The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 778 - 740: Untouchable, So She Hides (Second Update)
Lu Yanqing did not linger in the shop; after leaving, he headed to the tea house.
Today is New Year’s Eve. Most people have returned home to pay respects to their ancestors and prepare for the reunion dinner, so the tea house seemed rather forlorn.
Upon seeing a guest arrive, the storyteller became more enthusiastic, speaking with great fervor.
Lu Yanqing sat down, ordered a pot of tea and a dish of peanuts, but he didn’t seriously listen to the stories being told—his attention was drawn to the conversation at the neighboring table.
"Hey, have you heard? The Young Marquis, who caused immense trouble years ago, is coming back."
"Indeed! The man has a Princess mother, a Prince Consort father, and even the current emperor is his maternal uncle. No matter the offense, a bit of maneuvering can settle the matter. What do eighty lives mean? Even if it’s eight hundred lives, as long as people want to protect him, it’s nothing."
"I don’t know what he’s learned in the Northern Desert these past few years, but hopefully, he won’t return with ingratitude, causing harm to the citizens of the Capital—now that would truly be a misdeed."
"I have a relative at the Five Cities Military Department on duty; I heard he is gravely ill and wishes to see Lu Yanqing, hence the order to bring him back." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
"Which one?"
"Tsk, who else could it be? Go figure it out yourself. If I were to say it, my head wouldn’t be enough to cut off."
The person immediately realized, "If it’s really as you say, without that pressure, won’t he wreak havoc when he returns?"
"Not necessarily, isn’t there still the Eastern Palace? His Highness is known for strict rules. If he dares to act up, His Highness definitely won’t allow him."
"Alas, what a situation! Just after dismantling the Tongji Association, here comes a Demon Lord of Mayhem. Can we still have a peaceful New Year?"
Lu Yanqing listened quietly, occasionally lifting the dark-colored veil to sip his tea, his eyes deep and enigmatic, a contemplative look on his face.
...
His whereabouts were reported to Zhao Xunyin every quarter of an hour.
Upon hearing Lu Yanqing spending money to scout for news and later going to the tea house, Zhao Xunyin slightly furrowed her brow.
Today is New Year’s Eve; she thought Lu Yanqing was out spending money on things he loved. Unexpectedly, he used it to gather information. What exactly is he planning?
Zhao Xunyin suddenly realized that after years of exile, her eldest son felt so unfamiliar. Apart from his face, there was hardly any trace of his youthful disposition.
When Lu Yanqing returned to Changning Marquis Mansion, Zhao Xunyin had already prepared the carriage to the Duke Mansion.
Upon seeing him, she feigned ignorance, wearing a smile, "Yanqing, where have you been?"
"Just wandering around," Lu Yanqing replied.
"Oh." Zhao Xunyin said, "Your grandfather and grandmother heard of your return and have sent word urging me to bring you and your brother over early."
Lu Yanqing directly refused, "I don’t want to go."
"Are you tired?" Zhao Xunyin’s tone was concerned.
Lu Yanqing nodded, not bothering to explain much.
"Alright, if you don’t want to go, don’t force yourself. Rest well in your room. I’ll go greet them for New Year and soon return to accompany you for the reunion dinner, alright?"
Lu Yanqing paused for a moment, "There’s no need to worry about me. You all have your dinner; I’m not used to crowded gatherings."
His words left Zhao Xunyin unsure how to respond.
He used to love partying wildly with those wine buddies outside.
In just a few years, he had changed, truly changed, to the point where even his own mother didn’t recognize him.
Zhao Xunyin didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.
She no longer pressed him, instructed others to take good care of Lu Yanqing, and took Lu Yanli to visit the Lu Family.
Liu Family had eagerly anticipated seeing their grandson. But when they couldn’t see him, Liu’s face fell instantly, "Where’s Qing?"
Zhao Xunyin replied, "He just returned home today, he’s exhausted. Let him rest well; tomorrow, on the first day of the new year, I will bring him early to pay respects to grandfather and grandmother."
Liu Family further asked, "After all these years, has he become thin? Does he listen to you now?"
Zhao Xunyin didn’t know how to convey the reality to the elderly, so she ambiguously responded with a few words.
Liu Family sighed, "Earlier, I sent a card to the Song family, hoping our entire family could gather and celebrate on Qing’s return, but Wan sent back a message saying she was too busy this year, couldn’t disengage, and wouldn’t come for the reunion dinner, choosing to spend New Year’s Eve at her own mansion. Now Qing isn’t here either, making Shu’s big table of dishes feel insignificant."
Zhao Xunyin didn’t respond.
Wen Wan naturally had her reasons for not coming; early on their moving day, she straightforwardly expressed her disinterest in seeing Lu Yanqing.
As for Lu Yanqing not coming, there’s nothing to be done about it.
Zhao Xunyin didn’t sit for long before she excused herself, saying that she understood their intentions here, but with her son returning to the Capital for the first year, someone had to accompany him for New Year’s Eve dinner.
The Liu Family couldn’t keep her, so they had to escort her out.
When Zhao Xunyin returned to the mansion, she saw Dou Kou pacing back and forth in the courtyard with a pale face.
"What happened?" Zhao Xunyin looked at her suspiciously.
Dou Kou said anxiously, "Princess, the second young master has left."
"What!" Zhao Xunyin was stunned, "Where would he go on New Year’s?"
"I don’t know." Dou Kou shook her head, "He left with a bundle. I asked him where he was going, but he ignored me, and the doorman couldn’t stop him."
At this time, a homing pigeon landed on the red lacquered railing of the corridor. Zhao Xunyin recognized it as the pigeon used by the Hidden Guards to communicate, so she sent Dou Kou away and reached out to take the note from the pigeon’s leg.
She had instructed a few Hidden Guards to follow Lu Yanqing from the moment he left. The note said that Lu Yanqing had ridden out of the city gate, and the general direction was towards Ningzhou.
Ningzhou.
Upon seeing these two words, Zhao Xunyin suddenly felt uneasy.
These days, she couldn’t fathom Lu Yanqing’s temperament at all.
If he really was going to Ningzhou, it must be aimed at Wen Guangping. What exactly did he intend to do?
Walking into the room, Zhao Xunyin took the paper and brush, ground the ink, and wrote back to the Hidden Guards, instructing them to keep a close watch on him and to report back immediately in case of any emergencies.
The New Year’s Eve dinner she had at home with her younger son was tasteless, like chewing wax.
The next day was the first of the year.
According to past customs, officials were to enter the palace to attend the grand assembly, and women with titles were to pay respects to the Empress.
However, this year was special, as both the Emperor and Empress were ill, so the Crown Prince sent word that the grand assembly was canceled, and the titled women didn’t need to enter the palace.
That day, visitors to the Song family came one after another, starting with relatives, followed by Song Wei’s colleagues, and the last batch was scholars who had not yet entered the court.
A significant number of them had never even met Song Wei, but they still shamelessly came to deliver gifts.
The reason was simple—the rumor in town was that Song Wei had been secretly appointed as the chief examiner for next spring’s imperial examinations.
Evidently, these scholars came to curry favor with Song Wei.
Song Yuanbao personally entertained them, taking the relatives to the East Hall to drink tea and chat.
The scholars were placed in the flower hall and served exquisite refreshments, but no gifts were accepted from anyone.
While warmly greeting everyone, Song Yuanbao didn’t forget to turn his head and softly ask Song Wei, "Dad, when were you designated as the chief examiner? How come I didn’t know?"
If his dad were the chief examiner, he’d have nothing to worry about for sure—he’d be guaranteed to be the top scholar!
Song Wei smiled at him, "I haven’t received any notification."
With Emperor Guangxi fully delegating powers, all matters in the court are currently managed by the Crown Prince Zhao Xi, including the list of examiners for the spring examinations after the new year. Logically, the list should be announced on the sixth day of the new year when the government offices reopen, and officials attend court. Any rumors now claiming someone has been appointed can only be hearsay and should not be fully trusted.
Song Yuanbao immediately looked deflated, "It’s not real, huh?"
Song Wei said, "Even if I were the chief examiner, I couldn’t engage in favoritism. The final results must speak based on skill."
Song Yuanbao raised an eyebrow; this time, the top three in the spring examinations are to be handpicked by the Crown Prince. With his connection to Zhao Xi, who else would Zhao Xi help if not him?
With so many scholars suddenly coming to visit, Song Wei chose not to linger and went to find colleagues to avoid suspicion.
On the other hand, after entertaining guests all day, Wen Wan’s face was stiff from smiling. After taking a bath in the evening, she sprawled on the warm couch, not wanting to move.
Seeing her like this, Song Wei came in and asked why she didn’t go to bed inside.
Wen Wan turned over and lazily looked at him, "Tomorrow is the second day of the new year. Do you think I should visit my parents?"
The second day of the new year is traditionally when a married daughter returns to her parents’ home.
When Lu Xingzhou and Zhao Xunyin were not in the Capital, Wen Wan did not have this concern. But now that her parents have settled in the Capital, it seems improper not to visit her family. However, if she went and ran into Lu Yanqing, wouldn’t it be awkward?
No matter how many years of exile, no matter how much hardship Lu Yanqing endured during that time, Wen Wan never felt he should be forgiven.
But given his noble birth, she couldn’t afford to offend him, so why not just avoid him?
