Zhao An noticed the awkward atmosphere, so he bowed to the Duke and Duchess and smiled warmly,

"Her Grace heard that my lord and lady are leaving today, so she asked to see you off with His Majesty's permission..."

Their eyes glinted delightedly as the husband and wife were to kneel in thanks again, but they were stopped by Gu Yunyao.

Song Qin instructed two maids to bring two brocade boxes and said gently,

"These are Her Grace's gifts to you. In this box is a sword worthy of a hero like Your Highness. The red cubilose and white ginseng in the other box are the most nourishing. I hope Your Grace likes them."

The Duke and Duchess bowed again and again to express their appreciation.

Min Rui ordered his attendant to take the gifts. Gu Yunyao was so elegant and graceful, her tearing eyes lingering on Duchess Min's face. He looked at her and immediately realized something. His heart was filled with joy.

Duchess Min felt flattered by Gu Yunyao's long gaze. She blinked quickly as tears sprang to her eyes and put on a happy smile.

"Your Grace is pregnant now and cannot be overcareful. It's yet springtime. Don't catch a cold."

Gu Yunyao nodded seriously as her eyes were filled with tears. She said slowly, "I've tasted the nourishing soup that you sent to the Palace a while ago. It is delicious. And... Those baby clothes and hats are well-made. I, on my unborn child’s behalf, thank you for your kindness. You've just recovered. Don't work too hard."

Gu Yunyao said many things in one breath, all expressing her sympathy for the woman. She was very different from the one who had sworn at Lingming Terrace before.

Duchess Min stared at her daughter blankly with mixed feelings. The tears overflowed her eyes and ran down her clothes.

"That's great. The soup recipes that I brought into the Palace are from my hometown. Your Grace can have it cooked if you like..."

Drying her face, Duchess Min spoke again,

"When we return to Guiping, we will select an exceptional place to build a temple for Nanny Hua, the wet nurse. She was the savior of the Min family, and we should sweep her memorial tablet for generations."

Gu Yunyao's eyes lit up and her lips trembled as if she was choked by words. Struggling with hesitation, she finally made a gentle cry to the woman,

"Mother."

Time seemed frozen up.

It was quiet except for the wind. The people by the road stood still.

Duchess Min raised her wet eyebrows in surprise. More tears sprung to her eyes as she sobbed,

"Your Grace...what did you call me?"

"Mother!"

Gu Yunyao cried out loud, dropping on her knees before her parents,

"Father, mother, I've not been a good daughter..."

"Your Grace!"

The husband and wife went to help Yunyao up at the same time. The three were all weeping.

Complete sincerity could affect even metal and stone.

It was Duchess Min's sincere repentance and hard work that had melted the ice in Gu Yunyao's heart.

The family of the three huddled together in tears and Duchess Min was the most sentimental.

She had been looking forward to receiving her daughter's forgiveness for a long time. After hearing Gu Yunyao call her "mother", she had realized her long-cherished wish before leaving the capital.

It was late after the emotional release. More and more people woke up and were all blocked out of the road by the Honour Guards.

It was inappropriate to stay longer. The Duke and Duchess repeatedly asked Gu Yunyao to take good rests and promised to visit again in the next spring. Only then did they get back on the wagon under her lingering gaze, beginning their journey to Dongqing

...

In the Palace...

It was not lunchtime yet and Yongning Palace was shut close. In the dimness, Wan Yuyao, Wan Li, and Ming Lan were sitting at a table, conspiring.

There were two identical unfolded sheepskins on the table.

Today, Ming Lan and Wan Li visited Yongning Palace together to identify the real Kunhuang Island map so that they could present it to Emperor for rewards.

The topographic map of Kunhuang Island in the southeast area of the Wei Sea was drawn on both sheepskins. Every little detail was identical.

Wan Yuyao instructed Ming Lan to hold up a candle while she was studying the two maps through a gold enamel magnifying mirror in the shape of a peacock. After a long while, she failed to find any difference.

"Brother, since Lei Huan has told you the mystery of the real map, show it to me."

It was not that she didn't believe Lei Huan. After all, he had traveled all the way to Da Yi to offer the map. Reasonably, he would tell the truth about the treasure map.

However, the bet between Leng Qingtang and Ming Lan bewildered her.

A person like Leng Qingtang would know the difference between two teams of the Eastern Depot and a mansion. If Lei Huan's map was authentic, how could Leng Qingtang willingly lose two teams?

But Wan Li didn't look a bit concerned. He took up a bowl of vinegar on the table and slowly sprinkled it all over the sheepskin. Soon, a dark red grid appeared on the map.

Shocked, Wan Yuyao and Ming Lan watched in silence as Wan Li sprinkled the rest half bowl of vinegar on the sheepskin near Ming Lan.

Similarly, red lines showed on it.

Ming Lan frowned and clicked his tongue,

"So? This can't prove that my map is fake..."

Wan Li rolled his eyes and mocked,

"What do you know? Bring the candle closer!"

Ming Lan obeyed and took the candle closer to Wan Li.

Wan Li grabbed the two sides of the sheepskin to flatten it and then carefully roasted it on the fire from a safe distance.

Before long, a swirl of white smoke curled upward from the sheepskin with the smell of vinegar.

Next, in the center of the sheepskin, a red dot appeared at the downward-pointing triangle at the intersection of two red lines. It was marked with strange symbols.

"That's it!"

Wan Li's stern eyes opened widely as excitement flashed across them. He threw the sheepskin on the table and glanced at Ming Lan proudly,

"Look, I have told you so. Leng Qingtang is destroying you! It's not the first time that the Eastern Depot frames the Western Depot. How can you trust him? It's settled. Now you can relax and wait to accept his soldiers!"

Ming Lan covered his mouth with his hand and chuckled.

Wan Yuyao remained quiet. She still felt that something was wrong. After some thoughts, she ordered,

"Brother, toast Ming Lan's map, too. I will be relieved only if it does not have the same mark."

Frowning, Wan Li replied impatiently,

"You're overthinking, sister. Do you know how much money and energy have I spent on Lei Huan for this secret? Lei Huan have made it clear that there were two maps. Hong Zun made the fake one just in case which is in Ming Lan's hands now. You may not believe Lei Huan, but don’t you believe me?"

Wan Yuyao was serious, "Do as I say!"

"Fine, fine!"

Reluctantly, Wan Li took his sister's order and bowed his head to repeat the same procedures on Ming Lan's map.

However, the result shocked him.

Sneering, Wan Yuyao turned to Wan Li and shook her head,

"Brother, you don't know Leng Qingtang after all!"

Ming Lan silently studied the map and suddenly spoke up,

"Your Grace, Your Highness, please look... The red mark here is different from Your Highness's treasure map!"

The brother and sister leaned over and they really spotted the difference.

The red lines indicating the location of Kunhuang Tomb on Ming Lan's map formed an upward-pointing triangle, which was the exact opposite of the downward-pointing triangle on the other map.

Wan Yuyao squinted her eyes in deep thought. Wan Li was upset, knowing that she still believed Leng Qingtang. He threw the sheepskin at Ming Lan angrily and shouted,

"If Leng Qingtang insists that the map is real, bring it to him and ask him to present it to Emperor himself!"

Embarrassed, Ming Lan took the sheepskin and turned to look at the Imperial Noble Concubine.

Looking down, Wan Yuyao suddenly clapped her hands,

"Fine, do as what Wan Li have said. Ming Lan, give this map to Leng Qingtang so that he can offer it to Emperor as soon as possible..."

Wan Li continued,

"Once he presents the map, I shall give my real map to Emperor. And then Leng Qingtang will be found guilty of deceiving Emperor. We'll see how long the Eastern Depot Master can hold on!"

Wan Yuyao cast her eyes at Wan Li in displeasure but did not speak.

It was true that she had feelings for Leng Qingtang. But he had acted against her family several times and took Tu Muxue away from the Palace by himself one day ago, which broke her heart.

If she could not have him, she would destroy him. This time she did not even want to interfere with Wan Li.

Ming Lan suddenly thought of something. His eyes sparkled as he said,

"Your Grace, I've brought one person into the Palace. I believe she will be of some use for getting rid of the Master of the Eastern Depot."

Wan Yuyao was curious. "Who?"

Ming Lan clapped his hands towards the gate.

The door opened and a junior eunuch led someone inside. Judging from the fluttering gown and graceful stroll, that was a young woman.

She was wearing a cotton cloak with plum blossoms embroideries. The large hood covered most of her face and revealed only a trace of pink lips with an enchanting smile.

Ming Lan reminded her,

"Remove your hood before Her Grace and His Highness."

The woman did as bid and showed her delicate face.

Astonished by her beauty, Wan Li stared at her as if he had lost his soul. Jealousy rose in Wan Yuyao's heart as she managed to ask patiently,

"Who are you?"

The woman dropped on her knees and answered obediently,

"Your Grace, my name...is Tu Muxue!"