allonlinenovel Chapter 275 Being an Ordinary Child
Chapter 275 Being an Ordinary Child
In southern Xinjiang, winter always arrives exceptionally gently, with a soft, lingering warmth, unlike the biting chill elsewhere. The courtyard is filled with flowers of every color, devoid of winter's cold. In the courtyard, a cluster of amaryllis vie for attention, their crimson petals glistening with dew. A gentle breeze stirs, and the amaryllis sway softly, as if in a dance.
Inside, Ye Qingchen was still wearing very light clothing; it was spring-like all year round here, so it wasn't cold at all. She sat quietly by the window, her gaze lingering through the carved window frames at the sea of flowers outside. Years ago, Ye Qingchen had a wish: to grow a sea of flowers at home. However, before she could do it, a group of monkeys brought her here. In the short three years she had been here, she hadn't had time to stay anywhere long, nor had she had time to plant any flowers. Now, for her sister's wedding, she had stayed here for more than half a year, so she had personally planted countless flowers. She hadn't asked Bai Zhi, Fu Ling, Lian Qiao, or Du Ruo for any help.
Five chubby little children were running around happily in the room, like five lively little deer, freely expressing their childlike innocence in this warm space. Golden bells adorned their tiger-head shoes, tinkling crisply and melodiously with their running, the sound like the most joyful movement in winter. "Mother, Mother!" A clear cry broke the noise in the warm room. Suddenly, the little girl in the apricot-yellow dress opened her lotus-root-like arms, and a ball of firefly suddenly rose from her pink palm. The firefly emitted a soft light, like stars on a summer night, full of liveliness and playfulness. This was the third child, the only little girl, Gu Wenqian.
It circled Ye Qingchen's newly arranged roses three times, and a miracle occurred. The buds, which were originally about to bloom, blossomed one after another under the light. The delicate pink petals slowly unfolded, revealing golden stamens and releasing a faint fragrance that instantly filled the entire room.
As Duan Yuanshan lifted the bamboo curtain, he witnessed this wondrous scene. Dressed in dark robes, he appeared dignified, like a chivalrous knight emerging from a snowstorm. He unfastened the sword from his waist and gently placed it on the sandalwood stand, where it gleamed coldly, seemingly testifying to its master's bravery. He reached out to catch another child who rushed towards him, his face beaming with indulgent joy: "Look at our Little Five! What surprise has he prepared for Grandpa today?" The boy, called Little Five, giggled, his chubby fingers poking at the jade cup on the table. Instantly, ripples spread across the tea in the cup, as if gently stirred by an invisible hand. Then, the tea solidified into a crystal-clear little fish, swimming freely in the air above the warm pavilion. The fish's scales shimmered, and it swayed its tail, moving gracefully among the people. The other three children immediately clapped their hands and gathered around, the silver bracelets on their wrists clinking together with a clear, melodious sound, as if cheering for this wondrous sight. "These bracelets probably won't hold for much longer," Ye Qingchen thought to herself, silently worried as she looked at the children. Yun Sheng, seeing the children's extraordinary joy, noticed the absence of her former sickly complexion at her temples, replaced by a healthy blush. Looking at the faint golden lines between her grandchildren's brows, she couldn't help but recall the High Priest's divination from half a month ago, a hint of worry flashing across her face: "The North Star moves, the phoenix perches on the parasol tree. Chen'er, the children should see the wind and snow of their homeland." Ye Qingchen gently stroked her eldest son's head; the child was intently watching a swimming fish, his amber pupils shimmering with starlight, as if holding endless mysteries. She knew the deeper meaning in her mother's words. Since the night the quintuplets were born, the Great Xia Imperial Observatory had sent a secret letter, saying that the Purple Palace Enclosure showed an alignment of five planets. Nowadays, children under one year old can already activate the five elements of spiritual energy. If they are left in the Southern Frontier, they may alert some dormant forces.
Those forces lurking in the shadows, like venomous snakes, could harm the children at any moment. "How about setting off the day after tomorrow?" As Ye Qingchen turned, her wide sleeves brushed against the gilded incense burner, and a wisp of smoke rose, transforming into the outline of the Great Xia imperial city in the air. The outline of the imperial city appeared and disappeared in the smoke, stirring her longing for her homeland. After all, the emperor, empress, and princess there had treated her very well, and her little Yue'er was still at home. "Have the shadow guards make arrangements first, and we'll travel by the Li River. The children should also see the sea of flowers that their maternal grandfather planted." Duan Yuanshan said with a smile, lifting Wen Qian, who was pulling on the tassel of his jade pendant, a little higher. Yun Sheng's face showed a hint of doubt: "It'll only take half a month by land, why detour via the Li River?" Before she finished speaking, the little girl in her arms suddenly opened her almond-shaped eyes wide, a strange light flashing within them. Immediately afterward, the jade pendant at Duan Yuanshan's waist floated up into the air, tracing a graceful arc above everyone's heads, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky. "Because of the water element," Ye Qingchen said, her fingertips lightly tapping the pendant, which landed steadily in Duan Yuanshan's palm. Her eyes shone with wisdom and composure: "The Li River is protected by a dragon vein, which can conceal fluctuations in spiritual energy. Besides..." She glanced at the flowers outside the window, a sly smile playing on her lips, "Children get bored easily; letting them play in the water while on the boat is better than them tearing the roof off the inn." Cheers suddenly erupted from the warm pavilion. At this moment, Gu Mochen also entered, looking at the increasingly spiritually powerful children, and said, "Father, Mother, Qingchen and I's children now possess some spiritual power; it's best to let others see it less often."
Five little children had gathered around the carved window without anyone noticing, the eldest of them tiptoeing to reach the bells on the window frame. With a flick of his little hand, an invisible force erupted, causing all the bells on the carved wooden window to ring. The sound transformed into hundreds of translucent blue butterflies fluttering into the room. These butterflies shimmered with a ghostly blue light, dancing around Ye Qingchen's newly changed pale yellow curtains, like a dream, as if transporting the entire warm pavilion to a fairyland. "Gu Wenchao!" Ye Qingchen called out softly, rubbing her forehead. Her eldest son immediately shrank back behind Duan Yuanshan, looking like a little animal caught doing something wrong. Duan Yuanshan, the King of Southern Xinjiang, suppressed a laugh and pulled his grandson out, only to find the little fellow clutching a small blue butterfly in his palm, offering it to his mother with innocent and expectant eyes. Ye Qingchen sighed helplessly, then suddenly flicked five golden threads from her sleeve. The threads, like nimble snakes, precisely wrapped around the silver bracelets on the children's wrists. Ancient runes lit up one after another on the bracelet's surface, emitting a mysterious glow. Under the shimmering light, the restless spiritual energy gradually calmed down.
"Alright, children, it's time for bed." She bent down and picked up her only daughter, Wenxi. The pearls adorning the child's hair suddenly shone with a soft light, making her look very beautiful. "I've taken your energy. When we get to Daxia, you all have to be like normal children. Tonight, when I have time, I'll let you show your abilities again. But it's alright if you start talking and walking a little early. It's normal for my children to be a little smart."
As the moon shone high in the sky, Gu Mochen and Ye Qingchen stood on the observatory. Sirius in the north was exceptionally bright, its cold light shimmering in the night sky. Ye Qingchen said to Gu Mochen, "Father should have died of old age, but I extended his life. For the past two years, he has been trying to give you the throne. Think about whether you still want that position." Gu Mochen said, "That position is no longer important to me. I only want to be with you and the children. However, as Father's child, I must wait until he has a suitable heir before leaving the court. It's difficult for an emperor to have only one wife. I don't covet that position."