In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

"Shouldn't we pass?" Xie Yige resolutely refused, shaking her head vigorously. "Don't you have other guests inside?"

She was genuinely a little scared. She wasn't ready to meet his family yet, sob sob.

"It's alright, let's go." Xie Wan Ning took her hand without further ado and led her into the inner hall.

The moment she entered, everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to her.

Xie Yige's heart pounded wildly, but she quickly calmed herself down.

In the center of the inner hall, from left to right, sat Wang, Du, and Liu respectively.

She walked up to the three elderly ladies and respectfully performed a standard Heavenly Bow—clasping her hands together, raising them above her forehead, and bending forward at a 60-degree angle, with an upright posture.

"This junior, Xie Yige, greets all the venerable ladies."

Upon looking up, everyone saw a girl with arched eyebrows and big, soft eyes.

Her beautiful peach blossom eyes were adorned with long, curled eyelashes, bright and pure, instantly pleasing to the eye.

Xie Wanning's mother, Liu, instantly teared up.

"Child, come here." Wang beckoned to her.

Xie Yige quickly stepped forward and took her hand in hers. Wang's hand was warm and dry, carrying a reassuring strength.

She turned to Mrs. Du, smiling, and said, "Look how good this child is. He's just the way I like him; I really like him."

Du smiled and nodded, though she was clearly a little confused, she didn't show it at all.

Wang then looked at Xie Yige and took off the jade bracelet from her wrist.

The bracelet was made of deep, vibrant green jade, which shimmered with a fresh, emerald hue when it caught the light; it was the finest imperial green.

"This is a gift for you when we first met."

"Madam, this is too precious." Xie Yige was a little flustered and subconsciously wanted to decline.

"Take it," Wang said, patting her hand reassuringly, her tone gentle yet leaving no room for refusal.

Xie Yige had no choice but to accept it with both hands and bow again to express her gratitude.

Du could not hide the shock in her heart.

Others might not know, but she recognized it—it was a heirloom from the Cui family of Qinghe to their daughter-in-law.

Why was it given to this young lady?

She scrutinized the girl before her again—her eyebrows were arched like willow leaves, her eyes were bright and clear like peach blossoms, her nose was small and straight, and her lips were like cherry blossoms. As she looked, she suddenly felt that there was something vaguely familiar about those features.

Before she could think it over, Madam Wang got up to say goodbye.

"Ruyun, I will be living in the capital from now on. We should try to find time to talk to each other often."

"Of course we should," Madam Du replied with a smile, suppressing her doubts. "We'll invite Chang Gong along as well."

Surrounded by Du and her entourage, Wang left the Xie residence.

Xie Yige was somewhat dazed.

Did she get through this safely? Did his grandmother have a good impression of me?

She was so nervous just now, her heart is still pounding.

"Yige, what are you daydreaming about?" Xie Wanning, who had just finished seeing off Wang Shi, returned and waved her hand in front of her.

Xie Yige then came to her senses.

"Let's talk in the back," Xie Wanning said in a low voice. "Your mother requests your presence."

Xie Yige followed Xie Wanning through two covered corridors and three moon gates before finally arriving at the "Tinglan Pavilion" in the west courtyard.

She paused slightly as soon as she entered the courtyard.

Inside, the main house has three rooms and a two-story embroidered building, with side rooms and warm pavilions on both sides. The steps are planted with magnolia trees, and there are two pear trees in the courtyard, clustered together like clouds and snow. When a breeze passes by, the fragrance spreads gently in the air.

"This is the courtyard where my eldest sister used to live," Xie Wanning said softly. "My mother has been taking care of it herself all these years."

As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Liu came out from inside.

She looked to be in her early fifties, with a gentle and dignified appearance. She stepped forward and gently took Xie Yige's hand, which trembled slightly with a cautious strength.

"Child, how has your mother been all these years?" As she finished speaking, her eyes instantly filled with tears, but she held them back tightly.

"Mother and Father are both well," Xie Yige replied softly, feeling the warmth and trembling of Liu's palm, her heart softening involuntarily.

"Madam, I heard from Madam Xie that there are some of Mother's belongings here. May I take a look?" she said, trying to break the heavy atmosphere.

"Okay, come in quickly."

The main hall of Tinglan Pavilion features a long, gilded pear wood canopy couch. Facing south, near the water window, is a large, carved desk, and in one corner sits a seven-stringed zither. The lacquer on the zither is warm and lustrous, indicating that it is an old object that has been frequently wiped and maintained.

Xie Yige immediately understood the arrangement upon seeing it – it was almost identical to her mother's bedroom in the east wing. Even the placement of the zither and the orientation of the desk were exactly the same.

Lady Liu took two items from the inner room and carefully placed them on the table: a scroll of portraits and a jade pendant.

She first unrolled the portrait. The silk was already a little yellowed, but the picture was still clear—the woman in the painting sat under a pear tree, holding a round fan, with a smile in her eyes; it was her mother when she was young.

"This is indeed a portrait of my mother," Xie Yige said softly. She recognized the style of the brushstrokes—it was her father's work.

Then she took out her own jade pendant and placed it next to Liu's. Sure enough, both jade pendants had the same five-pointed star pattern, and even the characters for "Xie" were exactly the same.

Looking at the two jade pendants, Liu could no longer hold back.

"Child, you are my granddaughter!" She hugged Xie Yige tightly and burst into tears. The sobs were suppressed for far too long, like a flood that had been building up for more than a decade finally breaking through its dam.

Although Xie Yige didn't know what had happened back then, seeing Liu Shi so grief-stricken made her feel a pang of sadness. She gently patted Liu Shi's back, unsure how to comfort her.

"Mother, please sit down and talk properly. Don't frighten Yige." Xie Wanning quickly stepped forward, pulled Liu Shi off Xie Yige, and helped her sit down.

Liu took the handkerchief Xie Wan Ning handed her, wiped away her tears, took a few deep breaths, and gradually calmed down.

"When the late emperor revised the Records of Clans, the Xie clan of Chen Commandery was not listed at the top." She began, her voice hoarse, heavy with memories. "Your maternal grandfather was greatly affected when he took over the responsibility of the clan after the sudden death of his elder brother. He was determined to restore the glory of his ancestors. On the one hand, he encouraged the children of the clan to study hard, and on the other hand, he wanted to improve the family's reputation through marriage alliances with women."

She paused, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes: "And the person you arranged for your mother's marriage was none other than the then-prosperous Prince Rong'an."

Xie Yige's heart sank.

"Qing'er strongly opposed it back then." Madam Liu's voice lowered. "A month before the wedding, she suddenly passed away... I was pregnant with twins at the time, and I was devastated. I almost lost Zhou'er and Ning'er."

She looked up at Xie Yige through her teary eyes: "Three years ago, a landslide affected your mother's grave, and we discovered... it was an empty coffin."