The carriage procession slowly followed behind.
The shadow of the Western Xia Mission grew smaller and smaller.
By the time the three sloppy ghosts who ran out of Bai Fang Pavilion finally caught up.
The Western Xia Mission was nowhere to be seen.
The three of them stared at each other, unable to say a word.
"Theyâve... left already?" Monster looked shocked.
Rat retorted with annoyance.
"Of course theyâve left, were they supposed to wait for us?!"
"Itâs all my fault, I drank too much last night!"
Beside him, Tiger also muttered with his head down.
"Iâm to blame, I shouldnât have lost control!"
"I drank too much, too!" Rat lowered his head.
"If we had known, we wouldnât have drunk!" Monster regretted.
"If we had known? How could we have known?!"
"Now we didnât even get to see Brother Ye one last time!"
Rat felt quite upset inside.
The other two had nothing to argue with, so they all hung their heads.
"Whatâs wrong with you all?" Suddenly, someone came over and asked.
The three of them looked up and were instantly delighted.
"Big brother?"
"Itâs big brother!"
"Why are you here, big brother?"
Xia Tingfeng smiled faintly.
"Iâm the Emperorâs personal guard. With the Emperor here, naturally, so am I!"
The three suddenly realized and nodded.
Rat asked again.
"Big brother, why werenât you there last night? Did you see Brother Ye off?"
Monster was also curious.
"Yes, big brother, even though Brother Ye joined us last, he fought alongside us!"
"You should have seen him off, big brother!"
Tiger nodded in agreement on the side.
Xia Tingfeng laughed freely.
"Didnât I just accompany the Emperor to see them off?!"
"Itâs just I was on duty, so I couldnât show my face!"
"Anyway, itâs the thought that counts!"
After all, the Western Xia Mission had not yet left, and nothing was more important than the Emperorâs safety, wasnât it?
After hearing this, the three exchanged bewildered glances and were speechless.
"Big brother, youâre being too dismissive! Weâre brothers who owe each other our lives!" Rat protested.
Monster wore a face of sorrow too.
"Yes, big brother!"
"Brother Ye even asked about you last night?!"
How come to you, Brother Ye seemed so insignificant!
Tiger also felt a bit unjust for Ye Tang.
âWeâre all brothers, why couldnât you see him off?!â
Xia Tingfeng leisurely glanced at them and gave each of them a punch.
"You brats dare to complain about me?!"
"If I had left last night, what about the Emperorâs safety?!"
He couldnât just ignore the Emperorâs safety.
"But... big brother, youâre not on duty for the full twelve Shi Chen, you can switch shifts, right..." Monster said pitifully.
Xia Tingfengâs face darkened, and his tone grew heavier.
"Enough!"
"Weâre not saying goodbye forever, we can see each other again in the future. Why be so sentimental?"
"Come on, Iâve just finished my shift, letâs go drink!"
Switch shifts?
What a joke.
Last night was Western Xia Kingdomâs final night in Capital City.
Who knew if they might pull something?
He couldnât trust anyone else with the Emperorâs safety.
As for Ye Tang.
He had thought about seeing her off.
But now their statuses were vastly different, not to mention the difference between a man and a woman.
Moreover...
Xia Tingfeng recalled the way Ye Tang looked at him, always feeling there was something else in it.
So itâs better not to meet.
Not meeting means no longing, which is best for her!
The three were dumbfounded by the scolding.
Seeing big brotherâs expression, none of them dared to say more.
Finally, it was Rat who shifted the mood, rallying everyone.
"Hey, big brother is right, weâre not saying goodbye forever!"
"If we want to see her, we can just go visit!"
"Right, letâs not dawdle, weâre real men!"
"Come on, letâs go drink!"
"Big brother, you didnât come last night, so you have to treat us today!"
Tiger looked around and also switched sides.
Pulled Monster along.
"Come on! Letâs go drink!"
After drinking too much last night, I didnât even get to sleep with a pretty girl!
Monster glanced around, finally putting away his aggrieved look, and followed along.
Xia Tingfeng saw they finally understood and smiled again.
"Alright, Iâm treating today!"
"Great!"
The three responded and walked with Xia Tingfeng.
Itâs not about blaming, just canât blame!
...
In the palace.
Zhao Junyao returned almost at midday.
He had been worried about the Western Xia Mission and had numerous court matters to attend to.
It all added up, keeping him busy until late at night.
He hadnât even entered the harem much.
Even when he did, he just went to Duanning Palace to sit for a bit.
He couldnât possibly attend to everyone else.
Now that the Western Xia Mission had left, he finally had some free time.
Returning to Zhaochen Palace, he saw the mountain of memorials on the imperial desk.
He frowned and rubbed his aching temples.
"Forget it, letâs go to Duanning Palace!"
Too tired to read them, even looking at them was annoying!
Li Shengan understood and quickly signaled for people to get ready.
"Prepare to go to Duanning Palace!"
Zhao Junyao took everyone with him to Duanning Palace.
...
In Duanning Palace.
Xia Ruqing was watching Henger and Yeye eat noodles.
The noodles were handmade by the kitchen maid.
They contained crushed walnuts and sesame seeds, specially made to help children grow.
Henger and Yeye were already over a year old and could eat some noodles.
Initially, Sister Jiang and the others disagreed.
Fortunately, Henger and Yeye proved to be quite resilient.
After eating the noodles, they didnât have stomach issues; they even enjoyed them more.
The first time they only ate a few strands, but soon they could eat a small bunch.
If Xia Ruqing hadnât set a limit, allowing them to eat only so much a day.
They might have eaten half a bowl.
The two little boys were sturdy and could eat anything, and they were robust.
At just over a year old, they both could walk.
This surprised Sister Jiang and the others.
"Originally, twin children are supposed to be weaker!"
"But these two little princes are so strong, walking at less than fourteen months old!"
"It really opened an old servantâs eyes!"
Xia Ruqing was also pleased.
"Itâs because the sisters raised them well!"
Sister Jiang was quick to be humble.
"Youâre flattering, my lady!"
"Most of the time, itâs your wisdom that proved right!"
Xia Ruqing often said:
Boys shouldnât be pampered. Let them play with mud and roughhouse!
So now the two little fellows were quite resilient.
They didnât cry over a little crash or bump.
Even if they got hurt, theyâd grit their teeth and get over it with tear-filled eyes.
Xia Ruqing was very proud of this.
"No wonder theyâre my sons! Youâre all motherâs great heroes!"
Henger giggled.
Yeye was also happy and eagerly grabbed a few strands of noodles, trying to feed Xia Ruqing.
Xia Ruqing looked at those pitiful noodles and couldnât help but smile wryly.
Quickly refusing.
"I wonât eat!"
"Motherâs not hungry!!"
"Yeye can eat!"
Yeye didnât mind, grinning, and stuffed them into his own mouth!
Xia Ruqing rubbed her forehead and looked up at the sky.
Oh, my silly son!