radicalducati Chapter 51 The Promise of the Three Little Ones
Chapter 51 The Promise of the Three Little Ones
These words both deflated the situation and set the tone. The painter breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully agreed.
Little Qingyi didn't quite understand, but seeing the Emperor Uncle smile, she smiled too. She ran back to the children and took out a few fruit gummies from her schoolbag to share with them. This time, even Chengyang reached out and whispered, "Thank you, Qingyi sister."
The gummies were wrapped in translucent, multicolored wrappers that glistened in the sunlight. Zhi Nu stared at the cartoon characters printed on the wrappers and asked curiously, "What are those pictures?"
"It's Peppa Pig!" Xiao Qingyi introduced excitedly. "She's a little pig with a little brother named George, and they're a family..."
She told stories from cartoons, though her words were often incoherent, the children listened intently. Even Li Tai put down his book and listened thoughtfully to the fantastical tales of "talking pigs" and "houses that can fly."
Just then, Chengyang, who had been quietly holding the panda plushie, suddenly reached out and gently touched a small pendant hanging on the zipper of Xiaoqingyi's schoolbag.
It was a rabbit doll dressed in a police uniform, exquisitely crafted, only the size of a thumb, yet even the details of the badge were clearly visible.
"This rabbit..." Chengyang asked softly, "is it also from a story?"
Xiao Qingyi looked down at the pendant, her eyes lighting up: "It's Judy! The rabbit policewoman from Zootopia!"
"Zootopia?" Chengyang repeated the unfamiliar word.
"Yes! It's a city where all the animals live together!" Little Sizi perked up and turned to Chengyang to explain, "Yiyi told me before that Judy was the first rabbit police officer, and she was so brave! She also has a fox friend named Nick..."
She gesticulated wildly as she recounted the story, and although she couldn't remember many details, she still managed to convey the core of Judy's courageous pursuit of her dreams. When she spoke of Judy finally becoming a police officer and standing on the train looking out at the dazzling Zootopia, Little Si's face lit up.
Chengyang listened quietly to Xiao Sizi's story, and then asked softly, "So... are there pandas there too?"
"Yes! There definitely are!" Xiao Qingyi nodded vigorously. "There might even be panda police officers!"
This thought made Chengyang laugh. She carefully touched the rabbit pendant: "Judy...you're amazing."
Looking at Chengyang's longing expression and then at Sizi's gentle eyes, Xiao Qingyi suddenly had a bold idea: "Sister Chengyang, Sister Sizi, would you like to see 'Zootopia'?"
Both children were stunned.
"How...how do I look?" Chengyang asked timidly.
Xiao Qingyi patted her schoolbag: "Yiyi has one at home! It's on a light-up board. Just turn it on, and Judy and Nick will come to life and talk, just like they're really in front of you!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhi instantly became excited: "It can move? It can talk? On the board?"
"Mmm!" Xiao Qingyi nodded. "That's called a tablet! My brother said it has lots and lots of stories and movies stored on it! Zootopia is just one of them!"
Chengyang's eyes widened. She looked at Sizi, then at Xiao Qingyi, and her voice became even softer: "Then...can you bring it?"
"Yes!" Xiao Qingyi nodded vigorously, but then she remembered something and frowned. "But... I have to bring it secretly. My brother said that thing is too 'modern' and can't be shown to just anyone."
"Modern?" Chengyang didn't understand the word.
"It's just... it's too special," Xiao Qingyi tried to explain. "So special that it might scare adults."
Si Zi asked softly, "Does my brother, the Crown Prince, know?"
Xiao Qingyi shook her head: "Brother Crown Prince doesn't know that Yiyi has a tablet. But... but Yiyi wants to show it to Sister Chengyang and Sister Sizi." She looked at the two sisters' expectant eyes, then nodded resolutely, "Yiyi will secretly bring it tomorrow! We'll find a secluded place to look at it!"
"Okay!" Chengyang agreed so readily for the first time, his little face flushed with excitement.
Sizi smiled gently: "Then shall we watch it in the warm pavilion of the Rissei-den? Few people go there on ordinary days."
The three girls huddled together, whispering and discussing their "secret operation" for tomorrow.
Empress Zhangsun noticed the children's unusual quiet and turned to look. She saw the three little girls huddled together whispering and couldn't help but smile. "Yiyi, what good things are you talking about?"
Xiao Qingyi was startled and quickly sat up straight, her little face serious: "N-nothing! It's just about what we're going to do tomorrow!"
Empress Zhangsun's smile deepened, but she did not press further, only softly saying, "Alright."
The sun sank a little lower. The artist began to render the pavilions, flowers, and trees in the background. Little Qingyi, tired from playing, hugged her panda plushie and dozed off next to Sizi. Chengyang imitated her, curling up in his wet nurse's arms with "Tuantuan" in his arms, but his eyes were still wide open, watching the artist's drawing of himself hugging the plushie gradually take shape.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness," the eunuch whispered, "it's already three-quarters past dusk."
Li Shimin glanced at the sky, then at the portrait that was seven or eight tenths complete: "Let's stop here for today. We can finish the rest tomorrow."
The painter respectfully put down his brush. The eunuchs carefully moved the painting table and the unfinished silk scroll away. Little Qingyi groggily woke up, rubbing her eyes, and asked, "Is it finished?"
"Not yet," Empress Zhangsun replied softly, smoothing her disheveled hair. "We'll continue tomorrow. Qingyi, do you want to come play again tomorrow?"
"Yes!" Xiao Qingyi immediately perked up, stealing a glance at Chengyang and Sizi. The three girls exchanged a knowing look. "Yiyi, come early tomorrow!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but chuckle. He stood up and walked to the children, patting each of their heads one by one—first Sizi, then Zhinu. When it was Chengyang's turn, the little girl shrank back shyly, but the emperor's hand still gently landed on the top of her head.
Finally, he stopped in front of Xiao Qingyi.
The little girl looked up, her eyes still moist from just waking up, clutching the panda plush toy and the pink camera tightly in her arms.
"Yiyi." Li Shimin squatted down to look her in the eye. "Don't forget our appointment for tomorrow."
Xiao Qingyi blinked, then suddenly reached out and, mimicking Li Shimin's earlier gesture, patted the emperor's head—though only reaching the lower edge of his crown.
"How did Uncle Emperor know that Yiyi had a date?" she asked innocently.
This audacious move caused the surrounding palace servants to gasp in shock. Empress Zhangsun wanted to speak up and stop him, but Li Shimin waved his hand.
Instead of being annoyed, he laughed loudly and picked up Xiao Qingyi in one swift motion: "You little heads huddled together whispering amongst yourselves, do you think I can't see you?"
Xiao Qingyi stuck out her tongue, leaned on his shoulder, and secretly laughed.
……
As dusk settled, the palace lanterns gradually lit up.
On the desk in the Liangyi Hall, the LED table lamp stood quietly, its solar panel gleaming softly in the moonlight.
After reviewing the last memorial, Li Shimin rubbed his temples and his gaze fell on the lamp. After a long while, he picked up the "Emperor and Empress Photograph" that Xiao Qingyi had taken that afternoon and examined it closely under the lamplight.
In the photo, the white hair at Empress Zhangsun's temples is clearly visible, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes are unmistakable. Time inevitably leaves its mark on everyone.
But the clasped hands and the gazes exchanged were exactly the same as they had been years ago.
The emperor sighed softly and carefully put the photograph into the deepest part of the drawer. There, he also kept a small bow and a few strands of a child's first hair of different colors tied with red thread.