After hearing Xu Lanyin's words, the princess took a moment to react before asking in disbelief, "You're saying that you're Yan's daughter, that Yan isn't dead, that someone else jumped into the river, and that we've been deceived by Chai Zhengguan and the Shen family again?"
The eldest princess asked so many questions at once, which she found unbelievable and she thought she was listening to a book.
Xu Lanyin nodded and began to talk about Chai Qingyan's suicide. Chai Qingyan had come to her senses and no longer wanted to die. But she also knew that even if she didn't commit suicide, Chai Zhengguan and Shen would force her to "commit suicide" before she got married...
If Chai Qingyan wanted to survive, she had to escape from the clutches of Chai Zhengguan and Shen Shi. So, she proposed to go to Niangniang Temple to burn incense and eat vegetarian food for three days, and then escaped on the second night.
She fled to Nanping County, where her belongings were first stolen and she was later dragged to a brothel, where she happened to be rescued by Xu Qingyan, who happened to be passing by. She didn't reveal her true identity, only that she came from a merchant family and had been tortured by her stepmother to the point of having no way to survive...
This was something Qin and Xu Lanyin had agreed on before. If Qin's identity was exposed, she absolutely could not tell Xu Qingyan that he knew her true identity, knew that she was engaged, and wanted to marry her...
Xu Lanyin continued, "After my mother married my father, she lived a quiet life in the countryside. Even with simple meals, thorny hairpins and cloth skirts, she was very content and never told us anything about her past. Even though some villagers didn't think my mother was a country girl and made up stories about her life, my mother never said a word no matter how wronged she was. My father was away from home for a long time, and my mother not only had to respect the elders and raise the children, but also did embroidery to supplement the family income... She no longer missed the glitz and glamour of the past and was willing to live her whole life in the countryside. However, she had no way to vent the pain and fear in her heart, and her health was always poor...
"I only found out about my mother's true identity after Little Star came to our house. After hearing about Little Star's experience, my mother felt very sorry for him, and Little Star was very attached to my mother. At that time, I saw that they looked a bit similar and were so close, and I thought it was fate... Although my mother liked Little Star, she said that if such a cute child was lost, his parents and elders would cry to death, and we couldn't monopolize the child like this.
"Little Xingxing was too young to describe his family and their history, so I hypnotized him. It really worked. He said he'd worshipped the Buddha in the Western Hills and had ridden in cars and boats. He also said his name was Chai Zixiao, and that he had a great-grandfather, a father, and a mother... I figured out his family was in the capital, and he came from a wealthy Chai family...
"My mother took another close look at Little Star's face, then suddenly burst into tears, hugging him. She told him things like, 'This is your home, there are no bad people here, and Grandma will always love you.' From then on, my mother personally took care of Little Star, feeding and sleeping with him. Even cleaning his wounds would bring her to tears, as if she treated him better than she did her little brother...
"I felt my mother's mood was too abnormal, and I began to suspect that she was related to Xiao Xingxing's life experience. After repeated questioning, my mother revealed her true identity to me. She also said that her home in the capital was like an ice cave. After her biological mother passed away, her only warmth came from her uncle and the eldest princess who lived next door. She even remembered very clearly how many times little Chai Jun smiled at her.
"She calculated the age and time and said that Xiao Xingxing must be Chai Jun's son. She also asked me to find a chance to inquire. If it is not safe for Xiao Xingxing to return to the Duke's Mansion, we will raise him forever. Xiao Xingxing is his grandson. If the people in the Princess's Mansion truly love Xiao Xingxing, we will return the child..."
"The one who was most sad about returning Little Star to Lord Chai wasn't me, but my mother. She felt that as long as Little Star was by her side, she still had a family from her mother's side. No matter how small Little Star was, she was still someone from her mother's family who cared about her... My father only found out about all this after my uncle and cousin from the Qin family came to acknowledge her as a relative. Because my mother also suspected that Wang Yi had met her by chance, and that Wang Yi's killing of someone in a fight over the red card before the wedding was a setup, my father began to secretly investigate the relationship between Old Shen and the Beiyang Princess's Mansion..."
Xu Lanyin's words, half true, half false, were eloquent and moving. She particularly recounted the severity of Chai Zixiao's injuries, how Qin had cared for him, and how grateful she was to the Princess, Prince Consort Chai, and Chai Jun. The Princess wept. The others were also deeply moved, sympathizing with and thanking Chai Qingyan, but also sympathizing with Chai Zixiao, marveling at the possibility of such a fate.
The eldest princess cried, "This is truly fate. If Miss Yan hadn't escaped, her descendants wouldn't have saved Xiao'er, and Xiao'er would have truly died. Xiao'er went to the Xu family, and he got along so well with Miss Yan... After Xiao'er came back, the person he talked about the most was Aunt, and the second most was Grandma Xu. Miss Yan has a kind heart, and I am grateful to her."
Chai Jun stood up again and bowed deeply to Xu Qingyan. This gift was for Qin.
Xu Lanyin continued, "My mother once said that even if she regained her status in the future, she would take her grandfather's surname Qin and be called Qin Yan. This is because she was ashamed to have a father who was greedy for money, murderous, audacious, full of evil, and disregarded family affection. Therefore, my mother and I did not want my grandmother to marry Chai Zhengguan as his legal wife. He was not worthy." After that, she knelt down and kowtowed three times to the Princess and Prince Consort Chai, saying, "I also beg Her Royal Highness the Princess, my great-grandfather, my uncle, and my cousin, please don't reveal my mother's true identity. If you do, not only will my mother die, but my father and the three of us siblings will also have no way to live."
After hearing her say this, Xu Qingyan and Qin Ru both knelt down and kowtowed, and Zhao Wuchang bowed to the ground.
The eldest princess stood up and helped Xu Lanyin up personally. Commander Chai and Chai Jun then helped Xu Qingyan and Qin Ru up.
The princess pulled Xu Lanyin to sit beside her, patted her hands and said, "Good child, I also feel sorry for Yan, and I am even more grateful for her and your love for Xiao. We are not cruel people. Wouldn't that be as bad as Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen? We will keep your mother's affairs confidential. Let's work together to make Beiyang and Wang Yi relent and let Yan go, so that she can live openly."
After saying that, she looked at Prince Consort Chai, Chai Rong, and Chai Jun.
Prince Consort Chai and Commander Chai nodded repeatedly in agreement, while Chai Jun laughed excitedly and said, "What a coincidence! The 'Grandma Xu' that Xiao Ge'er is talking about is really his great-aunt, and the 'Aunt' he is talking about is really his aunt." He then smiled at Xu Lanyin and Xu Qingyan and said, "Sister Yin, uncle."
After he called out like that, Xu Qingyan stood up and kowtowed to the Princess and Prince Consort Chai.
The princess nodded and said to Prince Consort Chai, "Some things can be put off until later, but that matter cannot be delayed. It is an indisputable fact that Chai Zhengguan has done so many bad things. Prince Consort, please take your son and grandson to clean up the Chai family."
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