Chapter 117: Is Your Whole Family Born Mute?

“Don’t speak nonsense, Yun Bai. You must understand that the Crown Prince treats you with the heart of a friend. How can you hurt him like this? In the future, you’ll realize that people who treat you this way are rare. You mustn’t hurt him; you have to protect him.” Su Jingluo didn’t have many demands for Yun Bai. Whether he was clever or bold didn’t matter; what mattered was his safety and happiness. Although the Crown Prince didn’t seem very smart—perhaps even a bit simple—his treatment of Yun Bai was beyond reproach. She didn’t want Yun Bai to be like this either, causing all those who cared for him to gradually lose heart and drift away.

“Hmm, if the palace people behaved properly, I wouldn’t bully him. If others bully him, I’ll protect him,” Yun Bai said. Most of the time, Xiao Chengze stuck to Yun Bai like glue, which Yun Bai often found annoying, yet deep down, he cared about Xiao Chengze. However, when it came to his mother, Yun Bai was absolutely uncompromising.

“Now, let me ask you, if your mother lost you, would she be worried? And if you lost your mother, would you be worried?” Su Jingluo was always concerned about Yun Bai’s values.

“Worried, very worried!” Yun Bai wrinkled his little nose, his mood sinking slightly, as if his mother had been scolding him a lot lately, no matter what he did.

“Well, the Crown Prince would be worried if he lost you too, and so would the Emperor and the others. Besides, you should have a brighter outlook—your mother really went to seek medical treatment.” Su Jingluo didn’t understand why Xiao Jingxuan had been so anxious at first. She had no idea that the Crown Prince’s secret guards and informants had been withdrawn by the Empress, nor that the Empress had already laid many plans for this occasion, though she had yet to act on them.

“But…” Yun Bai wanted to argue, but seeing Su Jingluo’s furrowed brow, he pouted, lowered his head, and whispered, “Yun Bai knows he was wrong.”

“Good boy, don’t do that next time.” Su Jingluo didn’t want to scold Yun Bai too harshly. The child carried so much in his heart that too much blame would only backfire.

“Come here, Mommy’s kisses! We haven’t seen each other all day; I missed you so much.” Fortunately, no trouble had arisen. Seeing Yun Bai’s downcast expression and fluttering long lashes, knowing how wronged he felt inside, Su Jingluo quickly softened her tone and gave him a sweet treat. Holding him close, she showered him with kisses and tickled his soft flesh. The previously somber Yun Bai burst into giggles.

Xiao Jingxuan actually disliked how Su Jingluo educated Yun Bai. He thought Yun Bai was doing well, just too young to understand how to weigh things and protect himself. But Yun Bai wouldn’t listen to him; Su Jingluo’s scolding sounded better than his coaxing, which filled him with regret. If Yun Bai listened to him, how could this child grow up well? Such a precious jade was being wasted under Su Jingluo’s care.

Cheered up by Su Jingluo’s coaxing, Yun Bai was sent off to bed by the servants. Su Jingluo, feeling a bit tired herself, yawned and prepared to rest.

“Su Jingluo, are you really going to rest now?” Xiao Jingxuan suddenly stopped her.

“Yes, why would I stay up in the middle of the night? Am I going shopping or something?” Su Jingluo was indeed a bit weary after discussing governance with the Emperor for most of the day.

“Shouldn’t you talk with me first?” Xiao Jingxuan raised his sharp brows, his gaze filled with curiosity and dissatisfaction. He had been worried about this woman all day.

“Hmm, maybe I should talk to you, but can it be tomorrow? I’m tired today,” Su Jingluo replied. She wanted to talk with Xiao Jingxuan too, but her mind refused to cooperate—she just wanted to sleep.

“No, if we don’t talk, I won’t be able to sleep,” Xiao Jingxuan refused firmly.

“Fine, fine, let’s talk. You Xiao family people love to chat so much—were you all mute in your past lives? You must make up for it this time,” Su Jingluo said, smiling with a look that left no room for refusal.