Chen Yi paused, with a flicker of deep-seated hatred in his eyes, yet he forcefully suppressed it, transforming it into a desolate sigh:

"A couple for a lifetime... To end up with reality without recognition. I, Chen Yi, a proud seven-foot man, suffer such an unparalleled disgrace, and afterwards... how am I to face myself?"

He was like a live-in son-in-law who had endured all kinds of indignities but remained steadfast and unyielding until this moment, which was more convincing than any sorrowful lamentations.

Qin Xuzhi took a deep breath, his chest slightly rising and falling, as if the air in the grand hall had frozen. He nodded slowly,

"The Ancestor understands, this matter... I'll make the decision for you."

.........

Qin Qingluo didn't know how long she had been in the warm room.

She only realized that along the way the lamp wick ran out of oil, so she casually added more.

The sleeping face of her daughter floated into her mind, which she had never paid attention to before. Upon reflection, it had a certain charm and cuteness.

Thinking again, in the blink of an eye, she was about to turn two, healthy and not having died prematurely, which was indeed a great blessing.

Yet also a misfortune.

At the Southern Border, there were countless banquets every year, mostly celebrating the full moon. Qin Qingluo had been invited to several, witnessing many radiant and wealthy new couples, yet within two or three years, a shadow of gloom would hover over them, mostly due to the unfortunate early demise of their children, especially before the age of three when even a minor illness could easily claim an infant's life.

While pregnant with that cursed seed, Qin Qingluo desperately hoped she would perish midway.

To this day, those thoughts had somewhat faded, perhaps because the child turned out to be well-behaved and healthy, seemingly gifted, and could possibly become a support in future.

In the murky night, after the day's commotion and traveling back and forth between two places, Qin Qingluo no longer had the mind to review documents, so she returned to her bedroom. She needed to rise early the next morning and did not remove her armor before going straight to bed.

Reflecting on the day's events, her thoughts were somewhat muddled, but she still closed her eyes heavily.

"..."

"..."

"...unworthy descendants..."

Within less than a quarter of an hour, Qin Qingluo suddenly opened her eyes.

She looked up to find the lamp still burning, realizing not much time had passed, and exhaled. The female prince knitted her brows slightly; over the years, she had rarely dreamt, yet just now during a brief rest, she had abruptly heard a majestic elderly voice, claiming to be an ancestor, stirring her with a sudden alarm.

Qin Qingluo stood up, searched the room thoroughly, then went out of the bedroom to search around ten meters yet found no anomalies.

Perhaps it was just a dream, Qin Qingluo returned to her room and after some thought, she drew the broken spear purple lightning from under the bed and lay by it to sleep.

"...unworthy descendants..."

The elderly voice seemed to seep through the thick walls, echoing again in the depths of Qin Qingluo's consciousness. Though dreaming, the resolute Qin Qingluo was not flustered; her strong will allowed her to find a glimpse of clarity within the dream, so she intentionally stayed to observe.

"Bring her over."

Suddenly, she heard an undeniable command, and as soon as it was spoken, two imposing ghost generals in armor advanced menacingly with weapons.

The brilliance in Qin Qingluo's eyes flashed fiercely; her left hand thrust forward, shooting a deep purple lightning that pierced straight through the chest of one ghost general.

The other ghost general was utterly shocked, wholly unprepared for such a turn of events. Reacting, he swung his long knife, but the tall woman was faster, sweeping her leg across, folding the ghost general and his armor in half.

In a split second, a sudden strike brought forth a deadly atmosphere.

Qin Qingluo looked towards the distance, seeing an indistinct large gate, towering and grand, open inwardly, and the voice emanating from its depths.

Before entering, she glanced back, noticing the two ghost generals had already dissipated into wisps of green smoke.

Indeed, this dream was bizarre and peculiar; by this point, Qin Qingluo was certain there were miscreant elements at work behind it.

Yet she didn't know who dared to be so bold.

The female prince's lips curled into a cold smile as she slowly pushed the door open, the next instant freezing in place.

She "saw" the scene before her, not her familiar bedroom but the solemn and imposing Qin Family Ancestral Temple, ablaze with candlelight.

The ancestor's tablet hung suspended on a golden altar, appearing and disappearing amid swirling incense smoke, exuding a heavy oppression.

In the center of the ancestral hall stood a figure, none other than Qin Family's ancestor Qin Xuzhi.

He was no longer the kind-looking figure portrayed in paintings; his visage now shrouded in the deep shadows of the hall, only his eyes shone with a startling brightness, brimming with thunder, piercing Qin Qingluo's soul.

Within that gaze lay disappointment, scrutiny, and an almost icy reproach.

"Ancestor?" Qin Qingluo's heart sank fiercely.

Ancestor's dream visit was no ordinary matter.

Without pleasantries, Qin Xuzhi opened with a clap of thunder:

"Unworthy descendant, you, such audacity! Such a ruthless heart!"

Qin Qingluo was shaken to her core, not understanding the intentions, suddenly recalling the plan to assassinate at the Ancestral Temple during the autumn festival, where she had secretly placed official puppet generals.

"Do you know why I have summoned you today?"

Qin Qingluo took a deep breath and proactively said: "What Qingluo did was to desecrate the sacred grounds of the Ancestral Temple, which is indeed an unfilial crime. However, Qingluo has failed the ancestors but not the nation; all thoughts and considerations were for the Qin Family's foundation. If ancestors are to punish Qingluo for unfilial conduct, Qingluo definitely will not..."

Before finishing,

"Silence!" Qin Xuzhi thunderously interrupted, as if a storm exploded within the temple, causing the tablets behind to resonate with a hum.

He stepped forward, the invisible pressure bearing down like a mountain.

Qin Qingluo stood tall, unwavering.

"You secretly hid such vile objects within the sacred grounds of the Ancestral Temple, indeed an unfilial act, defiling its sanctity. Yet I, Qin Xuzhi, am no stubborn fool; a significant event must prioritize the nation. Today's reproach of your unfilial conduct isn't for this trivial matter?"

Qin Qingluo lifted her gaze, her serpentine pupils flickering with doubt.

"I ask you," Qin Xuzhi's voice sank, "Chen Yi, how have you treated him?"

As soon as the words dropped, suddenly a figure bearing a sword and wielding a blade slowly emerged from behind the tablet. Qin Qingluo's pupils dilated, the familiar and loathsome face gradually forced itself into view.

He bowed slightly in respect.

Chen Yi!

This figure was like a scorching brand, instantly searing through the slight softness in Qin Qingluo's heart, which had been softened momentarily by thoughts of her daughter. Her eyes shot daggers: "It's you!"

"How about him?!" Qin Xuzhi interrupted harshly, his gaze like a torch, "He served the Qin Family, consolidated your foundation, bore offspring for you! How did you treat him?!"

The tall woman froze, seized by a sense of absurdity and overwhelming threat simultaneously, her expression gradually darkening.

This explained his presence here; she couldn't find him despite searching everywhere, and it explained... why Princess Jing Yin Weiyin remarked, "Maybe he's right in your Prince Mansion." At that time, she had dismissed the comment without a word, yet it was not unfounded.

Qin Qingluo retained her composure, calmly and gently said: "Ancestor, how could you be swayed by what this traitor says? I hope Ancestor will carefully explain, scrutinize closely, this person harbors ill intentions, hidden threats! His entry into the Southern Border was inherently a calculated plot."

"Calculated plot?" Qin Xuzhi sneered, echoing within the empty hall, "Calculated to serve for you? Calculated to sire your children? Calculated to be imprisoned, hunted by you, unable to meet his own child for three years?"

The female prince's face grew darker, lips involuntarily sinking.

At this moment, how could she not understand that Chen Yi had twisted the truth in this place?

Suddenly, Chen Yi interjected: "Ancestor... No need to push her like this."

"Push her? If I don't push her, she'll push you." Qin Xuzhi roared like thunder:

"Imprisonment? Hunt?!" Qin Qingluo, she urgently says: "Ancestor! Don't believe him! He's eloquent and devious, twisting truth! It's him who back then..."

"Enough!" Qin Xuzhi's rage seemed to materialize into a fierce Gang Wind, causing the flames within the temple to flicker madly, shadows dancing across his face, making him all the more imposing and terrifying. "I've divined it! He spoke of recruitment, revealed identity narrowly escaping your silencing, your solicitation as his concubine, you using his seed, his house arrest, the day of birth you poised to kill him… Every detail traceable, not a fantasy! Qin Qingluo, what do you have left to say?!"