TNIBFT -Chapter 222 The Empress Educates Her Daughter

Feeling the small body in her arms, Qin Fengyi felt as if, at this moment, the whole world had settled into peace.

Her heart was restless.

She was afraid of losing her children, afraid that they might be in danger. Now that they were truly in her arms, she felt both anxious and panicked, not knowing what to do, and could only keep repeating:

“Are you cold?”

“Is it cold?”

“Come on, let’s go inside and warm up first. We have the best fox fur ready—it’ll keep you warm immediately.”

Holding her son’s and daughter’s slightly chilly little hands, Qin Fengyi was almost overwhelmed with emotion.

She kept blowing warm air on them, rubbing their tiny hands over and over.

Ye Shuangxue glanced at her older brother.

She felt a pang of sympathy.

Smelling the faint fragrance on Qin Fengyi, Ye Shuangxue closed her eyes. This was her mother’s scent—she wanted to remember it in her mind for the rest of her life. She had a mother!

Her mother hadn’t abandoned her—she had come for her, for her brothers, and for her.

Could the mother in Xiao Jiang’s dreams be this beautiful?

That timid little Xiao Jiang surely wouldn’t even dare to imagine that his mother could be this stunning.

Tears welled up in Ye Shuangxue’s eyes as she stared blankly at Qin Fengyi’s face. She was greedy—she wanted to remember this face forever too.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing her daughter’s big, moist eyes fixed on her, Qin Fengyi asked anxiously.

Ye Shuangxue lowered her head.

The next moment, she handed the bright red candied hawthorn in her hand to Qin Fengyi, wiped her tears, and forced a big smile: “Here, I bought this especially for you.”

“This is my favorite thing to eat.”

“For me?”

Qin Fengyi took it with both hands as if it were a treasure. Mother and daughter’s eyes met, and in that instant, it felt as though lifetimes were connected.

Ye Shuangxue’s lips trembled; she almost called out “Mother” without thinking.

Ye Yunting said, “My sister and I came today because we actually have something to say to you.”

Ye Yunting’s eyes were red, his expression serious.

Qin Fengyi’s heart skipped a beat. From her son’s expression, she could roughly guess what he wanted to say. She tugged at the corner of her mouth, took a big bite of the candied hawthorn, and her eyes immediately curved into a beautiful arc. While chewing, she looked at Ye Shuangxue and smiled: “It’s really delicious, thank you. This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“Really?”

Ye Shuangxue pressed her hands together nervously, happy like a little mouse, hopping along beside Qin Fengyi.

…

Elsewhere, in the hotpot restaurant,

Ye Tian looked at the letter left by his son and daughter on the table. Reading it, he almost choked.

The letter read: “Father, don’t worry if you can’t find me and older brother. I went with big brother to see Lord Meng. We have something to say to him, and once we’re done, we’ll come back. Also, I took five of the copper coins you left in the cabinet to buy candied hawthorns for Lord Meng, not for myself.”

“Father, you…”

The rest of the letter was unfinished.

Ye Tian slammed the paper down on the table in anger.

They really went to see Meng Yuquan?

Every time he discussed matters or spoke, it was always behind the children’s backs—so how did they find out?

Ye Tian’s headache worsened.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“Master?”

Seeing Ye Tian pacing anxiously in the hall, Duan Qingshan and Old Yang exchanged a glance and hurried over to help ease his worries. Duan Qingshan picked up the paper and quickly read it.

Old Yang could only fret beside him: “What’s written on it?”

“Who wrote this?”

“Is this the challenge letter someone sent us?”

Old Duan waved his hand, shoving Old Yang aside, his eyes dark as he looked at Ye Tian: “Master, could it be that this Meng Yuquan kid is deliberately tricking the children?”

“Do you want me to go right now—”

Duan Qingshan raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture.

Ye Tian was speechless, rolling his eyes at the two of them: “Go cool off somewhere else and stay there! Move out of the way!”

After saying this, Ye Tian headed straight for the inn.

The children he had painstakingly raised—if they were taken away so easily by Meng Yuquan’s few words, it would be worse than being killed.

…

Ye Yunting had just entered the room at the inn.

The room was lavishly decorated, with long-pile carpets on the floor that felt like stepping on clouds.

The beams and pillars were intricately carved; though the house wasn’t as grand as the city lord’s mansion, the decor was definitely more exquisite and luxurious.

“These are tribute mandarins; have a taste.”

“And this is hibiscus cake from Dazhou.”

“This one, this one, and this one—”

Qin Fengyi busied herself as if presenting treasures, arranging a full spread of things in front of the two children that they had never seen before.

Ye Shuangxue’s eyes lit up: “Wow…”

“It smells so good!”

“Big brother, do you want to try some?”

Ye Yunting lowered his head in silence. On the way here, he had already prepared what to say, but from the moment he saw Meng Yuquan, all the words he had planned completely deserted him.

He watched her busy movements, the excitement on her face.

Nervous.

Uneasy.

Her gaze was full of warmth and affection—who could refuse a mother like this?

Who could make her sad?

“I… actually—” Ye Yunting began, thinking of Ye Tian, but before he could finish, Qin Fengyi interrupted with a smile: “These are clothes I sewed myself. Yunting, this one is for you. The fur is from a black fox—do you like it?”

Seeing Meng Yuquan’s expectant eyes on him, Ye Yunting pressed his lips together and nodded: “I like it.”

Qin Fengyi breathed a sigh of relief.

She arranged seven or eight small garments of various styles neatly on a side table.

The clothes were finely made, clearly stitched with care. Looking at Meng Yuquan’s profile, Ye Yunting felt torn.

Meanwhile, Ye Shuangxue was happily eating and taking things, her small mouth puffed up, eyes wide and round, staring at Qin Fengyi and asking in a muddled way: “Are you really rich?”

The daughter’s sudden question caught Qin Fengyi off guard. She could only smile and nod, sitting beside Ye Shuangxue, wiping the crumbs from her daughter’s mouth and speaking indulgently: “Probably a little.”

Ye Shuangxue’s eyes sparkled.

Her big eyes shifted, and she said: “Actually, you could come live in Sifang City with me.”

“That way, we’d never have to be apart.”

“I still have endless money. That way, when I grow up, I can just lie flat.”

“Lie flat?” Qin Fengyi asked, curious.

Ye Shuangxue held a pastry in her small hand and blinked mysteriously: “It means you don’t have to work anymore.”

“That won’t do. Youth is precious—how could you waste it?”

Qin Fengyi immediately became serious.

Ye Shuangxue’s small face fell. She placed the pastry back on the plate and muttered softly: “My father can lie flat, why can’t I?”

“Don’t think I don’t know—you’re my mother. If you dare scold me, I won’t go with you!”

Every word reached Qin Fengyi’s ears, not a single one missed.

Mother?

Was this what Ye Tian had told them?

These two little ones were actually using this to threaten her. Ye Tian must have had a real headache dealing with them.

Watching her daughter pout and stubbornly cross her small arms, Qin Fengyi took a deep breath and spoke earnestly: “Your father is actually a very capable person. He runs a tavern and a pharmacy, finds you famous teachers… these are not things ordinary people can do…”