A soft, delicate body fell into his embrace.

It made Chu Yi’s entire body freeze.

He had never been this close to a woman, except for that one night…

He hurriedly helped her stand up straight.

In that instant, he caught a scent—in addition to the fragrance after bathing, there was another kind of scent unique to women.

It seemed he had smelled it somewhere before…

“Thank you, Prince.”

Yun Chu retreated two large steps, distancing herself from the man before her.

Chu Yi looked at her. Compared to all the ripples rising in his heart, she seemed far too unperturbed.

It was as if no matter what happened, she always wore this same calm expression.

The moment he thought this, he saw Yun Chu’s expression turn somewhat displeased. She turned her face to look at Chu Hongyu walking beside them.

“Young Lord, don’t you have anything to say?”

Just now, when she suddenly fell forward, it was because this little one had forcefully pushed her.

Chu Hongyu lowered his head, his two index fingers twisting together: “I’m sorry, I—I didn’t mean to… I just…”

He just wanted Mother and Father King to develop some feelings for each other, wanted Mother to come to like Father King, wanted Father King to be willing to marry Mother as his princess consort.

Mother could marry someone as worthless as Xie Jingyu—why couldn’t she marry Father King?

How could Yun Chu not know what he was thinking?

She crouched down and spoke: “Yu’er, you did three things wrong today. First, you falsely accused Second Miss Tan. Second, you refused to admit your mistake and ran away, nearly coming to harm. Third, you deliberately pushed someone… Although I said that knowing one’s mistakes and being able to correct them makes one a good child, admitting mistakes again and again, then committing them again and again—this isn’t called ‘the greatest virtue,’ but rather… being incorrigible.”

If she hadn’t happened to pass by on that road, who knows what kind of blame Second Miss Tan would have shouldered.

If she hadn’t happened to know how to swim, the little one before her would likely have drowned in the lake.

If she hadn’t lived more than ten extra years, after being held by another man, she might have died of shame and indignation.

Chu Hongyu’s eyes widened.

This was the first time Mother had spoken to him so sternly, even saying he was incorrigible.

“I hope you’ll be a child of upright character.” Yun Chu touched his head. “All right, I should be going now.”

She stood up and curtseyed to Chu Yi. “Prince, this subject’s wife has overstepped.”

“Madam Xie spoke very well,” Chu Yi said. “It’s this prince who has failed in teaching his son, bringing Madam Xie so much trouble. In the future, this prince will certainly devote more effort to disciplining my unworthy son.”

Yun Chu said nothing more.

She walked out of the estate and stepped onto the carriage. Looking back, she saw the little one gazing at her with tears in his eyes.

She couldn’t help but sigh.

Since her rebirth, she had used every means possible to deal with the Xie family. In truth, what right did she have to demand that Yu’er be a person of upright character?

But she truly hoped he would be a good child—reading ten thousand books, traveling ten thousand miles, growing into an upright young man with the integrity of green pines and a heart of compassion for the world… While someone as despicable as her should slowly rot away in the long years ahead. How could she be worthy of his affection?

Yet, he was crying.

Yun Chu’s heart became utterly soft.

She could only force a smile.

Chu Hongyu immediately broke into a smile through his tears, gesticulating excitedly: “Father King, Mother smiled at me! She must have forgiven me…”

“Since she’s forgiven you, then you mustn’t disappoint her expectations of you,” Chu Yi said. “The most important thing for a person of upright character is to read more. When you return, study well with your teacher. This autumn, I’ll send you to the Imperial Academy.”

Chu Hongyu nodded while sniffling.

The carriage slowly drove toward the capital. After entering the city, because of the coming and going of people, the carriage’s speed slowed considerably.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside.

“Is Madam Xie in the carriage?”

Yu Ke, driving the carriage outside, spoke: “Madam, it’s Marquis Xuanwu.”

Before Yu Ke spoke, Yun Chu had already recognized Marquis Xuanwu’s voice.

That day at the Marquis Xuanwu’s manor, the words this man had said to her still seemed to echo in her ears. And she had slapped him across the face.

Tingshuang worriedly pressed Yun Chu’s hand and said in a low voice: “Madam, let this servant go down and deal with him.”

Yun Chu shook her head. So many days had passed—Marquis Xuanwu’s anger should have mostly dissipated by now.

If she avoided meeting him, this person would definitely find a way to force her to go to the marquis’s manor. That would be even more difficult to handle.

Right now they were on the street, with people coming and going everywhere. Surely Marquis Xuanwu wouldn’t dare do anything.

Moreover, she always felt that Marquis Xuanwu seemed to know some things she didn’t know…

She lifted the carriage curtain and, supported by Tingshuang’s hand, stepped down from the carriage. Lowering her eyes, she said: “Greetings, Marquis. Does the Marquis have some business?”

Qin Mingheng was riding on a sweating-blood treasure horse. Unexpectedly seeing the Xie family’s carriage, he had called out tentatively, never expecting he would actually encounter her.

He pressed his tongue against the side of his cheek. The slap from many days ago had kept him from attending court for a full five days.

He dismounted from his horse and stepped forward two paces. Immediately, a distinctive fragrance entered his nostrils.

He greedily inhaled this scent.

Yun Chu only felt goosebumps rise all over her body. This person was even more disgusting than she had imagined.

Tingfeng and Tingshuang positioned themselves on either side, blocking Yun Chu behind them and cutting off Qin Mingheng’s peculiar gaze.

“Does Madam Xie remember what this marquis said to you that day?” Qin Mingheng smiled. “Those two corpses you reburied—are they really your own flesh and blood?”

Yun Chu’s fingers tightened.

Here it was—this feeling again, as if Qin Mingheng knew many things.

She knew she shouldn’t fall into the maze he had deliberately set, but this concerned her two children. She simply couldn’t remain calm.

She gave a look, and Tingshuang and Tingfeng retreated to either side. She raised her head to look at the person before her: “The Marquis knows he said this once before. This is the second time now. Everything follows the principle of ‘not more than three times.’ What does the Marquis say?”

“Come a few steps closer.” Qin Mingheng gazed at her obsessively. “Come here, and I’ll tell you what’s really going on.”

Yun Chu looked at him coldly.

It seemed she needed to find a way to pry open his mouth.

“If the Marquis has no other business, I’ll take my leave first.”

She turned to leave.

“Wait.” Qin Mingheng actively stepped forward two paces. “Yun Chu, I can only tell you this: those two corpses buried by the Yun family are not your biological children at all. If you want to know more, come to the Marquis Xuanwu’s manor to see me of your own accord. I’ll tell you everything.”

Yun Chu’s pupils contracted sharply.

She didn’t want to believe the person before her, but the facts told her that Xie Jingyu was capable of such substitution schemes.

Moreover, that day when she went to search for the children’s remains, she had been overcome with grief. Now, thinking back on it, there were indeed many oversights.

Yun Chu lowered her eyes, concealing the emotions in them.

When she raised her head again, her face was already utterly calm: “Please stop using deceased children to make an issue, Marquis…”

Before she finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared beside her. Then her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled behind someone. She didn’t need to look to know—it was Xie Jingyu.