This child had been a sharp one from young, so she should have perceived at a glance Her Majesty the Queen’s displeasure toward her.

  With Little Fifteenth in her arms, Qiao Mu walked forward while following the meandering cobblestone road.

  Inside the wilting flower garden that was characteristic of the winter season, only several small flowers that were unafraid of the bitter cold burrowed out of the dirt.

  Due to the fear that the flowers and trees would mutate, the palace had long undertook an all-out project to comb through the various flower gardens. They promptly cut down any strange or exotic flowers and plants, generally growing only the most commonly seen kinds that had also never mutated before.

  “Mom, I’m thinking, whether I’ve been too rash with this marriage.” Qiao Mu sat on a wooden swing and lightly pushed her toes against the ground.

  Her body swung up slightly, and she raised her hand to stroke the skinny and frail Little Fifteenth in her embrace.

  Wei Ziqin’s eyes were permeated with faint bewilderment and uncertainty.

  “Qiaoqiao, Mom is telling you, Xiao Mo is a good child, so you must not take out your anger on him.”

  The responsibility for the trouble these Highnesses were stirring up all fell upon him.

  As an onlooker who saw the situation more clearly than the actors, Wei Ziqin had witnessed how well Xiao Mo, this child, treated her daughter. If he had treated her even the tiniest bit badly, then she would definitely not have agreed to let him marry her daughter.

  “Mom, that wet nurse was one of the queen’s people.”


  That was to say, this drama was simply what Queen Zhao had arranged to play out.

  However, with the interference of Noble Lady Ying as a variable, or perhaps, after the inclusion of Noble Lady Ying as a variable, this drama became even more brilliant and interesting.

  In other words, even without Noble Lady Ying, the wet nurse would have still grandiosely lodged this complaint to the queen in front of all the madams and misses.

  The queen wanted to strip Noble Consort Zheng’s custody of her daughter in an ostentatious and highfalutin fashion.

  Yet Wei Ziqin looked at her daughter in shock. “You? How do you know?”


  Qiao Mu laughed self-deprecatingly before sighing softly. “Perhaps, it’s because I have keen eyes.”


  “Sister, you’re really awesome!” With her face full of admiration, Qiao Lin plunked down on the other swing and swayed back and forth while staring at her sister with a worshipping gaze. “Since you can even perceive this, then you certainly won’t be at a disadvantage in the future.”


  “Sis, Ta!” The small child sitting on Qiao Mu’s lap parroted with poor enunciation.

  “You have a dad and a mom, yet you are a luckless child without a dad or mom……” Qiao Mu stroked Little Fifteenth’s head while gazing off into the distance.

  Amidst the withering winter scene, it seemed as if her gaze had settled somewhere far away.

  As Qiao Lin looked at her sister beside her, she seemed to have a feeling that her sister shouldn’t be touched.

  It was just like at this very moment, her sister was merely a mirage made of bubbles, and she would shatter if touched.

  “Qiaoqiao.” Wei Ziqin couldn’t stand it the most when this child had on this kind of almost empty and numb expression. After quickly pulling her off the swing, Wei Ziqin immediately hugged her in her embrace while vigorously patting her back.

  “Qiaoqiao, you’re Mom’s daughter. There’s Mom here no matter what happens.”


  “Sister, there’s also Xiao Lin’er here too! Xiao Lin’er will protect you!” Qiao Lin also jumped down from the swing, and she stretched out her small, thin arms, doing her best to lift them up and hug her sister from the back.

  Qiao Mu finally regained her senses, and she couldn’t help smiling. “What are you doing? I’m alright.”


  She was only filled with all sorts of feelings inside her heart.

  Little Fifteenth burrowed her tiny head out from between the two people, and she peered at this one and that one in complete bewilderment.

  “Qiaoqiao, let’s return home!”