Chapter 637: Return to the Capital

However, their road home was not a smooth one.

In every prefecture and county they passed on their way back, they found farmland devastated by the floods and people suffering.

When Shen Siyi and Shen Ningning saw the devastation, the mother and daughter shared a silent understanding. Without a word, they each rolled up their sleeves and joined the local disaster relief efforts.

Shen Ningning’s storage dimension had been restored, and the young woman provided an endless supply of food and medicinal herbs.

Shen Ningning also used the disaster relief efforts as an opportunity to help Mo Lingwei reveal his identity to the public.

In the eyes of the public, the Crown Prince was like a Heavenly God, leading a group of skilled experts and soldiers to help them rebuild their homes.

This completely changed the public’s perception of the Crown Prince.

Living far from the Capital City, they had only ever heard that the current Crown Prince was the reincarnation of an Evil God and that he was the cause of the natural disasters in recent years.

The people were terrified that if such a Crown Prince ascended the throne, the citizens of Cangyun Country would be plunged into misery.

But when they saw the lofty Crown Prince himself, ignoring the mud on the ground, working alongside his guards to help the elderly, set up soup kitchens, and hurry along the front lines of the relief effort…

The people’s opinion of him changed in an instant. Unwittingly, Mo Lingwei’s reputation among the common folk began to surpass even the Emperor’s.

And so, the group continued their journey back to the Capital City, providing aid all along the way.

By the time they returned to the Capital City, it was already late summer.

On the day they entered the city, the Emperor, along with all his court officials, was waiting at the gates to welcome them.

The imperial guard lined both sides of the road while the common people crowded in the alleyways. A clamor of voices rose as they peered at the main road, all eager for a glimpse of the Crown Prince and the Princess.

In the hearts of the people, Shen Ningning was akin to a Goddess, for she had once again saved them from disaster.

Among the most excited were the brothers, Xie Mingxu and Xie Ming’an.

When the Crown Prince’s letter had first arrived in the Capital City, Xie Suzhi had been the first one unable to sit still.

He had heard that Shen Ningning was being bullied in Ling Mountain City, and that someone had even tried to force her to call them “father”?

So, the moment Xie Suzhi received the letter, he had given the order to depart.

Xie Mingxu and Xie Ming’an had wanted to go with him, but Xie Suzhi had ordered them to remain in the Capital and hold down the fort.

That way, they could be dispatched to help at a moment’s notice should anything unexpected happen.

“Sister!” Xie Ming’an and Xie Mingxu strode forward together.

Seeing his older brother was half a step ahead of him, Xie Ming’an broke into a trot. But just as he reached Shen Ningning, before he could be the first to pull his sister into a hug, Xie Mingxu pushed him aside.

Xie Mingxu swept Shen Ningning into his strong arms, holding her in a tight embrace.

Shen Ningning was rather surprised. “Brother, I’m back.”

Her Brother had always been reserved and level-headed, a man unfazed by honor or disgrace, who never let his joy or anger show.

But now, his delight was plain to see, and the tightening of his arms told Shen Ningning just how worried Xie Mingxu had truly been.

“I heard you ran into trouble in Ling Mountain City,” Xie Mingxu said, his voice low. “When the storms hit, I was afraid you’d be trapped. Thank goodness you’re all safe.”

Shen Ningning blinked her bright, beautiful eyes. “Of course we are, Brother. Not only are we fine, but Father and I also brought someone back with us.”

As she spoke, she stepped aside, motioning for Xie Mingxu to look up.

Bathed in the brilliant sunlight, Xie Mingxu and Xie Ming’an both saw her at the same time: the woman standing beside their father.

She was dressed in the simple clothes of a common woman, her long, wavy hair tied back with a red silk ribbon. Her face was full and radiant, and a gentle smile played on her lips.

‘Such a stunningly beautiful woman…’

The Emperor was in the middle of exchanging pleasantries with Mo Lingwei when a minister leaned in and whispered, “Your Majesty, look. Chancellor Xie went to Ling Mountain City and came back with a woman!”

Another official added, “You’re right. Look, Chancellor Xie’s two sons are stunned. Oh dear, surely they won’t start a fight in public?”

The Emperor shot a suspicious glance at Shen Siyi, then smacked both officials on the head.

“You fools,” he chided. “That’s his first wife! The original Mrs. Shen.”

The ministers erupted in an uproar, exchanging stunned glances.

“Mrs. Shen? But didn’t Mrs. Shen drown long ago?”

“That’s right! I heard that on the day her coffin was buried, Chancellor Xie was so distraught he coughed up blood!”

Mo Lingwei pursed his thin lips and stated calmly, “She never died. However, the specific reasons are not for public disclosure.”

The crowd could not conceal their astonishment. In their eyes, Shen Siyi’s return was no different from a resurrection.

‘It must be because of the blessed girl, Shen Ningning,’ someone guessed silently.

Soon, rumors would be spreading through the Capital: the blessed girl’s luck was so powerful that she had even brought her own birth mother back to life!

At that moment, however, Shen Siyi had no idea she was about to become known as the Divine Mother who had given birth to the blessed girl.

Her gaze was fixed on her two sons, and her eyes gradually welled with tears.

Xie Ming’an was the first to react. “Mother?” he called out, his voice trembling.

He was still just a child when Shen Siyi had left.

The two brothers could still remember the day of Shen Siyi’s burial. A hazy drizzle had fallen from the sky, and funeral money had filled the air, carried on the sound of their own heartbroken cries.

And now, the mother they had mourned for so many years was standing before them, alive and well.

Shen Siyi strode forward, rose onto her toes, and pulled both of her sons into an embrace, one on each side.

“You’ve both grown so tall,” she said. “My two wonderful boys!”

The two little boys who once followed her around, speaking in soft, cute, childish voices, were now tall, handsome men, each with their own achievements in the imperial court.

Unwilling to let others see his reddened eyes, the tall Xie Mingxu bent down and buried his face in Shen Siyi’s embrace.

Xie Ming’an, on the other hand, simply grabbed Shen Siyi’s arm and began to wail, holding nothing back.

“Mother, it’s really you! You’re alive!”

The brothers had grown up quickly over the years, but they always carried one regret: that their mother had died too soon.

‘Thankfully, our sister is back, and now Mother is back too!’

Shen Siyi hugged her two sons. They were both so much taller than her now that all she could do was embrace one, then the other.

Though Xie Mingxu and Xie Ming’an were both over twenty, by their mother’s side, they looked as docile and obedient as two little boys.

Watching them, Shen Ningning felt an incredible warmth spread through her heart.

‘She had often dreamed of this—the most wonderful thing in the world would be to have her father, mother, and brothers all by her side.’

‘Oh, right! And Grandma and Wolf Father!’

Just as she thought of them, Liang Yici, who was standing beside her, pointed into the distance. “Lu Shaoyuan and the others are here with Grandma Qin and the Black Wolf King!”

Shen Ningning rose onto her tiptoes and saw that it was true. Grandma Qin was riding on the Black Wolf King’s back, and he was racing toward them as fast as the wind, a blur of black shadow.

Lu Shaoyuan followed on horseback, shouting the whole way, “Ningning, you’re back!”

Behind him, Ye Shangyi and Qi Xiuwei sat in a carriage, which, to her surprise, was being driven by Pei Yin.

A moment later, Shen Ningning’s second uncle arrived, supported by Xu Jingxi.

The whole family cheered and leaped for joy at the city gate. Ye Shangyi and Qi Xiuwei held Shen Ningning’s hands, jumping up and down, while the Black Wolf King licked her face, his wolf eyes filled with affection and concern.

The Emperor declared, “I have prepared a family banquet in the Hundred Flower Garden to welcome you all home!”

Then, his tone shifted, and he looked at Chancellor Xie and Shen Siyi with a broad smile.

“And Minister Xie, Madam Xie, it is time we sat down and properly discussed the marriage between our two children!”

Xie Suzhi and Shen Siyi shared a glance before turning to look at Shen Ningning, their eyes filled with love and respect.

“It is indeed time to discuss it,” they said. “We will support whatever our daughter chooses.”

Everyone laughed in unison. Overhead, the sky was clear and bright, as if freshly washed—a truly beautiful day on earth.