She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 181 A Proper Settlement

The Prince of Zhenbei stood still, holding a porcelain bowl in one hand and a porcelain spoon in the other, scooping up round glutinous rice balls and stuffing them into his mouth.

Instead of wolfing it down as usual, he took a bite, and the sweet sesame filling flowed out, enveloping his bitter heart.

One after another, they stuffed them into their mouths, their eyes slowly welling up with tears.

There are six glutinous rice balls in total.

Princess Zhenbei said, "We have a family custom that every time you return victorious from an expedition, you eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls). There are six of us, and we make six tangyuan in one bowl, not one less."

Since their daughter went missing, the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion has never eaten glutinous rice balls again.

Because there are six people, and six glutinous rice balls, not one can be missing.

"Delicious." The Prince of Zhenbei scooped up the last glutinous rice ball and stuffed it into his mouth. Just as the tears in his eyes were about to spill out, he lowered his head and drank the soup in large gulps: "This is the best glutinous rice ball I've ever eaten."

Shen Qingtan watched as the Prince of Zhenbei's face was covered by the bowl, as if he were slowly drinking soup, or as if he were concealing his emotions.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly raised his head. His eyes, weathered by the passage of time, were bloodshot, and deep affection for his flesh and blood flowed in them. This affection had not been diminished by the fourteen years that had passed; in fact, it had only intensified.

So intense was his gaze that she knew she was deeply loved by her parents; their love for her was innate, etched into her very bones.

He stared at her intently, as if trying to see her clearly, to see if she had suffered any injustices all these years away from her parents.

“If you like it, I’ll make it for you again next time.” Shen Qingtan took the bowl from his hand, smiled and said, “I haven’t suffered any injustice in these fourteen years; I’ve lived a very good life.”

"Whether you're doing well or not, your father knows perfectly well." The Prince of Zhenbei's eyes flashed with a fierce light: "Given the selfish, heartless, and ungrateful nature of Marquis Chengen and his wife, how could they possibly treat you sincerely? The effort they've put into you will be repaid tenfold in the future."

Shen Qingtan pursed her lips and remained silent, because the Marquis of Chengen and his wife were indeed using her as a tool to seek their own interests.

“You are the apple of our eye, and you should have grown up in luxury, pampered and spoiled. Why should we let them take the liberty of raising you?”

A murderous glint flashed in the Prince of Zhenbei's eyes: "They lost their own daughter, so they forcibly took you back to their manor to raise you. Now that they have found their biological daughter, they have not treated you well, but have instead humiliated you. They deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

This is a matter that needs to be carefully analyzed.

Shen Qingtan looked up at the Prince of Zhenbei and saw that his eyes were filled with guilt: "Manman, the Marquis of Chengen and his wife are certainly at fault, but your father is also at fault."

He longed to hold her like he did when they were children, but was shocked to realize that she had grown up and was now married. He could no longer hold her in his arms or let her sit on his shoulders like he did when they were little; he could only look at her with his eyes again and again.

The Prince of Zhenbei said with self-reproach, "Your father is useless. He failed to protect you, which gave the thieves an opportunity to take advantage of us and caused us to be separated as flesh and blood."

Shen Qingtan did not think it was the fault of the Prince of Zhenbei. He was seriously injured and unconscious at the time, and the Princess of Zhenbei sent her to Nanling Prefecture for refuge in order to protect her.

"Your brothers should go back to Liangzhou first and bring your mother back with them." A hint of a smile finally appeared in the eyes of the Prince of Zhenbei: "Our family will be reunited."

Shen Qingtan felt a lump in her throat; they were finally reunited as a family.

At this moment, a servant came and reported: "Your Highness... Master Zhao has arrived."