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

The turmoil at the palace banquet seemed to have been buried by a silent snowfall.

The Prince Xin's mansion was unusually quiet.

The Great Zhou delegation also quieted down.

Even Ji Ling seemed like a lurking beast, refraining from making any further outrageous moves.

Everything was so quiet it was unsettling.

Inside Tingxuexuan, Jiang Bingning was combing her mother Liu Jingyi's long hair.

"Mother, are you used to the pressure?"

Her voice was soft, and her movements were gentle.

Liu Jingyi looked at her daughter's serene profile in the bronze mirror and took her hand.

"Ning'er, is something on your mind?"

Jiang Bingning paused in her movements.

She smiled.

"no."

"My daughter is just thinking how wonderful it is to be able to stay with her mother like this."

Liu Jingyi sighed and didn't ask any further questions.

My daughter didn't tell me because she didn't want her to worry.

But how could she not see the anxiety hidden in his eyes?

Jiang Bingning was indeed anxious.

That black iron talisman was like a branding iron, burning her heart day and night.

The other half is located in the Liu family's ancestral home.

But now that she's in the Prince Xin's residence, she can't easily get away.

She had subtly mentioned it to the Dowager Empress several times.

The Dowager Empress seemed to have completely forgotten about it.

"No rush."

"Your mother is in poor health; you should spend more time with her."

The Dowager Empress always used such words to lightly shut her down.

Jiang Bingning understood that this was both a warning and a test.

The Dowager Consort was still observing her, trying to see how much value she truly possessed and whether it was worthwhile for the Prince's Mansion to take greater risks for her.

But she couldn't wait any longer.

Amidst this inner turmoil, the tranquility of the Prince Xin's residence was shattered.

That afternoon, a simple, unadorned carriage sped from Changtian Academy on the outskirts of the capital and stopped in front of the Prince's Mansion.

Before the butler could even step forward to ask, the carriage curtain was suddenly flung open.

A young man dressed in a blue academy robe was the first to jump down.

He was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a handsome face, but his eyes and brows revealed a composure that was not commensurate with his age.

Immediately afterwards, a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old also got out of the carriage, supported by her maid.

The girl had a beautiful face with almond-shaped eyes and peach-like cheeks, but there was a hint of wariness and aloofness in her eyes.

Upon seeing the two, the guards at the gate immediately knelt on one knee.

"Welcome back, Second Young Master! Welcome back, Miss!"

The housekeeper rushed over, his face beaming with smiles.

"Oh my, Second Young Master, Miss Shao Huan, why are you back so suddenly? Doesn't the academy stay open until the end of the year?"

Those who returned to the manor were Ji Zhaowu, the second son of the former wife of Prince Xin, and his daughter, Ji Shaohuan.

Changtian Academy has strict rules, and students can only go home once a year.

Ji Zhaowu ignored the steward's attentiveness and his gaze swept across the entire palace.

It's too quiet.

The servants in the mansion all wore strange expressions, a mixture of awe and inexplicable sympathy.

Not right.

Ji Shaohuan frowned even more.

"When I left, there were crabapple trees planted by the gate. Why have they been replaced with magnolias?"

The butler's smile froze.

"This...this is His Highness's will."

The brother and sister exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

Before long, Ji Yunhan, having received the news, hurried out to greet them, his face beaming with genuine joy.

"Zhao Wu, Shao Huan, you're back!"

He opened his arms, wanting to give the two children a hug.

Ji Zhaowu took a half step back and bowed respectfully.

"The son pays his respects to his father, the king."

Ji Shaohuan also curtsied.

"Daughter pays respects to Father King."

Ji Yunhan's outstretched hand awkwardly froze in mid-air.

He gave a wry smile and put it back.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

"Come, Father will take you to see someone."

Ji Yunhan led them straight towards Tingxuexuan.

Ji Zhaowu's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Tingxuexuan?

When they stepped into the exquisite courtyard and saw Liu Jingyi standing by the railing, and the aloof and moon-like girl beside her, the brother and sister stopped in their tracks.

Ji Yunhan's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension.

"Zhao Wu, Shao Huan, this is Madam Liu, and this is... Miss Bing Ning."

"Quickly, call for help!"

Liu Jingyi smiled gently and nodded slightly to the two of them.

Jiang Bingning calmly looked back at them.

Ji Zhaowu simply cupped his hands indifferently, without saying a word.

Ji Shaohuan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

She stared intently at Liu Jingyi, her gentle face appearing as if it were some kind of ferocious beast.

She then looked at Jiang Bingning, a woman of similar age who had already stirred up a storm in the city.

So the rumors are true.

Consort Lin was divorced.

The king brought back a mother and daughter of unknown origin and let them live in the palace courtyard.

Where is her mother?

Is the last vestige of her life left by her deceased mother going to be slowly devoured by these outsiders?

Ji Shaohuan's eyes immediately reddened.

She turned around abruptly, pushed aside the maid behind her, and ran outside like a madwoman.

"Shao Huan!"

Ji Yunhan shouted urgently.

Ji Shaohuan, however, turned a deaf ear.

"I'm going to find my grandmother!"

Her voice was choked with sobs.

In the courtyard of the Dowager Empress, she was resting with her eyes closed.

With a "bang," the door was kicked open.

Covered in snow, Ji Shaohuan rushed in and knelt directly in front of the Dowager Empress's soft couch.

"grandmother!"

As soon as she opened her mouth, tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.

The Dowager Empress opened her eyes, looked at her granddaughter who was crying uncontrollably, and sighed deeply.

Ji Yunhan has rarely visited Xiufeng Mountain in recent years, and if he does, he will be kicked out by himself. However, Ji Chengyun has brought Ji Zhaowu and Ji Shaohuan here many times over the years, and she has never missed a holiday. She is very fond of this direct granddaughter.

She waved for the servants to leave.

"What's wrong, my dear grandson? Who made you suffer?"

Ji Shaohuan grabbed the old lady's leg and burst into tears.

"Grandmother, Shaohuan misses Mother!"

She wept bitterly.

"Shaohuan misses her mother!"

The "mother" she spoke of could only be the former Princess Shin, who had passed away ten years ago.

These words struck a chord with everyone present.

This is a question.

She questioned her father, the king, about why he had forgotten his first wife.

She questioned her grandmother about why she tolerated an outsider entering the house.

The Dowager Empress reached out and gently stroked her granddaughter's back, one stroke at a time.

Her eyes were filled with heartache and helplessness.

"Good child, don't cry."

"Grandma knows you're feeling wronged."

"But your father... he felt even more wronged."

"There are some things you don't understand now, but you will understand later."

Ji Shaohuan cried even harder.

"I do not understand!"

"All I know is that that woman has moved in. Does that mean she'll be living in Mother's Jinse Courtyard from now on?"

"Grandmother, this is the Prince Xin's Mansion, my mother's home!"