Time flies, and two months have passed since Mo Beichen went on his expedition, while Yun Qingluo is two and a half months pregnant.

The tenth day of the third month in the third year of Tianhe.

The Empress Dowager recovered, and the whole country rejoiced.

The Empress Dowager couldn't wait and bestowed a large number of gifts upon Yun Qingluo, subtly urging her to return to her residence as soon as possible.

She truly didn't want to see Yun Qingluo even a little bit.

Yun Qingluo was overjoyed and couldn't wait to leave the palace.

On her way home, she made a special trip to the General's Mansion. Yun's parents were overjoyed to see Yun Qingluo return safely.

"Stay at home for a few more days?" Yunmu looked at Yun Qingluo expectantly.

Upon hearing this, Yun's father also looked over expectantly.

Yun Qingluo knew that her two elder brothers had gone to war with Mo Beichen, and Yun Yiyi went to the temple to pray for blessings.

The house suddenly felt quiet and empty; without their children to keep them company, the two of them found it hard to adjust.

“Alright, my daughter also wants to stay at home for a few days. An Jiu, go back to the manor and tell the steward that I will stay for a few days before returning, and tell the steward that everything is going well.”

It means you can send a message to A-Chen that she is doing well.

An Jiu accepted the order and withdrew.

Yun's parents beamed with joy.

"Alright, alright, stay a few more days. Your mother will make you some delicious food to help you recover. You've lost a lot of weight since your trip to the palace." Yun's mother held Yun Qingluo's hand tightly.

Yun Qingluo felt somewhat helpless. Although she wasn't free in the palace, she ate quite a lot.

Perhaps there's a kind of thinness that only your parents think you're thin.

Yun's father nodded in agreement, "Did the people in the palace give you any trouble?"

With the empress deposed, they couldn't even enter the palace to gather information. Fortunately, Luo Luo sent someone to report that everything was alright.

Yun Qinglu shook her head and said with a smile, "I'm fine, everything is fine, and I even cured the Empress Dowager and got a pardon."

When Yun's father heard this, he didn't seem very happy.

"Better safe than sorry. Now that the prince is not here, you should be careful in everything you do," Yun's father said worriedly.

It would naturally draw criticism if someone from the inner quarters of the household were granted a pardon from death, and even more so, people would fear those with ill intentions.

Yun Qingluo nodded, feeling warm inside. However, she hadn't told anyone about her pregnancy, not even Yun Tao.

The pregnancy is still unstable, so the fewer people who know about it, the better.

I'm worried that if my pregnancy becomes noticeable, I'll have to think of a way to avoid it.

The Prime Minister's Residence.

“We thought she was a good-for-nothing back then, which is why we let her marry that good-for-nothing. But now that he’s recovered, we’ve found out she’s not a good-for-nothing either…” said Qi Ren, the prime minister’s son, with disgust.

Prime Minister Qi's face was grim. "Didn't I send you to investigate? How come the results are so different?"

"Father, the person I investigated was indeed an incompetent fool. Who knew..." Qi Ren felt very aggrieved.

The Prime Minister's eyes flashed with a sinister light. "It seems she's been hiding her true colors for too long..."

"Father, the Empress has been deposed, and the Third Prince is already a useless pawn. Now it seems that only the youngest Eleventh Prince remains."

The Prime Minister's residence was the Empress's maternal family home. Prime Minister Qi was the Empress's father, and Qi Ren was the Empress's older brother.

The deposed empress had two sons and one daughter. The third prince was deposed, and the third princess committed suicide. Now, only the ten-year-old eleventh prince remains as a member of the Qi family bloodline.

"Do you think he's too young and unfit for such a heavy responsibility?" The Prime Minister glanced at Qi Ren and said calmly.

Qi Ren nodded. "How could a ten-year-old child possibly shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the Crown Prince?"

The Prime Minister sneered, "Hmph, what do you know? He's just a child, isn't he? He's still completely at our mercy."

Qi Ren's face showed shock. "What does Father mean?"

"Back then, the ancestors of the Qi family and the Yun family accompanied the ancestors of the Mo family to fight in all directions and establish the Tianmo Kingdom. The Yun family did not like power and only liked the battlefield. They were specially appointed as generals to protect the country, and the position was passed down from generation to generation without being shaken."

My Qi family helped Emperor Mo suppress the court and manage state affairs, but my official rank remained pitifully low. It wasn't until my generation, when my daughter became Empress, that I became the Prime Minister of Tianmo Kingdom...

Logically speaking, the Qi family deserves half the credit for this empire, but the Mohist school seems to have forgotten about the Qi family generation after generation… This is something the Qi family owes us, and it's time for them to repay it.”

Qi Ren was somewhat apprehensive and said fearfully, "But when our ancestors invited our Qi family to share the world, our ancestors refused and swore to serve as ministers for generations and be loyal to the Mo Emperor... Father, we must not transgress our ancestral teachings."

The prime minister glared at him, "Look at your worthless state, where is there any trace of your former glory..."

Qi Ren immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, "Father, please calm your anger, I only... I only..."

"Get up! Those who achieve great things must never be indecisive." The prime minister looked at him with disdain.

"By the way, how's it going on the battlefield?" the Prime Minister asked, sitting down and taking a sip of tea.

Qi Ren said in a low voice, "Although the number of soldiers from the Sirius Kingdom is large, they are no match for the Regent... but..."

"Hmm? Speak your mind, there are no outsiders here." The Prime Minister frowned.

“Father, the people I sent to gather intelligence have discovered traces of people from the Northern Moon Kingdom and the Eastern Martial Kingdom near the battlefield.”

"Heh, it seems this war is going to be quite intense. Keep an eye on it, and if necessary... he is a major threat to our Qi family, we can't let him come back alive."

"What about the two Yun brothers?"

"What do you think?" The prime minister glanced at him and said coldly.

"Father, please forgive me. I understand," Qi Ren replied respectfully.

"Find a way to go to your sister and ask her..." the Prime Minister said to Qi Ren.

Qi Ren's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, "Father, this..."

"Just go when I tell you to."

"Yes, Father."

The General's Mansion, a banquet.

It started to drizzle in the afternoon. It was still quite cold in early spring. Yun Qingluo wanted her father and mother to try the hot pot.

After lunch, he took Yun Tao into the kitchen.

Yun Tao led everyone in the kitchen to prepare the dishes.

"The princess said this is called hot pot, and it's very warming."

"I heard from the princess that we'll get some too. I can't wait! The soup the princess made smells so good. I'm so hungry."

"Hurry up and get to work, so we can eat sooner."

"Hey, have you guys noticed that the princess's temper has improved a lot since she got married? She looks even more beautiful, like a fairy descended from heaven."

"Besides, since the Second Miss left, this mansion has become much quieter, and I don't really want her to come back."

"Get to work! How dare you discuss the master's affairs!" The kitchen manager came out and, upon hearing their discussion, immediately changed his expression.

Yun Tao was born into a household and knew that the people in the mansion had no ill intentions, so she didn't hold it against them.

After looking around and seeing that all the dishes were ready, she went into the kitchen and approached Yun Qingluo, who was simmering the soup base.

"Your Highness, the vegetarian dishes have all been prepared. Please take a look and see if there is anything amiss?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Qingluo asked, "Where's the meat? Lamb rolls, beef rolls, duck intestines, sausages, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, crispy pork, eight-treasure meatballs, fish balls, beef balls, shrimp paste... Are they all prepared?"