Under the old locust tree, red silk ribbons swayed gently in the wind.
The former Emperor Xiao Jing had truly gone all out today.
To welcome his ex-wife, he had pulled out his most treasured dark-blue cloud-patterned brocade robe from the bottom of his chest.
A coiled-dragon jade pendant hung at his waist, and his half-white hair was slicked back with nearly half a jin of osmanthus oil—so shiny that even flies could probably do a mid-air split on it.
His face wore three parts restrained pride, three parts tsundere arrogance, and four parts desperate “Praise me, quickly praise me.”
Beside him stood the Empress Dowager Lin Wanyu in a simple, elegant phoenix robe.
Though she wore no jewels, the authority accumulated over years in the deep palace still pressed down heavily.
But at this moment, even this old matriarch who had seen all storms in the world had her eyes wide open in shock.
Was this really the impoverished mountain hollow she had imagined, where people barely had enough to eat?
Terraced fields stretched across the land. Golden rapeseed flowers rolled like waves under the sunlight, and distant waterwheels creaked as they turned.
It was clearly a living, prosperous utopia.
“…This…”
Lin Wanyu pointed at the sea of flowers, her voice dry.
“All of this… you built yourselves?”
Xiao Jing immediately lifted his chin high.
“Of course!”
“This was all… cough, all built brick by brick by me and those little brats!”
He looked like a child eager to show off a new toy to his friends, excitedly pointing at the most magnificent stilt house halfway up the mountain.
“See that tallest building?”
“The feng shui core of the entire village! Facing south, warm in winter, cool in summer—open the window and you see the sea of clouds and sunrise!”
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice with a hint of flattery:
“That one… I specially reserved it for you.”
Lin Wanyu’s heart trembled slightly.
It had been twenty years since she last saw him.
This man, who once only sat on the dragon throne issuing decrees and speaking endlessly of the nation…
Seemed… to finally have gained a bit of human warmth.
Just as the atmosphere was turning tender, as if they were about to enter a “sunset nostalgia memoir”—
“Mother——!!!”
Dust flew into the air.
Two men, black as charcoal and strong as bears, came running at full speed.
The leader was barefoot, trouser legs rolled up to his thighs, covered in mud spots like radishes freshly pulled from a swamp.
The one behind him was slightly more presentable—but he was carrying a half-bucket of steaming, foul-smelling pig slop.
Lin Wanyu instinctively stepped back half a pace, covering her nose with a handkerchief.
What… what kind of wild men were these?!
Before she could react—
“THUD!”
“THUD!”
Two heavy impacts shook the ground.
The two burly men slid forward in the smoothest kneeling motion of their lives and hugged her legs tightly.
The pig slop bucket overturned.
That fermented, indescribable stench instantly exploded across the elegant reunion scene.
“Mother!! We missed you so much!!”
“We’ve been dreaming of your osmanthus cakes! Our pillows are soaked from drooling in our sleep!”
Lin Wanyu froze completely.
She slowly lowered her head, enduring the overwhelming pig-slop smell.
Through those two faces tanned like soy-braised eggs, she finally recognized faint traces of familiarity.
“Se… Seventh?”
“Thirteenth?”
That seventh prince who used to write beautiful calligraphy?
That thirteenth prince who loved cleanliness so much that even a wrinkle in his clothes would make him furious?
Trembling, Lin Wanyu touched the seventh prince’s rough, bark-like face. Tears instantly burst forth.
“My sons!”
“What have you suffered?!”
Before the emotional reunion could even finish—
A large crowd of “devolved humans” rushed up from behind.
The once elegant eldest prince now carried a hoe, grinning foolishly.
The once charming ninth prince wore a leather apron and held a forging hammer.
The most outrageous was the fourth prince—two colorful wild pheasant feathers on his head, looking like a bandit king.
Lin Wanyu nearly fainted on the spot.
What kind of state was this?!
At that moment—
A clear, teasing, and slightly gleeful voice suddenly exploded in everyone’s minds.
“Hahaha! I can’t take it anymore!”
“The Empress Dowager’s expression is priceless! That face screams ‘my sons turned into pigs’—this is a world-class painting!”
Xiao Jing’s smug expression instantly froze.
Lin Wanyu shuddered and looked around sharply.
Who?!
Who was speaking?!
The voice sounded like it was directly inside their brains.
“ROAR——!”
The answer came in the form of a tiger’s roar—not fierce at all, but almost… coquettish.
A massive striped tiger leapt lightly from the end of the road.
It behaved like a giant cat, lying obediently on the ground, tail swishing.
Lin Wanyu’s legs went weak.
If not for the thirteenth prince still clutching her tightly, she would have collapsed immediately.
“Mother, don’t panic!”
“It’s Big Orange! It’s the mount of the immortal ladies! It doesn’t eat people—it eats vegetables… well… sometimes vegetables!”
Immortal ladies?!
Big Orange?!
Lin Wanyu’s head throbbed painfully.
Then the seventh prince quickly explained how the “immortal siblings” had subdued the tiger.
And then—
Two figures descended gracefully from the tiger’s back.
The man was tall and elegant like a spring breeze under the moon.
The woman was dressed in white, ethereal and stunning.
Though no auspicious clouds surrounded them, their transcendent aura made them stand out sharply among the muddy princes.
It was none other than Feng Zeyuan and Feng Zeyang.
“Greetings, Immortal Princess! Greetings, Immortal Prince!”
The thirteenth prince led the group in kneeling immediately.
The former emperor and empress dowager panicked and instinctively tried to bow as well.
“Hey hey hey! Don’t!”
“If they bow to me, I’ll lose ten years of lifespan!”
The system popped up cheekily.
Lin Wanyu stiffened again and looked around in alarm.
Who is it?!
A gentle force suddenly lifted everyone up.
“No need for formalities,” Feng Zeyuan said calmly.
Lin Wanyu was shaken to her core.
Real immortals!
Xiao Jing’s eyes lit up instantly.
Even immortals are backing him—this is his moment!
He straightened his robes, cleared his throat, and proudly pulled Lin Wanyu forward.
“Allow me to introduce,” he said with great pride.
“This is my…”
He paused deliberately, emphasizing every word:
“Wife.”
Lin Wanyu’s brows instantly furrowed.
Who’s your wife?!
Before she could retort, she held back due to the immortals’ presence.
Feng Zeyuan maintained a polite smile, while internally—
She was already rolling on the ground laughing.
“My wife?”
“Pfft—!”
“Your Majesty, your face is basically a city wall plastered onto your skin!”
“Does the Empress Dowager even belong to you now? Her current heart belongs to someone else!”
“That is the old general from the next mountain peak!”
“Childhood sweethearts! Mutual first love! Deep bond!”
“You’re just the ex-husband who’s been written off in history—a ghost of the past!”
BOOM——!
This silent voice struck harder than the tiger’s roar.
Xiao Jing’s flushed face…
Was suddenly painted green.
Then slapped sideways by an invisible hand.
Frozen.
Cracked.
Shattered.
He slowly turned his neck with a crack, staring at Lin Wanyu with utter disbelief and grief.
His eyes screamed:
You… you cheated on me?!
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