When Xie Jin heard this question, his jaw almost dropped.
Could it be that the dog emperor was shocked because he saw the little ones fearlessly facing the swarms of ants that they had seen before?
Thinking about it this way, if he hadn't known that the little ones possessed amazing abilities beforehand, he would have thought the same as the dog emperor, wondering why they were all so unfazed.
"Why should we be afraid?" Zhan Xiaoli said coldly.
Yun Xiaojing showed his pearly white teeth, "They are just ants."
"It's not a flood or a fierce beast, there's no need to be afraid," Zhan Xiaofeng said coolly.
As little men, what kind of men would they be if they were afraid of ants?
How could they protect their mother and father in the future?
Seeing the three little ones acting like adults, as if what happened today was just a trivial matter.
If he hadn't seen those dense ants with his own eyes today, and saw their current calm demeanor, he would have thought that perhaps those people were making a fuss and were so scared by a few ants that they almost lost their souls.
They spoke too simply.
To the point that the emperor was momentarily speechless.
Although he wanted to kill Yun Shu and eliminate a problem in his heart, he could not deny that the children raised by Yun Shu were so courageous that they could face him, the emperor with an imposing aura, with a calm and unfazed expression.
They could even calmly say that ants were not scary.
It truly made him like them immensely.
He suddenly regretted his initial indifferent attitude towards them in the imperial garden; their current distance and lack of closeness were probably due to the bad first impression.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late to change their impression.
"Very brave, good. Come, see if there's anything you'd like to eat here?" The emperor's voice was kind and approachable, like an ordinary grandfather.
He hoped his beloved grandchildren would like the large platter of food he had carefully prepared.
Anything they ate would surely bring them joy.
Xie Jin, watching from the side, was almost dumbfounded. Was this dog emperor trying to buy off the three of them with these delicacies?
Did he really think they were his grandchildren?
"We've eaten our fill and are not hungry, thank you," Zhan Xiaoli refused coldly.
They had eaten everything. They didn't want anything the bad emperor had prepared for them, and he was not worthy of being their grandfather!
Although Yun Xiaojing was quite tempted by the items on the table, which were exquisitely made and looked so appealing, he had his principles, "I don't want to eat them either, thank you."
Zhan Xiaofeng shook his head, he had no interest in these things.
Their mother and maternal grandfather would buy them whatever they wanted to eat.
In any case, they simply didn't like the bad emperor who was smiling so disingenuously.
The smile on the emperor's face froze slightly, and it was clear that the three of them didn't want to be too close to him.
This table of tempting food was merely for a glance.
So young, yet so self-possessed.
Xie Jin said nothing. He could tell that the emperor disliked him, but he was focused on the little ones anyway, and the rest didn't matter.
If the old emperor treated the little ones like other children, he would surely be disappointed.
However, he had to admit that the dog emperor's eyes were sharp enough to see that the little ones were extraordinary.
The emperor hadn't expected to get close to them today, he was just a little uncomfortable. His other grandsons had always tried their best to please him, wanting to win the favor of their imperial grandfather.
Unexpectedly, the first time he showed concern for his grandchildren, he was pushed away like this.
Thinking about it, he felt a little hurt.
"Alright, it's getting late, you should go back and rest," the emperor saw that the three children were wary and couldn't communicate easily, so he didn't force it. There would be time in the future, and they would slowly get to know him.
In the future, they would know that their grandfather was worthy of their respect and closeness.
Xie Jin led the three little ones out of the imperial study.
On the way, Xie Jin asked them with a smile, "Aren't you tempted by that table of food?"
"Uncle Xie is already so old, and he's still tempted?" Yun Xiaojing's eyebrows rose.
Xie Jin suddenly felt that his mouth wasn't working well, choked by the words of a little cub. He twitched his mouth fiercely, "What delicacies has your Uncle Xie not eaten? How can I be tempted by things meant for children? I was worried you would be won over by a small offering."
"I am not such a superficial person, Uncle Xie, you are overthinking," Yun Xiaojing said.
Zhan Xiaofeng nodded, "We have our own money, we can buy whatever we want to eat ourselves. Mother and maternal grandfather will also buy for us. Father also gave us a lot of money."
"My two younger brothers are right," Zhan Xiaoli nodded in agreement.
Looking at the three little ones who were like miniature adults, Xie Jin felt stimulated again.
He had gone to great lengths to get money from Zhan Tianye, but before he could get it, the three little ones were already overflowing with it.
He never expected to be jealous of such young children one day.
Seeing Xie Jin's ever-changing expression, the little ones had the same thought.
Why did Uncle Xie seem so strange today?
As if he envied them?
Or perhaps a little jealous of them?
They didn't know if they were mistaken, but Uncle Xie was very odd today.
...
General's Mansion.
After Madam Li massaged Li De's head for a while, seeing that Li De's complexion had improved, she spoke, "My lord, Meng'er was humiliated by Consort Ye in the palace today."
"And she lost face in front of everyone. I don't know why Prince Jin raises a snake; that snake coiled around Meng'er today, and Meng'er is likely to have nightmares tonight."
"And our three grandchildren were also frightened by that Snow Spirit Snake. I don't know why there were so many ants in the palace today for no reason? Dense, as if all the ants in the capital had arrived."
"It's truly strange."
After listening to Madam Li's rambling, Li De said with a grim face, "Next time you see Meng'er, tell her not to provoke Consort Ye anymore. Consort Ye is a peculiar person. Today, everyone had ants on them, but their group did not. This is enough to show that there is something strange about her."
"My lord suspects that the ants were caused by them?" Madam Li shivered with a chill.
She even regretted it. If those ants were provoked by Consort Ye, then if one day these ants were brought into their General's Mansion, how could they live there?
Just thinking about it made her scalp tingle.
After returning from the palace, she desperately wanted to take ten baths, otherwise she felt ants crawling all over her.
Li De frowned, "It's just a suspicion. These ants tonight are truly baffling. Consort Ye... she is too inscrutable. Perhaps she is more difficult to deal with than I thought, and we underestimated her."