The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

Chapter 357 - 325: My Face Hurts So Much (3rd Update)

Afraid of exposure, Su Yu and Hao Yun did not show up, staying in their own courtyard waiting for news.

Until... a short knock came from outside.

Su Yu’s heart skipped a beat, thinking that perhaps things had succeeded, she hurriedly got up to open the door, only to unexpectedly see Aunt Qiu standing outside.

"Mother, why did you suddenly come over?"

The Duke Jing Mansion occupied a whole street, with several five-compound courtyards pieced together. Aunt Qiu’s Wutong Garden was a bit far from them. Usually, Su Yu visited Aunt Qiu, so Aunt Qiu coming over herself was a first.

Aunt Qiu looked at them both with terror in her eyes, "You two might have caused a big trouble."

Su Yu and Hao Yun exchanged a glance, and Hao Yun stepped forward to fully open the door, politely saying, "Mother-in-law, whatever you have to say, let’s discuss it inside."

Aunt Qiu took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold.

After sitting down at the table, she whispered, "I don’t know how you arranged with the archer, or if there was some mistake, but that lantern did not reach the Song family."

Su Yu finally sensed something was wrong, and her face slightly changed, "Mother, don’t scare me."

Aunt Qiu closed her eyes momentarily, "I’m not lying. The lantern suddenly fell over Little Four’s courtyard, and now it’s a complete mess there. Little Four is probably in great danger."

Hearing this, Su Yu felt weak all over and had to look at Hao Yun, clenching her teeth tightly, "What have you done?"

"Impossible!" Hao Yun sensed something amiss, "I had someone measure the wind direction and custom specifications of the Kongming Lantern. With tonight’s wind speed, the lantern should have floated to the Song family. There’s no reason it should fall on the Duke Mansion. Perhaps something unexpected happened. Or maybe we’ve been set up."

At this point, Hao Yun’s expression turned particularly grim, "It must be Song Wei. No one else in this Capital harbors such enmity toward me."

Su Yu was already flustered, her face lost all color, "Never mind who it is, just tell me what to do now? Little Four is the Duke’s favorite. If he finds out the lantern is related to us, he won’t let it go."

Hao Yun furrowed his brow deeply, glancing at Aunt Qiu from the corner of his eye, only to see that she was even more panicked than they were, tears welling up in her eyes, weak and helpless, "Yuyu, maybe, maybe you two should quickly pack up and run. I’ll go and take the blame."

"No way!"

Su Yu couldn’t bear seeing her mother like this; in the past, she had been bullied every other day. Now that they finally had some peaceful days, she would never let her mother fall into the hands of that unfaithful man again.

"Mother, don’t worry. We’ll figure something out."

As she spoke, she glanced at Hao Yun.

Even though she was anxious, she tried her best to stay calm to avoid worrying Aunt Qiu.

"Someone must stand up and take the blame for this matter."

Hao Yun was more calm and composed than Su Yu had imagined. After a while, he slowly said, "Otherwise, we’ll both be finished."

Upon hearing this, Su Yu’s gaze suddenly turned sharp, "This disaster was all caused by your negligence. Hao Yun, if you dare to drag me and my mother down, I’ll fight you to the death!"

Hao Yun frowned and glanced at her, "What nonsense are you talking?"

"Then what solution do you have? Speak up!"

The dim candlelight cast shadows across Hao Yun’s face, making his eyes look sinister. Seeing this, Su Yu’s hair stood on end.

After a long silence, he said, "There are many in the Duke’s back courtyard who want Su Yaoqi dead. As long as we can direct the evidence to them in the shortest time, we can divert his attention."

"But..."

Before Su Yu could finish, Hao Yun looked at Aunt Qiu, "Mother-in-law, your Wutong Garden is close to those concubines. I’m afraid we might need your help to coordinate from the inside when the time comes."

A glimmer of a smile flickered through Aunt Qiu’s lowered eyes, but it was quickly suppressed. When she looked up again, her eyes were still tearful and helpless, "What, what can I do to help you?"

"I’m figuring it out," Hao Yun said. "Mother-in-law, please go back first. If the Duke questions you later, don’t give yourself away because of nervousness."

"Okay." Aunt Qiu nodded weakly.

Su Yu personally escorted her out of the courtyard. Outside, she reminded her not to cry at the sight of trouble, or they would all be exposed.

Aunt Qiu, eyes reddened, agreed, and soon her figure disappeared into the night.

Su Yu returned to the room, where Hao Yun was sitting under the lamp.

She stepped forward and poured him a cup of hot tea herself.

The steam from the tea blurred half of the man’s face.

Hao Yun did not drink it, the tight knot in his brow indicating he was deep in thought about a countermeasure.

It was rare for Su Yu not to disturb him, but instead, she sat down with him.

After a while, Hao Yun spoke slowly, "The only option now is to drag Third Aunt down with us."

Third Aunt, the biological mother of Sixth Miss Su Dai, was beautiful on the outside but cold-hearted. It’s been no secret that she didn’t get along with the First Madam. That woman always liked to do stupid things under the guise of helping the Duke with his burdens.

Hao Yun said, "I know of an instance where Third Aunt bribed an assassin from outside, intending to kidnap Miss Song. Later on, it failed for reasons unknown. But it’s obvious she planned to kill Song Wei, thinking it would be a smart move for the Duke. Since she had the intention, we can latch onto this point. Once we’re suspected, we can just insist that it was Third Aunt who offended Song Wei, leading Song Wei to retaliate by setting the Duke Mansion on fire. None of it has anything to do with us."

Su Yu was somewhat impressed by how quickly Hao Yun came up with a plan, but she still had doubts, "Can the Duke believe our story?"

"The question isn’t whether the Duke can believe, but whether we can make him believe."

...

At the main courtyard, a massive fire nearly cost Su Yaoqi his life as he lay bedridden with a yet-to-heal fracture.

Looking at the shocking wounds on his son’s arm and half of his face, Duke Su’s anger turned into sharp daggers in his eyes, his old face dark and frightening.

The Duchess, sitting by her son’s bed, was so shaken she nearly couldn’t cry.

Su Yaoqi was carried out by the servants in an emergency rescue. In the dry late autumn, the fire couldn’t be extinguished quickly.

He was sent to Duke Su’s courtyard unconscious, with a doctor attending to his wounds.

The burns were more painful than ordinary cuts or sword wounds. Even as he slept, Su Yaoqi’s eyebrows furrowed in pain whenever the wound was touched.

The Duke was pained but mostly enraged, "Someone come! Immediately investigate and seize the arsonist to be torn to pieces!"

...

While the courtyard was in chaos, a servant came in to report, "The Eldest Miss and her husband are outside requesting to see you."

"What are they here for?" Duke Su waved his hand dismissively, "Send them away!"

Before the servant could leave, Hao Yun’s voice came from outside, "With such a major incident concerning Little Four, it’s not out of place for a brother-in-law to be concerned. Father-in-law, this is not the time to hold a grudge against us, is it? Right now, treating Little Four and finding the culprit is the priority."

As Hao Yun spoke, he threw a glance at the person lying on the bed.

What used to be a handsome face was now half ruined, with large and small blisters forming, the burnt areas red and swollen, painful even to look at.

Hao Yun was slightly stunned.

On the way here, Su Yu had mentally prepared herself, but upon seeing Su Yaoqi’s wounds, she was still shocked and struggled to maintain her composure.

Hao Yun subtly signaled her with his eyes.

Su Yu took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly, "Father, how is Little Four’s injury?"

Duke Su didn’t want to speak at this moment and treated the two like air, his sharp eyes staring intently at the doctor’s movements, fearing he might hurt his son.

Unburnt, Su Yaoqi’s wounds had sensation and were very painful. The household doctor treated him for a while until the pain woke him up.

At the sight of his biological mother sitting by his bed, he gripped the corner of the quilt with his fingers, "Mother, my face hurts, it hurts so much!"

The Duchess held back tears at his shout and gently said, "Fourth Brother, bear with it a little longer. The doctor is treating your wound. Once it’s bandaged, it won’t hurt anymore."

Su Yaoqi arduously turned his head, seeing his father Duke Su and his elder sister and brother-in-law present, his eyes reddened, "Big Sister, could you get me a mirror?"

"Okay." Su Yu was about to turn around when Hao Yun pulled her back, then looked at Su Yaoqi with pity, "Little Four, focus on healing first, you can look at it later."

Hearing this, Su Yaoqi felt a chill in his heart.

He was aware when the fire broke out in the courtyard, but the servants who served him had left for no apparent reason. He lay immobile in bed, watching helplessly as the flames engulfed his room, and the burning bed curtains fell onto his face, resulting in his current state.

"Mother, please get me a mirror."

Su Yaoqi’s eyes reddened even more.

He knew his face hurt, it was likely disfigured, but without a mirror, he couldn’t see for himself.

"Little Four, Mother is here, and I’ll stay with you." The Duchess reached out and held his unburned hand.

Su Yaoqi’s voice was weak, and he could only turn to the Duke, "Father..."

"With such injuries, why would you want to look in a mirror? Do you deliberately want to upset yourself?" The Duke shouted at him in frustration.

Suddenly, tears streamed down Su Yaoqi’s face.