"Hey you—"
The old farr looked at Liu Qingyun with a pained expression.
Inside the carriage, the dim candlelight flickered.
Liu Qingyun lowered her eyebrows, her long eyelashes glimring with tears.
She didn’t look at Lu Yuan, but every word she spoke was directed at him.
"I shouldn’t have controlled you in everything, shouldn’t have been so harsh on you, shouldn’t have punished you..."
Her throat gradually tightened with pain, her voice choked several tis.
Although ng Qianqian hadn’t been around Liu Qingyun for long, it wasn’t difficult to see that she was an extrely proud person, likely soone who acknowledged her mistakes but would never admit them aloud.
Simply put, being stubborn ran in the family for three generations.
These words must have taken countless nights of struggle before she finally mustered the courage to say them.
As for her strict control over Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan himself had ntioned it—his mother liked to dominate and disliked anything beyond her control.
In his early years, Lu Yuan lived strictly according to Liu Qingyun’s rules.
It was no wonder Lu Yuan had always taken a laissez-faire approach with Bao Shu; it wasn’t Bao Shu he freed, but the younger version of himself, who had been restrained in every word and action.
Liu Qingyun’s eyes reddened as she said, "I especially shouldn’t have sent your younger brother away..."
ng Qianqian stared at Lu Yuan in shock. "You have a brother?"
Lu Yuan replied, "No."
The old farr raised his hand and sighed, "It was the dog he raised, nad Xiao Bai. His mother wouldn’t let him keep it, but he insisted. Later, his mother sent Xiao Bai away. Furious, he ran away from ho, claiming he would find Xiao Bai. His mother thought he was just venting, but after a while, she went to find him, and he was gone."
"That was the first ti his mother brought him to see . He ca so happily with Xiao Bai, but who could’ve expected... sigh, it’s my fault for not fetching them earlier. If I had, what happened on the road wouldn’t have happened."
The old farr, who had been so quarrelso and feisty with Lu Yuan all along, was suddenly shrouded in a deep sadness.
Inside the carriage, silence reigned. Only the soft sobs of Liu Qingyun and the steady breathing of Zong Zhengxi could be heard.
ng Qianqian broke the silence, "And after that?"
The old farr tilted his head back, forcing back his tears, and said evenly, "After that, we searched everywhere, scouring every corner within ten miles. Finally, near a tiger’s den, we found his shoes and tattered clothes. I killed the tiger and cut open its stomach, only to retrieve his jade pendant."
ng Qianqian understood. At that point, anyone would have believed that Lu Yuan had been devoured by the tiger.
The old farr lowered his head, nervously twisting the straw hat in his hands. "After that, his mother went mad."
Lu Yuan’s body stiffened.
A trace of shock flickered in ng Qianqian’s eyes as well.
The old farr kept his gaze on the straw hat. "Your grandmother never told you, did she? About what your mother went through in those years. I sotis thought, with her madness, if she pretended another child was you, maybe it would make her feel better. Once, we even found a child your age, and after so disguise, your grandmother said he almost looked identical to you. But still, she couldn’t fool your mother."
"Your maternal grandmother took your mother back to her ho to recover from her illness. But every year, she would return to the place where you went missing, waiting for you."
"Until a few years ago, your portrait appeared in Miaojiang... Who would’ve thought, it wasn’t us who found you—it was you who ca before us."
Hearing this, ng Qianqian could piece it together.
Lu Yuan had risen to beco a top-ranked Grand Commander of the court, wielding imnse power. Even Miaojiang had heard of him.
When Liu Qingyun saw Lu Yuan’s portrait, she imdiately suspected her son might not have perished after all, and so she traveled from Miaojiang to the Capital City.
But unfortunately, Lu Yuan’s heart was burdened with a heavy knot. Years of suffering couldn’t simply be wiped away with an apology.
The old farr said earnestly, "Your mother forbade you from keeping a dog because of your asthma."
ng Qianqian looked at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan said flatly, "It’s gone now."
"We’re here," said Wu Ge’er.
Sitting atop the carriage, Yu Zichuan said, "We’re not."
The lon wasn’t finished yet.
Steward Cen hurried out in a fluster. "Young Madam, did you fetch the young master? It’s so late, and Madam hasn’t returned either. Should we send soone to ask at the Princess Mansion?"
Liu Qingyun raised her hand and casually brushed away her tears. "No need."
"Madam?"
Steward Cen caught Liu Qingyun’s voice.
Liu Qingyun dismounted the carriage nonchalantly, returning to her poised persona as the ever-composed mistress of the household.
Steward Cen stared in shock. "M-Madam was here too? Ca along to fetch the young master?"
What’s going on here?
Why did Madam seem unhappy?
And her eyes were red—had she cried? No way, could she be that heartbroken about her son being imprisoned?
In the carriage, ng Qianqian turned to the old farr. "Grandfather, let’s get off too."
The old farr nodded with a grunt, but before leaving, he gave Lu Yuan a glance. "You can go against all you want, but you may not mistreat your mother. She’s my daughter. Aside from your grandmother, no one else can make her feel wronged."
Lu Yuan looked away.
The old farr got off the carriage.
Steward Cen, mistaking Lu Yuan’s arrival, opened his mouth to admonish him, only to be startled by a face exuding undeniable authority.
Steward Cen froze in shock. "Miao—"
The old farr’s gaze sharpened.
Steward Cen: "ow~"
The playful pear blossom-patterned cat darted over, pawing at Steward Cen’s pant leg.
Seemingly saying: "What’re you calling for?"
ng Qianqian and Lu Yuan stepped off the carriage.
Zong Zhengxi had fallen asleep. Unable to wake him, ng Qianqian had Yu Zichuan carry him into the mansion, arranging him and her grandfather in the sa courtyard.
On the way back to the main residence, ng Qianqian hesitated to speak.
Lu Yuan said, "Just say it."
ng Qianqian asked, "Consort Li is your aunt? She... doesn’t know your true identity either?"
Lu Yuan replied, "When she was young, she lived with my mother in the village. When she was eight, the late Duke sent soone to take her away. My mother didn’t know where she went. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when she ca to the Capital City to find , that they t again."
ng Qianqian paused. "When you helped His Majesty ascend to the throne..."
Lu Yuan said, "At that ti, I didn’t know he was my cousin. He was young and easy to control, so I chose him."
Still stubborn—clearly, it was because Zong Zhengxi had a good nature.
ng Qianqian seized the opportunity to say, "See, you put so much care into guiding His Majesty. Even if he almost veered off the right path, you never neglected his education, even at the cost of his resentnt. I think your mother treated you the sa way back then."
Lu Yuan pressed his lips together and replied gruffly, "He’s an Emperor. He has a nation to inherit."
ng Qianqian murmured, "Who’s to say you don’t have a legacy to inherit as well? Your grandfather doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. He might even be a big figure in Miaojiang!"
Lu Yuan let out a cold snort. "How big? The Miao King?"
—
Inside the room.
The old farr placed his straw hat down and seated himself solemnly in a chair.
The air of carelessness in his brows was gone, replaced with an intimidating authority that brooked no defiance.
Steward Cen didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.
Not until the man leisurely finished sipping his tea did he step forward deferentially and perform the grand Miaojiang salute, lowering himself to the floor with utmost respect:
"Greetings to the Miao King!"
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