“No need. This prince will just stand for a while.” Zhan Beiyuan’s expression was cold. Originally, he hadn’t wanted to come, but after some thought, he felt he should come in person.
He had thought about it all night, yet still couldn’t recall what exactly had happened that night six years ago on the back mountain of Niulan Village.
What puzzled him even more was why he had forgotten only the events that occurred after he lost consciousness.
And then there was his sudden hidden ailment.
He now suspected it might have been caused by the drug’s effects, or perhaps Jiang Yunxi had done something to him.
Seeing his cold attitude and his apparent unwillingness to engage with her, Madam Mu was at a loss for words.
At that moment, Jiang Chenyu walked in.
“Greetings, Your Highness Prince Han.” Jiang Chenyu curtsied, her watery eyes fixed on the man’s cold, stern, and resolute face. Her heart couldn’t help but flutter.
“Hmm.” Zhan Beiyuan responded indifferently.
Seeing the man’s unapproachable demeanor, Jiang Chenyu walked over to Madam Mu and asked quietly, “Mother, why has His Highness Prince Han come?”
Madam Mu lowered her voice. “He’s here to pick up Jiang Yunxi and the children.”
Jiang Chenyu’s face showed surprise. Last night, she had heard Madam Mu mention those two children, but she naturally didn’t believe it. Everyone in the capital knew that Prince Han had a hidden ailment and was incapable of fathering children.
How could Jiang Yunxi’s children possibly be his?
But now, His Highness Prince Han had personally come to Yingguo Gongfu to pick up the mother and her two children.
Still, it was just as well that he took them away.
“Congratulations, Your Highness Prince Han. Do you plan to marry Sister Yunxi? Otherwise, if she lives at Hanwang Residence, she’s bound to face gossip.” Jiang Chenyu said with a dignified smile.
Zhan Beiyuan looked at her coldly. “You care a lot about her?”
“She is my sister, so of course I care.” Jiang Chenyu said with a serious expression.
“Since you care so much about her, shouldn’t you, this fake daughter, leave Yingguo Gongfu? Otherwise, outsiders will surely point fingers at her.” Zhan Beiyuan’s expression was cold, his tone unfriendly.
Madam Mu: “…”
Jiang Chenyu: “…”
“Daddy!”
When Momo and Mianmian saw the handsome man in the front hall, they quickly ran inside. The two of them skillfully hugged his legs, showing no sense of unfamiliarity at all.
After being hugged by the two little ones, Zhan Beiyuan felt as if his heart was being gently scratched by two small hands—a bit ticklish, with a peculiar sensation rising in his chest.
Being a father for the first time, he felt somewhat at a loss.
He had never interacted with children before and had no idea how to get along with them.
“Have you had breakfast?”
After thinking for a while, he finally found something to say.
Momo and Mianmian nodded, looking at him with innocent, sparkling eyes.
Zhan Beiyuan: “…”
What about Jiang Yunxi?
Why hasn’t she come yet?
“What do you like to do?” Zhan Beiyuan continued to search for topics. His own childhood had held little joy—aside from studying, it was martial arts training.
“I like reading,” Momo said. He had read all the books at Qingxu Temple that he could understand.
“I like martial arts,” Mianmian said with a smile, her eyes curving. She loved both dancing with swords and wielding them.
Zhan Beiyuan: “…”
“Wow, you two are amazing! Our master also loved reading and martial arts since he was little.” Qi Yan could see that his master didn’t know how to interact with the children.
He hadn’t expected the young masters’ interests to align so closely with their father’s.
Both Momo and Mianmian’s eyes lit up, and they pestered Zhan Beiyuan to tell them about his childhood. At first, Zhan Beiyuan spoke stiffly, but gradually, under the admiring gazes of the two little ones, he became more and more natural.
When Jiang Yunxi arrived, she saw her son and daughter sitting with their chins propped in their hands, smiling with sparkling eyes as they listened intently to Zhan Beiyuan.
The man sat upright, speaking to them with a serious expression.
Seeing this scene, she felt relieved.
Her decision had indeed been correct.
“This old woman greets Your Highness, Prince Han.” Grandmother bowed with a beaming smile.
“Grandmother.” Zhan Beiyuan quickly rose to his feet. The Yingguo Gongfu had served the kingdom with loyalty for generations, and he held deep respect for them, especially for the late Duke Yingguo.
If not for him in that battle years ago, the Tenglong Kingdom would have lost several cities.
“Yunxi, Momo, and Mianmian have been living at Qingxu Temple all these years and are not very familiar with many rules. I hope Prince Han can be understanding.” Grandmother naturally hoped they would get along well.
Yunxi said she didn’t want to marry, but that was only because the two were not yet acquainted.
Once they spent more time together, feelings would naturally develop.
Zhan Beiyuan glanced at the woman standing nearby. “Grandmother, rest assured. This prince is not unreasonable. As long as she doesn’t go too far, I can be tolerant.”
Jiang Yunxi: “…”
Was she the kind of person who went too far?
A moment later.
The group escorted Zhan Beiyuan and his entourage out of Yingguo Gongfu.
After watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Jiang Chenyu let out a sigh of relief, though her feelings were conflicted. She didn’t want Jiang Yunxi to return to Yingguo Gongfu, but she also didn’t want her living at Hanwang Residence.
“Chenyu, come with me,” Grandmother said to her. The path ahead would be for her to choose.
“Yes.” Jiang Chenyu felt uneasy. She could sense that Grandmother clearly favored Jiang Yunxi.
…
Hanwang Residence.
“You will live in this courtyard from now on. You may move freely within the residence, but you must not enter my courtyard without permission,” Zhan Beiyuan said sternly to Jiang Yunxi.
Jiang Yunxi replied briskly, “Fine.”
She had no interest in his main courtyard.
“If you need anything, find Steward Bai. He will arrange it for you,” Zhan Beiyuan continued. Since he had brought them back, he would not treat them poorly.
“Your Highness, when do you plan to publicly announce Momo and Mianmian’s identities?” Jiang Yunxi asked. She wanted the two children to have their rightful status, and she would pave the way for them.
“This prince will enter the palace today to request an imperial decree granting them their status. As for you, I have no intention of marrying you,” Zhan Beiyuan stated bluntly.
As soon as she arrived, she asked him to publicly announce the children’s identities.
If he didn’t marry her, he didn’t know how the common people would gossip.
But he still had no intention of marrying her.
After all, he hadn’t yet clarified what happened that night six years ago.
“Oh, I have no intention of marrying you either,” Jiang Yunxi said with an innocent smile.
Zhan Beiyuan: “…”
Suddenly.
Steward Bai entered. “Your Highness, Eunuch Qin has arrived with an imperial decree and a large number of items, saying they are for the young prince and princess.”
Eunuch Qin walked into the courtyard with a beaming smile. He first bowed, then presented the decree. “Your Highness, Prince Han, this is the decree personally drafted by His Majesty at the Retired Emperor’s request, announcing the identities of the young prince and princess.”
Zhan Beiyuan took it, opened it, and saw the imperial seal stamped on it. He handed it to Jiang Yunxi. “Are you reassured now?”
After reading the contents, Jiang Yunxi sighed in relief. “Regardless of whether Your Highness marries a consort in the future or has more children, I hope you will treat Momo and Mianmian well.”
Since the two children were born, she had worked hard to nurture them. She hoped that, whether she was there or not in the future, they would live well.
“They are my children, and I will naturally treat them well. Moreover, I will not take a consort, nor will I have any other children,” Zhan Beiyuan stated clearly. Having heirs was enough to silence his father.