The widow becomes a fairy, and the time-traveling girl counterattacks and becomes the queen

Coming out of the palace, Lin Hua and his daughter Lin Shiyi, followed Wang Xinyao and Zhao Haoxuan, and stepped into the Prince's Mansion. Their steps were hesitant, as if they were in another world.

Lin Hua's gaze lingered greedily on his daughter's face, which had already lost its childishness.

After more than ten years of separation, there is too much unspeakable sadness and guilt beneath the joy of reunion.

His hands trembled slightly, and he raised them several times, trying to stroke his daughter's head like he did when she was young, but finally dropped them weakly.

Wang Xinyao was extremely attentive and took in the silent excitement between the father and daughter.

She stopped and turned to them: "Master Lin, Sister Lin, you and your daughter haven't seen each other for many years, and you must have a lot of intimate things to talk about.

There is a 'secluded garden' in the northeast corner of the palace. It is quiet and seldom disturbed. I have ordered people to clean it up and use it as your residence for the time being.

It's a separate courtyard there, and it's convenient for conversation." Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.

When Lin Hua heard this, a trace of gratitude flashed in his eyes and he bowed.

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince and your wife, for your consideration! I am grateful for your kindness. I..." His throat was choked with sobs, and his voice was a little hoarse with excitement, making it difficult to continue.

"Lord Lin, there's no need to be so polite. Your family reunion is a great joy. Please follow the maid." Wang Xinyao smiled and waved her hand.

She looked at Lin Shiyi again and said softly, "Sister Lin, I have some health-strengthening pills here. You and Master Lin can use them. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Yes, thank you, sister, and thank you, ma'am." Lin Shiyi nodded vigorously with tears in her eyes, holding her father's arm, and followed the maid who led the way, walking towards Jingsi Garden, where they placed their brief peace.

Their backs gradually walked away in the long corridor, and the sunlight stretched their shadows very long, intertwining them together, as if to make up for the long time they had missed.

On the other side, after Yin Ping'an returned to the Prince's Mansion, he did not stop, but went straight to the side courtyard where Yin Zhizi lived.

The yard was a little remote, with a few cold-resistant pine and cypress trees planted in it. Even at noon, there was a cool air.

Pushing open the half-open courtyard door, I saw Yin Zhizi sitting alone on a stone bench, staring blankly at a bunch of withered vines in the corner, his face looking a little gloomy under the shadow of the tree.

"Ping'an, you're back." Yin Zhizi raised her head at the sound of footsteps, a hint of subtle anticipation in her voice: "Is everything alright in the palace?"

"Don't worry, mother. It's been done. Gou Hongying has been brought to justice." Yin Ping'an nodded and walked over to sit down opposite her. His heavy body made the wooden bench make a slight friction sound.

He sighed, a layer of unremovable gloom hanging between his brows.

"Lin Yingzi acts in a secretive way and is now missing. Mei'er..." Yin Ping'an clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Right now, our strength is limited. We can only wait and see, staying in the Prince's Mansion, and waiting for Yin Yingzi to fall into our trap. But... it will be hard for Mother and Mei'er..."

His voice dropped to a low note, filled with deep weakness and worry.

Yin Zhizi was silent for a moment, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes. "But we really have no other choice but to wait. Ping An, we must trust Xinyao. When Mei'er shows up, Xinyao will definitely be able to save her."

The two sat facing each other in silence. The only sound in the yard was the faint sound of wind blowing through pine needles, which added a bit of depression.

At the same time, Cui Zheng, who was taking a short break in the front hall of the Prince's Mansion, was feeling uneasy.

More than ten years of imprisonment not only failed to erase his longing for his daughter, but instead made this emotion more intense and burning like aging wine.

He kept rubbing his hands and looking outside the hall eagerly, wishing he could grow wings and fly to his daughter immediately.

Zhao Haoxuan noticed his anxiety, exchanged a glance with Wang Xinyao, and said, "Since Lord Cui is so anxious, let's head to the Zhou Mansion."

Upon hearing this, Cui Zheng almost jumped up from his chair and said repeatedly, "Okay, okay! Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Madam!"

The three of them left the Prince's Mansion quietly and headed towards Zhou's Mansion.

The rumble of horse-drawn carriages rolled along the smooth bluestone streets of the capital. Outside the window was the bustling flow of people and the constant hawking of vendors, but all this prosperity failed to catch Cui Zheng's eye.

His mind had already flown to the Zhou Mansion, which was both familiar and unfamiliar, and to the side of his daughter Cui Yingying.

As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the pair of majestic stone lions in Zhou Mansion, Cui Zheng couldn't wait to lift the curtain and get out.

Just at this moment, another official sedan chair landed in front of the mansion gate. The curtain of the sedan chair was opened, and the person who walked out was Zhou Feihu, the governor of the capital who had just returned from court.

Zhou Feihu was wearing a crimson official robe and a black gauze hat. He looked very high-spirited, but the moment he looked up and saw Crown Prince Zhao Haoxuan, his expression suddenly changed.

He hurriedly straightened his clothes, walked quickly forward, and fell to his knees with a "thump" a few steps away from Zhao Haoxuan, his forehead touching the ground, his voice filled with obvious panic.

"Your humble servant, Zhou Feihu, kowtows to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Thank you... Thank you, Your Royal Highness, for your magnanimity and forgiving me!"

Zhao Haoxuan stood with his hands behind his back, his figure as straight as a pine tree. The sunlight streamed on his bright yellow uniform, making his face look even more stern.

He did not let Zhou Feihu stand up immediately. His eyes were as cold as ice as he slowly swept across Zhou Feihu's trembling back. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, striking Zhou Feihu's heart.

"Prefect Zhou, do you know why I didn't involve you when I was clearing out the remnants of the traitor Zhao Yucheng?"

Zhou Feihu lay on the ground, not daring to look up, and said in a trembling voice, "This old minister...this old minister does not know. Please explain clearly, Your Highness."

"First," Zhao Haoxuan said coldly, "although you once intended to rely on Zhao Yucheng, you ultimately did not make any substantial acts of rebellion. Your hesitation and wait-and-see attitude is still under control."

He paused, his tone softened slightly, but still carried unquestionable majesty: "The second is for the sake of your son Zhou Shen and daughter-in-law Cui Yingying.

Zhou Shen is loyal to the court and to this palace, and he has outstanding abilities, making him a pillar of the country.

Cui Yingying has been very kind to me.

I don't want his future to be ruined because of you, and I also don't want your Zhou family to withhold Sister Cui's money.

I hope you will behave yourselves in the future, be careful in what you say and do, and don't make any more mistakes, betraying my generosity and chilling your son's heart."

Zhou Feihu was sweating profusely after hearing this. He kept saying, "This old minister understands! This old minister understands! Your Highness, I will never forget your great kindness. I will always remember your teachings and will never make the same mistake again!"

"Get up." Zhao Haoxuan nodded slightly.

Zhou Feihu stood up tremblingly as if he had been pardoned, and only then noticed Cui Zheng standing next to the prince.

Seeing that face, which was weathered but still had recognizable features of the past, Zhou Feihu was shocked and the blood drained away from his face in an instant.

The intertwined emotions of shame, embarrassment, and regret made him almost feel ashamed.

He stammered a few times, and finally whispered, "Brother Cui...Brother Cui..."

Cui Zheng looked at his former best friend with mixed feelings in his heart.

When the Cui family was in trouble, the monkeys scatter when the tree falls. In order to protect himself, Zhou Feihu hurriedly proposed to cancel the engagement and draw a clear line. He was not without resentment in his heart.

But as time passed, especially after experiencing a long period of imprisonment and seeing the ups and downs of life, the resentment seemed to have faded a lot.

What's more, by some strange coincidence, his daughter eventually married into the Zhou family and became married to Zhou Shen.

He sighed deeply, a complex smile with a hint of relief on his face.

He walked forward and patted Zhou Feihu's stiff shoulder: "Brother Zhou, the past is over, there's no need to talk about it again. Now that Yingying is married to Zhou Shen, you and I... are still relatives after all."

The word "relatives" was like a gentle spring breeze, slightly alleviating Zhou Feihu's embarrassment.

He bowed quickly and said, "Brother Cui, please forgive me. Come in quickly!"

As the group entered Zhou's mansion, a clever servant had already rushed to the inner courtyard to inform them.

The Zhou Mansion has a deep courtyard with pavilions, towers, rockery and ponds. Although it is not as grand as the Prince's Mansion, it also has the exquisite style of an official's family.

In an elegantly decorated embroidery building in the inner courtyard, Cui Yingying was sitting by the window, holding an embroidery frame and absent-mindedly tracing the pattern.

The sunlight shone gently on her through the gauze curtains.

Her complexion now was much better than when she first arrived in the capital, but there was still a hint of sadness lingering between her brows.

Since giving birth to her son, although her mother-in-law, Mrs. Zhou, no longer deliberately makes things difficult for her as before, her sister-in-law, who is used to gossiping and picky, still often speaks ill of her in front of relatives and other female family members, which makes her very annoyed.

Suddenly, there was a burst of hurried and chaotic footsteps outside the door, accompanied by the maid's slightly surprised report.

"Young Madam, Young Madam! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his wife are here, and... there's also a master who claims to be your father!"

With a "clang", the embroidery frame in Cui Yingying's hand fell to the ground, and the needle and thread on it were scattered.

She stood up suddenly, her face full of disbelief and shock, her voice trembling.

"You...what did you say? My father? How...how is this possible?"

She almost staggered to the door, and just as she lifted the bead curtain, she saw the prince, the princess, and her father-in-law Zhou Feihu and his group. The figure in the middle who eagerly stepped into the courtyard looked so familiar, yet so strange!

The figure was thin and old, with gray hair on his temples. Although he was dressed neatly, he was skinny. However, the eyes looking at her were filled with unspeakable excitement, love and guilt.

It was the father she had been thinking about for more than ten years!

"Father--!"

A heart-wrenching cry burst out, and all of Cui Yingying's strength and grievances collapsed at this moment.

She pounced over like a fledgling that had finally found its home nest.

Cui Zheng was also in tears, and he opened his arms and hugged his daughter tightly.

More than ten years of longing, suffering and worry were all melted into this silent hug and flowing tears.

The father and daughter hugged each other and cried, their bodies trembling slightly with excitement, as if they wanted to make up for the warmth they had missed over the years.

Zhou Feihu watched from the side, his face showing shame, and he turned his head away quietly.

Zhao Haoxuan and Wang Xinyao stood quietly by, not disturbing this touching reunion moment, with relief in their eyes.

After a long while, the two of them calmed down a little.

Cui Yingying took her father's hand and led him into the house to sit down. She then hurriedly told the wet nurse to bring her son, who could already babble, over.

"Dad, look, this is your grandson, his name is Nian Su." Cui Yingying carefully handed her chubby son to Cui Zheng's arms, her face filled with the gentle glow of a new mother, and the pride of letting her father see the third generation.

Cui Zheng carefully took the soft and warm little body, looked at his grandson's curious big eyes and pink little face, and the softest part of his heart was deeply touched.

He stretched out his fingers tremblingly and gently touched the child's hand. The child actually grabbed his fingers and giggled.

At this moment, Cui Zheng felt that all the suffering was worth it. Turbid tears welled up again, but they were tears of joy.

"Good, good... Nian Su, a good name..." He murmured, hugging his grandson tighter. This was the hope for the continuation of his family bloodline.

After she calmed down a little, Cui Yingying recounted her experiences over the years in detail.

From the displacement after the family change, to the difficulties she encountered later, and how she was finally rescued by Wang Xinyao, escaped from the suffering, and married Zhou Shen.

Of course, she omitted the identity of Cui Mama in Yihongyuan at that time. This matter could not be told, otherwise her father would be very sad.

"Father! If it weren't for Madam's righteous rescue, I would have already..." She couldn't continue, but just looked at Wang Xinyao with red eyes.

Wang Xinyao stepped forward, gently held Cui Yingying's hand, and said softly, "Sister Cui, please stop saying that. Everything is fate, and it's only because of your great blessings that you were able to turn misfortune into good fortune."

Cui Zheng gently put down Nian Su, who had fallen asleep in his arms, stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed solemnly to Wang Xinyao and Zhao Haoxuan.

"Your Highness, Madam, you not only saved my daughter, but also freed me from the darkness of captivity, allowing my father and I to be reunited. This kindness is like a rebirth. Cui Zheng will never forget it. Please accept Cui Ding's greetings!"

"Lord Cui, there is no need to perform such a grand ceremony. Eradicating evil and supporting loyal people are my responsibilities." Zhao Haoxuan raised his hand to support him.

Wang Xinyao also hurriedly said, "Sir, please stand up. We are sincerely happy to see you and Sister Cui reunited."

Cui Zheng insisted on bowing deeply before standing up.

He looked at his daughter, then at his sleeping grandson, and hope and light for life rekindled in his eyes?

"Yingying, both my father and I have received great kindness from His Highness and Madam!"

Cui Yingying nodded with tears in her eyes, walked to Wang Xinyao, held her hand tightly, and said a thousand words without saying anything.

Wang Xinyao felt the strength from Cui Yingying's hand, looked at the light blooming again in her tearful eyes, and Cui Zheng's rejuvenated face, and her heart was filled with warmth.

She knew very well how precious such reunion and peace were in this capital city where power was intertwined and undercurrents were turbulent.

She gently held Cui Yingying's hand and said softly, "Sister Cui, after all the hardships, there will be happiness. Things will only get better and better in the future. As soon as Mr. Zhou returns to the court, your family will be truly reunited."

"Father, where are you? You have to save your daughter!" The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the yard, breaking the beauty of the moment.