Chapter 34: The Fate of a Favored Concubine Used as a Shield in a Harem Intrigue Story……
Jiujiu scooted onto his daddy’s dragon robe and sat down, waving his wings to subtly express his refusal.

He couldn’t cozy up anymore. If he went to stick close to his daddy’s sister again, she could kick him away from inside her belly.

After Consort Jing left, Shen Yijing placed Jiujiu on his fingertip and asked, looking down:

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like this child?”

“Daddy, Auntie is so strong, she kicks Jiujiu every time. Daddy, don’t play with her.”

“Sister? Is it a girl?”

Shen Yijing held Jiujiu’s small wing and asked. He had been too busy to pay attention to this question before. Now, hearing Jiujiu call her “Auntie,” he remembered he had forgotten to ask.

“Yes, she is.”

Shen Yijing felt somewhat conflicted when he heard this answer. He actually hoped for a younger brother, which would mean fewer ministers opposing the establishment of an Crown Prince. An Crown Princess wasn’t entirely out of the question either.

But this path, whether for himself or for the unborn sister, would be much more arduous.

“Daddy, she’s really fierce.”

A wronged Jiujiu buried his head in his daddy’s arms and began to fake cry. He had never seen such a fierce human cub. Although the culprit that led to her current state might be himself, Jiujiu absolutely refused to admit it.

“Good boy, my Jiujiu has worked hard.”

Shen Yijing went to bed very late that night, constantly thinking about whether he should still proceed with his original plans if it truly was a sister.

Unable to sleep, he picked up a history book. It mentioned that several dynasties ago, there was an Emperor whose situation was very similar to his own.

Because his only pregnant concubine gave birth to a daughter, he established another child from the imperial clan as the Crown Prince.

After his death, that Crown Prince ascended the throne and sent his daughter to the wild lands of the grasslands for a marriage alliance, where she died at the age of sixteen.

Although his sister hadn’t even been born yet, it didn’t stop Shen Yijing from thinking far ahead.

Rather than entrusting his sister’s future to someone whose reliability was unknown, he preferred his sister to firmly grasp power in her own hands.

Even if this path was destined to be much more arduous than what he had originally envisioned, it still could not shake Shen Yijing’s resolve.

Jiujiu, who woke up halfway through his sleep, saw his daddy still sitting there. He chirped, calling his daddy over to help cover his cub with the blanket that had been kicked off.

“Coming.”

Shen Yijing took off his outer cloak and placed it aside. By the time he lifted the blanket and lay down, Jiujiu had already fallen asleep.

He gently kneaded Jiujiu’s small belly. There was a lot of flesh there, and it felt very comfortable to rub.

Even in his sleep, Jiujiu instinctively stretched out a wing to cover his belly, then changed position, almost kicking Shen Yijing in the face with one paw.

When Consort Jing’s delivery day arrived, Shen Yijing specifically invited his maternal grandfather and grandmother into the palace. The whole family waited anxiously in the courtyard.

The imperial physicians had warned earlier that Consort Jing’s health was not good due to her prolonged sadness from past events. Although there were no obvious issues during this pregnancy, the delivery itself would likely be very difficult.

It was precisely because of the imperial physicians’ words that Shen Yijing had been on edge.

Only Jiujiu sat on the stone table in the courtyard, still in the mood to complain that the stone table was a bit cold and hoped his daddy would get him a small cushion.

Consort Jing’s delivery was very quick. Shen Yijing’s maternal grandmother had barely recited a few prayers with her prayer beads when the cry of a newborn child was heard.

“Congratulations, Your Ladyship, it’s a little princess.”

Most babies are not very attractive when they are first born, but this little princess was an exception. She looked plump and fair, with not a single wrinkle on her face.

She had even opened her eyes immediately after being born.

Her dark eyes were rolling around, quickly fixing their gaze on Jiujiu, who was leisurely wagging his paws while lying there.

Upon realizing he was being stared at, Jiujiu’s first reaction was to find his daddy for help.

This cub, even when she was still in her mother’s belly, would occasionally kick him. Now that she was born, she would definitely be even naughtier than before.

“Daddy, I don’t want her, quickly take Jiujiu and run.”

It was sunrise at this time. Shen Yijing, upon hearing the news that his mother was about to give birth, didn’t even attend the morning court. He placed Jiujiu in his favorite pocket.

Previously, the princess’s name would have been chosen by the late emperor, but now it was up to Shen Yijing.

“Shen Chao, conferred as Princess Chaoyang.”

The princess’s name originally had a specific character, as was the case for all princesses under the late emperor. But now, the person holding power was Shen Yijing.

For a small matter like naming a princess, whatever he said went.

Although Jiujiu was a little afraid that this human cub would kick him again with her little feet, he still couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

Before this, he had never seen a newborn human cub.

He leaned in to take a look and found that little Shen Chao seemed to want to reach out and grab him. He quickly retracted his head and silently gave this auntie the nickname “Little Annoying Pest” in his heart.

After seeing his sister, Shen Yijing still had to attend court, taking Jiujiu with him. The imperial decree conferring the princess was read again in the court.

Among the ministers below, some couldn’t help but inwardly praise that this princess was truly blessed. As soon as she was born, her mother was the Empress Dowager, and her biological brother was the current Emperor.

Shen Chao seemed to have endless energy from the moment she was born. Consort Jing, having given birth herself, could naturally tell that there was something not quite right about this child in some aspects.

After much thought, the only variable was Jiujiu.

She hadn’t expected that not only would Yijing benefit, but she herself would also gain from this matter.

While still in confinement, the now Empress Dowager Consort Jing’s favorite thing to do was hold Shen Chao’s small hand and tell her how to be good to Jiujiu.

If it weren’t for Jiujiu, not only would her brother not have recovered, but her mother might not have been able to safely give birth to her.

Jiujiu really didn’t want to see that little annoying pest, but his daddy had to go pay respects to Grandma every day. Unwilling to be separated from his daddy, he was forced to go peek at that little annoying pest every day.

Shen Chao grew quickly, her delicate features largely inherited from her mother.

While his daddy was talking to the Empress Dowager, Jiujiu flew and landed on the little annoying pest’s cradle, leaning in to get a good look at her. Unexpectedly, she directly grabbed his paw.

Restrained, Jiujiu instinctively wanted to fly up, but was afraid that his strength would be too much and cause this fragile human cub to kick the bucket.

He could only freeze there, staring at her eye to eye.

He even got distracted while staring and thought that he must tell his daddy today that human cubs are truly troublesome and fragile.

After staring for a long time, he realized that his eyes were indeed not as big as this little cub’s. Jiujiu indignantly wanted to move aside, secretly thinking that when he grew up and transformed, his eyes would definitely be bigger than this cub’s.

Shen Chao stared at the little bird for a long time, as if vaguely remembering that this was the same one that had always played with her before. She grinned at it, showing a toothless smile.

Jiujiu, who had intended to sneak away, saw her smiling at him and changed his mind.

Actually, although this cub seemed a little fragile, not like him, a divine bird who was gifted from birth, healthy and strong, who even tried to crawl to kiss his daddy right after being born and fell down,

But as long as she was well-behaved, Jiujiu felt that he was still willing to rub against her more, to make her body healthier and stronger.

Shen Chao, understanding nothing at the moment, stared at the bird for a while before bringing it closer to her and gently kissing its head.

The child’s slobbery kiss landed on Jiujiu’s head, instantly stunning the bird.

“Jiu jiu jiu? Don’t think that just because you kiss me, I’ll, I’ll…”

Jiujiu, who had been trying to say something threatening for a while but couldn’t figure out what, looked around stealthily, making sure no one else was present. With his gentlest movements, he quietly kissed her back.

“Kiss me again.”

To Jiujiu, this was a completely normal conversation, but Shen Chao only heard him chirping randomly. She tilted her head in confusion, seemingly still puzzled and not understanding what the bird was doing.

“Kiss me again, little silly.”

Although Shen Chao had already loosened her grip on him, Jiujiu actively walked over with his tiny paws and rubbed his head against her incredibly tender cheek.

Being afraid of her kicking him before was true, but liking this little cub was also true.

After all, when she was very small, even when Grandma couldn’t feel her presence, Jiujiu could sense the tiny life force, accompanying her as she slowly grew up. His most enthusiastic activity every day was to listen to her movements through Grandma’s belly.

“Kiss me, hurry up.”

Jiujiu pushed her head with his wing. He had been rubbing against her for several months, how could she still be so silly?

The Nanny serving the little princess saw this scene and quickly stepped forward to intervene.

“If you make the little princess cry, watch your hide! Even His Majesty might roast you then!”

Jiujiu, who was rubbing against his little aunt, was displeased to hear this. He flapped his wings and flew over to his daddy.

“That Nanny is bad, she said Daddy would roast Jiujiu. Jiujiu wasn’t misbehaving, Jiujiu was just rubbing against little aunt.”

Just as Jiujiu finished speaking to Shen Yijing, the Nanny came over, holding a crying Shen Chao.

“Your Majesty, this bird just made the little princess cry.”

The little princess, who had been crying loudly, instantly grinned and started laughing when she saw Jiujiu. She waved her arm, which resembled lotus root sections, seemingly unaware of her own weight, and still wanted the bird to hold her.