"What do you want to do? Let me tell you, there have been countless people who have bullied us siblings over the years. I want to see how you're going to deal with us!"
Shen Yue seemed more timid; her pointed oval face was deathly pale, and her white fingertips gripped her brother's hand tightly. She dared not speak and watched him with great vigilance.
Qu Jingyun felt as if she had been punched hard in the heart, and the soreness and swelling almost filled the sea.
She couldn't help but move closer to them and say, "I won't do anything to you."
But they immediately tensed up, like cats with their fur standing on end, staring at her warily. It was as if she was about to attack them at any moment.
Her children, who should have been the pride of heaven, are now so timid and cowardly.
She has wronged them.
She blinked away the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned around and knelt down in the center of the ancestral hall, her voice devout.
"I, Qu Jingyun, hereby swear before my ancestors that I will make amends a hundredfold for the mistreatment I have caused to my children, Shen Cong and Shen Yue, and will do my utmost to protect and cherish them as a mother."
The sincere words rang in their ears, and the brother and sister were stunned.
Shen Cong was almost at a loss, but quickly recovered and sneered: "Just keep pretending. Anyway, you've already disappeared for five years and never cared about us siblings. What's the big deal if you disappear for another five years?"
But his voice was trembling as he said this.
Qu Jingyun couldn't help but move closer to comfort him.
Chen Cong was startled and instinctively grabbed the candlestick next to him and attacked Qu Jingyun!
Qu Jingyun was completely unprepared when the candlestick struck her waist, nearly causing her to stumble.
Despite the pain in her waist, she didn't lay a hand on them. Instead, she touched Shen Cong's sleeve and patted Shen Yue's shoulder.
“You’re all grown up now. If you can’t fit into your old clothes anymore, just throw them away. Go to Beiyuan to have them measured and made.”
Shen Cong and his sister both stared at her in utter astonishment.
A servant came in and respectfully invited Shen Cong and his sister out.
Shen Cong and his sister went out in a daze.
After a long pause, Shen Yue, her eyes filled with guilt, whispered, "Brother, have we misunderstood her...?"
Shen Cong struggled in his eyes but remained silent, as if he were dreaming.
Is she going to prove it with her actions?
After the brother and sister left, Qu Jingyun took a deep breath and sat down in the armchair.
The secret guard her father left her yesterday, summoned by signal fireworks, has returned to her side after "five years".
The head of the secret guard, Qu Jiu, said respectfully, "Miss, we have made progress in the investigation of Lin Qingping's identity that you asked me to do yesterday."
He whispered a few words in Qu Jingyun's ear, and Qu Jingyun's surprise turned into understanding.
After a moment, she said, "You may leave."
The next day, an invitation arrived from the palace, inviting the general's residence to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in three days.
When the invitation arrived at the General's Mansion, everyone there was taken aback. After all, in the past five years, the General had been far away on the frontier, and Qu Jingyun had disappeared. The palace had not sent any banquet invitations to the General's Mansion since then!
But now that Qu Jingyun has returned, the palace's attitude has changed immediately. Everyone in the household is overjoyed and treats Qu Jingyun with even greater respect.
Three days later, Qu Jingyun entered the palace with her three children. The family traveled in two carriages, with Qu Jingyun and her siblings, Shen Cong, in one.
When Qu Jingyun was alive, Shen Cong and his sister were still young. Since Qu Jingyun had never taken them into the palace, this was the first time Shen Cong and his sister had entered the palace.
The two were dressed in comfortable new clothes made of soft silk, feeling both excited and apprehensive. They secretly watched their mother's expression, unable to fathom her thoughts.
But when Qu Jingyun looked over, the brother and sister immediately looked away, one looking out the window and the other nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
When they arrived at the palace gate, everyone got off the carriage. Qu Jingyun suddenly realized that Shen Song had not brought Yin Xue, but had quietly taken Lin Qingping instead!
At the palace gate, Lin Qingping, with a gentle and graceful expression, bowed to her and said, "Greetings, Madam."
Qu Jingyun laughed, looking at the seemingly weak but secretly amused eyes of the other party, her gaze icy as she looked at Chen Song: "Fool!"
Shen Song was furious, but he couldn't vent his anger at the palace gate, so he could only say fiercely, "I've said it before, I'm determined to marry Qingping as my second wife in this life. Today, I'll let you all see, and maybe the Emperor will be pleased and grant me a marriage by imperial decree!"
After saying that, he took Lin Qingping's hand without hesitation and walked inside.
Qu Jingyun was so angry that the veins on her forehead throbbed.
How could such a bright child have become so foolish, even deluding himself into thinking that the Emperor would bestow a marriage upon him and Lin Qingping!
Suppressing her anger, she turned around and ordered, "Go back now and bring the Crown Princess here. I'll wait for her here."
Shen Yue couldn't help but lift her eyelids and carefully examine her mother.
My mother has changed a lot from what I remember. Before, she was always busy with something, locked in her study all day, and never cared about these things.
But now, she was actually waiting for her sister-in-law at the palace gate, and she was even more concerned about her and her brother's clothes being too short.
Perhaps, I could try to trust my mother?
Qu Jingyun's expression shifted several times as she thought about Lin Qingping, but she had regained her composure by the time Yin Xue arrived.
The family successfully entered the palace gates.
At the banquet, musicians played melodies, the sounds of string and wind instruments were pleasant to the ear, and men and women sat at separate tables, amidst the clinking of glasses.
Lin Qingping stood among a group of young men and women. Her figure was as graceful as a willow, which made her seem pitiful. Many people struck up a conversation with her out of curiosity.
Qu Jingyun's lips curled into a sarcastic smile, her eyes clear, and she stepped forward to give Chen Song a cold warning.
"Now that Lin Qingping is here, she should stay by my side properly to avoid being criticized for not knowing proper etiquette in the General's Mansion."
Even though she didn't understand why her mother had suddenly changed her mind, it was a good thing that someone in the palace was protecting Lin Qingping, so Shen Song immediately agreed.
As Qu Jingyun walked forward, a jade pendant silently and loosely hung on her waist the instant she brushed past Lin Qingping.
The music suddenly stopped, and a eunuch's shrill voice came from outside.
"The Emperor and Empress have arrived!"
The crowd, who had just been clinking glasses, immediately knelt down respectfully to greet them.
Lin Qingping gritted her teeth and knelt down as well.
But after a burst of cheers, a sudden "click" sound made the small sound all the more noticeable in the otherwise silent atmosphere.
"How dare you! Who would dare to disrespect the Emperor and Empress!"
Lin Qingping was taken aback, but several eunuchs walked straight toward her. One quick-witted eunuch immediately picked up the jade pendant that had fallen to the ground and presented it to her.
The emperor's face changed instantly!
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