Hua Manman said calmly.
"It was wrong of me to injure someone, and I’m willing to accept legal punishment. But please, send someone to protect my mother. Hua Yusen knows where she works and lives. He’ll very likely continue to harass her."
This was the first time since they had reunited that Song Yixian heard the word "Mom" from her daughter’s lips.
Her heart ached with a mixture of joy and sorrow.
’I’m the mother, yet not only have I failed to protect my daughter, but I’m the one being protected by her in the end.’
The police promised to send officers to protect Song Yixian.
As for Hua Manman’s punishment, they took into account that she acted in self-defense. They only made her write a statement promising not to harm anyone recklessly in the future, and then they released her.
By the time Hua Manman and Song Yixian walked out of the police station, it was already three in the morning.
The police drove them home in a squad car.
After the long ordeal, Hua Manman was famished. Only then did she remember she hadn’t eaten dinner.
She quickly ate a bowl of instant noodles, took a shower, and lay down in bed.
She fell asleep almost the instant her head hit the pillow.
In a daze, she thought she heard a child crying.
She followed the sound of the cries.
The surrounding darkness slowly faded, gradually replaced by antique furniture.
A nearby window was open, and a cold night breeze poured in, making the room frigid.
A little boy, just over a year old, lay on the bed.
He was wailing his eyes out.
The small blanket that was supposed to be covering him had long since been blown aside by the night wind, revealing his tender little belly.
Hua Manman stood by the bed, and as she looked at the child, she was immediately struck by a sense of familiarity in his face.
He looked so much like Li Ji.
His eyes and brows, in particular, bore a strong resemblance to Li Ji’s.
He wore a Lotus Jade Pendant around his neck.
It was the Amulet Hua Manman had intentionally left for the child before she departed.
There was also the cloth tiger doll at the head of the bed.
Li Ji had sewn it by hand before he left on a journey, saying it was a birth gift for their child.
All signs pointed to one thing: the child before her was the son she had carried for ten months and given birth to.
Hua Manman suspected she was dreaming, yet the dream felt far too real.
Afraid the dream would suddenly end, she didn’t dare speak. She only dared to quietly reach out, wanting to touch her son.
When her fingertips touched the child’s cheek, Hua Manman was startled by the scorching heat radiating from his body.
’He’s burning up! He must have a fever!’
Hua Manman couldn’t worry about anything else. She quickly pulled up the blanket and covered her son.
There wasn’t even a single servant in the room.
Frantic with worry, Hua Manman wanted to go outside and call for help.
But before she could even get near the door, she was stopped by an invisible force.
It was as if someone had erected an unseen wall in front of her.
No matter how hard she pushed, she couldn’t take another step forward.
Hua Manman had no choice but to give up on the idea of leaving.
She shouted toward the outside.
"Someone, come! The baby is sick! Quickly, go get Feihua Zhenren!"
"Li Ji! Li Ji, where are you? Come quickly!"
She shouted until her throat ached, but it remained quiet outside.
No one came to help her.
Hua Manman turned back to her son. He was still crying, his voice already hoarse. His once pale, tender cheeks were flushed an unnatural red from the fever.
With no other choice, Hua Manman had to figure something out herself.
She searched high and low through the room and found a bottle of medicinal wine.
She poured the medicinal wine into her palm, rubbed her hands together to warm it, and then applied it to the child’s joints.
There was still some tea left in the teapot on the table.
Hua Manman tore off a piece of cloth, dampened it, and placed it on the child’s forehead.
Once the medicinal wine had mostly evaporated, Hua Manman continued to rub more on his joints, coaxing him in a gentle voice.
"Don’t cry, baby. Mother is here. You’ll be alright. You’ll get better soon."
The last two sentences sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.
Seeing her son so sick, Hua Manman’s heart truly ached for him.
She wished she could take his place and bear the pain herself.
While wiping her son’s body, Hua Manman accidentally touched the Lotus Jade Pendant hanging around his neck.
She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt the Lotus Jade Pendant was somewhat hot to the touch.
She couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the jade pendant.
She discovered it wasn’t just hot, but was also emitting a faint, fluorescent glow.
Back when she got this Amulet from the lucky bag, the System had only said it could ward off evil, attract good fortune, and keep a person safe. It never specified how it worked.
While Hua Manman was still pondering the Lotus Jade Pendant, she suddenly heard footsteps outside.
Someone was walking this way!
Hua Manman’s spirits lifted.
She immediately let go of the Lotus Jade Pendant and looked toward the door.
However, before she could see anyone walk in, her world faded back to black.
But the moment Manman disappeared, the Lotus Jade Pendant also returned to normal.
Manman opened her eyes and found herself still lying in bed in her rented apartment.
Outside the window, the sky had already brightened.
Her phone showed it was now eight-thirty in the morning.
Hua Manman sat dazedly on the bed, her mind still filled with scenes from the dream.
’Was it really just a dream?’
’If it was just a dream, it was far too real.’
...
As the year drew to a close, the Emperor promoted another batch of his Concubines. Among them, Princess Consort Zhen was elevated to the rank of Imperial Concubine.
The Ministry of Rites held an investiture ceremony for Princess Consort Zhen, and all the imperial relatives in the capital were required to attend.
Prince Zhao, Li Ji, also went.
He watched without expression as Hua Qingqing ascended to her high position, receiving the edict and seal that represented her status as an Imperial Concubine from the Empress Dowager.
Everyone present offered their congratulations.
At the banquet, Li Ji rose unhurriedly, raised his wine cup, and a cold, thin smile touched his lips.
"On behalf of my Princess Consort, I too congratulate the new Imperial Concubine. May you rise higher and higher, and may all your wishes come true!"
After speaking, he slowly poured the fine wine in his cup onto the floor.
The scene fell silent as if someone had suddenly hit a mute button. Everyone shut their mouths, and not a sound could be heard.
The smile on Hua Qingqing’s face froze.
The fingers hidden in her sleeve slowly clenched into a fist.
Li Ji casually tossed the wine cup to the ground and left the banquet without a backward glance.
With Prince Zhao’s disruption, the atmosphere of the night’s banquet was completely ruined.
Almost everyone now knew one thing—
Prince Zhao detested Princess Consort Zhen.
By the time Li Ji returned to the Prince Zhao Mansion, it was already the middle of the night.
He had originally planned to just wash up and go to sleep, but for some reason, he had a strange feeling in his heart.
This feeling urged him to walk toward his son’s room.
Li Ji’s feelings for his son were extremely complicated.
He always felt it was his son who had killed Manman, and because of that, he simply couldn’t bring himself to love the boy.
But because his son was the child Manman had carried for ten months and given her all to bring into the world, Li Ji couldn’t just ignore him.
This left him unsure of how to face his son.
He rarely appeared before his son, only learning about the boy’s condition through others.
He didn’t know what it was about tonight, but he suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since he had seen his son.
’The boy should be asleep by now.’
’This is the perfect chance to go and quietly see how he’s doing.’