He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

Ji Ling froze on the threshold.

He slowly turned around, his smile more painful than a grimace.

"Your Highness... what's wrong...?"

The Dowager Empress raised her eyelids and glanced at him.

"It's good that you're here, saving me the trouble of sending someone to your wolf guard camp again."

"There are some things I'd like to tell you now."

Ji Ling's heart skipped a beat.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet, bow, and say, "Please speak, Your Majesty."

"In two days, His Majesty will host a banquet in the palace to entertain the delegation from the Great Zhou."

The Dowager Princess picked up the hot tea served by Granny Zhang and gently blew away the foam.

"You'll have to be there too."

"I'll take Chengyun and Jiang girl with me to the Prince Xin's residence."

She paused, her gaze falling on Ji Ling.

"Yun Han is not in the capital now. You must report this matter of the Jiang family mother and daughter to His Majesty on his behalf."

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling's brows furrowed instantly.

The Dowager Empress spoke lightly, but he understood the weight behind her words perfectly.

What does it mean to "repay someone properly"?

This was clearly intended to make him, in front of all the civil and military officials and the Zhou envoys, inform His Majesty that the Prince Xin's Mansion intended to accept Liu Jingyi and Jiang Bingning, the mother and daughter!

This is not to say that Ji Ling is afraid to take on this responsibility.

But this Jiang Bingning is strange in every way, and the secret agents he sent out have not found anything useful so far.

Before the matter is fully investigated, why should he go to the Emperor to vouch for them, thus tying their future to the Prince Xin's mansion?

His doubts and resentment grew wildly.

What if this is some kind of trap set by the Zhou Kingdom? Wouldn't he become a sinner for all time?

Ji Ling was just about to find an excuse to decline when Ji Chengyun spoke first.

He got up and walked to the Dowager Empress's side, his brows furrowed with doubt.

"Grandmother, I will accompany you to the palace banquet."

"Why...do we still need Miss Jiang to come along?"

Ji Chengyun turned his gaze to Jiang Bingning, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

In his view, Jiang Bingning was, after all, a person from the Zhou Kingdom, and taking her to the palace banquet to entertain the Zhou Kingdom delegation seemed rather inappropriate.

The Dowager Consort was not displeased at all; instead, she smiled and patted Ji Chengyun's hand.

"Sit down and talk."

She gestured for Ji Chengyun to sit back in his original seat.

"Judging from what your cousin said just now, it seems you don't know Jiang's true identity yet."

"It's my fault, I forgot to explain it to you in detail. But since your cousin is here today, I'll just tell you all about it."

Actually, it wasn't that the Dowager Empress forgot to mention it.

Rather, she had reservations.

She worried that once Jiang Bingning's identity was revealed, it would make her grandson, who already harbored resentment because of the loss of her mother, even more uncomfortable.

But the fire at Jinse Courtyard yesterday made her change her mind.

Ji Chengyun disregarded his own safety and rushed into the fire to rescue Jiang Bingning; this act of kindness is genuine.

It seems that the two children are not as irreconcilable as I thought.

She had been standing outside the door and overheard most of the conversation inside the warm room.

Ji Ling's words were full of probing and coercion, but Jiang Bingning's reply was neither humble nor arrogant. She both pointed out Ji Ling's warning and did not put herself at a disadvantage.

She truly admired this kind of temperament.

Since the children get along well, it's time to break the ice.

The Dowager Empress cleared her throat, her gaze lingering between Ji Chengyun and Jiang Bingning for a moment.

"Chengyun, do you know why your father brought Miss Jiang and her daughter back to the royal palace from the Zhou Kingdom?"

Ji Chengyun shook his head, "Grandson doesn't know."

The Dowager Empress sighed softly.

"Because Miss Jiang's mother is the person your father has been longing for for sixteen years."

"Her surname is Liu, and her given name is Jingyi."

"And Miss Jiang..."

The Dowager Empress paused for a moment.

"She is Liu Jingyi's daughter."

boom!

Ji Chengyun felt as if something had exploded in his head, making a buzzing sound.

He suddenly stood up from his chair, his eyes wide open and his face filled with disbelief.

He pointed at Jiang Bingning, who stood silently with her head bowed, his fingers trembling slightly.

"You...you are actually Liu...Liu Jingyi's daughter?"

Liu Jingyi!

How could he not know that name!

Over the years, how many times in the dead of night has he heard his father, drunk as a madman, murmuring that name again and again in his dreams?

He mentioned "Liu Jingyi" far more often than he mentioned his own mother who died young!

That's it!

It turned out to be her daughter!

No wonder her grandmother treated her differently!

In an instant, Ji Chengyun's heart was in turmoil.

If... if I had known she was Liu Jingyi's daughter on the very first day she entered the manor, I probably wouldn't have given her the slightest bit of kindness!

Faced with Ji Chengyun's shocked and complicated gaze, Jiang Bingning slowly raised her head and curtsied.

"Your Highness."

Her voice was cool and calm.

"It's not that Bingning intentionally concealed it, but this matter is of great importance, and since the Dowager Empress has not given any instructions, Bingning dares not speak on her own."

Ji Chengyun waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to be so polite.

He slumped back into his seat, his gaze vacant, lost in thought.

The atmosphere in the warm room became somewhat stagnant for a moment.

Instead, the Dowager Empress spoke up again.

"Speaking of which, a letter arrived from Yunhan yesterday."

She looked at Jiang Bingning, her expression softening considerably.

"The letter says that your mother has woken up."

Upon hearing this, a light suddenly shone in Jiang Bingning's eyes.

"But my body is still very weak," Zhang Xuanzhi said, "I need to rest quietly for a period of time, and I should not overwork or move around."

The Dowager Empress looked at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Yunhan will take good care of her."

"After the palace banquet ends in a few days, I will take you to visit them."

Jiang Bingning suppressed her excitement and bowed deeply once again.

"Thank you, Dowager Princess!"

"Everything will be arranged by the Dowager Princess."

Ji Ling, who had been silent all along, suddenly turned around and immediately spoke up.

"Since the Dowager Empress is going to leave the city, safety should be the top priority."

"At that time, I will personally lead a squad of wolf guards to escort you there."

The Dowager Empress glanced at him, a half-smile playing on her lips.

"What, are you afraid that this old man might get robbed on his way to the capital?"

She laughed and scolded.

"I'm not that old yet, you don't need to make a fuss about it."

Ji Ling was met with a rebuff and awkwardly touched his nose.

Just then, Ji Chengyun, who had been lost in thought and silent, seemed to suddenly come to his senses.

He raised his head and looked at the Dowager Empress with a firm gaze.

"grandmother."

"My grandson would like to go with us then."

The Dowager Empress looked at him with a somewhat complicated expression.

In the end, she nodded.

"Alright."

"Your father also had a difficult time making this decision."

"Chengyun, you must be understanding of him."

Ji Chengyun gave an ugly smile.

"Grandmother, don't worry, your grandson won't cause trouble for Father."

"only……"

He let out a long sigh.

"Grandson also wants to see for himself what kind of extraordinary woman Liu Jingyi is, the one who has caused his father so much worry for more than ten years."