The Slender Waist-Chapter 417 - 301: About to Flip the Table (Happy New Year)
In the snowy night, a carriage moved slowly along.
Ao Qi sat on the carriage shaft, the pale light from the lantern shining through the snow night, casting his shadow dressed in a cyan greatcoat in a clear, serene, and solitary relief. His brows were furrowed, an unusual seriousness on his face, hinting at an extraordinary situation.
"Xiaoqi," Lady Ao drew back the curtains to look outside, "how much longer?"
Ao Qi turned back, "We’re almost at the ferry, is mother cold?"
Lady Ao was wrapped in a long fur coat and hugged the child in her arms a little tighter upon hearing his voice.
"I’m not cold. Hurry, the two little ones are asleep and I’m afraid they’ll wake up and fuss."
Ao Qi hummed in response, "Giddy up!"
In the heavy snow, the young man held the reins with clear eyes and intent, his voice mingling with the wind and snow, sounding unusually heavy in the darkness.
"Mother, after I take you to the Huaishui ferry, I’ll return by night. It will be hard on you with Azuo and Azuo."
Lady Ao looked through the curtain at her son’s stubborn back, her eyes moistening slightly, "I’ll be fine with so many guards and servants to ensure our safety. I’m just worried about you and your uncle... If we do not succeed at once, I’m afraid we’ll only meet in the yellow springs in this life."
A heavy weight settled in Ao Qi’s heart as if a boulder had plummeted down.
"Your son will be extremely careful, with uncle here, mother can rest assured."
"Hmm, always discuss things with your uncle, don’t act on impulse."
"Your son understands."
Lady Ao had nothing more to say, while Ao Qi felt a lump in his throat.
His mother was stronger than he had imagined. Knowing uncle’s decision, she hadn’t shown any panic from the beginning to the end, efficiently arranging everything with such detachment that it surprised him.
For a moment, Ao Qi felt he had never truly understood his mother.
"Mother."
Ao Qi’s eyes were soft and reluctant to leave.
"Why aren’t you worried about father?"
Lady Ao’s lips pursed slightly, her defiant spirit evident, a trait Ao Qi greatly resembled.
"He doesn’t need my worries."
Ao Qi’s brows knitted together, "Mother..."
Lady Ao held the child in her arms tighter, her eyes inexplicably warming.
"I have already written the divorce letter. If anything happens, his surname is Ao, mine is Pei, he has nothing to do with me, and the Ao family will have room to maneuver."
The Ao family was a prominent family in Dajin, with status, wealth, and a distinguished position. If they severed ties with someone surnamed Pei, even if the Pei family rebelled, Li Zongxun would not dare to act rashly.
Since he was willing to have his granddaughter, Cui Zhi, marry Ao Qi and form an alliance with the Ao family, it showed that the Li family sought to win them over. They would not turn their backs unless absolutely necessary.
Lady Ao had thought through the intricacies, but Ao Qi felt a sense of sorrow.
"Does father agree?"
"I don’t care if he agrees or not."
Lady Ao remembered the moment she threw the divorce letter in front of Ao Zheng’s face, his expression one of utter heartbreak. Just as she was about to speak a word of renunciation, she swallowed it back and asked softly,
"You won’t blame your mother, forced by the situation, right?"
Ao Qi’s eyelids drooped, as if blinded by the wind and snow, and after a long time, he said:
"Has mother long wished to do this?"
Lady Ao was silent.
Ao Qi said, "Father actually cares about you a lot."
Lady Ao replied, "He has too many people to care about. After this, I’ll be Pei Yao, not Lady Ao, and he can care less, which will make things much easier for him."
The conflict between his parents had been long-standing. Ao Qi, caught in the middle, had seen it all and was tired. This time, his mother was only supposed to take the children and go into hiding for a while, an idea that Ao Zheng had agreed to. No one expected Lady Ao to seize the opportunity to propose a divorce, claiming it was to protect the Ao family.
Ao Qi did not wish for it, yet felt that letting them have some time apart wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, so he did not try to persuade them otherwise, simply saying:
"If anyone asks, I will say that mother quarreled with father and left in a huff with Azuo and Azuo. But mother must not return to our home in the Central Capital now. For now, just as uncle said, stay briefly at the Tu Family fortress, and when things are clear, father and I will come together to pick you up." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Lady Ao wanted to say that there was no need for Ao Zheng to pick her up, but seeing that her son was well-intentioned, she did not want to make it too hard for him and hummed in acknowledgment, changing the subject.
"If only your aunt would agree to leave with me, your uncle would have no concerns left."
Ao Qi’s brows furrowed at that.
"She won’t leave, and she can’t."
At this critical moment, everyone’s eyes were on Chunmeng Hall. If Feng Yun left, it would surely spark speculation. Of course, even without this relationship, she wouldn’t leave them behind for her own safety.
Pei Yao was the same.
If not for Azuo and Azuo being too young, how could she have left?
The snowstorm grew fiercer, making it nearly impossible to open one’s eyes.
After a long silence, the sound of the snowstorm carried Lady Ao’s low voice.
"In the chests in my room, there are several pairs of new shoes I made for you and your father. After I’m gone, remember to take them out and give two pairs to him."
Ao Qi’s face lit up with a hint of joy, "Good."
A couple is a couple, no matter how they complain, a mother still cares for her husband, just like a father also has his wife in his mind.
But deep down, a mother’s heart is hard to calm.
-
That night, Pei Jue did not return.
Feng Yun lay in her canopied bed, barely managed to sleep for a moment, and when she opened her eyes, she discovered the empty space beside her bed, leaving her with an indescribable feeling.
Waiting was a long torment...
She gently stroked the soft brocade covers, her eyes half-closed.
The scent of laughing lotus ignited by Xiaoman filled the room, pure and delicately sweet, but her mind was in chaos...
At dawn, the snow had not stopped, and directives from Cuiyu arrived again, still to inquire about the illness and send gifts, ginseng and other tonics were sent in different varieties to Chunmeng Hall.
A few envoys also came to the door, asking to meet General Pei, harboring the intention of mediating the situation.
Feng Yun didn’t go out to meet anyone and turned them all away.
She had thought they could continue the deadlock for a couple more days, but she never expected Li Sangruo, not minding her frailty from the miscarriage and sickness, to come to Chunmeng Hall in plain clothes and without makeup to visit the sick.
Upon receiving the news, Feng Yun was startled for a moment.
She suspected that Li Sangruo had received information that Pei Jue was not in Chunmeng Hall and came specifically to test the waters.
Otherwise, why would she take such a risk with her health?
"Madam, what should we do?" Ge Guang said, "The snow is falling heavily, and the gatekeeper doesn’t dare to keep the Empress Dowager waiting outside for too long; he is quite anxious."
After pondering for a moment, Feng Yun slowly said:
"Then let her in."
Everyone looked at her hesitantly. Feng Yun’s voice was calm, and her expression was composed.
"Xiaoman, help me change clothes, to receive the Empress Dowager."
Li Sangruo was ushered into the front hall of Chunmeng Hall, where Wen Xingsu, as the host, personally went to receive her. Perhaps it was his gentlemanly demeanor that prevented Empress Dowager Li from finding fault. Until Feng Yun arrived, the sick Empress Dowager’s mood was extremely stable, smiling and looking gentle, showing no hint of aggression, and her servants had even brought a pile of gifts, making it seem as if she had genuinely come to visit the sick.
"Your humble servant greets Her Highness the Empress Dowager, may you be in good health."
Feng Yun performed the proper greeting meticulously, and before Li Sangruo could tell her to rise, she was already covering her mouth with a handkerchief, coughing softly.
With Yao Ru’s meticulous care and Pei Jue closely monitoring her medication, her health had actually improved quite a bit. Still, she looked pale without makeup and powdered face.
Li Sangruo glanced at her, smiling.
"Madam has lost weight, please be seated soon."
Feng Yun said, "Your Highness also doesn’t look well. Oh, I’ve just received two old hens, I will send them over so you can have something to nourish yourself with."
After thinking for a moment, she instructed a servant girl.
"Quickly close the north window, the Empress Dowager cannot withstand the draft."
This was practically a roundabout way of ridiculing her for running around after a miscarriage.
Li Sangruo forced down the anger in her heart, smiled, and looked around, "Why do I not see the General?"
Feng Yun lowered her head, coughing twice, "My husband is sick and cannot come out to greet Your Highness, please forgive him."
Li Sangruo raised an eyebrow, "Sick?"
The doubt in her tone was visible.
"Have you had the Imperial Physician see him?"
"He has," Feng Yun said casually, "It’s nothing serious. It’s just that my husband was so worried about my health in the previous days, staying awake around the clock, and now that I am slightly better, he is the one who has succumbed to illness."
Was that a boast?
Li Sangruo fixed her gaze on her, feeling cold in her limbs, seething with unspoken fury.
After a deathly silence, she suddenly lifted her lips to speak.
"Someone mentioned that the Great General isn’t in Xinzhou, is there any truth to that?"
"Who’s spouting such nonsense?" Feng Yun coughed, her expression unchanging, "My husband is convalescing behind closed doors and has not gone anywhere. It must be someone stirring up trouble, Your Highness must not believe it..."
Li Sangruo chuckled lightly, slowly stood up, and with a dab of rouge on her pale face, her makeup looked a bit eerie, and her gaze turned even colder.
"Since that’s the case, why doesn’t this widow pay a personal visit? To avoid misunderstandings."
Feng Yun smiled, "Please wait, Your Highness, I will send someone to inform him, so my husband can get dressed."
With that, she signaled Xiaoman with her eyes.
"Go and attend to the General, make sure he gets dressed to receive Her Highness lest his appearance is indecent and offends the Empress Dowager."
Xiaoman was terrified, almost breaking out in a cold sweat.
With the General not present at Chunmeng Hall, how could she possibly inform him?
