After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Cen Mingxue arrived very quickly, almost without any delay.

"Uncle, you were looking for me?"

Cen Mingxue remained as respectful as ever when facing Cen Yingfan. There was no way around it; the Second Prince loathed her intensely, and the reason he brought her to the border was all because of Cen Yingfan.

Whether she was doing well by the Second Prince's side depended on Cen Yingfan's usefulness to the Second Prince, so naturally she had to hold on tightly to this powerful figure.

Seeing his niece's respectful demeanor, Cen Yingfan's expression softened considerably. "Mingxue! Your uncle knows that Mingzhu was wrong before, for embarrassing you so badly at the Second Prince's residence. Your uncle apologizes on her behalf."

Cen Mingxue was terrified. "Uncle, that matter is long gone. Please don't bring it up again. I'm not angry anymore."

She also felt guilty when talking about Cen Mingzhu's affair with the Second Prince.

Her marriage to the Second Prince was purely a misunderstanding, but it did cause him serious harm. Every time the Second Prince specifically asked her to serve him in bed, he would have someone force-feed her a bowl of contraceptive soup afterward, and it was always his confidants who watched her drink it.

At first, she was resentful and tried every means to avoid the medicine, but the second prince wouldn't even enter her courtyard. She had no choice but to drink the contraceptive soup to please him.

At that time, she invited Cen Mingzhu to visit the Second Prince's residence. The Second Prince knew that Cen Mingzhu was Cen Yingfan's most beloved daughter, so he agreed to come and keep her company for a while.

She also became more friendly towards her. At the banquet, she noticed that Cen Mingzhu was trying to seduce the Second Prince. The Second Prince did not show any obvious resistance, so she had a plan in mind.

She was the one who administered the aphrodisiac. Her plan was to have two women serve one husband, then cover it up afterwards, and maybe she could even secretly get pregnant.

Little did she know that while her belly remained flat, Cen Mingzhu had become pregnant.

Afterwards, the second prince jokingly told her that it was fortunate she was pregnant with Cen Mingzhu, otherwise she would have suffered a lot.

It was at that moment that she clearly realized that the Second Prince would never let her get pregnant!
Cen Yingfan is bringing up this old matter again; could it be that he has discovered something?
Cen Mingxue was terrified. She only had the Cen family to rely on now. If the Cen family also abandoned her, she would be finished!
Seeing that she was genuinely not holding a grudge, Cen Yingfan couldn't help but sigh again, "If only Mingzhu were a bit as sensible as you! Alas! It's a misfortune for our family, let's not talk about it. Today, your uncle has asked you to come here because he wants to ask you for a favor."

"Beg me?" Cen Mingzhu stared wide-eyed in astonishment, her mind still reeling.

She didn't think she could help Cen Yingfan in any way.

Cen Yingfan gave the butler a wink, and the butler immediately went downstairs and returned shortly with a baby in his arms.

"Look at this child."

Cen Mingxue looked at the child carefully as instructed and praised, "Yu Xue is adorable and so beautiful."

Cen Yingfan forced a weak smile. "This is the child Mingzhu gave birth to after risking her life, but unfortunately it's a daughter."

Cen Mingxue had already guessed, so she wasn't surprised at all. "Uncle, what do you mean?"

"I want to entrust my child to you for upbringing. Are you willing?" Cen Yingfan stated his purpose.

Cen Mingxue gasped, "Uncle, does my cousin know about this? Does the Second Prince know? I have an obligation to raise you, but if they're not willing and cause trouble again, I won't be able to handle it!"

Cen Yingfan nodded. "I understand your concerns. I'll speak to the Second Prince personally. You don't need to worry about Mingzhu; she won't cause any trouble for you." Although he doted on his daughter, his family came first in his heart. What Cen Mingzhu did was the greatest disgrace to the family. Zhu Yixuan was still willing to take her, and the child could rightfully return to her biological father's side. This was already the best possible outcome.

Cen Mingxue understood, immediately stood up, took the child, held her tightly in her arms, and bowed to Cen Yingfan. "In that case, I will take the child with me. From now on, she will be my niece's biological daughter. As long as my niece has a breath left, I will protect her for the rest of my life."

"Good! Good, good! Mingxue, it's your uncle who owes you this. Don't worry, your uncle will always be your support!" This was the first time Cen Yingfan had said such words to Cen Mingxue.

With tears in her eyes, Cen Mingxue kowtowed to Cen Yingfan while holding the child before leaving.

On the way, Cen Mingxue's personal maid, Liu'er, rubbed her handkerchief indignantly, "Master, the master is too bullying! Why should you be the one to raise the child born to the eldest young lady? He clearly thinks you're easy to bully!"

Cen Mingxue glared at her irritably, then happily played with the baby in her arms.

"What do you know! His Highness would never let me have a child. My existence is a disgrace to him. Rather than grow old and die in the Second Prince's backyard, raising a child would be better and would help pass the time! Besides, with this child, would my uncle really not care about my life or death? Even His Highness would have to be kinder to me for the sake of this child."

It has to be said that Cen Mingxue's years of suffering have not been in vain; she has long since seen through everything.

Upon hearing this, Liu'er felt sorry for Cen Mingxue while also worrying about her own future and shedding tears.

Not long after the master and servant returned, the Second Prince arrived. He clearly already knew about the child. He glanced at the child and simply said, "Since the Cen family wishes to have the child raised by you, I will not say anything. Remember, I am doing this to give the Cen family face!"

"I understand," Cen Mingxue replied obediently.

The second prince chuckled and left.

By the time Zhu Yixuan received the news from the border, winter had already arrived.

The chill brought by the heavy snow penetrated through the skin and went straight to the heart.

It was at times like these that he longed for the laughter and joy of that villa, for that beautiful face, those clear and bright eyes, and for that healthy and adorable child.
Now he has returned, but everything has changed. The villa has vanished completely, as if there had never been any trace of them in this world.

"What are you thinking about?" Master Zhu's voice interrupted Zhu Yixuan's thoughts.

He looked away and turned to Master Zhu, "Father, why did you go out in such cold weather?"

Master Zhu, supported by the steward, slowly sat down. "I heard from the steward that news came from the border today. What's going on?"

He hasn't been involved in anything at home for the past few months, but with the Lunar New Year approaching, he should at least know a little bit about it.

Zhu Yixuan didn't hide anything and slowly said, "The child was safely delivered to the Cen family. My father-in-law gave the child to the concubine in the Second Prince's backyard to raise, which can be considered as allowing the child to rightfully return to his ancestral home."

"And what about us? The Second Prince and the Cen family haven't made any move at all?" Master Zhu asked anxiously.

He didn't know whose child Cen Mingzhu was carrying until the child was born. Because it wasn't a son, Zhu Yixuan didn't want it, and that's when he finally revealed the truth to him.

Zhu Yixuan breathed a sigh of relief. "My father-in-law prepared a generous New Year's gift for our family, saying he'd secured me a seventh-rank military officer position in the army, sending me to the border. Wouldn't you consider this compensation?" (End of Chapter)