Xie Zhiqing was dressed in the clothes of a palace maid and led into Zhaoning Palace.

Along the way, Xie Zhiqing kept her head down and her eyes were red. Her mother had walked like this before, and then lost her life.

"Your Majesty, Miss Xie has arrived."

"Come in."

A voice filled with authority rang out, and Xie Zhiqing suddenly shivered.

"Why don't you kneel before the Empress?"

Wanji held a whisk in his hand, and his shrill voice startled Xie Zhiqing back to her senses. She knelt down and said, "This commoner, Xie Zhiqing, greets Your Majesty the Empress."

"So you're the one who wants to sue me?"

Jiang Yu observed the woman before her. Despite being terrified, she still raised the petition, saying, "This humble woman seeks justice for my mother. Otherwise, how could I possibly live in this world?"

This temperament is so similar to Ayan's in my previous life.

The chill emanating from Jiang Yu dissipated slightly, but her words pierced Xie Zhiqing's heart like a sharp sword: "If we're talking about seeking justice, it should be me accusing your mother of conspiring with others to harm my child."

Xie Zhiqing looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"You shall remain by my side as a maidservant. This petition of yours may come in handy someday."

Xie Zhiqing was taken away, completely flustered.

"Granny, why does Her Majesty want to keep me in the palace?" Xie Zhiqing wrapped up the only valuable thing she had and handed it to Granny Ling. She was in a state of confusion. Why did Her Majesty say that she was the victim?

“If you want to find out the truth about what happened back then, you should stay in the palace.” Granny Ling pushed the things out again. “You can’t save your life anywhere else except here and the Marquis of Dingyuan’s residence.”

Xie Zhiqing took a few steps back, her eyes filled with confusion.

......

"Your Highness, why keep her here?" In the evening, Ling Mama removed Jiang Yu's hairpins and jewelry. "If she has other ideas, it will be a disaster for Zhaoning Palace."

Through the bronze mirror, Jiang Yu saw the fine wrinkles under her eyes.

“She appears to be a well-read woman. Given the sudden misfortune in her family, the fact that she managed to find an opportunity to approach me shows that she is intelligent,” Jiang Yu said softly. “If we don’t spare her, we will have no choice but to kill her.”

But she couldn't bring herself to kill Xie Zhiqing.

"This old servant will keep an eye on her."

Jiang Yu reached out and gently brushed away the wrinkles under her eyes. "Ayan is ten years old this year. I'm getting old too."

This short month felt like several years.

"Next month will be Her Majesty's birthday."

Granny Ling combed Jiang Yu's hair gently, saying, "This year's birthday celebration for Her Majesty will definitely be even more lively."

Jiang Yu smiled upon hearing this, "The old nanny has reminded me; I really do want a few birthday gifts."

Those who owe me should all come and properly "celebrate my birthday."

A few days later, Gu Lin finally woke up.

Linghai sent word that Gu Lin wanted to meet Gu Qingyan.

"Father."

The mask on Gu Lin's face was removed, exposing his scars to the air. Gu Lin looked at Gu Qingyan in front of him, at his proudest child.

"I'm already very happy that you still came to see me." Gu Lin took out a roster from under his pillow. "This is the power structure of the court in Da Ning. Take it back and take a good look."

"If you don't understand anything, just ask me."

The booklet felt a little hot to the touch. Gu Qingyan spoke softly, "Are you going back to Daning?"

"I won't be back for now."

Gu Lin smiled and said, "I will stay at the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence for a while longer. After Gu Qingling is captured, there will probably be chaos in the capital. I am worried about you all."

"Can you tell me about what happened back then?"

Gu Qingyan gripped the booklet tightly. "My mother..."

The father and son stayed in the house for two full hours. Gu Lin told Gu Qingyan everything that happened back then without any reservations or concealments.

"This is the Crown Prince's Seal of Da Ning."

A lustrous seal appeared before Gu Qingyan. "Your background has not yet been made public. When the time is right, I will announce to everyone your identity as the Crown Prince of Da Ning."

"The Crown Prince of Da Ning?"

Gu Lin's face was still a little pale, but his eyes were full of laughter. "Have you forgotten what Ling Hai and the others called you?"

Young master...

"You will protect Mother with me, right?"

Gu Qingyan stared into Gu Lin's eyes, his tone becoming more serious.

"I will protect both you and your child."

He ruffled Gu Qingyan's hair and placed the seal on the booklet. "Take it."

“Our great Ningguo is rich and powerful, you should always have the confidence to stand tall.”

"Raise your head and straighten your back."

Gu Qingyan involuntarily straightened his back, holding the booklet and seal in both hands, his heart trembling slightly.

"Go and beat up everyone who bullied you."

......

Inside Zhaoning Palace, Jiang Yu stared at the book and the Crown Prince's seal in front of her, remaining silent for a long time.

"Did he really tell you that?"

"Mother, should I accept these things?" Gu Qingyan rested his head on Jiang Yu's lap. He was extremely conflicted. On one side was his father, who had learned about his true parentage, and on the other side was his mother, who had been kept in the dark all those years ago.

Why not accept it?

Jiang Yu gently patted Gu Qingyan's back, "The things between me and him were all due to a series of coincidences, and there's no right or wrong to say. Since that's the case, you shouldn't let those things affect you."

"My father told me to go and beat up all the people who had bullied me."

"Pfft—"

Jiang Yu laughed out loud.

"But Mother, what do you mean by 'beat them once'? Do you mean to go and beat them all up with your bare hands?"

"It's up to Ayan to figure that out himself; even the Empress doesn't know what he means."

Jiang Yu's smile widened even more. This person really is... unchanged from before.

"By the way, he will stay at the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence for a while."

"I understand."

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of troops arrived at the front lines in a grand procession.

They had hoped to launch a brilliant counterattack in one fell swoop, but little did they know that the army of Da Ning had been waiting there for a long time.

"Brothers, the young prince of Daqing has come along this time too." Ling Hai downed a bowl of wine with gusto. "If we capture this prince alive, a tremendous reward awaits us!"

"Capture the Crown Prince of Daqing alive!"

"Capture the Crown Prince of Daqing alive!"

"Capture the Crown Prince of Daqing alive!"

The soldiers raised their arms and shouted, all waiting for Gu Qingling to obediently come to them.

Meanwhile, in the Daqing camp, Zhao Song was smiling as he looked at the map that had been hung up. "Our soldiers have already scouted the area. Most of the Da Ning troops have withdrawn from Heng County. As long as we launch a major attack, we will definitely win this battle."

"General, the people of Da Ning are extremely cunning..."

"Enough! You're trying to diminish our own prestige on the eve of a major battle, Chang Qing. Do you have a problem with this general?"

Seeing this, Gu Qingling's brow twitched slightly. "I will also leave the city with you tomorrow."

Chang Qing shut his mouth in frustration. The next day, just as dawn broke, the sound of gongs and drums rang out, and a large number of Daqing soldiers rushed out of the city gate and headed towards Heng County.