Tang Dynasty: The pot is tied to the duck nest, the little rhinoceros is here!

At this moment, Empress Zhangsun and Li Lizhi finished playing badminton and walked over contentedly.

"Then, Sizi, please kiss your mother, okay? Your mother doesn't have a beard." Empress Zhangsun smiled gently.

"Okay~ Okay~"

Jiang Fan handed the little princess over.

The little princess sat in her mother's lap, brought her little mouth close to her mother's face, and happily kissed her "mua~mua".

"Mommy, you smell so good! I love kissing you the most..."

"Sizi, I want some too." Li Lizhi stood next to them, leaning closer with her fair and delicate face.

"Okay~" The little princess smiled and gave her a kiss.

Li Lizhi's lips curled up slightly as she thoroughly enjoyed Sizi's kiss.

Li Shimin gazed at them with a deep, melancholy look, his heart aching with bitterness.

Jiang Fanfan suppressed a laugh, glanced at the secretly annoyed Li Shimin, and said cheerfully, "Uncle, if all else fails, just shave your beard..."

"Mmm~" Chengyang echoed.

"Don't mention this again!" Li Shimin blew his beard and glared.

He cherished his beard, and he would feel heartbroken if a few hairs fell out.

Since it was Xiao Sizi's birthday, they didn't play for long before heading to Fengyang Pavilion, Xiao Sizi's bedroom, where she celebrated her birthday every year.

"Grandpa, Grandma, it's Sizi's birthday, why haven't the brothers come yet?"

After a short while, Chengyang asked.

"Hey~ Are your brothers still sleeping?" the little princess asked curiously.

My brothers are such lazybones, they can sleep even longer than I do...

"They'll be here soon," Empress Zhangsun said gently.

As if on cue, Li Chengan and Li Tai arrived together.

"Brother, you're finally here!" Little Sizi said happily.

"Today is Sizi's birthday, how could I, as the eldest brother, not come?" Li Chenggan said with a cheerful smile.

"Brother is right," Li Tai chimed in. "Happy birthday, Sizi..."

"Thank you, brother! Where's my gift?"

The little princess flashed a bright, childlike smile, then expertly stretched out her chubby little hand.

Li Chengan and Li Tai also readily produced gifts, as they had to rob Xiao Sizi every year on her birthday.

A white jade rabbit playing with a ball, a gift from Li Tai!

Made from the finest Hetian mutton fat white jade, the jade is warm and delicate, and feels cool to the touch;

The rabbit's eyes are inlaid with two pigeon blood rubies, and the base is a lotus-shaped support carved from sandalwood.

A gold filigree and gemstone-inlaid gourd pendant with the inscription "Fortune and Prosperity," a gift from Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

The main body is woven from pure gold wire into the shape of a gourd, with the filigree as fine and dense as hair.

The surface is inlaid with rubies, turquoise and pearls; the gourd stem is a small leaf carved from jade, with a hollow interior containing two South Sea pearls.

It was clear that both of them had put in a lot of effort, and the little girl happily tucked herself into their arms.

"Greetings, elder brother!" Li Chengan and Li Tai approached Jiang Fan and said respectfully.

"Mmm~" Jiang Fan nodded.

At this moment, Li Zhi also entered the main hall.

"Happy birthday, Sizi." Little Li Zhi came to the little princess's side and offered his heartfelt blessings. He then took out the gift he had prepared and gave it to Sizi.

"Hehe, thank you, Brother Zhinu." The little princess's face was full of smiles.

~

"Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus has arrived!" Zhang Anan then reported.

Li Yuan, with a slightly hunched back but full of energy, strolled over leisurely.

Although he still had some conflicts and estrangement with Erlang, the children were innocent.

If it were Erlang's birthday, he would definitely not come if he was in a bad mood, but as the little princess's birthday, he would definitely come.

"Grandpa, you're here too! I missed you so much..." The little princess ran excitedly over with her short legs.

"Sizi, come here quickly, let your grandfather give you a good hug." Li Yuan smiled with satisfaction as he watched his little princess run towards him.

He adored Erlang's youngest child; Sizi was not only sensible and filial,

Moreover, seeing that chubby face makes people feel happy without even realizing it.

"Okay~" the little princess said with a smile, and rushed into her grandfather's arms.

Li Yuan scooped up the little princess in his arms, his steps faltering slightly.

He joked, "Sizi, you've gained a lot of weight lately. Your grandfather can hardly carry you anymore."

"No~" The little princess gently tugged at her grandfather's beard and shook her head vigorously. "Grandpa, I'm not fat at all."

"Alright, alright, Grandpa's ox isn't fat."

Li Yuan took out a golden, exquisitely crafted longevity lock from his pocket.

It has a "福" (good fortune) character engraved on it, and it was put around the little princess's neck.

"When it was your birthday before, your grandfather gave you a silver longevity lock."

Now I'll give you a piece of gold; the longevity lock must be silver first, then gold.

"Sizi, do you like the gift Grandpa gave you?"

The little princess didn't understand such complicated words, but nodded as if she did.

She exclaimed excitedly, "Porridge! I love Grandpa the most..."

Li Yuan was very pleased and, with a smile, carried the baby into the main hall.

"Grandpa~" the three Li brothers quickly greeted him.

"Good, good, good, Grandpa sees you've all grown a little taller," Li Yuan said with a smile.

"Grandpa!" Li Lizhi and Chengyang said respectfully.

"Come here, Chengyang, let your grandfather hug you too."

"Okay~" Chengyang smiled sweetly.

Li Yuan held one in each arm, feeling very happy.

"Father~" Li Shimin, accompanied by Empress Zhangsun, respectfully greeted her.

"Erlang, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but look at Sizi and Gaoming Qingque, and the others..."

Everyone knows to greet me first, why didn't you greet me sooner?" Li Yuan didn't give him a friendly look.

"Who is this handsome young man?"

"Grandpa, he's my husband!" the little princess said, introducing him first.

"Grandpa, this is Jiang Fan. He's the one who sent all the things that Si Zi brought before, including that typhoon fan!"

Li Shimin was somewhat embarrassed; his father-in-law wasn't giving him any face at all.

"Hello, sir," Jiang Fan greeted him.

"Very well, very well. I find this young man to be handsome and polite."

He also has a deep sense of filial piety and knows how to care for me. Erlang, you should learn from him, okay?

Li Yuan's main strategy was to treat people differently.

"Father, I understand~" Li Shimin's lips twitched slightly. In the entire Tang Dynasty, if there was anyone who dared to treat him like this, it would be Li Yuan in front of him.

Jiang Fan gave the little princess a wink.

The little princess blinked and gently tugged at her grandfather's beard.

"Grandpa, I'm hungry..."

"Sizi, your grandfather will take you to eat now." Li Yuan glanced at his unfilial son and said in a deep voice:

"Today is Sizi's birthday, a joyous occasion, so I won't say anything more to you."

The three Li brothers kept their eyes down and dared not utter a sound to disturb the peace, for fear of getting into trouble.