The mornings in the capital were exceptionally cold. A carriage passed by the post station, and the innkeeper helped Hu'er onto the carriage. The carriage then lowered its curtains and sped away.

"Sister!" Tiger exclaimed softly.

Ah Qin had already pulled Hu'er into her arms, sobbing softly, "Hu'er, let's leave the capital city."

"Okay, I'll go wherever you go, sister." Tiger hugged Ah Qin's waist tightly with both hands, greedily sniffing the scent that belonged to his sister: "Don't worry, sister, I didn't say anything."

"Good boy, Tiger."

The two siblings leaned on each other.

Jiang Ying sat opposite the carriage. She handed a bag to Aqin: "There are a thousand taels of loose silver notes and a land deed in here. When you get there, you can live a good life with Hu'er."

Ah Qin shook her head repeatedly: "No, no need. Hu'er and I are already grateful for the Crown Princess's great kindness in being able to leave that place. We dare not hope for anything else."

A little over a month ago, Ah Qin and Hu'er, a brother and sister, were lowly slaves. Song Yue spotted them at the slave market and took them back. After only three days of training, Ah Qin agreed to Song Yue's request and pretended to be a slave.

During this period, she lived in constant fear, never daring to forget Song Yue's request for a moment.

“You young children don’t have any means of making a living, so how can you arrange for Hu’er to go to school to learn to read and write and take the imperial examinations in the future? Here you go.” Jiang Ying took Aqin’s hand and stuffed the bag into her hand: “From today onwards, you will change your name and surname with Hu’er. If one day you and Hu’er encounter difficulties, you can come to the capital city to the Prince Jing’s mansion to exchange for one request.”

Jiang Ying then slipped a small jade pendant into Aqin's palm; "Some blessings may seem like a brocade, but stepping into them is like entering a deep abyss."

Ah Qin smiled and accepted it, nodding.

She never wavered in her decision to follow Xuan Yuanming. His status was too prestigious; she had neither beauty nor knowledge nor family background, so she couldn't win people's hearts.

She had seen many masters take a liking to a girl's beauty, but not long after, the girl would be wrapped up in a tattered straw mat and sent to a mass grave.

Among them were her close friends.

Ah Qin held Hu'er's hand tightly; all she wanted was to raise her younger brother.

Jiang Ying personally escorted them a long way out of the city before disembarking from the carriage. She told the two to take good care of themselves. Aqin and Hu'er bowed deeply to Jiang Ying, turned and left, walking further and further away along a small path.

She looked up at the midday sun, its warmth caressing her skin. Holding a hand warmer in both hands, she sighed, "Back to the capital."

Today is the birthday of Lady Tao, wife of the Duke of Jingguo. A banquet has been prepared at the mansion. Song Yue arrived in the morning. Lady Tao was all smiles. When she saw Song Yue, the smile on Lady Tao's face immediately turned into regret. She took Song Yue's hand and asked her all sorts of questions.

"Why did you come too? If you're not feeling well, you should rest."

Tao's eyes reddened, but she dared not tell Song Huan that she was pregnant, for fear of upsetting Song Yue. Song Yue smiled slightly: "It's not comfortable to always lie down, so I came out for some fresh air."

"Indeed," Tao sighed.

Just then, Jiang Ying arrived, nodded to Song Yue, and handed over the congratulatory gift: "There are many guests today, Second Aunt, please go ahead and do your work. We'll have a chat."

Ms. Tao nodded.

After everyone left, Jiang Ying said, "Sister Huan has found out she's more than a month pregnant. Second Aunt is probably worried that if you knew, it would trigger some painful memories."

Song Yue understood; no wonder Tao Shi had hesitated to speak earlier, her face full of regret.

After the two were seated, many ladies were surprised to see Song Yue and came forward to greet her. Song Yue waved her hand and said that it was a family banquet and there was no need to be formal.

Many ladies showed her concern and care.

Song Yue responded with a smile.

At this moment, a lady suddenly covered her mouth and laughed: "When I passed by the post station just now, there was quite a commotion inside. I heard that the Eighth Princess went to the post station three times yesterday, even in the middle of the night. I don't know what's so attractive about the post station. She is, after all, a married woman. Tsk tsk."

"After the two princes arrived in the capital, the Eighth Princess Consort has been neglecting the Eighth Prince even more. I wonder if it's because of the deep bond between siblings and the fact that they haven't seen each other for many years."

"What kind of siblings are they? They're completely unrelated. This Eighth Princess Consort is quite cunning; she's managed to win the hearts of several princes. The former Eighth Prince, the current Second Prince, and the Sixth Prince, especially the Eighth Prince, who turned down a perfectly good marriage..." The woman regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth and looked at Song Yue repeatedly: "Crown Princess Consort, I didn't mean it."

Song Yue smiled magnanimously: "It's alright, it's all in the past."

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Song Yue didn't mind.

Song Yue not only didn't mind, but also deliberately spread the news that she had attended the banquet at the Duke of Jingguo's mansion today, so she would see if the Eighth Princess Consort would come.

As expected, the person arrived.

Xu Lingqing was exhausted after a long day of work. She finally managed to doze off when she heard that the Duchess of Jingguo was hosting a banquet.

"Is the Crown Princess going too?"

The maid nodded: "Someone saw the Crown Princess's carriage leave the palace and head towards the Duke of Jing's residence."

Xu Lingqing couldn't sit still any longer. She touched her lower abdomen and propped herself up to sit up: "Put on my makeup."

"Your Highness, you didn't sleep a wink last night, and you're pregnant..." the maidservant advised.

She waved her hand dismissively, determined to get up and have her maid dress her up. She casually pointed to a dazzling and gorgeous dress, put on exquisite jewelry, put one hand behind her waist, and held the maid's hand with the other: "Let's go join in the fun."

She had wanted to see Song Yue these past few days, but since Song Yue was hiding in the palace, she hadn't had the chance. Now, the opportunity had finally arrived.

"The Eighth Prince's Consort has arrived!"

Someone in the crowd with sharp eyes spotted a group of maids surrounding a woman who was approaching.

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