It wouldn’t do to show up with such a haughty attitude and immediately upset the young couple. Even if Xiao Yuling was his birth mother, they hadn’t lived together for so many years, and she certainly hadn’t raised him. Besides, Xiao Yunjing didn’t even know she existed.

Moreover, Hui Jing could tell from Xiao Yuling’s recent demeanor that she still carried herself with an air of superiority.

This isn’t good, Hui Jing thought. She’s been a deceased imperial consort for over twenty years. To put it bluntly, apart from being Xiao Yunjing’s mother, she’s nothing now. She would only be something if Yunjing acknowledged her. If he doesn’t, she remains nothing. Does she even dare to reveal her true identity?

Hui Jing shook her head. She’d never expected Xiao Yuling to possess such a mindset.

She glanced at Xiao Yunjing. Since she had already spoken Xiao Yuling’s name, she wanted to see his reaction.

Xiao Yunjing’s heart jolted when he heard the name ’Yuling.’ He looked up at Xiao Yuling, showing no sign of excitement.

Yuling. That was his birth mother’s given name. Could this unfamiliar woman before him truly be her?

“Are you Xiao Yuling?” Xiao Yunjing asked, his voice devoid of emotion. Only the tightening of his grip on Gu Qingli’s hand betrayed his inner turmoil.

In both his past life and this one, he had never met his birth mother. It would be a lie to say he didn’t yearn for one.

Gu Qingli winced from the pressure but endured it silently. She looked at Xiao Yunjing. This isn’t Xiao Yuxian, it’s Xiao Yuling, she realized. Who is this Xiao Yuling, to make him so tense?

Gu Qingli lowered her gaze and gently placed her other hand over his.

Witnessing Xiao Yunjing’s reaction, Hui Jing knew this reunion wouldn’t be smooth. Yunjing was clearly conflicted.

Xiao Yuling, however, frowned with even greater displeasure upon seeing Gu Qingli’s gesture. So intimate with a man in public! She has no sense of propriety at all, she fumed internally.

But recalling Hui Jing’s earlier subtle warning, she had to suppress her irritation. She nodded and said, “Yes, I am Xiao Yuling. Your birth mother.”

Gu Qingli froze, staring at Xiao Yuling in disbelief.

Didn’t Yunjing’s birth mother die in the Imperial Palace? How could she be alive and find him after more than twenty years? Could she have faked her death back then? This is utterly preposterous!

Xiao Yunjing took a deep breath and asked calmly, “What proof do you have?”

His birth mother’s status was no ordinary woman’s; he had to be certain. Her attitude towards Li’er just now had displeased him greatly. If this woman truly was his mother, how could she dislike Li’er without even having met her properly or having their relationship acknowledged? Li’er was his treasure; he wouldn’t allow anyone to look down on her, not even if this person was indeed his mother.

Xiao Yuling looked at her seemingly indifferent son and gave a laugh that was sharp with anger.

She pointed at Xiao Yunjing. “You! How can you say such a thing? If I hadn’t sent you away back then, you would have died long ago!”

“And why shouldn’t I?” Xiao Yunjing retorted. “You claim to be my mother. In that case, you should know my mother has been dead for over twenty years. If someone who’s been dead that long suddenly appears and claims to be your mother, how would you react?”

“Hui Jing, look! This is the son I’ve yearned for, for over twenty years!” Xiao Yuling burst into tears, clutching Hui Jing’s hand as she spoke.

Hui Jing shook her head and patted Xiao Yuling’s hand. “Ling’er, don’t be hasty. The boy isn’t wrong.”

She turned to Xiao Yunjing. “Child, she truly is your mother. This story begins twenty-three years ago…”

Hui Jing then explained in detail how she had spirited Xiao Yuling away from the Imperial Palace and how she had arranged for her medical treatment and recovery.

Finally, Hui Jing added, “Your mother is just overwhelmed and anxious, so please don’t blame her. If you still don’t believe it, you can ask your maternal uncle to confirm.”

When Hui Jing finished, both she and Xiao Yuling looked at Xiao Yunjing with expectant eyes.

Xiao Yunjing’s brow furrowed deeply. He said to them, “Please, eat first. After your meal, get some rest.”

After giving instructions to Wuqing and Wuyou, he led Gu Qingli back to their bedroom.

Xiao Yuling watched them leave, speechless. This wasn’t the heartwarming reunion she had imagined—no tearful embraces, no son kneeling and calling her ’Mother.’ This… She felt like banging her head against the wall.

Hui Jing patted her arm. “Be patient!”

Inside the bedroom, their three little ones were still sound asleep. Xiao Yunjing sat silently before their small bed, gazing intently at them.

Gu Qingli went to him, gently pressed his head against her chest, rested her chin on top of his head, and hugged him tightly.

She knew Xiao Yunjing was struggling to accept the sudden appearance of his birth mother; he’d had no mental preparation whatsoever.

It wasn’t like her situation; she had known from the beginning that the Original Host had biological parents. And even though they weren’t her soul’s biological parents, they had cherished the Original Host like the apple of their eye. Not like Yunjing’s mother, who had arrived with such an arrogant air and a disdainful expression for her. This was her home, for heaven’s sake! Thankfully, the woman hadn’t seen their three little ones yet. If she had, Gu Qingli feared Xiao Yuling might not even approve of her raising them.

“Li’er,” Xiao Yunjing finally said, looking up after a long silence, his voice heavy, “can I choose not to acknowledge her?”

Gu Qingli kissed his lips, her heart clenching at his pained expression. Her Yunjing, always so imperious and formidable, had never been this distressed by anyone or anything—except, perhaps, by her on rare occasions.

Thinking of Xiao Yuling waiting outside, and of the paramount importance placed on filial piety in this society, Gu Qingli truly didn’t know what to advise.

After a moment’s thought, she finally said, “If you want to acknowledge her, then acknowledge her. If you don’t want to, then we won’t.”

She would support whatever he wished.

Xiao Yunjing settled Gu Qingli onto his lap. “Li’er,” he said seriously, “I can tell she doesn’t like you. If I acknowledge her, there will be endless trouble. But if I don’t… she is still my birth mother.”

Gu Qingli buried her face in the crook of his neck and sniffled. So that’s what was troubling him—he was worried about the problems it would cause for me, she realized, a warmth spreading through her heart.

“Yunjing,” she murmured, “as long as she doesn’t interfere with us or our children, nothing else matters to me.”

She wasn’t a pushover, though, and she needed to make her stance clear.

Xiao Yuling clearly disliked her. In this world, many men of wealth and power took multiple wives and concubines. If Xiao Yunjing were to aim for the highest position in the future, and his mother tried to use that to cause trouble for their marriage—that, Gu Qingli would never accept. In short, no matter what the future held for Xiao Yunjing, she would never allow another woman to share him. And she certainly wouldn’t tolerate anyone dictating things about her children.

Xiao Yunjing kissed her gently and nodded. “I won’t let her interfere with us. Don’t worry.”

“I’m laying down my terms now,” Gu Qingli declared, her tone playfully imperious. “My man and my sons are mine alone.”

“All yours,” Xiao Yunjing chuckled, pinching her nose. He loved it when his little wife was so sweetly possessive and endearing with him.

“Alright, then. You should go out and see them,” Gu Qingli urged.

Xiao Yunjing nodded, gave her a soft kiss on the lips, then gently set her down from his lap and went out.

Gu Qingli pouted playfully as she watched him leave. Then, she turned and leaned over the small bed, gazing at her little dumplings.

She gently pinched their soft cheeks. Now, how am I going to handle that Xiao Yuling? she wondered.