The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

"What legend is that?" Song Yuanbao knew very little about the Jiuli Clan. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"The Jiuli used to be a tribal nation, and later they were unified. The king who unified the tribes and established the West Yue dynasty had eyes of a different color and was revered as the Chosen One."

Song Yuanbao seemed to understand something, "Do you mean that since then, anyone in West Yue with the same eye color as the former king would be revered as the Chosen One?"

Zhao Xi said, "They believe that to be the reincarnation of the former king."

Song Yuanbao was startled, "Amuer is part of the Imperial Family?"

Zhao Xi slowly explained, "The Beiyang Imperial Concubine was a princess married from West Yue. Back in the day, during internal strife in Bei Yan, when the rebel forces attacked the Imperial City, the West Yue princess personally led an army of 300,000 to support them. Later, this army became her dowry, permanently stationed in Bei Yan. Emperor Yan was not suspicious of her intentions; instead, he was captivated by her beauty and obeyed her every wish. Nowadays, it’s the Imperial Concubine who holds power in Bei Yan. Our war with Bei Yan is, to put it bluntly, a revenge battle for the West Yue princess."

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Xi continued, "I just received news that Yun Huai went to the Northern Border in Liangzhou City and killed two Grandmasters of Bei Yan. It seems this great war will not end easily."

Song Yuanbao’s mind raced as he quickly connected everything Zhao Xi had just said, "Your Highness means that if we use Amuer as leverage, Bei Yan might consider withdrawing their troops?"

Zhao Xi nodded, "That’s the reincarnated king in the beliefs of the Jiuli Clan. Even the Beiyang Imperial Concubine wouldn’t dare overlook it."

Song Yuanbao showed a worried expression, "Even if Amuer’s identity is special, he can’t withstand the public opinion in Chu Country. In Chu, he is not seen as a reincarnated king but rather as a so-called ’monster.’ Your Highness, you should have heard about it; the outside world is in an uproar demanding that the Su family hand over that child for sacrifice.

These days, Aunt Lin doesn’t even dare to go out. The entrance of the Su Mansion is often surrounded, leaving no gap by the protesting populace."

"Let them stir things up, the bigger the commotion, the better." Zhao Xi said.

Song Yuanbao was taken aback, "Why is that?"

Zhao Xi replied, "Bei Yan has spies within Chu Country. The situation here will soon reach the ears of the Imperial Concubine."

The Imperial Concubine herself is West Yue. She understands the faith of the Jiuli Clan. If she knows that Amuer is in the Chu Country Capital, she will definitely think twice about the issue of conflict between the two nations.

Song Yuanbao hung his head, "Does that mean my trip to the palace was in vain?"

"Go back first." Zhao Xi’s expression suddenly turned solemn, "The matter pertains to the diplomatic relations between the two countries, and I have to consider the greater picture. Even if Su Qing has remarkable battle achievements, I can’t suppress the populace for their family’s sake. Madam Su will have to suffer for a while in the coming days."

...

When Song Yuanbao returned home, Wen Wan had already come back from the Su Mansion.

Seeing him, Wen Wan asked expectantly, "How was it? Does His Highness have a plan?"

Song Yuanbao looked at Wen Wan, then hesitated to speak.

Wen Wan sensed something was wrong but held back her impatience, "It’s okay, take your time and tell me, I’m listening."

Song Yuanbao sat down and, after drinking half a cup of tea, found the words to say. He furrowed his brow and spoke with an apologetic tone, "Mother, you shouldn’t go to the Su Mansion these days."

"Why?" Wen Wan was a bit confused. Wasn’t Yuanbao supposed to enter the palace to ask for the Crown Prince’s help? Why now was she being told not to reach out to Lin Xiaoyue?

Song Yuanbao couldn’t bear it but still relayed Zhao Xi’s words to Wen Wan without missing a single word.

Upon learning that Amuer was part of the West Yue Royal Family, and his eyes were a belief in the Jiuli Clan, only by handing over Amuer could the war between the two countries possibly end sooner, Wen Wan was stunned.

"I can see that Aunt Lin is very fond of that child, perhaps she’s already treating him as her own son," Song Yuanbao sighed. "She certainly won’t be willing to send Amuer to Bei Yan."

Wen Wan’s heart sank.

Indeed, Lin Xiaoyue wouldn’t be willing to do that. She hadn’t been able to safely give birth to Su Qing’s son, and she always felt a sense of guilt. When Amuer appeared, she finally got used to the child and treated Amuer as if he were her own with Su Qing. If someone were to tell her now that Amuer was a hostage who would be sent to Bei Yan eventually, she would surely collapse.

As Lin Xiaoyue’s friend, she absolutely couldn’t tell her the truth. But if she didn’t tell and continued visiting her, trying to persuade her daily, it would be deceiving her. If she found out the truth later, she’d certainly hate her.

Wen Wan suddenly found herself in a dilemma, utterly torn, "If I do nothing and don’t go to the Su Mansion, she’ll surely think I’m ignoring her cries for help."

"Pretend to be sick, mother!"

Song Yuanbao suggested, "I know how close you are with Aunt Lin. She wrote to you for help, showing immense trust in you. This matter is most difficult for you. You can’t help but can’t avoid helping. The only solution is to feign illness. If you fall ill, you can let go of everything and not worry."

"If only your father were here," Wen Wan said, "He might have a solution."

"Even if father were here, he’d surely have you do the same." Song Yuanbao said assuredly, "His Highness is considering the bigger picture, and father, as a court official, shouldn’t and wouldn’t show favoritism."

That means her illness would have to be feigned.

Wen Wan felt a bit troubled.

"I’ll send someone to the Su Mansion to inform them that you’re sick."

Song Yuanbao said as he prepared to leave.

"Yuanbao."

Wen Wan called to stop him.

"What’s the matter?" Song Yuanbao turned around.

Wen Wan hesitated for a while, "I can’t help Aunt Lin, but I can’t bear to see her so distressed. Could you have Wei Qian assign a couple of people to the Su Mansion to protect her and her two sons from being taken advantage of by ruffians?"

Song Yuanbao nodded, "Alright, we’ll do as mother said."

...

Upon hearing that Song Yuanbao went to the palace to see the Crown Prince, Lin Xiaoyue waited anxiously in the mansion for news.

Finally, a servant from the Song Mansion came but only to inform her that Wen Wan was ill.

"She was perfectly fine before; what happened?" Lin Xiaoyue asked anxiously, pressing the servant, "Has the doctor seen her? Is it serious?"

The servant said as instructed by Song Yuanbao, "My lady caught a chill last night. This morning, she still pushed herself to go to the Su Mansion. When she returned, she had a fever. She’s just had her medicine and needs to rest quietly as the doctor advised, avoiding further exertion. Also, she asked me to tell you that the Crown Prince has been attending to the Emperor in Qianqing Palace and is busy handling military reports from the Northern Border. He might not be able to address outside matters for some time. So, my lady suggests you stay home with your children to weather the storm, and she’ll visit when she’s better."

Lin Xiaoyue seemed a bit melancholic, "I understand. Have her rest well, and ask the second madam to assist with household affairs more."

After the servant left, she had the housekeeper select some supplements from the storehouse to send back with the servant.

After the Song Mansion servant left, Jin Zhi entered Lin Xiaoyue’s room.

She had heard everything from outside and immediately let out a derisive snort, "Falling ill? More likely, the Song family doesn’t want to get involved in this mess. She just doesn’t want to offend you, having chosen to feign illness to avoid it."

"Shut up!" Lin Xiaoyue shouted angrily, "Wen Wan has never lied to me. If she says she’s ill, then she’s indeed ill."

"Madam!" Jin Zhi said helplessly, "When she came to our mansion earlier, Madam Song looked quite healthy, showing no signs of a cold. Isn’t it obvious that they just don’t want to be involved in this matter?"

Seeing Lin Xiaoyue frowning, Jin Zhi continued, "The situation outside is already explosive, and the court hasn’t said anything against the rumors. It seems they’ve tacitly agreed to them. At a time like this, whoever associates with our family will be seen as standing against the people of Chu Country. They’re too busy protecting themselves to help us. Mr. Song has a promising future, and unless he wants to ruin his career, there’s no way he would stand up for us now."

"Don’t say another word!" Lin Xiaoyue still firmly believed that Wen Wan wouldn’t deceive her, "Instruct everyone in the mansion to stay indoors as much as possible in the coming days, as it’s safer here."

Jin Zhi pressed her lips together, "Madam, how about I send someone to Jizhou, inform the master, and see if he can come up with a plan?"

"Don’t tell my father." Lin Xiaoyue stopped her, "You’re right; this matter has become too large, and anyone involved would ruin their future. I don’t want him to destroy the Lin family’s foundation because of me, nor do I want him to toil for me. As it stands, we still have a few Hidden Guards left by Mr. Qi, and with them, we should be safe for now."

Jin Zhi teared up, "If Mr. Qi were here, it would have been so much better. He wouldn’t let you suffer like this."

Thinking of her husband, Lin Xiaoyue forced a comforting smile, "Mr. Qi is in the Northern Border fighting for the country. He’ll be back soon."