“This is almond custard chicken, silver thread tripe, fresh bamboo shoots, wine-roasted shrimp… try them and see how they taste.”

Facing the table full of delicacies, Xiao Du didn’t know where to start with his chopsticks. He looked at Yuanxi beside him introducing each dish, happy as a child waiting for praise, and smiled: “How long did you work today to make so many dishes? The kitchen could have made these – why did you insist on doing it yourself?”

Yuanxi smiled without answering, picked up a green shrimp and placed it in his bowl: “This time I made sure to ask about your preferences before starting. They said you like river delicacies. This dish is made by pouring wine into a hot wok to ignite it, then adding live shrimp to roast. It has both wine fragrance and preserves the fresh taste of the shrimp. Try it quickly and see if you like it.”

Xiao Du put the shrimp in his mouth. Though the heat control wasn’t quite perfect, eating it had a unique flavor. Seeing his appreciative expression, Yuanxi was overjoyed and quickly had him try every dish on the table. Xiao Du cooperated well, eating every dish down to the bottom of the plate and even adding an extra bowl of rice. Only after he was well-fed and satisfied did he ask: “Now can you tell me what day this is that’s worth you putting in so much effort?”

The smile on Yuanxi’s face faded. She put down her jade chopsticks and said very seriously to Xiao Du: “A’Du, I want you to know that I can be a good wife, and will also be a good mother in the future. We are family, and no matter what happens, I can accompany you through it.”

Xiao Du’s face also slowly grew somber. He grasped her hands and said gently: “Tell me, what exactly has happened?”

Under such a gaze, Yuanxi slowly gathered courage. Yes, she should tell him. When she discovered the secret hidden in that residence, she understood she could no longer conceal it. This concerned his origins – he had to know the truth. So she took a deep breath and told him everything she had discovered.

The more Xiao Du heard, the worse his complexion became. When he heard about the unformed male infant buried in the earth, his body swayed slightly, and he spoke with some difficulty: “So what does this all mean?”

Yuanxi knew he wasn’t confused, just afraid to think about it, so she gripped his hands tightly, hoping to give him strength, yet spoke firmly: “A’Du, the princess’s due date should have been in May, but you were born in March or April when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, yet they say your birthday is in May. Why is this? Why does the princess hate cherry blossoms and why won’t she get close to you? I think the infant buried in Qingxin Garden is very likely the child the princess was actually carrying!”

Xiao Du stared at her with vacant eyes, then suddenly laughed mockingly, his voice trembling: “You’re saying I’m not the princess’s biological child? How is this possible… how is this possible…” His tone gradually faded. How was this not possible? Wasn’t this exactly what he had wondered about countless times since childhood? And when he finally learned to hide his inner confusion and doubts, he discovered that those suspicions he once thought absurd were all true. How ridiculous, and how tragic this was.

He suddenly stood up, his hand supporting the table edge trembling slightly: “I’ll go ask father. He must give me an answer!”

Yuanxi also stood up, watching his robe hem disappear into the night. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand and sighed, but she understood she could only do this much – the rest he had to face himself.

Compared to her current worry and anxiety, another person seemed much calmer. After hearing Xiao Du’s string of questions, the old marquis slowly set down his teacup: “You came to find me in the middle of the night just for this matter.”

His composure somewhat surprised Xiao Du, but he still pressed relentlessly: “Father, can you honestly tell me whether the princess is truly my biological mother! If not, who is my real mother?”

The old marquis’s expression became somewhat gloomy. He looked up and fixed his gaze on Xiao Du’s eyes, his look full of unquestionable authority: “Fine! Then listen well – the princess and I are your biological parents! If I ever hear you speak such treasonous nonsense again, don’t blame me for not considering your face as Marquis Xuanyuan and personally giving you a few military lashes!”

Xiao Du stepped back, his voice trembling: “Fine, then please tell me who the woman in Feihan Courtyard was? Who was the infant buried in Qingxin Garden? And what month should I have actually been born in!”

But the old marquis impatiently waved his hand: “You don’t need to know these things. They’re just unimportant old matters. You only need to remember everything I’ve told you!”

Xiao Du clenched his fists, showing a stubborn expression: “Fine! If father truly won’t tell me, I can only investigate myself. I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter!” After saying this, he didn’t even bow and turned to walk toward the door.

“Du’er!” Behind him came a trembling call. He stopped in his tracks, but heard the old marquis speak in an almost pleading tone: “Can you trust your father once? The princess and I are your biological parents. If you insist on investigating, you’ll only bring disaster to yourself and the entire marquis residence!”

Xiao Du didn’t turn back, only saying softly: “But Du’er has grown up and gotten married. I can’t live in lies anymore. No matter what happens, I can bear it!” After saying this, he pushed open the door without hesitation. Behind him, the facade the old marquis had worked so hard to maintain finally completely collapsed. He shakily reached out to grasp the already cold teacup and smiled bitterly to himself: “You’re right. This day has finally come.”

At this moment, fierce winds howled outside, thick clouds gathered, and it looked like heavy rain was about to fall. Yuanxi heard the door open and immediately stood up, urgently asking: “How did it go?”

Xiao Du sat down with a vacant gaze, lowering his head: “Father won’t say. He only told me not to investigate further.”

Yuanxi had never seen him look so defeated. She quickly walked over and embraced his neck: “Then what do you plan to do? Maybe we shouldn’t investigate anymore. Perhaps the old marquis is right.”

But Xiao Du shook his head: “When I was small, I always wondered why my mother was different from others, why she never wanted to hold me or be close to me.” He sighed softly: “Xi’er, I must know who my real mother is. Whether she’s alive or dead now, whether she ever worried about how I was doing.”

Yuanxi felt the sleeves she was holding become somewhat wet, her heart aching unbearably, almost ready to shed tears herself: “Alright! I’ll accompany you. Whatever decision you make, I’ll accompany you.”

In the morning, a carriage departed from the marquis residence, racing all the way to Qingcheng Mountain in the suburbs. It was early spring, with lush vegetation in the mountains, winding streams, and a temple of blue bricks and gray tiles hidden in the verdant greenery. Perhaps because the incense offerings weren’t prosperous, the temple seemed very quiet and cold. Several young nuns were lazily sweeping the courtyard with large brooms, while in the main hall a nun knelt straight, devoutly closing her eyes and chanting with moving lips.

She wore coarse brown robes and looked no different from other nuns, except for one conspicuous feature – her face bore a deep knife scar, making her otherwise peaceful and devout countenance appear somewhat strangely discordant.

At this moment, an abbess walked in and said: “Wugou, there’s a benefactor looking for you.”

The nun called Wugou opened her eyes in confusion but didn’t ask further questions, only following the abbess with lowered brows and obedient demeanor. They walked all the way to outside a small side room, where the abbess stopped: “This is the place. Go in yourself.”

Wugou pushed open the door with a belly full of questions. When she saw clearly who was before her, her body couldn’t help but tremble, tears immediately blurring her vision as she cried out: “Young Marquis!”

Xiao Du turned to look at her, his gaze mixed with many complex emotions. Yunniang, who had now changed her name to Wugou, then suppressed her excited emotions, walked over to pour him tea: “Young Marquis suddenly came to find me – is there something you need?”

Xiao Du slowly withdrew his gaze, gripping the teacup tightly in both hands, and said slowly: “Yes, there is indeed something. I just don’t know if Yunniang is willing to tell the truth.”

Yunniang put her palms together and bowed to him: “Since this poor nun entered the empty gate, it’s only to cleanse sins and seek peace. I no longer wish to keep past worldly matters in my heart. Whatever Young Marquis wants to ask, please ask.”

A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Du’s mouth, his fingers sliding coldly over the porcelain cup: “Seeking peace? Then can this master enlighten me and tell me who my biological mother really is!”

Yunniang’s eyes suddenly widened, her whole body trembling violently. Her terrified eyes filled with tears, her lips quivering for a long time without uttering a single word.

Xiao Du watched her coldly but didn’t press her. The atmosphere in the room immediately became tense. After a long while, Yunniang finally controlled her emotions and closed her eyes: “The marquis’s mother is the princess. Why do you come to ask me?”

Xiao Du couldn’t help but laugh coldly. He stood up and walked to Yunniang’s side, his powerful presence making Yunniang afraid to raise her head, though tears kept sliding down. But Xiao Du could no longer maintain his calm. He supported Yunniang’s shoulders, his voice somewhat hoarse: “Yunniang, you raised me from childhood. I know you least like to see me sad or troubled. So now can you tell me whether my real mother… is you!”

These words struck like thunder, making Yunniang suddenly raise her head and deny repeatedly: “No! I’m not your mother!”

“Then who is my real mother! What relationship do you have with her!” Seeing her expression didn’t seem fake, Xiao Du couldn’t help but use force with his hands, continuing to press her.

“There isn’t one! Your real mother is the princess! The princess!” Yunniang seemed unable to bear such heavy burden anymore. She suddenly broke free from Xiao Du’s hands, covered her face and kept shaking her head, yet still firmly repeated this one sentence.

Xiao Du disappointedly lowered his hands and walked past her to the door: “Fine, I understand. Perhaps my mother extremely detests me, so for all these years, even the people around her don’t dare let me recognize her.”

At this moment Yunniang was already sobbing uncontrollably, her whole body collapsing softly to the ground. She blankly raised her head, seeing the deep disappointment and mockery on Xiao Du’s face. Something in her heart suddenly snapped, and almost forgetting herself, she blurted out: “No! Your real mother loved you to the bone. To protect you, she would rather… would rather…”

Realizing she had misspoken, she quickly covered her mouth tightly, her eyes suddenly showing a resolute expression. Seeing something was wrong, Xiao Du quickly rushed to her side and clamped her jaw. One step later and Yunniang would have bitten off her own tongue. Looking at Yunniang’s collapsed face, he was shocked and confused: “Why do you torment yourself like this!”

But Yunniang seemed unable to hear him speak, her entire being trembling like a leaf swept by wind. Xiao Du sighed deeply and released his restraining hands: “Forget it. I won’t force you anymore, and I won’t come to see you again. Just stay here and peacefully be your Wugou.”

Mountain winds raged, blowing the roadside branches and leaves continuously. Behind him seemed to still carry Yunniang’s painful sobs. Xiao Du walked on the moss-covered stone steps, his heart still completely bewildered. Why? Why won’t they tell him the truth! Why would Yunniang rather commit suicide than reveal this secret?

He walked with unsteady steps to the end of the small path, but then saw that Yuanxi wasn’t waiting in the carriage but was anxiously running toward him. Xiao Du embraced her in his arms, as if wanting to borrow her scent to calm the enormous turmoil in his heart.

From his actions, Yuanxi had already guessed that there must have been no results again. She struggled out of his embrace and stared at him: “A’Du, I suddenly thought of something.”

Xiao Du looked up blankly, gazing at her questioningly, then heard Yuanxi continue: “Do you remember when Concubine Cai died, how Yunniang absolutely refused to reveal who the mastermind behind it really was? Since Yunniang goes to tend Feihan Courtyard every year and devoted herself to raising you, she must have extremely deep connections with the woman in Feihan Courtyard. But why would she help the princess and Nanny Yu conceal things?”

Xiao Du frowned, not yet having time to think through all of this when Yuanxi couldn’t wait to continue: “Yunniang told me she committed a sin that makes it hard for her to sleep peacefully day and night, and she must do everything possible to atone for it. What do you think the sin she committed was! And why has she been pretending to be mad all these years!”

Xiao Du’s body suddenly shook, the black hole buried in his heart growing deeper and deeper, almost ready to swallow his entire being. He looked down at Yuanxi in disbelief: “You’re saying… the child the princess was carrying was killed by Yunniang!”