Volume 1: Gathering Winds and Flowers Chapter 20: Peaceful Life

  Another guard, dressed in black, shouted to the pedestrians to make way, and in an instant, the crowd on the street scattered, pushing and shoving each other, and soon a narrow path was cleared in the middle of the road for those people and horses to advance.

  It must be some high-ranking official on the move, who carelessly flicked his lips with a sense of superiority, for people in power, every move is so high-profile and showy.

  Watching the crowd rush past from beside, stirring up a large piece of dust on the ground, she retracted her gaze with peace of mind and pulled her mother's hand to continue walking forward. With a gentle pull, the person didn't move, she was startled and turned back, looking at her mother, only to find that she was staring blankly in the direction where the crowd had just left.

  Her heart sank, and the vague thoughts in her mind suddenly became clear. The face of the man on the horse flashed through her mind, his shallow eyes gleaming with a different light. She tugged at her mother's hand and called out softly, "Mother..."

  An Su's soul, immersed in memories, was startled awake. Her face was somewhat pale, but her cheeks were flushed with a hint of apricot color. A bitter expression flashed across the bottom of her eyes, and her usual soft and gentle voice was lost. Her tone was also hoarse, "What's wrong."

  "It's time to go, Mother." An Xin's heart slightly stirred, and she asked as if nothing was wrong.

  "Don't worry, I'm not feeling well. Let's head back home early and we can do the laundry next time, okay?" An SuSu said with a hint of apology on her face, her eyes darting around.

  "En, hao." An Xin's lips curved slightly upwards, holding a faint smile.

  Because they left too early and didn't match the originally agreed-upon time, Wang Ma Zi refused to leave others behind and send them back alone. An Su Su had no choice but to hire a horse carriage from town to return to the village.

  Inside the carriage, An Su was unusually silent, still trapped in her memories and unable to extricate herself. Joy, anxiety, unease and many other emotions kept changing on her face.

  She let out a faint sigh of relief, having guessed seven or eight parts of what would happen next. Her mother's wish for a lifetime of peace and tranquility would ultimately not come true.

  All the way, the horses and coachmen in the town were at least one size bigger than Wang Ma Zi, so the return journey took a lot less time than before.

  After crossing the threshold, An Su didn't bother to tidy up her clothes and walked alone into the inner chamber with a distracted mind.

  She calmly washed off the makeup on her face, restoring her bright and elegant appearance. Just as she was about to sit in a recliner to bask in the sun and kill time, she heard her mother's voice calling out to her from inside the house, so she lifted her feet and walked into the inner room.

  "Mother, you've cried." Lifting the curtain, An Xin looked at An Su Su and saw that her eyes were slightly red, with tear stains on her pale face.

  "Mother is fine, come over with peace of mind." An SuSu wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with her sleeve and beckoned to An Xin.

  The obedient listener immediately walked up and sat down beside her.

  "Do you still remember the man wearing brocade at the front of the horse team that set out from the town today?" An Su-su gazed at An Xin's face with both eyes, stunned for a moment before slowly opening her mouth to ask.

  "I remember." He said calmly, lowering his eyelids.

  "Is there any impression?" An Su's eyes flashed with a hint of tension, her tone slightly urgent.

  "Handsome, aloof, and powerful." The image of that person's face floated in An Xin's mind, and she picked out a few flattering adjectives. Then, she looked into An Su's complex and beautiful eyes, and the mother-daughter duo's gazes collided in mid-air, stirring up ripples.

  "I look very much like him." After a long pause, An Xin finally spoke out. It's not just that they looked alike; if she were of the opposite sex, she and that person would be almost identical, as if they had been molded from the same template.

  Upon hearing this, An's already complex expression became even more intense, her hands trembling slightly as she raised them to caress An Xin's face, gently stroking it.

  "He is my father." An nodded his head, his tone certain rather than questioning.

  "Yes, he is your father, Dong Ling's youngest great general, with a million troops at his command, and no one can surpass him among the military leaders." An SuSu's voice was as light as a wisp of smoke, which was blown away by the wind and scattered in all directions, unable to form an army.

  "What about his daughter? Who is she?" An Xin's eyebrows furrowed in inquiry, the last thread of doubt dissolving silently. The great general in Ye Xiao's mouth was actually him, and An Lian Cheng was her father!

  "The princess is the emperor's first daughter, with the title of Jinxiu, derived from the mountains and rivers, a metaphor for the vast territory. An Su's eyebrows were shrouded in sorrow, her eyes empty and unfocused, subconsciously responding to An Xin's question."

  Is it Princess Jin Yu or the eldest princess of Dong Ling? Even a simple title is so particular, it can be seen that her mother in the palace is absolutely honored and noble, with thousands of splendors. Then why did she abandon such a noble princess identity and run to this poor mountain village to suffer hardships for firewood, rice, oil, and salt?

  Hurt for love? Should be.

  "Is your surname Ling?" An Xin had already made some guesses in her heart, the royal family and official families had all been guessed by her, but she never thought that her mother was actually a princess of the imperial family. A bitter intention rose up in her heart, actually she wasn't without thoughts, but didn't dare to think about it, afraid of what might come. The imperial palace was a place where people were devoured without even spitting out bones, looking like a beautiful brocade, but once you stripped away the fake appearance, all that was left was the unbearable life and death struggle.

  Mother has already told everything frankly, which means that the day of returning to the palace has arrived, and the appearance of An Liancheng in the town also confirms this.

  Will the comfortable life of nine years and the warmth enjoyed for nine years come to an end?

  "Ah, Mother's name is Ling Susu." An Susu's dark pupils finally focused, with a clear and visible confusion and daze in her eyes, she said softly, "Don't worry, your father will come to find us, at the latest by tomorrow, he will find this place, we should return to the palace."

  Digression

  Hehe, the main storyline is starting now~