didn't mean to stop."Mother, you must protect the Emperor. I will also protect my women."I don't need your protection.Feng Lingxi opened her mouth, met Empress Shu's cold gaze, and continued, "I can...Lu Hao saw Feng Lingxi's agreement and was truly grateful from the bottom of his heart.

"Could I talk to you privately"

Feng Lingxi looked into Lu Hao's eyes, seeing the plea within them. She knew she couldn't escape this; sooner or later, she and Lu Hao would have to have a serious conversation.

"Okay."

Wind Ling gestured to Lu Hao, "Let's move to the pavilion in the garden to talk."

"Madam, I would like to have a word with her in private."

Lu Hao's plea touched Lu's wife's heart. When had he ever been so restrained in front of her It seemed he truly loved Feng Lingxi's mother deeply.

"Go on, have a good chat."

Feng Lingxi made the guests feel very welcome. She and Lu Hao arrived at a gazebo in the garden. While it wasn't too far from the main hall, it was very peaceful. The servants brought out pastries and tea, but neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere felt heavy.

Lu Hao looked up at Feng Ling Xi, seeing her sitting across from him, calm and composed, as if waiting for him to speak first. He had been brewing his words for a long time, wanting to say them several times in his throat, but he didn't know how to start.

"Am I calling you Xi'er or Princess Chen"

"You can call out whatever you want, it's just a name after all."

Feng Lingxi's tone was calm, "Just say what you have to say."

Lu Hao nodded. Since she had said so, he might as well just be straightforward.

“Actually, I didn't want to disturb your life. It's just that Lu Nian's mother wants a daughter. She has been blaming me for not giving her a daughter all these years. You might think I'm lying to you, but it's true. Besides her, neither the Lu family nor the Nan Gong family has ever had a daughter. She really wants a daughter so much that she's gone crazy. It was under pressure from her that I revealed your existence.”

Lu Hao said this, his tone a little helpless.

"I know it's hard for you to believe what I'm saying, but it's all true."

"Mrs. Lu is indeed different from others. If she wants a daughter, I can help her look into it and concoct a prescription to ensure she gives birth to a girl."

"She can't give birth."

Lu Hao looked at Feng Lingxi, "I know you're good at medicine, but she can't have children anymore, that's why she found you."

But I'm not her biological child, after all, and if she really wanted a daughter, couldn't you just give her one

"I can't bear children anymore."

Lu Hao said this, Feng Lingxi was a little surprised. Seeing that she didn't believe it, Lu Hao's expression became serious, "This is what I owe her."

Feng Lingxi didn't press him further. He had already said as much as he could, what else could she say

"Didn't your mother really tell you not to acknowledge me"

Feng Lingxi nodded, looking at Lu Hao's careful and cautious questioning. She didn't hold back at all.

"You should know my mother's temper, once she says no, it's a definite no."

Lu Hao nodded, “I know this, so I won’t force you.”

Hearing him relent, Feng Lingxi let out a breath of relief. At least he was still somewhat rational.

The atmosphere fell silent again. After a while, Lu Hao asked again.

"Can I see your mother I can't find her..."

"I can't find her either."

Feng Lingxi looked at Lu Hao, "The Lu family has great powers, you all can't find her, how could I possibly find her Whenever she wants to see me, she will appear. When she doesn't want to see me, I can't find her either."

If you make things clear, Lu Hao shouldn't ask any further questions.

"Oh!"

With a heavy sigh, Lu Hao's eyes welled up with tears again.

"It was I who apologized to her."

Feng Lingxi looked at Lu Hao like this, wanting to speak but stopping again and again. The words in her throat were stuck there, not knowing whether she should ask or not.

"There's something I've always wanted to ask you."

Feng Ling Xi pondered for a moment before asking, "Since you were already married, why did you still court my mother Have you thought about how to arrange for her"

“All of this is my fault, I was too carried away. However, I truly like your mother. She’s beautiful and has a good personality. She’s innocent, lively, and cheerful. Her smile is especially beautiful, just like the morning sun. When she smiles, it's as if all worries disappear. Back then, when I left the Lu family, my mood wasn't good. After meeting your mother, she brought light back into my life.”

"What you're saying doesn't sound like her at all. The mother I know wouldn't have that kind of innocence, vivacity, and cheerfulness. Her smile wasn't genuine; it was bitter and forced, lacking any warmth or lightheartedness. It didn't bring solace, but rather instilled a sense of worry."

Feng Lingxi looked at Lu Hao, if not heard with her own ears, she really didn't know that her mother was also a carefree girl back then.

Lü Hào heard Feng Lingxi's words, tears welling up in his eyes. He covered his eyes and sobbed softly.

"It was my fault. I was too greedy."

“You're being too greedy. Since you're already married and have no intention of settling down with her, yet you’ve developed a relationship that has resulted in children. Do you know what will happen to her when you leave A young woman who is pregnant before marriage... how can you let her survive”

"When I left her, I was truly forced to. If I hadn't gone back to the Lu family and explained things, your mother would never have had a chance to marry into the Lu family. But I never expected that when I returned, she had already married your father. I thought she had found her happiness, so I didn't look for her."

"Her happiness disappeared after you left. She married Feng Aotiān, and she has never been happy since. Do you know what kind of life she's living"

Feng Lingxi's body trembled with anger. Thinking of her mother she had seen here, and what Lu Hao had said, she realized that it wasn't the same person at all. What kind of despair would drive one’s own mother to such a point, to disregard her child's life

If she hadn't gotten better, her mother would have probably let herself die of illness.

"It was my fault."

Lu Hao cried even harder. Facing Feng Lingxi's reprimand, he couldn't refute her because he owed Wan Ying so much.

He has no right to have his daughter acknowledge him, nor does he have the right to ask Wan Ying for forgiveness.

"My mother wouldn't let me recognize you because you should know how much she hates you. When I mention you to her, how agitated does she get"

Feng Lingxi looked at Lu Hao, not feeling any sympathy for his current crying. She could bear it even if he didn't mention his mother, but thinking of how her mother became like this for him, Feng Lingxi felt heartache.

"I know I've wronged her, you can scold me, if it makes you feel better, just scold me, hit me, I promise I won't fight back."

Feng Lingxi looked at Lu Hao's appearance and took a deep breath, "I don't have the right to hit you or scold you. You owe an apology to my mother, not me."

She wasn't his daughter, she didn't need him to apologize to her, she didn't have the right, but she still wanted to speak up for her mother.

Lu Hao looked up, his eyes filled with tears. As a man, he was deeply hurt by Feng Ling Xi's words. He owed Wan Ying an apology, but he also owed this daughter. In his entire life, the two people he regretted the most were these two. But now, neither of them was willing to forgive him. The child could have been born safely, but it was your eldest sister who gave your mother medicine, causing her to miscarry. That year, you were ten years old."Feng Lingxi looked at Feng Lingyu in di...