This slumber of Su Shuilian had lasted two days and one night. Although Long Xi Yue and Ouyang Xun took turns to check her pulse regularly and emphasized that she was alright and she needed to sleep deeply as she was too exhausted, Lin Si Yao was still frightened. He was scared that she would sleep and never wake up. Except for three meals a day when Si Chong and Si Tuo had dragged him to the dining room, he had spent almost all of his time by Su Shuilianâs bed.
Two hours after Su Shuilian began to experience labor pains, Elder Wangye Jing and his Elder Wangfei Feng Cai Yun had arrived. They were the first to hold the precious dragon-phoenix twins* Qing Lan had brought out of the delivery room. That was because the father of the dragon-phoenix twins paid no mind to them and had only set his attention on his wife inside the room. Liang Xuan Jing (Elder Wangye) and his wife Feng Cai Yun exchanged smiles. How could they not be satisfied with such a son-in-law? With such an excellent appearance and was even better to Shuilian. No matter what social status, isnât this the kind of caring spouse every woman longs for? Thus, the worries that had lingered in their hearts were lifted. They finally eased their hearts.
(*Twins with one baby boy and one baby girl)
Luckily, prior to the labor, Liang-momo had found wet nurses from the city. When Su Shuilian gave birth to their little Young Lady and little Young Master, she had sent the guards to the city to pick them up. Otherwise, with Guye solely focused on their Young Lady, the newborn dragon-phoenix twins whose mother had gone sleeping right after her labor, would be starving. Liang-momo and Chun Lan exchanged looks. Fortunately, they had followed the Elder Wangye and Elder Wangfeiâs order to come and serve the Young Lady. Otherwise, they couldnât imagine how disorderly the house would become.
When Su Shuilian woke up, the outside was still very dark. Perhaps it wasnât even yĂn-shĂ (3-5 am) yet. She lazily stretched her body. With the feeling of fatigue finally gone, she felt comfortable and refreshed.
Her stretched hands touched a warm object. She was surprised, turning around to see. It turned out Lin Si Yao was sleeping on the side of her bed. At the moment she touched him, he awoke. He lifted his head and saw her smiling face, Lin Si Yao pulled her small hand up to his face, asking her in a hoarse voice, âYou woke up. How do you feel?â
âIâm alright.â Su Shuilian gently caressed his chin, which had many stubbles, and looked in his bloodshot eyes. She felt her heart ache. âWhy didnât you go sleep in the bedroom?â
âItâs all the same no matter where I sleep.â He enjoyed her caring words.
He carefully helped Su Shuilian sit upright with her back against the headboard of the bed. âAre you hungry? Iâll get you some food.â
âA little hungry. Where are the babies?â Listening to him, Su Shuilian suddenly heard her stomach gurgle. She couldnât help but admit shyly. Turning back, she was surprised when she didnât see the twins she had labored to deliver. Astonished, she looked around the room and found that the two small beds she had placed in this room werenât here, either.
âShuilian, your parents cough⌠I mean the Elder Wangye and Elder Wangfei of Jingâs Mansion came. They are taking care of the kids.â Lin Si Yao looked at her deep in the eyes. Before he knew her, he had never thought he would get married, let alone to such a gentle and beautiful woman. Whatâs more, that it would be a high and noble daughter from the imperial cityâŚ
When Elder Jing Wangye and Wangfei got off the carriage and carefully assessed him, he was unexpectedly restless and anxious because of his blood-stained past. He was afraid that they would take their daughter back and they wouldnât admit this son-in-law, who used to be an assassin.
He thought that he didnât care about how people would look at him, or the position and the wealthy family behind Shuilian. This was because they werenât what he wanted or what he wanted to pursue. He just wanted this little woman. If her parents didnât accept him, if they didnât accept this marriage of theirs, they would apply every method they could to separate them⌠He will run away with her, even to the end of the world. However, he couldnât stop the bloodline bond between her and her parents.
Fortunately, his parents-in-law werenât as he thought. Not only did they happily accept him at first sight, but they also tried their best to handle all the decisions the seniors like them should do, including preparing the items they needed for her puerperium. They had even asked the maids to move the two little beds to their temporary bedroom in Bamboo Garden, so the kids could stay overnight with them. Of course, because of the cold weather and that newborns shouldnât be exposed to the wind, they were arranged to stay in the room in the East Wing. Their grandparents would take care of them during the day. Thus, he could stay focused and stay by Su Shuilian, waiting for her to wake up. âMy parents?â Su Shuilian was surprised, her graceful brows rising. âThe Elder Wangye and Wangfei of Jingâs Mansion?â
Was she in a dream? Didnât they say that this current body of hers was of an illegitimate daughter? And her motherâs memorial tablet was only bought into Princeâs mansionâs ancestral hall after her plead in the runaway letter that she had left? She was just an illegitimate kid that the Jing Mansion could have just forgotten about. How could she have gotten the favor of her father, Elder Wangye, to personally come during her labor?
The Elder Wangfei has even less of a reason to treat her so well⌠Even if this was to raise the prestige of the Jing Mansion, it was still a little overboard, right? Not only sending the maids and servants here, she also came personally with the former Prince? No woman would actually be generous enough to take care of the child her husband had with another woman. Su Shuilian patted her cheeks, trying to wake herself up from this dream.
Lin Si Yao smiled, pulling her hand. âDonât think too much. You should eat something first. They will talk to you directly about it laterâŚâ Yesterday, after dinner, the Elder Wanye had invited him to talk with him in the study room. They had talked for almost an hour and now he roughly understood the whole story.
Su Shuilianâs real name before she lost her memory was Liang En Xu. She was the blood daughter of the Elder Wangfei, the main wife of Elder Wangye Jing. When she was born, because of the concubineâs jealousy, she was plotted and brought out of the Princeâs Mansion and thrown into a small pile of crushed stone. Luckily, Fang Jing, a distant cousin of Feng Cai Yun, saved her. However, although Fang Jing had saved Liang En Xu, because Elder Wangye Jing denied to take her as his concubine, she had left with Liang En Xu, far from her home. She didnât bring her back to Prince Jingâs mansion or tell Feng Cai Yun about her daughter. Moreover, when En Xu grew up, she had made up a story and told her that she was the daughter of her (Feng Jing) and Elder Wangye Jing. And, because the Princeâs mansion didnât accept them, they had to live in exile, just the two of them.
Because Fang Jing was afraid of suspicion arising from her acquaintance, Fang Jing didnât bring En Xu to her parents. She had intentionally stayed in a remote town. She had completely cleared all traces of herself in the imperial district. Thatâs why when Liang Xuan Jing sent his men to investigate on his missing daughter, he had missed Fang Jing.
When En Xu was thirteen years old, Fang Jing got typhoid fever. She died because of having the illness for a long time without proper treatments. Before she died, she had asked En Xu several times to go to the imperial city to find Prince Jing. She told the little girl that she was the Elder Wangyeâs biological daughter. However, she told En Xu no word that she wasnât her real mother. She was afraid that En Xu would hate her. She left her a letter to give Elder Wangye Jing. Her letter told the truth that En Xu was the real daughter of Elder Wangye Jing and his Elder Wangfei. She also told the stories of what the two had encountered during thirteen years and her deep regret. If she hadnât been blinded by her resentment, she would have had her own family and children. She had been consumed in hatred so much so that it had weakened her.
Thus, in her letter, she begged Elder Wangye Jing and his Elder Wangfei to forgive her so she could close her eyes and finally rest in peace. Liang En Xu didnât know the truth. She had thought that her mother had died of depression that the Princeâs Mansion didnât want to shelter them. Thatâs why she deeply hated the Princeâs mansion. However, she couldnât ignore her motherâs last wish. After she had buried her mother, sold their house and anything of value, she headed to the imperial city to find Prince Jingâs Mansion.
To vent out her grievances, she didnât give her motherâs letter to Elder Wangye Jing but directly declared that she was Elder Wangyeâs illegitimate daughter birthed from a private affair outside the mansion. She wanted to see how her heartless father would treat a daughter that came out of nowhere without any notice. Indeed, Elder Wangye Jing had assigned people to investigate her explanation. And, she had to bear the mocking from the other Young Ladies from different concubines in the mansion.
After recognizing the fierce situation she might have to confront later, the bold and unrelenting Liang En Xu, had left a letter, asking Elder Wangye Jing to welcome her motherâs memorial tablet to the ancestral hall. She had placed her letter together with her mother, Fang Jingâs, last letter on the desk in his study room. Then, she escaped from the mansion. Afterward, it was Lin Si Yaoâs chance encounter with Su Shuilian, who had lost her memory with a completely different personality, in Mount Da ShiâŚ
When Elder Wangye and Elder Wangfei had found out what had actually happened from the last letter. They were finally convinced that Su Shuilian was the daughter they had lost for so many years. And that was how the successive arrangements had happened.
They were afraid that if they announced the truth before they found and welcomed her back to the house, she would be skeptical and avoid them. Thus, they had followed her ideas. First, they had welcomed Fang Jingâs memorial tablet to the ancestral hall, making her a yiniang (concubine). This was to repay her grace for saving the Elder Wangfeiâs daughter, and hopefully convince their daughter to return when she hears the news. Then, they posted the high profile, missing person announcement with a large money reward to bring their daughter back to the Princeâs Mansion.
Fortunately, their oldest son Liang En Zaiâs best friend, Xiang Wangye, had seen a lady that looked extremely similar to the drawing in their missing notice while going to visit a far, but famous temple with his wife.
Liang Xuan Jing immediately sent his men to search near that area. Eventually, they found Su Shuilian in Fan Hua Town. He then sent the trustworthy Chief Manager An and Xia-momo, his two best subordinates, to check the case. That was how they had found out that she was married and pregnant. Besides the joy, they were very worried. Would she be able to deliver the baby safely in such a desolate, mountainous village thousands of miles away from the capital? Thus, they had sent the momo, maids, and servants, even the imperial bodyguards to her⌠Su Shuilian was in awe as she listened to the two elders sitting across from her, taking turns to tell her the truth. She managed to get a hold of herself a long time later⌠Heavens, how lucky was she?
She had thought that the girl whose body she had possessed was just a lady from some wealthy family, like the Su Family. Then she found out that she was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Jingâs Mansion. Her mother had passed away but at least her memorial tablet was now in the ancestral hall of the Princeâs mansion. With that, she had erased her worries. Her mother, who had lived with her for more than ten years was gone, and her father didnât care much about her or accept her identity. To her, that was a good thing. At least, she didnât need to bear extra pressure and could live with A Yao for the rest of her life in Fan Hua Town. But, no one had expected that, after many twists and turns, she had become the only blood daughter of Elder Wangye and Elder Wangfei! How could a lone and ordinary soul, like herâs, accept it!