Chapter 220 Triumphant Return

After a satisfying meal, Xiao Ling felt both his stomach and body were satisfied.

The resentment from being tormented by the Fifth Prince all day dissipated.

Xie Yunyu took him out for a walk in the courtyard.

The two took their child to the Princess's residence to visit the Princess and her husband.

Having not seen her grandson for several days, the princess also missed the child very much.

The two, He and the Duke of Qi, each held a child and lingered over them for a long time.

Only after seeing that the children were yawning did they put the person back.

The four of them sat together and talked.

"His Majesty already knows that the Wei family killed the First Prince," the Eldest Princess said.

"Then what does Your Majesty intend to do?" Xiao Ling asked.

"His Majesty is extremely protective of his own, so the Wei family probably won't have an easy time in the next few years."

If he wants to return to the center of power, he may have to wait until the next administration.

The eldest princess sighed.

Xiao Ling thought for a moment and said, "Has His Majesty's condition stabilized these past two days?"

"It's better than the first two days after I heard the news."

Now that they know about Xiao Zhi's affair, they transfer all their anger onto Prince Rui.

In the past two days, the Dali Temple has been ordered to intensify its interrogation of Prince Rui.

The entire staff of the Dali Temple was working themselves to the bone.

Xiao Ling already knew the news, so he remained silent.

Xie Yunyu then asked, "Mother, how is the battle situation in the Northern Border?"

Was the map we sent useful?

The eldest princess glanced at Xie Yunyu and said:

"So far, all the news we've received is going smoothly, so the map must be useful."

Xie Yunyu nodded: "My grandfather has been worried about this. It's good that it's useful."

"You can rest assured about that. His Majesty said that if the northern border can be settled in one battle, Zhang Herun will be credited with the greatest merit."

After the eldest princess answered, she asked Xie Yunyu:

"Do you have any good strategies regarding the war situation in the North?"

Xie Yunyu was taken aback by the question, then awkwardly shook her head and said:

"Mother, I don't understand military matters."

"You're being modest."

The eldest princess said calmly.

"I only know a lot of random things, and I really don't know anything about troop deployment or military strategy."

Seeing that the eldest princess was about to say something, the Duke of Qi interrupted:

"Alright, alright, the child says he doesn't understand."

The battlefield is ever-changing; even if you have a plan, it's too late to solve the immediate problem.

The eldest princess thought it made sense, so she didn't say anything more.

Xiao Ling then asked, "Mother, how has Grandmother been these past two days?"

"In the two days after His Majesty's accident, I was worried and overworked, and my health was weak for a while."

After His Majesty woke up, she was relieved and began to recover somewhat.

But now that I'm older and have been poisoned, my health doesn't look as good as it used to be.

After saying this, the eldest princess sighed.

The Duke of Qi also chimed in:

"The army that marched south has returned to the capital in triumph these past few days, and we've been quite busy. We've been leaving the office much later these days."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling asked, "When will we welcome the victorious army back?"

"In three days."

Xiao Ling waved the fan in his hand and said, "It's been so hot these past few days, it's like being under a blazing fire. It won't be any better in three days."

“Who says otherwise? This summer is unusually hot,” Duke Qi agreed.

The eldest princess also sighed, "This summer has been so eventful, so long..."

The three of them fell silent after hearing this; there were indeed many things to deal with.

Two days later, the southward-bound army returned in triumph and camped fifty miles from the capital.

Pei Yanchi broke away from the main group and rushed back to the capital ahead of time, going directly into the palace.

He gave a detailed report to the Emperor and the Crown Prince about the events he had experienced during his journey south.

Ye Jing also returned to Beijing ahead of schedule with him.

Ye Jing went straight back to the Guangping Marquis's residence.

Arriving at the door, looking at the familiar gate, Ye Jing was momentarily dazed.

The last time I left, it was before dawn; I hurriedly rode away.

This time, I returned slowly in the evening before it was completely dark.

The worry, helplessness, and slight confusion I felt when I left.

At this moment, I feel calm, peaceful, and serene.

A person's state of mind is indeed closely related to their experiences.

Ye Jing stood there blankly. Seeing this, the servant at the door stepped forward with a lantern to examine him carefully.

"The Crown Prince? Is it the Crown Prince?"

Ye Jing nodded: "Mm."

The servant suddenly became excited and shouted loudly into the house:

"Go quickly and inform the Marquis's wife that the young master has returned to the manor."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and carried a lantern to light the way for Ye Jing.

The servant's shout shattered the tranquility of the mansion.

The Marquis of Guangping, his wife, and their three children were about to eat when they suddenly heard a servant report.

"My lord, my lady, the young master has returned."

Lady Guangping was serving soup to her husband when she heard this report. The spoon in her hand fell into the soup bowl with a clatter, splashing soup everywhere.

Then, she turned around, lifted her skirt, and ran into the yard.

Ye Jing's two younger brothers, Ye Kun and Ye Cheng, ran out after him.

Only the youngest daughter, Ye Bing, remained. She glanced at Marquis Guangping but did not move.

Ye Jing had just entered the central courtyard and was about to head to his own courtyard when he suddenly saw his mother rushing over like the wind and standing in front of him.

"Jing'er?"

Madam Ye's voice trembled.

Looking at her travel-worn son and the strand of white hair at his temples, tears streamed down her face.

"mother."

Ye Jing looked at his mother and called out with a faint smile.

"So you finally decided to come back? I was so worried about you."

As she spoke, Madam Ye stepped forward and embraced Ye Jing.

Ye Jing was much taller than her, and it looked like Madam Ye was crying in her son's arms.

At this moment, Ye Kun and Ye Cheng also came out.

Seeing his mother holding his elder brother and crying, he stopped and bowed respectfully to him.

"Big brother."

"Big brother."

Seeing this, Ye Jing patted Madam Ye on the back and said:

"Mother, don't cry, your brothers are watching."

Madam Ye lifted her head from his embrace and wiped away her tears.

"Brother, did you just come back from the military camp?"

Ye Cheng looked at Ye Jing's attire and asked.

"Um."

Ye Jing looked at the two people in front of him. It had been more than a year since he last saw them, and the second brother, Ye Kun, had grown to be almost as tall as him.

Great, it would be best if you could take care of things at home.

He glanced at the third child again. The third child was not yet ten years old and was grinning at him, showing his two little tiger teeth.

They are very cute with their tiger-like heads and chubby faces.

He glanced back again, but his younger sister and father were nowhere to be seen.

Ye Jing sighed inwardly, thinking that his father must still harbor resentment towards him.

"Mother, why don't we let my eldest brother wash up first, and then have some food?"

Ye Kun suggested, supporting his elderly mother.

Ye wiped away her tears and said, "Yes, yes, Kun'er is right."

Ye Jing took a bath and changed his clothes before coming to the main courtyard to pay his respects to Marquis Guangping.

After hearing that Ye Jing had returned, Marquis Guangping had been wearing a gloomy face, but he was suddenly shocked when he saw Ye Jing.

Her son is only twenty years old, but he already has gray hair at his temples.

Although he appeared calm and his military bearing was even more imposing than before, he seemed to be no longer the son he once was.

Marquis Guangping suddenly felt that he was about to lose this son.

He didn't know where this strange idea came from, but it suddenly popped into his head.

Seeing Ye Jing like this, Madam Ye began to weep again.

At this moment, Ye Bing, looking like a little dumpling, jumped off the stool and ran to Ye Jing's side.

"Big brother, give me a hug."

Ye Bing looked up with a fair and lovely smile and said.

This seemed to please Ye Jing, and a smile even appeared on his lips.

He bent down and picked Ye Bing up, weighing her in his arms.

Then he took two steps forward, bowed to the Marquis of Guangping, and said:

"I have met my father."

Marquis Guangping had been harboring a lot of anger and wanted to reprimand Ye Jing.

But at this moment, he suddenly felt as if something was blocking his heart, and he couldn't say a word.

Finally, he simply said, "Okay. Sit down and eat."

…………

Dear readers, chapter 217 was missed, but it has been added.