Senior brother is so awesome!

October has passed in the blink of an eye, and the baby she had been longing for has finally arrived in the world. In ancient times, there was no painless childbirth, which made Qin Yuechan suffer a lot. For two whole days and nights, her voice was hoarse from shouting. Fortunately, she was safe and sound. The little one finally couldn't bear to leave his mother like this and was born smoothly.

When that little red body was brought to her face, she weakly glanced at the wrinkled little face, muttered, "So ugly," and then fell into a deep sleep.

Babies in their first month all look pretty much the same. She used unreliable calculations to figure out that her son's father was either Zhong Zhichen or Situ Ze. She secretly wanted him to look like Situ Ze because those captivating peach blossom eyes would surely charm countless girls when he grew up. She, as the mother-in-law, would definitely be flattered and served by a group of daughters-in-law. Haha, just thinking about it made her laugh out loud.

Two months later, however, her son's features began to resemble Zhong Zhichen more and more, and her plan to recruit a group of daughters-in-law ultimately failed.

Of course, to avoid disputes, her son took her surname, Qin, and was named Anran. As an unambitious mother, Qin Yuechan did not ask her son to achieve great things, but only hoped for a peaceful and healthy life.

An Ran was very playful and clingy. Whenever he was awake and couldn't see her, he would burst into tears. He would only stop crying and start laughing when she hugged him. His silly look with drool and tears on his face made her heart melt instantly.

Sometimes, looking at his face, which is so similar to Zhong Zhichen's, I wonder if he looked like that when he was a child. But then I realize that he has never mentioned his parents.

Time flies like an arrow. Qin Yuechan's free time was taken up by Qin Anran, that little devil. It is said that children do nothing but eat and sleep, but he had unusually good energy, and she was always exhausted.

Perhaps it was fortunate that this prevented me from having too much time to think about those men.

But the peaceful days didn't last long. The flames of war eventually reached the capital of Xuanyuan Kingdom. People with slightly better means packed their belongings and fled to the nearest kingdom, Qinglong Kingdom. It was said that the newly enthroned king ruled with benevolence and kindness, and was far better than the exhausted Xuanyuan Kingdom.

In an instant, refugees sprang up everywhere, scrambling to escape.

Their neighbor, a nominal relative who had benefited them for over half a year, came to tell them that they would be leaving the next day and urged them to go to Qinglong Kingdom together. But Qin Yuechan refused. She would stay here and not go anywhere else. She would wait for them to conquer the city, wait for the world to be at peace, and wait for them to come and pick her and Anran up.

However, what she received was a eunuch.

Yes, a white-faced, beardless old man, followed by a group of guards, appeared in the quiet courtyard. Qin Yuechan felt very uncomfortable with so many people suddenly appearing.

Qin Yuechan sat on the veranda with Anran in her arms. The little Anran looked around the courtyard with great curiosity, her big eyes, which resembled Zhong Zhichen's but were clearer and more focused.

The old man hunched over as he stepped forward, his wrinkles automatically blooming into a chrysanthemum shape. She made a wicked connection to the situation and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He bowed as if it didn't bother him, and said very respectfully, "His Majesty has decreed that this old servant be sent to escort you back to the palace."

“I have no relation to him, so why would I say ‘return’? Did my father-in-law mistake me for someone else?”

The eunuch laughed again, "You've come to the right place. It's not good for you to be out with the prince."

Qin Yuechan tightened her grip on An Ran's arms slightly, and the little one turned to look at her, a thin strand of saliva dripping from her half-open mouth. She wiped it with a handkerchief before raising her head and saying calmly, "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."

"Master," Qing'er interrupted from the side, her brows furrowed with urgency.

She shook her head. "Follow Xin inside to pack your things."

The old man was overjoyed to see that the assignment had been completed so effortlessly.

Looking at the guards standing inside and outside the door, Qin Yuechan smiled self-deprecatingly. She thought she was going to live a carefree life in seclusion, but in the end, she couldn't escape the eyes of others. Oh well.

Sitting in the sedan chair, she slowly walked towards the palace. Imperial guards cleared the way, and there was not much commotion. This grand scene reminded her of her long-forgotten trip to the Xuanwu Kingdom. She wondered what kind of wandering this time would be like.

The little guy in her arms twisted and turned, protesting his mother's neglect. She lowered her head and pecked his pink face, and the little guy immediately burst into laughter.

This time, no matter the cost, she will not allow anyone to harm her son!

In the magnificent palace, amidst the extravagant carvings and painted pillars, a slender woman in palace attire sat sideways on the bed, her pale pink robe draped over a white gauze overlay, revealing her graceful neck and clearly visible collarbone. The folds of her skirt flowed like moonlight, trailing more than three feet to the ground. Her hair was styled in a flowing cloud bun, with a golden hairpin inserted at an angle. She was as beautiful as a captivating fairy from the moon palace.

Her beautiful eyes, brimming with maternal love, gazed at the tiny swaddled baby on the bed, a smile always playing on her lips.

It had been five days since she entered the palace, and Pei Yulin still hadn't shown up. The maidservant who came to serve her said that the emperor was busy with many affairs of state and would only occasionally enter the harem once or twice in his spare time, so it was perfectly normal.

Qing'er walked over silently and, seeing Anran asleep, whispered, "Your Majesty, Consort Chen has arrived."

He nodded and said, "You have a good eye on him." Then he walked towards the main hall.

A radiant woman in a pale yellow palace dress stood in the hall. Her black hair, like clouds, was styled into a peony bun, adorned with perfectly round pearls of medium size. A golden hairpin dangled to one side. The cascading hairpin was decorated with gold leaves inlaid with gemstones, shimmering and sparkling as it moved.

When Qin Yuechan entered the main hall, she was greeted by such a dazzling sight. If she hadn't been with her for many years, she probably wouldn't have recognized who she was at all.

She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, and said calmly from her seat on the chaise longue, "What brings Consort Chen here?"

“Miss…” Sui Xin subconsciously took a step forward, wanting to explain but then stopped. Qin Yuechan gave the person next to her a look, and suddenly there were only the two of them in the main hall.

Her eyes, casually lined with delicate makeup, held a hint of tears, yet she forced a mask-like smile: "Consort Yue, please don't blame me, please don't blame me..."

"Is this all we can be called?" His beautiful eyes swept over her exquisitely made-up yet puppet-like face.

Sui Xin raised her head and said, "Now that I have betrayed your trust, I can no longer treat you as a sister. This is all I can do."

"Really? Then I must have been presumptuous."

She looked at her with surprise, then her expression turned somber. "You already knew who I was, didn't you?"

Qin Yuechan did not deny it, her red lips curving into a smile, "I gave you chances time and time again, but you didn't see the error of your ways. Now, I finally know whose person you are."

When she first escaped from Sanqing Mountain, Qing'er told her that Suixin had a problem, so Suixin didn't take Qing'er's complaint to heart and didn't expose her. However, the encounter in the deep mountains was too coincidental. When the black-clothed man she killed fell down, his eyes were full of shock, and Suixin threw herself into her arms and cried. She saw this scene.

What followed was that the children were left in the town in peace without any pursuers. This doesn't mean that no one could find them, but rather that no one even bothered to look for them, because there was a crucial informant watching over them, so they didn't have to expend a single soldier.

She had considered killing Suixin, but ultimately she didn't. First, she couldn't bear to, and second, even if she did kill her, it would only alert Suixin, and it was even uncertain whether she could have a smooth delivery. With a layer of covert protection, why wouldn't she be happy to do so?

However, Qin Yuechan never expected that things would turn out so embarrassingly. The person she treated sincerely was still not moved and still pushed her into the tiger's den. Now she had no hope for Suixin anymore, so of course she didn't feel heartache.

Upon hearing this, Sui Xin gave a bitter laugh. "Whom I work for is not important. What is important is your current situation."

"My situation? The worst that could happen is that I become Pei Yulin's woman. I've had so many men, what's one more?"

"No!" she retorted sharply, then calmed down again. "Although the Emperor is ruthless, he is not a bad person after all. What you should be worried about is the Bright Moon Cult. They are determined to have you."

Qin Yuechan frowned slightly, "What exactly is their purpose?"

She shook her head helplessly, "They won't tell me these things. It's already quite difficult to get this kind of information."

"Thank you." She stood up and took her hand, her expression slightly stiff. She smiled and said, "No matter the outcome, Anran is innocent. Please take good care of him. If fate allows, please give him to his father."

Seeing that Suixin remained silent, she continued, "We're sisters, and I only have this one request."

After he finished speaking, there was no sound in the main hall. After a long while, Sui Xin nodded almost inaudibly, "I will do my best to ensure that nothing happens."

Qin Yuechan looked into her eyes and asked, "Do you regret betraying me?"

She smiled faintly, "I don't regret it. If I could do it all over again, I would still do the same thing."

"why?"

"Because of that person."

"Pei Yulin?"

Sui Xin gave a bitter laugh, "Yes! Even if this person asked me to die, I would not hesitate!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Yuechan stood there, her face deathly pale, as if she had remembered something terrifying, muttering repeatedly, "So stupid, so stupid..."

Sui Xin panicked and sent someone to fetch the Emperor's imperial physician!

When Qin Yuechan woke up, the person sitting next to her was not Suixin, but a man in a yellow robe. For some reason, she felt a sharp pain in her heart and wished she would never wake up again.

But the man seemed to sense her reaction, laughing without turning his head, his voice deep and distant, as if it came from hundreds of years ago.

"Ruo'er, why do you avoid me? Do you know how much I miss you?"

"I don't know you! You must have mistaken me for someone else!" she answered instinctively, but a voice inside her seemed to be reminding her that she was lying.

She covered her head and shook it violently, repeatedly telling the voice in her heart, "I don't know him, I would never know him even if you killed me, I will never see him again in this lifetime!"