“I truly never imagined I would fall in love with such a venomous woman.”

Qin Mingheng laughed loudly.

Laughing at his own stupidity, laughing at how he had never truly known the woman before him.

For such a malicious, vicious woman, he had actually brought the Qin Family to such a state.

It truly wasn’t worth it.

“Yun Chu, I can tell you everything, but I have one condition.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “Restore the Marquis Xuanwu residence. I know you have this ability.”

Yun Chu also laughed: “Do you think that’s possible?”

“If you don’t do as I say, then I don’t mind taking this secret with me.” Qin Mingheng’s gaze was sinister. “You only want to know who the man was that night? Don’t you want to know where exactly the two children were thrown? Don’t you want to know whether the two children are dead or alive?”

Yun Chu’s heart constricted sharply.

She knew she had been caught in his grip.

But she couldn’t show even one ten-thousandth of her emotions. Otherwise, she would be forever controlled.

She secretly took a breath, showing a cold smile on her face: “Qin Mingheng, I’ll say it again—if you don’t honestly reveal what you know, your Qin Family will end with your generation, with no descendants. Don’t threaten me with so-called secrets, because no matter what happened to my two children, they already died young… But your child is still alive and well.”

“Are you so certain they died young?” A strange smile appeared on Qin Mingheng’s face. “What if I said they’re still alive?”

“To find yourself a way to survive, you’ll truly say anything.” Yun Chu shook her head. “I’ll give you one incense stick’s worth of time.”

Qin Mingheng laughed a few times: “That son of mine has already changed his surname to Luo. He’s no longer a Qin Family child. You can’t threaten me.”

Yun Chu said nothing more. She stepped forward and lit an incense stick.

Smoke curled upward. She gazed at the wisps of smoke, taking countless deep breaths before she could pull herself out of Qin Mingheng’s previous statement.

How she hoped Qin Mingheng wasn’t just spouting nonsense. How she hoped the two children were still alive…

Knowing how slim this hope was, she still held onto it… She would be willing to trade her own life for this possibility…

The incense stick slowly burned down. Qin Mingheng still hadn’t spoken.

Yun Chu turned to look at him: “Remember, this is your own choice. Don’t blame me for being cruel and ruthless.”

She stepped out.

Hearing the door, Chu Yi immediately came forward. Without needing to ask, seeing Yun Chu’s ashen face, he knew she hadn’t obtained the answer she wanted.

He spoke: “Miss Yun, whatever you wish to interrogate, why don’t I do it for you?”

“Thank you.” Yun Chu shook her head. “I have a way to make him talk. I won’t trouble Your Highness.”

Chu Yi pulled a token from his sleeve and handed it over: “This is a prison pass. Next time you need to interrogate, just come directly.”

Yun Chu pressed her lips together but still accepted it, curtsying: “Your Highness…”

“Miss Yun, you’ve already said thank you many times.” Chu Yi helped her up with a gesture. “I’ll see Miss Yun out.”

The two walked to the entrance of the Court of Judicial Review.

Yun Chu stopped, raised her head, and looked at the man before her: “May I presume to ask—when are Yu’er and Changsheng’s birthdays?”

She had long had such thoughts.

But it was too absurd. She simply didn’t dare to think deeply about it.

But just now, Qin Mingheng’s words…

Made those two children appear before her eyes.

If her pair of children were still alive, could they be… Yu’er and Changsheng?

Could they be?

Could they?!

From Yun Chu’s eyes, Chu Yi saw hope.

He didn’t know why she would have such an expression.

He answered: “This winter, on the twenty-fourth of the twelfth month, will be their fifth birthday.”

Yun Chu’s body swayed.

The twenty-fourth of the twelfth month…

She had given birth that day on the twenty-third of the twelfth month, with heavy snow falling. The children were born at the end of the hai hour on the twenty-third.

If Xie Jingyu had taken the children away and thrown them at Marquis Xuanwu’s residence, and then Qin Mingheng threw the children at Prince Pingxi’s residence, it would indeed have been the twenty-fourth of the twelfth month…

“Miss Yun, what’s wrong?”

Chu Yi felt her body sway violently.

Unable to worry about propriety between men and women, he steadied her shoulders.

The burning heat of skin contact brought Yun Chu instantly back to her senses. She quickly stepped back: “Your Highness, I’ll take my leave first.”

Never had there been a moment when she felt so urgent.

She boarded the carriage and instructed the driver: “To the Luo residence.”

The carriage raced along the main road and soon arrived at the third-rank residence of the Luo Family.

Yun Chu had no visiting card. She announced herself, and after the servant at the gate went in to report, he led Yun Chu through the Luo Family gates to the courtyard where Madam Luo resided.

“Madam Luo.”

Yun Chu exchanged greetings with her.

She noticed that Madam Luo had become thinner, much more haggard, with sunken eye sockets.

“Lady Xie.” Madam Luo’s face showed a smile. “Learning that Lady Xie was coming, I specially had someone prepare fine tea. It will be ready soon.”

Yun Chu glanced at the table where Madam Luo’s usual tea sat—just the most ordinary tea water.

She guessed that after divorcing Marquis Xuanwu, the Luo Family probably hadn’t completely opened their hearts to accept this married daughter back.

In this world, women already had it difficult. Divorced women had it even harder.

Yun Chu herself had a heap of matters entangling her and temporarily had no energy to empathize with Madam Luo’s situation.

She suppressed her emotions and spoke: “Regarding Marquis Xuanwu’s escape and capture during his exile journey, Madam Luo should have heard something about it?”

Madam Luo’s fingers paused. She didn’t speak.

“The person interrogating Marquis Xuanwu has some connection with my father. He came to tell me that Marquis Xuanwu will be executed soon.” Yun Chu lowered her eyes. “Before his death, Marquis Xuanwu’s wish is to see his only blood descendant.”

Madam Luo smiled: “Zhan’er has been having nightmares every day during this period because in his last impression, his biological father wanted to strangle him to death. He cannot possibly go see Qin Mingheng one last time. Impossible.”

Yun Chu nodded: “…He deserves death. Let him die with hatred as well.”

Having said this, Madam Luo fell silent again.

The marital affection with Qin Mingheng over so many years wasn’t fake, couldn’t be easily eliminated in just a day or two.

And the father-son bond couldn’t possibly be fake either. Over these years, she had witnessed Qin Mingheng’s protection of the child.

The child had been indulged and raised to have a lawless temperament precisely because of Qin Mingheng’s doting love…

Right now the child was still young and understood nothing.

When he grew up later, would he blame her for not letting him see his biological father one last time?

Madam Luo drained the tea in her cup, then turned to the maid behind her: “Bring the young master here.”

Soon, the maid brought Luo Zhan over.

Yun Chu had seen this child several times. Previously, this child had been full of dandyish airs, but now he stood quietly with an obedient appearance.

She sighed. A child without a father’s protection would naturally rein in his bad temper.

Madam Luo asked him: “Zhan’er, your father wants to see you once. Are you willing?”

Luo Zhan’s lips pressed together. He lowered his head, and only after a long while did he slowly nod.

Madam Luo touched her son’s head: “Then let’s go.”

Yun Chu’s carriage traveled in front.

The Luo Family mother and son sat in a carriage following behind.

Soon they returned to the entrance of the Court of Judicial Review.