Chapter 21: The Spoiled Little Treasure Hunter

"This must be my grandmother? Now I understand why Mother is so beautiful—Grandmother must have been a renowned beauty in Imperial City when she was young!"

Even as a baby, Ruo Xi could see that the Empress Dowager, who must be around fifty years old, was truly a stunning beauty.

The Empress Dowager looked at the little one in her arms and confirmed that she could indeed hear the child's thoughts.

Being someone who had faced many storms, the Empress Dowager only slightly trembled but showed no other signs of surprise.

"Brother, where's Brother?" Baby Ruo Xi felt that the Empress Dowager hadn't noticed Xiao Ruilin, so she immediately turned her head to look for him.

The Empress Dowager followed the little girl's gaze and waved her hand. "Is this Lin'er? Come here, come to your Grandmother!"

Hongmei led the young prince and brought him before the Empress Dowager.

"Lin'er looks more like your mother, while you resemble your uncle, don't you agree?" The Empress Dowager held her granddaughter's hand, thinking about the reports from Lady Jin about how the little grandson had been mistreated in the General's Mansion, and her eyes welled up with tears again.

"If only Brother could live in the palace, Grandmother could protect him!" Baby Ruo Xi thought, but then she reconsidered.

"No, it wouldn't work. The imperial harem is full of fierce competition. With Brother's gentle nature, he would surely be bullied."

How did her uncle become the emperor?

"With Brother's simple-mindedness, forget it!"

This little one was born to worry, which made the Empress Dowager both laugh and cry.

She had fully accepted that this granddaughter was a magical little baby, reminding her of her visit to Ganye Temple earlier, where the old abbot told her she was blessed and would be protected by a lucky child. This granddaughter must be that lucky child—a little fairy!

Thinking this, the Empress Dowager grew even fonder of the little one.

"Attendant!" The Empress Dowager called out, "Bring the gifts I prepared."

The attendant and the palace maids approached. The Empress Dowager first put a pair of golden bracelets on her granddaughter and hung a gold necklace around her neck.

"Wow, they're all pure gold? Great, really great! Brother, keep them. If the General's Mansion doesn't give us food, we can use these to buy steamed buns!"

In her past life, Ruo Xi had been picked up by her master, a cultivator who lived a frugal life.

Usually, she and Master managed to earn some silver by selling herbs and elixirs, but they always lived modestly.

Even after she became an exceptional martial artist and refined a supreme elixir, she never had more than a single piece of silver in her pocket.

During her journey to find the culprit, whenever she earned some silver, she gave it to the poor.

Now, thinking back, that world was terrible, with too many needy people, and her silver was often not enough.

"..." Hearing the little girl's thoughts, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but smile. "Come, let me put this on you, little one!"

This little girl was not only adorable and fun but also a little treasure hunter!

How amusing!

Xiao Ruilin silently took off the bracelet and placed it in his sister's arms. If she liked it, he would give it to her.

Baby Ruo Xi widened her eyes and turned to look at her brother, giving him a big toothless grin.

"Brother is so nice; Baby loves Brother the most!"

Xiao Ruilin reached out and touched his sister's face: Brother loves Sister the most too!

Seeing the siblings' interaction, the Empress Dowager's eyes welled up again.

Beside her, the attendant also wiped her eyes. "What well-behaved children! They remind me of the Emperor and the Princess when they were young—the Emperor loved the Princess, and the Princess adored the Emperor. How wonderful!"

"Kindness and affection are inherited, truly!" said the Empress Dowager.

"Wow, these bracelets are pure gold too! So many treasures! They're so shiny; Baby likes them!"

The Empress Dowager put the golden bracelets on Xiao Xi'er and showed her other treasures from the box. Her little treasure hunter smiled widely, her face glowing with joy.

Xiao Ruilin put the bracelet back on because the Empress Dowager promised to give more treasures to his sister later.

"Yes, it's great to have a loving grandmother!" Baby Ruo Xi held the bracelet, absorbing its spiritual energy, feeling content.

"The little county princess is so cute, and the young prince is adorable too!" The attendant brought some pastries and squatted down, offering them to the young prince. "Eat, good child!"

Xiao Ruilin took the pastry and bowed slightly to the attendant.

"Oh, no need for that, Young Prince! You are the master!" The attendant quickly stepped back.

"Children raised by Yue'er will certainly be excellent!" The Empress Dowager nodded, pleased.

"Phew, the spiritual energy from these treasures is decent. It would be even better if I could touch those ancient artifacts!" Baby Ruo Xi thought.

The Empress Dowager subtly placed her wrist in front of Baby Ruo Xi's small hand.

She looked up at Xiao Ruilin and spoke to him. "Lin'er, would you talk to your Grandmother?"

Xiao Ruilin glanced at his sister and then gently shook his head: Sister said it wasn't the right time yet, and he shouldn't speak casually.

"Wow, wow, wow! Grandmother's bracelet is amazing! So much spiritual energy! Baby will grow a lot from this; the medicinal spring's effects will definitely improve. I'll make sure Brother drinks more, and he'll surely become smarter!"

Hearing her granddaughter's thoughts, the Empress Dowager bit her lip tightly.

Her granddaughter was truly a little fairy, wanting to absorb the spiritual energy from these ancient artifacts to heal her brother. What a kind child!

Xiao Ruilin's poison is very difficult to neutralize; this is what Wen Xu said.

However, Wen Xu recently returned and reported that the little prince's poison has diminished significantly on its own. He hasn't yet determined the reason and is currently investigating it.

The Empress Dowager knows this, and there is no other reason—it is all due to Xiao Xi'er.

"Ah, what's going on with the Empress Dowager?" Ruo Xi, now fully nourished with spiritual energy, had even clearer eyes. Although she had just turned a month old, her gaze was already remarkably perceptive.

The Empress Dowager's hand tightened slightly. She had suffered from headaches for years, especially over her daughter's marriage. She had been so enraged that she spat blood and lay in bed for several days. Since then, her health had been quite frail.

She did not blame her daughter. In such a palace filled with deceit, betrayal, and bloodshed, it was understandable that her daughter wanted to escape.

Moreover, Shangguan Jinghong had truly treated her daughter well back then, with such gentleness that it was impossible to find fault.