Chapter 962 Family Reunion (Second Update)
After Shangguan Qing returned to the Yan Kingdom, Shangguan Yan appointed him as the eldest son of the emperor.
The common people had never seen the former eldest grandson of the emperor and were unaware of the changes in his appearance, so they had no doubts about the imperial edict.
As for those who had seen him, those who were enemies, such as Gongsun Yu, were already dead, while those who were his own people, such as Wenren Chong, were all confidants of the Xuanyuan family and the Imperial Preceptor's Hall. They would never spread any news that was unfavorable to Shangguan Qing.
As for Master Qingfeng and Wang Xu, the former is face-blind and cannot remember faces, while Shangguan Qing chose to tell the truth about the latter.
"...That's roughly what happened. My mother was worried that if my identity as someone who wasn't royalty was exposed, the Imperial Preceptor's Hall wouldn't treat my illness, so she made me wear my younger brother's face." On a covered boat in the Taiye Pond of the Imperial Palace, Shangguan Qing put his hands behind his head and looked up at the starry sky.
Wang Xu sat beside him, and after hearing the whole truth, his mind remained unsettled for a long time: "So... the eldest grandson of the emperor I saw in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall earlier... wasn't you?"
With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, Shangguan Qing casually said, "He's my younger brother."
Wang Xu suddenly stood up, his movement so sudden that the whole boat rocked. Shangguan Qing stared at him in astonishment.
He said, hurt, "How could you do this!"
"Huh?" Shangguan Qing was stunned. It was indeed my mistake to keep it from you...
Wang Xu said with great distress, "You betrayed me! You told your brother our secret code!"
Shangguan Qing: ...Hello? Aren't you getting a little off-topic?
"I..." He wanted to say that he hadn't told them anything. These codes were all guessed by the two of them. Besides, they weren't secrets between them. He had learned them from the Imperial Advisor, and he couldn't guarantee that the Imperial Advisor hadn't told others.
He looked at Wang Xu sheepishly: "Old Wang..."
"You've changed." Wang Xu clenched his fists tightly, turning his face away with a hurt expression. "You used to call me Old Wang from next door!"
Shangguan Qing: "..."
...
Old Wang is too hard to coax. After getting off the Taiye Pond, Shangguan Qing felt that his energy was severely depleted. He didn't even want to walk anymore, so he ordered the palace servants to bring a sedan chair, which he then took to Fenglin Palace.
In the Yan Kingdom, adult princes were required to build their own residences outside the palace. This was both a rule established by their ancestors and a way to avoid suspicion from the concubines in the harem.
However, now that all the beauties in the harem are men, what reason does Shangguan Qing have to avoid suspicion?
He then settled down in the palace.
He planned to first pay his respects to his mother and then grab a late-night snack while he was at it.
But as soon as he entered Shangguan Yan's bedroom, he smelled a strong milky fragrance, followed by the sound of a baby's babbling.
"Um?"
He frowned and walked strangely toward the inner hall.
His mother was sitting on the bright yellow dragon bed, holding an infant in her arms and feeding it with a bottle. Ye Qing was sitting on a stool beside the bed, also holding an infant and feeding it with a bottle.
His hair stood on end!
No way?
I was only gone for a short while, and Mom, you and Ye Qing have already made a family of four!
You have so many beauties in your harem, but it turns out you only like Ye Qing!
It has to be said that in this respect, the mother and son think in exactly the same way.
"mother?"
He was so frightened that his voice trembled.
Shangguan Yan smiled at him: "Come here and see your little nephew and niece."
It turns out they weren't younger siblings, but nephews and nieces.
He breathed a sigh of relief, almost thinking that Ye Qing had become his father.
His nephew and niece only have a pair of twins, a boy and a girl.
He strode over and asked excitedly, "You little brat's here?"
Shangguan Yan copied Ye Qing's words exactly: "No, only the two of them came."
Shangguan Qing: "..."
...
The twins began their life of being pampered in the Great Yan Palace, and Shangguan Yan would never mistreat her two little grandsons.
The next day, she brought her twins to court and announced to the public that she had recently found her long-lost second prince, Shangguan Heng, and conferred the title of Yongle Prince on his son and Kangning Princess on his daughter.
The Great Yan Kingdom welcomed its imperial grandson, a dragon and a phoenix, a cause for universal celebration.
As a result, before the father could even enjoy a single day of princely treatment, the twins had already become imperial grandsons showered with favor.
Gu Jiao and Xiao Heng's group arrived in Shengdu at the end of June. Due to bad weather, the journey that should have taken a month and a half took an extra month.
When Wu Sixi went to the palace gate to greet the Second Prince and the young commander, he almost didn't recognize them.
Are these dark-skinned little black couple really the handsome young master and the young commander who is said to have regained his stunning good looks?
Xiao Hengsheng said dejectedly, "Just now, a charcoal cart... overturned!"
The two escorted Duke Anguo back to his residence before entering the palace. On the way, Xiao Shiyi knocked over a charcoal cart, covering their faces with soot.
However, it's true that the two of them got tanned and lost weight.
Wu Sixi invited the two to Fenglin Palace: "His Majesty is in court. He will come over in a little while. The young prince and princess are enjoying the cool air in the pavilion."
The two went to the pavilion.
The little one was born on the ninth day of the second lunar month and is now almost five months old. He is chubby and fair-skinned, with little arms and legs that look like sections of lotus root.
Furthermore, with the absence of Long Yi's midnight snacks for Xiao Yan and Xiao Yiyi's attempts to steal Xiao Cong's food, Xiao Cong gradually caught up with Xiao Yan.
Despite his best efforts to be a quiet and handsome young man, Xiao Cong's natural tendency to move was still unavoidable, causing him to occasionally twitch his little arms and legs.
In particular, the twins have a strange telepathic connection; often, when Xiao Yan calls out, he can't help but respond with a soft "uh-huh."
The two happened to hear Xiao Cong let out a soft "uh-ah," and the fatigue of their journey vanished in that sweet, childlike voice.
They thought that after being separated for so long, the twins wouldn't recognize them anymore, but it turned out that wasn't the case.
When the two of them appeared in front of the twins after they had washed themselves clean, the twins burst into tears.
At this moment, I finally realized I missed my parents.
When Gu Jiao turned around, she saw that Xiao Heng's eyes were also red.
Gu Jiao: "..."
...
A person's temperament can change with their status. Since Shangguan Yan ascended the throne as Empress, she has gradually gained more of the majesty and ruthlessness of a ruler.
She was well aware of the injustice this dynasty inflicted on women. Her ability to become the Crown Princess was due to a confluence of favorable circumstances: firstly, her father was a tyrant who suppressed countless grievances; secondly, she was the Empress's only legitimate daughter with pure blood; and thirdly, the Xuanyuan family was powerful enough to provide her with strong support.
But that sense of discontent persisted, and these issues gradually surfaced after she ascended the throne.
She cannot show the slightest weakness, otherwise those with ulterior motives will seize the opportunity to attack her.
She only lets her guard down around people she truly trusts and cares about.
"Aheng!"
She arrived at the entrance of the bedchamber and immediately saw Xiao Heng playing with the twins. His imperial aura vanished, replaced by endless tenderness in his eyes.
Xiao Heng turned his head, looked at her and smiled slightly: "Mother."
Shangguan Yan's eyes welled up with tears.
Shangguan Qing was unaware that his younger brother had entered the palace today; he had gone out to play. Shangguan Yan and the young couple had lunch at Fenglin Palace.
When Shangguan Yan first saw Gu Jiao without her birthmark, she was utterly amazed. Although she had guessed that Gu Jiao would be beautiful without her birthmark, she never expected her to be so ethereal and beautiful.
If she goes to the military camp looking like this, the young men there will go crazy.
"Jiaojiao, eat some food." Shangguan Yan picked up a piece of soft and chewy braised pork knuckle with rock sugar for Gu Jiao. "Aheng said you like to eat this."
Gu Jiao took a bite. The sauce, thickened with rock sugar and spices, was very rich. With a handful of chili peppers, the flavor permeated the meat. Although it was spicy and pungent, it was sweet but not cloying, and spicy but not overpowering.
Gu Jiao liked it very much.
Thinking of something, Gu Jiao asked her, "By the way, Mother, how is your injury? Does it still hurt?"
Xiao Heng looked at Shangguan Yan, Gu Jiao was referring to the eight nails that had been driven into her back.
Shangguan Yan shook her head: "It doesn't hurt anymore. I'm no different from before I was injured."
Gu Jiao said, "Then let's go to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall in a little while, and I'll take the screw out for you."
Shangguan Yan thought for a moment: "Does it hurt?"
Gu Jiao said, "With anesthesia, it won't hurt."
In the afternoon, the three of them went to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
Yu He came to meet the three of them. When he saw Gu Jiao, he didn't dare to recognize her. Of course, he had already learned Gu Jiao's true identity from his senior brother and heard that Gu Jiao had regained her appearance, but wasn't this recovery a bit too much?
Is she really not a fairy descended from heaven?
Gu Jiao smiled and said, "Long time no see, Master Yu He."
The sound is different now!
When Gu Jiao dressed as a man, she used a boy's voice.
Yu He was utterly shocked, but thankfully Ye Qing arrived.
Ye Qing led them to the secret room.
Shangguan Yan is in good condition, all test results are normal, and the surgery to remove the pedicle screws was very successful.
Shangguan Yan stayed in the operating room for twelve hours of observation, with Xiao Heng accompanying her.
Gu Jiao came out of the secret room and said to Ye Qing, who was guarding the door, "Take me to pay my respects to your master."
Ye Qing was stunned.
He opened his mouth: "You..."
Gu Jiao's gaze swept over the mourning cloth on his arm: "Let's go."
Ye Qing's throat bobbed, her chest heaving with emotions, her throat throbbing with pain, and suddenly an urge to cry welled up within her.
He didn't ask Gu Jiao how she guessed it; if she didn't have such a clever mind, she wouldn't have been able to become the first Shadow Lord.
He took Gu Jiao to the Purple Bamboo Forest.
The small study there had been carefully tidied up. Except for the clay figurine and portrait, which had been given to Gu Jiao, all the other furnishings remained unchanged, and Jing Yinyin's doodles were still there.
It was as if this person had not disappeared from their lives; he was still alive in their lives. With just a turn of their head, they could see a dignified and otherworldly imperial advisor standing at the door.
Gu Jiao stroked Jing Yinyin's picture album: "Did your master pass away peacefully?"
Ye Qing said sadly, "Yu He said she was very peaceful."
He lied to Gu Jiao. He didn't actually see his master one last time. The person who went to Dark Night Island to find him wasn't his master, but Yu He, who was carrying his master's keepsake.
Gu Jiao whispered, "Is it for Xuan Yuanqi?"
Xuanyuan Qi's life had already come to an end at Guishan, and the battle of Pucheng had exhausted all his strength.
His survival and gradual improvement may not be solely due to the miracle created by the comfrey poison.
Ye Qing nodded, choking back tears: "Master said he was sorry to the Xuanyuan family, and he gave his life to Xuanyuan Qi... as a way of atoning for his sins to the Xuanyuan family..."
He only understood later why his master sent him to the border and gave him the Purple Grass Poison. His master had foreseen Xuan Yuanqi's fate and his temperament, and knew that he would not abandon Xuan Yuanqi.
Everything was going according to Master's plan.
From the day he left the Imperial Preceptor's Hall for the border, his master had been peacefully awaiting death in Shengdu.
Gu Jiao murmured, "No wonder he looked so much older when I saw him after returning from the border."
He defied fate to change Xuanyuan Qi's destiny, exhausting his own life in the process.
Ye Qing turned away, wiped her tears, and calmed herself down before continuing to say to Gu Jiao, "Master knows you are Jing Yinyin. He told Xuan Yuanli that when Yinyin was little, Grand Marshal Xuan Yuan would always secretly take her home, and that's why. Being able to grow up under the protection of the Lord of Shadows is the greatest wish of Master and Grand Marshal Xuan Yuan."
In an instant, Gu Jiao understood many things: Was it because of this that Xuan Yuanli melted down his armor and gave it to Jing Yinyin? Was it also because of this that he insisted on letting Jing Yinyin learn martial arts, no matter how weak she was as a child?
Thinking of her master, Ye Qing's tears welled up again: "Master said that he couldn't protect Yin Yin, but they all hope to protect you."
To defy fate and change Xuan Yuanqi's destiny is not only out of a sense of indebtedness to the Xuan Yuan family, but also out of a hope that there will be someone stronger than oneself in this world to protect you.
Gu Jiao stroked the two characters "Yin Yin" in the painting album, which were personally inscribed by the Imperial Preceptor. She raised her hand and pressed it against her chest, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable there.
The Imperial Preceptor has finished explaining, and Dark Night Island will give a final explanation: Little Jingkong is about to grow up!
The short story about Xiao Jingkong is a little longer; it's a complete story, which I will indicate in the title.
You can tell us whose side stories you like to read based on the titles.
P.S. I'm not pregnant. It's just that autumn is here, and people's appetites are really strong!
(End of this chapter)
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