Chapter 47: Raising a son for a thousand days!

Yan Bei was the overlord of Mobei, and he had never feared anyone since childhood. It was common practice for him to look down on others through his nostrils.

But Yue Tang’s smooth, fluent "Your Highness, the Prince of Jingyang" made him feel as though his very bones had gone soft. His breathing suppressed itself by seventy percent compared to usual, leaving only a semblance of composure on his face: "You've come?"

Yue Tang nodded and stepped through the doorway.

Gao An hurried out. Glancing at the guards who were peering in through the door, he waved his hand, and they all stood straight with hands clasped.

Standing in the room, Yue Tang first scanned the four walls before turning around to face Yan Bei. "Why do I not see your son?"

A wave of heartache surged secretly within Yan Bei.

Looking back at the whole timeline—from their acquaintance to marriage, to discovering her pregnancy after returning, to her departure—it had been five or six months in total.

During those days, she was willful and playful, often deliberately leaning close to his ear to call him "A-Qi" just to provoke his irritation.

When he discovered she was pregnant upon his return, he learned from his brothers-in-law how to care for a pregnant sister, worrying over her meals and massaging her waist and shoulders.

Admittedly, his work was clumsy, but those days were a steady, flowing river of routine.

After A-Li was born, she was responsible for feeding him while he took charge of childcare; they would discuss how to ensure the child ate well and slept soundly.

After A-Li’s full moon celebration, the two of them had even made a gold lock for him together.

At that time, how was their family of three any different from the thousands of happy families in this world?

He never expected that now, the "A-Qi" that had been on her lips every day had turned into "Your Highness, the Prince of Jingyang," and a distance of ten thousand feet had been drawn between them.

He stepped forward. "There is no 'your son.' That is A-Li, our eldest son! I will have Gao An bring him here immediately."

He thought that just as much as he loved A-Li, she must feel the same.

Having endured ten months of pregnancy and the life-threatening ordeal of childbirth, she would surely feel even more protective of the child.

That memorial text burned in front of Zhang Shaode—he wondered how long she had been preparing it in secret.

No matter how many misunderstandings existed between adults, they ultimately could not prevent her from finding peace of mind, nor could they allow A-Li to continue looking longingly at the mothers of his playmates.

Hearing his answer, Yue Tang’s heart immediately turned upside down.

She swallowed hard, and in the end, she only asked the man standing at the door giving orders to the outside: "Why is A-Li in your hands?"

Yan Bei held the doorframe, intending to close it, but after a long silence, he turned around. "If I tell you, I fear you won't believe me."

Yue Tang lowered her eyes and splashed water onto the brazier on the desk to extinguish the incense. "Then speak."

...

A-Li was playing in the sand by Jushan Hill. Several wives of officials were accompanying him. Everyone was cautious, coaxing him at every turn.

Gao An arrived and bowed to the ladies. Once they had withdrawn, he bent down to take the hand of A-Li, who was busily building a nest for a little duck.

A-Li refused to leave. "Once the little duck has a home, it can grow up safely. When it grows up, it can go into the water to help A-Li find Mother."

Gao An fell silent, then crouched down and said softly, "The little duck has already helped A-Li find Mother. Shall A-Li go see Mother now?"

...

"...That is how it happened."

Yan Bei finished explaining the sequence of events and looked at Yue Tang.

"I have never had any collusion with the Du family. What they did, I only discovered after the incident with the He family. Now, just like you, I am searching for evidence against them."

Yue Tang stood by the desk, staring at the cooled incense ash, motionless as a stone statue.

After waiting for a moment, Yan Bei took two steps forward and mustered the courage to reach out and touch her arm.

But Yue Tang’s hand moved like lightning, and with a *whoosh*, she gripped his wrist!

Yan Bei was unprepared; even as a martial artist, he found her slender, delicate hand squeezing him painfully.

"You say you found A-Li ten miles away from where I met with my accident, and that you encountered a pair of servants and a carriage?"

Yue Tang turned around, her expression as cold as a pale moon.

"Yes. At least ten miles away, and there was no one else around. Otherwise, I wouldn't have concluded they were two separate incidents."

Yan Bei’s face remained calm, but his eyes caught a small glimpse of a blade hilt flashing beneath her sleeve, causing a storm to rise in his heart.

She possessed such excellent martial arts; clearly, she harbored doubts about him, yet she hadn't drawn her knife to stab him the moment she entered. The fact that she was willing to listen to his rambling meant that, at the very least, she did not view him as being in the same category as He Jianzhong or Zhang Shaode.

But she was entirely composed; there was not a trace of past tenderness in her eyes or her heart. It was obvious she had long since relegated him to the past.

Now, aside from being a member of the opposing faction, the only other identity he held was that of A-Li's biological father.

Bitterness filled Yan Bei's heart.

He looked toward the door, wondering why Gao An was moving so slowly.

One raises a child for a thousand days to use them for a moment; it should be time for A-Li to come out and turn the tide.

Yue Tang’s mind was entirely focused on his words.

She gazed at the man before her, not letting a single change in his expression escape her.

It was obvious that what he was saying did not match what she had experienced that night.

All the attendants had been by her side, and she had personally witnessed every single one of them being killed.

How could anyone have been left behind?

Crucially, that old woman who had been struck by the blade had pointed toward the river to mislead him.

Was he lying, or was there something else going on behind the scenes?

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

After a brief pause, a milky voice rang out: "Mother!"

Yue Tang’s body shuddered violently. She abruptly released Yan Bei and turned around, only to see a small child in purple robes standing at the threshold. He was clutching a straw-woven little duck, looking at her with shining eyes.

Gao An stood behind him. Lan Qin, who had been guarding the door, had also arrived, her hands clasped and her eyes brimming with tears.

Yue Tang’s blood froze. She spoke in a hoarse, strained voice, "What... what did you call me?"

A-Li kissed the little duck in his hand. "Nini is so great, she really found A-Li's mother."

Having said that, he ran forward with small steps, stopped in front of Yue Tang, opened his arms, and gently hugged her legs. Then, he carefully pressed his face against her and closed his eyes. "Mother, Mother, it's A-Li!"

Yue Tang’s entire frame seemed to melt into water. Her knees buckled, and she knelt on the ground, grasping the child's arms to examine him closely.

The child had a face like jade and eyes as clear as spring water, with a warm expectation and a timid excitement shimmering within them.

Yue Tang glanced at Gao An at the door; Gao An lowered his head.

A child of three would not understand such things; naturally, an adult had taught him.

But those repeated cries of "Mother" had shattered Yue Tang's soul!

Her hands trembled as she held the child's arms, and then she reached out to pull at his clothing!

The scene of the infant being struck by a blade had long since become a brand upon her heart.

She had seen that blood-stained swaddling cloth with her own eyes!

She had to verify it.

If Yan Bei dared to use A-Li's name to deceive her, she would undoubtedly throw everything she had to turn this room into his grave as the Prince of Jingyang!

The clothing was pulled aside.

On his thin little body, a clear, half-foot-long scar extended from his left shoulder down to his ribs.

"...A-Li!"

Yue Tang’s mouth hung open, and her fingers uncontrollably brushed against that scar!