Chapter 160: Dowager Empress Wang: I Am Jealous

Empress Dowager Wang looked over with curious eyes, only to see that Song Ci's palm was filled with brightly colored candy wrappers enclosing finger-sized sweets that looked quite delightful.

Well, she wanted some too.

Even adults would feel their appetite stirred by these colorful wrappers, let alone a child. Wang Yicheng could not resist extending both hands to receive the candies, which emitted a pleasing, sweet fragrance.

He raised his head to look at Song Ci, asking, "Grand Madame, are these really for me?"

"Yes, all for you. But you are still young, so you can only eat two a day, no more, or your teeth will rot. Oh, before you go to sleep at night, you must brush your teeth, otherwise little bugs will drill holes in them, and you will cry bitterly."

Empress Dowager Wang: "..."

The mental image was so vivid that she got goosebumps.

Wang Yicheng was also frightened into turning slightly pale, asking, "Will eating candy bring bugs that bite?"

"If you eat too much and don't brush your teeth, worms will decay them. Therefore, to banish the bugs, you must brush your teeth morning and night," Song Ci said with a smile.

Wang Yicheng nodded. "I will listen to Grand Madame. I will definitely brush my teeth carefully from now on."

"Stop calling me Grand Madame, Grand Madame. Call me Grandma." It sounded tedious.

Wang Yicheng cautiously glanced sideways at Empress Dowager Wang, then whispered, "Grandma."

"Ah, what a good boy." Song Ci rubbed his head and said, "Go play with Sister Lianxin."

Wang Yicheng tucked the candies into his small pouch, bowed to both Empress Dowager Wang and Song Ci, and then obediently went out, holding the palace maid's hand.

As soon as he left, Empress Dowager Wang said impatiently, "You really have a way. It's only your first time meeting him, yet you managed to get him to say so much to you and even call you Grandma."

Her tone was rather laced with jealousy.

Song Ci replied, "Your Ladyship, could it be that the child is afraid of you?"

"Afraid? More than that! The first time this boy saw me, he was so frightened that he simply passed out. Anyone unaware would think I was a man-eating tiger, just look at how terrified he was," Empress Dowager Wang pouted. "Clearly I didn't even say anything, I even offered him pastries."

She had offered food as well, so why was it that when it came to Song Ci, she instantly acquired the title of Grandma?

Empress Dowager Wang had to admit she was feeling a bit envious.

At this moment, it was only fitting to lavish some honeyed praise!

Song Ci smiled and said, "When ordinary people behold the dragon countenance, they are usually so overwhelmed with fear and awe that they dare not even lift their heads before fainting dead away. By the same token, when this child beheld Your Ladyship's sacred face, he was naturally filled with excitement and trepidation. He is only a few years old and has never seen such a magnificent and noble person before. Catching a sudden glimpse of Your Ladyship looking like a living bodhisattva, it would be a wonder if he weren't terrified."

Empress Dowager Wang laughed reprovingly. "Are you comforting me or just sweet-talking me to make me feel good?"

"Whatever Your Ladyship thinks it is, then that's what it is," Song Ci retorted.

"You, oh you!" Empress Dowager Wang pointed at her playfully, laughing heartily. "This is the very same Ah Ci I've always known."

Song Ci grinned broadly, steering the conversation back to the child as she asked, "Your Ladyship, has it been decided that it will be this child? How old is he? It looks like he hasn't had an easy life in the past. Is that a knife scar on his palm?"

Empress Dowager Wang picked up her teacup, took a sip, and sighed. "Aside from this child, there is no one more suitable. He belongs to a collateral branch, yet still within the permissible degrees of kinship. Both his parents died early, so he has been living with a paternal cousin. Since they aren't his direct family, what kind of good life could he possibly have? He misses meals constantly, going hungry one meal after the next. Otherwise, why would a six-year-old child look like a scrawny four or five-year-old chicken? Oh, as for the scar on his hand, yes, it's a knife scar. I heard that when he was traveling to visit relatives with his parents, they encountered horse bandits, and he grabbed the dagger thrust at him by a bandit with his bare hands, which was how he managed to escape with his life."