Huang Rang returned to her dormitory fuming, only to discover there was an extra person in her quarters.

And it was even an acquaintance.

“Mother?” Huang Rang’s eyes widened, suspecting she was seeing things. “When did you arrive? And your face…”

Xi Yin hastily covered her face with her hands, saying: “It was people from the Bureau of Celestial Oversight who sent me here. I didn’t know… this was your residence.”

“The Bureau of Celestial Oversight?” Huang Rang instantly understood the situation: “You went to find Huang Shu?”

Xi Yin made a sound of acknowledgment. The mother and daughter had never had a proper conversation since childhood. Now facing each other, they felt somewhat awkward.

“Why did you go find him?” Huang Rang sneered coldly. “Don’t tell me you still wanted to rekindle old feelings with him?”

Hearing these words, Xi Yin immediately flared up: “You brat, watch me tear that mouth of yours!”

She rushed over. Seeing the situation turning bad, Huang Rang turned and ran.

When Xi Yin used to beat Huang Jun in childhood, she showed no mercy. So Huang Rang hadn’t retained many good impressions of her either.

At most, she was just a tiny bit better than Huang Shu.

So from childhood to adulthood, she had never held back on mocking Xi Yin either.

To the extent that in the dozen-plus years since coming to the capital, whenever she wrote letters to Qu Manying, to He Xijin, to Huang Jun, and even to He Cui and He Dan.

But not once had she inquired after Xi Yin.

She ran out, and Xi Yin behind her didn’t chase after her.

Huang Rang wandered around the Xuanwu Division, homeless for the second time.

Watching the sky gradually darken, she naturally became angrier the more she thought about it—Di Yiqiu hadn’t even given her a heads up before dumping someone in her dormitory.

How was she supposed to sleep?!

Huang Rang wasn’t one to swallow her grievances. Since I can’t sleep, then nobody gets to sleep!

She stormed furiously toward the official quarters of the Xuanwu Division.

Naturally there were guards on night watch here, but everyone was quite observant—who would stop her?

—She had been making meals for the Director for how many years now…

Huang Rang headed straight for the official quarters where Di Yiqiu resided and without hesitation, raised her hand and pounded on the door.

Di Yiqiu was already a light sleeper, so he was immediately woken up. He sat up with his outer robe draped over him and asked: “Who is it?”

Huang Rang’s voice was stiff: “Me. Open the door.”

What could the Director do? He had no choice but to open the door.

“It’s so late, aren’t you sleeping?” he asked.

“Nonsense, can I sleep?” Huang Rang was in a bad mood. She entered the room and sat down at the table of her own accord, even pouring herself a cup of tea.

Di Yiqiu could only sit down across from her. He yawned and asked: “Why can’t you sleep? You mother and daughter have reunited—shouldn’t you be having a heart-to-heart talk?”

“What!” Huang Rang was so startled she waved her hands repeatedly. “I have nothing to say to her. If I really had to choose, I’d rather have a heart-to-heart talk with you.”

Di Yiqiu’s outer robe was carelessly draped over his shoulders, with only a white inner garment on his body. His jet-black long hair hung loose, falling to his waist. Compared to his usual meticulousness, tonight he carried a bit of languidness.

He said patiently: “In the past, she wasn’t a loving mother, right?”

“A loving mother?” Hearing these words, Huang Rang nearly laughed out loud. “She dreamed day and night of having a son. After hoping for so many years, she had me. How could she be a loving mother? All my childhood clothes were made by my sister, and she beat and scolded my sister every day. From the time I became aware, I hoped she would die early.”

Di Yiqiu gripped the teapot handle and discovered the tea had gone cold. He called for servants to bring fresh tea.

Then the Director asked: “There wasn’t even one good thing?”

The mocking expression on Huang Rang’s face gradually disappeared. She thought for a long while before saying: “There was. When I was little, I got into a fight with Huang Zeng—ah, Huang Zeng is my half-brother from a different mother. He was built strong and had some strength. I couldn’t beat him. His mother kept egging him on from the side, telling him to beat me to death.”

Huang Rang narrowed her eyes, rarely recalling old matters: “That day I bled a lot. My mother rushed over and told Huang Zeng’s mother that if I died, she would kill the two of them to pay for my life. At that time her expression was both crazed and vicious. After that, Huang Zeng didn’t dare use lethal force when hitting me anymore.”

Di Yiqiu didn’t ask why Huang Shu didn’t intervene.

After hearing Huang Rang talk about what kind of person Huang Shu was, he wouldn’t have such questions at all.

“Later I was unconscious for a long time. When I opened my eyes again, I saw a monster with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes before me. I was so scared I cried, thinking I had gone to the King of Hell’s palace.” Huang Rang sank into memories of the past, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. “After crying for ages, I finally realized it was her.”

“Who would have thought that you, this old salted fish, also had such foolish moments.” The Director couldn’t help but laugh. As he laughed, across the span of time, he also touched upon the tenderness and coldness of the past.

“What did you say?” Hearing these words, Huang Rang’s gaze gradually turned sinister.

The Director immediately said: “I shouldn’t have said you were being foolish!”

Who knew that Huang Rang would suddenly rush over and seize him: “You actually dared call me an old, salted, fish!!”

She pinned the Director against the table, her expression fierce: “Say it again!”

The Director’s back pressed tightly against the tabletop, his line of sight looking upward. That person’s hair fell down, feigning fierceness, yet her nose bridge was high and delicate, her red lips warm and full. He involuntarily yielded.

“Young salted fish…” he carefully corrected.

Huang Rang snorted coldly: “Still sounds bad!”

The Director let her clutch the collar of his inner garment, saying: “A clever, beautiful, young, lively salted fish…”

The guards at the entrance shuddered—too sickening. The several of them involuntarily moved back over ten feet.

Huang Rang satisfactorily released his collar and sat back down, casually asking: “What did you do with my father?”

“You still remember he’s your father…” The Director sat down beside her, also speechless. After a long while he said: “Locked him up in the Baihu Division. How do you want to deal with him?”

After speaking, he added: “We can’t let him die so quickly. After all, he’s from a Huang family branch. If Clan Leader Huang Shiyi insists on investigating, it would damage you sisters’ filial piety. Best to keep him around and slowly show—filial devotion.”

He spoke those last two words with deep meaning.

Huang Rang was astonished: “How is it that at such a young age, you’re so smooth and thoughtful in handling matters?”

The Director corrected her with displeasure: “I’m not young.”

“Oh, oh.” Huang Rang thus tactfully rephrased: “You haven’t been Director for very long, so how are you so smooth and thoughtful in handling matters?”

Only then did the Director say: “I’ve seen plenty of intrigue and scheming in the palace.”

He had no intention of explaining further, and Huang Rang tactfully didn’t ask more. She only said: “Anyway, with her there, I can’t go back. This is all your doing, so you have to take responsibility!”

“Mm.” The Director suppressed a smile—rarely was there someone even this salted fish found troublesome. He said: “You’re just going to keep detesting her like this?”

“Not exactly.” Huang Rang crossed her arms as a pillow and sprawled across the table. “Later I had a dream where she died. Died in a year when I was still very young. I kept telling myself that her death was good. From then on, my sister and I would be free from the sea of suffering.”

When she re-entered the world outside the dream that year, walked into the small courtyard, and gazed at the blood splattered across the ground and walls, her gaze finally lowered to the teak tabletop as tears fell silently: “But that dream was too cold and too long. So long that I went from clapping and cheering to slowly understanding and forgiving. In the end, old hatreds scattered like wind-blown clouds, leaving only repeated reminiscences.”

She took a deep breath and said: “So now, I think, perhaps I don’t detest her that much anymore.”

Of course, she didn’t like her either.

Di Yiqiu reached out his hand and gently stroked her hair. After a long while he said: “That was just a dream. At least now, she’s still alive. My mother-empress passed away very early. She was His Majesty’s second empress, and the palace couldn’t even find a single portrait of her. I can no longer remember what she looked like.”

“I remember!” Hearing this, Huang Rang perked up. “Come come, get paper and brush.”

The Director was half-believing, half-doubting. Huang Rang pushed him, saying: “Go go, to your study.”

The two left together, riding the midsummer evening breeze, making their way to Di Yiqiu’s study.

Huang Rang spread out the paper and said excitedly: “Come come, grind the ink.”

The Director had no choice but to take the ink stick and begin grinding.

Huang Rang lifted the brush, dipped it in ink, and began to paint.

Di Yiqiu discovered that her painting skills were actually quite good.

“You… don’t seem to be that much of a salted fish after all.” The Director muttered to himself.

Huang Rang said disdainfully: “Salted fish? That’s because you haven’t seen this lady when she’s working hard. Hmph, I’m not bragging, but if I really buckled down, you could only kneel and be a little brother.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” The Director most disliked people teasing him about being young. Just as Huang Rang most disliked people saying she was old.

Huang Rang complied with him and immediately changed her words: “Fine, fine. If I really buckled down, you could only bow down in defeat. Hmph.”

The Director made a dismissive sound and retorted: “In my view, your skill at bragging surpasses your painting skill by a notch.”

Huang Rang made a scoffing sound: “Too lazy to keep bantering with you.”

Her brush moved as if divinely inspired, and a portrait of a lady gradually took form under her brush.

Di Yiqiu watched as the features of the person in the painting became increasingly clear, and couldn’t help but become dazed.

The woman in the painting wore empress robes, crowned with a phoenix coronet, with a protective band on her forehead that was worn during postpartum confinement.

She smiled gracefully, beautiful and dignified—truly embodying the virtuous dignity of a nation’s mother.

Only…

The Director pointed at something and asked: “Why is she holding a baby?”

“Oh, you’re asking about that!” Huang Rang explained enthusiastically. “That’s you! You don’t know—it happened to be your full-month celebration, and the Empress invited my uncle and aunt into the palace. Oh my, so many people surrounded you, everyone praising your fortunate countenance.”

As she spoke, her brush didn’t stop, and the Director’s expression slowly changed.

Huang Rang continued proudly: “Speaking of which, I’m also someone who drank at your full-month celebration! Good thing I went, otherwise if you wanted to see your mother now, it would truly be extremely difficult…”

The Director stared at her. After a long while, he said leisurely: “Then I truly must thank you, Auntie Huang.”

“Uh…” The expression on Huang Rang’s face slowly froze.

After a long moment, a shriek erupted from the study: “What did you call me? You ungrateful wretch! Try calling me that again!”

Following that were banging and crashing sounds.

The guards at the study also silently moved ten feet away.