The Emperor and Empress were in deep harmony, and the inner court was managed by the Empress in immaculate order. Not long after the legitimate imperial son was born, the Emperor named him Crown Prince. The Imperial Tutor instructed him in the imperial arts of statecraft and pacifying the realm. Xiao Haotian was exceptionally intelligent, composed, and magnanimous. True to the prediction of the Bureau of Astronomy, he possessed the talent of an emperor of the ages. Whether in horsemanship, archery, military strategy, literary refinement, or political statecraft, there was nothing he did not master. Able to stand on his own two feet at a tender age, he brought immense gratification to the Emperor and Empress, while the Empress Dowager doted upon this legitimate grandson above all others.
Yet, when seven-year-old Xiao Haotian first laid eyes on ten-year-old Xiao Sixi, he felt an instant sense of familiarity and repeatedly said to the Empress Mother:
"This elder sister feels so familiar to us. Where could we have met before?"
At this time, young Xiao Sixi was still dressed in a pale yellow skirt, her gaze as innocent and pure as a young deer. She had already blossomed into a graceful, poised young woman. Turning slightly to offer a formal greeting, she said:
"This subject's daughter pays her respects to the Empress and to the Crown Prince!"
Chapter 145