"That's all just talk, it might not be true. If we miss our chance to find your father, how could I ever face your mother after the promise I made her as she was dying?" As she spoke, Fourth Granny's eyes grew red.
Ye Qianning sighed, walked over, and took her large, calloused hand. "Once the Commandery Princess is well, the Prince Mansion will owe us a favor. Even if the yamen can't find my father, we can ask the Princess Consort for help. The Princess Consort is worldly and knowledgeable; she'll definitely recognize where that Jade Pendant is from."
"The Princess Consort will recognize it?"
"Of course. If even a minor yamen can recognize the Jade Pendant, how could the Princess Consort possibly not?"
When they first entered the Capital City, they had been asking around about the Jade Pendant's origin. By chance, they were met by a Lord Song from the yamen, who then arranged for them to stay at an inn.
She clearly remembered the look of astonishment on Lord Song's face when he saw the Jade Pendant. Obviously, its owner was someone of great status.
"That's true."
"So, you can set your mind at ease. We'll definitely find Father," Ye Qianning said.
Fourth Granny did indeed feel much more at ease upon hearing this. She looked at Ye Qianning with a sense of relief. Since they had entered the Capital City, the girl had reined in her mischievous nature, and her temperament had grown much steadier.
Over the next few days, just as Ye Qianning had predicted, the lanced pustules on the young Commandery Princess's body began to scab over, and the unbearable itchiness that had plagued her subsided.
Ye Qianning's personal space had also changed. Her blessing value had finally budged, but it seemed by only a few percentage points. 'At this rate, how many good deeds will I have to perform just to reach a hundred and unlock a plot of land? Honestly, this is inhuman work. Good deeds don't come easy. At this rate, I feel like I'm going to just drop dead one of these days!'
「Capital City, Eight Blessings Restaurant.」
"I hear the two from Nanyuan have moved into the Changyang Prince Mansion." The man in white stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant Prince Mansion as he spoke softly.
Zhan Chi, dressed as always in blue, was seated at the table. Upon hearing this, he slammed his fist on the wood and gritted out, "We really underestimated them. To think they managed to connect with the Changyang Prince Mansion in just two days."
"My men have already sent word back. The old woman and the young girl are indeed from Nanyuan." Qian Fanji turned and added, "Your people should have discovered this as well. What are your thoughts?"
"Hmph. Someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes," Zhan Chi snorted.
"But none of us have found any proof. If that girl is truly the child of that woman from all those years ago... who could her father be?" A thoughtful glint appeared in Qian Fanji's eyes.
At the mention of the past, a fire seemed to ignite in Zhan Chi's chest. His face darkened, and he sneered, "Even if she is that woman's child, who knows who actually fathered her."
"Gu Shuo is also aware of this matter. As for Minghou, he'll be back in the capital in a few days. I think the four of us need to sit down for a proper talk. Regardless, if it weren't for Ye Qian's help back then, all four of us would have died in Nanyuan. A debt must always be repaid."
In those days, they were young and full of vigor, arrogant and conceited, and their actions led to tragedy. Though they were fortunate enough to escape with their lives, the ordeal left them with deep emotional scars.
After returning to the capital, the four of them had a tacit understanding to never speak of what happened in Nanyuan, but none of them ever truly forgot.
Now, a young girl has appeared out of nowhere, holding a Jade Pendant and looking for her father. Whether her story is true or not, it proves that what they went through in Nanyuan is no longer a secret.
Zhan Chi's fist clenched so tightly his knuckles creaked. He narrowed his fox-like eyes and bit out a single word, "Fine—"
'If he ever found out who was orchestrating this from the shadows, he swore he would tear them to shreds!'