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News of the Little Marquis of Zhao returning alive had already spread throughout the capital.

As for Xiao Qing’s identity, it hadn’t yet reached the outside world, but among the servants behind closed doors, some had overheard bits and pieces while Princess Xinyang and Yu Jin were sorting through the clothes.

The accompanying servant girl didn’t even dare to breathe. She turned to look at Princess Xinyang, and sure enough, she saw the princess’s face frozen in an expression of icy coldness.

The two servant girls inside must have sensed the chilling gaze from behind. They turned around in a daze, and upon seeing Princess Xinyang, they dropped to their knees in terror with a loud thud!

Princess Xinyang strode toward them quickly.

The accompanying servant girl was frightened out of her wits. “Princess! Please slow down!”

Princess Xinyang stopped in front of the two girls and barked sharply, “Get up! You’ve dirtied my son’s clothes!”

The servant girl who had spoken so disrespectfully earlier happened to be holding a tiny garment that Xiao Qing had worn as a newborn.

Trembling, she handed over the soiled garment to Princess Xinyang.

Staring at the filthy little piece of clothing, something surged in Princess Xinyang’s chest, and an overwhelming grief welled up in her heart without warning.

“Princess!”

Yu Jin had just returned from shopping. When she heard Princess Xinyang had gone to the greenhouse, she rushed over immediately.

Only to witness this scene.

She didn’t immediately ask what the two kneeling servant girls had done wrong. Instead, she directly instructed the servant girl beside her, “Take them away first. I’ll deal with them later.”

“Yes!” The servant girl closed the umbrella and handed it to Yu Jin.

Yu Jin took the oil-paper umbrella and gently said to the emotionally fragile Princess Xinyang, “Princess, Jing Kong has come to see you.”

Little Jing Kong had been visiting Princess Xinyang often ever since he returned to the capital, and Yu Jin had just run into him at the entrance.

Princess Xinyang was very fond of Jing Kong. Upon hearing he had come, she pulled herself out of her overwhelming emotions and took the soiled garment back into the house with her own hands.

Little Jing Kong had been attending the Imperial Academy for a month now, and he had completely reverted to his old self again. Once this New Year’s Eve passed, he would be six years old.

But he still looked just like a five-year-old, and it bothered him terribly.

Princess Xinyang had someone prepare a bowl of goat milk for him, sweetened with honey and red beans, and it was delicious.

Little Jing Kong drank it all with great relish, then sat on a stool to keep Princess Xinyang company.

“Princess, you look great today. You’re becoming more and more beautiful!”

Princess Xinyang was amused and smiled. “Is that so?”

“Of course! And also…” Little Jing Kong looked her up and down carefully, opened his mouth and said, “You’re getting more adorable too!”

Princess Xinyang saw right through him, “That’s not what you were originally going to say.”

“Ah.” Little Jing Kong raised both his little hands and scratched his head. “You saw through that too… fine, it was JiaoJiao who told me to say it!”

“JiaoJiao’s back?” Princess Xinyang asked.

Little Jing Kong shook his head seriously. “No, JiaoJiao said it a long time ago! JiaoJiao said you mustn’t call girls fat. If a girl is fat, it’s because she’s adorably inflated!”

“Pfft——” Yu Jin, standing nearby, couldn’t help it and burst out laughing.

If he wanted to say the princess was gaining weight, he might as well just say so.

Though truthfully, the princess wasn’t gaining weight at all.

“What did you learn at the Imperial Academy today?” Princess Xinyang moved on from the previous topic and asked about his studies instead.

“Today we studied the Classic of Filial Piety.” Little Jing Kong recited the entire lesson from memory, then gave a complete explanation of it in his own words.

Princess Xinyang nodded; everything he said was correct.

She reached out and gently patted his small head. “You really are a bright child.”

Little Jing Kong’s eyes rolled mischievously. “So am I smarter, or is brother-in-law smarter?”

Princess Xinyang laughed at his antics. “You’re both smart.”

Little Jing Kong furrowed his brows with deep frustration.

Why did that bad brother-in-law get to be smart too?

He was always coming in dead last in his exams!

But the very fact that he was asking this question already showed, somewhere deep down, he had come to admit that his brother-in-law was indeed smart, he just hadn’t realized it himself yet.

He sat up straighter and declared, “I’ll pass the imperial exams and be the top scorer earlier than my brother-in-law!”

What Little Jing Kong didn’t know at this moment was that he would indeed become the top scorer earlier than his bad brother-in-law, but it wouldn’t be in the civil exams.

“Jing Kong! Time to go shoot arrows!”

The voice of Xu Zhouzhou came from outside the door.

“Oh no! I forgot I promised to go archery shooting with them!” Little Jing Kong hopped down from the stool, bowed politely to Princess Xinyang, and said, “Princess, I’ll take my leave now. I’ll come visit you again another day.”

“All right.” Princess Xinyang nodded gently, and told Yu Jin to escort Little Jing Kong to the carriage.

When Yu Jin returned, Princess Xinyang was quietly tidying up the small garment that had been dirtied by the servant girls.

“Jing Kong really resembles Ah Heng when he was little.” So whenever she saw Jing Kong, it was as if she were seeing a piece of Xiao Heng’s childhood, and that filled Princess Xinyang with nostalgia.

Yu Jin smiled. “Isn’t that so? Both smart, both loved being number one, and both secretly mischievous.”

When Xiao Heng was little, he wasn’t nearly as well-behaved as he looked. If you told him not to climb trees, he would sneak off to climb them. If you said no candy, he would sneak into the kitchen with Long Yi to find some.

Whenever Princess Xinyang got too angry and tried to give him a spanking, he would yell for Long Yi to take him away and only come back after she had calmed down.

Thinking back to all the mischief Xiao Heng had gotten into as a child, Princess Xinyang started out laughing. But after a while, a faint sorrow crept into her expression.

She lowered her head, gently caressing the small garment in her hands, and spoke in an unusually calm tone, “Tell me… if Qing’er were still alive, what kind of person would he have become?”

Would he be just as mischievous as Ah Heng?

Would he be just as clever as Ah Heng?

Would he be bursting with clever little ideas that couldn’t all fit inside his head, just like Ah Heng?

Would he have chosen to study the civil arts? Or would he have pursued martial training?

Would he have liked wandering the world, or would he have preferred to stay close by her side?

Yu Jin looked at her worriedly. “Princess…”

Princess Xinyang shook her head, forcibly pushing down the grief of losing a child that churned within her heart. “I’m all right… it’s just that lately, I’ve been thinking of that child more often.”

Yu Jin glanced at the small garment in her hands and said softly, “Seeing these things brings back the memories. Princess, why don’t I put the young master’s clothes away for now?”

Princess Xinyang didn’t respond. Her gaze swept across the table and landed on something. She said, “Little Jing Kong left his book here. Have someone deliver it to Bishui Alley later.”

“All right,” Yu Jin had just agreed when a soft knock suddenly came from the door.

“I’ll get it.” Yu Jin said.

She walked to the entrance and pulled open the courtyard gate with some effort.

There, standing just outside, was a figure she knew all too well. His features were exquisite, his bearing refined like flawless jade. Gone was the boyish youthfulness, replaced now by a hint of maturity, composure, and noble restraint befitting a man nearing his coming-of-age.

Yu Jin gasped sharply, stunned. “Little Marquis! Princess! The Little Marquis has returned!”

“Ah Heng?” Princess Xinyang’s heart surged with joy. She didn’t even bother to put on her cloak before rushing out of the house.

Amidst the swirling snow and wind, she finally laid eyes on the son she had been yearning for day and night.

Snow covered Xiao Heng’s shoulders, a clear sign he had been standing at the door for quite some time.

He stepped over the threshold, but instead of immediately rushing to embrace Princess Xinyang, he turned around and looked behind him.

“Come in.”

“Elder brother.”

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…

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