The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

Chapter 832 - 790: Triple Protection (Second Update)

Ah Nuan sniffed, "Then persuade me to stay quickly."

Jinbao: "...Well, actually, I’m quite reluctant to part with you. Don’t leave, okay?"

Ah Nuan instantly broke into a smile through her tears and hugged him tightly, her voice softer and sweeter, "Brother Jinbao, I will miss you."

Jinbao: "..."

The room full of servants couldn’t bear to watch.

Linglong’s lips twitched, looking at Wen Wan, "Madam, this..."

Wen Wan was indifferent, "They’re just kids, what do they know? They simply play together often, and now that they’re leaving, they’re a bit reluctant. They’re still children; there’s no need to take it to heart."

Linglong sighed, "No matter what, we can’t let Madam Su find out about this."

Madam Su has been in a tiff with our madam these days, and today’s absence is the best proof. If she finds out Ah Nuan hugged Jinbao in front of so many people, she will surely be upset with our madam.

It was the first time Jinbao had been hugged by a girl younger than him. His back stiffened, and he turned into a wooden figure for a moment before awkwardly saying, "You, you should let go; I can’t breathe."

Ah Nuan hearing this, giggled and released him, revealing dimples on her delicate pink cheeks.

Upon seeing this, Amuer also ran up to Jinbao on his short legs, spreading his chubby little arms for a hug.

Since Ah Nuan hugged him, there was no reason to refuse Amuer, so Jinbao gave Amuer a symbolic hug and then let the little one go.

Wen Wan beckoned Ah Nuan to sit beside her, smiling as she asked, "What is your mother doing?"

Ah Nuan replied truthfully, "Mother is moving things in the warehouse."

Wen Wan realized, the Su family’s schedule for migrating to the Western Border was tight, Lin Xiaoyue must be incredibly busy right now.

She sighed.

If it was before, she would have lent a hand, but now Lin Xiaoyue is still angry, going would only make her more upset, so it can only stay this way.

Ah Nuan looked at Wen Wan and suddenly asked, "Aunt Wan, will you come to the Western Border to see us?"

Wen Wan hardly hesitated and nodded, "I will."

The Western Border is too far, Wen Wan wasn’t sure if she would be able to go, but as Ah Nuan was leaving, whether it was a kind lie or truly deceiving her, at such moments, she couldn’t let the child be disappointed, so she looked at her with a smile, "When you grow up, Aunt Wan will find time to visit you, okay?"

"Okay~"

Wen Wan could see that Ah Nuan was a very easily satisfied little girl. Before, when Jinbao didn’t ask her to stay, she just had red-rimmed eyes and didn’t immediately run out crying.

Later when Jinbao obviously made up a lie to trick her, she was still filled with joy.

This child, Wen Wan genuinely liked, but unfortunately, once she goes to the Western Border, they’ll never see each other again.

After staying at the Song family for less than an hour, Su Qing proposed to bid farewell.

Song Wei sent someone to fetch Ah Nuan and Amuer from the backyard, then personally escorted Su Qing to the East Corner Gate.

Taking advantage of the time before the two children arrived, Song Wei asked, "Mr. Qi has been fighting at the Northern Border camp all this time. You must be well aware of the general’s condition. My father-in-law—is he okay?"

Su Qing’s eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled at Song Wei, "Sorry, military secrets, please forgive me for saying nothing."

Song Wei had anticipated that response, not holding much hope in the first place.

Clearly, Zhao Xi has purposely kept this hidden, as he couldn’t pry anything out of Zhao Xi, nor could Wei Qian figure out the specific situation inside the camp.

The more tightly they concealed it, the more Song Wei felt something serious had happened; his father-in-law must be in trouble.

Otherwise, why would Zhao Xi issue such strict orders, with not a single piece of news leaking out?

...

During the three days Lin Xiaoyue spent packing with her servants and slaves for the move, it seemed calm, but was actually full of hidden turmoil.

Zhao Xi first arranged for the Imperial Hidden Guards to ambush along the Su Qing couple’s inevitable route, waiting for the Bei Yan fish to bite. Then he sent secret orders to the Sky Eagle Guard, insisting they keep a close eye on the situation inside the Beiyang Imperial City, and any slight disturbance must be reported back to the Chu Country Capital immediately.

Lastly, he openly arranged for five hundred Ti Qi to escort them.

The Ti Qi is the most formidable army among the affiliates of the Jinyi Guard, all dressed in red Flying Fish Robes. In Chu Country, there’s a saying among the people: "When the Ti Qi moves, the world is shocked," indicating the extraordinary prestige of this Emperor’s personal guard among the masses.

However, the common people only know the Ti Qi, but they do not know the Hidden Guard.

The Imperial Hidden Guard is an existence even more mysterious and powerful than the Ti Qi.

The Royal Family cultivates the Hidden Guard because many things are inconvenient to do openly as an Emperor, yet you cannot let people know that you did them, so the Hidden Guard exists.

Zhao Xi has just ascended the throne. Although everything seems well-arranged by the late Emperor, in truth, he is young and his foundation is unstable. At this time, he most needs a victory to solidify his position.

Thus, this time using Amuer as bait to lure out Bei Yan’s hidden spies and capture them all in one sweep is imperative for Zhao Xi.

The Ti Qi is the first obstacle, the Imperial Secret Guard the second.

If Bei Yan’s spies can break through the second obstacle, there is still the third, the Sky Eagle Guard, waiting, and as long as they dare to show themselves, it will be their downfall.

...

Su Qing knows that this trip is extremely dangerous. When he previously met with Emperor Xuanjing, he had already negotiated conditions: no matter the cost, his family must remain unharmed.

These matters, Su Qing did not share with Lin Xiaoyue.

Firstly, he didn’t want his wife to know too much and get caught up in the conflict.

Secondly, Emperor Xuanjing had already promised to protect his family; therefore, there was no need to inform his wife and make her worry.

At present, Lin Xiaoyue had already boarded the carriage with the two children and Jin Zhi and Jin Huan. Su Qing mounted his horse, saw his wife’s smiling face through the car window, and smiled as he instructed the driver, "Let’s depart."

Having lost military power, Su Qing is no longer the Left Army Commander. His current role is the Western Border Minister, escorting the King of Western Border home, traveling on official roads and staying at inns overnight.

Zhao Xi once sent the Hidden Guard to the Western Border to deliver a message to the Great Clan Leader: the Beiyang Imperial Concubine was willing to sacrifice the lives of the entire Jiuli clan in order to reclaim the Chosen One and overthrow Bei Yan’s regime. The Great Clan Leader was furious upon learning this. When the Beiyang Imperial Concubine asked the spies to contact them for help in reclaiming the Chosen One, the Great Clan Leader directly refused. Now, everyone is eagerly waiting for the return of the reincarnated king.

The hearts of the Jiuli have been controlled by Chu Country, leaving the Beiyang Imperial Concubine to dispatch her embedded spies in Chu Country to intercept halfway.

Thus, on the very first day they stayed at the inn, Su Qing and his group were ambushed by Bei Yan spies, but only mediocre ones appeared, unable to even pass the Ti Qi barrier before being completely slaughtered.

Lin Xiaoyue sat inside with the two children for a meal, eventually hearing the faint sounds of fighting, and soon the scent of blood reached them. She looked across at Su Qing, her expression tense, asking, "Is something happening outside?"

"No." Su Qing’s demeanor was extremely calm, "Continue eating!"

Lin Xiaoyue was not reassured, stood up, opened the door to check, and indeed found nothing outside.

The Ti Qi worked swiftly, from killing to corpse disposal and site cleaning, all completed in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"That’s odd, I clearly heard fighting sounds, how come there’s nothing?" Lin Xiaoyue was very puzzled.

Upon returning, Su Qing told her it might be due to her exhaustion from moving, causing her to hallucinate, advising her to rest after eating.

Lin Xiaoyue didn’t dwell on it. After their meal, she bathed the children, dressed them in clean silk clothes, and took them to bed.

Su Qing slept on the small bed outside, so he could immediately notice any commotion from outside.

Although Emperor Xuanjing informed him that for the spies to reach Amuer, they’d need to surpass three obstacles, with even the last one being scarier than Bei Yan’s Chi Long Guards.

Su Qing did not know what kind of existence the final obstacle was, nor when the Royal Family acquired such an fear-inducing top-tier Hidden Guard. He simply felt uneasy instinctively, hence even when sleeping, he dared only sleep lightly, fearing an incident might occur if he slept too deeply.

However, for several consecutive days, the subtle yet dangerous and neat sounds outside kept reminding him that Emperor Xuanjing was right, these spies couldn’t get close to Amuer, instead being bloodily eliminated along the way.

Lin Xiaoyue, though not very educated, is capable of managing a household, especially sensitive to numbers.

On the day of departure, she said to Su Qing, "Mr. Qi, I feel like we’re missing a few Ti Qi from those escorting us, where did they go?"

She could even detect the absence of a few from the five hundred-strong team, making Su Qing chuckle secretly, thinking constantly hiding things wasn’t a good solution, he explained, "With such a large traveling team, there are bound to be people with intentions along the way, during the engagement with the opposition, casualties among the Ti Qi are unavoidable."

Lin Xiaoyue was startled by his words, "They wouldn’t be targeting Amuer, would they?"

Su Qing’s eyes flashed, then reassured, "No matter who they’re after, Your Majesty has already made comprehensive preparations, no one can get close to us, there’s no need to worry."

...

While Su Qing and his family were anxiously heading to the Western Border, an unexpected incident occurred in the Capital.