The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 448 - 416: We’ll Talk After You Recover

As he left the Imperial City, Old Marquis Lu encountered Aunt Qiu once more.

It seemed she had already anticipated the outcome of his visit to Emperor Guangxi. Seeing his dejected expression, she wasn’t surprised and asked directly, "What does Old Marquis intend to do next?"

Old Marquis Lu was still reeling from the scene in the grand hall. "The secret edict has been destroyed. Once the Weapon Diagram is crafted and created, it will be unjustifiable. I fear the Emperor might accuse the Lu Family of treason then."

"Then why didn’t you heed my advice earlier?" Aunt Qiu asked.

"I thought the Emperor would at least take a moment to consider the late Emperor’s good intentions," he replied.

Aunt Qiu remarked, "The Empress Dowager understands the Emperor better than you. You shouldn’t have ignored her counsel."

Old Marquis Lu had his regrets, but things had escalated beyond his control.

Aunt Qiu easily saw through his thoughts, "At this point, Old Marquis must do his best to recover the Weapon Diagram. Show the Emperor the power of Liu’s Divine Weapon and the Lu Family’s loyalty; perhaps there’s still a chance to turn the tides."

"We must find the Weapon Diagram, but I’m worried the war between the two countries will cause even greater trouble."

Aunt Qiu smiled slightly, "That’s why, if Liu’s Divine Weapon can be used at this time, the Lu Family would have made a significant contribution, wouldn’t they?"

...

After Old Marquis Lu left, Mr. Cui bent down to pick up the broken porcelain pieces that Emperor Guangxi had smashed to the ground.

Emperor Guangxi paced back and forth in the grand hall, his expression gloomy, clearly seething with anger. "That Lu Feng is audacious beyond belief, daring to forge the late Emperor’s secret edict to threaten me!"

Mr. Cui’s earlier responsibility was merely to take it from Old Marquis Lu and hand it to Emperor Guangxi. He hadn’t seen what was written on the secret edict, but he believed that the Lu Family wouldn’t have such audacity. Only now, with the master in such a fury, Mr. Cui dared not voice these thoughts for fear of getting caught in the crossfire.

"That Liu’s Divine Weapon, do you think it really exists?" the Emperor’s voice queried again.

Mr. Cui paused his action of picking up the pieces, carefully choosing his words, "After so many dynasties, it’s hard for this servant to say for sure."

Emperor Guangxi snorted coldly, "If it really existed, why has no one but Lu Feng heard of it? The late Emperor might tell him and not me? It’s obviously his unilateral claim!" Only someone like the Empress Dowager, blinded by maternal affection, would believe him. Does he really think everyone else is brainless?

Once more, Mr. Cui found himself at a loss for an answer.

After all, the "secret edict" had appeared too suddenly, and it involved the late Emperor. As a eunuch, how dare he randomly comment on it?

"He thinks that without the Lu Family, I can’t win a battle. This time, I’ll just conquer West Yue without them to show him. Without the Lu Family, my empire will not crumble; society will be even more stable!" Emperor Guangxi declared with conviction.

——

Old Marquis Lu returned home, pondering over the matter repeatedly for an entire night, yet he still couldn’t decipher the key to the four paintings.

The situation was urgent, leaving him no choice but to call for his eldest son, Lu Pingzhou, to consult and see if anything unusual could be spotted in the paintings.

Out of curiosity, Lu Pingzhou asked about the origin and reasons behind the four paintings. Old Marquis Lu didn’t delve into details, worried that Lu Pingzhou might blame Emperor Guangxi for the destruction of the secret edict. He simply mentioned that the paintings held rare and exquisite diagrams of weapons. Once found, they would be of great use in the future.

Lu Pingzhou sensed that his father wasn’t telling the whole truth, but he refrained from questioning further and quickly immersed himself in studying the paintings.

The father and son examined them for three consecutive days. Lu Pingzhou even went so far as to wet a corner of one painting with tea to verify the possibility of an "image within an image," but nothing was revealed.

He pondered, feeling that something was amiss, "Father, is it possible that the weapons might not actually be in the paintings, and that the paintings are just a gimmick, with the real clue lying in their names?"

Old Marquis Lu had considered this before, but, "Shifang Cliff, Hundred Inches Heart, Thousand Feet Snow, Ten Thousand Miles Spring—what do these four names suggest?"

Lu Pingzhou speculated, "Perhaps, they indicate directions."

Old Marquis Lu gestured for him to continue analyzing.

Lu Pingzhou shook his head, "I’m not very familiar with these paintings, so I can’t figure it out just yet."

...

The following day, during a day off, Old Marquis Lu invited Song Wei to a restaurant for a meal and brought the four paintings with him.

Song Wei knew more than Lu Pingzhou, and Old Marquis Lu didn’t hold back from this disciple, explaining everything about the late Emperor’s entrusted mission and the connection between the Liu Family and Mr. Liu.

Song Wei had previously deduced that the leader of Black Wind Mountain, He Yumei’s husband, was a descendant of Mr. Liu, but he hadn’t realized the connection between Mr. Liu and the Jin Dynasty’s Liu Family.

In his shock, he analyzed the situation carefully.

The conclusion he arrived at was the same as Lu Pingzhou’s: the paintings couldn’t contain such intricate diagrams. The diagrams must be elsewhere, with the key locations indicated by the paintings’ names.

As they discussed, Song Wei recalled the band of bandits on Black Wind Mountain.

No wonder He Yumei had said before her death that if her subordinates were killed, even Emperor Guangxi would regret it. It seems that those people knew the secret within the paintings and probably were not only familiar with the Weapon Diagram but could also craft the real Liu’s Divine Weapon.

"Disciple, please help your master carefully consider this, and see if the diagrams can be found soon," said Old Marquis Lu.

Song Wei snapped back to reality at his master’s words. "Master, have you considered Mr. Liu’s tomb?"

Old Marquis Lu doubted the possibility. "Mr. Liu was buried in an earthen grave, not a mausoleum. Not only is there no record of the burial site’s location, but even if there were, with hundreds of years passing, how could it still be found?"

Song Wei replied, "Since the ancestors specialized in mechanical weaponry, I’d imagine his grave wouldn’t be simple. The people who guarded Black Wind Mountain in Ningzhou were descendants of Mr. Liu. After the bandits were eradicated, the mountain was sealed off. If Master wishes to find more answers, it might be worth a personal visit."

Without other options, Old Marquis Lu had to take his disciple’s advice, returned home to pack, and left the capital for Ningzhou.

——

Concerned that Lin Xiaoyue might not recover from the blow of her miscarriage and become despondent, Wen Wan spent half a month continuously visiting their home.

The servants of the Su Family had grown accustomed to Mrs. Song’s punctual daily visits and always prepared the tea and desserts she loved beforehand.

Having rested for some days, Lin Xiaoyue was able to get out of bed and walk around.

Seeing Wen Wan, she smiled, "Here you are?"

Wen Wan saw her sitting at a table, cutting out paper window flowers, her brows deeply furrowed, "Why are you up?"

"Lying around all day being attended to makes me almost forget how to walk," Lin Xiaoyue grumbled discontentedly. "Besides, I’m not in confinement, so why can’t I get out of bed?"

"How can you be the same as others?" Wen Wan remarked as she looked at her. "Your situation seems more serious than confinement to me."

Wen Wan snatched the scissors from her hands, "Stop cutting. If you accidentally prick your wrist later, it will truly be the end."

Even with the scissors taken away, Lin Xiaoyue didn’t get upset; she turned back to look at her, "Then tell me, when will I be able to walk around again?"

"At least after you’ve fully regained your vitality."

"I’ve long since recovered, just look," said Lin Xiaoyue as she stood up and twirled around in front of her.

Wen Wan only noticed that her waist had become much slimmer than before.

Even through the thick clothing, she could imagine Lin Xiaoyue’s now-thin frame.

As she sat back down, Lin Xiaoyue looked intriguing at Wen Wan and asked, "Last time you mentioned that the Fifth Miss of Kang Dingbo Mansion was your niece; is it confirmed?"

Wen Wan nodded, "It’s confirmed. She is indeed my niece who’s been missing for almost a year."

"Have you brought her back?"

"Not yet," Wen Wan shook her head. "It seems she lost her memory due to an accident and doesn’t remember us, her family. After discussing it with my husband, we’ve decided not to reclaim her for now, to see if she might regain her memory on her own."

Lin Xiaoyue was anxious, "You plan to just wait for her to regain her memory? What if she never remembers it her entire life?"

"What else can I do?" Wen Wan was also helpless, "Am I to storm into Kang Dingbo Mansion and snatch her back to see a doctor?"

"There’s no need to snatch her, but you should find a way to get close to her. The more she sees you, perhaps the more familiar you’ll seem to her, and maybe one day she’ll suddenly remember."

"I’m not familiar with Lady Kang Ding," Wen Wan said. "To get closer, I might need to do so through a person as sought after as the Dudu’s wife—yourself."

Lin Xiaoyue suddenly raised an eyebrow, "Now you think of me?"

"Just tell me whether you’ll help or not?" Wen Wan looked at her.

"Help, your words have come this far; how can I not help?" Lin Xiaoyue shifted her tone, "But you just said I shouldn’t be moving around. A delicate little wife, too weak to get out of bed, how am I supposed to step out and help you get close to your niece?"

Wen Wan would never joke about someone else’s health for her own matters, steadfastly replying, "Then we’ll wait until you’ve fully recovered."