Anan has just arrived at Zhongnan Academy and is an orphan, so he is bound to be bullied by others. Moreover, the three children are usually together, but only two of them came back today.
“Yes, a man came looking for Anan just now. Anan seemed to know him, so he left with him and told us to come back first and not wait for him.” Jiang Qianqian quickly replied, “Auntie, I don’t think Anan has ever been that happy. That man might be unusual.”
"What?" After hearing this, Xu Yuehuai became even more worried. Anan is still so young. Could he have been deceived by someone?
"Did that person often go to see Anan before?" she asked again.
Anan has always been the smartest child; he would never be easily taken away by anyone, unless…
Thinking of this, Xu Yuehuai couldn't sit still any longer: "You guys find something to eat first, I'll go out and look for Anan. It's so late, what kind of man would he know?"
She was about to leave after she finished speaking, but her two children naturally tried to stop her.
"No, he might be back soon. If we go out now, we might miss him." Jiang Shichen trusted Anan the most. Even if he was deceived, Anan wouldn't.
"Alright, stop trying to persuade me. This is a serious matter, and it will be even more troublesome if it gets later." After saying that, Xu Yuehuai immediately turned to leave.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared, walking from afar with a smile on his face.
Seeing that Anan had returned, Xu Yuehuai stopped and breathed a sigh of relief: "Where have you been? Why are you back so late?"
When Anan saw Xu Yuehuai come out to greet him personally, and remembering that he had found his biological parents, he was overjoyed and rushed towards Xu Yuehuai, hugging her tightly: "Manager Xu, I found my parents. They came to see me today, which is why I'm late."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai's heart skipped a beat.
"Anan, are you sure they are your parents?" She looked up and glanced around, but there was no one behind her. "Why didn't they come with you?"
Anan stepped out of her embrace and continued earnestly, "Manager Xu, they really are my parents. They both know about the birthmark on my body."
Xu Yuehuai wanted to ask something more, but Anan stopped her.
"Manager Xu, I am very grateful for your care these days, but I still want to live with them..." he said shyly.
Xu Yuehuai paused for a moment after hearing this, but still nodded.
...
After dealing with the county magistrate, Qi Guze also thoroughly rectified the lawlessness and disorder in Luoping County before returning to Chang'an City with Pei Xuan, Zhou Wan, and others.
"Your Highness, we'll head back to let my mother know we're safe." Zhou Wan suggested to Qi Guze that they return to Tianxiang Tower. "I think she must be anxiously waiting for news."
Qi Guze's eyes flashed.
He also wanted to see Xu Yuehuai, but it wasn't possible now: "Alright, Pei Xuan and I will go to the palace to meet the Emperor first. You two go back to Tianxiang Tower first, and we'll come to find you after we've finished dealing with things here."
They soon split into two groups. After Qi Guze and Pei Xuan entered the palace, the emperor soon summoned them.
"Your Majesty, on our trip to the Kingdom of Dark Moon, we finally persuaded them to settle the political affairs of the alliance through a barter system..." Qi Guze reported his gains to the emperor, but something felt off.
The emperor's reaction to what he said was lukewarm; he even looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, as if he were suspicious and distrustful.
Needless to say, Qi Guze could vaguely guess that all of this was because of the charge of treason.
"If Your Majesty still has any doubts about me, I will stay in my residence these days and will not attend court." He knew that the most difficult thing to argue about in the world was one's reputation.
Nevertheless, he still firmly believed that the innocent would remain innocent and the guilty would remain guilty.
The emperor showed neither joy nor anger, but spoke calmly: "You don't need to think too much. Go back and rest. Now that you two are back, those rumors will naturally be dispelled. There's no need to say anything more about the rest."
Qi Guze nodded in agreement, but his mind was still racing. He quickly came to a conclusion—something must have happened.
At that moment, Qi Guze's subordinates were reporting to him about the unusual events in the capital. Suddenly, they mentioned Xu Yuehuai: "Your Highness, Tianxiang Tower has been quite unsettled a few days ago. It seems to have been targeted by Marquis Ningyuan. However, the Crown Prince even sneaked over there once a few days ago."
Qi Guze's eyes instantly turned cold: "Marquis Ningyuan? How could he be related to you?"
"Manager Xu opened a restaurant called 'Delicacy Shop' a few days ago, and business was good. But suddenly someone framed him, saying it was poisonous. Fortunately, the Duke of Zhenguo intervened and the problem was quickly resolved."
Qi Guze was terrified as he listened, both being framed and then defused; thankfully, nothing happened.
However, he frowned instantly and began to think about these causes and effects. Thinking of this, Qi Guze became even more eager to go to Tianxiang Tower to see Xu Yuehuai. He wanted to ask about the doubts in his heart.
...
"Mother, I'm back." Zhou Wan called out to Xu Yuehuai as soon as she arrived at Tianxiang Tower.
Xu Yuehuai was also very happy to hear this, and San Niang came out to greet Zhou Wan and Tie Xiong.
She looked Zhou Wan up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there was nothing unusual about her. She chuckled and said, "You really came back at the worst possible time. There's a small exam at Zhongnan Academy these days, and the two of them haven't dared to delay for even a day. Otherwise, that kid Shi Chen would have flown down long ago."
After saying that, she saw Aunt Meng behind Zhou Wan and immediately asked, "Who is this?"
“Mother, this is an old lady we met on the road. She’s from Luoping Village. She lost her children because of the flood years ago. She only received news a few days ago that her children were in Chang’an City, so we came back with her,” Zhou Wan quickly explained.
Although she was suspicious of Aunt Meng's background, everything was normal on the way back, and there were no problems at all, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Yuehuai nodded quickly and said with a smile, "Auntie, I imagine you've helped them a lot along the way. Why don't you stay with me for now? Don't worry about food and drink expenses. We can talk about it again once you've found your children."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble." Aunt Meng's gaze remained fixed on Xu Yuehuai, never looking away.
After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Yuehuai didn't forget the important matter and immediately asked, "Zhou Wan, did you find out anything on your trip?"
After spending so many days together, she had fully accepted the kindness of the Duke of Zhenguo's family and naturally hoped that she would be their daughter.
Her eyes were filled with hope.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Wan found herself unable to speak.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com