After Xiao Fubao's life was stolen, he became the favorite of everyone in the capital

Chapter 478 Big Dog

Zhang Yunniang took a deep breath and said, "Just because you like playing with him doesn't mean you have to marry him. Maybe you will meet a better playmate in the future. Just like you used to like playing with A Zhao, but now you like playing with Xingchuan and Li Xuan. Your playmates are always changing."

Niuniu tilted her head and asked, "Should I marry my second or third brother?"

Zhang Yunniang had never been so anxious as she was at this moment: "Of course not, you are brother and sister!"

Although they are not related by blood, the children have always gotten along as siblings. She instinctively felt that she should not lead her daughter down this path. She could not imagine what kind of criticism they would face from the outside world in the future if such a thing really happened.

Niu Niu's eyes were still extremely clear, as if she had only suggested this option unintentionally.

Zhang Yunniang held the little girl in her arms and asked, "Did anyone tell you about this?"

Niu Niu would not hide it from her mother: "It was the old lady next door. She asked me if I was the child bride of the Gu family."

When Zhang Yunniang heard this, she was so angry that she almost smashed the table in front of her.

"Don't listen to her nonsense. You are the daughter of our family and the apple of my and your father's eye." Zhang Yunniang said seriously.

Niuniu raised the corners of her mouth and said proudly: "Of course I know I'm your baby! I won't listen to her nonsense!"

Zhang Yunniang looked at her daughter tenderly, and she suddenly felt that compared to this bad choice, marrying Li Xuan didn't seem so pessimistic.

Gu Mingda waited until the mother and daughter finished talking before asking, "My dear, do you think your brother Li Xuan is the most suitable candidate for marriage?"

Niuniu nodded: "I don't think there is anything wrong with him."

The girl's words made Gu Mingda feel relieved. Niu Niu has all kinds of special skills. If she thinks this marriage is good, it should not harm her in the future.

What no one expected was that the Gu family agreed to the marriage, Prince Jing's Mansion and Li Xuan were also willing, but the emperor disagreed.

"Why are you so anxious, mother? The child is still young and his temperament is not yet determined. Who knows if he can grow up in the future?" The emperor rejected the Queen Mother's idea of ​​​​arranging a marriage with an unhappy face.

The empress dowager's heart sank, and the old lady looked at the emperor's expression seriously, as if trying to find something wrong.

"But everyone in the palace knows that Niu Niu and Li Xuan are best friends. They are about to reach the age where men and women should stay separate. If they continue to stay together, I'm afraid outsiders will gossip." The Queen Mother said tentatively.

The emperor's eyes flashed with anxiety, and he said, "It's normal to separate when you reach a certain age. Doesn't Niuniu have other playmates? She is a little girl, she should play with other girls."

The Queen Mother said, "If you cultivate feelings with your fiancé from childhood, and everything comes naturally when you grow up, and you don't have to suffer too much after marriage, wouldn't it be more comfortable than other girls? I always hope that Niuniu, who is like my granddaughter, can live a smooth and worry-free life."

The emperor didn't know why, but when he heard the empress dowager mention Niu Niu as if she were his granddaughter, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by the title.

"Mother, she is not your biological granddaughter! She is just the daughter of a minor official!" the emperor said viciously. His face was a little out of control at this moment. He was completely unlike the emperor in the past who could remain calm no matter what happened.

The Queen Mother felt as if a huge stone had fallen from her heart. She couldn't help but think of Li's nonsense again. Could it be...

But before she could think of this, she suddenly saw a look of panic and guilt on the emperor's face.

The Queen Mother followed his gaze and saw Niu Niu standing there at some point in time. She had no idea how much the little girl had heard.

"Niuniu, I don't mean to belittle you when I say these words. You are a very, very likable girl. Everyone likes you very much..." The emperor explained incoherently.

Niu Niu still looked at them with wide eyes: "Uncle Emperor, I am indeed not your child, and my father's official position is indeed not high. You are not wrong to say that." The emperor became even more anxious. He even couldn't help wondering in his heart whether it was too late to promote Gu Mingda now.

The Empress Dowager had never been so aware as she was at this moment that the way the Emperor looked at Niu Niu had changed. He was no longer looking at a little girl of only a few years old.

The Queen Mother moved quietly, as if unintentionally, in front of Niu Niu.

"Emperor, you have a lot of government affairs to attend to, so let me explain to her. You should go and handle government affairs first and don't delay national affairs." The Queen Mother advised.

The emperor looked at his mother with gratitude and left.

The Queen Mother held the little girl in her arms and said, "Although you and I are not related by blood, in my heart, you are my eldest granddaughter, and the newly born Bao'er is my second granddaughter. You are equally important."

The little girl snuggled softly in the Queen Mother's arms, grasping the corner of her clothes, and said, "Grandma Queen Mother, I know everything, and you will always be my good grandma."

The Queen Mother breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say that the Emperor felt the same way, but she couldn't say it.

Unexpectedly, Niu Niu took the initiative to speak: "Grandma Empress Dowager, I don't know why, but I'm a little afraid to see the Emperor recently."

The Queen Mother immediately said, "Since you are afraid, you should stay away from him from now on."

Niu Niu breathed a sigh of relief. She had not told this matter before because she was afraid that the empress dowager would be upset when she heard it.

The Queen Mother then said, "Since you like your brother Li Xuan very much, then I will personally grant you a marriage, okay?"

Niuniu nodded.

Niu Niu really likes Li Xuan, and she even has an almost instinctive feeling that it would be more beneficial for her to do this now.

On the same day, the Queen Mother's decree of marriage was delivered to the Gu family and Prince Jing's Mansion.

The emperor received the news, but it was already late at night, so he rushed directly to Shoukang Palace without even taking his ceremonial guard.

"Why does your mother do this? Why does she have to insist on having her own way?" the emperor questioned.

Although the marriage was not granted by the emperor, the empress dowager had given the order and the emperor could not refute it, so the matter was almost a done deal.

The Queen Mother stared at her son quietly and said, "Emperor, this is not the first time I have arranged a marriage for someone, but you have never lost your composure like you do now."

The emperor tried to hide his emotions on his face, but failed for the moment.

"Never show your emotions on your face. This is the first thing your father gave you after you became the crown prince. Have you forgotten it?" asked the Queen Mother.

The emperor took a step back and finally realized that something was wrong with him.

"I...I just don't like this kind of marriage..."

After the emperor said this, an expression appeared on his face that the empress dowager had not seen in almost thirty years.

Grievances and resentment were intertwined, as if he was no longer the emperor above all others, but had turned into a big dog abandoned by his master.

(End of this chapter)