Huan Niang thought back to the past and realized how utterly foolish she had been.
Now, she felt too ashamed to return.
However, after hearing what Su Xiao Qi told her, she knew she had to come back.
Encouraged by Su Xiao Qi's gaze, she quickened her steps. As she passed by Xiao Xi Que, she reached out and took her hand.
Xiao Xi Que startled, instinctively looking towards Su Xiao Qi.
Su Xiao Qi nodded at her.
Mother and daughter walked forward, step by step.
They soon reached Princess Xiang.
Huan Niang knelt down with a thud.
Crying, she called out, "Your daughter is unfilial. I greet you, Mother, Father..."
Princess Xiang pulled her into a hug and cried out, "Ping An, my Ping An." Tears, which she could no longer hold back, streamed down her face.
For seventeen years, how many times had she dreamt of this moment?
Her lost daughter, having strayed but now returned, was back by her side.
But each time, it was merely a dream.
When she awoke, everything was the same as before.
She didn't know how many times she had cried over it.
She had always been strong, but her daughter was her only weakness, a wound that pained her heart every time.
Mother and daughter met, overwhelmed with grief, and wept uncontrollably.
At this moment, Su Xiao Qi and the others did not disturb them.
They stood quietly to the side, waiting.
Their hearts were also touched by the emotions of the two.
Prince Xiang, who was supporting Princess Xiang, looked at everything in astonishment.
He then turned his gaze to his own son, thinking that this rascal probably knew all along.
Liang Jing Ting, catching his father's eye, quickly put on a look of curiosity to play along.
Father and son wore identical expressions: wide eyes, mouths slightly agape.
They couldn't believe that the person they thought had died outside had returned!
After Princess Xiang had calmed down, Prince Xiang finally couldn't help but point at Huan Niang and ask, "You, you are Ping An?"
Huan Niang nodded and bowed to Prince Xiang, "Ping An greets Father."
After speaking, she looked at Liang Jing Ting and said, "Jing Ting, you've grown so much."
Prince Xiang looked at her with a complex expression.
Liang Jing Ting, receiving her acknowledgment, happily grasped her hand. "Eldest Sister, Eldest Sister, you're back, you're finally back."
He was overcome with emotion.
Although they had recognized each other yesterday, time had been short, and they hadn't been able to say much. Now, they could finally have a proper conversation.
His gaze shifted, and he saw Xiao Xi Que kneeling on the ground beside his eldest sister.
Seeing that his father and mother hadn't noticed, he exclaimed, "This is my niece!"
"Yes, her name is Xiao Xi Que," Huan Niang replied.
The name was rather unrefined for a place like Prince Xiang's manor.
But at that moment, no one paid it any mind; they all gathered around Xiao Xi Que.
Looking at her striking resemblance to Huan Niang, not a single person doubted her identity.
Princess Xiang was the first to embrace the moment. She spread her hands and said,
"Xiao Xi Que, quickly, come to your maternal grandmother. Come, let me give you some pastries. I am your grandmother!"
Watching her coo at the child, everyone present chuckled.
Xiao Xi Que, who had been feeling a little nervous and at a loss, couldn't help but smile when teased like this. She instinctively looked back at Su Xiao Qi.
Seeing Su Xiao Qi nod and offer an encouraging smile, she felt reassured and boldly moved forward.
She reached Princess Xiang and hugged her tightly.
Princess Xiang's heart instantly softened.
She embraced Xiao Xi Que tightly with both arms.
Prince Xiang was also deeply moved.
He looked at his eldest daughter, who had been so foolish in the past, with a pang in his heart.
But no matter what, that was in the past.
Time could wash away everything.
She was, after all, his own daughter.
Born to the woman he loved most.
And she hadn't just returned alone; she had brought her child with her.
He believed that with her own child, his eldest daughter would be better able to understand the thoughts of her parents.
Therefore, no matter what, he would forgive her.
She was family of his Prince Xiang manor!
The reunion lasted a long time, and no one felt impatient during this period.
The heartfelt weeping and genuine emotions of the Prince Xiang family deeply moved Su Xiao Qi.
She touched her belly, thinking that perhaps having a child and raising them well wouldn't be a bad thing!
But she would have to teach them well. She wouldn't ask them to excel in life, but they must grow up healthy and happy.
At the very least, they wouldn't be led astray by bad people and have their lives ruined.
Shen Yun noticed her gentle eyes and the unconscious movement of her hand.
His heart stirred, and he gently took her hand.
"My wife, don't rush. It will happen when it happens."
He believed that he and Xiao Qi would have children.
Firstly, he trusted Su Xiao Qi's medical skills.
She had examined them both and said there were no major issues with either of them.
They should be able to conceive.
Secondly, Zhang Dao Zong had also made a prophecy.
The day they had a child would be the day they met again!
Master Zhang never lied.
Therefore, they would surely have children.
It was just a matter of when they would arrive!
Su Xiao Qi thought, "I hope so."
Never before had she felt such an urgent desire to have a child with Shen Yun.
And to raise them well.
To let him or her live the life they wanted to live.
After the five members of the Prince Xiang family had finished sharing their feelings of separation, they finally turned to the main topic.
This time, it was initiated by Princess Xiang.
She was, after all, a mother.
After slowly regaining her composure from the joy of seeing her daughter and granddaughter, she looked behind them, then at Shen Yun.
Finally, she discovered the crux of the matter.
"Him, where is that man?"
Princess Xiang, true to her nature, asked directly without any preamble.
Although she didn't name him, everyone present understood.
The "him" she was referring to was Xue Li, the music tutor who eloped with Huan Niang.
"He, he is currently, currently..." Huan Niang was asked and felt flustered, looking towards Su Xiao Qi behind her.
That man had hurt her too deeply, too deeply. She had long considered him dead and had not paid him much attention.
Now, being questioned by her mother, she was lost.
"Replying to Her Royal Highness, Xue Li was previously imprisoned," Su Xiao Qi answered for Huan Niang.
"Imprisoned, oh, did something happen?" Princess Xiang, upon first seeing Huan Niang, had only been concerned with their reunion and hadn't observed or considered Huan Niang's current appearance carefully.
Now, calming her mind, she realized that Huan Niang looked even older than she did.
This was her daughter!
She was only in her early thirties, wasn't she?
How could she have aged so much?
Her face was sallow and thin, her skin dull and rough, especially her hands. When she had held them just now, it was like gripping a piece of wood covered in splinters.
"Ah, my Ping An, my Ping An, what have you been through? Was it Xue Li's doing, was it him... I'm going to kill him."
Princess Xiang, having just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, now saw the visible hardship Huan Niang had endured and could no longer hold back. She stood up, ready to rush out.
As she reached the doorway, she remembered she didn't even know which prison Xue Li was in.
Shen Yun also spoke up, "The Imperial Prison."
The Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Their ability to capture Xue Li so quickly this time relied on the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Shen Yun had sought permission from the Emperor before taking action. When he heard it was to investigate the incident involving Princess Ping An of Prince Xiang's manor, Emperor Yong Xing readily agreed.
When the news reached Ji Cheng Gang, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he happened to be at the Grand Princess's residence.
Knowing that the Shen family was close to the Grand Princess, he naturally acted swiftly.
Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard put considerable effort into this matter, quickly locating Xue Li and apprehending him.
From him, they learned of many conspiracies that Huan Niang had never dared to imagine.
Shen Yun added, "He is outside the manor now." They had brought the person over.
It was just that they didn't want to disrupt their family reunion, so they hadn't mentioned him.
Now, Huan Niang had also calmed down.
With Xiao Xi Que quietly comforting her, she helped Princess Xiang sit down. Wiping away her tears, she said that they shouldn't let him in yet, as she had more to say.
Huan Niang began to recount all that she had suffered over the years.