Shi Guang lay crumpled on the ground like a heap of mud and was dragged away in the end. The courtyard was cleared afterward, and those who had no business being there all withdrew.

When all the commotion had passed, what remained was a heavy, lingering sense of sorrow.

Shi Guang had been utterly defeated — yet no one cheered. For this man was, in the end, the Commander’s son. He was Shi Ting’s own flesh-and-blood brother.

Luo Huaimeng saw the Commander walk in and hurried to meet him. “Commander, how is your health? Are you all right?”

The Commander said nothing and began to cough quietly. Luo Huaimeng and the maid beside her quickly moved to support him.

After the Commander had settled into a nearby chair, Jing Zhi went to pour a cup of hot water.

Yan Qing could see that the Commander was terribly weak, his face carrying the pallor of someone gravely ill. Clearly, the commanding presence he had managed just moments ago had been sustained through sheer force of will. It was because the Commander had stepped forward to make that promise that those men had stood down, preventing the casualties from spiraling further.

The Commander had been severely injured. That he had held on until now was no small feat.

“I’m fine.” The Commander waved a hand in dismissal. “The wounds I sustained earlier — they damaged my internal organs. It won’t heal quickly.”

Hearing this, Luo Huaimeng couldn’t help but let her tears fall. This man before her was still her husband, after all. Seeing him suffer — how could she not ache for him?

“Commander, please go back and rest. I’ll find a doctor to come examine you.” Luo Huaimeng urged anxiously. “You were running on willpower just now — you mustn’t push yourself any further.”

The Commander said, “I heard Yan Qing is pregnant, so I wanted to see for myself before leaving.”

With that, he turned a warm, gentle gaze toward Yan Qing and said, “Xing Zhi is out there, and the one he worries about most is you.”

Yan Qing heard this and couldn’t help glancing over at Shi Ting, whose tender gaze had never once left her.

“Yan Qing, Shi Ting is all I have left now. And I know the kind of man he is — in this lifetime, he will only ever have you as his wife. This child is the first of the next generation in our Shi family. You must take good care of yourself. My hope is that I will still be here to see this child safely enter the world.”

“Commander, why would you say something so inauspicious?” Luo Huaimeng said with some irritation. “Your health is fine. You’re still in the prime of life. You won’t just see the child born — you’ll be there to watch him grow up. You’re going to be a wonderful grandfather.”

The Commander listened to Luo Huaimeng’s words and found himself picturing that scene — grandchildren gathered at his knees, the warmth of family surrounding him.

Perhaps because of everything he had just come through, the Commander had come to see many things with fresh eyes. In the past, power had been what mattered most to him. But now, thinking of this child who had yet to enter the world, his heart became incomparably tender.

He wanted to hear a child call him Grandfather. He wanted to play hide-and-seek with a little one. He wanted to take a child to catch fish in the river, to reach into the trees for bird nests.

He didn’t know why his mind wandered to all of this — and these were things he had never done with his own sons.

“My body — I know it myself.” The Commander surfaced from these pleasant daydreams and shook his head. “Huaimeng, these years have been hard on you, and I have never fulfilled my duty as a husband. I know you harbor resentment toward me, and I want to say to you here, sincerely — I am sorry.”

Hearing this, Luo Huaimeng immediately pressed a hand over her mouth, unable to stop the tears from falling.

She had persisted through so many years, had kept that cold, solitary vigil for so long. Now, with these words from the Commander, it felt as though everything had come full circle, with a beginning and an ending.

“Huaimeng, today, with Xing Zhi and Yan Qing as witnesses, I want to make a decision.” The Commander took Luo Huaimeng’s hand, his gaze filled with unmistakable sincerity. “Though you were born a maidservant, you are virtuous, dignified, and gracious — you hold an excellent reputation even among the ladies and misses of high society. Now that Shi Ting has become the Young Marshal, I want you to become the First Lady of the Shi Mansion — rightfully and openly managing the inner household and overseeing all matters, great and small, within the Shi family.”

Even Shi Ting had not anticipated this decision from the Commander. After all, the position of First Lady of the Shi Mansion demanded, above all else, a distinguished background. The first wife, Meng Qiu, and later Qian Lan — both had come from prominent families, with influence and wealth to their names.

Luo Huaimeng, by contrast, had been nothing more than a maid in the service of the First Lady. She had caught the Commander’s eye because of her looks, and so for all these years, no matter how the position of First Lady had shifted, Luo Huaimeng had never once set her sights on that title.

After hearing the Commander’s words, Shi Ting spoke up: “Although Mother does not come from a wealthy or noble background, she is exactly as the Commander describes — virtuous, dignified, and possessed of every quality and capability that a mistress of the household should have. I believe that under Mother’s stewardship, this household will be managed better than it has ever been.”

The Commander nodded in agreement. “Since Xing Zhi sees it the same way, then it’s settled. In a few days, I will make a formal announcement to the world that you are the First Lady of the Shi Mansion — the rightful mistress of this household.”

Everyone around them was overjoyed. Only Luo Huaimeng herself remained calm and composed. She had long since seen through everything and come to peace with it all. If given the choice, she would have preferred to keep her current standing and live out her days in quiet simplicity.

But things were different now. Shi Ting had become the Young Marshal — he could not be without a mother who held a legitimate title. Even if it was for Shi Ting’s sake alone, she had no choice but to take up this burden.