The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 468 - 436: Wanwan Is Granted a Mandate of Honor
The case of Zhao Xi’s assassination was concluded within a few days. The family of Princess Consort Duan brought forth a scapegoat, and in the end, the outcome had nothing to do with Princess Consort Duan, and no one from the Liang Family was punished because of it.
Princess Consort Qi was dissatisfied and planned to spend a hefty sum to secretly investigate and find evidence.
After Zhao Xi found out, he promptly stopped her, "Mother, why don’t you see it clearly? Nowadays, it’s not that Princess Consort Duan is guilty, but rather that my father doesn’t want her to be guilty."
Princess Consort Qi looked displeased, "Is it that in this deep palace, as long as one is favored, they can do whatever they want, everything they do is right, and there’s always someone to protect them?"
Speaking of this, Princess Consort Qi also voiced her injustice for her son, "Someone wanted to assassinate you, and the arrow was poisoned, meant to kill you. Just because you narrowly escaped without harm, does it mean the culprit can be forgiven?"
Zhao Xi noticed Princess Consort Qi’s somber mood and said gently, "Mother, please be cautious. It’s not wise to be at odds with Father."
Princess Consort Qi knew that at times like this, one should remain rational, but she just couldn’t swallow her anger.
That wretched Princess Consort Duan, who usually seemed so gentle and serene, turned out to be so insidious and vicious once she acted!
Zhao Xi said, "Regarding the assassination case, since Father doesn’t want more people involved, let’s leave it be. We just need to be careful in the future."
Looking at her mature and sensible son, Princess Consort Qi suddenly felt her eyes well up with tears, "I have been cautious in this palace for so many years and still couldn’t protect you. It’s a shame I wasn’t born into a high-status noble family, unable to provide you with a powerful maternal family. Otherwise, in such situations, with pressure from your maternal family, your father wouldn’t ignore you."
"Having a powerful maternal family is not always a good thing."
With Zhao Xi’s words, Princess Consort Qi immediately thought of the Su Family.
A strong maternal family’s influence can easily provoke suspicion from the Emperor.
The Su Family was a vivid example.
Princess Consort Qi knew how much the Emperor hated the Su Family over the years. If it weren’t for the coal mine incident, Su Xiang might still be controlling the court today.
Princess Consort Duan, backed by the Grand Secretary from the Cabinet, might not be called out by the Emperor for a single plot, but if she plotted against the Eldest Prince multiple times, it would inevitably arouse the Emperor’s resentment, maybe even murderous intent.
No one wants to stumble twice in the same place, especially not the Emperor, who was once tightly controlled by the Su Family. Now with the Liang Family replacing them, even if Princess Consort Duan is a favorite concubine, the Emperor would first consider if he’s willing to become a puppet, constantly subjected to others.
Thinking of this, Princess Consort Qi curved her lips in a cold smile, "Let’s wait and see how long she can keep jumping around!"
——
Princess Consort Qi had not truly thought of killing the Second Prince, so the little newborn recovered in a few days.
As soon as he recovered, Emperor Guangxi’s mood brightened as well.
That day, Song Wei came to report on the state of the mechanical beasts to Emperor Guangxi. Afterward, Emperor Guangxi, reminded of a matter he’d heard, asked him, "I heard that your wife is pregnant. Is this true?"
Song Wei answered truthfully, "Yes, we found out just recently, and the pregnancy is still unstable."
"I’ve never met your wife," Emperor Guangxi said. "I heard that you brought her when the Second Prince reached one month old, but due to some incident, you hurriedly took her back."
Song Wei perceived a hint in his words, "Does Your Majesty wish to see my wife?"
Emperor Guangxi hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "You are currently a fifth-rank Minister in the Divine Soldier Bureau. According to your rank, I shall confer a title to your mother and your wife, fifth-rank Yiren."
Only with the title of Yiren would his niece have the opportunity to enter the palace.
Before she passed away, the Empress Dowager sighed, saying she regretted never seeing her granddaughter, and since Fanghua is no longer here, as her uncle, he shouldn’t go his whole life without acknowledging her.
...
That evening, Song Wei left the Lower Court alongside Mr. Cui.
Mr. Cui, holding the Emperor’s decree of conferral, congratulated Song Wei countless times along the way.
Having served Emperor Guangxi for decades, it was the first time Mr. Cui had seen the master show such favor to a particular courtier.
To Mr. Cui, Song Wei was an exceptionally unique presence.
His uniqueness lay in the fact that no matter what he said, no matter how unpleasant or sarcastic, the Emperor never truly punished him. At most, he’d suppress his displeasure at the moment, and afterward, everything would go on as before.
Various requests that didn’t seem feasible for other officials somehow worked for Song Wei, and not only worked but often set new precedents.
Guessing that Song Wei might become a vital minister in the future, Mr. Cui showed him even greater respect.
When they got off the carriage, he even took the initiative to help lift the curtain for Song Wei.
If it were any other fifth-rank official, they’d be the ones eager to cater to Mr. Cui. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
This indicated just how highly regarded Song Wei was in the eyes of the Imperial Chief Steward.
Stepping down onto the footstool, Song Wei was greeted with delight by the gatekeeper, "Master, you’re back from the Lower Court?"
Song Wei softly acknowledged with a sound and instructed him, "Go to the second gate and announce that Mr. Cui is here to declare an imperial decree, and ask Grandpa, Grandma, and Madam to bring Jinbao out to receive it."
"Got it!" The gatekeeper turned around and dashed toward the main door.
Song Wei’s residence was only visited by Mr. Cui initially to show Song Wei the location. He hadn’t formally sat there before; it was then a deserted house, lacking any sign of habitation. Now that the Song Family resides in it, even before entering, one can feel a warmth different from other places.
"Mr. Cui, please come inside."
Song Wei stood aside and gestured for him to enter.
Mr. Cui smiled at him, "Minister Song, you are too kind."
As they spoke, they stepped over the threshold of the red lacquered door one after the other and bypassed the screen wall to arrive at the front hall.
The number of maids in the mansion wasn’t large, possibly due to the rush in their arrival, everyone was busy, and there was no one to serve in the front hall. Song Wei personally served tea to Mr. Cui, showing no sign of discomfort due to the modest conditions of his home.
Mr. Cui didn’t glance around, he sat on the Taishi Chair, occasionally chatting with Song Wei.
Because they were already familiar, the conversation didn’t feel stiff.
...
When the woman at the second gate came to report, Wen Wan had just finished bathing Jinbao and dressing him.
Nowadays, with the cold, she generally wouldn’t bathe the child at night, fearing he might catch cold.
She was holding a dry towel at this moment, drying her son’s hair.
Except for a palm-sized patch of hair at the front of his forehead, Jinbao’s hair was shaved clean everywhere else. It was easy to dry, and Wen Wan quickly donned him a cotton hat and cotton gloves, then finally slipped on deerskin boots.
Upon hearing that Mr. Cui was here to declare an imperial decree, Wen Wan hastened her actions while feeling a bit uneasy, and asked the messenger woman standing outside the door, "Did you say what it is for?"
The woman replied, "They didn’t say specifically what it’s for, just that the master asked madam to quickly come out."
"Alright, coming right away."
Wen Wan adjusted her son’s collar, ensuring he was dressed warmly and windproof, before letting Jinbao follow the woman first. She then went to the dressing table to tidy her appearance in the mirror.
Upon arriving at the front yard, she saw her in-laws had already arrived, Wen Wan felt a bit shy and softly called out "Father, Mother."
Granny Song was inevitably worried, having not seen anyone come out for a while, "Are you feeling uncomfortable in the stomach?"
"No, when the woman came to deliver the message, I was changing Jinbao’s clothes, which took some time."
Granny Song did not approve of her laboring despite being pregnant, "Why didn’t you let Yun Cai bring Jinbao over to us?"
Before Wen Wan could respond, Mr. Cui was already carrying the imperial decree out from the front hall.
The courtyard was damp, so he asked the Song Family to receive the decree on the corridor. Seeing Song Wei supporting Wen Wan to kneel down, Mr. Cui recalled the Emperor’s instructions before leaving the palace and hurriedly stopped them, "Miss Song need not kneel; you are with child, stand and listen to the decree."
Wen Wan didn’t expect to receive such treatment, and smiled graciously, "Thank you for your consideration."
"It was the Emperor’s instruction; otherwise, I wouldn’t dare make such a decision."
The Emperor?
Wen Wan was stirred.
Her husband mentioned that the Emperor was aware of her existence and specially exempted her from kneeling. Could this mean that he had already accepted her as a niece in his heart?
Mr. Cui’s voice reading the imperial decree pulled Wen Wan’s wandering thoughts back.
Upon hearing that she was bestowed as a fifth-rank Yiren with an official title, Wen Wan’s mind was utterly bewildered.
Even after Mr. Cui had finished reading the decree, she hadn’t regained her composure.
"Wanwan."
The rich and gentle tone of a man’s voice sounded beside her ear, prompting Wen Wan to lift her eyes and meet his gaze, "Husband?"
"Hmm?"
"I... I was really bestowed an imperial mandate? The kind with a salary?"
"Indeed." Song Wei looked at his young wife’s bewildered appearance, the affection at the corner of his mouth becoming increasingly evident.
"It feels almost like dreaming."
Wen Wan had always known that as long as her husband was promoted in position, achieving remarkable achievements, she and her mother-in-law could be granted an imperial title due to his official rank. But she didn’t expect this day to come so swiftly.
