Prince Shou looked at him, his cold face showing no excessive emotional changes, as if he had grown indifferent to everything in this world. He did not respond to Li Min’s words, but lowered his head to look at Sister Ning beside him.

"Father, if you have something to say, please do. Your daughter is listening." Lin Youning, although having just met her father, discovered that he was not a man of many words.

"Father has not returned to the capital for many years, why not accompany father into the palace to meet your grandfather?" When facing his daughter, Prince Shou’s face revealed a gentle smile.

Lin Youning nodded, "I will accompany father into the palace."

The smile on Prince Shou’s face deepened a few degrees. He extended his hand, and Lin Youning knowingly reached out to hold it. Prince Shou, holding his daughter’s hand, walked past Li Min in large strides, with Gu Yifeng following behind.

When Prince Shou held Sister Ning’s hand, Gu Yifeng raised his eyebrows, clearly somewhat dissatisfied. However, considering it was their first meeting as father and daughter, he decided not to fuss over it.

Li Min coldly watched Prince Shou’s back and said in a cold voice, "Let’s go."

He also followed along.

Zhao Housheng, along with Nanny Wang and the guards, followed as well. The three groups of people made up quite a crowd, forming a large procession.

Lin Youning sat in the carriage the whole way, her hand held by her father. Although her father said nothing, she understood that he was nervous. After all, he hadn’t been out for years, and now he had to face such a matter.

"Father, what kind of person was mother?" Lin Youning thought for a moment and felt it was better to talk more with her father at this time.

Prince Shou lowered his head, looking at his daughter who gazed at him with hope. He smiled and said, "You are very much like your mother, in temperament as well. Your mother seemed gentle, but she had a lively nature. When we were together, I spoke little, it was mostly your mother who talked. Even after marrying me, when life was hard, your mother never complained. She set aside her status as the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion to do menial work for others, never letting me carve jewelry for others. Though your mother was aware that I was hiding things from her, she never asked much. In the end, when you were lost, your mother didn’t blame me but blamed herself for not taking good care of you, and she left with guilt."

By the end, Prince Shou’s voice was very low.

Lin Youning originally intended to divert her father’s attention, but it ended up making him suddenly depressed. She felt guilty and said, "Father, if mother knew, she would want you to be happy."

"Father is fine." Prince Shou softly soothed Sister Ning, gently stroking her hair.

Gu Yifeng, sitting to the side, twitched the corners of his mouth and thought to himself that after returning, he should speak with Sister Ning. Though they had just met as father and daughter, they shouldn’t always be this close. Sister Ning wasn’t a child anymore.

Upon reaching the palace gates, Gu Yifeng spoke, "Sister Ning, let me help you down first. After all, Prince Shou has the status of a prince, and the Holy Emperor has not yet recognized you. It’s inappropriate for you to walk together."

Gu Yifeng felt it was best to separate Sister Ning from Prince Shou at this time.

Lin Youning didn’t think much of it, accustomed to listening to whatever her elder brother said. As to whether it made sense, she didn’t ponder deeply, merely believing her elder brother was always right.

Prince Shou, however, gave Gu Yifeng a glance with a different meaning, saying nothing. After getting out of the carriage, he naturally took Sister Ning’s hand, "I will take you to see your grandfather."

Lin Youning glanced at her elder brother, smiled apologetically, and entered the palace with her father. Gu Yifeng squinted his eyes, certain of Prince Shou’s intentions. Yet Prince Shou insisted on doing so: did he not value him as a son-in-law?

Li Min came forward from behind, "The Dingyuan Marquis has truly made this prince see him in a new light. No wonder the Dingyuan Marquis has always been hesitant; it turns out he married my elder brother’s daughter."

Gu Yifeng clasped his fists, "I must thank the Eldest Prince for bringing my wife to the temple last night, allowing her to reunite with her father."

Saying this, Gu Yifeng strode into the palace without paying any attention to the brooding Eldest Prince, with Zhao Housheng following behind him.

Li Min had never been treated this way before, yet at this moment, he had no means to respond. Furthermore, upon reaching his father, he would need to find a way to explain his actions and extricate himself.

Today, the Dingyuan Marquis had truly outmaneuvered them.

When Lin Youning met the Holy Emperor, she felt he was like an ordinary old man, with a kindly face, lacking any imposing demeanor. Even when ill, he sat up and spoke amiably with her.

Originally, Lin Youning knelt on the ground with her father, but then she heard the Holy Emperor above speak, asking her elder brother to help her up and granting her a seat, leaving only her father and brother kneeling there.

Lin Youning knew it was because she was pregnant that she was allowed to rise and felt that this Holy Emperor was very different from what she had heard—a considerate and attentive person.

"All these years, you were nowhere to be found, and I thought that even if I passed, I wouldn’t see you. Now you know to return?" The Emperor’s voice was deep, carrying an unspeakable weariness.

Prince Shou apologized, "Your son acknowledges his mistake."

"These years, I know you have harbored resentment towards me. Now I too am preparing to meet your mother in the afterlife. Now you have a son and daughter, and when I am there, I will tell your mother. At least she will have some solace." After speaking, the Emperor coughed and then looked at Li Min, who was kneeling in the back. "All these days you have caused quite a stir. I am aware of your thoughts over the years. Today, your elder brother is back. He is the eldest son, and you are the second son. That seat you should no longer covet. In my lifetime, I have only you three sons and I do not wish to see sibling rivalry. Be a leisurely prince. I will not hold you accountable for things of the past. Let bygones be bygones. Understand that not being the eldest, nor the legitimate heir, there are some things not meant for you to desire, and you should not desire them."

Li Min’s head touched the ground, "Your son acknowledges his mistake."

Though unpunished, the words were enough to bring Li Min from the clouds to the depths.

Meanwhile, the Emperor waved his hand, and a small eunuch came to remind him, Li Min knelt and retreated, and as he stepped out of the chamber, he realized he was soaked in sweat. The cold wind outside made him shiver uncontrollably.

A small eunuch came to assist, helping Li Min rise from the ground. Supported by others, he finally stood firm, then shakily brushed away the eunuch’s hand, stumbling forward. The once-glorious Eldest Prince, in his current state, drew looks of astonishment from the palace attendants. Li Min, however, cared little, wandering dazedly into Consort Zhou’s palace.