The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

Chapter 173

"Your servant has no other intention..." Fearing the Emperor might misunderstand, Jiang Xinyue looked at him with tears in her eyes and explained, "Perhaps it's because I'm about to become a mother myself, so I feel a special connection with the Fourth Prince. When I look at him, it's as if I'm seeing Your Majesty as a child, and I feel very close to him. My Little Six is about to be born, and if the Fourth Prince stays here, he can be a companion for Little Six. I believe he will be a good older brother."

The Xuanwu Emperor considered this. He had indeed been thinking of giving the Fourth Prince to one of his consorts to raise. Initially, he had thought of giving him to Concubine Li, but at that time, she was the most favored in the harem. He had hinted at it several times, but Concubine Li had expressed disdain for the Fourth Prince in her words, believing he was born through the use of drugs by his birth mother. She thought it was disgraceful and was unwilling to accept a son with such an unseemly origin.

So he had put the matter aside.

Seeing that the Emperor didn't seem very opposed to the idea, Jiang Xinyue pressed on, "Fourth Prince, would you like to stay with Concubine Zhen from now on and let her be your mother?"

Of course, the Fourth Prince was willing!

But he still glanced quietly at his grandfather, and seeing him nod, he quickly climbed down from the Emperor's lap and threw himself into Jiang Xinyue's embrace. "I'm willing, I'm willing," he said.

When he said these words, his expression was both reverent and happy, which moved the Emperor as well.

He stood up and lovingly patted the little boy's head. "Has Little Four been given a name yet?"

Qian Sheng immediately answered, "In response to Your Majesty, he hasn't been named yet. This humble servant dares to request that Your Majesty bestow a name upon him."

Naming a prince was supposed to be the Emperor's duty. If he didn't do it, who else would dare to overstep?

It was early spring, and outside the hall, the sun was shining brightly. A gentle breeze brought in the refreshing scent of flowers, which could be detected even in the inner chambers.

The Third Prince was named Shen Mingxuan, and the Fifth Prince was named Shen Mingsheng, so for the Fourth Prince...

The Xuanwu Emperor thought briefly, and seeing Jiang Xinyue's expectant gaze on him, a character suddenly came to his mind: "Let him be called Shen Mingman."

Jiang Xinyue instantly understood the meaning behind the Emperor's choice of the character "man" (?, meaning "full" or "satisfied"). She said to the Fourth Prince, "Your father hopes that your future days will be full and satisfying, and that you'll no longer suffer from displacement. It's a good name! From now on, mother will call you Little Man!"

The Fourth Prince didn't know the significance of the character "man," but he knew that having a name meant he now had a mother. So he was very pleased with his name.

He nodded vigorously and happily ran around the Xuanwu Emperor and Jiang Xinyue, chanting, "Little Man has a father and a mother now! Little Man has a father and a mother now!..."

Children's emotions are always displayed on their faces. His joy infected the Xuanwu Emperor, who also began to laugh out loud.

Qian Sheng watched all this with satisfaction. Indeed, the person he had personally chosen, Concubine Zhen, was truly kind-hearted and full of love.

This must be what the Buddhists call planting good causes and reaping good fruits.

He believed that in his previous life, he must have died without encountering Concubine Zhen, and in her world, Concubine Zhen had been killed by the small box.

In this life, he met Concubine Zhen, and she saved him from the brink of death, allowing his soul to travel through time and space. In that other space, Concubine Zhen had died saving him from the small box, so at the moment he was saved, his soul dragged Concubine Zhen's soul back with him.

It was like a cycle - without either Concubine Zhen or himself, this cycle wouldn't exist.

If he died here, Concubine Zhen would die there.

If Concubine Zhen died there, he would die here.

Or perhaps when he died in his previous life, his soul traveled to another world where Concubine Zhen saved him, and she was brought back by his lingering attachment.

In any case, the cycles of cause and effect are quite marvelous.

Whatever the case, from now on, Concubine Zhen would be the Fourth Prince's mother.

This secret he would keep in his heart and take to his grave.

Jiang Xinyue's adoption of the Fourth Prince didn't cause much of a stir. The Fourth Prince's background was too lowly for anyone to pay much attention to him.

He was just an object for her to demonstrate her kindness in front of the Emperor. She was about to have her own child soon, how could she truly treat the Fourth Prince as her own?

The child was still the most pitiful one.

"Fourth Prince, over here, over here! Kick the ball this way."

Yan Xinyi had already entered the palace, and when Jiang Xinyue had nothing to do, she would let her play with the Fourth Prince outside.

The child had been bullied too severely before, and she was afraid it might affect his mental health. She thought it was better for him to go out and breathe fresh air, to interact and play with others.

At first, the Fourth Prince was reluctant. When he saw palace maids and eunuchs, he would hide behind Yan Xinyi, afraid they would bully him.

But with encouragement from his grandfather and Aunt Yan, he gathered his courage to come out.

After more than ten days, he had started running around the palace on his own.

But he always remembered what his mother had told him: not to play in dangerous places.

Aunt Yan said that in a few days, his mother would give birth to his little brother, and then he would have a companion.

"Isn't this the Fourth Prince? This servant pays respects to the Fourth Prince!"

Three or four eunuchs came walking together, surrounding Shen Mingman who was alone.

"You... you..."

These people were all those who had bullied him and his grandfather in the Cold Palace before.

The Fourth Prince, looking at the tall and strong bullies, fell to the ground in fright, but still managed to shout angrily despite his fear, "How dare you! I'm no longer the child you can bully at will. I have a mother and father now, I am the Fourth Prince! If you dare to touch a hair on my head, my mother won't let you off!"

"Oh! You really think Concubine Zhen adopted you out of sincerity?"

The group of eunuchs dragged him to a secluded place. "Don't forget, Concubine Zhen is still pregnant! When her own child is born, how could she still remember a bastard like you?"

"You're just a bastard the Emperor doesn't want. You even caused the death of your own mother. How could Concubine Zhen like you? The Emperor is only showing you some affection because of Concubine Zhen. Once Concubine Zhen's child is born, if she doesn't want you anymore, you'll just be a wild child again. The Emperor won't like you then."

"You're lying!" The Fourth Prince's little face turned red with anger. "Mother truly likes me. You're all lying! I will play with my little brother, mother won't abandon me."

"Fourth Prince... Fourth Prince, where are you? Come out quickly, it's going to rain. Concubine Zhen sent this servant to call you back."

The Fourth Prince had recently taken to playing hide-and-seek with people. The servants in Hexi Palace indulged him, and he seemed to be making up for all the childhood fun he had missed out on before, enjoying the joy of being sought after by many people when he hid.

Yan Xinyi picked up a ball, and in the blink of an eye, the Fourth Prince had hidden again.

"Boom—"

A loud thunder crashed in the sky above the Imperial Garden. Several young eunuchs came out of a hidden spot, giggling and holding up a smooth jade pendant to the sunlight.

"Stop right there!" Yan Xinyi shouted loudly. "Catch them!"