Inside the hall, only Hai Ling and Ji Shaocheng were present.
Ji Shaocheng excitedly asked, "Could you be my little sister, Xiao Ling'er?"
It turns out that Hailing used to have a nickname, Xiaoling'er. At that time, she was still in her mother's womb. General Ji firmly believed that the baby in her womb was a girl, so he named her Xiaoling'er.
Hai Ling didn't know if she used to be called Xiao Ling'er, but she was definitely his sister. She had a fine jade pendant on her chest, which she always thought was a gift from her mother, but she never expected it to be something from the Ji family.
Hai Ling took out the jade pendant and handed it to Ji Shaocheng.
Ji Shaocheng examined the jade in his palm, then took out another piece from his own person. When the two pieces were put together, they formed a complete piece of jade with four characters on it, symbolizing peace and prosperity for the whole family.
This was the Ji family's heirloom jade, originally consisting of two pieces. General Ji gave one piece to his wife and the other to Hailing's biological mother. At that time, the first wife appeared to be extremely virtuous. General Ji was touched by her kindness towards the woman he loved and respected her greatly, so the Ji family was very happy. However, everything was hidden beneath the surface. The first wife was actually very jealous. On the surface, she treated her concubine well, but in reality, she was always plotting. She thought that men only liked women for the novelty, and once General Ji no longer liked this woman, she could then deal with her.
Before General Ji set off, Hai Ling's mother was about to give birth. However, the border was in dire need of help, so he had to lead his troops into battle. Before leaving, he entrusted Hai Ling's mother to the First Madam. Who knew that as soon as he left, the First Madam planned to get rid of Hai Ling and her daughter. That night, Hai Ling's mother gave birth to her daughter with great difficulty, but then she received news that the First Madam was coming with people to kill them. In a panic, she dragged her body, which had just given birth, and carried her daughter, and fled the Ji residence overnight.
Fortunately, the second wife was usually kind, so many of the servants in the mansion liked her and let her go under cover of night.
Hailin's biological mother didn't know where to go. As a woman, she didn't know where her husband was fighting, so she wandered around.
However, the First Madam did not let her go. She sent out people she had bribed to investigate. This went on for two or three months, with people stopping and starting along the way. Finally, Hai Ling's mother was found. In the end, she risked her life to protect her daughter and handed her over to Du Caiyue.
At the time, Du Caiyue was grieving the loss of her daughter. When she saw Hailing, she believed that Hailing was a compensation sent to her by heaven.
She treated Hailing with all her heart, raising her as if she were her own daughter. Because when she heard Hailing's biological mother call her Hailing Xiaoling'er, she didn't know which character it was, so she named her Hailing, Jiang Hailing.
The past events flashed before his eyes, and Ji Shaocheng felt a sharp pain in his heart. It turned out that the Crown Princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty was his younger sister, Xiao Ling'er. If he had known that she was his sister, he would have taken her away from the Great Zhou Dynasty at all costs. He knew her situation; she had suffered a lot of humiliation and embarrassment at the hands of Feng Zixiao.
Ji Shaocheng stood in front of Hailing, stretched out his large hand and looked at her, saying in a deep voice, "Little Ling'er, brother welcomes you home."
Hearing this emotionally charged call, Hai Ling's heart softened instantly. This was the first time she had felt the tenderness of family since her mother's death and Yan Zhi's disappearance.
"elder brother."
She smiled gently, her features exquisite, and she accepted Ji Shaocheng as her brother from the bottom of her heart.
Ji Shaocheng held Hailing's hand and said happily, "Little Ling'er, Father is currently in his camp outside the capital. I will send someone to inform Father immediately."
"good."
Hai Ling nodded. She wanted to meet this old General Ji. She wondered what kind of person he was. She had heard that he loved her mother very much and had never set foot in the Ji residence again because of her mother. This man should be a good man who values loyalty and righteousness.
Ji Shaocheng's handsome features shone brightly, dazzling and captivating. His sister had returned, making the family complete. However, he thought of his second aunt and asked her with concern.
"Where is Second Aunt? Where did Second Aunt go?"
"She is dead."
Hai Ling spoke softly, feeling little for the woman who gave birth to her. Her heart belonged only to her mother, Du Caiyue. However, she knew that the woman who gave birth to her was also a good woman, so she respected her.
Upon hearing this, Ji Shaocheng fell silent, a faint sorrow settling on his face. He felt heartbroken for his father, wondering how devastated his father would be to learn of his second mother's death.
"Brother, it's all over now."
Hai Ling spoke softly, and Ji Shaocheng finally came to his senses. Yes, his second mother had passed away, but his younger sister had returned. This would surely make his father happy. But hadn't his younger sister become the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
"But isn't Xiao Ling'er the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
As soon as Ji Shaocheng spoke, Hai Ling was enveloped in a chilling aura, her eyes filled with an icy coldness, her lips pressed tightly together, and she remained silent for a long time.
She thought of Feng Zixiao and her mother. If it weren't for the royal family's scheme, her mother, Du Caiyue, wouldn't have died, and Yanzhi wouldn't have disappeared.
She will surely repay them for everything she has done today.
“I was banished from the palace, and my mother died.”
Her voice was indifferent, revealing no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. Her ethereal face showed no sadness or grief, only her eyes, as black as ink, churned with a raging storm.
Looking at his younger sister, Ji Shaocheng felt even more sorry for her. No wonder she wasn't as happy and cheerful as before; instead, she seemed cold, indifferent, and distant. It seemed she had been hurt. But he wasn't afraid of anything. Now that she was back, he and his father would definitely warm her heart and help her return to her former self.
"Little Ling'er, don't think about it anymore. You still have me and your father. We will love and pamper you from now on."
After Ji Shaocheng finished speaking, he held Hailing's hand tightly, giving her strength, and told her with a powerful look that he would always cherish her and would never let anyone hurt her again.
When Hailin saw him like this, the ice around her melted away. It really felt good to have an older brother.
Ji Shaocheng looked towards the gate and said in a deep voice, "Someone come here."
People outside the gate came in. When Ye Liushuang saw her cousin holding Hailing's hand tightly, her expression changed drastically, becoming gloomy and ugly. What did her cousin mean? Why was he holding a man's hand? And why was there excitement on his beautiful face? Did he not like women and only liked men? Was that why he had ignored her recently?
Ye Liushuang grew angrier the more she thought about it, glaring at Hailin.
Butler Ning and the others couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild, unaware of the situation before them.
Only the two maids, Shi Mei and Shi Lan, understood. It seemed that General Ji was very excited because he knew that the young lady was his sister. General Ji was clearly a brother who loved his sister. He believed that the young lady would be happier staying in the Ji family. Moreover, given her status as a young lady of the Ji family, it would be only natural for her to marry into the palace.
The two maids, Shi Mei and Shi Lan, also laughed happily.
Ji Shaocheng ignored everyone else and looked at his two subordinates: "A'da, take this to Father immediately and tell him to return to the manor right away."
"Send the old general back to the manor immediately?" How could this be? Everyone in the hall was dumbfounded. Everyone in the Ji manor knew that the old general would never step into the gates of the Ji manor. Today, the young general was so confident that the old general would return to the manor. Could this matter be related to the young master in front of them? Everyone looked at Hai Ling, wondering who this person was.
Seeing the way her cousin doted on this handsome young man, Ye Liushuang felt a mix of jealousy and envy. However, she refused to believe that her uncle would actually enter the Ji family mansion because of this man. As she thought about this, Ye Liushuang remembered something else and decided that she should hurry up and report this to her aunt.
Thinking of this, Ye Liushuang took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and quietly slipped out, rushing into her aunt's place to report the news to her aunt.
In the main hall, Ji Shaocheng's men, A'da and A'er, were ordered to go to the tent to invite the old general.
Ji Shaocheng looked at Hai Ling, his resolute features softened, and he smiled brightly.