"What?"
"Are you the mute old man in the Huaqiao Village Land God Temple?"
Han Yichen circled Kang Fulai twice in disbelief and looked him up and down several times.
"It's me, Third Uncle." Kang Fulai answered in his still hoarse and low voice.
"Come out with me for a moment. I have something very important to ask you." Han Yichen glanced at Kang Fulai, then looked at Hua Qingcheng leisurely, and then left the hall of Xuanbao Pavilion with a heavy heart.
Even the heartless Han Yichen felt very upset when he thought that the mute old man who was like an ant in Huaqiao Village and could be bullied by anyone might be his own father.
"Achen~"
Hua Qingcheng looked worried as she looked at her third husband's lonely and desolate back. Just as she was about to chase him, Kang Fulai stopped her.
"Young Master, Third Uncle is a man who values his dignity. He must have something difficult to ask me, so he called me over alone. Please wait here for a moment. I'll go out and take a look."
When Kang Fulai staggered to his feet from the chair, Hua Qingcheng had already placed his crutches under his armpits and helped him stand up.
"Thank you, Uncle Kang!"
Hua Qingcheng's few words of thanks contained so much.
"Young Master, there is no need to do this. This is Kang Fulai's duty."
Kang Fu glanced at Hua Qingcheng, then nodded to Feng Lingyan. Then he saw him limping out of the hall of Xuanbao Pavilion with a cane, following Han Yichen's footsteps.
"Qingcheng, I'm sorry! It's all my fault! If I hadn't misjudged people and mistakenly trusted Ouyang Yuming, you wouldn't have suffered so much hardship since birth and almost lost your life."
Feng Lingyan felt a surge of emotion as she watched Kang Fulai's receding figure. But seeing him narrow his eyes slightly, a look of pain on his face, guilt towards his daughter suddenly filled his heart.
"Dad~"
"This is not your fault. The only one to blame is Ouyang Yuming, who has evil ambitions and deliberately tried to harm us father and daughter." Hua Qingcheng clenched her fists, glanced leisurely in the direction of the capital, her eyes cold.
"Qingcheng, you...really don't blame me? Do you know what you've lost? You were supposed to be the moon hanging high in the sky, unattainable, not a peasant girl nestling in the remote countryside, digging for food in the soil..."
Feng Lingyan's heart ached deeply when she thought that her daughter should have been a princess who had never had to do housework, had a group of servants and was high and mighty, but now she had to stay in a remote countryside, working hard with her face to the earth and her back to the sky.
"Dad~"
"You may not believe it, but I've actually always been quite content being a peasant woman in Huaqiao Village. I have no worries about food, clothing, or money to spend. I have my husband in my left hand and my child in my right hand, and there's no intrigue. Isn't this kind of free and easy life better than being trapped in the birdcage of the imperial palace?"
Finally, Hua Qingcheng couldn't bear to see Feng Lingyan sad, so she came to Feng Lingyan and hugged him gently.
Her biological father had spent sixteen years in the secluded valley at the foot of the Forgetful Cliff. His state of mind was undoubtedly different from that of the once confident and elegant eldest son of the Feng family. But it didn't matter. Hua Qingcheng had the patience and time to work with Feng Lingyan to clear his mind and dispel the lingering darkness. She also hoped that Feng Lingyan would live a life filled with sunshine and warmth for the rest of his life.
"It seems I was wrong." Feng Lingyan chuckled slightly. He was unworthy of being called one of the "Legends of Lai and Feng," but his state of mind was no match for a young girl.
At this moment, Feng Lingyan felt even more grateful to Hua Rongsheng and Ye Maochun, the couple she had never met. She was grateful that they had raised her daughter so well, valuing love and loyalty, and even disdaining the power, status, wealth, and glory that were within her reach.
(Hua Qingcheng: Actually, I do crave wealth and glory, but I long for freedom even more...)
"Dad, after Achen heals your leg, do you want to return to the palace, or come back to Huaqiao Village with me?"
Hua Qingcheng had never thought about this issue before, but now that her father mentioned the palace, she thought it would be better to ask him first, so that he would not regret it in the future.
"Silly child, I've been able to survive these past sixteen years solely because of my desire to see you again. Naturally, wherever you are, I'll be there. Besides... besides, the Emperor has three thousand concubines and maids in his harem, so one more or one less wouldn't make much either. But you're my only daughter..."
Feng Lingyan's eyes were red and filled with tears as she looked at Hua Qingcheng with great heartache. Maybe he did have feelings for the emperor, but the moment he knelt and begged the emperor to find their daughter and she cruelly left, Feng Lingyan's heart was already dead.
However, now that the Emperor knew of their daughter's existence, he was afraid that his peaceful life with his daughter wouldn't last much longer. But even if it was only for one day, Feng Lingyan would deeply cherish this hard-earned time with his daughter.
Looking at this loving father and filial daughter, Hua Qingcheng's husbands had different thoughts.
Although Mu Lige was envious, he was more worried about and preparing for the future of himself, Hua Qingcheng, and their entire family. After all, if Hua Qingcheng's identity as the legitimate princess was exposed, their entire Hua family, including her mother and father, would probably not be able to continue living peacefully in Huaqiao Village.
Mu Lige wasn't the only one worried; his second husband, Situ Ye, was also worried. If he were the emperor of Laifeng, he wouldn't let his bloodline be lost among the common people, let alone the legitimate daughter of his beloved!
However, no matter what the future holds, he, Situ Xuanye, will face it side by side with Hua Qingcheng. Whether he continues to be a farmer or enters the palace for Hua Qingcheng, wherever Hua Qingcheng is, Situ Xuanye will follow her closely...
As for Yu Xiaotian, after he made the choice between returning to Tianlong Temple to become a monk and fulfill the Yu family's mission, and staying with Hua Qingcheng to protect her, although he could not completely let go of his Buddhist heart for the time being, he no longer worried about whether to stay or go.
As for Si Chengfeng, when he learned that he and Hua Qingcheng were destined to be together, he felt unwilling to accept it. However, as smart as Si Chengfeng was, he quickly suppressed this unknown sorrow. Because he knew that only by being content can one be happy.
"Master, you're back! That's great. By the way, where's my brother?"
Just as Hua Qingcheng was having a heart-to-heart talk with Feng Lingyan, and her several husbands were thinking about various things, a clean and clear voice suddenly came from the door of the hall.
Hua Qingcheng and others looked in the direction of the voice and saw Shan You's pretty little face.
It turned out that Yu Xiaotian's heart-eating poison broke out yesterday, and Shan You went out to look for Xuan Ming, but accidentally entered the forbidden area in the back mountain.
Shan You, thinly dressed, was chilled by the cold of the snowy mountains and suffered an asthma attack shortly after returning to Yiran Residence. After Xuanming cured Yu Xiaotian of the poison, he asked Xiao Lengyu to take the sick Shan You to his Xinglin Courtyard.
Shan You had been staying in Xinglin Courtyard since yesterday afternoon. In the evening, he heard that his master had also come to Xuanyi Valley. He had been suppressing his excitement and did not come to see her until this morning.
Mu Lige felt a slight pang of disappointment upon seeing this. He had been so focused on reuniting with Hua Qingcheng that he had completely forgotten about the little one Xiao Lengyu had taken away from him!
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