Liu Shi nodded with choked sobs, unable to say a single word.

Yes, her sons must still be alive, just unable to return from wherever they were for the moment. As long as she lived… she would surely see her sons one day!

Dong Shi walked to Bai Qingyu’s front, her smile looking worse than crying. She helped her son up, looking at half his face covered with burn scars, no longer possessing his former elegance. Her heart aching, she raised her hand to touch the burn marks on her son’s face, wanting to ask if it still hurt, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she cried out.

She bit her lower lip, swallowing her emotions back into her stomach. Opening her eyes wide to look at her son, she tried her best to keep her voice steady. Looking at the Bai family sons who had already been helped to stand by their mothers and servants, she spoke with deep comfort: “Though your grandfather, father, and uncles are gone, you have grown up and can shoulder the Bai family’s responsibilities. Whether it’s your grandfather, your father, or your uncles, they would all be proud of you! You have not failed your grandfather and father’s teachings, nor disappointed your uncles’ expectations! You are all good descendants of our Bai family!”

Bai Qingyan stood behind Dong Shi, looking at her younger brothers and sisters standing in the vigorous morning light, feeling deeply moved. She was also proud of her younger brothers and sisters!

Her gaze passed over her younger brothers and sisters to look at the distance, at the black banners with white pythons fluttering in the golden sunrise – banner after banner – looking at the Bai family army soldiers, her eyes growing warm.

The court officials who had followed Bai Qingyan to welcome the army returning in great triumph from Xiliang, led by Grand Commandant Lu, stood behind Bai Qingyan.

As Minister of Education, originally Dong Qingping shouldn’t have stepped ahead of Grand Commandant Lu, but seeing A’Yu return safely, how could he restrain himself?

Dong Qingping stepped forward to stand beside Dong Shi, looking at his nephew with tears in his eyes. He already knew that his nephew was that Ghost-Faced Prince of the Rong Di, who had suffered such great grievances and been injured to this extent, yet still hadn’t forgotten to contribute to the world’s unification! He had even taken the Rong Di territory for the Great Zhou!

How strong must this child’s will be! How ruthless must this child be to himself!

How could this not make Dong Qingping’s heart ache?!

“Uncle…” Bai Qingyu bowed to Dong Qingping.

Dong Qingping nodded. He was a dignified seven-foot-tall man, but when he saw the burn scars on Bai Qingyu’s face, seeing his nephew who had once been brilliantly talented… a jade-like young master now in this condition, he couldn’t hold back his tears no matter what. Hearing A’Yu call out “Uncle” in a hoarse voice, Dong Qingping’s heart felt like it had been pierced by ten thousand arrows.

He gritted his teeth, raised his hand to pat Bai Qingyu’s shoulder, wanting to show a smile, but when he spoke, his voice was already choked and out of tune: “Coming back… It’s good that you’re back! Being able to return is better than anything!”

“Elder sister…” Bai Qingyu’s voice sounded beside Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan came back to her senses and looked at Bai Qingyu.

“Eldest sister…”

“Eldest sister!”

“Eldest sister…”

Bai Qingqi, Bai Jinxiu, and the others all looked at Bai Qingyan, who hadn’t said a word. Bai Jinzhi even rushed to Bai Qingyan’s front, looking up at her and saying: “Eldest sister, Fifth Brother said… he is not the commander of the Bai family army. The commander of the Bai family army will always be the eldest sister! All of us brothers and sisters think so! The eldest sister was once our Bai family’s young commander, and now… You are our Bai family army’s commander!”

Bai Qingyan was slightly stunned, her lips moving but afraid that she would cry out if she opened her mouth. She just smiled and raised her hand to pat Bai Jinzhi’s head, looking at her younger brothers and sisters. After a long while, she finally spoke: “Let’s go home…”

The usually steady Bai Qingqi could barely hold back the tears in his eyes and called out loudly: “Enter the city, go home!”

Lu Jinxian, beside Grand Commandant Lu, craned his neck to look back but didn’t see Lu Yuanpeng, frowning tightly: “How come I don’t see Yuanpeng? Could he have gone directly back to the military camp?”

Hearing his son mention Lu Yuanpeng, Grand Commandant Lu’s face darkened: “That unfilial grandson, when he returns, tell him to get to the ancestral hall and kneel!”

Hearing his father’s words, Lu Jinxian’s lips curved into a smile: “Father, as his eldest uncle, I’m seeking a favor for Little Six!”

Grand Commandant Lu was burning with anger and couldn’t wait to confine Lu Yuanpeng to the ancestral hall and beat his palms swollen with bamboo boards. He didn’t know what that brat Lu Yuanpeng had said while fighting in Xiliang, but there were wild rumors outside that Grand Commandant Lu had an illegitimate son who had been sent to fight with the Bai family army!

Grand Commandant Lu had cursed countless times in his mansion, saying that Lu Yuanpeng was such a scoundrel he wasn’t even human. He had been wise his whole life… only to have this brat ruin his reputation in his old age. This time, no matter who pleaded for him, it would be useless. If he didn’t use family discipline to properly teach that brat a lesson… he wouldn’t be Lu Yuanpeng’s grandfather!

Since Bai Qingyu was now Duke Zhenguo, he naturally should live in the Bai Mansion.

The Bai Mansion had been renovated under Steward Hao’s supervision. The plaque above the mansion’s entrance had been replaced with a black background and gold paint reading “Duke Zhenguo’s Mansion.”

Long before Bai Qingyu, Bai Qingqi, Bai Qingjue, Bai Qingyun, Bai Jinxiu, Bai Jinzhi, and the younger ones returned, the various aunts had already discussed with Bai Qingyan that they would move back to the Bai Mansion when the children returned.

After all, it wouldn’t be proper for the children to live in the palace with them after returning, and the aunts wanted to live together with their children.

This was all reasonable, so Bai Qingyan had Wei Zhong arrange to send the various aunts’ belongings back to their respective courtyards in the Bai family mansion.

However, since Bai Qingyan was a woman without the emperor’s habit of three palaces and six courts, she kept all the palaces where the aunts had lived, saying that whenever the aunts wanted to return to the palace to stay, they could come back anytime.

Bai Qingyan thought that her mother had been longing for A’Yu for a long time, so she had Wei Zhong and Nanny Qin pack up her mother’s daily necessities and send them back to her mother’s courtyard in the Bai Mansion, instructing her mother to spend more time with A’Yu at the Bai Mansion.

Dong Shi had never mentioned wanting to return to live in the Bai Mansion because she couldn’t bear to leave her daughter alone in the imperial palace. After all, her daughter was now the emperor and couldn’t leave the palace at will, much less live in the Bai Mansion. If the censors found out about this, who knows what they would say?

When Bai Qingyan had Nanny Qin pack Dong Shi’s belongings, Dong Shi thought it over and said she would stay at the Bai Mansion for three days… then return to take care of the two children, lest Bai Qingyan be too busy to manage.

Bai Qingyan agreed on the surface but still hoped mother could stay at the Bai Mansion longer to properly accompany A’Yu.

She had always had her mother by her side, while A’Yu had been alone in the Southern Border, hiding news of his survival and silently contributing to Great Zhou, contributing to world peace…

Now that Xiliang was destroyed and A’Yu had finally returned with great difficulty, mother should dote on her younger brother more.

When they returned to the Bai family home, Steward Hao and Old Gu were incredibly happy to see Bai Qingyu return.