The princess was ordained by Heaven.

After a moment of silence, Lord Xia wiped his face. His temples were now covered with white hair. His eyes were red and swollen. He blamed himself and said, "I failed in my duty as a father. If I had paid more attention to Wan'er, would she have ended up like this?"

“No, it is my fault. In her boudoir, Wan’er loves to read romance novels. I thought it was insignificant, but I was wrong. She has long since gone astray,” Madam Xia stood up, paced anxiously for a moment, and finally spoke firmly, “Wan’er is doomed to die. We must make a choice.”

She forced down her grief and summoned the servants, instructing them to bring Xia Hui back to the manor: "If Miss asks, tell her I am ill and request her return to care for me."

She paused, then added, "The son-in-law is busy, so please don't disturb him."

She had servants to attend to her, but she never allowed her daughters or daughters-in-law to care for her when she was sick.

With her keen intellect, she will surely be able to spot the anomaly.

At this moment, she was somewhat relieved that Huihui had not had another child, otherwise the situation would have been even more complicated.

"Madam, if Huihui is unwilling to separate from Jize..." Lord Xia was worried. He was afraid that Huihui would be implicated, that she would still not be able to let go of Jize and the Fourth Prince after knowing everything, and that she would reveal the matter to Jize.

If Jize escaped after hearing the news, he would be guilty of a thousand deaths.

“No, we must trust Huihui,” Madam Xia clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. “If she remains obstinate, I will keep her in the manor.”

If you can't keep her, she'll... kill her.

Madam Xia's heart pounded violently, and she kept her eyes closed for a long time before finally putting aside her reluctance.

She, Song Wenqin, was first from Dayong, and then the mother of Huihui and Wan'er.

She failed to educate her children properly; she must not let them continue down the wrong path!

Lord Xia staggered and fell into a chair.

After a long silence, he nodded: "As you say, Madam."

In the afternoon, Xia Hui rushed home after receiving the news.

Seeing that Lord Xia and Madam Xia were both alright, she pulled Madam Xia aside to check on her several times. Finding that she was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Mother! What happened?"

“Your father is making a fuss over nothing. It’s really not a big deal,” Madam Xia smiled gently, exchanged a few pleasantries with her, and then casually asked, “Did your husband say anything when you came back?”

Her mother's gaze seemed to see right through her, and Xia Huixin's heart grew heavier and heavier. She forced a smile and said, "It was a bit strange that Mother asked the nanny to take him, and she also specifically told me not to let the son-in-law come along. I sent him away."

She paused, then emphasized, "He didn't suspect anything."

Mrs. Xia's brows relaxed: "Good child..."

She gently stroked her daughter's hair, feeling both gratified and fortunate.

"mother……"

Madam Xia felt as if her heart was being torn apart, and tears quickly blurred her vision.

She recounted Xia Wan's story in a trembling voice.

Xia Hui listened blankly to her words, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Mother, you're saying that Jize is from the Brown Country? Haha, how could that be?"

Lord Xia looked away, unable to bear it any longer: "What your mother said is all true."

"Many people have seen the envoy from the Brown Kingdom, how could no one recognize him?"

"Because he wore a human skin mask after entering Dayong, when the envoy left, several people fell ill and did not show themselves. Jize was one of them. In fact, he had already changed his identity under your sister's cover and stayed in Dayong."

Xia Hui shook her head again.

How could she not know the man beside her in bed?

He is kind-hearted and loyal, how could he possibly be a Brown Country person?

But it still comes down to the same thing.

How could he not know the man beside her? Was Jize's disguise really so flawless?

it's not like that.

His study was like a forbidden zone, off-limits and off-limits; he often met with secretive guests, never allowing her any contact; he would also conceal his whereabouts, sneaking out in the middle of the night; he was not very familiar with some of the well-known customs of the Great Yong Dynasty…

Previously, trapped in their marital relationship, she trusted him and was therefore unwilling to explore the truth.

It was precisely because she trusted him that he lowered his guard and concealed his true intentions so perfunctorily and awkwardly.

So when the truth was revealed, she couldn't even deceive herself.

The sweetness of the past, when torn apart, is full of flaws.

Xia Hui could no longer maintain her exaggerated smile. She was silent for a moment, then looked at her parents in confusion: "What should I do?"

The couple did not answer. Mrs. Xia asked gently, "Huihui, what do you want to do?"

Lord Xia turned his face away, avoiding his daughter's gaze: "Huihui, no matter what you choose, your father and mother will support you."

Xia Hui covered her face, and after a moment, tears welled up between her fingers.

"Why did my sister treat me like that? Because I lost my child, I suffered countless scornful looks. More importantly, she taught the Fourth Prince to be arrogant and unrealistic. She didn't love my child at all. She not only ruined me, but she also ruined my child."

Her voice was muffled, and Madam Xia's heart ached to hear it.

But she couldn't waver. She was afraid that if she softened even slightly, her maternal instincts would take over, and she would no longer be able to be ruthless.

She watched helplessly as her daughter struggled and suffered, keeping her mouth tightly shut, unable to offer any advice, unable to say anything more, and unable to alert her.

But her Huihui...

Why should she have to go through all this? Is there any way to have it all in this world?

Lord Xia loosened his clenched teeth and said with a determined look, "Huihui, the Fourth Prince knows that you are his birth mother, but he only recognizes Wan'er and Jize as his parents."

After all, they were mother and son. Huihui knew how heartbroken she must be to know the Fourth Prince's ruthlessness.

But the situation is special now, and there is no time for her to deal with this complicated situation. He cannot keep his daughter in the dark. The fourth prince is heartless and treacherous. He should see through him sooner rather than later, so that his hopes will not be dashed again.

Xia Hui was stronger than they had imagined.

She didn't cry for long. A quarter of an hour later, she put down her hand, and the weakness on her face was replaced by determination: "Father, Mother, we are people of Dayong. We must not let our country down. The people of Heguo have the blood of Dayong on their hands. I am incompetent and cannot fight on the battlefield, but I should never hold them back."

The fourth prince was her child, but before she could fulfill her responsibilities as a mother, she became his adversary.

Xia Hui didn't blame herself, nor the Fourth Prince, but only her older sister who had grown up with her.

She really wanted to ask her if she had considered her family when she committed such a terrible act.

Xia Wan committed a crime punishable by the extermination of her entire family.

Xia Hui knew she had to make a choice.

She must choose between her parents, relatives, and herself, or her children and sister.

She was absolutely certain that she would choose the former.

She comforted herself again and again, telling herself not to think about her biological child, until she convinced herself.

Mrs. Xia was both relieved and heartbroken. She reached out and gently pulled her into her arms: "Huihui, don't be afraid. We are a family together. We are united and will stand together through thick and thin. That's better than anything else."

He knew that Huihui had her doubts and her heartache, but she wouldn't let her emotions cloud her judgment.

"Mother, I want to go back."

"Huihui..."

Xia Hui said firmly, "If I don't go back, he might suspect that I don't know what the Emperor is planning to do, but since we haven't made a fuss yet, it proves that we shouldn't alert him."

Lord Xia patted him on the shoulder: "Good boy, I'm proud of you."