She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Upon hearing this, Cui Jinrong's face flashed with embarrassment. Just as he was about to reply, Shen Man spoke first.

"Aunt Muyun, this is a long story. I'm hungry, let's eat and talk about it!"

Lanxiang, Granny Fang, and the others had already served the food, which was steaming hot and had an enticing aroma.

After everyone was seated, no one touched their chopsticks, and the atmosphere at the table became somewhat heavy.

Shen Man broke the silence first and told Li Muyun everything about Cui Jinrong's background and how the Meng family army was framed by the Duke of Xingguo in their early years.

As Li Muyun listened, the expression on her face gradually softened, but a complex emotion, difficult to detect, still lingered in her eyes.

She gently put down her chopsticks and looked at Cui Jinrong: "I never expected you to have such a tortuous experience. The Meng family was full of loyal martyrs, but they were all killed by that old scoundrel Cui Chengdao, leaving only you and your uncle. It's truly heartbreaking."

Cui Jinrong looked at Li Muyun gratefully: "Your Majesty, I will not let my grandfather and the others die in vain. I will definitely seek justice for them."

Meng Zhuo nodded in agreement: "Yes, we plan to rebuild a Meng family army."

Li Muyun nodded upon hearing this, while Lanxiang urged everyone, "Let's eat quickly, the food is getting cold!"

After the meal, Cui Jinrong followed Meng Zhuo to the weaving workshop to rest, leaving only Shen Man, her daughter, and Li Muyun at home.

Li Muyun went back to her room early.

She had already let go of her longing for her son, but seeing Cui Jinrong again today stirred up her memories once more.

She was lost in thought in the room when she heard a gentle knock on the door: "Aunt Muyun, may I come in?"

When Li Muyun heard Shen Man's voice, she hurriedly got up, wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, and then quickly opened the door for her.

"Man'er, you rarely come back, why don't you spend more time with your mother?"

Shen Man entered the room, took Li Muyun's hand, and helped her sit down on the edge of the bed. She then sat down next to her and said softly, "Aunt Muyun, I've been thinking about you. I came to keep you company. And I have some fantastic news to tell you!"

Looking at Shen Man's mysterious yet excited expression, Li Muyun felt a surge of curiosity and asked, "What good news is it? You're being so secretive."

Shen Man took a deep breath, her eyes shining, and said, "Aunt Mu Yun, actually, His Highness the First Prince is still alive!"

Upon hearing Shen Man's words, Li Muyun's body trembled violently, and disbelief instantly filled her eyes. She gripped Shen Man's arm tightly with both hands and asked urgently, "What did you say? Yi'er is still alive? How is that possible! Didn't you say you saw him trapped in the fire with your own eyes? Man'er, don't lie to me!"

As she spoke, tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes, and her voice became choked with emotion.

Shen Man gently patted Li Muyun's back, comforting her: "Aunt Muyun, it's true. I did see him trapped by the fire, but I didn't know that his master, the Sage Lingxiao, had foreseen this calamity and sent people to rescue him early on."

Not only is he alive, but he also went to Rongzhou to fight the Japanese pirates. Once the pirates are driven out, he will definitely come to fetch you!

Li Muyun's hands trembled slightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions—surprise, relief, and deep longing for her son.

"Yi'er... why did he go to fight the Japanese pirates? What has he been through these past few days?"

She muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on Shen Man, as if trying to get all the information about her son from her.

"Perhaps this was a suggestion from the Sage Lingxiao. I heard that after recovering his health at Guiyun Mountain, he went directly to Rongzhou."

Now, in the capital, apart from Prince Kang and his wife, no one knows that he is still alive, not even the Emperor.

Li Muyun listened intently, sometimes frowning, sometimes showing a relieved smile, her tears never stopping.

"I thought I would never see him again in this lifetime, but I never expected that he was still alive. God has been kind to me..."

She choked up as she spoke, her heart filled with joy that her son was still alive.

Shen Man grasped Li Muyun's hand, "Aunt Muyun, once things stabilize here in Biancheng Prefecture, I'll accompany you to Rongzhou to find His Highness the First Prince. You and your son will definitely be reunited!"

Li Muyun nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Okay, okay..."

Seeing that Li Muyun was still very excited, Shen Man was worried that she would have trouble sleeping because she was too excited, so she said to her, "Aunt Muyun, His Highness the First Prince must have been very cute when he was a child. Could you tell me about his childhood?"

Hearing Shen Man's words, Li Muyun's thoughts seemed to return to the past. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she slowly said, "When Yi'er was little, he was so adorable. When he had just learned to walk, he was stumbling and always smiling at me."

Once, he saw a butterfly in the garden and chased after it. He accidentally tripped and fell, but he didn't cry. He got up and continued chasing.

"Also, he studies very diligently, and he always finishes his homework early, so I never have to worry about him..."

Shen Man listened quietly, as if she could see that incomparably handsome young man walking out of the night and smiling gently at her.

Shen Man and Li Muyun chatted for a long time until late at night before she said goodbye to Li Muyun and went back to her room.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw Lanxiang sitting on the edge of her bed, dozing off, with two sets of newly made clothes in her hands.

Xueying quietly stood guard beside Lanxiang, and when she saw Shen Man come in, she turned her head away haughtily.

Shen Man had no time to pay attention to it at the moment. Her nose tingled and she quickly walked to Lanxiang's side and hugged her tightly.

"Mother, why don't you go to sleep earlier if you're sleepy?"

Lanxiang was awakened by Shen Man's actions. She rubbed her eyes and said, "Man'er, Mother is not sleepy. These two sets of clothes are new ones that I made for you. I can see that you have grown a lot taller. Try them on and see if they fit."

With tears in her eyes, Shen Man picked up the clothes and held them up to herself, saying, "Mother, they definitely fit. Your skills are getting better and better."

Lanxiang looked at Shen Man with affection and said, "Man'er, my child, when you're away from home, I'm always worried that you won't take good care of yourself. I put a lot of thought into these two sets of clothes, and I used the best fabrics from our weaving workshop."

"Mom, you've worked so hard. I know you've always loved me. I'll take good care of myself while I'm away, so please don't worry too much."

Lanxiang gently stroked Shen Man's hair, "My Man'er has grown up, become successful, and even become the city lord of our Biancheng Prefecture. Sometimes when I think about it, it feels like a dream..."

Shen Man held Lanxiang's hand and said coquettishly, "Mother, if I had a choice, I wouldn't want to be that damn city lord anymore. It would be so much better to stay by your side every day!"

The mother and daughter exchanged many heartfelt words, with Lanxiang reminding Shen Man to take care of her health and not to overwork herself.

Shen Man then told Lanxiang about some of her experiences outside, which reassured Lanxiang.

The candlelight flickered in the room, casting warm shadows of the mother and daughter on the wall.

Their words were full of love and concern, and this kinship seemed especially precious on this quiet night.

Seeing this, Xueying seemed to have forgiven Shenman for leaving without saying goodbye these past few days. She quietly sidled up to her and licked her hand with her tongue.