Chapter 1126: Chapter 625: Mother (Double-Length)

Each time Min Ning and I part is always so easy, and each time it makes Chen Yi reluctant to let her go.

Perhaps people always fear separation, feeling the need to cry tubs of tears to let the unbearable trickle away like tears, yet the deepest attachment often remains in the heart.

They meet again on the road, but the next moment they are gone, a fleeting encounter in passing. Chen Yi exhales a breath; this kind of female knight from the Jianghu has no constraints, like a very nimble fish in the water, precisely biting the bait, yet swimming away just as you try to reel it in.

Chen Yi had thought about forcibly keeping her, but he gave up on the idea a long time ago. She wants to be a grand hero, and he also wishes for her to become one, even if it means waiting for her.

"By the way, why is she going to the Southern Border?" Chen Yi mumbles to himself.

He forgot to ask her why she was heading to the Southern Border.

Though Bashu is only a wall away from the Southern Border, crossing this wall is not easy, requiring a journey of several hundred miles, demanding some effort.

Chen Yi does not know why she mentioned visiting the Southern Border later, nor does he fret about it. Min Ning has her own thoughts; she has always been a woman who does what she thinks of, direct and decisive, unlike a timid woman, nor like Yin Weiyin’s redundant actions, and not like the Little Fox’s opportunistic ways.

"It’s important to respond well, and not be caught off guard."

Chen Yi remains cautious, slowly making preparations.

But for now, there’s no need to rush any of this.

The real priority is to return, to return to the Qin Family Ancestral Temple, back to the Annan Royal Mansion.

.........

Since the assassination attempt at the Ancestral Temple, a bloody storm is visibly brewing again, casting a depressive pall over the entire Dragon Tail City. The maids and servants in the Prince Mansion dare not show the slightest laxity, fearing an unwary move might make them fish in troubled waters.

Prince of Annan, Qin Qingluo, set out that day and returned that night.

The sound of hooves rang out along the long street, startling almost all the servants of the Prince Mansion awake. They rushed to the gate to welcome her; they have served the Prince of Annan for a long time and know well the Prince’s decisive nature. Even so, her swift actions are terrifying.

Entering the inner courtyard, her armor has not been removed. The old maids hasten to greet her, only to be pushed away by her. These are all longtime people of the Prince Mansion. In such moments, only they can approach the vassal king who commands authority without anger. Yet tonight they all faced such coldness, and upon learning this, the maids are terrified, turning pale as they see the Prince of Annan heading directly into the warm chamber where the Princess lives.

Rumors had long swirled fiercely within the mansion: that child named Qin Yue, the firstborn of the Prince Mansion, was not the Prince’s daughter.

Two years have passed; the rumors have slightly abated, yet those with seniority in the mansion have never completely forgotten.

In the warm chamber, Qin Yue was playing with a leather ball. She walked around the floor, sometimes diving down to bounce the ball with her whole body, then quickly pursued it, bouncing it up again after diving down, never crying despite falling several times, finding joy in the process.

The nursemaid also enjoyed the leisure, watching from the side, coaxing from time to time. This little Princess always had a way of warming people’s hearts just with a look.

"It wouldn’t do to fall, Yue’er. Don’t fall now."

"Oh dear, don’t play around wrecklessly; the floor’s been cleaned just for you."

Qin Yue wrinkled her nose at these words; she wasn’t afraid of falling, and she wasn’t playing recklessly. She was doing something very important and serious, but she wouldn’t explain, as the nursemaid wouldn’t understand even if she did.

With strange thoughts, she continued to hit and bounce the ball.

Crack.

The door was abruptly pushed open.

A gust of cold wind swept in, carrying a towering shadow.

The nursemaid shivered, barely managing to rise and pay respects before seeing Qin Yue drop the ball and run over babbling, "Father, Father."

"Out."

The two words fell.

The nursemaid knew it wasn’t meant for Qin Yue but for herself. She was suddenly panicked, wanting to speak but that serpentine glance from the shadows terrified her.

Coming back to her senses, she nearly fled the room.

The door quietly closed, leaving only Qin Yue and Qin Qingluo in the room.

Qin Yue did not know what her birth mother was thinking, but she was very happy that her father came. It was rare to see him a few times usually and she was a bit hungry, so her little hands tried to reach up to pry open his clothes, but it was cold, hard armor, and she couldn’t open it.

She tiptoed, wanting to be lifted high, only to meet the icy gaze of the female Prince that seemed to pierce bone and frost.

"...Father, father...me, wow, wah."

Qin Yue was startled, falling to the ground. The tall figure reached out a hand toward her, but she hastily shrunk back.

However, her arm was still caught by the tall woman, unable to break free.

Qin Yue wailed loudly, not knowing what was happening, only feeling incredibly scared.

The candlelight flickered violently, and the female Prince’s face was sullen as water.

During these three years, life continued as usual; aside from the illegitimate child in the mansion, everything returned to normal. She continued to amass power and strengthen her armies for the Southern Border. Meanwhile, Zhu E has always tirelessly worked for her enterprise, braving the elements and giving everything she had, as if the past had become distant clouds. Gradually, even this child named Qin Yue became somewhat endearing.

Qin Qingluo no longer mentioned the past; even that name after the initial complexity of thoughts had become nothing more than a fragmented yet futile mark. She admitted, amid her hatred, there was indeed a sliver of nostalgia, like how people might unconsciously miss a dead enemy after great tribulations.

But he came again, bringing all back to ashes.

The three-year facade of calm...torn asunder once more.

Everything is again...gradually slipping from her grip.

Qin Qingluo silently stared at her, this piece of flesh from her body. Under the candlelight, this little one’s features resembled that person so closely.