Situ Xin with her half-opened eyes was laying on the table, watching her own son closely. And then she abruptly let out a sigh, it was the same now as it had been years ago. She had been feeling drowsy since the moment she walked in. The old-fashioned layout, the depressing embellishments. The only comfortable thing here was that bed. She hadn't put much thought and just directly threw herself onto the bed. No longer in a state capable of dealing with her son's peculiar thinking.
"Xin'er, I want to eat Osmanthus Cake.[1]" Situ Yan had a calligraphy brush held in his hand as he doodled on fine paper. Xiao Yixuan had arrived just in time to guide Yan'er in practicing to write his characters.
Situ Xin had been dozing off in boredom, but when she heard the word "Osmanthus", her face tensed up, "Stinky brat, you still dare to order around your own mother." She suddenly sat up and said.
Situ Yan opened his big, pearly eyes, and innocently spoke, "You said that you would serve me for this period of time."
"Wasn't it because of you that have to I stay here? Moreover, there's absolutely nothing going on between me and the one surnamed Xiao." The more Situ Xin spoke the quieter she got.
"There's nothing going between you two, but I was still born? Xin'er you're so easy to trick." The small face was suddenly magnified in Situ Xin's face.
Sure enough, Grandpa was right, female's mind really is unreasonable.
"Creak" The door suddenly opened and Xiao Yixuan walked through the door and into the room with large strides, "What are you guys doing?"
As soon as he entered the room his eyes laid upon a warm scene: His son lying within Situ Xin's embrace like a spoiled child. He felt that if he were to enter the scene, that'd make it even better.
"Nothing, I only wanted for Xin'er to make some Osmanthus cake for me, but she refused." His small hand spread open.
Xiao Yixuan swept his eyes across Situ Xin, who was sitting on the bed, but didn't say anything. Rather, he walked to the desk, and picked up the piece of paper that Yan'er had been doodling on before. Looking at it, his handsome face instantly darkened, "Yan'er, what is this?" The characters on the paper were all written flamboyantly, simply illegible.
Are these even words? Or was it all part of a drawing?
"Ha ha ha!" Situ Xin walked behind Xiao Yixuan's back with small steps and took the piece of paper. At first her lips twitched when she first saw the paper, but then she covered her stomach and started laughing.
A grin was slowly growing on Situ Yan’s face, "Dad, look at how happily my mother is laughing!"
Clearly, it was all from his contribution.
"You, go through those doors and practice those characters ten times. If you don't write them well enough, you're not allowed to leave the study." Xiao Yixuan warned, as he pointed towards a door.
Ten times? Situ Yan's small face instantly fell. He started pulling Situ Xin who was still rolling on the ground laughing, "Xin'er, save me, Dad is so ruthless!
Situ Xin finally stopped laughing with great difficulty, and then said with a stern face, "Go now! I'll send some Osmanthus cake to accompany you later." Having someone mentor her son, the feeling wasn't too bad.
"Heng, If I have to go then I'll go." Situ Yan looked unhappy as he moved his chubby legs out the door, walking towards the study but his mouth was repeating, "I've never met such ruthless parents…."
"Oh! Isn't this the little bastard?" Situ Yan found his path blocked by Nalan Qing and Cui Hong who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Situ Yan acted as if he had met an annoying house fly, hanging his head as he walked past them.
Cui Hong grabbed Situ Yan's collar, "Who is your mother who gave birth to such an uneducated bastard?! You don’t have any manners and you don’t even kowtow within the presence of the concubine." Her hand even pinched his cheek for a moment.
As he was being picked up, Situ Yan suddenly kicked with his small leg, kicking Cui Hong to one side. He then rubbed the cheek that was pinched and proceeded to say in a wronged manner, "Dad didn't want me to fight with you guys, otherwise I'll have to face the wall[2]."
He finally realized, his dad really was someone who wouldn't reveal his true colors. Everytime he had the need to destroy anything, he'd always be caught which would be followed by a fiercely taught a lesson.
"You little bastard, you actually dared to hit someone. Someone come and grab him." The anger within Nalan Qing had been brewing for the past couple of day suddenly burst out.
This damned bastard child, his arrival had already spelled a grave situation for her status in the wangfu. Today she absolutely must show him a bit of dominance, otherwise he'll never acknowledge who the owner of this place really is.
Ten or so servants swarmed around Situ Yan, encircling him, "What are you guys doing?!" Within a moment, Situ Xin already had put Situ Yan behind her back.
"Xin'er, they were bullying me." Situ Yan spoke quietly to her, a scared expression on his face. There are some people who just want to see the world burn.
"You are the maid of that courtyard, you actually dare to help this little bastard, grab both of them!" Upon seeing that a maid actually dared to protect the little bastard and the furious rage within her heart grew to greater heights.
"You're saying he's a bastard child? Situ Xin's face was cold and gloomy as she spoke. Even though she had agreed to leave Yan'er behind to get to know Xiao Yixuan better, the fact remains that Xiao Yixuan had a concubine. Thus, she specially changed her appearance and took on the identity as a maid so that she could avoid issues coming up, but who knew that this woman would still bully them intolerantly.
"He's a little bastard." This maid's expression was very intimidating causing Nalan Qing's imposing manner to shrink within the heat of the moment, but her mouth was still as unforgiving.
Just when Situ Xin was about to blow her top, Xiao Yixuan walked in front of Nalan Qing, with one hand, he grabbed her neck and then fiercely spoke, "Benwang has said that Yan'er is my son, if I ever hear the words bastard child from you all, don't blame benwang for being merciless." With great force, he flung Nalan Qing back for about 10 feet.
Damn it, he will never let anyone hurt Yan'er.
"Cough cough….. Wangye." A thread of blood leaked out from the mouth of Nalan Qing, who was still lying on the floor.
Xiao Yixuan put both of his hands behind his back and then spoke ruthlessly, "Benwang will request for the Emperor to allow for Yan'er to recognize his ancestor, to use a perfectly legitimate way to cement Yan'ers status.
Situ Xin's face turned black, the corner of her lips were twitching as her fists clenched in an effort to restrain her fury from exploding.
Footnotes: [1] Osmanthus cake is a traditional sweet-scented Chinese pastry made with glutinous rice flour, honey sweet-scented osmanthus and rock sugar.[1][2] It has crystal clear, sweet and soft waxy characteristics. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmanthus_cake) [2] The punishment where you're supposed to face a wall and stand there for a set amount of time, or indefinitely until told otherwise.