New Return of the Pearl: The Group's Pet Swallow Flies

On the right side of Xiaoyanzi stood the graceful Ziwei, wearing a water-blue long dress with a front opening, and her sleeves fluttered, like a fairy descending from the earth. This dress not only made her look more gentle and charming, but also added a bit of fresh and refined temperament to her. However, after three years of experience and running around, Ziwei's face has quietly changed. The years of hard work have made her originally delicate face more resolute. Compared with the weak woman three years ago, she is now more courageous and tenacious like a chivalrous woman.

Behind the three of them, followed Benjamin, Erkang and the Ertai brothers. In addition, there were two strange girls who had never met before and a man who looked quite unusual. The appearance of these people made the team look even larger and more eye-catching.

Originally, Xiaoyanzi and the others should have gone straight to the Qianqing Palace to pay respects to the emperor after entering the palace. But when they arrived at their destination, they unexpectedly learned that the emperor was in Jingren Palace. Considering that the emperor was with the empress, it would be more appropriate for everyone to come here to pay respects. In this way, the group walked towards Jingren Palace in a mighty manner.

When she finally saw the Emperor and Empress after years of absence, Xiaoyanzi's eyes were instantly filled with deep longing and joy after the reunion. Although she was eager to throw herself into their arms and act like a spoiled child as she did before, she still resisted the urge and obediently bowed to the Emperor and Empress with the other companions.

Only her clear and pleasant voice sounded at the same time as others: "Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei, Yongqi pay their respects to the Emperor Father and the Empress!"

Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei and Yongqi stood side by side, smiling and standing straight as they respectfully greeted their elders. The light in their eyes was clearly the joy of returning home.

"Benjamin, Falcon, Forte, Anyaxin, Muyunzhi, and An Qingchen pay their respects to His Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Pay their respects to Her Majesty the Empress! May Her Majesty live a thousand years, a thousand years, and a thousand thousand years!" The uniform and loud voices resounded throughout the palace.

The rest of the people also saluted. Among them, Benjamin performed a standard British noble salute gracefully; An Yaxin and her father An Qingchen greeted everyone with a unique Jianghu etiquette; Mu Yunzhi bowed lightly, showing the aristocratic style unique to the daughters of wealthy families in the capital; as for the brothers Erkang and Ertai, they clasped their hands together and performed a chic and neat salute.

At this time, the emperor and the queen slowly walked forward, looking at the children in front of them with loving eyes. After three years of trials and tribulations, they finally all returned safely, and they have made remarkable achievements outside.

Although everyone looked thinner and their skin was darker than before, they all became more cheerful, confident, and full of vigor and vitality. In particular, the mature and steady aura emanating from them made people feel very happy.

"Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei, Yongqi, you are all finally back home!" The emperor said with deep emotion, his face filled with joy that was hard to conceal.

Seeing the children he had been thinking about so much finally come back to him, the emperor's originally majestic and deep eyes were slightly flushed, as if covered with a thin layer of mist. He couldn't help but lower his voice and whispered softly: "It's good to go home, it's good to go home..."

"Father, we are back. Sorry for making you worry!" Xiaoyanzi walked forward a few steps and came to the emperor. She slowly raised her arms and gently hugged her father's broad and thick shoulders.

At this time, Xiaoyanzi's bright eyes were already filled with crystal tears, like two dazzling gems inlaid in them. The once innocent, lively and active Xiaoyanzi has now grown up and can no longer throw herself into the warm embrace of the emperor as she wished in her childhood.

The emperor felt Xiaoyanzi's gentle embrace, he slowly reached out his hand and gently patted Xiaoyanzi's back, just like when he coaxed her to sleep when she was a child. At the same time, the emperor turned his eyes to Ziwei who was standing beside him. Ziwei's eyes were red, her face was full of excitement, and she was staring at him intently. Seeing Ziwei like this, the emperor couldn't help but feel sour and bitter in his heart, and couldn't help but reach out to hold her in his arms and gently pat her little head.

The Queen had been standing by the side. Seeing Xiaoyanzi and the others reunited with the Emperor, she was very moved by their genuine feelings. She quietly raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, then turned her head with a little curiosity to look at the other people who followed Xiaoyanzi and the others back to the palace, and asked, "Who are these people?"

Hearing the Queen's question, Yongqi coughed twice, trying to calm his turbulent emotions. Then he turned around with a smile and began to introduce these friends who came from outside the palace to everyone.

"This is An Qingchen, the famous leader of the Sword Sect, and this is his daughter, An Yaxin. Benjamin and An Yaxin are happily married. After they got engaged in the Sword Sect, they decided to come back to discuss the marriage."

Yongqi slowly and calmly explained the complicated relationship between the An family father and daughter and Benjamin.

Benjamin's cheeks flushed slightly, but he quickly took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to say to the emperor: "Your Majesty, this is Miss An Yaxin whom I mentioned in my letter, and this is Sect Master An. This time they made a special trip to the palace to meet Your Majesty, firstly to greet Your Majesty, and secondly, to discuss the marriage between me and Miss An Yaxin."

Upon hearing this, the emperor slowly let go of Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei in his arms. Feeling that he had lost his composure, he coughed twice, then looked up in a serious manner. His majestic gaze involuntarily fell on the little girl that Benjamin had fallen in love with.

After a careful inspection, the emperor found that this woman had a delicate and graceful face. Although she could not be called a beauty that could topple a country, she was a real beauty. Moreover, she not only had the cunning and smart spirit of Xiaoyanzi, but also had the dignified and generous charm of Ziwei. Such a beauty was really good.

Then, the emperor turned his attention to An Yaxin's father, An Qingchen, who was standing beside him. With just one glance, the emperor could tell that this man was no ordinary person. His temperament was extraordinary and his appearance was even more handsome.

However, the emperor did not rush to express his views or opinions at this time. Instead, he smiled, gently raised his hand and made a gesture of inviting people to come in, and motioned everyone to go into the house first and go to the living room to discuss the matter in detail.

An Qingchen and An Yaxin followed the emperor and others into the house. Along the way, they carefully stole a glance at the legendary emperor and queen in front of them. The emperor was wearing a gorgeous dragon robe, showing the demeanor of a king; the queen was wearing an exquisite phoenix robe, with a graceful demeanor.

Although both of them had awe-inspiring looks on their faces, when they looked at the children, their eyes were filled with doting. Seeing this, An Qingchen and An Yaxin couldn't help but secretly sigh that it turned out that the emperor and empress, who were so high and mighty, treated their children with the same care and love as ordinary parents.

The reception room of Jingren Palace is decorated solemnly and elegantly, and the magnificent decorations show the majesty of the royal family. The emperor, wearing a dragon robe, sits on the first seat, and the queen sits beside him with a dignified manner. On the left side below sit Yongqi, Yongji, Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei, Erkang, Ertai, and Benjamin, all of whom have different expressions.

On the right side, there were three guests, An Qingchen, Anyaxin and Mu Yunzhi. An Qingchen was dressed in plain clothes, with an elegant temperament; Anyaxin was cute and lively; Mu Yunzhi had a gentle face, revealing the demeanor of a rich lady.

The emperor tilted his head slightly, his eyes fell on An Qingchen opposite him. He had already made plans for Benjamin's marriage. Not long ago, Benjamin's earnest letter had been delivered to the palace. Now that he could discuss the children's lifelong affairs with the leader of the Jianghu Sword Sect, the emperor could not help but feel a little relieved. He pursed his lips lightly, thought for a while, and said calmly: "Come here! Invite priest Lang Shining to Jingren Palace, and tell him that I want to invite him to discuss Benjamin's marriage together."

Upon hearing the voice, a palace maid quickly stepped forward, responded respectfully, then quietly left the reception room and went to convey the imperial edict.

While waiting for Lang Shining to arrive, the emperor and An Qingchen exchanged a few words, but soon the topic stopped. After all, to discuss such an important marriage, it was necessary to wait until Benjamin's master was present to make a more comprehensive decision. The entire reception room fell into a brief silence, and everyone was thinking about their own things, quietly waiting for Lang Shining to appear.

At this moment, he and the queen simultaneously focused their gazes on the girl they had never met, Mu Yunzhi, their eyes full of curiosity. Then, they both asked in unison, "Who is this girl?"

Mu Yunzhi stood up slowly and nervously, bowed gracefully, and then greeted softly, "Mu Yunzhi, the daughter of the Mu family in the Left Prime Minister's Mansion, greets the Emperor and the Empress."

After hearing Mu Yunzhi introduce himself, the emperor nodded slightly and said thoughtfully: "Oh? So it's Lord Mu's daughter! I remember now. I heard that Lord Mu does have a little daughter whom he loves very much.

This child has been weak since birth, so she was sent to another place for recuperation. According to the original plan, she would be able to return when she turned eighteen. However, what was unexpected was that when the girl was eighteen years old and on her way back to the capital, she had to go out in a hurry because of something before she even got home. "As the emperor spoke, he gently stroked his chin, obviously recalling the various rumors about Mu Yunzhi. Although he did not pay much attention to the family affairs of ministers on weekdays, he had heard more or less about the little daughter of the left prime minister Mu Chenke.

It is worth mentioning that one morning exactly three years ago, the sun shone through the mottled leaves onto the ground of the palace, forming patches of golden light. At this time, Mu Chenke came to the emperor with excitement and asked for leave. Mu Chenke's voice was trembling with excitement, and he said, "Your Majesty, my little daughter who has been away for many years is finally able to return home!" His words could not hide his joy.

The emperor looked at this loyal and hardworking minister in front of him, and couldn't help but feel a trace of pity in his heart. Thinking that Mu Chenke had been separated from his daughter for such a long time, and he also had two lovely daughters, the emperor felt the same way, so he nodded without hesitation and agreed generously, granting Mu Chenke a full three days of vacation so that he could spend time with his beloved daughter whom he had not seen for a long time.

However, something unexpected happened. Before the day was even halfway through, in the afternoon, Mu Chenke hurried back to the palace with a sad face. He lowered his head and said to the emperor with a sad face: "Your Majesty, my daughter suddenly has something important to do and needs to go out for a while. I can't continue to ask for leave." After saying that, Mu Chenke sighed deeply, his eyes full of helplessness and loss.

The emperor was naturally impressed by this incident. Mu Yunzhi, who was standing by at the side, never thought that the emperor knew of her existence. When she heard the emperor mention her father, her heart trembled suddenly, as if she was gently pulled by an invisible hand. Then, when she heard the excuse given by her father, her cheeks flushed instantly, and at the same time, a strong sense of guilt surged from the bottom of her heart, like a tide constantly hitting her heartstrings.

Thinking that this matter could not be concealed any longer, she had to confess everything to the emperor directly. She took a deep breath, bent her knees, and knelt heavily on the cold and hard ground with a thump. She lowered her head, her face full of shame, and said slowly in a voice as light as a mosquito: "Your Majesty, your servant... When your servant returned to Beijing from other places, he passed by Mount Wutai. At that time, he happened to run into Concubine Yu who was in danger. The situation was extremely critical at the time. The servant did not have time to think about it. He stepped forward without hesitation to save Concubine Yu's life. Afterwards, Concubine Yu appreciated the servant very much and felt that she got along well with the servant. She even took the initiative to propose that the servant become her daughter-in-law.

However, when I learned that the son of this lady was the Fifth Prince, who was the most watched prince in the world, I was instantly filled with fear. After all, I grew up in the common people and knew very little about the complicated etiquette and rules of the capital. I knew that I was not talented and knowledgeable enough, and I was worried that I would not be able to fulfill the noble status of a concubine. I was even more afraid that I would not be able to assist the Fifth Prince in achieving his great cause with all my heart and soul because of my own shortcomings. So, I chose to run away from the marriage on impulse.

But who could have expected this? Fate always plays tricks on people. On the way to escape, the maid was in danger again. Fortunately, the person who helped her this time was the Fifth Prince! It was also because of this accident that the maid was able to meet Princess Huanzhu and other friends, and gradually got to know them. In the past three years, the maid and the Fifth Prince Yongqi have been together day and night, sharing weal and woe, and unknowingly fell in love with each other..."