"My son, why are you doing this to yourself?"
Xuanyuan Han took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Just yesterday, I had already decided to forget her completely. Until I received news that she had disappeared from the plague zone of Longhu City. My heart, which had seemed to have stopped beating for who knows how long, suddenly felt a sharp pain. So, I am still alive. In the vast sea of people, I never thought there would be someone like that who makes you so unable to let go."
He paused, then slowly shifted his gaze to Consort Chun's face, and said with unwavering determination, "Therefore, I think that since I can't let go of her, I will do whatever it takes to keep her by my side, even if we end up hating each other in the future. Even if she hates me for the rest of her life, I will still do it."
"My son, you..." Consort Chun hesitated, not expecting her son's feelings for Yi Shangyun to have reached this point. She was truly stunned after hearing this!
Just as the mother and son were locked in a final eye contact and their conversation had reached a complete impasse, a series of urgent footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
The one who burst through the door was Cheng Liang, Xuan Yuanhan's deputy general. Perhaps because he was eager to tell his master the good news he had just received, he did not notice that the atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat strange.
He quickly approached the mother and child, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Your Highness, there's no need to look anymore, she's back!"
"What did you say?"
"What did you say?"
Upon hearing this, both Xuan Yuanhan and Consort Chun widened their eyes in surprise and exclaimed in unison.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Liang quickly swallowed and said in full, "It's Miss Yi, she's back!"
Xuanyuan Han suddenly stood up and asked him, "Where did you get this information? Weren't you just making plans?"
Cheng Liang was overjoyed, and even stammered, "Your Highness, this news is absolutely true. Miss Yi, she really has returned to Western Qin. It was... it was Zhang Mama who saw it with her own eyes just now. Yes, Zhang Mama..."
Just as he was about to turn around and look for Granny Zhang, Granny Zhang walked in carrying a tea tray.
Seeing that Cheng Liang had arrived much faster than him, the two masters must already know what happened outside the gate.
As she entered, Zhang Mama greeted Your Highness, saying, "This old servant greets Your Highness. Why did you come so early today? It's perfect that we can have a proper breakfast together. Today, this old servant has specially prepared Your Highness's favorite chestnut cakes, red bean and jujube dumplings, and white fungus soup... Your Highness may also have a taste."
Xuanyuan Han had no appetite for food at this moment. He strode forward to Zhang Mama's side and asked earnestly, "Zhang Mama, tell me, did you really see Yun'er? When and where did you see Yun'er? And now, do you know where she has gone?"
"Yun'er...Miss Yi..."
"Just as I thought," Zhang Mama muttered slowly, pretending to recall something, as she glanced at her mistress, Consort Chun, behind her, seeking a hint.
Consort Chun pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Then, Granny Zhang recounted to everyone what had happened on her way back when she reached the gate of the Prince Qin's mansion...
After listening to Zhang Mama's account, Consort Chun watched her son's calm and composed expression from beginning to end, wondering what he was thinking and what he was planning.
Just then, she was about to speak: "My son..."
However, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly took three steps in two, and Cheng Liang followed closely behind, rushing out the door with him. Their figures disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Seeing all this, Granny Zhang spoke softly, but hesitated before saying, "Your Highness, His Highness..."
"Fine, let it be!" Consort Chun said helplessly.
At breakfast, because of Xuan Yuanhan, Consort Chun barely ate anything.
However, after seeing that face outside the door early in the morning, Zhang Mama became more and more puzzled. Finally, she couldn't help but speak up while tidying up the room: "Your Highness, there is something today that I find very strange."
"What is it?" Consort Chun asked softly, her head propped up by one hand and her eyes closed as she rested.
Granny Zhang recalled, "That girl from the Yi family in the west of the city, now that she has regained her appearance, I feel like I've seen her face somewhere before, and... it seems like I've seen her a long, long time ago."
"There are people in this world who look alike. Perhaps we are all getting old and can no longer bear to reminisce about the past or see old friends." Consort Chun said with emotion when she heard Zhang Mama suddenly seem to be reminiscing about the past.
"However, speaking of a face I saw a long, long time ago..." Upon hearing this, Consort Ran Chun suddenly thought of Ruoxi, whom she had met during her seclusion.
It's been so long since I've seen her. I wonder if she's alive or dead, or where she is now.
With this thought in mind, Consort Chun slowly opened her eyes and sat up, saying, "Actually, when I was living in seclusion at Peach Blossom Inn, I had already found her..."
Before she could finish speaking, Granny Zhang asked, puzzled, "Her? Who is Her Majesty referring to?"
Consort Chun paused for a moment, then said, "The guardian of Western Qin."
"What?" Granny Zhang was stunned.
The room was silent as both master and servant were lost in painful memories of the incident years ago when the guardian entered the palace.
Suddenly, Granny Zhang blurted out, "Your Highness, this old servant remembers!"
This scream immediately pulled Consort Chun back from her painful memories.
Zhang Mama said excitedly, "Your Highness, this old servant remembers now, I remember it completely. That face is the face in the portrait of the guardian's descendant that was sent to the palace back then."
"What did you say?" Consort Chun asked in disbelief.
Granny Zhang nodded vigorously in affirmation of her words.
After carefully reviewing the events, Consort Chun said with great disbelief, "Could it be that Ruoxi is actually Yi Shangyun, the legitimate daughter of the Yi family in the west of the city, and now the legitimate princess Yongning of Dongning Kingdom?"
Following her train of thought, she could hardly believe it: "The descendants of the guardian encountered danger on their way to the palace but did not die. Could it be that they ended up in Dongning Kingdom and became the Empress of Dongning?"
"My goodness!" Consort Chun exclaimed.
"It must be so, it must be so. Legend has it that the guardians of Western Qin are passed down through a single lineage, immortal and indestructible, vowing to protect our land of Western Qin to the death. It seems that it is indeed true." Granny Zhang said excitedly.
Realizing all this too late, the master and servant stared at each other in astonishment.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the imperial city, in the market in front of the Yi family's pharmacist's office in the west of the city.
As Yi Shangyun walked down the familiar street, everything had changed. The bustling crowds were still as lively as ever, but she could no longer see the smiling faces of some of the people.
Everywhere I go, many memories come to mind.
Some say, "With parents alive, life still has a source; with parents gone, life is only a journey back home."
Thinking of her birth mother, she had never met the legendary, great yet tragically ill woman. Even her birth father, whom she had only recently recognized and had not yet had a chance to truly understand and enjoy fatherly love, passed away.
Although she is now a princess, she is actually like a speck of dust in the world, drifting in mid-air with nowhere to land and settle down.
Now that I've returned to the Yi family mansion, the place where I truly grew up, I suddenly don't know how to face all of this.
So he walked and pondered, and soon arrived at the gate of the Yi residence.
She stopped and silently looked up at the familiar lintel in front of her. Yi Shangyun thought to herself, "After traveling so far, I'm finally back!"
I don't know how long he stood alone at the door, but finally he mustered up the courage to lift one foot and was about to go up and knock on the door.
"Who are you?" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind.
Upon hearing the sound, Yi Shangyun suddenly turned around.
"Elder sister?! It's you!" It turned out that Yi Shangjun had just returned from outside. Upon seeing that it was indeed Yi Shangyun, Yi Shangjun was both surprised and delighted and went forward to greet her.
"Jun'er!" Upon seeing Yi Shangjun again, Yi Shangyun was filled with emotion.
"Elder sister, when did you come back? How did you get back?" Although Yi Shangjun was full of questions, he didn't wait for Yi Shangyun to answer a single word. He simply reached out and pulled her across the gate of the Yi residence.
As soon as he entered, Yi Shangjun walked towards Yi Shangkun's study, calling out, "Father, Father... come out quickly and see who has returned?"
Soon, the sound attracted the person in the study to rush out to the courtyard.
After a long time, Yi Shangkun stood steadily at the door of the study, his head full of white hair had grown even more.
Upon exiting, I saw that the person I had been thinking about day and night had finally come home.
After a moment of stunned silence, seemingly overwhelmed with excitement, even the corners of her mouth trembled slightly as she said, "So it's Yun... no, it's Your Highness, what brings you here?"
Seeing that Yi Shangkun was about to bow and kneel, Yi Shangyun quickly stepped forward to help her up and stop her, while he himself knelt down heavily in front of her with a "thump".
Holding his legs tightly, she said gratefully, "No, Father, there is no princess here, only your daughter, Yun'er. I was wrong to misunderstand you in the past. If it weren't for you, Father, I'm afraid I would be dead long ago. I thank you for raising me all these years. I will be grateful for your great kindness for the rest of my life."
As he spoke, he repeatedly kowtowed deeply before him.
Yi Shangkun pulled her up while repeatedly stopping her, saying, "This is absolutely unacceptable! The princess is of noble birth, how can she kneel before me? Get up quickly, get up quickly!"
Yi Shangyun insisted, "No, Father, you can bear it. If you can't bear it, who can? Today, you must bear it."
Looking at Yi Shangyun, who had regained her appearance and discovered her true identity, Yi Shangkun seemed to have finally let go of everything in the past, and was filled with emotion...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com