The moment she saw An An lying on Long Xiaomin's grave, she knew that there might have been a gap between her and her daughter in her heart.

Since she didn't want to say more, she didn't ask any more questions for now. Children of this age are most likely to have some inappropriate thoughts, and no one can stop her from doing what she wants to do.

When she thought of this, she stood up and prepared to leave, but An An suddenly called her,

"mother……"

Hearing the word "mother", she turned back with a smile on her face.

"An An, as long as you are willing to call me mother, I will always be your mother."

Leaving these words behind, she turned around again...

"mother……"

An An suddenly fell to her knees on the ground with a plop. Luo Lan went forward to help her up with a puzzled look in her eyes, but she shook her head vigorously.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't expect things to turn out like this. I didn't mean to anger you. I originally thought that if I said something harsh to anger you, you would abandon me. Once I left Prince Yu's Mansion, I wouldn't implicate you. But... but I think I thought too simply. Mom, what should I do?"

Seeing her at a loss, Luo Lan hurriedly stepped forward and hugged her in his arms, constantly comforting her.

"Don't be afraid, An'an. No matter how big the problem is, I'll always be there for you. Tell me, who bullied you? I won't let anyone bully you. I'll get justice for you."

"Mom, I was confused for a moment and made a huge mistake. Now I only ask that I take the blame myself and not implicate you and Dad, Mom..."

Her inexplicable words left Luo Lan confused. What exactly was this huge mistake she was talking about?

Thinking of that man's clothes, Luo Lan suddenly thought of the inexplicably disappeared champion, and that familiar handwriting, coupled with An An's inexplicable words...

She suddenly pulled her up, clamped her shoulders tightly with both hands, and asked anxiously,

"An An, you wouldn't... you wouldn't disguise yourself as a man to take the imperial examination, would you?"

Her questioning made An An stunned for a moment, then tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded timidly, "Yeah."

This word exploded above Luo Lan's head like a bolt from the blue.

There has never been a precedent of women taking the imperial examinations in the Daning Kingdom since ancient times. An An disguised herself as a man to take the imperial examination and won the first prize. Isn't this a crime of deceiving the emperor?

Luo Lan raised his hand and slapped her in the face, then asked loudly:

"You are confused. Do you know that if you do this, you will not only harm yourself, but also your father, the emperor, and the entire Prince Yu's Mansion."

An An shook her head vigorously and cried in pain.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I originally thought that since Lele and Yicheng had gone, I might as well take the exam for fun. I didn't expect that I would be the top scorer. I know that I have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. I don't know what to do now, Mom..."

Luo Lan stood there in a daze, at a loss. Seeing this, An An pleaded again with tears in her eyes:

"Mom, I don't want to implicate you, nor do I want others to say bad things about my dad behind his back. I thought last night that I might as well just die, but I don't have the courage to die. I'm also afraid that if I die, you'll be sad, and Yicheng and Lele will be sad too. I really don't know what to do about this matter."

Looking at her helpless look, Luo Lan suddenly regretted the slap she had just given her. From childhood to adulthood, she had never hit her. Although she was wrong this time, she, as a mother, should not have hit her.

She raised her hands and hugged An An into her arms, trying to comfort her in a gentle tone.

"An An, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit you. I'll find a way to help you with this matter. Let's go home first, okay?"

"Mom, can this really be over? My dad doesn't like me to begin with. Will he hate me even more this time?"

"No, your father doesn't dislike you, he just doesn't know how to express his love. He is indifferent to everyone, not just you."

As she spoke, she pulled her up from the ground, looked at her tenderly, and raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face.

"An An, even if you encounter a big problem, your mother will be there to support you. You must not let your mind wander or run away on your own. Do you know how worried your mother is?"

An An pursed her lips tightly, nodded with red eyes,

"Mom, I was wrong. I shouldn't have told you the truth and offended you, making you sad. I will never do that again."

"I don't blame you. I just hit you. We're even now. Let's go home."

After saying that, she took her hand and walked down the mountain.

The sunlight shone brightly on the mother and daughter, as if trying to sweep away the haze on them.

But this matter is not a trivial matter after all. On the way, Luo Lan told An An not to tell anyone for the time being. She had to think of a solution first.

Yi Cheng, who had been restless in Prince Yu's mansion, saw them coming back and hurried to greet them.

"An An, where have you been? You've been driving me crazy. I've been running all over the capital, but I can't find any trace of you."

An An looked at Yi Cheng, who was sweating profusely from anxiety, and forced a smile.

"I'm fine, just... just going out for a walk."

After saying this, she glanced at Luo Lan with a guilty look, and Luo Lan nodded and smiled at Yi Cheng:

"Your sister An An was in a bad mood and went out to relax. Now that everything is fine, take her back to her room to rest for a while!"

Yi Cheng nodded happily. He walked forward, took An An's hand, and led her to the room.

Looking at An An's back, Luo Lan breathed a sigh of relief.

Ah Hong stepped forward and asked softly:

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!