The colorful curtains fluttered, jewels sparkling, and the immaculate floor of Changle Palace shone like jade. Kneeling on the ground, trembling and weak, was a person clad in drab gray prison garb, already soaked through with fresh blood. In just a few short days, they had been tortured to the point of being almost unrecognizable.
Suddenly brought from the gloomy dungeon to this warm and fragrant chamber, Yumama felt a moment of disbelief in her heart. But when she saw the noble figure behind the curtain, her eyes immediately lit up with desperate longing—a person who knew they were facing certain death, struggling for one last chance at survival.
She knocked her head against the jade floor with a resounding “thud, thud,” ignoring the blood oozing from her forehead, and cried out loudly, “Long live Her Majesty! I beg Her Majesty to spare my life!”
The person behind the curtain emitted a disdainful cold snort, the armor studded with rubies lightly scraping against the velvet cushion as they parted their crimson lips and said, “After everything has come to this, you still have the nerve to come and see me.”
Yumama’s heart turned cold at the sound, but she continued to bow and cry out, “Your servant has been wronged! Your servant only followed Your Majesty’s orders, instigating Hua Qianyue to replace Princess Ruizhen and control her every move in the Marquis’ Mansion. Over these years, your servant has been meticulous in all her actions. But your servant never expected things to unravel so quickly. But rest assured, Hua Qianyue is dead now. She died without ever knowing that I am your person. I have not uttered a single word about you while in the dungeons of the Ministry of Punishments. I implore Your Majesty, considering your servant’s years of loyalty, to grant me a way out!”
She pleaded while prostrating herself on the ground, tears streaming down her face, her twisted face reflecting her fear. The Empress, however, only sneered and said, “You overestimate yourself too much. Do you think I’m really afraid of you revealing something? Besides, who would believe such groundless accusations? Don’t forget, the lives of your entire family are in my hands.”
She rose slowly, supporting herself on the curtain, but halted her steps when she saw the bloodstains on the ground about to soil her hem. She frowned and stopped, saying, “Enough of your protestations. Now, tell me everything clearly, without omitting a single detail. What exactly have they found out? Not a word is to be missed! Tell me everything. Perhaps then I will consider sparing your life.”
Yumama hesitated, then quickly recounted everything that had happened in the Marquis’ Mansion during this time. When she reached the part where she had gone to the Ministry of Punishments to complain about the torture she had endured, the Empress impatiently glanced at her and interrupted, “Enough. Are you saying that Xiao Du has begun to suspect his true identity?”
Yumama nodded in confusion, “It seems he has discovered that Hua Qianyue is not his birth mother, but he hasn’t found out who the woman living in the Junhan Courtyard is.”
The Empress smirked, playing with the emerald bracelet on her wrist, then lazily interjected, “Do you want to know who his real birth mother is?”
Yumama’s heart sank, and she trembled as she bowed her head, trembling, “Your servant doesn’t want to know. Your servant doesn’t want to know.”
But the Empress’s smile grew wider as if she had thought of something that improved her mood. She raised her eyebrows, saying slowly, “Actually, there’s no harm in telling you. His birth mother is…”
Before Yumama could react, her face twisted into an expression of despair and fear, her body convulsing uncontrollably. Her teeth chattered, and before she could hear the rest of the words, a dark shadow had already fallen beside her. She didn’t even have time to make a sound before she collapsed like a dead fish on the ground.
The Empress covered her nose with her fingers, looking at the mess on the ground with disgust. She scolded the shadow sharply, “How dare you lay hands here? Hurry up and get someone to clean up this mess. It’s dirtying my place!”
The guard was frightened and knelt quickly, efficiently removing Yumama’s body, then called in palace maids to clean up the chamber.
The Empress, with graceful steps, returned behind the curtain. As the commotion outside gradually subsided, she said to the embroidered screen of a dragon and phoenix, “Did you hear everything? Xiao Du probably already knows his identity. The situation now doesn’t allow you to be soft-hearted.”
A sigh came from behind the screen, followed by a voice saying, “Mother, you’ve wronged your child. How could your child possibly be soft-hearted? But there are still several strong enemies north of Yunchang County eyeing us. If the Xiao family’s military has any doubts, the stability of the Great Mu Empire will be at risk. Therefore, without a foolproof plan, your child cannot act.”
The Empress sneered, “A foolproof plan? By the time you come up with a foolproof plan, I’m afraid your throne will have changed hands. You don’t need to find any more excuses. Xiao Du must be eliminated! Sooner rather than later.”
The voice solemnly replied, “Yes, the child will surely heed Mother’s teachings!” Then, clad in a bright yellow robe, they disappeared behind the screen, while the Empress removed the armor from her hand and forcefully thrust it into the ashes of the furnace.
The turmoil within the palace walls was temporarily confined, and the Marquis’ Mansion finally enjoyed a period of calm. After Xiao Zhixuan’s coming-of-age ceremony, her wounds had fully healed. She began to spend her days playing outside again, reverting to the playful and cheerful girl she used to be.
However, having experienced so much, she had gained a bit of resilience and insight beyond her years, like a pearl born in a mussel shell, which only shines after enduring countless hardships in the darkness.
Yuanxi witnessed all of her changes with genuine joy. Seeing her enter grumpily from outside, she couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “What’s wrong? Who made you unhappy again?”
Xiao Zhixuan pouted and said indignantly, “Don’t mention it. I ran into a scoundrel today. With so many streets to walk on, he claimed I blocked his path, and with so many shops around, he insisted on grabbing the things I liked. I’m sure he came specifically to ruin my mood for shopping. If I ever meet him again, I’ll teach him a lesson for sure!”
Yuanxi shook her head helplessly and, not knowing what deity had angered her, quickly had Anhe bring some tea and snacks to soothe her. After chatting for a while, Yuanxi began to feel tired and couldn’t help but yawn.
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she teased, “Feeling sleepy in the afternoon? Is big sister-in-law expecting?”
She meant it as a joke, but to her surprise, Yuanxi blushed and lowered her head, whispering, “My monthly cycle is indeed delayed by a few days this month.”
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes widened with joy, and she clapped her hands happily, saying, “Really! That’s great! Does Big Brother know?”
But Yuanxi gestured for her to keep quiet and whispered, “Don’t be hasty, and don’t tell anyone yet. I haven’t seen the doctor yet. My monthly cycle has always been irregular, so I want to wait a few more days before telling your Big Brother, lest he gets his hopes up for nothing.”
Xiao Zhixuan nodded in agreement, but she had already begun to imagine what her future niece or nephew would look like, unable to contain her excitement.
Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Yuanxi couldn’t help but smile and hand back the bundle of half-finished quilt she had been working on, saying, “If you’re expecting, you shouldn’t be doing these activities. Leave them to me. I promise to make them beautiful for you.”
But Yuanxi shook her head and said, “I appreciate your kindness, but I want to finish this quilt with my own hands, even if I’m not very skilled. I want my child to know that these were all made by their mother.” She had never had a mother since she was young, so she hoped her child could feel the profound motherly love conveyed through these stitches.
Xiao Zhixuan looked at her, feeling a sudden pang of pain, and handed back the quilt bundle with a smile, saying, “It’s okay, I’ll teach you. Big sister-in-law is so clever, you’ll learn quickly.”
Outside the window, the drifting clouds gradually moved. In the study, Xiao Du stood silently against the wall for a long time, finally reaching out to take down the silver bow from the wall, slowly rubbing it in his hands.
He didn’t remember much about that person. When he was in the palace as a reader, he occasionally met him and felt that he was distant and indifferent. Now, thinking back, he probably endured in silence to avoid exposing his identity. The only thing he remembered was when he returned victorious to the court, he bestowed this silver bow upon him. Looking up, he could see the eagerness and expectation in his eyes. Only now did he understand the deep meaning in those eyes, but everything was too late. He had never even heard him call him father.
At this moment, the door was gently knocked open, and Yuanxi walked in with a bowl of lotus seed soup, smiling and saying, “The weather is getting hotter. Have some lotus seed soup to cool off.”
Xiao Du saw her smiling face and felt a lot of the tension in his heart dissipate. He scooped up a spoonful of lotus seed soup and put it in his mouth, then looked up to see Yuanxi gazing at him with shining eyes. Feeling a stir in his heart, he furrowed his brows and said, “This lotus seed soup is too bland.”
Yuanxi raised her eyebrows in surprise and walked to his side, staring at the bowl of soup, saying, “I watched them make it, it shouldn’t be bland.” She scooped up a spoonful and tasted it herself, then said, “It’s quite sweet.”
At this moment, Xiao Du suddenly pulled her into his arms and scooped up another spoonful of soup to feed her, laughing heartily, “It’s sweet enough now.”
Yuanxi knew he was deliberately teasing her and couldn’t help but glare at him, but just then, someone at the door announced that a letter had arrived from the Left Prime Minister’s Mansion.
Yuanxi stood up in shock. Since she left the Prime Minister’s Mansion at that time, her father hadn’t contacted her. Why did a letter suddenly arrive now? She quickly unfolded the letter paper, only to see her father’s hastily written words inside: “Your seventh aunt is seriously ill. Return home quickly.”