The next morning, Jun Beiyue rose early. As he carried the tea and left the room, Ziqing, already awake, lay curled up beneath the covers, stifling silent laughter.

As a mother herself, she couldn’t help but wonder—someday, when her precious little Xiong Bao’s life brought another important woman into it, his most beloved, would her own son, once she herself had grown old, rise early to bring her a cup of tea too?

Just thinking about it made her laugh at herself for getting so far ahead—her precious boy wasn’t even three years old yet!

If it happened, that would be her good fortune.

If it didn’t, she wouldn’t hold any grudge either—after all, she hadn’t raised her son to secure her old age, and no matter how much hardship she’d endured raising him, she had no right to impose such expectations on Xiong Bao.

Ziqing didn’t linger in bed and quickly got up to prepare herself. Jun Beiyue’s tea presentation wouldn’t take long, and they needed to hurry and set out.

However, when Jun Beiyue arrived at Meng Wanyue’s quarters carrying the tea, she was already gone. Only little Xiong Bao emerged, yawning as he walked out.

“Daddy, what’s this…”

Xiong Bao was quite puzzled—his father had a habit of drinking a cup of green tea first thing in the morning, so why had he brought the tea here instead?

“Where’s your grandmother?” Jun Beiyue asked.

“She went to see Great-Grandfather bright and early, something about Meng Duo’er,” Xiong Bao answered honestly. On an ordinary day, he’d have chased right after her to join in the excitement, but right now, having not seen his mommy all night, he was eager to go find her instead!

“Meng Duo’er?” Jun Beiyue was about to ask further, but little Xiong Bao had already hopped onto the Ounce Great Beast and dashed off.

Meng Duo’er, Old Meng Five’s daughter—Jun Beiyue really didn’t have much of an impression of the girl. He simply picked up another cup of tea and headed to the main hall.

Sure enough, the Meng Clan Leader, Meng Wanyue, and Meng Duo’er were all there in the hall. The moment Meng Wanyue saw Jun Beiyue enter, she happily came forward to greet him, a flicker of suspicion crossing her eyes as she noticed what he was carrying, though she pretended not to notice, asking with concern instead, “Son, did you sleep well last night?”

Jun Beiyue nodded. Even though she was his birth mother, having never been raised by her, never having met her until recently, and never having formally presented her tea, that word “Mother” still didn’t come easily to him.

Though he wasn’t accustomed to smiling, he managed a faint smile and nod anyway, then stepped forward, set down the teacup, and personally presented a cup of tea to the Meng Clan Leader, saying respectfully, “Grandfather, Beiyue has come to present you tea.”

Though he had already addressed him this way before, this time was different—adding the formal tea presentation ceremony carried far greater significance!

Consider this—the esteemed Prince Yao of Da Zhou, who stood proudly above even the rulers and heirs of the various nations of the Longyuan continent, would he really personally present this cup of tea unless he had truly acknowledged this bond of blood?

This was a formal acknowledgment of kinship!

For a moment, the atmosphere turned solemn and momentous. Meng Duo’er, the young girl, instinctively took a few steps back, sensing she probably shouldn’t be lingering here, yet not quite daring to leave either.

Rather than calling it surprise, it would be more accurate to say the Meng Clan Leader was overjoyed. Watching Jun Beiyue bow his head and offer the tea with both hands, he was so moved he could barely speak, repeating over and over, “Good! Good! Good!”

For a moment, he even forgot to reach out and accept it.

The formal acknowledgment ceremony was, of course, expected—it was simply that amid all the recent chaos, it had slipped his mind entirely. He hadn’t expected young Beiyue to be so thoughtful, so attentive to such details.

“Grandfather, please.”

Jun Beiyue reminded him quietly, and only then did the Meng Clan Leader come back to himself, his hands trembling as he hurriedly accepted the cup with both hands. “Good, good! Good!”

Seeing the Meng Clan Leader accept the tea, Meng Wanyue immediately found herself unable to suppress her own nervousness. She hurried to sit down nearby, watching Beiyue, her sharp phoenix eyes brimming with anticipation!

Was Beiyue about to call her “Mother”?

Though she had been hoping for this ever since their reunion the day before, even she hadn’t expected the tea ceremony to be conducted with such formality, such solemnity.

She had originally thought she’d wait a few days until they’d grown more familiar with each other before taking the initiative to ask Beiyue whether he might call her by that name!

Even seated as she was, Meng Wanyue could barely contain her excitement.

Jun Beiyue bowed in the same manner, lowering his head and offering the green tea with both hands. “Mother, Beiyue has come to present you tea.”

This moment, this single word, should have been Meng Wanyue’s most thrilling moment—and yet, in an instant, the excited light in her eyes suddenly dimmed, as if tinged with disappointment.

He wasn’t going to kneel?

That flash of disappointment lasted only an instant. Quickly, Meng Wanyue resumed her excited, joyful expression, hurriedly accepting the tea with both hands and downing it in one go. “Good, good, good! Son, hearing you call me this, Mother could die happy now!”

The Meng Clan Leader and Meng Duo’er, watching this mother-and-son reunion from the side, felt genuinely happy for them. But then, unexpectedly, Meng Wanyue asked, “Son, why don’t I see your wife here?”

The same question, asked in different settings, could carry entirely different meanings.

It had to be said—Meng Wanyue’s timing in asking this question was rather skillfully calculated!

Was she asking why Ziqing hadn’t come to present tea, or simply asking where Ziqing was?

What exactly did she mean by this? It was impossible to say for certain.

She hadn’t outright accused Ziqing of failing to come present tea, and yet everyone present couldn’t help but read that very implication into her words.

“Xiong Bao hasn’t seen her all night and is clinging to her now,” Jun Beiyue answered evenly, already having risen from his bow. A few simple words, deftly deflecting the weight of the matter—Prince Yao was more than capable of that.

He’d simply said Ziqing couldn’t come—but whether he meant she couldn’t come to present tea, or couldn’t come here at all, no one could be entirely certain.

The corner of the Meng Clan Leader’s mouth curved into a faint smile of approval for Beiyue. He didn’t quite understand why Ziqing hadn’t come along as well, but he assumed Ziqing was a sensible girl who surely had her own reasons.

But then, Meng Wanyue’s next words turned the atmosphere awkward. She teased, half-scolding, “That Xiong Bao pestered me all night yesterday, and this morning he still has the energy to go cling to his mother instead. Beiyue, I, as your mother-in-law, already missed the tea ceremony at your wedding—looks like I’ll have to miss it again this time too.”

Was this really a joke, or was it actually a reproach in disguise?

Jun Beiyue was capable of every manner of tactful speech, but with those close to him, he much preferred bluntness, directness.

Roundabout words, after all, usually carried an edge to them, didn’t they?

“Mother, our union was bestowed by Emperor Tianhui himself; her title as consort was merely conferred. We haven’t yet had a formal wedding. Strictly speaking, Ziqing is still my betrothed. That cup of tea will come to you in due time, don’t worry,” Jun Beiyue explained plainly.

Jun Beiyue had originally assumed his mother might ask why they had a child before even marrying, but she didn’t bring it up at all, instead murmuring to herself, “Oh… so that’s why she didn’t come?”

“Yes,” Jun Beiyue answered.

“Silly girl, you already have a child together—what’s there left to fuss over? Whether the wedding happens or not, it’s all much the same in the end, isn’t it?” Meng Wanyue said, still smiling, her tone warm and indulgent.

But these words left everyone present uncomfortable—never mind Meng Duo’er, an unmarried girl herself, even the Meng Clan Leader, a man of considerable age, found them unpleasant to hear.

What did she mean by “you already have a child, what’s there left to fuss over”?

A proper courtship, a wedding ceremony—how immensely important these were to a woman, the defining event of her entire life!

Jun Beiyue had never intended for Ziqing to have a child before their formal wedding. Aside from the New Year’s Eve incident, he had prepared everything to give Ziqing a grand, dignified wedding—the formal status of a wife, not merely the title of a conferred consort.

Yanzi’s appearance on New Year’s Eve had been an unforeseen accident.

And Xiong Bao’s arrival had been equally unexpected—and by the time he’d learned of it, the child was already so grown.

It had to be admitted—Jun Beiyue had always felt he owed Ziqing a great deal.

Looking at Meng Wanyue, a cold flicker of displeasure flashed in Jun Beiyue’s eyes. His usually composed demeanor had clearly shifted—he was genuinely displeased!