The Cui family had bustlingly prepared a whole table of sumptuous food and dishes. The entire family gathered around the large dining table, with fine wine placed before the adults, and sweet fermented rice drink set out for the several young children.
Cui Huaiyi stood up and raised his cup, toasting to congratulate his father on his promotion, then turned toward the direction of the imperial palace to congratulate his younger sister on being conferred the title of imperial consort.
"Today is such a joyous occasion, I am so eager to drink that I shall finish my cup first as a show of..."
"Something terrible has happened!" Before Cui Huaiyi could finish his sentence, the butler's urgent shout came from outside, "Master! Something is very wrong! There is... there is a visitor coming, no! The young lady is back! Fourth Miss has returned!"
Everyone at the table froze for a moment, then abruptly sprang to their feet.
Cui Huaiyi was so overcome with excitement that his hand trembled, and he lost his grip on his cup, which clattered to the ground and shattered.
Led by Cui Yeping, all the members of the Cui family hurried toward the outside of the house.
Fourth Miss? Huaiyin is back! Huaiyin was supposed to be in the imperial palace, so how could she have returned home all of a sudden for no apparent reason?
Master and Madam Cui, so anxious to see their daughter that they threw all sense of decorum to the wind, ran ahead as fast as they could. The three Cui brothers were also equally eager to meet their younger sister, each one racing faster than the others.
All of them were heading for the front hall, expecting to reach the entrance of the main hall before they could catch sight of the visitor. To their surprise, the person who had arrived was even more hurried than they were. Leading the group was a man in a dark robe, strikingly handsome, tall and robust, his face set with a look of urgency that blended cold elegance and noble bearing. His eyes scanned the area, and he took long, swift strides as if searching for something.
Cui Yeping, who was at the front of the group, caught sight of the man first. He stopped in his tracks, and silently blamed the butler in his heart. How could the butler joke that Yin'er had come back when it was clearly a strange guest who had arrived, making him get so excited for nothing? What was more, the stranger was walking straight toward the inner courtyard, and no one had stopped him.
Cui Yeping forced a polite smile and walked toward the hasty young gentleman, intending to block his path.
But before he could get close, the man stepped past him in a flash, not even glancing his way. The man was utterly rude!
The inner quarters right behind them were full of female family members who were not to be seen by outside men. How could this man be so completely ignorant of proper etiquette?
Cui Yeping knit his brows tightly and turned around to chase after the man to stop him, only to find that the reckless, ill-mannered stranger had no intention of slowing down at all. He not only slipped past Cui Yeping, but also easily evaded the third son of the house who had tried to block his way.
The man was heading straight for his grandsons and granddaughter.
In broad daylight, under the clear sky!
Countless dark lines of frustration appeared on Cui Yeping's forehead. A kidnapper! This man was trying to snatch his children right in front of their very eyes!
Cui Yeping no longer cared about any formalities, and he ran after the man shouting, "You scoundrel! Don't you dare lay a finger on my grandsons!"
What was even more unexpected was that the man showed no fear at all. Instead, he seemed to be picking and choosing among the children, passing his eldest grandson, second grandson, and third grandson one after another, and heading straight for his only little granddaughter Yaoyao!
Cui Yeping's eyes widened with rage, and he watched in disbelief as the man squatted down in front of his sweet little granddaughter, held out his hand, and tried to coax her with a bright smile.
A surge of pent-up anger welled up in Cui Yeping's chest. He lunged forward to seize the rogue.
But before he could even brush the hem of the man's robe, a familiar, long-missed voice called out from behind him.
"Father! Mother! Eldest Brother! Second Brother! Third Brother!"
Cui Yeping spun around sharply, and there he saw his daughter, who had been married into the imperial palace. Her eyes were red, and she was looking at them all with a smile through glistening tears.
Cui Yeping rubbed his eyes hard, hardly believing what he saw.
Cui Huaiyi glanced at the man who was still squatting in front of his niece, then looked back at his younger sister, and called out uncertainly, "Little Sister?"
Cui Huaiyin said, "It's me."
Zhang Yingmei threw her arms around her returned daughter in excitement. "Yin'er, why are you back? Why didn't you send someone to tell us beforehand? That gentleman only left not long ago."
Cui Huaiyin hugged her mother right back. "I was in such a rush to get back that there wasn't time to send word."
Cui Yeping coughed, holding back the surge of longing he felt for his daughter. He pointed at the oddly behaved man off to the side, and asked his daughter in a low voice, "Who is that man? Why is he being so discourteous? Could he hurt Yaoyao?"
Cui Huaiyin shook her head. Then she seemed to remember something, let go of her mother, and whispered to her brothers, her father, and her mother, "His Majesty came to our home with me today. The fewer people who know about this, the better. We are here to pick Yaoyao up."
"His, His Majesty... that's His Majesty! T-that's the emperor!" Cui Yeping did not catch on at first. After repeating the words "His Majesty" several times over, his face drained of color, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
He had served as an official for more than twenty years, and he had not even recognized the emperor when he was standing right in front of him. He had even mistaken His Majesty for a kidnapper.
What a disgrace! This is truly a disgrace!
Cui Yeping quickly smoothed out the sleeves of his robes, preparing to lead the whole family in a formal kowtow. But his daughter stopped him.
"Father, wait a little longer."
Cui Yeping did not dare disobey her. He asked in a quiet, furtive tone, "Wait? Wait for what?"
Cui Huaiyin looked toward the tall adult and the small child not far away, and said, "Wait for him to recognize Yaoyao as his own."
Cui Yeping froze all over. His hands and feet turned ice-cold, and the deeper meaning behind his daughter's words kept replaying in his mind.
What does she mean? Why can I understand every single word she says, but I still cannot make sense of what she is trying to tell me?
Over on the other side.
Rongyao felt a jolt of nervousness rise in her chest the moment she heard that her mother had come back. She knew her mother must have returned to take her away.
But she was not sure if that man would come too.
He should, right?
After her maternal grandfather, grandmother, and uncles all hurried outside upon hearing the news, she climbed down from the tall wooden chair, wanting to go take a look.
Even if only her mother came to pick her up, she would be more than happy, more than happy in the whole world.
But the moment she stepped over the threshold, a long, dark shadow fell over her, cast by a pair of very long legs.
She craned her neck to look up at the source of the shadow, and saw that stern, imposing face staring straight down at her.
Her face paled in an instant, and her heart leapt up into her throat. But then she reminded herself that she was no longer a little palace maid, and the fear in her chest eased a little.
Then she saw that the dignified, aloof, high-and-mighty man from her memories squat down, bending at the waist to meet her at eye level. And then... he smiled at her?
Rongyao instinctively took half a step back. She pressed her lips tightly together, and stood as straight as she could, forcing herself not to drop to her knees in a bow.
She kept telling herself over and over: I am not Princess Shengping's foot-washing maid. I am not a servant. I am my mother's daughter! I should be like Princess Shengping, not be afraid of him, I must not be afraid of him! I am not that silly little palace maid anymore! I am very smart!
I have my mother. My mother will protect me!
"You... you are Yaoyao?" Dantai Ji held back the surge of excitement in his chest, staring intently at the soft, tender little girl before him. He tried to put on a warmer, more friendly smile to win her over.
Rongyao held her back straight, and lifted her chin. "I, I am! I am Rongyao!"
Dantai Ji reached out his hand, doing his best to soften the tone of his voice. "Your Majesty, we met once before. Actually... I am your father."
Rongyao: "Mm-hmm!"
Dantai Ji froze for a beat. Only then did he realize that the soft, little one in front of him was trembling. Even though she was trying very hard to hide it, he could tell that she was scared.
Dantai Ji's body went stiff for a moment, and he grew somewhat flustered. He lowered his voice to an extremely soft hush once more, speaking in the gentlest tone to coax her, "Don't be afraid. I will never hurt you, and I will protect you."
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and a pearl-like tear rolled down her cheek.
Her soft, glutinous voice carried a hint of hesitation and utter carefulness, "You will protect me?"
Seeing the little girl looking so vulnerable right in front of him, Dantai Ji felt an inexplicable twinge of pain in his chest. He explained urgently, "Of course. I am your father, so of course I will protect you. Come back to the palace with me, and from now on, you will be a princess."
Her eyes, which were still glistening with lingering fear, suddenly lit up, and even a good portion of her trepidation faded away.
"A princess!"
