Yuanbao, feeling wronged, buried his head in Rongrong’s arms.

Hearing Xue Xiaoshan’s question, he looked up and said, “Father… my father knows.”

Mentioning the Crown Prince made Rongrong a bit upset.

It was concerning that he came out of the East Palace without anyone stopping him.

Thankfully, he arrived safely at Wutong Alley. What if he encountered trouble or assassins on the way?

“Let’s eat first. After the meal, Auntie will take you back.”

“I don’t want to go back.”

“Alright, we’ll eat first. After eating, you can take a nap with Auntie, and then we can think about whether to go back or not.”

Yuanbao nodded in satisfaction.

Feicui brought a stool from the inner room and placed it next to Rongrong.

Yuanbao looked back and said, “Thank you, Auntie Feicui.”

Chunxing, who was serving the food, wondered, “How do you know her name is Feicui?”

Yuanbao’s eyes shifted nervously to Rongrong.

Rongrong, already knowing that Feicui was from the Crown Prince, wasn’t surprised by Yuanbao’s slip.

She smiled and said, “I told Yuanbao about the people at home. Let’s eat and not talk too much.”

Everyone continued eating.

Yuanbao was a bit picky with food in the Eastern Palace but enjoyed eating at Rongrong’s house, eating more vegetables, meat, and finishing with a bowl of radish soup.

After Rongrong wiped Yuanbao’s mouth, she carried him to the room for a nap.

Yuanbao was already tired from flying kites, and before Rongrong could even hum a lullaby, he had fallen asleep.

As she was about to go out to help clean up, she saw Feicui standing at the door with a bundle.

“Come in.”

Feicui closed the door, walked over, and placed the bundle on the table. “This is from Eunuch Wang. It contains the young master’s things.”

“Is he really not coming to pick up Yuanbao?”

“Eunuch Wang didn’t say anything else.” Feicui knelt and said, “Miss, I was ordered by my master to deceive you. But my master’s orders have no ill intentions. I am here to protect you from the side.”

No ill intentions?

“Don’t talk about malice; he’s already done plenty of harm.”

Seeing that Rong Rong didn’t believe her, Feicui quickly said, “I swear on my life that I’ve never done anything to harm you. My master arranged for me to be by your side just to investigate an important matter and to serve as a cover.”

“Isn’t it to monitor me?”

Feicui shook her head. “My being here is closely related to this house.”

“This house?” Rong Rong was surprised.

“This house was arranged by His Highness the Crown Prince. When Mei Ningxiang wanted to drive you away, my master was worried that you and your family would have nowhere to go, so I arranged it with Elder Yang.”

So this house was actually arranged by the Crown Prince?

No wonder everything went so smoothly when she was looking for a house.

The so-called rich merchants and garden caretakers were all deceivers.

To avoid suspicion, they had even locked up the inner courtyard.

Feicui took out a purse and placed it on the table. “This is the deposit and rent you gave me, returned to you. The key is for the lock on the inner courtyard gate. Since there are more people in the house now, it seems not enough to accommodate everyone.”

Rong Rong felt very complicated.

She had always lived comfortably in this house, not realizing it was a favor from the Crown Prince.

“Please forgive me, Miss.”

Seeing Feicui’s current demeanor, Rong Rong felt a pang of sadness. “I’ve also been a servant before. You’ve helped look after my family for so long; I should thank you.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

As Feicui was about to leave, Rong Rong suddenly had an idea. “Wait.”

“Is there anything else you need, Miss?”

“I’ve always had some questions about Yuanbao. But you know, in the Eastern Palace, we can’t freely discuss such matters, and others wouldn’t tell me. Could you… tell me about it?”

Feicui’s gaze fell on the sleeping Yuanbao on the couch, and after a moment, she looked away.

“What do you want to know?”

“Can you promise me you won’t tell your master what I ask?”

Feicui thought for a while and nodded.

“Yuanbao’s… his mother, what kind of person was she?”

Feicui’s expression immediately darkened, and Rong Rong could see it clearly, feeling a slight sigh in her heart. “If it’s inconvenient to say, then—”

“There’s nothing inconvenient. The mother of Prince Yuanbao was a very beautiful woman…”

Rong Rong had suspected that Liu Zhen was cruel, and Yuanbao’s kindness must have come from his mother.

“…Not only was she beautiful, but she also had a kind heart. She treated us very well.”

Rong Rong had guessed that Liu Zhen was harsh, and Yuanbao’s goodness likely came from his mother.

“In fact, Miss, you and Yuanbao’s mother are really quite similar.”

“Similar?” Rong Rong was a bit hesitant. “Do you mean in appearance?”

Feicui shook her head. “You don’t look alike. She was very charming, completely different from you. I mean, your temperaments are very similar. Both of you are very gentle, and being around you always feels warm and comforting.”

“I… I’m not that gentle,” Rong Rong said with a bitter smile.

“Of course, you are gentle. When I first came to Huaihua Lane and had my period, you even made soup for me.” Feicui’s eyes welled up with tears as she continued, “The little master would also make soup for me.”

Little master? What little master?

Rong Rong suddenly looked up at Feicui.

Had Feicui served the Crown Prince’s other women?

No, Yuanbao was only four years old, so his mother must have been pregnant around the same time as Rong Rong.

Feicui had been serving Rong Rong at that time, so how could she serve someone else?

Could it be…

Rong Rong’s mind was getting more and more confused and painful.

“Are you saying that you served Yuanbao’s mother?” Rong Rong struggled to control her emotions as she pressed Feicui for more details.

This was a crucial matter; she had to clarify everything without any doubts.

Feicui nodded.

“Did the Crown Prince… have any other women at that time?” Rong Rong asked further.

Feicui shook her head. “The Prince has always only had one woman. As for the future…” Feicui didn’t finish the sentence, as it was clear who would be the Crown Prince’s woman from now on.

“Only one? Are you saying the Crown Prince only had one woman? With his status, how could he have only one woman? You’re saying Yuanbao’s mother is the one you served? What was her status?” Rong Rong continued to question, her voice rising with each question.

Feicui didn’t understand why Rong Rong was so emotional.

Although she was reluctant to say more, she couldn’t bear to see the tears in Rong Rong’s eyes and continued, “The Prince isn’t fond of frivolous pleasures. He only had one woman, which is Yuanbao’s mother.

She came from a humble background, assigned to the Prince as a bedchamber maid from the Chamber of Affairs.

She was a very good woman. After she left, the Prince was in a deep decline for a long time.”

---

Yuanbao was awakened by a loud, piercing scream.

The sound seemed somewhat familiar.

He tried to figure out what was happening, but his eyes wouldn’t open.

He could hear soft sobbing.

Who is crying?

Yuanbao rubbed his eyes, but his long eyelashes stuck together, still not allowing him to see.

Is it Father crying?

No, he wasn’t in the East Palace but at Aunt Rongrong’s house, taking an afternoon nap.

Is Aunt Rongrong crying?

Yuanbao jolted awake with the realization, and he saw Rong Rong sitting by the couch with her back to him, her shoulders shaking with her sobs.

“Auntie, what’s wrong?” Yuanbao hurriedly climbed over to her side, looking like a small dog.

Hearing Yuanbao’s voice, Rong Rong quickly covered her face. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

Yuanbao wanted to help Rong Rong wipe her tears but couldn’t reach her face. Hearing her sniffle, he felt a pang of heartache.

“Auntie, please don’t cry.”

“Mm, mm, I won’t cry anymore.” Rong Rong tried hard to stop her tears, wiping them away with her sleeve.

Looking at the chubby Yuanbao in front of her, she couldn’t believe Feicui’s words.

Is Yuanbao her child?

But Yuanbao’s nose didn’t resemble the Crown Prince’s or her own; it looked more like a Hu’s.

But since Feicui has made it so clear, it must be correct.

Moreover, the emperor naming Yuanbao “Liu Jing” is no coincidence; it certainly isn’t a coincidence.

“Yuanbao, did I wake you up?”

“Mm.” Yuanbao shook his head vigorously.

Seeing that Rongrong had come back to her senses and started to care about him, he felt a bit more at ease.

“Aunt, did you have a nightmare?” Yuanbao asked. “Tell me what kind of nightmare you had. Father said that if you have a nightmare, you must tell someone about it, so you won’t have the same nightmare again.”

Rongrong turned around and saw Yuanbao earnestly comforting her.

Her heart softened, and tears began to flow uncontrollably.

This is her child!

Not some soul from another time, but her own child born after carrying him for seven months; a piece of flesh that came out of her own body!

How could she have been so foolish, not recognizing her own child?

If the child hadn’t recognized her first, she might never have found him in her lifetime.

Rongrong could no longer control her emotions and hugged Yuanbao tightly, crying out loud.

Yuanbao was held tightly by Rongrong but didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

He liked being held so closely; it was warm and reassuring.

He remembered those sleepless nights in the past when he would open his eyes and long for such a warm and comforting embrace.

He would cry and throw tantrums, and everyone would try to comfort him, but no one could give him such an embrace.

Not even his father could.