My Darling, Coax Me.

CHAPTER 105: Talk About Reason.

　　Xie Muyun might be young, but she wasn't lacking in cleverness. 

　　To get others to play with her, she had to please them and offer them something good – a principle Xie Muyun understood well. 

　　Yan Heng, still nursing his injuries, was resting with his eyes closed in his room. 

　　The door was quietly pushed open again, making almost no sound. 

　　Yan Heng's eyebrows twitched. Remembering being tricked by a six-year-old yesterday, he remained still, pretending to be asleep. 

　　The bed beside him sank slightly as something struggled to climb up. The bed was quite high, and the little rascal, despite her best efforts, couldn't manage it. Yan Heng heard her grunting and couldn't help but let out a derisive chuckle. He sat up, extended his long arm, and effortlessly lifted the little rascal onto the bed. 

　　“What are you doing here again?”

　　Was his bed that attractive to her? 

　　Xie Muyun, unceremoniously lifted onto the bed, landed awkwardly, like a turtle on its back, sprawling into the soft bedding. Her two chubby legs flailed for a while before she finally managed to roll over, her little face flushed. 

　　Yan Heng watched her comical struggle, laughing until his chest shook. 

　　As soon as Xie Muyun sat up, he poked her forehead with a finger. Pop! Xie Muyun landed on her back again. 

　　“Humph.” Xie Muyun, having sat up again, puffed out her cheeks like an inflated pufferfish. “Muyun is angry!” 

　　“Oh? You have quite a temper for such a little one,” Yan Heng said, amused. “What do you want?” 

　　Xie Muyun, her anger momentarily forgotten, remembered her purpose. At such a young age, she had already learned to control her emotions; the anger on her face vanished without a trace. Holding out a piece of candied fruit she had been squeezing for a while, her eyes sparkling, she said, “Big brother, here.” 

　　“This is Muyun's favorite. For you.”

　　Yan Heng hesitated, looking at the small paper packet. Once bitten, twice shy; he wasn't entirely convinced of her sudden kindness. “You didn't poison it, did you?” 

　　“No, no!” Xie Muyun retorted without thinking, then realized her mistake. “What's ‘poison’?” 

　　Right. 

　　This little imp, while fond of teasing others, certainly didn't know what poison was. 

　　He took the packet from her. “Why are you suddenly giving me this candied fruit?” 

　　“It's delicious, for big brother,” Xie Muyun said, her dark eyes curving into a smile. “Big brother's father is mean to him, but Muyun is nice to big brother.” 

　　Yan Heng paused, his hand halfway to unwrapping the packet, then continued impassively, opening it to reveal a sugared tangerine. He popped it into his mouth. 

　　A sweet flavor instantly spread in his mouth. 

　　It was quite good. 

　　“At such a young age, you're already quite skilled at winning people over,” Yan Heng said, patting the child's fluffy head. “Now, what's your plan?”

　　Although it was only once, Yan Heng already knew this little imp very well. 

　　Unsolicited kindness rarely comes without ulterior motives. 

　　Xie Muyun smiled sweetly at her big brother. “Big brother, is it delicious?” 

　　Yan Heng: “It's alright.” 

　　“This was made by the Imperial Chef in the Palace, oh. Big brother, if you come to the Palace with me, you can eat a lot of delicious food.” 

　　Only then did Yan Heng carefully examine the child in front of him. Leaning down and getting close to her chubby little face, he said, “I should have guessed. Why would you give me food out of the blue? You want me to go to the Palace with you, right?” 

　　“Yes, yes!” Xie Muyun nodded repeatedly. “Go to the Palace, Muyun will protect you.” 

　　Yan Heng looked at her for a long time before flicking her forehead. “Who wants to go to the Palace with you?”

    ……

　　Xie Muyun ran back, crying. 

　　Yun Ling was teaching Xie Zhiyu at the time. When a palace servant reported that the little Princess was confined in the study, she immediately went to see what was happening. 

　　To say she was confined wasn't entirely accurate. 

　　Xie Jue had returned to the study at some point. He stood expressionlessly in the room, unmoved by his daughter's pleas and tears as she clung to his leg. 

　　Xie Muyun's dark eyes were swollen from crying. She was crying and fussing unreasonably, reaching out for Xie Jue to hold her. 

　　She looked pitiful, and these tears weren't fake. But even so, Xie Jue didn't give her a second glance. 

　　Yun Ling stood outside the door, not approaching. 

　　After a while, when Xie Muyun's sobbing gradually subsided, Xie Jue slowly knelt down, wiping away his daughter's tears rather roughly, meeting her eyes. “Not everything in this world can be obtained through tantrums. Haven't I told you this before?”

　　“You told me,” Xie Muyun sobbed, trying to go to her father for a hug, but Xie Jue pulled her away again. “Go stand over there.” 

　　Xie Muyun's eyes squeezed shut, and more tears fell. She stood in the corner, sobbing quietly. 

　　Her small back looked utterly pitiful. 

　　Xie Jue, however, wouldn't soften. From the time they were little, he never changed the punishments he decided upon. 

　　Children need discipline, so Yun Ling never interfered. 

　　Sometimes, though, Yun Ling felt he was too harsh on the children, lacking patience. 

　　He had always been strong-willed and ruthless. For nearly thirty years, he had been decisive and efficient. He applied the same approach to raising his children. 

　　Gentle persuasion and coaxing were never his methods.

　　Yun Ling watched for a while before turning to leave. 

　　Yun Ling naturally wouldn't interfere with his methods of disciplining the children, but when it was time for dinner, she still hadn't seen her daughter. 

　　Even Xie Zhiyu asked, “Where's my sister?” 

　　Yun Ling summoned a palace servant to inquire and learned that she was still confined in the study. Her brows furrowed slightly; it had been a long time! 

　　Putting down her chopsticks and patting her son's head, telling him to eat properly, Yun Ling immediately went to the study. 

　　Two Jinyiwei were standing outside the study. Upon seeing Yun Ling, they bowed, but hesitated. “Your Majesty, His Majesty instructed that the door is not to be opened without his order.” 

　　Yun Ling sighed softly. Turning her head, she saw Xie Jue walking towards them. 

　　She decided to talk to him.

    ……

　　In the quiet room, 

　　Yun Ling began by asking, “Husband, did you have dinner after returning from the government office?” 

　　“Yes.” Xie Jue turned to face her. “Are you here to plead for Muyun?” 

　　Yun Ling pressed her lips together. “She was wrong, of course you can discipline her. But she's only six years old. Isn't it is too harsh to keep her locked up for half a day?” 

　　Xie Jue coldly snorted. “Spoiled and unruly, making a fuss without reason. She needs a lesson. If she's not punished now, with her temperament, who knows what trouble she'll cause in the future!” 

　　Yun Ling sighed softly. “I'm not trying to stop you, husband, but... she's your daughter. Why don't you talk to her properly?”

　　Don't lock her up for no reason. 

　　“If you don't explain the reason to her, she won't understand no matter how long she is locked up.”

　　Xie Jue: “If I patiently explain it to her, she'll understand?” 

　　“She's not as unruly as you think,” Yun Ling explained. “At first, after you scolded her, she had already given up on bringing that child to the Palace. Later, she heard that the Marquis of Dingbei was unkind to him, so she wanted to bring him back to the Palace again. If the child didn't agree, she wouldn't force him.” 

　　“You always say our daughter is unreasonable,” Yun Ling slowly exhaled. “But you've never patiently reasoned with her. In fact, the two children are very dependent on you.” 

　　Xie Jue looked at her intently. “In the end, you still think my punishment was too harsh.” 

　　Yun Ling: “Yes.”

　　“You spoil them too much,” Xie Jue remained unmoved. 

　　This statement... 

　　Yun Ling took a deep breath and looked back at him. “Husband, you know I've never spoiled the children. It's you who always tries to keep them out of my life, not allowing them to cling to me. But I don't want that. At their age, they need their mother.” 

　　Yun Ling's brows were tightly knit, her expression serious and earnest. “If you continue like this, I'll get angry too.” 

　　She had a good temper and didn't get angry easily. She usually gave in to him a lot. 

　　But once she really got angry, it would be troublesome. 

　　Xie Jue paused, then chuckled. “What? You're going to have a tantrum with me over the children?”

　　“It's simply—” 

　　“Yes.” 

　　Before he could finish, Yun Ling turned and left. 

　　Without listening to his reply.

　　“……”

　　Xie Jue stood there, watching her retreating back, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. 

　　Absolutely unmanageable.

    ——

　　Yun Ling entered the study, and the moment she did, the child rushed into her arms, looking utterly wronged. 

　　Having been confined for half a day, even the bold Xie Muyun felt a little wronged. 

　　Perhaps realizing she had gone too far, she didn't pick at her food during dinner, obediently eating everything on her plate. 

　　After finishing her meal, she started complaining about her father. “He didn't hug Muyun, Father is bad!” 

　　Yun Ling found this amusing. Unexpectedly, her biggest grievance was that Xie Jue hadn't hugged her. 

　　“Then why don't you listen to what Father tells you?” 

　　At this, Xie Muyun felt a little guilty, her eyes darting around nervously. She stammered, “Muyun forgot.”

　　Seeing Xie Muyun like this, Yun Ling asked, “Did you ask your big brother? Does he want to return to the Capital with you?” 

　　At this, Xie Muyun became even more dejected. “He doesn't want to!” 

　　“Why not? Muyun can protect him!” 

　　Yun Ling smiled. “Then you'll have to ask him yourself.”

    ——

　　Both children clearly sensed the tension between their father and mother. 

　　Their father's expression was cold, very cold. 

　　Although he was usually like this, the two six-year-olds could keenly feel the difference. 

　　It was an anger radiating from within, making people afraid to approach. 

　　That night, their mother was gone, leaving only their father in the room. 

　　It was already bedtime for the two children. After the palace servants helped them wash up, the little ones ran out to play. Xie Jue picked them up one by one and placed them on the bed. “Sleep.” 

　　As soon as he put them down, they both climbed back up. 

　　“Father, I want water,” Xie Muyun looked at him expectantly. 

　　“Me too,” Xie Zhiyu said.

　　Xie Jue poured a cup of water for each of them. After they finished drinking, he asked, “Can you sleep now?” 

　　“Mm-hmm.” Xie Muyun nodded eagerly. 

　　Xie Jue returned to his seat on the couch. 

　　The two little ones glanced secretly at their father, who was sitting on the couch reading official documents, then looked at each other. 

　　Then, they started whispering, thinking they were being very quiet. 

　　Xie Zhiyu: “Huh, why hasn't Mother come back yet?” 

　　Xie Muyun: “Mother seems angry with Father.” 

　　“What should we do?”

　　“I don't know. Mother never gets angry with me.” 

　　“Mother doesn't get angry with me either, hee hee…” 

　　Xie Jue, who heard everything clearly: “...” 

　　The two little ones were about to say something else when Xie Jue furrowed his brows, closing the document. “Are you finished? If you don't go to sleep…” 

　　Before he could finish, the two children, like little eels, burrowed into their blankets, closing their eyes and lying perfectly still, pretending to sleep.

　　It wasn't long before they were both fast asleep, snoring softly. 

　　Xie Jue looked at the two chubby little ones. When they weren't being noisy, they were really adorable. 

　　The corners of his lips twitched slightly. He tucked them in before getting up to close the door and leave. 

　　Yun Ling intentionally left him with the children. After finishing her chat with Yan Heng and returning, she found that both children were already fast asleep. 

　　She originally stood up intending to go out, but after a moment's thought, she sat back down, took off her clothes, and went to bed.

    ——

　　It was the children who were most anxious about Yun Ling and Xie Jue's quarrel. 

　　Early the next morning, Yun Ling, thinking that Yan Heng's wounds had healed considerably, decided to take him and her two children for a walk. 

　　The two children were dressed and ready, their little heads constantly peeking towards the door, looking expectantly at Yun Ling. “Mother, won't Father go with us?” 

　　Yun Ling patted their heads. “Father has some things to do. We'll go without him.” 

　　“Oh.” Their voices were dejected. 

　　Yun Ling didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How could she tell the children that Xie Jue really did have something important to attend to? 

　　Two urgent official documents had arrived from the Capital by express courier, requiring immediate attention, so he wouldn't be free today.

    ……

　　The sky was a clear, cloudless blue; the wind was gentle. 

　　The streets of Jinzhou were filled with vendors' calls and a bustling crowd, shoulder to shoulder. 

　　The two children, loving the excitement, soon ran off. 

　　They were surrounded by Jinyiwei and Shadow Guards, so Yun Ling wasn't worried. 

　　Yan Heng, however, stayed quietly by her side. 

　　Perhaps realizing that escape was futile, the child was behaving himself and not making any more useless attempts. 

　　Still, his eyes held resentment and unwillingness. 

　　He didn't want to return to the north, Yun Ling knew this very well. She also knew that despite his young age, he harbored great ambitions. But he was ultimately too young, only twelve years old, and hadn't experienced any setbacks. To let him wander, his future uncertain and his life precarious, was simply unacceptable. 

　　On the stage, a play, ‘The Homecoming,’ was being performed. It told the story of a General whose parents died and who was then cheated out of his property and driven from his village by his neighbors. After becoming a great General, he returned to his hometown to reclaim his inheritance. 

　　His neighbors scoffed, saying that as a great General, he shouldn't care about a few acres of land. But the General replied that it wasn't about the amount of land, but about reclaiming what was rightfully his. 

　　After the play ended, Yun Ling turned to Yan Heng and said, “Don't take what Muyun said to heart. Don't worry, we won't force you back to the Palace. Her father has already punished her.”

　　Yan Heng said, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Actually, the little—the Princess didn't affect me; I didn't take what she said seriously.” 

　　Yun Ling smiled. “That's good.” 

　　Yan Heng hesitated, then mustered his courage. “But I have a request, I hope you will grant it.” 

　　Yan Heng bowed. “Your Majesty, as the Empress, you must have a way to help me. I really don't want to return to the north.” 

　　Yun Ling looked at him for a long while before slowly saying, 

　　“I have two options. First, I can send you to serve in the army elsewhere. However, everything related to the Marquis of Dingbei's household—including your mother's position and property, and your title—will likely be taken away. Only after you have established merit can you return to the north and reclaim what is yours. But how long that will take is uncertain.” 

　　“Second, if you return to the north, I will write a hand-written edict for you to take back, advising the Marquis of Dingbei. Your stepmother likely won't dare to trouble you again. You can enter the northern army to train and achieve your own merits. Of course, you will inevitably have to deal with your family, and perhaps argue with your father again. But they won't be able to take away what belongs to you.” 

　　“Consider the pros and cons carefully. The choice is yours.” 

　　Yan Heng lowered his head, silent for a long time. Finally, his voice hoarse, he said, “I understand, Your Majesty. Please allow me some time to think.”

　　“Okay.” 

　　At some point, the two children had appeared, excitedly declaring they were hungry and wanted to eat. 

　　Yun Ling took her two children and the older boy to the restaurant across the street. 

　　“What's that green thing?” Xie Muyun saw someone downstairs eating it; their face turned red from the spice, and she became curious. 

　　“That's our shop's specialty pastry. It's not sweet, but rather spicy. Young Miss, would you like to try some?” the shopkeeper replied. 

　　“Yes!” Xie Muyun said excitedly. 

　　When the plate of pastries arrived, the two children looked at each other, then each took a piece and put it in their mouths. Then— 

　　“Ahhhhh, so spicy, so spicy!” The two children fanned their mouths, their faces flushed from the spice. Even after drinking water, it wasn't enough; they insisted on going downstairs to buy candied haws. 

　　Yan Heng took them downstairs.

　　Yun Ling looked at the plate of pastries; naturally, she didn't touch them. The waiter brought a cup of the restaurant's special ginger tea. Yun Ling took a sip, and the pungent aroma hit her, causing her to cough. 

　　Even the ginger tea was spicy. 

　　Just as she was about to pour herself some water, a teacup was suddenly lifted to her lips. 

　　Yun Ling drank the water from the cup. Xie Jue sat down beside her, wiping the water from the corner of her lips. His thin lips were pressed together. “You can't eat spicy food; don't drink this ginger tea.” 

　　She hadn't expected him to finish his work so quickly. 

　　“How did you get here? The children went downstairs to play,” Yun Ling said, looking at him. 

　　“Mm.” Xie Jue picked up a sweet pastry and offered it to her lips. “I saw them on the way here.”

　　Yun Ling ate the pastry; the sweet, soft taste quickly spread in her mouth, suppressing the spiciness. 

　　The pastry was delicious. Seeing that she liked it, Xie Jue offered her another one, this time with honey beans. 

　　Yun Ling took a bite. “My husband is not angry anymore?” 

　　Xie Jue paused, his handsome brows furrowed slightly. “It's you who's always angry with me because of the children.” 

　　“I just want you to be gentler with them,” Yun Ling smiled, a playful glint in her eyes. “Just like you are now.” 

　　She was referring to him feeding her the pastries. 

　　He certainly cared for and loved his children, but he was used to decisive action and sometimes too strict, always using the most direct and ruthless methods.

　　Furthermore, he didn't like the children clinging to her; it was his possessiveness at play. 

　　Yun Ling often found this frustrating. 

　　After listening to her, Xie Jue's expression didn't change. He fed her the last bit of pastry, then leaned down and kissed her lips. “I've given all my tenderness to you; I'm afraid I can't be equally tender to them.” 

　　Yun Ling waited quietly for him to finish. 

　　“However, I extremely love the two children you bore for me,” Xie Jue said slowly. “From now on, I will spend more time reasoning with them.” 

　　“Mm.” Yun Ling's eyes curved into crescent moons. She tilted her head up to kiss him when suddenly, two voices echoed from the doorway, “Uh…” 

　　Turning her head, she saw Yan Heng returning with the two children. The little ones were giggling, one hand covering their eyes. 

　　“I'll take them away now.” Yan Heng, very perceptive, scooped up Xie Muyun with his left hand and led Xie Zhiyu away with his right hand, quickly disappearing. 

　　The children's clear laughter faded into the distance. 

　　The breeze was warm. 

　　The sun was shining brightly.

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