After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Upon hearing this news, Shen Jingque leaped out of the carriage in a flash.

"Is Third Brother coming back?"

Xiao Mingyue nodded with a smile, her usually calm face revealing an barely suppressed joy.

"Pass down the order to clean the entire mansion thoroughly and have the kitchen prepare plenty of his favorite foods."

From that day on, the Princess's residence began to boil over like a kettle.

As Shen Jingque watched the servants coming and going in the courtyard, her anticipation for this third brother she had never met before reached its peak.

She moved closer to Xiao Mingyue, her big eyes burning with gossip.

"Mother, my eldest and second brothers both took your surname Xiao, so why is it that this third brother alone has the surname Qin?"

Xiao Mingyue stopped wiping the weapons, looked up at the distant blue sky beyond the courtyard wall, and let out a long sigh.

"Because his father is still alive."

Shen Jingque was stunned.

Could it be that it got lost and hasn't been found yet?

She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Xiao Mingyue. "Then why didn't you acknowledge them?"

Seeing the little girl's appearance, Xiao Mingyue couldn't help but reach out and rub the top of her head.

"Lie'er's biological father is Qin Feng, the current Marquis of Weiyuan."

Shen Jingque was even more puzzled. How could the son of the Earl's mansion become the adopted son of the Eldest Princess?

"Does the Earl of Weiyuan not recognize him?"

Xiao Mingyue sneered, "Qin Feng would love for his son to die out there as soon as possible."

Under Shen Jingque's shocked gaze, Xiao Mingyue recounted a hidden past event.

When Qin Feng served as the military governor of the Northwest, he had a son named Qin Lie with a female physician.

However, after returning to the capital, the woman did not go back to Beijing with Qin Feng.

Qin Feng disposed of Qin Lie like trash, throwing him into the most remote village outside the city.

"No one knows where the child's mother went. He ordered that no one be allowed to mention that Qin Lie was his flesh and blood."

"They even allowed the stewards in the village to treat the child like pigs and dogs."

"Until... I found him in the mass grave."

When Xiao Mingyue brought up this past event, a cold glint appeared in her eyes.

"The child, only thirteen or fourteen years old, was covered in injuries and had a fever."

"The steward of the estate was probably afraid that if he died, the master would blame him, so he wrapped him in a tattered straw mat and threw him into the mass grave."

Perhaps it was her own experience of being abandoned that made Shen Jingque empathize so deeply; her heart felt like it had been violently clenched, and her anger flared up instantly.

"Is this still my biological father? He's a beast!"

Xiao Mingyue's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Later, Lie'er proved herself and became a capable soldier. Qin Feng, on the contrary, came to hate me."

"Does he hate you for saving his own son? How can old Deng be so unable to distinguish right from wrong?"

"He wasn't unable to distinguish right from wrong; he was just afraid that others would laugh at him for mistreating his own child and letting his precious sword tarnish, so he became angry out of shame."

Shen Jingque suddenly understood. "So, Third Brother deliberately didn't change his surname, just to keep the Qin surname and remind Qin Feng of his past mistakes?"

Xiao Mingyue nodded approvingly, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes.

"That's right, it's also a reminder to himself that the more Qin Feng tries to erase his existence, the more he needs to achieve great feats and keep that person up at night."

The less a child is recognized by their parents, the more desperately they try to prove their worth.

But they don't know that there are always some people in this world who are happy just because they exist.

That's exactly how Xiao Mingyue is right now.

Mentioning this third adopted son fills me with heartache.

"The Northwest is bitterly cold. That child stayed there for three years; he must have suffered a lot."

She put down the spear in her hand, a fleeting tear glistening in her eyes.

"I'll go check on how his yard is tidying up."

……

On the day Qin Lie entered the capital, the entire city was in an uproar.

Qishan Academy made an exception and gave students a half-day off, allowing them to admire the triumphant return of the Northwest Army.

Seeing the excitement of the event, Shen Jingque dragged Helan Qing along and booked the best private room on the second floor of Yufeng Tower on Zhuque Street.

The streets were already packed with onlookers.

The vendors selling candied hawthorns, hot tea, and acrobatics created a bustling sea of ​​noise.

He Lanqing was so frightened by the crowds and the huge noise downstairs that she gasped repeatedly and nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.

"Qingqing, are you socially anxious?"

I've never seen them so tense before, even at the academy; their faces are pale now.

He Lanqing shook her head blankly, not understanding what social anxiety meant.

"I...I didn't..."

Then she gripped the teacup tighter, "There are...too many people, I...I can't breathe."

"Oh!" Shen Jingque understood. "You're afraid of people!"

Some people in this world are just like that; they feel uncomfortable when there are many people around.

He Lanqing is probably like that.

She patted Helan Qing on the shoulder to encourage him: "What are you afraid of? We're in a private room on the second floor. The people downstairs can't possibly climb up the pillars and bite you, can they?"

He even stood up as he spoke, saying, "In these exciting moments, just join in the fun and get a feel for the atmosphere."

Shen Jingque stood by the window for a while, then looked towards the stairwell.

"That's strange, why hasn't Yingying arrived yet? We agreed to watch the Northwest Army enter the city together, and it's almost noon."

He Lanqing took out a crumpled piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.

"Just now, before you came, she sent someone... sent a message..."

She said she was practicing... and came over as soon as she finished practicing shooting.

Shen Jingque looked at the wildly scribbled handwriting on the note and rubbed her temples helplessly.

Ever since General Dingyuan found her a martial arts instructor, she's become a martial arts fanatic, never forgetting to lift weights even on holidays.

Just then, a high-pitched horn sound suddenly came from the end of the street, breaking the noise of Zhuque Avenue and soaring into the sky.

The crowd fell silent for a moment as if frozen in place, then erupted into cheers even louder than before.

"They're here! General Qin has entered the city!"

Shen Jingque threw down the melon seeds in her hand, rushed to the window in two steps, and leaned most of her body out of the windowsill.

Dust billowed from the wide streets in the distance.

A troop of fully armed light cavalry in black armor, like a black torrent of iron, cleaved a path through the surging sea of ​​people.

The synchronized sound of horses' hooves seemed to pound on people's hearts, making the wooden planks of the restaurant tremble slightly.

Atop the tall, chestnut-colored horse at the very front sat a young man as upright as a pine tree.

His brow bone protruded slightly, and his long, narrow phoenix eyes slanted towards his temples, with extremely deep pupils. His brows were full of unruly youthful sharpness.

The silver armor reflected a dazzling light, and the crimson cloak billowed in the wind, making him look like a war god descending to earth.

They truly embodied the phrase "dazzling clothes and spirited horses" to its fullest extent.

Shen Jingque's lips curled up uncontrollably to the back of her ears as she kept patting He Lanqing's arm beside her.

"Look, look! My third brother, whom I've never met before, is so handsome!"

He Lanqing was startled by the slap, and his hand holding the teacup trembled like a leaf.

"Please...please don't get agitated!"

At the moment the two were watching, a commotion suddenly broke out in the previously orderly queue.

On the flank of the entering procession, a military horse suddenly let out a sharp, piercing neigh and frantically shook its head.

Then, the startled horse broke away from the formation and suddenly galloped straight toward an old man by the roadside.

Terrified screams instantly tore through the crowd.

The people in the front row were so frightened that they fell backward. The old man's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, about to be trampled into a pulp by the heavy hooves of the horse.

The next moment, a figure as light and agile as a bluebird suddenly darted out from the narrow alleyway at the street corner.