In a narrow alley on Wutong Street, a spacious yet simple carriage was parked, with two guards standing outside.

Half a cup of tea's time passed, and Jiang Chengli, dressed in plain clothes, hurried over.

He stood outside the car, his brow furrowed, seemingly troubled.

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Cen Ying's face. She said softly, "What are you standing there for? Get in the carriage."

“You shouldn’t have come. She might have run into you, and the Marquis’s mansion would have been implicated.” He was unwilling.

“If you keep dawdling, she’ll see you.” Cen Ying persisted, refusing to let go and maintaining the position of lifting the carriage curtain.

Jiang Chengli had no choice but to get into the carriage.

“Mother, you really shouldn’t have come. Although this place is quite far from her residence and this alley is secluded enough, she is truly extraordinary. Heaven will help her.” He couldn’t help but remind her as soon as he sat down, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Cen Ying did not answer, but instead looked him over carefully, her eyes showing a hint of heartache.

"You've lost weight again. Have you not been eating well lately? I just made some soup, have you tried it?" Cen Ying said, turning her head to bring out a food box.

As soon as the lid was opened, a rich aroma wafted out, making one's mouth water.

This is Cen Ying's specialty, old duck soup, which also contains ginseng and other tonics.

"Mother, I don't—" He instinctively wanted to refuse, not because he was ungrateful, but because he simply couldn't drink it.

"You're not going to listen to me? Drink up." Cen Ying didn't even let him finish speaking, and shoved the food box into his hand, not allowing him to refuse.

Jiang Chengli had no choice but to lower his head and take a sip. Instantly, the rich and fresh flavor exploded in his mouth, it was still that familiar delicious taste.

He originally had no appetite, but when he tasted the familiar flavor, his stomach was immediately filled with hunger, and he finished the whole bucket of old duck soup without any hesitation.

As soon as he put down the food box, Cen Ying handed him a handkerchief.

"Isn't it more satisfying to eat at home? I'll cook for you again tomorrow." Seeing his hearty appetite, she beamed with joy.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengli seemed startled and immediately refused, "Mother, don't come. It's really easy to run into someone, and then it will be hard to explain."

“What’s there to explain? She bumped into me, so what? If I don’t let her into the Marquis’s residence, do you think she can just walk in?” Cen Ying was not afraid at all; on the contrary, her tone was very serious.

Jiang Chengli couldn't help but smile bitterly. He licked his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but then let out a sigh of relief.

"No need to come. If you want to see me, just have a guard let me know, and I'll come to you. It's safer that way." He waved his hand.

Cen Ying narrowed her eyes. She was an observant person by nature, and the man in front of her was her son whom she had carried for ten months. How could she not understand him?

"What were you about to say, but you held back? Why don't you tell your mother?" she asked directly.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to say that since Mom works so hard, she doesn't need to cook herself."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Cen Ying exposed him: "You're lying. You're my child. Even if you're a specially trained Imperial Guard and good at lying, you can't fool your own mother."

"Are you trying to say that it's no use me preventing her from entering the house, and that in the end, even the heavens will help her? No matter what obstacles she faces, Xing Xiaoya will eventually end up in the Marquis's mansion and develop feelings for your brother and that old scoundrel?" Cen Ying continued, but her words were much sharper, and she even started cursing the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness.

This time, Jiang Chengli fell silent; he couldn't help but freeze in shock.

“You’ve met Wanying, so you should know how amazing she is. She possesses a divine artifact that allows her to foresee the future. The Marquis’s mansion relied on her to avoid danger several times before. As for the negative impact Xing Xiaoya has had on the Marquis’s mansion, the divine artifact has already explained it, and the Jiang family members in the mansion all heard it clearly.”

"But now I'm very curious, how did you know that? Only the Jiang family can hear Wanying's conversation with the artifact, but only if they are close enough to her. You shouldn't be able to hear it. But you know it very well, even in great detail."

"In addition to your recent behavior, it's clear that you're very afraid of the Jiang family meeting Xing Xiaoya. And you're pretending to have amnesia so that you can live with her on Wutong Street. Is it not because you want to be alone with her, but because you want to keep her away from the Marquis's mansion?"

Cen Ying spoke several paragraphs in one breath, but her tone was calm and unhurried, and she presented the events in a logical and well-reasoned manner, dissecting and clarifying each point.

Jiang Chengli could no longer control the expression on his face. He looked at Cen Ying in shock, his thoughts churning.

Did Mother regain consciousness so early in this life? But will she revert back to her old self under the influence of the world's consciousness?

His thoughts were racing, like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, completely out of control.

He only nodded subconsciously in agreement. He had indeed pretended to have amnesia in order to stall Xing Xiaoya, and he was unwilling to return to the Marquis's mansion, and he even gave up his job as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

No matter how fast he climbs the ladder and how high his position and power become, it will all be for nothing in the end. He'll just be a stepping stone for Xing Xiaoya. He might as well just be a "dead man".

"Then how did you find out all this? These things haven't even happened yet," Cen Ying asked again.

Jiang Chengli coughed lightly, immediately snapping back to reality, and said, "I previously with—"

He suddenly didn't know how to address her, paused for a moment, and then continued, "When I met Xu Wanying, I heard it from the artifact on her body."

"You're lying again. While the artifact may know a lot, it wouldn't reveal so many secrets; it needs energy to operate. You've only seen it once; it's impossible for the artifact to reveal so much. Besides, on Wutong Street, the first time you saw your father and second brother, you attacked them ruthlessly, not like you were trying to force them back, but rather—"

Cen Ying exposed him again. She didn't finish her last sentence, but the meaning was clear.

When Jiang Chengli first met Marquis Zhongyi and Jiang Chengxiao, his ruthless methods were all aimed at vital points, clearly indicating his intention to kill them.

"Being able to foresee the future might be a good thing for others. But I see no luck in you. You must have paid a price that most people cannot bear, suffered a lot, to get to this point, where even your closest relatives turn against you."

Cen Ying's voice trembled as she couldn't help but raise her hand and stroke her son's sunken cheek.

Of the four sons in the Jiang family, Jiang Chengli was the most handsome. He had some feminine features since childhood, and when he was a child, people would say he was a girl. It wasn't until he started puberty and grew taller that he became strong and slender.

Later, he became a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, full of vigor and standing tall like a pine tree.

But when I saw him again, he was not only much thinner, but his depressed state of mind could not be concealed. He was always tense, like a string that was about to snap at any moment.

"Mother!" He met Cen Ying's reddened eyes, his heart ached, and he couldn't help but want to say something.

“You don’t need to say anything, and your mother won’t ask you anymore. Perhaps you’ve experienced something incredibly desperate before, with no one to rely on, but things are different now.” Cen Ying patted the back of his hand, offering a warm and comforting gesture.