As soon as Yi Shangyun finished her prayers, Yi Shangkun eagerly helped her up, saying, "Alright, alright, you've finished your prayers. It's good that you're back! Hurry up... hurry up and get up to go see your mother at Mingyue Pavilion. She goes to your room every day to clean it herself and talks about you there!"
Yi Shangyun then stood up and said, "During my time away from home, I have been thinking of my mother constantly. I will go back to Mingyue Pavilion to visit my mother first, and then come to see my father later."
“Go ahead,” Yi Shangkun nodded and said.
As soon as she stepped out, she bumped into Aunt Lan, who had rushed over after hearing the news. Yi Shangyun curtsied to her and said, "Yun'er greets Aunt. Is Aunt well?"
Aunt Lan was stunned, as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight. She stared at her beautiful face for a long time, unable to react.
Ultimately, out of consideration for her son, Ishigami Shun, she could only manage a slight smile and say, "Ah, you're back!"
"Mm." Yi Shangyun nodded slightly in response.
For a moment, Aunt Lan didn't know how to face her. So she waved her hand and urged Yi Shangyun, saying, "You haven't seen your mother since you came back, have you? Go see your mother! She stays in Mingyue Pavilion all day, she misses you so much!"
"Okay." Yi Shangyun agreed and walked towards the backyard on her own.
As soon as his figure disappeared from her sight, Aunt Lan suddenly lost the smile on her face and hurriedly walked into Yi Shangkun's study.
A loving mother sews the thread in her hand, and sews the clothes on her traveling son's back. She sews them carefully before he departs, fearing that he will be long in returning.
As the sun sets and dusk falls, in the Bright Moon Pavilion.
Lady Nian sat beside Yi Shangyun's couch, gently stroking with her tender hand the brand-new red dress with gold lace trim that she had sewn for Yi Shangyun herself. A pair of lifelike kingfisher feather butterfly hairpins adorned the dress. She murmured to herself, "Poor child, you are a girl all alone, suffering outside with no one to rely on..."
Ever since Yi Shangyun left the Yi residence for the last time, every evening she would come here and talk to herself silently: "Did you eat well today? Are you dressed warmly enough? You've always preferred coolness to warmth since you were little. Even in the dead of winter, you always wear thin clothes, and no matter what I say, you won't listen."
She would always find herself unable to hold back her tears as she spoke. Right now, tears were glistening in the corners of her eyes again. She sniffed, glanced out the window, and said, "Although it's late spring now, it's still a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings. You must remember to wear more clothes!"
Perhaps feeling that she had talked so much and waited so long every day, yet still hadn't seen her beloved child return, Madam Nian was extremely anxious and sad: "Yun'er, when will you finally come back? Come back and see your mother one last time. Your mother misses you so much!"
Yi Shangyun stood outside the door, leaning against the door frame. Upon hearing what Nian Shi had said, she couldn't help but cover her face and weep, tears streaming down her face instantly.
After an unknown amount of time, a familiar voice suddenly rang out in the silent attic: "Mother!"
Upon hearing the sound, Nian almost stared blankly as she slowly shifted her gaze toward the direction from which the sound came.
“You are…you are…” Madam Nian stared blankly at Yi Shangyun standing at the door, as if she hadn’t recognized her for a long time.
"Mother, it's me, it's Yun'er, your Yun'er is back." Yi Shangyun said with tears in her eyes, her heart aching.
“Yun’er…you are Yun’er? You really are Yun’er? My Yun’er? My Yun’er has finally returned?” Even though the person was now standing right in front of her, Madam Nian slowly stood up and still felt deeply incredulous.
"Mother!"
In this situation, Yi Shangyun could no longer suppress her emotions. She rushed forward and hugged Nian tightly. The mother and daughter truly felt the warmth of each other's presence and wept together.
At this moment, the maid Yan'er, having heard the news, also rushed upstairs. She stood in surprise at the door, holding onto the door frame, and burst into tears of joy, saying, "Miss, it really is you! You're finally back!"
Yi Shangyun and Nian Shi helped each other to their feet. Yi Shangyun turned around and hugged Yan'er, who had come closer to her, and called out softly, "Yan'er."
Looking at everything before her, Ms. Nian covered her mouth with her hand, trying her best not to cry out.
Tonight, the Yi Mansion in the west of the city has never been so brightly lit, and laughter and cheerful voices have been heard continuously.
After what was arguably the only harmonious and pleasant dinner in the family in many years, Yi Shangyun, having bathed and changed with the help of her maid Yan'er, was about to go to bed when she suddenly heard what sounded like a light drizzle tapping on the windowsill.
Those who are born with a particular fondness for rainy nights instantly lost their sleepiness and simply reached out to push open the window, taking a closer look at the fallen red petals and green leaves illuminated by the dim light outside.
Remembering that there were still important matters to attend to, she muttered to herself, "Time is of the essence; the people of Dragon Tiger City are still waiting for my antidote. I must speak with His Highness as soon as possible, no matter what! But… will His Highness still be willing to see me?"
With her mind preoccupied, she couldn't help but gently stroke her slightly protruding belly again and again.
Suddenly, she faintly heard a crackling sound: "This sound seems to be coming from my father's study."
She frowned, sensing that something was amiss, so she started changing her clothes again, preparing to go and check.
It was late at night, and rain was pattering on the banana leaves in the study.
Aunt Lan tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and was earnestly trying to persuade Yi Shangkun, the head of the Yi family.
“Master, now that things have come to this, I can understand why you have kept the secret of Yun’er’s background so tightly sealed for so many years. You haven’t even mentioned it to me.”
Yi Shangkun turned his head away from her and sat down angrily at the desk.
After all that has happened, Aunt Lan has changed quite a bit, and she no longer harbors the same hostility towards Yi Shangyun: "But now, although she is now a princess, she is still a princess of an enemy country. It seems a bit inconvenient for her to live in our house so openly, doesn't it?"
Yi Shangkun said angrily, "Yun'er is living in her own home, what's inconvenient about that?"
Aunt Lan shook her head. She knew that Yi Shangkun was also having trouble sleeping tonight. He was hesitant, but he wouldn't admit it.
So she analyzed for him: "Master, I know you understand this better than anyone else. If someone in the palace were to impeach you over Yun'er's matter, our entire family of dozens of people would be in deep trouble. Moreover, Jun'er is increasingly favored in the court, and he will inevitably be seen as a thorn in the side by some people. If this happens to someone with ulterior motives..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yi Shangkun impatiently cut him off: "It's a wonder you still remember. If you had even a shred of conscience, you should know that Jun'er's success today is entirely due to Yun'er. That's why His Highness the Prince of Qin was willing to promote him. Otherwise, Jun'er would probably still be idling around all day, accomplishing nothing!"
Aunt Lan took a deep breath and said, "I have never denied that Yun'er has made a great contribution to Jun'er's success today. But things are different now. If Yun'er were still the same Yun'er as before, I would have nothing to say and would naturally treat her better than before. But now that she has a status, she is a hot potato. Whoever takes her on will be in trouble."
Aunt Lan's words were like blood stabbing into Yi Shangkun's heart. Who could disagree?
"Now that Consort Chun has returned, the subtle relationship between Prince Qin and the Emperor is obvious. Who in the court can't see it? People from humble families like ours are lucky to be able to protect ourselves. How can we withstand such waves?"
Seeing that Yi Shangkun remained silent and powerless to refute, Aunt Lan said, "Master, although Yun'er is thoughtful and obedient, she was never born to belong here."
Just as Yi Shangkun was pondering and about to speak, a sound of a flowerpot shattering on the ground came from outside the window: "Clang..."
Upon hearing the sound, Aunt Lan hurriedly called out, "Who's outside?"
A moment later, Yi Shangyun slowly walked in and said softly, "Father, Aunt, it's me."
Upon seeing the newcomer, Yi Shangkun suddenly stood up and exclaimed in surprise, "Yun'er?! What brings you here?"
Yi Shangyun said in a deep voice, "I heard what Father and Aunt said outside the window just now."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun and Aunt Lan exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to explain. Yi Shangkun hurriedly said, "Yun'er, don't listen to your aunt's nonsense. Just stay here in the manor. Father will definitely find a way to protect you and won't let you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yi Shangyun hurriedly interrupted him, saying, "Father, Aunt is right. It was my oversight that almost implicated you. Now, we can never go back to the way things were before."
Yi Shangyun never imagined that after finally returning to her adoptive parents' side, the precious time she had spent with them would slip away so quickly. She was filled with mixed emotions, but what could she do? It seemed as if she was destined to be alone for the rest of her life.
To reassure her father, she forced a smile and said, "Actually, I came back to Western Qin this time to take care of other matters. It's just that I haven't seen Father and Mother for a long time, and I miss them very much. Now that I see with my own eyes that everything is fine at the Yi residence, I can finally rest assured."
Looking at her face, Yi Shangkun suddenly couldn't figure out what his daughter was thinking, so he asked worriedly, "No, Yun'er, what are you going to do?"
As they were talking, Yi Shangyun suddenly knelt down on both knees in front of Yi Shangkun: "Father, please accept my bow! In the future, Father, please take good care of yourself. Yun'er bids farewell here."
After three particularly earnest kowtows, Yi Shangkun helped Yi Shangyun to his feet. Yi Shangyun gave him one last careful look before suddenly turning around and rushing out the door.
Yi Shangkun followed closely behind, stopping her, saying, "No, Yun'er, it's still raining heavily outside, where are you going? No, you mustn't!"
But in an instant, Yi Shangyun vanished without a trace. Yi Shangkun cried out to the raging wind and rain, "Child, come back quickly..."
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