The Eastern Palace.
In the lotus pavilion in the center of the lake, Song Zhiyu leaned lazily against the chaise longue, her jade-like hands resting on her forehead, idly fanning herself with a round fan.
A rustling sound came from behind the artificial hill not far away. A cute little flower bud peeked out from among the flowers. Her rosy face was like a finely carved piece of jade. She was lively and playful, blinking her big, watery eyes as she looked at Song Zhiyu in the lotus pavilion.
Her mother certainly didn't know she was hiding here.
Song Zhiyu paused in her hand, which was waving a round fan. Her red lips curled up slightly. She turned her head to look at the direction of the rockery, which she did not do often. She saw that the little flower bud had shrunk back, leaving only a leaf that had accidentally stuck in her hair.
"Little Bao, Mother has seen you. If you don't come out soon, Mother will go see Great-Grandmother by herself."
As soon as Song Zhiyu finished speaking, the little flower bud hiding behind the rockery moved. The next moment, a delicate, exquisitely carved face was revealed. Her small mouth was slightly open, and her black gem-like eyes showed a hint of disbelief, making people want to pinch it.
How did Mother know she was here?
A big question in a small head.
But before she could think, upon hearing that her mother was going to leave her to go to her great-grandmother's house, she ran into the pavilion with her short little legs and threw herself at Song Zhiyu.
"How did Mother know that Little Treasure was hiding there?" The little dumpling asked, her tender voice sweet and soft, with a touch of childishness.
Song Zhiyu hugged the soft little pink dumpling tightly. Hearing this, she just chuckled softly, "You were hiding there last time when your mother found you."
Xiao Bao suddenly realized, his eyes crinkling into crescents, and his clear, bell-like laughter swayed in the wind, "Then Mother must find me next time too."
"Okay, Mother will never lose you." Song Zhiyu nodded emphatically, tightening her grip on Xiaobao's hand. She wouldn't let her daughter repeat her mistakes.
Xiao Bao hugged Song Zhiyu and shook her, rubbing his rosy cheeks against her chest, and said in a soft voice, "Mommy, let's go find Great-Grandma, I miss her so much."
"You only think of your great-grandmother? What about your great-grandfather?" A mischievous smile flashed in Song Zhiyu's eyes as she teased the little dumpling in front of her.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Bao quickly counted on his fingers, listing all the people in the Duke of Ling's mansion without showing any favoritism, "They all want to, Xiao Bao wants to."
"Your Highness, please stop teasing the little princess. Look how anxious she is." Lu Bai, standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh, her eyes filled with undisguised affection.
The young princess was clever and beautiful, with a delicate and exquisite appearance. She was a beauty even at a young age, and not only in the palace, but also among the ministers in the court, they were all smitten with her.
Madam Ling was especially fond of this, stuffing all sorts of good things into the hands of the young princess, practically spoiling her rotten.
Song Zhiyu gently patted Xiaobao's budding hair, took her little hand, and walked out of the lotus pavilion. "Let's go, don't keep your grandmother waiting too long."
*
After a while, a lavishly decorated carriage came to a steady stop at the gate of the Duke of Ling's mansion.
Upon seeing this, the gatekeeper immediately shouted happily into the mansion, "The Crown Princess and the young princess have returned!"
Upon receiving the news, Old Madam Ling rushed out with such eagerness that even General Ling couldn't match her.
"Little Bao, your great-grandmother has missed you so much." Old Madam Ling picked up the little dumpling, her brows full of affection.
Although she is old, she is still a heroine who has been on the battlefield and is still very healthy.
In addition, Song Zhiyu has been helping her take care of her health and treat the hidden injuries she sustained when she was young over the years, so living for several more decades should not be a problem.
Upon seeing Xiao Bao, she couldn't help but feel affection for him and brought out all the good things in the mansion.
Song Zhiyu's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at the cloth tiger that stood out among the pile of treasures.
At this moment, even the smiling Old Madam Ling noticed this object, and her smile instantly faded considerably. "This is..."
"She came." Song Zhiyu said with certainty, and it was obvious who she was referring to.
She recognized the stitches on the cloth tiger very well; apart from her mother, no one else would have the habit of embroidering on it.
"I didn't know she left a cloth tiger here. I suppose it was for Xiaobao. If you don't like it, you can take it away." After saying this, Madam Ling instructed the maid to put the cloth tiger away, out of sight, out of mind.
She knew that there was absolutely no possibility for the mother and daughter to reconcile in this lifetime, so she didn't force them or try to plead for them.
Song Zhiyu is very stubborn. Once she says she won't forgive, she means it, with no room for negotiation.
No one can shamelessly ask for forgiveness after recklessly hurting others.
Old Madam Ling felt sorry for Song Zhiyu, who had suffered so much, so naturally she wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
"When I first found my daughter, I felt both happy and guilty, and I thought I had to make it up to her. After all, if my husband and I hadn't offended so many people, our child wouldn't have been taken away."
But later, everything she did disappointed me greatly, and in the end, I gave up and kicked her out of the mansion. "Old Madam Ling sighed. Her daughter was just too clueless.
Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this point.
Song Zhiyu remained silent. Initially, she admired Shen's mother, after all, she was the biological mother she had longed for for many years.
After returning home, seeing that she favored Shen Jinshu, he felt sad and thought about pleasing her to gain a little bit of maternal love.
But perhaps she was born with shallow family ties, no matter how much she did, she could not integrate into the Marquis's mansion, nor could she gain their recognition.
Gradually, she gave up on the idea.
It's good that we can live in peace.
But Shen Jinshu refused to let her go, framing her time and time again, successfully making everyone in the Marquis's mansion despise her.
Even worse, Shen Yanxi and his group repeatedly bullied Shen Jinshu for her sake.
Her so-called biological mother, however, always watched coldly from the sidelines, enjoying her goodwill while standing on the opposite side.
In her past life, if her mother hadn't tricked her into returning to the manor, she wouldn't have had her heart's blood ripped out by Shen Muxun to cure Shen Jinshu's illness, thus leaving her with a chronic condition.
How could there not be resentment?
Song Zhiyu did not consider herself a saint; on the contrary, she was vindictive.
Some wounds don't fade with time. Song Zhiyu didn't want to mention Mother Shen anymore. Seeing that it was getting late, she got up and prepared to return to the palace.
"If Xiao Bao likes these things, let her take them with her." Duke Ling looked at Xiao Bao with affection, the dark-skinned, tall, and strong man grinning from ear to ear.
Song Zhiyu reached out and ruffled Xiaobao's hair, teasing her with a smile, "This little girl likes everything, you all spoil her too much."
As she boarded the carriage, she caught a glimpse of a deep red hem flashing past at a corner not far away. She suppressed the smile on her lips and lowered the curtain.
The carriage slowly drove away from the Duke of Ling's mansion until it was no longer visible. Only then did Madam Shen emerge, her eyes slightly red, holding a cute cloth tiger in her hand.
She lowered her eyes to look at the cloth tiger in her hand, a crystal tear sliding down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.
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