" Brothers, did your meeting go well?" a melodious voice interrupted them, turning the grim atmosphere into a happy one instantly.
All the five brothers had huge grins on their faces, because of the arrival of their little devil, Xuan Li Na. Only this girl could make them smile and only she could receive all their love and care.
The seemingly sweet girl folded her hands across her chest and glared at them. Her cheeks turned pink and she looked very adorable, even when she was angry and displeased. The little girl was very tiny, of course, because she was only 10 years old. As a result, all of them immediately started laughing after witnessing her cute but funny appearance.
" Humph.." Xuan Li Na stomped her feet " I am taking back the desserts prepared by mother. I will eat everything by myself!" After saying her part, she immediately turned to leave.
Her words about desserts made the five men stop laughing. They had a huge impact on them, similar to a declaration of war. Desserts made by mother Jun Hu Rui were simply the best. Mother Gu Xinyi and Mother Wan Bing could not even compare to her cooking. After some contemplation, all the brother's cast their pride aside and shamelessly started to beg for the desserts.
" Hehe.." Xuan Li Na had an evil grin on her face " Then you should accept my conditions."
" What are they?" Xuan Li Wei asked even though he had a faint idea of what was going to come, and anything that comes out of this little devil's mouth couldn't be good for their current leisure time.
Sure enough, she did not disappoint them.
" Eldest brother, you must carry me on your shoulders and run 4 rounds around the palace.." Xuan Li Yan's face darkened but he nodded. A few rounds around the palace were nothing compared to the delicacies. Anyways, this was not the first time, and will not be the last, he made rounds with this little devil on his shoulders. Once, this girl started to use his head as a drum and started to sing when he was making rounds around the palace. On that day, rumours spread around the country, about how the princess was doted on by the eldest prince.
" Second brother, you should sing 20 songs for me. And you should use your jade flute." Xuan Li Min readily agreed. After seeing this, Xuan Li Yan grunted " On a normal day, you won't even sing a single song for us.."
Xuan Li Min naturally ignored his eldest brother's complaints.
" Third brother is actually good, so I will naturally give the best desserts to him." Xuan Li Shan had a smug look on his face when he looked at his two elder brothers.
" Fourth brother, this time I will make sure to strangle you in the pillow fight. Let's have a pillow fight later on." Xuan Li Wei's lips twitched slightly, but he remained his composure on the outside. Did she even remember that he was her elder brother at all!?
" Big bro.." Xuan Li Na was closest to Moyin as he doted on her the most from childhood till now, " Are the desserts delicious?" Xuan Li Na asked Jun Moyin who was eating the best of the best desserts. This little devil saved all the best desserts for him and she naturally gave the leftovers to her other four brothers. She snuggled in his embrace, to feel his warmth.
The four princes gritted their teeth and endured this ill-treatment from the little girl. Xuan Li Na teased them for a while, before serving them their desserts. All six of them chatted happily and the servants who were in the room smiled because of the harmonious atmosphere.
" Finally, the little devil is tired.." Xuan Li Yan chuckled. He could finally relax, since the little devil was peacefully sleeping in his lap.
" Eldest brother, I am going to allow women to participate in the Imperial Civil Service Examination from this year on wards." Xuan Li Shan informed them of his decision. Though it was going to be a tough fight, he was ready to fight it out with the court till the end.
" What made you to think about such a good thing?" Xuan Li Min raised his brows.
" Li Na is quite clever for her age. If I groom her from now, maybe in the next five or six years she might be a great officer of court. Well, there might be other girls like our Li Na out there. We should just give them the opportunity.." Xuan Li Shan then turned towards Li Wei " You should ask sister-in-law to participate in this exam. A woman who is not disgusted about other women, no matter the circ.u.mstances, is surely a woman of character.."
" I will tell her" Xuan Li Wei nodded " But well, my wife is more interested to lead armies than to sit in the court."
" She wants to be soldier?" Xuan Li Shan felt that his sister-in-law never failed to surprise him.
" No, not a soldier.." Xuan Li Wei's voice had pride in it " A General, or if possible a Commander."