Once inside the palace, the cheers of the people were silenced, and finally, there was peace and quiet.

Ji Fengming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Black Owl released him, his expression cold and aloof, as if keeping strangers at bay.

Shi Mi and Zhao Qinglian, along with Shang Xiye, Ji Fengyao, Ji Fengming, and Hei Xiao, went directly to the Uyghur Palace where Zhao Qinglian resided.

Immediately, palace maids quietly delivered various kinds of fine fruits and pastries to the palace.

After serving the fruits and vegetables, they quietly withdrew like flowing water.

Only Shi Mi, Zhao Qinglian, Shang Xiye, Ji Fengyao, Ji Fengming, and Hei Xiao remained in the hall.

Shang Xiye held Ji Fengyao's hand tightly without letting go, as if trying to draw enough strength and warmth from her to withstand the coming psychological storm.

He didn't speak first, even though there were many things he wanted to ask;

But as a son and a junior, he could not question his mother so rudely.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Shi Mi sensed that the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

He was about to speak up in defense of his mother when Zhao Qinglian stopped him with a look. With a gentle and apologetic smile, she said to Shang Xiye, "I know you hate me for leaving without saying goodbye back then. But Ye'er, you must believe your mother. If it weren't for a last resort, how could your mother bear to abandon you? You are my flesh and blood, born after eleven months of hardship, the precious child I've cherished for six years. How could your mother bear to part with you!"

"I can't bear to part with you... I can't bear to part with you..." Shang Xiye gripped his wife's hand slightly, his voice pausing for a while before continuing, "Then why have you never given me a single word in these past twenty years!"

“How could I not keep in touch with you? Every year I send someone with gifts and letters to the Da Zhao Palace, asking Sun Yuhe, who is now the Empress Dowager of Da Zhao, to forward them to you…” Zhao Qinglian was surprised and suddenly stopped halfway through her sentence, incredulous: “Could it be that all these years she has been lying to me all this time!”

"You made the Empress Dowager..." Shang Xiye was speechless.

The Empress Dowager had wanted to strangle him for twenty years.

It would be strange if the things the Empress Dowager received from the Consort were to fall into her hands and reveal even the slightest clue!

He feared that Shang Xiye might not believe him.

Shi Mi quickly interjected to testify, saying, "Brother, what Mother said is true. Over the years, Mother has missed you dearly and often calls out your name in her dreams. Because of Mother's longing for you, she has never hidden your existence from me or the people of Jia Kingdom."

That is why the people of Jialuo Kingdom were so enthusiastic about their elder brother's arrival.

It's easy for one person to commit fraud, but it's easy for people all over the country to do the same.

Even if my mother were the empress of a nation, and even if I were the monarch of a nation, I could not achieve such a feat.

“Your Highness, that’s a fair point. The enthusiasm of those cheering people outside doesn’t seem fake,” Ji Fengyao said softly, holding Shang Xiye’s hands.

Shang Xiye understood that the possibility of this being fabricated was very small, but...

He glanced up at everyone in the hall, then listened carefully to the sounds outside, confirming that there were no outsiders present.

Shang Xiye then spoke directly, "Even if Mother misses her son, why... The King of Jialuo looks to be about the same age as Feng Yao, which means that Mother, you married the King of Jialuo and became the Queen of Jialuo not long after you left Dazhao. Do you know that Father... even on his deathbed, Father instructed his son not to forget Mother, not to hold a grudge against Mother, to find Mother and reunite with her, and to be filial to you!"