Ji Qingwu watched with a helpless smile as her chubby little daughter trotted over to her.
The little girl cupped a freshly picked piece of fruit in both hands, her round eyes reflecting the image of her beloved mother.
In a sweet, childish voice, she said, "Mama, this is for you! I picked it!"
The other two people's gazes were also drawn to her. The child was adorable and well-behaved.
But as Ji Changlin watched, his expression suddenly changed.
He muttered to himself, "The resemblance is uncanny. Truly, uncanny."
Hearing this, Ji Qingwu's back went stiff.
She ruffled her child's hair and urged gently, "Be good, Jiu Jiu. Mama will eat it later. Go play by yourself on the couch inside for a bit."
The little girl named Jiu Jiu wasn't shy around strangers at all.
She tucked the fruit into the small cloth pouch slung over her shoulder and fiddled with the red string around her neck as she walked inside.
Ji Changlin's eyes glinted as he stared at the piece of jade dangling from the end of the red string.
'Could that be...'
Ji Changlin mentally estimated the young woman's age, suppressing his excitement.
He tried to keep his tone normal as he asked, "Is this child your own?"
Ji Qingwu watched him warily. The way her dark pupils darted about was an adult version of the little girl's just moments ago.
'What a stupid question!'
Then she saw the envoy who had been threatening her just moments before suddenly get teary-eyed.
"Xiao Wu, come home with your big brother!"
Even though Ji Qingwu had braced herself, she was still stunned by Ji Changlin's cry of "big brother."
Ji Qingwu was still in a daze as she sat in the carriage back to Beili, holding her daughter.
Jiu Jiu, however, was highly adaptable and already sleeping soundly in her mother's arms.
She had disguised her face, but unfortunately, she had given birth to a miniature version of herself. Ji Changlin, the eldest son of the Ji Family, had shrewdly seen through it at a glance, recognizing her as the younger sister who had been lost as a child.
She lifted the curtain of the carriage window. The woman who had previously pretended to seek medical treatment had shed her country-woman disguise and was now dressed in crisp military attire, riding with the rear of the convoy.
Ji Qingwu's guess was correct. She was one of Ji Changlin's guards for this diplomatic mission to Nanchu.
Just then, Ji Changlin lifted the heavy curtain of the carriage and ducked inside.
The moment she saw him, Ji Qingwu opened her mouth to say, "I'm not—"
"You are the Ji Family's Fifth Missy! You are my biological sister!"
Ji Changlin's expression was extremely firm.
Just a moment ago, in another carriage, he had already written and sent a letter home to the Ji Family.
Earlier, Ji Changlin had recognized at a glance that the child's features were remarkably similar to those of his fifth sister.
But the most crucial piece of evidence was the jade pendant hanging from the red string on the child.
It was originally a pair of interlocking carp pendants.
When Madam Ji was pregnant with Ji Qingwu, she had a conception dream about two brocade carp playing together. Taking it as a good omen, she commissioned a pair of jade pendants to be carved from Kunlun Warm Jade, designed as two identical carp that fit together, head to tail.
Now there was only one, but it was enough to confirm Ji Qingwu's identity.
Looking at the sister who had been lost for so many years, Ji Changlin was filled with emotion.
He never thought that when they met again, the little girl who had been as precious as a pearl or jade would already be a mother.
He looked at her eyebrows, which were drawn on even thicker than his own, and asked, "Fifth Sister, you're a proper young lady. Why dress up like this?"
Ji Qingwu lowered her lashes and replied softly, "It's often inconvenient for a woman to practice medicine alone, and this appearance makes people trust that I'm a good doctor."
Ji Changlin felt that she must have suffered greatly over the years and that his words had touched a sore spot, so he didn't press the matter.
Ji Qingwu stared at the trembling carriage curtains.
'Since returning to Lin'an City is now unavoidable,' she thought, trying to look on the bright side.
The Ji Family had been pillars of support for Beili's new emperor before his ascension and held great prestige in the capital city. With such a wealthy and influential maternal family, at least her daughter Jiu Jiu's future would be secure.
However!
Back in the Northern Army Camp, she had slipped General Dingbei, Zhao Mingyan, a powerful drug and humiliated him for an entire night.
Now that the war was over, he was certain to be rewarded with honors and a title, and he might even settle in the capital city.
'If they were to meet by chance...'
Ji Qingwu felt a chill run down her neck just thinking about the man's cold, hard face. She absolutely could not let her identity be exposed.
After more than ten days of continuous travel, the carriage finally arrived at the Lin'an Capital City.
"Xiao Wu, we're almost home."
Ji Changlin didn't feel tired at all. Having found his long-lost sister, he was thrilled at the thought of reuniting with their family.
Ji Qingwu peered out through a crack in the carriage curtain and saw the towering, magnificent city gates, an imposing and majestic sight.
Following her gaze, Ji Changlin said with a smile, "That's the Phoenix Palace, right at the foot of the Emperor's throne. His Majesty has resided there since his ascension."
Ji Qingwu had never been to Lin'an City before. Ever since she transmigrated, she had been living deep in the mountains and old forests. In order to pursue her 'target,' she had followed him all the way to a border army camp.
Four years had passed, and the flames of war had been extinguished.
The man who ultimately claimed the throne had already taken residence in the capital city.
The new emperor of Beili had not built a new palace, but merely renovated the one from the previous dynasty, showing that this King did not favor extravagance and instead prioritized the well-being of his people.
Even in Nanchu, she had heard that the current Holy Emperor was a capable ruler under whom the national treasury was full and the people lived in peace and prosperity.
Lin'an now presented a scene of dream-like prosperity.
Ji Qingwu was dazzled by the endlessly splendid scenery.
The little girl in her arms, having slept her fill, rubbed her eyes and familiarly climbed onto Ji Changlin's lap.
"Jiu Jiu, wanna see!"
His head turned by the little dumpling's sweet cry of "Uncle," Ji Changlin disregarded the etiquette required in the Imperial City and secretly lifted a corner of the curtain.
"Alright, Uncle will show you."
Ji Qingwu had explained to him before that her daughter's pet name was Jiu Jiu, and that she was calling out her own name, not calling him "Uncle."
But Ji Changlin simply didn't believe her, the child's own mother.
This continued until Lan Ling, the female guard who had been following the convoy, rode up on her large horse and blocked their view.
She reminded him, "Sir, this is against protocol."
Carriages passing the Imperial Palace were to be discreet and not lift their curtains to observe the defenses at the palace gates.
Ji Changlin and Jiu Jiu's faces fell in unison. The big one and the little one looked rather similar in that moment.
Ji Qingwu pressed her lips together, suppressing the upward curve of her mouth.
As the convoy neared the Ji Mansion, perhaps it was the anxiety of returning home after a long absence, or perhaps it was the sense of security Ji Changlin had given her as a brother throughout the journey, but Ji Qingwu felt her heart leap into her throat.
In her past life, she had been abandoned at an orphanage by her birth parents because she had a rare disease. She had never known her parents, let alone had any siblings.
But in this life, not only did she have her own flesh and blood, but the very home she had always longed for was now close, just a few streets away.
The women of the Ji Mansion were already waiting by the entrance.
The weather was hot, and they had been waiting for nearly an hour.
In the crowd, one woman stood out with her tall stature and striking features. Her slender, upturned eyes were filled with impatience.
"Why must everyone wait at the gate? Wouldn't it be enough for a servant to announce it when the carriage arrives?"
Just then, a young servant boy ran up to the crowd.
He panted, shouting, "They're back! The Young Master's carriage has entered the city!"