Duanmu Junyu brought them to Xiliang not so that they would worry about these things for her.
When she left, neither of the children wanted to leave, especially Yun'an, who cried her heart out. Although she returned to Xiliang, she still missed them whenever she thought of them. Just then, Duanmu Shenghua made those underhanded moves, forcing her to make Duanmu Qingxin the Crown Princess of Xiliang.
So she simply brought both children to Xiliang. Firstly, it would let the officials of Xiliang know that she didn't only have Duanmu Qingxin as her child, even though Duanmu Qingxin wasn't actually her child. Secondly, she could use this opportunity to have her two children acknowledge their ancestry and officially restore their status, so that Xue Ning could inherit her throne in the future. Thirdly, she did care about them, and having them by her side to take care of them would put her mind at ease.
Seeing that Duanmu Junyu seemed confident, Su Xuening and Su Yun'an were no longer so worried.
My mother ascended the throne at the age of ten. When she lost her memory on the battlefield and was brought back to Eastern Chu by my father, she must have been seventeen or eighteen years old. She has been the empress for seven or eight years. I believe my mother has some skills. She has not been the empress for nothing during those seven or eight years!
Moreover, according to her mother, the Empress of Western Liang must gain the approval of the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast. Based on this alone, Duanmu Shenghua would have no chance of seizing her mother's throne, so there is really nothing to worry about!
Seeing that the baby in Su Xuening's arms had finished drinking milk and fallen asleep again, Duanmu Junyu smiled and said, "It's getting late, you should rest with the child first. Yun'an and I are next door, just call us if you need anything."
"Okay." Su Xuening nodded, then looked at Su Yun'an: "Don't disturb Mother too much."
"Okay," Su Yun'an replied, and then followed Duanmu Junyu happily.
Upon arriving at the adjacent side hall, Duanmu Junyu arranged for Su Yun'an to sleep on the large bed in the inner room, while she herself slept on the small couch in the outer room.
"Mother, I can sleep on the small couch." Su Yun'an ran out, wanting to switch with Duanmu Junyu.
How could a grown man like him compete with his mother for the big bed and make her sleep on the small couch?
"It's alright, the small couch is big enough, don't worry about me." Not only was Su Yun'an reluctant to let Duanmu Junyu sleep on the small couch, but Duanmu Junyu was also reluctant to let Su Yun'an sleep on the small couch.
Looking at the large enough small couch, Su Yun'an asked expectantly, "Can Yun'an sleep with Mother?"
Looking at Su Yun'an's pitiful, pleading expression, Duanmu Junyu beckoned to him affectionately, "Come on up."
Su Yun'an was overjoyed. He climbed into bed and snuggled into Duanmu Junyu's quilt, then hugged her tightly.
Smelling her mother's scent, Su Yun smiled contentedly.
Duanmu Junyu gently stroked Su Yun'an's head: "How have you and your sister been all these years?"
“Not good.” Su Yun’an shook his head and said in a muffled voice, “Without Father and Mother by our side, my sister and I are not doing well at all. Those people from the second branch of the Su family have been trying to harm my sister and me, and that woman Su Huiyan, she even sent assassins to kill my sister. Fortunately, my sister is smart and she didn’t succeed.”
In just a few words, Duanmu Junyu learned about the suffering the two children had endured.
Although she had lost her memory, it seemed that she had been imprisoned by the second branch of the Su family and Su Huiyan. Neither the second branch of the Su family nor Su Huiyan were good people. They could even harm her, their sister-in-law, let alone the two children.
As Yun'an said, the two must have suffered a lot at their hands. Thinking of the suffering her two children had endured in Dongchu, Duanmu Junyu felt both heartache and self-blame.
If she had regained her memory sooner and taken them back to Xiliang, they wouldn't have suffered so much.
Seemingly sensing that Duanmu Junyu was not in a good mood, Su Yun'an quickly comforted her: "Mother, don't worry about me and my sister. My sister is very smart and she has always protected me. I have also started to learn martial arts from my master. I already know martial arts. I will study hard and protect you and my sister in the future."
Su Yun'an's unusual maturity made Duanmu Junyu feel even more sorry for him. She kissed his forehead affectionately and said, "From now on, Mother will protect you and your sister and will never let anyone bully you again!"
"Mother~" Su Yun'an's eyes welled up with tears as he said those words. Afraid that Duanmu Junyu would see him crying, he buried his face in Duanmu Junyu's arms in embarrassment.
Duanmu Junyu gently stroked his head, then suddenly asked, "Was your sister forced into marriage?"
Su Yun'an didn't know why Duanmu Junyu suddenly asked this. After thinking for a moment, she looked up and said, "It's not really like that. Back then, Su Huiyan's son, Xuanyuan Yu, wanted to marry my sister, and Su Huiyan forced her to marry. At that time, my brother-in-law was seriously ill and needed someone to bring him good luck. The Empress Dowager took a liking to my sister, so she asked the Emperor to grant the marriage. My sister was forced by Su Huiyan and her son to accept the imperial decree. My sister would rather bring good luck to her brother-in-law than marry Xuanyuan Yu. I don't like that Xuanyuan Yu either. He always acts like a good person in front of my sister, saying he loves her, but every time we are harmed by the second branch of the Su family, he helps the second branch of the Su family and never helps us. How can someone like him deserve to love my sister!"
Duanmu Junyu was even more heartbroken that Su Xuening had married under such circumstances with no other choice.
If she could have brought the siblings back to Xiliang sooner, or if they had been born in Xiliang, she would have definitely chosen a good husband for Xue Ning. As for Yun An, she could choose a good wife for him when he grew up. Given their sibling relationship, it wouldn't matter if he and his wife lived in the palace for the rest of their lives.
Seeing that Duanmu Junyu was upset again, Su Yun'an comforted her, "Mother, you don't need to worry about my sister and me. My sister is very intelligent, and her choice was not wrong. Although she married her husband to bring good luck, he recovered his health later. He loves my sister very much and treats her like a precious jewel. His household is also very clean. He only has my sister as his woman and once swore in public that he would only marry her in this lifetime. The Dowager Consort also protects my sister and treats her like her own daughter. My brother-in-law is much better than that Xuan Yuan Yu, and the Dowager Consort is much kinder than Su Huiyan. So my sister's choice was right. My sister is very happy, and I am doing well too. Mother, you really don't need to worry about us."
Duanmu Junyu affectionately rubbed Su Yun'an's head. How could she not feel sorry for this silly child!
However, knowing that they were doing well made her feel a little more at ease.
"Mother, do you really not remember Father?" Seeing that Duanmu Junyu only cared about him and his sister, but never mentioned their father, Su Yun'an couldn't help but ask.
When he mentioned Su Renzhong, Duanmu Junyu frowned but did not respond.
How could she not remember Su Renzhong? He was her enemy, the enemy general who stood against her on the battlefield!
Of course, even if she had forgotten him, she knew he was still the father of her two children.
Duanmu Junyu remained silent, but Su Yun'an couldn't help but ask again, "Mother, do you know? Father might still be alive."
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