Chapter 134: A Turkey

Qiao Ke’s eyes lit up. His voice, when he addressed her as "Uncle Chuchen," was noticeably sweeter than when he had called for his eldest uncle just moments before. He blinked his apricot-shaped eyes—a trait inherited from Lianyu—repeatedly. Meng Chuchen naturally understood what Lianyue was thinking; he had no choice but to tuck away the gift he had originally prepared and pull out two small porcelain bottles. "The one with the flower pattern is what you wanted; the one without is the antidote."

Qiao Ke excitedly took them into his hands. With these, he would no longer have to rack his brains trying to sneak out. They were truly precious items. Qiao Ke took the initiative to pull Lianyue along toward the next person.

Zhou Man stood there, casting a large shadow before him. Lianyue hesitated for a moment as she looked at him and said, "This is your Grandpa Zhou."

"Grandpa Zhou!" Qiao Ke looked at Zhou Man with anticipation. Zhou Man stood there awkwardly, wondering how he had managed to overlook this; he hadn't prepared a thing. He wasn't a man of refined tastes, and other than his own sword, he carried nothing. Fortunately, Zhou Man was a straightforward, rough-hewn man. He chuckled heartily, "Good boy, your welcoming gift is back in the city. I’ll give it to you once we arrive."

"That’s quite alright," Qiao Ke’s voice remained soft and sweet, but Lianyue clearly caught a flash of light in his eyes. She felt a twinge of doubt: could her own nephew be someone who held a grudge?

Next in line were Zhou Ziwen, Yuwen Lingxi, Lan Shui, and Yaoyao. Zhou Ziwen, unlike Zhou Man, didn't come empty-handed, producing a jade pendant. Yuwen Lingxi offered a bottle of pills called "Voice-Changing Pellets." Qiao Ke happily placed them alongside the two bottles from Meng Chuchen, clearly very satisfied. He even took the liberty of calling Yuwen Lingxi "Aunt," which led to quite a bit of playful debate from Lianyue.

Lan Shui gifted him a folding fan, while Yaoyao picked out a novelty item from the collection the Prince of Nanping, Qiao Bin, had gathered along the journey. This made Lianyue feel a bit embarrassed, especially since Yaoyao kept eyeing the porcelain bottles clutched in Qiao Ke’s hands. Knowing what she was thinking, Lianyue pulled Qiao Ke away before Yaoyao could embarrass herself further, saying, "Alright, now it’s my turn."

Qiao Ke hadn't held much hope for her, but since she was his aunt, he figured he should at least feign interest. "Auntie, what have you prepared for me?"

"Ta-da!" Lianyue proudly pulled a stack of banknotes from her robe and shook them. She was satisfied to see a dazzling light ignite in Qiao Ke’s eyes, and the smile on his face became noticeably more sincere.

"So that’s what you were using as a gift!" Yaoyao exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Lianyue felt increasingly smug, handing the banknotes to Qiao Ke. "Well? Are you satisfied with your aunt’s gift?"

"How vulgar!" A discordant female voice, laced with mockery, disrupted Lianyue’s good mood. "And to think she’s a daughter of the Yue family. Even a flower would have been more tasteful than this."

Lianyue looked toward the source of the voice. She saw a figure that looked like a burning flame, making everyone nearby feel the heat intensify. The woman looked at Lianyue with blatant provocation and deep disdain. From her headpiece to her cloth shoes, everything was a fiery red; she was clearly someone accustomed to being arrogant and overbearing.

Just as Lianyue prepared to retort, Qiao Ke tugged on her hand. She looked down in confusion.

"The gift my aunt gave me is, of course, my favorite. Besides my father and mother, I like my aunt the best," Qiao Ke said happily.

Lianyue’s mood instantly improved. She decided that in front of her nephew, she would play the role of a competent aunt; as for the woman in red, she would simply treat her words as the barking of a dog.

However, just because Lianyue was magnanimous did not mean others would remain calm.

Upon hearing Qiao Ke’s words, the woman in red pointed a finger at him. "Qiao Ke, do you belong to the Qiao family or the Yue family? You’re so young and you’re already showing favoritism to outsiders. A mere stack of banknotes and you’ve been bought off? You are a disgrace to the Crown Prince title."

"Qiao Yu!" Lianyue could ignore others shouting in her presence, but pointing fingers at her son touched a nerve in Lianyu. Her expression turned stern. "You are a princess—what kind of decorum is this, shouting in the middle of a crowd? Mind your own business; I am perfectly capable of raising Ke’er myself."

Qiao Yu stomped her feet, clearly unhappy. She pouted, said nothing, and shuffled forward to pay her respects to Qiao Bin and Lianyu. Looking at Qiao Bin, she asked aggrievedly, "Fourth Uncle, wasn't it said that Sixth Uncle would be traveling with you?"

Qiao Bin was also displeased with Qiao Yu’s behavior, but she was his junior and Lianyu had already scolded her. He simply pointed toward the carriages behind them, "The third one from the back."

Qiao Yu’s face lit up, and she hurried toward the carriage Qiao Bin had indicated, not forgetting to cast a glare at Lianyue and Qiao Ke before leaving.

Lianyue stared right back without reservation, while Qiao Ke remained seemingly indifferent. Surprised, Lianyue whispered, "She said all that to you just now; aren't you angry?"

Qiao Ke tucked the banknotes Lianyue had given him against his chest, patting them down. "Why would I be angry? She was right. I was indeed bought off by your money."

Looking at his earnest expression, Lianyue felt a sense of being deceived by Qiao Ke’s innocent appearance. Her nephew was truly no simple child. At the same time, she felt a pang of heartache—if a child this young could possess such craftiness, was he truly happy?

Lianyue’s genuine affection surfaced. She squeezed his hand tighter, half-crouching so she was at eye level with him, and looked into those beautiful eyes that mirrored her own. "Don't worry, Ke’er. With your aunt here, if anyone dares to bully you, we’ll bully them right back. If there’s any trouble, your eldest uncle and Uncle Chuchen will handle it."

"And me! Count me in too! Dressed like a turkey—just because she’s a princess!" Yaoyao quickly pledged her support.

Little Qiao Ke saw a level of care and sincerity in Lianyue’s eyes that he never saw in the imperial palace. It was then that he truly accepted this aunt. He nodded firmly and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, Auntie. They are the ones who will suffer; I won't let myself be taken advantage of. Also, I have a secret: Princess Qiao Yu likes Sixth Uncle—the way a woman likes a man—so..."

Lianyue looked at Qiao Ke in disbelief. He nodded as if it were a serious matter. Lianyue’s mind went into a brief state of chaos—a niece liking her own uncle, was that not incest?

But she quickly cleared her head and formulated a plan. She winked at Qiao Ke, and the two shared a look of mutual understanding.

Lianyu was happy to see Qiao Ke growing close to Lianyue. Just then, a servant ran over from the back and stopped three paces away from Qiao Bin and Lianyu. Just as he was about to speak, Qiao Bin said, "Tell them there is no need to dismount; we are entering the city now. Go."

"Yes!" The servant hurried back the way he came.

Lianyue whispered a few more things to Qiao Ke, then stood up. Hand in hand, they walked toward Lianyu, chatting and laughing. Lianyu felt a headache coming on as she watched them. She took Qiao Ke’s other hand, "Come on, let’s get into the carriage."

Once inside, Qiao Ke snuggled into Lianyu’s arms. With no outsiders present, Lianyu straightened him up and asked, "Tell Mother, what were you and Auntie Yue talking about? What kind of mischief are you plotting?"

Qiao Ke flashed an innocent smile and acted spoiled. "How could Mother say that about Ke’er? There’s no mischief; I was just thanking Auntie for my welcoming gift."

"That’s right, Big Sister. Ke’er said he really liked it, and we were just discussing having Big Brother and Second Brother give him something too," Lianyue quickly offered an excuse. If Qiao Yu’s feelings for Qiao Zhi were exposed now, there would be no fun left to be had.

Lianyu gave them both a symbolic warning before turning to dote on Qiao Zhi, who answered her questions obediently.

Lianyue breathed a quiet sigh of relief, only to meet Lan Shui’s suspicious gaze. She winked at her, and Lan Shui smiled as if she couldn't help herself, her gaze shifting back to Qiao Ke in Lianyu’s arms. Just a moment ago, at Lianyue’s suggestion, Qiao Ke had added "eldest aunt-in-law" after calling Lan Shui "Aunt Lan." Even though Lan Shui maintained a warm, pleasant smile, her face had turned bright red.

Yue Lingjun, on the other hand, was delighted.

Yaoyao leaned over to whisper in Lianyue’s ear, "Sister Yue, if there’s any fun to be had, you must include me."

"As long as you don't target the transformation pills in Qiao Ke’s hands, I’ll take you along." Lianyue had been "bought back" by her own cunning nephew and was now constantly looking out for his interests.

Yaoyao had no choice but to give up that idea. She raised three fingers in a vow, and thus, an agreement was reached.