As soon as Emperor Lin came in, he saw Lin Zhanyuan running around with his head covered in a layer of sweat. The Empress Dowager called out to him and waved her hand, “Yuan Er, come to grandma and have some butter tea.”
Lin Zhanyuan ran towards her with a flushed face. After he finished drinking a small bowl of the tea, he ran off happily again. As soon as he turned around and saw Emperor Lin coming in, his expression became a little nervous, but he was able to remember his sister’s teachings to always give his greetings, “This Imperial son greets Emperor Father.”
He greeted Emperor Lin, whereas the Emperor greeted the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager sat up from her chair and embraced her grandson who had been timidly hiding in her arms, “Why did the Emperor come here all of a sudden?”
The palace staff quickly moved a chair for the Emperor. Once he was seated, he smiled, “I’m here to accompany you, Empress Mother.”
The Empress Dowager took her handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Lin Zhanyuan’s forehead, “It’s sufficient enough for Yuan Er to accompany me.”
Emperor Lin closely observed the appearance of the grandmother and grandson duo before he became a little surprised, “I wasn’t aware that the 6th Prince and Empress Mother were this close.”
The Empress Dowager gave him a glance,”Well, we are closer than you will ever be with me.”
Emperor Lin shyly faltered with that response. Then, he talked about the reason he came today with a solemn tone, “Your son has heard the officials say that Empress Mother recently called for several imperial doctors. Are you perhaps feeling sick? What did the imperial doctors say?”
The Empress Dowager’s sweaty hands stopped moving, but she didn’t answer immediately.
After she wiped off Lin Zhanyuan’s sweat, she smiled and patted his head. Then, she said in a soft tone, “My dear grandson, go and play with Chang Er for a bit.”
Lin Zhanyuan pursed his lips and gave Emperor Lin a brief glance before running away.
The Empress Mother squinted at the figure that was now chasing the puppy in the yard. Her eyes were gentle and warm, but her tone of voice was light, “I am in good health; the summonings of the imperial physicians were to discuss some past issues.”
Emperor Lin answered, “Oh?”
The Empress Dowager directed her gaze at him and said, ” Returning to the palace this time and meeting Yuan Er made me recall a few things that happened during the previous Emperor’s reign. The previous Emperor had very few heirs as most of the pregnant concubines and consorts either had given birth prematurely, which resulted in a number of miscarriages. At that time, it was said that the previous Emperor was rather unlucky to bear the fate of never being able to have children. But all the incidents and the untold truths were all as clear as day to me. To be honest, I had to handle many things to ensure that you would be able to grow up relatively peacefully.”
Of course, Emperor Lin remembered how fiercely his Emperor Father’s harem fought in the previous generation. That was the reason why he now preferred gentle, kind and talented women.
Hearing the Empress Dowager suddenly talk of the older days, Emperor Lin thought she was overthinking. So he consoled her, “Your son is living healthily and I have lots of children as well. All of them are talented in their own ways, so you don’t have to worry too much about that, Empress Mother.”
The Empress Dowager looked at Lin Zhanyuan in the courtyard, “If Xiao Lan could give birth to a child safely, Yuan Er would have been a smart and excellent prince by now. I remember that you loved Xiao Lan very much at that time, right?”
Emperor Lin awkwardly smiled.
The Empress Dowager asked, “When she was pregnant, did the Emperor take care of her properly? Since she was able to give birth to the intelligent and healthy Little Fifth Princess in her second delivery, it just doesn’t make sense for her firstborn to be prematurely born.”