An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Aunt Wei looked at the two of them deeply, quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and thought that if her sister were still alive, she would be relieved.

"Go ahead. You've been busy for so long, you probably don't have time to go out and play. Auntie sent someone to tell Uncle-in-law that you should get ready. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go to Qiling Temple and light a long-burning lamp for grandpa, grandmother, and Empress Xiaozhen, and then take a walk around."

As Aunt Wei spoke, her fingers gently twirled the Buddhist beads on her wrist, a Tao family heirloom. The kind faces of her parents and the gorgeous wedding dress of her sister emerged before her eyes. Now, things have changed, and only the green lamp in front of the Buddha can express her grief.

When she looked at Xu Zize again, the pain and forbearance in her eyes had receded. "The eldest prince should also light a perpetual lamp for the queen mother, so that my sister's spirit in heaven can be comforted." When she said this, Aunt Wei's voice was as soft as a breeze, but with unquestionable firmness.

She raised her hand and straightened Xu Zize's collar. Her movements were natural and intimate, as if this simple action could convey all her love to him.

In the imperial letter to his son, King Wu of Yan mentioned that on the day he ascended the throne, he had posthumously recognized his late wife Tao Mulan as "Empress Xiaozhen" and would choose a day to move her to the imperial mausoleum after Xu Zize returned to the capital.

The King of Yan Wu's powerful brushstrokes can be seen between the lines. He writes the two characters "filial piety and chastity" with particular force, as if pouring all his guilt and longing into them.

"Yes! That's ~ a must." Xu Zize's face didn't show much expression, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy, angry, sad, or joyful. However, he responded to Aunt Wei in a relaxed tone.

But anyone who knew him well could notice that his hands hanging by his side quietly clenched into fists and then slowly loosened.

Behind this seemingly casual answer were countless nights spent sitting alone before his mother's tablet until dawn, yearning for her. Now that his mother had finally received the honor she deserved, he felt relieved.

Jing Chunxi was struck by this. Over the past few years, the young man, filled with hatred and gloomy face during his exile, had quietly changed. She recalled Xu Zize's sinister eyes when they first met, but now they had transformed into a gentle spring breeze; the once tense jawline would now relax at the mere sound of a joke.

What moved her the most was that he could smile now, not a perfunctory fake smile, but a sincere smile that came from the heart and would bring fine lines to the corners of his eyes.

Both externally and internally, he became sunny and bright, confident and well-organized. When he looked at Aunt Wei and Ah Heng and Ah Yue who were jumping for joy beside him, his eyes were full of warmth and smiles.

Ah Heng was tugging at Xu Zize's sleeve, while Ah Yue was standing on tiptoe to touch the sword at his waist. Xu Zize, far from being annoyed, gently stroked them with his backhand. Sunlight filtered through the shadows of the trees, casting a picture of warmth and harmony.

"I'm sorry that Xier has to accompany us." After saying this, Aunt Wei put her face against Jing Chunxi's forehead, as if Jing Chunxi was her closest relative and an indispensable member of the family.

The faint sandalwood scent coming from Aunt Wei reminded Jing Chunxi of when she was a child, her mother would also touch her forehead intimately.

This sudden intimate gesture made her nose sore, and she suddenly missed her mother and brother.

When she came to her senses, she secretly glanced at Xu Zize and found that he was looking at her tenderly, and her cheeks immediately blushed.

"Xi'er is looking forward to going out and playing together!" Jing Chunxi was as happy as Ah Heng and Ah Yue. After several months of running around, all he saw along the way were the miserable conditions of the people and the broken walls.

Xu Zize had described to her the beauty of Jiangnan as seen through the eyes of the Empress Dowager, but she hadn't grasped it at all, so naturally she yearned for it. She had already anticipated that the day she would leave Jiangnan was not far off.

After years of living together, they were not relatives, but they were more like family. She had made up her mind that when she arrived at Qiling Temple, she would also burn a few sticks of incense for the souls of Mr. Tao and the old lady, and then light the eternal lamp for Empress Xiaozhen and the Empress Dowager with Xu Zize.

So, when she said this, Jing Chunxi's eyes sparkled, as if filled with starlight. She was already thinking about what offerings to bring and what wishes to make.

Most importantly, she wanted to tell the Empress Dowager, whom she had never met and who was sleeping in the underground, that her grandson had grown into a man of great stature.

"Miss, there is a letter for you from the capital."

Chuntao trotted into the yard, holding a thick piece of letter high in her hand, her fingertips slightly white from being clenched too tightly.

She was usually very steady, but at this moment she showed some rare liveliness, with an unconcealable smile in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, as if she had been infected by the girl Tang Shuang, and even her voice was a little crisper than usual.

"Give me."

Infected by her joy, Jing Chunxi reached out impatiently and snatched the letter away, her fingertips even trembling slightly when they touched the envelope. She lowered her eyes and glanced at it. The handwriting on the envelope was so familiar that it made her heart warm - it was Pu Ge'er's handwriting.

Chuntao's excitement had not yet passed. The corners of her mouth were raised high and her eyes were shining, as if she had already seen the lively scene when she returned to Beijing.

She took a step closer and lowered her voice, but couldn't hide her excitement: "The prince and the young lady may have moved back to Prince Jing's mansion. Miss, should we go directly back to the general's mansion then?"

Jing Chunxi didn't rush to answer. His fingertips gently stroked the edge of the envelope, but his thoughts drifted back to what was mentioned in the previous letter home, a few months ago -

The day before Prince Hong led his troops out of the capital, he specially took his wife to meet Prince Jing and his wife.

He knelt in front of the hall and spoke earnestly, saying that he already had the title of a prince, and that he would surely make new achievements in this expedition, and perhaps even be promoted to a higher rank. Therefore, he asked to separate from the family but not leave home, and begged his father and mother to pass the throne of the crown prince to his younger brother Xu Dingchun, Jing Chunxi's adoptive father.

It was rare for the eldest son to voluntarily give up his throne, not to mention that Prince Hong and his wife had even specially signed a written document as proof, fearing that it would arouse suspicion from the royal family and his maternal family that they were unfair to their parents.

Prince Jing and his wife were deeply moved by their sincere attitude, which did not seem to be just a superficial act.

Although he felt that this was unreasonable, when he thought about his youngest son who had been living outside for more than 20 years and almost lost his life, and had never enjoyed the honor of the royal palace, he felt extremely guilty and finally nodded.

Just over ten days after the new emperor ascended the throne, Prince Jing entered the palace with the document in his hand, and told the whole story of how the deposed emperor had murdered the bloodline of Prince Jing's family, how he had found his son, and the current situation of his son and daughter-in-law.

The emperor sighed, feeling that even deposing the emperor would not suffice, and that he needed to reconsider. He also felt that Xu Dingchun's title of crown prince was natural, so he quickly approved the imperial edict.

By the time Xu Dingchun and his wife received the imperial edict, everything was already a foregone conclusion.

Xu Dingchun originally wanted to use his merits in protecting the emperor to ask for an imperial decree for his wife, but was stopped by Prince Jing.

The old man made the final decision and, based on the merits of the father and son in following the emperor, he gave Jing Qiurong's lineage a title of earldom - "Rong'an Earl's Mansion".

Although the Earl's Mansion was just an honorary title, without any fiefdom or real power, it gave Jing Chunxi and Jing Qingpu a foothold in the aristocratic circle in Beijing.

This also echoed what Pu Ge'er had said when he knelt before Prince Jing and Xu Dingchun: "Qingpu will not take advantage of the aura of Prince Jing's mansion, nor will he compete with my father for the position of eldest son. He will earn everything on his own. Only when he is strong can he be a strong supporter for his sister and mother."

Prince Jing's move was well-intentioned and also saved his daughter-in-law's face.