Qi Yuning walked to the gate of the palace, but the guards at the gate did not recognize Qi Yuning at first.
Qi Yuning took off the headscarf on her head, took out a jade token from her bosom and said, "I am Princess Qi!"
After seeing the jade token, the guards knelt down and said, "Greetings, Princess!"
Qi Yuning went inside and saw a golden nanmu coffin standing upright in the main hall of the North City Palace. Steward He was kneeling beside it and burning paper money.
"Butler He!"
When Butler He saw Qi Yuning coming, he knelt down and stepped forward and said, "Princess."
Qi Yuning said, "Hurry up and get up. Who is the body in the coffin?"
Lu Ze walked over to the nanmu coffin and saw a charred corpse with an indistinct face, dressed in gorgeous clothes...
Steward He sighed and said, "My Lady, the person in this coffin is Miss Ping."
Qi Yuning asked, "Miss Ping? How could something happen to her?"
Housekeeper He said helplessly, "Miss Ping was originally going to Shengjing City to pray for safety at the Taoist temple. Who knew that halfway through, the carriage caught fire, burning Miss Ping and the maidservant beside her to charred corpses. Miss Ping died in one body, two lives lost. She is truly a beautiful woman with a tragic fate!"
Qi Yuning was surprised and asked, "How is that possible? Where is my brother?"
Steward He said, "The prince was in deep grief and had been confined to Miss Ping's room for the past few days. In the days immediately following Miss Ping's passing, the prince could neither eat nor drink anything. Only when General Wen came forward to say that he still had the Qi Family Army did the prince reluctantly eat something to hold on."
Qi Yuning asked Butler He to lead the way to the courtyard where Miss Ping lived, and saw Qi Yuanan who was in a very embarrassed state inside.
Qi Yuning had never seen such a haggard and lifeless brother. In Qi Yuning's eyes, his brother was a young general, the noble and aloof Prince Qi, full of vigor and vitality.
Qi Yuning had never seen him with such messy hair, and such a pale, haggard look...
"elder brother."
Qi Yu'an heard the voice and slowly raised his head, "Ningning, why are you here?"
Qi Yuning walked up to Qi Yu'an and said with tears in her eyes: "Brother!"
Qi Yu'an put down the gold bracelet in his hand and said, "Are you here alone?"
Qi Yuning shook her head. "Lu Ze, Lingling and the others are here too. Brother, Miss Ping..."
Qi Yu'an said slowly: "Don't call her Miss Ping in the future. Call her sister-in-law or sister. She is your only sister-in-law."
Qi Yuning couldn't empathize with the pain of losing a loved one, but she knew that this pain must be heartbreaking. She could only comfort Qi Yu'an and said, "Brother, cry if you want."
Qi Yu'an said: "I won't cry, sister, you came at the right time, three days later, the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, is a good day for a wedding leave.
You arrange a wedding for your brother and your sister-in-law. After I marry your sister-in-law, we will celebrate the New Year together as a family. After the New Year, we will send your sister-in-law back to the Qi family ancestral tomb in Shengjing City for burial."
Qi Yuning nodded and said, "Okay, brother."
Lu Ze stood at the door, not wanting to go in. He waited for Qi Yuning to come out and said, "I've never seen Brother Qi look so haggard."
Qi Yuning said: "Me too."
Lu Ze continued, "Lingling said that the portrait of Ping was of her aunt. Then how could Ping have become a charred corpse with two lives lost?"
Qi Yuning shook her head. She first settled the people she brought from Shengjing City. She also had a courtyard in the North City Palace, and after the servants cleaned it up, they could move in.
Steward He stepped forward and asked, "Princess, how are the residences for Prince Lu and Prince Lu being arranged?"
Qi Yuning said, "There's no need to make any arrangements for Prince Lu. Prince Lu, please take him to the guest room."
Butler He was stunned. "There's no need to make any arrangements for Prince Lu. Where will he live then?"
Qi Yuning said: "Just live in the same courtyard with me."
Butler He was very surprised, but thought that it would be fine if they lived in different rooms in the same courtyard, so he went downstairs to arrange a courtyard for Lu Yun.
Lingling was still taking a nap. When Qi Yuning carried her down from the carriage and put her on the bed, Lingling woke up.
She blinked her eyes and looked at Qi Yuning and said, "Mom, dear, have we arrived at my uncle's house yet?"
Qi Yuning nodded, "Yes, we're here."
Lingling exclaimed, jumped up from the bed, twisted her waist and danced, saying, "Cousin, Aunt! Lingling can finally see my cousin and aunt!"
"Lingling, are you sure she is your aunt?"
Lu Zegang drew another portrait of A Ping and showed it to Lingling.
Lingling nodded and said, "It's my aunt!"
Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze and asked, "Could it be that there are two Miss A'pings? The Miss A'ping that Qin Feng mentioned isn't the same Miss A'ping who appeared in the charred corpse?"
Lu Ze said, "There can't be so many coincidences. Let Butler He come and confirm whether this is Miss A Ping."
Qi Yuning sent for Butler He to come over, "Butler He, is the person in the painting Miss A Ping?"
Butler He looked at the painting in Qi Yuning's hand and said, "It's Miss A Ping. The painting is so lifelike."
Qi Yuning waved his hand and said, "You can go down."
After Butler He left, Lingling pouted and said, "Mom, this is my aunt. Lingling wants to play with my aunt and cousin. Why hasn't my cousin come over to play with me now that Lingling is here?"
Qi Yuning hugged Lingling and said, "Be good, Lingling."
Lu Ze looked at Qi Yuning and said, "If Miss Ping had died right now, Lingling would never have known about Miss Ping."
Qi Yuning asked, "What if they are twin girls with similar looks?"
Lu Ze said, "It's incredible that one royal bloodline could be lost, so how could there be a second one? I want to examine that charred corpse!"
Qi Yuning repeatedly said, "Lu Ze, I've never seen my brother so sad. If my brother doesn't want to have an autopsy, don't upset him... He's the only family I have now."
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