The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

Chapter 356 - 324: A Bit Green (Second Update)

The case of the corpse floating in the Lotus Pond at the Imperial Garden ended up exactly as guessed by Princess Consort Duan, with Empress Su finding a less favored concubine to take the blame. The motives for murder and corpse disposal were arranged seamlessly, and eventually, that concubine was demoted and thrown into the Cold Palace, concluding the matter.

Emperor Guangxi knew well that this affair couldn’t be unrelated to Empress Su, yet ultimately chose to turn a blind eye.

As a ruler, one must consider the bigger picture.

Once the past dynasty learns of discord between the Emperor and Empress, the impact will inevitably be significant.

——

Empress Dowager did not attend the Second Prince’s full moon banquet that day, but she heard about the ’Lotus Pond corpse’ afterward.

Like Emperor Guangxi, Empress Dowager immediately thought of Empress Su.

That woman, whether before or after the Su family lost power, never ceased causing trouble for a day.

"Empress Dowager, should I send a message to the Su family?" Nanny Qiu asked quietly.

Empress Dowager smiled, "Alright, if the Su family enjoys a spectacle, let them have it. That fire she set back then was impressive; lately, the winds have also been favorable."

Nanny Qiu nodded, "I understand."

——

Half an hour later, at Duke Jing Mansion, Wutong Garden.

Aunt Qiu stood by the candlestick, reducing a just-read secret note to ashes.

Su Yu suddenly entered, smelled the burnt paper, and wrinkled her nose, "Mother, what are you burning?"

She leaned in to look, but saw nothing.

Aunt Qiu turned and smiled slightly at her visitor, "What brings Yuyu here?"

Su Yu sat at the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and spoke after drinking half, "I reconciled with that scum as you suggested."

"Oh?"

"But, I still feel uneasy." Remembering how he treated her in the past, Su Yu couldn’t help but frown.

Several months had passed since Su Yu first proposed reconciliation, yet she and Hao Yun seemed stuck at a standstill. Apart from civil dialogues, nothing else seemed to progress.

It looked more like a verbal reconciliation, a verbal alliance, but Hao Yun hadn’t shown any substantial behavior.

That man, his thoughts were increasingly deep, and even if he had any ideas, he never shared them with her.

"So what do you plan to do next?" Aunt Qiu asked.

"I don’t know, which is why I’m here to seek your advice."

Aunt Qiu sat down beside her and explained, "Actually, men sometimes think in very straightforward ways, not as complex as you might imagine."

Su Yu still didn’t understand, "Can you be more explicit, Mother?"

Seeing she couldn’t grasp it, Aunt Qiu pointed it out, "You two are married, yet until now haven’t consummated the marriage. How does this make him feel?"

"What? You want me to..." Su Yu felt suffocated, as if a stone was on her chest, her voice trembling, "I can’t do it!"

"Isn’t that so," Aunt Qiu stated calmly, "If you can’t give yourself physically, naturally you can’t get what you want."

"Exchanging body? Then how am I different from the Yao Jie in the alley?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Qiu smiled with some hidden meaning.

After a long pause, she spoke again, "Do you know how the fire at your Seventh Uncle’s house started last year?"

"Wasn’t it those few Madame’s doing?"

Su Yu wasn’t as naive and clueless as Su Yaoqi and certainly didn’t believe the fire at the Champion Scholar Mansion was an accident.

"Then do you know how they managed to quietly ignite the backyard in the snowy weather?"

"On this, I’m clueless." Su Yu shook her head, not paying much attention to the Seventh House fire.

Instead, it made her realize that the Great Madam was not a benevolent person, someone not to be provoked lightly when one’s strength is insufficient.

In this grand mansion, aside from her biological mother, the more people seemed weak and kind, the more sinister their thoughts.

"They custom-ordered a lamp, a Kongming Lantern that could fly along the wind over the Champion Scholar Mansion, and had someone shoot it down with an arrow."

However, because of the snowy weather back then, the fire wasn’t that big; it was her secretly adding fuel, turning the main courtyard into ashes, which led to the complete break between the Seventh House and the main mansion.

Su Yu became intrigued, "These people, are they not too clever in their schemes?"

Others thought of various ways to sneak in and throw flints to set a fire; they planned a high-level arson without showing up, directly setting the backyard ablaze.

"Mother, how did you know about this?"

"Stay long enough in this back courtyard, and you witness every rare incident."

"Then do you know where such lamps can be made?" Su Yu’s curiosity was piqued; she yearned to avenge her two fingers and desperately wanted to fly a lamp to Song family, turn everyone inside to charred corpses.

Aunt Qiu sneered lightly, "What good does it do for me to know? You’re just a woman and can’t easily show your face."

"I can have someone do it."

The moment the words left her mouth, Su Yu realized something was amiss. Another servant knowing about the lantern means another witness, so she changed her words, "At most, I’ll have that scoundrel do it himself."

"You’re talking in circles again." Aunt Qiu looked at her, "Why would Hao Yun run errands for you?"

Su Yu was at a loss for words.

"I’ve said it before, if you two want to succeed, you have to twist into one rope and pull in the same direction. If you each pull in opposite directions, neither side will benefit, and it’ll all be for naught."

...

Walking out of Wutong Garden, Aunt Qiu’s advice seemed to echo in Su Yu’s ears.

Her feelings were complex; after returning to her room, she soaked in a hot bath, cleansing herself thoroughly from inside out.

In the evening, Hao Yun returned from the Ministry of Justice. Seeing her dressed extravagantly, he squinted slightly.

Upon seeing him, Su Yu forced a smile and asked if he was tired.

As soon as Hao Yun sat down, she moved behind him and proactively massaged his shoulders.

Since their marriage, only Hao Yun had ever humbled himself to do this; Su Yu had always maintained a high and mighty demeanor.

The unexpected attentiveness made Hao Yun feel uneasy. He turned his head to stare at her, "Just say what you want, don’t force yourself."

The dimly lit room carried a momentary lull in its atmosphere.

Su Yu seemed to be mentally preparing herself, before finally speaking slowly, "I want your help with something."

"I knew it..." Hao Yun’s expression was a mix of amusement and disdain; he figured this woman couldn’t be treating him kindly for no reason.

"Will you help or not?" Su Yu tried to keep her tone controlled, believing she had already lowered her stance significantly.

"If you’re asking, you should have the attitude of someone asking for help." Hao Yun was dissatisfied with her forced gentleness.

"What if I say that if you help me, I won’t hold past grudges and we could be a true couple?"

Before Hao Yun could respond, she continued, "Even if you have ambitions and aspirations, you can’t have no offspring under your knee. Otherwise, when you close your eyes for the last time, there won’t be any descendants to handle your affairs."

The words "offspring" struck Hao Yun at his sore spot.

Once upon a time, he had a wife and child, but after years of failing exams and exhausting the household’s silver coin, the woman looked down on him and fled overnight with their son, returning to her childhood sweetheart.

Because of this, people mocked him so much that he couldn’t hold his head high in the village.

Back then, he even humbly thought that if she would return with their son, regardless of what had happened in between, even if she had tangled with others, he could overlook past grievances.

However, unexpectedly, the other man not only accepted her but also accepted the child.

It was almost as if he was the extra one.

Back then, he didn’t understand, but after joining the Su Family and witnessing the scheming within the large mansion, he suddenly realized that the wife was his, but the son wasn’t.

He had worn a "green hat" for so many years without knowing, and lamented losing his son, turning to alcohol and nearly missing the next exam’s timing.

...

Hearing Su Yu’s words now, an unusual emotion surged in Hao Yun’s eyes.

He stepped forward and pinched her chin, suddenly smirking, "That’s what you said."

Su Yu winced in pain, wanting to slap his hand away, but remembering her biological mother’s advice, she forcibly suppressed the restless feeling in her heart, looked him in the eyes, and spoke slowly and earnestly, "I can fulfill your wishes, but you must help me."

"Then fulfill my wishes first, before talking about that."

...

Almost two years after marriage, they finally shared a bed, resolving their longstanding feud.

Hao Yun readily agreed to secretly make the lantern for Su Yu.

When it was retrieved, Su Yu went to Wutong Garden to tell Aunt Qiu she had the lantern, and asked what to do next—how to light it, and after the lantern flew up, who should shoot it down?

Aunt Qiu asked her, "Didn’t your husband arrange it beforehand?"

Su Yu replied, "I only asked him to help make the lantern. Besides, with his limited skills, where could he find an archer?"

Aunt Qiu disagreed, saying they were insects on the same string, regardless of what they did, they should be united as a couple.

...

Su Yu was thoroughly indoctrinated by Aunt Qiu, so upon returning, she had Hao Yun hire an archer.

She worked hard to adjust herself as the man naturally agreed.

However, that night, the location where the lantern was shot down was not the Song family, but rather the courtyard of Su Yaoqi at Duke Mansion.