Liu Chen and Lu Gan went ahead to report back to the palace, while Su Baiyue quietly returned to the Weinan royal house in her blue silk carriage.

The King and Princess of Weinan had already been eagerly waiting at the mansion’s gate.

“Mistress is back!”

The gatekeeper’s excited call came from the front.

The Princess of Weinan hurried out to meet her.

Su Baiyue stepped down from the blue silk carriage, her eyes and brows half-lowered, and spoke in a clear voice, “Father, Mother, no need to worry. I’ve seen it myself, brother is safe.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” the Princess of Weinan dabbed her teary eyes and quickly said upon seeing Su Baiyue’s pale face, “Are you feeling unwell again? Hurry back and rest. You should have waited here with us, why insist on going to the city gate alone? You couldn’t even wait for a moment…”

Before the Princess could finish, the King interrupted her.

“Ling’er is thoughtful. The palace is dangerous now, a den of dragons and tigers. Given Chen’s nature, if Ling’er hadn’t reminded him, who knows what trouble he might have caused.”

Hearing that Liu Chen had returned safely, the King of Weinan, who had been ill for over half a year, suddenly looked radiant, his health seemingly restored.

“Our Chen’er has won so many battles, the emperor must be pleased, there won’t be any punishment,” the Princess said nonchalantly, continuing to look outside.

The King sighed and fell silent.

In fact, Su Baiyue didn’t need to go out to meet them today. She rode in that dilapidated blue silk carriage to the city gate just to signal to her naive brother. The situation in the imperial city was different from before, some things couldn’t be stated openly, so they had to rely on hints.

Even if her brother didn’t understand her intent today, Lu Gan surely would.

As it turned out, Su Baiyue’s actions today were effective.

At lamp-lighting time, Liu Chen and Lu Gan returned safely from the palace.

“Mother, Mother!” Liu Chen started shouting as soon as he entered.

The Princess of Weinan rushed out and burst into tears as she embraced Liu Chen, “My son, my dear son, you’re finally back…”

Liu Chen had been on campaign for two years, and the Princess had been anxious the entire time, praying daily for his safe return.

“Mother, this is Brother Lu.” Liu Chen comforted the Princess and then stepped aside to introduce the handsome man following him.

The Princess, wiping her tears and slightly embarrassed to be seen so disheveled before the younger generation, said, “So it’s our savior.” Then she smiled warmly at Lu Gan, “We owe it to our savior that my son returned safely. Please, accept my bow.” As she spoke, she was about to kneel.

“Please don’t,” Lu Gan quickly supported the Princess’s arm, helping her to stand before bowing politely, “There’s no need for such formalities, my lady. On the battlefield, it’s right to advance and retreat together.”

Hiding around the corner of the hallway, Su Baiyue scoffed at Lu Gan’s words, which sounded better than they sang.

“Please come in, our savior. Dinner is ready, and your room is prepared. Please feel free to stay for a few days and make yourself at home,” the Princess expressed her gratitude to General Rakshasa who had saved her son.

“Just call me Lu Gan,” said Lu Gan, his face expressionless. He changed into a plain dark robe, sitting with a bearing that was both imposing and restrained.

“Mother, where’s Father?” Liu Chen, still chewing on a chicken leg, asked restlessly.

“He’s changing his clothes, he’ll be here soon,” the Princess glanced at Lu Gan, feeling a bit nervous for some reason.

The old nanny standing behind the Princess went pale as she met Lu Gan’s casual glance, instantly turning ashen and appearing about to collapse.

But Lu Gan wasn’t really looking at the old nanny; his gaze was fixed on the screen behind her.

The screen was solid, obscuring any view of the person behind it, but Lu Gan knew—his beloved Mistress was there. He could smell her scent, light and intoxicating as her presence, utterly captivating.

Lu Gan lowered his gaze, focusing on the wine cup in front of him. He opened his hand, then slowly clenched it tight again. He remembered the feeling of lifting her from the carriage today, and those crystal-clear eyes filled with tears, looking up at him in astonishment, vividly reflecting his face.

Lu Gan thought, if only those eyes could hold only him forever, how wonderful that would be.

The dinner was cheerful, and afterwards, Lu Gan was shown to his guest room by a maid.

Hidden behind the screen, Su Baiyue clutched her grumbling stomach and bit her sleeve as she retreated back under the blankets.

Hmm, the male lead was quite well-behaved in public, not saying anything inappropriate. He didn’t even mention the marriage document, nor did he engage when Liu Chen drunkenly boasted about her. Perhaps Lu Gan didn’t really intend to marry her after all? Maybe he just wanted to scare her, to get revenge, to torment her… That was terrifying too!

She scared herself into a frenzy, Su Baiyue hungry and biting another sleeve.

In the main house, the old nanny, anxious, finally found a moment to speak, “My lady, I have something to say.”

The Princess was still reveling in the joy of her son’s safe return, looking years younger.

“Speak,” she said leisurely, sipping her fragrant tea, planning to ask the kitchen to prepare nourishing soups for Liu Chen and Lu Gan tomorrow.

“The General Rakshasa bears a striking resemblance to someone from our house two years ago.”

“Who is it?” The Princess set down her teacup, looking puzzled.

“The little horse servant,” the old nanny whispered, leaning in close, her face filled with fear, “My lady, do you think General Rakshasa could be… the ghost of that horse servant coming back for revenge?”

“Nonsense!” The Princess slammed the table, glaring at the old nanny, “What are you babbling about?”

“My lady, forgive me, I’m not speaking nonsense! Even if there are people who look alike in this world, how can they share the exact same name? And how could it just so happen to be someone from our Weinan royal house?”

The old nanny knelt on the floor, her face filled with terror.

The Princess sat still, gripping her handkerchief tightly. Her joyful expression gradually faded, her face growing paler.

“My lady, in my humble opinion, if General Rakshasa really is the horse servant from back then, we can’t keep him in our house!”

“We can’t, we can’t, you said we couldn’t keep him back then, and I followed your advice and let you deal with him. But look now, not only has he come back from the dead, he’s also become the great benefactor of our entire Weinan royal house. Do you really want me to be that ungrateful, to be laughed at by the world?”

After saying this, the Princess suddenly clutched her chest, her face turning even uglier.

The old nanny hurried forward to help her breathe easier.

“Your Highness, it was that lowly creature’s fault back then. I told him to take the money and leave, but he refused, saying he would complain to the authorities. My husband was so furious he accidentally killed the horse servant. But who would have thought, this person is like a zombie, now coming back for revenge!”

The Princess gasped for breath, then pushed the old nanny’s hand away.

“Nanny, do you really think I don’t know what you’ve done?” The Princess stared with wide eyes, her voice hoarse, “I’ve treated you like family for many years because you were a gift from my mother. I thought, since the horse servant was already dead, we should let bygones be bygones and not stir up trouble. But now you’re still making excuses!”

With that, the Princess’s face twisted into a bitter smile, “It’s all my fault, all my fault. Why did I listen to such a foolish woman…”

“Your Highness, if you hadn’t done that, not only would that horse servant not have survived, but we all wouldn’t have either!” The old nanny wailed from the floor.

“Shut up!” The Princess fiercely interrupted the old nanny, her eyes red and her voice hoarse, “If you had really gotten rid of him back then, where would my Chen be now?”

The Princess suddenly stood up, her eyes fierce as she looked down at the kneeling old nanny, “At this point, all I can do is tie you up and confess our sins.”