Foolish Beauty Is Bound to the Sage Emperor Nurturing System Chapter 178 extra 2

Extra · Court Life with Cubs 2

The twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month.

A certain Regent’s birthday.

Wei Wanlan always remembered this date very clearly. Because Wei Wanlan had once roamed the entire imperial palace with 404 to investigate the Regent’s birth chart. The Regent was born on Little New Year; it was very lively. He remembered this fact firmly.

He had prepared a gift for the Regent long ago. Wei Wanlan brought out the gift in the morning, his dragon claws holding it carefully, afraid that the contents of the bowl would spill from a bump.

When presenting this gift to the Regent, the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs were all nervous. The Son of Heaven insisted on personally serving the longevity noodles cooked for the Regent. The Dragon Body is precious—what if he got scalded? What if he fell and plunged his hands into porcelain shards? How would they explain that?

An Ruyi’s voice trembled: “Your Majesty, slow down, watch the steps, don’t shake your hands…”

Wuwuwu, it’s burning hot, burning hot!!!

Wei Wanlan presented the whole bowl of longevity noodles in front of Su Jingzhi. His two dragon claws were completely red in the palms. Actually, even though the Regent had told him that he appreciated the thought and was very moved, and that he really didn’t need to do everything himself including the serving, Wei Wanlan just wouldn’t have it.

This was a gift for the Regent.

Wei Wanlan was a little proud. He had been treasured by his family since childhood and had never entered a kitchen. He also had self-awareness and knew his craftsmanship was terrible, so he had practiced boiling noodles for a long time before making this bowl of longevity noodles.

This bowl of longevity noodles—

The soup was fresh, high stock made from fresh shrimp by the imperial chef. Clear soup, green leaves, specks of oil, and topped with a layer of finely shredded egg. Inside the snow-white soup lay the meandering dragon beard noodles. The portion wasn’t large; it looked very appetizing at a glance.

Wei Wanlan cupped his chin in his hands, watching the Regent eat breakfast, waiting for a review.

He looked very obedient, eyes gazing eagerly at Su Jingzhi, but it seemed as if a swaying, fluffy big tail had grown behind him.

“Is it yummy or not yummy?”

The user experience was, of course, positive: “Very delicious.”

Naturally. For someone who couldn’t cook, boiling only this noodle dish for so many consecutive days meant he should have memorized it by now. “If it’s delicious, why aren’t you eating faster?”

Wei Wanlan was still patiently observing the Regent’s performance, but Su Jingzhi was eating and eating when the chopsticks lifting the dragon beard noodles paused slightly for a moment. His Adam’s apple rolled gently, revealing a very faint smile.

Wei Wanlan hurriedly asked about his feelings: “Is it not delicious again?”

“No.” The Regent lifted the porcelain bowl and finished everything clean, soup and noodles alike, leaving not even a vegetable leaf. “It is very delicious. It is precisely because it is too delicious that I paused to savor it with patience.”

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Wanwan always did things for him that were moving.

There were no little cubs in Zichen Hall in the morning.

The little cubs had study tasks. Imperial offspring started their education early, so Wei Chang’an and Su Lingyun, these two children, had to attend classes and read books on a strict schedule even at five years old. It was no longer like when they were very small, brought along casually whenever convenient.

The morning belonged entirely to the two-person world.

Wei Wanlan arranged for boating on the Taiye Pool.

The pleasure boat had been prepared early on. The boat itself wasn’t very spectacular—a painted barge would be too costly and labor-intensive, and not cozy enough. It was just an exquisitely enclosed pleasure boat. If one wanted to view the scenery, the bamboo blinds could be half-rolled up, revealing the sparkling blue waves of Taiye Pool and the clumps of reeds.

Su Jingzhi was pushed into the cabin by Wei Wanlan.

Inside the cabin were soft couches and long tables, complete with fruits and snacks. The bookshelves were filled with leisure books, and an incense burner was lit in the corner.

“Lie down, lie down. If you don’t want to lie down, just lean back~” Wei Wanlan entered the cabin, arranged the embroidered cushions, and adjusted the position for the Regent. Straddling his legs over the Regent’s body, he greeted him earnestly, “Today, the Regent is a protected animal. You can do whatever you want.”

Su Jingzhi felt flattered. His gaze converged, and his voice instantly went a few degrees huskier: “What does Wanwan want this Prince to do?”

Wei Wanlan grabbed his collar and gave him a fierce smooch. Because the movement was a bit vigorous, the boat was pulled into swaying slightly on the water:

“Read storybooks! Eat snacks! No work!”

“I will approve the memorials today. The Regent is responsible for resting well. A reward for your usual hard work…”

“Pft.”

It was amusing.

Su Jingzhi simply couldn’t resist.

A large hand moved from bottom to top, gently rubbing Wei Wanlan’s back, pinching the nape of his neck and making the little fool collapse entirely into his arms. Su Jingzhi sucked intimately and teasingly on Wei Wanlan’s neck, causing Wei Wanlan to gasp lightly against him, trembling in waves:

“Wanwan. How can you still be this innocent even after having two babies?”

“You clearly know that what this Prince wants most is this.”

The boat began to rock.

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Layers of soft ripples oscillated on the water surface. The water patterns started expanding outward slowly, then became increasingly intense, splashing up water. The waves caused the boat to seem unable to support itself, creaking and hissing…

The sleeping couch placed on the boat was not as wide as the dragon bed.

They couldn’t be straight; they could only be sideways.

Wei Wanlan, even with his tiny voice, still let sounds leak out of the cabin. The Gold Guard responsible for rowing the boat, even if he heard, dared not listen indiscriminately or glance around. Only the palms holding the oars seeped sweat, his heart pounding thump-thump.

“Don’t come out yet!” Wei Wanlan whimpered, tears in his eyes, feeling wronged to death. “It will flow out with it, wuwu QAQ.”

Work like rowing this boat—no matter how much the reward, one simply couldn’t do it.

Truly.

The little cubs would come back at noon to eat lunch and sleep.

Letting the cubs stay with family more often was the shared parenting principle of Su Jingzhi and Wei Wanlan. They hoped the children would feel a good family atmosphere. Thinking long-term, they especially hoped the Crown Prince and the Heir could have a solid brotherly bond, avoiding power struggles.

Being in the imperial family, one had to plan far ahead.

Even if the two brothers were on good terms now.

Today, Wei Wanlan felt sore all over. Even after bathing and cleaning up, he still couldn’t sit very still and didn’t eat much for lunch.

The two little cubs were very worried about their Imperial Father’s health. His Highness the Crown Prince respectfully invited his Imperial Father to take a few more bites, while the Heir, always a man of action who didn’t stick to formalities, wanted to have a shrimp-eating contest with his Imperial Father and Royal Brother, tricking his Regent Daddy into peeling them.

Su Jingzhi suddenly had to feed three people; the pressure was slightly high.

Wei Wanlan timely shifted the topic. The three of them, father and sons, couldn’t oppress the Regent like this on his birthday: “Babies, are the gifts ready?”

“Mn-hm!” The two little ones nodded.

The imperial palace prohibited extravagance and waste. The Regent didn’t lack anything. When the two cubs chose congratulatory gifts, they couldn’t buy luxury items like big pearls, big agates, or big coral trees… Their Father-Prince didn’t care for those anyway.

Wei Chang’an, reliable in his dealings, glanced at his personal attendant eunuch. The eunuch immediately understood and presented a thick book.

The dumpling Crown Prince Wei Chang’an said: “This is a hand-copied version of the ‘Map of Great Wei’s Mountains and Rivers’ by this child. The Turks, Tubo, Gaochang, and other places have all been included in this collection. The new edition of the atlas has just been released. This son thought Father-Prince might need it when handling affairs.”

It was a gift very fitting of the cub’s character.

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Su Jingzhi accepted it with pleasure. Because the eldest cub cared about face, the Regent didn’t pat his head but instead gave him a fatherly affirmation: “Father likes this gift very much. I hope this atlas will become even richer in your hands.”

The dumpling Crown Prince understood: “This son will absolutely not yield an inch of land.”

Wei Wanlan secretly sighed with emotion. The Regent’s genes were too strong; Wei Chang’an was probably the one among all the imperial offspring of the Wei family who looked most like an Emperor.

The “filial son” Su Lingyun was not to be outdone: “Dad, I have something big to tell you.”

As soon as these words came out, Su Jingzhi’s expression changed slightly.

Because while others might not dare, this cub of his really might do something unexpected at any moment.

Su Jingzhi decided to pick up his porcelain cup first and drink a sip of water to calm his nerves.

“I’ve been playing with General Tang these past few days. General Tang taught me sword techniques, and Child accidentally cut General Tang’s hand…”

Su Jingzhi’s brow knit slightly: “How is Tang Tuan?” After all, he was a direct subordinate and confidant.

Su Lingyun: “General Tang is fine, it’s Child who isn’t too well. Because of this accident, Child actually discovered a characteristic I have.”

“What characteristic?”

“I faint at the sight of blood.”

“Say that again.”

“I, really, will faint at the sight of blood.”

The demon cub’s tone was sincere, causing the Regent waves of headaches.

He faints at blood, so he can’t go to the battlefield.

He faints at blood, so the training plan for the Great Wei’s seventh-generation famous general has to end…

Because he faints at blood.

Su Jingzhi felt the mouthful of water he swallowed become as heavy as molten lead.

Wei Wanlan couldn’t watch anymore. He picked up the little cub and sniffed him. Wei Chang’an and Su Lingyun smelled different. Su Lingyun jumped up and down and stumbled around all day; how to describe it… he smelled full of puppy scent.

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Wei Wanlan held the boy full of puppy scent and whispered in his ear: “Imperial Father said that in Zhen’s hometown, there is a top-tier delicious food. It’s slightly numbing and spicy, containing tripe strips, ham slices, and duck blood slices. It’s called Mao Xue Wang (Spicy Duck Blood Stew). Do you still want to eat it?”

Loving spicy food was also a trait inherited from the Regent.

The puppy Heir nodded: “Want to eat, want to eat.”

“The duck blood inside Mao Xue Wang is made of blood. Do you still faint at blood?”

“Well, that can be persisted through for a little bit.” Su Lingyun’s eyes blinked and blinked, survival instinct taking the upper hand. “When the time comes to go to the battlefield, I can also persist for a few moments more.”

“What is the gift?” Wei Wanlan asked him, shaking the cub’s small shoulders. “Quick, take it out.”

The little cub jumped down from Wei Wanlan’s knees, picked up a chopstick, and performed an entry-level sword routine. At the end, he cupped his fists towards the other family members:

“My sword technique is flowing like moving clouds and flowing water, full of expressive style. Although I am but of a young age, I already vaguely possess the demeanor of a master. One can even catch a glimpse of Father-Prince’s bearing when he reins in his horse and gallops across the battlefield. Asking for praise.”

Wei Chang’an said leisurely: “Second Brother, you’ve said all the words we could use to praise you.”

Wei Wanlan: “So we can only say, you spoke well.”

“En. Good.”

Su Lingyun: “QAQ”

After lunch, it was the daily nap time for the family of four. The cubs’ noon rest was spent with their Imperial Father and Father-Prince. At night, they would be kicked out by their Father-Prince with the excuse that “children must try to be independent.”

During the nap, the four people would sleep in a pile. Although it was crowded against each other, and toys occupied the corners and edges, what they wanted was this solid, substantial feeling. The little cubs each clung to a parent, and Wei Wanlan burrowed into the Regent’s arms.

On the birthday, the evening activity was watching fireworks. Setting off fireworks was a welfare benefit Su Jingzhi had enjoyed annually since childhood. Wei Wanlan kept this activity and had long ago issued a decree for the artisans to specially create a batch of the grandest fireworks.

In the afternoon, the little cubs returned to Zichen Hall after class. After dinner, the fireworks were already arranged.

The family of four stood on the highest platform of Zichen Hall.

An Ruyi trotted down below the platform and lit the fuse. Sparks hissed and drilled into the paper tube. Columns of fire shot into the sky, piercing the clouds. In an instant, magnificent fireworks resembling large peonies bloomed over Zichen Hall.

One by one, the fireworks kept shooting into the sky—

The bang-bang sounds of the exploding fireworks enveloped the entire celestial dome.

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The two little cubs each applauded: “The fireworks are so pretty.” “Setting off fireworks!!!”

While the little cubs were busy looking up at the sky, Wei Wanlan secretly stood on his tiptoes and kissed the Regent. His eyes were filled with the shimmering light of the blooming fireworks, as if his little deer eyes held fragmented stars:

“Regent, happy birthday. Every birthday from now on will be spent with Zhen and the cubs accompanying you.”

Our family will be together forever and ever.

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