularly liked the boys in the royal family and were only willing to play with the prince's brothers. They didn't even take their handsome cousins Qin Shizhen and Qin Shiyu seriously, not to mention the little boys from other houses. Meimei discovered this phenomenon by accident and felt disappointed. She racked her brains every day to think about how to change her daughters' minds. She sent her daughters back to her mother's house, the Qin Mansion, every now and then, in order to distance them from them so that it would not be more difficult to change them as they grew older.
The prince will become the emperor in the future. The emperor cannot have only one woman. If she falls in love with the emperor, that would be a great tragedy. I don’t want my daughter to suffer this!
There were a dozen boys gathered around the stone table. There was the prince of Huai Wang's mansion, and the children of Changle Marquis and Anyuan Marquis. The ones wearing brocade robes with dragons were the princes. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh princes who came with the crown prince were all chattering and shouting:
"Madam Weiyuan, we want to see your chain kicks. I heard that you taught Meiyi and Meijuan somersaults. Please teach us too!"
Looking at these five princes who were born in the same year, one will think of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth princesses who were born in the same year as them. They are like a litter of piglets, all the same height but with different weights. They are very funny royal children.
Although her children were born close together, at least there was some spacing between them... Suddenly, she realized: Was Xu Junying stimulated by the emperor? He couldn't bear to see that others had so many children, so he wanted one too? Cen Meimei couldn't help but shudder. The emperor had three palaces and six courtyards, so many women, and it was a huge event for each woman to give birth to a child. Compared with others, she would not be able to die even if she had several lives!
Fortunately, I stopped myself from having any more children.
The nurse came over with the crying Xu Jimeng in her arms. Meimei took him in her arms and patted him:
"Don't cry, don't cry, look! The prince brother is here, as well as the prince brother and sister Min'er. So many brothers are looking at Meng'er. If you cry any more, you will be an ugly cat!"
Zhao Min held onto Meimei's hand, patted Meng'er and said with a smile, "Ameng, come and play with me!"
The prince pinched the baby's chubby face and said, "Amon, she's not fun to play with. Brother will show you how to play!"
Zhao Min was unhappy, pouting and glaring: "Why am I not fun anymore? Bad brother!"
Heng'er hurriedly said, "Min'er, you can't be rude to the prince!"
Zhao Min pulled Heng'er's sleeve and acted like a spoiled child: "Brother Heng, he bullied me!"
The prince reached out and tapped her forehead: "I am your biological brother, would I bully you? I love you in vain!"
As they were talking, three-and-a-half-year-old Xu Jixue and two-year-old Xu Jicheng also came over, accompanied by their maids and nannies. Xu Junying leaned over and picked up Cheng'er, while Xue'er threw himself into Heng'er's arms. Xu Junying looked around:
"Where's Kang'er?"
"Ah Kang is over there!"
Looking in the direction where Zhao Min's finger was pointing, Meimei gasped. Five-and-a-half-year-old Kang'er and Zhao Jie, who were the same age as him, were lying on the willow tree by the lake like two big cicadas!
Meimei exclaimed: "Oh my God, these two kids! Why is no one watching them? They are about to fall into the water!"
Xu Junying said calmly: "Don't panic, the guards are here, some are on the trees, and some are hiding in the shade!"
Meimei realized that the sun was getting hotter and the children were sweating as they sat around the stone table. She said:
"Children, come back with me to the living room and have some tea and snacks!"
The fifth prince born to the queen said, "But you didn't promise to teach us how to do somersaults!"
The princes echoed: "Yes, yes, we are waiting!"
Meimei rolled her eyes in her heart: I have nothing to do after eating? If I teach you dragon sons and grandsons to do somersaults, who will be responsible if something goes wrong
"Don't listen to Meiyi's nonsense. I can't do somersaults, but I can teach you a way to play football that's more suitable for little boys like you. It's similar to playing polo, but you don't need to ride a horse. Whoever runs faster can grab the ball. I can take you to play some other day, but today I really can't. Look, Meng'er is crying so hard, I have to comfort him!"
The second prince scratched his head and yelled, "What a bummer—Amon, don't cry!"
Heng'er glanced at him, and the prince said, "Which child doesn't cry? You were like this when you were little. Did your mother just abandon you? Stop making a fuss. Let's go to the East Courtyard to play for a while. We'll ask Madam Weiyuan to teach us how to play football another day!"
A group of children left noisily. Xueer wanted to follow them, so Henger squatted down and said:
"Brother will carry you!"
Xu Junying walked over and picked up Xueer, then said to Henger, "He can't run fast, and you won't have much fun with him. Let him stay here with Chenger. You go ahead, and be careful. Don't climb high without a guard by your side!"
"Yes, the child is gone!"
Xueer saw his brother running away, pouted and wanted to cry: "Brother!"
Xu Junying had a blank expression on his face: "Don't cry! If you want to go out and play with your brother, eat more. When you grow taller, run by yourself. Who can always carry you?"
Ah Xue sniffed and whispered, "Yes, father!"
"Say it loudly, haven't you had breakfast?"
"Yes, father!"
Meimei told Yuanyang to go to the small kitchen and ask her to prepare some fresh snacks and tea. When they were ready, she would report back and she would personally deliver them to the East Courtyard.
"Use whole grain flour as usual. You should remember the tastes of the Crown Prince and the other princes. The noble masters from the palace usually eat too much. They can only eat these things in our house. I specially prepared them for our little masters. You should bring Bailing with you to watch the mothers cook. There is no room for any sloppiness!"
"Yes! Madam, I will do it right away."
After Yuanyang left, Meimei turned back to pull Ah Xue away and glared at Xu Junying: "I told you not to use my children as your soldiers. They are still so young, what do they know?"
Xu Junying smiled bitterly: "Meimei, I'm teaching my son, you shouldn't do this in front of me, right?"
"Why not? You're not doing it right! You used to be a kind father to Heng'er, but why are you treating these boys like this now?"
"I was not strict enough with Heng'er before... maybe I was not strict enough. He is eleven years old now, not even half as good as I was back then! Alas, his physique is not strong enough, and his temperament is too weak. These guys are even worse, crying at the slightest provocation and relying on others..."
Meimei was annoyed: "You are not satisfied with any of the children I gave birth to? And you still say you love them, you big liar!"
Xu Junying held Cheng'er in his arms, who had been silent all this time. At this moment, he looked carefully at his father's face and actually imitated his mother's tone and blurted out:
"Big liar!"
Xu Junying glared at him: "What are you talking about? I'm your father!"
"Big liar!"
"you!"
Xu Junying was helpless: "Meimei, teach him well!"
"Aren't you teaching? I can't say anything to your face!"
"They are still so young, they listen to you..."
"No matter what, I'll let you teach me!"
Meimei stuffed Meng'er in her arms into his arms and said, "This little kid is so fat, even heavier than Heng'er before, throw him away!"
Xu Junying quickly caught them, holding one in each hand: "Give them to me, give them to me... Meng'er, be good. Your mother is tired. Let your father hold you! Can I take you two to the corridor to play netball? Xue'er, come here too. Stop pestering your mother all the time!"
At night, after finally coaxing the children to sleep, the couple breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Junying tucked in the quilt for Akang, laid his bent little body flat, reached into his quilt and pulled out two wooden swords, one long and one short, a peculiar little slingshot, and seven or eight little puppets. This kid loved to stick to Baoju the most, and Baoju would make all kinds of little toys for him when he had free time.
I couldn't help but smile: "Kang'er, he's like me when I was a kid. Although he's thin, he grows fast. He's this tall at only five and a half years old. He's quick-witted, smart, and very focused when practicing martial arts. He's just too naughty, which is like you! But he's not calm enough, and he's very strong. Although he's learned swordsmanship and spearmanship well, he's never been allowed to use a real sword or spear."
"Don't give me that. I am also very focused when I am doing things! Being naughty and playful is the nature of every child. Kang'er was originally lively and cheerful, but you took him to learn martial arts when he was just two years old. A good child has been studying swordsmanship, knife skills, boxing gloves and even military tactics and formations all day long, and he has become taciturn. You are too cruel!"
"Meimei, I'm their father. I know how to love children. Don't worry!"
Xu Junying placed the wooden sword on the bedside table for Akang, and then went to check on his other three sons. Then he smiled and pulled her out. Two old women and two maids were waiting outside, as well as the wet nurses of Acheng and Ameng. Meimei warned them, "Be alert. Kang and Xue sleep all night. Cheng is weaker, and Ameng is still young. He needs to be fed at night. Remember to hold their diapers. Be careful not to let them wet the bed, or they will catch a cold!"
Xu Junying said, "Isn't there someone who stays up all night?"
The eldest maid Xique said, "Replying to Lord Hou: Sister Lin is on duty tonight, she has to watch and cannot sleep!"
Xu Junying nodded: "Serve me well, I might come over to check on you at night!"
Meimei was speechless. This was something that the mother couldn't do well, but the father did quite well. If he woke up in the middle of the night, or if Meimei woke up and patted him, he would get up, go out for a walk, and check on the sleeping conditions of his children and the shifts of the maids. Sometimes, if a little one was crying, he would patiently coax him and wait until he fell asleep before coming back. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian. to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)