Chapter 3: Little Sister, When Did You Have a Daughter?

Lu Ze recalled the cold hatred filling Qi Yuning's eyes when he saw her on Longhua Mountain during the day; she likely hated the Lu family to the core.

Even if he didn't have a marriage contract, with Princess Qi's pride, she would absolutely never marry into the Lu family again.

Princess Pingrou gazed at her eldest son. Her son had grown up well, inheriting the best features of both her and the Duke Consort Lu. Not that she was boasting as a mother, but her son's looks could truly be called the number one most beautiful man in Shengjing. Which young lady wouldn't be moved?

"No, my son is so handsome, Princess Qi will definitely take a liking to you!"

Princess Pingrou said earnestly, "Ze'er, to avoid being exiled to Cangzhou, our family of four is counting entirely on you marrying the Princess."

Lu Ze said, "Mother, breaking an engagement is no trivial matter. The Guan family showed kindness to Grandmother; how could I repay kindness with ingratitude by breaking the engagement? I will go to the Qi King's Manor to apologize first thing tomorrow morning after court, and I won't stop until Princess Qi is no longer angry."

Princess Pingrou sighed, anxiety rising in her heart. That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, terrified they would truly be exiled to Cangzhou.

Unlike Princess Pingrou, who couldn't sleep all night worrying about exile, Qi Yuning slept quite soundly.

Especially in the latter half of the night, the autumn nights were cold, but Qi Yuning always felt like there was a small heater in her arms—warm, fragrant—and she slept even more comfortably.

At the third quarter of the Mao hour (approx. 5:45 AM), the maid Lichun entered to wake Qi Yuning. She had just lifted the bed curtain when Lichun was startled. "Prin... Princess!"

Hearing her maid's voice, Qi Yuning woke slowly, momentarily dazed. She opened her eyes and said, "Lichun, what's all the fuss about so early in the morning?"

Lichun pointed at Qi Yuning's arms, trembling. "Prin... Princess, in your arms..."

Qi Yuning lowered her head and saw a little girl of about three years old sleeping sweetly in her arms.

The little girl's long hair was loose, her small round face chubby, dressed in a pale pink inner garment.

Qi Yuning looked at Lichun in astonishment. "Where did this child come from?"

Lichun was equally baffled. "Last night, after this servant attended to the Princess's rest, I stood guard at the door with Guyu. We never saw any child enter..."

A little girl had suddenly appeared on the bed; Qi Yuning was extremely surprised.

If pinching herself hadn't hurt, she would have thought she was still dreaming.

Guyu and the other maids brought in water basins to help Qi Yuning wash up. Seeing the child on the Princess's bed, they were all slightly shocked.

Qi Yuning reached out and touched the child's peaceful little face—soft and doughy.

The little girl stirred at the touch, her cute soft little hands clenching into fists, rubbing her sleepy face.

When the little girl put down her fists and opened her eyes, Qi Yuning finally got a clear look at her features.

The little girl had a pair of peach blossom eyes, a high little nose—she was the spitting image of Lu Ze as a child.

However, Lu Ze's features held a few parts more solemnity and steadiness, while this little girl's features held a few parts more cuteness.

"Mother Mother!"

Seeing Qi Yuning, the little girl stretched out her two little lotus-root arms, wrapped them around Qi Yuning's neck, and burrowed into her embrace.

Seeing a milky-voiced child call her "Mother," Qi Yuning froze. "What did you call me?"

Lichun hurriedly said, "Where did this child come from? You can't just call people randomly and ruin our Princess's reputation. Our Princess is still an unmarried virgin, just turned eighteen. There's no way she could have given birth to a child this big."

Hearing the voice, the little girl turned her head and called out, "Aunt Lichun, Aunt Guyu!"

Qi Yuning looked at the little girl in her arms in shock. "You know Lichun and Guyu?"

The little girl nodded. "Mhm, Mother Mother."

Holding the little girl, Qi Yuning smelled a strong scent of milk. She rubbed the little girl's head. "What is your name?"

The little girl smiled sweetly. "Mother Mother, did you forget what Lingling is called? Lingling is called Lu Yiling."

Hearing the words "Yiling," Qi Yuning began to scrutinize the little girl's features.

Yiling. When her mother sacrificed herself, she already carried an eight-month-old child in her womb.

Back then, the imperial physicians all said it was a younger sister. Qi Yuning was only four years old then. Her mother had picked a name for the sister in her womb: Yiling.

However, the sister was never born in the end. Very few people knew the name Yiling.

Qi Yuning had once thought that if she had a daughter in the future, she would definitely name her Yiling. And this little girl was actually also called Yiling...

Qi Yuning rubbed little Lingling's fine hair. "Lingling, what is your father's name?"

Little Lingling tilted her head. "Father is just called Father."

Seeing the child was too young, Qi Yuning figured she wouldn't get any answers. The child's appearance was far too suspicious.

Seeing that little Lingling looked like someone from the Lu family and bore the surname Lu, could it be Lu Baozhu's doing again?

Suppressing the doubts in her heart, after Qi Yuning finished washing up, she thought about cleaning up little Lingling too. But there hadn't been children in the Qi King's Manor for a long time, so she had Lichun go to the street to buy clothes for little Lingling to wear.

Lichun was fast; in less than two quarters of an hour (30 mins), she bought clothes and little shoes. Little Lingling, dressed in a pink ruqun with her hair in double buns, was truly adorable.

Qi Yuning felt a pang of envy for Lingling's parents. Having such a daughter was truly a blessing.

Little Lingling looked up at Qi Yuning. "Mother Mother, where is Father?"

Just as Qi Yuning led Lingling to the door, she ran into Qi Yu'an, who had come looking for her.

Seeing his sister leading a three-year-old girl out, Qi Yu'an asked, "Sister, whose child is this?"

"Uncle!"

Seeing Qi Yu'an before her, little Lingling smiled sweetly. She let go of Qi Yuning's hand and lunged toward Qi Yu'an.

"Uncle, hug!"

Qi Yu'an picked up the little girl. He looked at Qi Yuning in utter astonishment. "Sister, when did you get a daughter? How does your daughter look so much like that bastard Lu Ze?"

Qi Yuning looked at little Lingling in confusion. Qi Yu'an spent years in the military camp; very few people in Shengjing knew him. There was no way Lingling could have met him before, yet she called him so intimately, as if Qi Yu'an really was her uncle.

Held by Qi Yu'an, Lingling giggled. "Uncle, didn't you say you'd bring Lingling a little pony when you came back? Where is the little horsie?"

Qi Yu'an felt an inexplicable closeness to the little girl in his arms. He smiled. "Good niece, this is the first time we've met today. When did I ever say I'd give you a little horsie?"

Lingling tilted her head. "A few days ago at the Lantern Festival, Uncle said you'd give Lingling a little horsie."

Qi Yu'an rubbed Lingling's double buns. "It's past the Mid-Autumn Festival now. How could the Lantern Festival be 'a few days ago'?"

Little Lingling's peach blossom eyes were full of shock too. "But Mother Mother said it was just the Lantern Festival recently. At the Lantern Festival, Father won lots of pretty lanterns guessing riddles."

Qi Yu'an looked at Qi Yuning. "Sister, is she really your daughter? Who is her father?"

Lingling looked about three. If Qi Yuning really gave birth to her, she would have been pregnant at fourteen. Which beast impregnated his sister before she even came of age?

Qi Yuning said slowly, "Brother, you definitely won't believe me. When I woke up, she was just in my bed. The moment she opened her eyes, she called me Mother."

Qi Yu'an raised an eyebrow at this. He had Qi Yuning and Lingling go eat first.

Qi Yu'an summoned the guards and secret guards of the Qi King's Manor to question them. Not a single guard noticed how little Lingling had suddenly appeared in Qi Yuning's room.

The Qi family's defenses were strict, and the secret guards around Qi Yuning were personally trained by their grandfather. Normally, not even a sparrow could fly in.

If even the guards and secret guards couldn't discover how this child entered Qi Yuning's room, it was truly bizarre.

Qi Yu'an had a maid watch over little Lingling and called Qi Yuning aside.

"Sister, tell me the truth. Is Lingling a child you secretly gave birth to? With secret guards watching the manor, how could such a big child appear out of thin air?"

Qi Yuning said helplessly, "Brother, all these years I haven't missed a single banquet for the noble ladies of Shengjing. How could a ten-month pregnancy be hidden? This child's origin is truly unknown."

Qi Yu'an thought it made sense. "I see this child has recognized you as her mother. What do you plan to do with this child?"

(End of Chapter)