As expected, everywhere they stopped, they would hear of thrilling incidents, whether it was robbing the rich to give to the poor, punishing thieves, or even burning down bawdy houses.
It was even more outrageous when they reached Shandong; they stripped the county officer of his clothes and hung him on the city gate, listing his crimes one by one.
Even Baili Yan was alerted to this, and he looked at Yang Chuxia with a half-smile, "Is your family trying to raise a seven-year-old Imperial Emissary?"
Yang Chuxia played dead, pretending not to understand what he was saying.
Baili Yan saw this and said no more.
On August 20th, Baili Yan and the army finally arrived at the Capital City. The Eldest Imperial Prince, along with numerous court officials, met the Emperor and the army thirty miles outside the Capital City.
"Your son greets Father Emperor, long live the Emperor!"
"Your subject greets the Emperor, long live the Emperor!"
"..."
"Gentlemen, rise!"
"Thank you for your hard work!" This was directed at Ye Ziâan, who was in charge of managing the provisions and logistics for the army after returning to the Capital City, giving Baili Yan great peace of mind.
"I was only doing my duty, not worth mentioning the hardships."
"Good!" Baili Yan said, patting him on the shoulder with appreciation, "Enter the city!"
Yang Chuxia followed at the back in a carriage, and upon entering the city, she hurriedly had the carriage return to Prince Anâs Mansion.
"Youâre finally back!" Dongyang greeted her with a hug as soon as she entered the mansion. "Youâve been gone for a year, and I had no one to talk to in the Capital City."
Yang Chuxia laughed and hugged her back, "What are you doing here? Mu Shaoling has also returned, heâll be worried if he doesnât see you at home."
"Donât worry, I left a message telling him Iâm here with you."
Yang Chuxia laughed heartily, "Your Mu Shaoling must be frustrated; youâre seeing someone else first."
Indeed, Mu Shaoling was quite frustrated, arriving home full of joy, only to find neither the kids nor the adults, just a piece of paper.
The contents of the paper were even more frustrating, leaving him with a darkened expression as he hurriedly headed towards Prince Anâs Mansion.
"Haha!" Dongyang laughed too.
"Mother!" Having received the news that his mother would be home today, Lele had taken leave from school early.
"Good boy!" Seeing the well-behaved Lele, Yang Chuxia thought of Yangyang, who often tried her patience. Then she saw Chengcheng nearby, looking more and more like Mu Shaoling with his handsome face.
"Chengcheng has grown so tall."
"Hello, Aunt!"
"Good, Chengcheng is such a good boy."
Dongyang laughed and said, "How long have you been away? Of course, heâs grown taller. My Huarong and Huaâen are running all over the place now."
Nearby, the nurse was holding two little snowball-like babies, looking tender and a bit shy when Yang Chuxia looked over.
"What beautiful little treasures they are."
The two children werenât shy around strangers, letting Yang Chuxia hold them without fuss.
"By the way, Lele, has your dad sent someone to pick up Qingqing and Yueyue?"
She hadnât seen her two young ones in over a year and wondered how they had grown.
"Yes," Lele replied happily, "Dad said they should arrive in the Capital City in two or three days."
"I should have waited for them on the road if I had known."
Lele added with a laugh, "Dad said that grandma and grandpa, and even my little aunt are all coming back."
When it came to Ms. Wang and Yang Dachuan, Yang Chuxiaâs eyes reddened; it had been two or three years since she last saw them, and she didnât know how they were doing.
"Thatâs wonderful; finally, your whole family will be reunited." Dongyang was genuinely happy for Yang Chuxia.