The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

Chapter 902 - 857: Sanshun (Part 1)

When Su Qing brought Amuer to the Capital, the little fellow was dressed up like a round rolling ball. He was especially fond of snow, bouncing up and down in it in his little deerskin boots, making it crunch under his feet.

Su Qing stood before the carved lattice door, gazing at the little fellow having the time of her life in the courtyard, his eyes soft with warmth.

This time he was to go on a mission to Bei Yan. Lin Xiaoyue did not come; she stayed behind in the Western Border with Ah Nuan, Little Four, and Su Wang, while only Su Qing returned to the Capital with Amuer and a dozen or so guards.

...

The day before departure, Linglong and Yun Cai were in the west wing packing Wen Wan’s changes of clothes for her journey north, while Wen Wan sat in the East Warm Pavilion keeping Zhao Xunyin company over tea.

Before long, an old woman from the second gate came in to report, "Commandery Princess, someone has come from the Lu Family, saying they’re here to escort you over for a sit-down."

The corner of Wen Wan’s mouth twitched. Escort her over for a sit-down? More like escort her over for a scolding, right?

As soon as Wen Wan thought of her grandfather Duke Lu’s stern face, she felt a bit afraid and looked to Zhao Xunyin for help.

Zhao Xunyin patted the back of her hand. "You dare go to Bei Yan; what scolding is there you wouldn’t dare take? Don’t be afraid."

Wen Wan: "..." That really was her own mother talking!

She had originally thought Zhao Xunyin would go with her, but in the end she had to go alone.

While the carriage was still halfway there, Wen Wan was already pondering whether she should just turn back. But then she thought of Song Wei still waiting for her in Furong Town, and she calmed down again, letting out a small sigh.

When the carriage reached Duke Lu Mansion and Wen Wan lifted the curtain to step down, she saw Mrs. Xiao Liu standing by the side gate with several maids and old women in tow.

"Sister Wan." Seeing her, Mrs. Xiao Liu hurried up warmly and took her arm.

Wen Wan felt a bit guilty and asked her, "There’s no rest day today. Old Master should not be at home, right?"

She was clinging to a bit of wishful thinking, only for Mrs. Xiao Liu to douse her with a basin of cold water. "Old Master took leave. Once he heard Sister Wan was coming, he went to Old Madam’s courtyard and is waiting there now."

Wen Wan instantly felt like crying with no tears. It wasn’t that she wanted to come—she was clearly dragged here, all right?

He had even specially taken leave to stay home and wait. He must have been holding back a bellyful of fire for a long time; she didn’t know what he’d scold her into later.

When they reached the Hanging Flower Gate, they saw Lu Yanbin standing there with his hands behind his back, his face full of schadenfreude.

Wen Wan had no wish to pay him any attention, but Lu Yanbin proactively stuck to her, grinning wretchedly. "Good cousin, this time you’ve really gone and played it right off the rails, huh?"

Back then, just for taking in a concubine, he’d been beaten by his father so hard he still had shadows in his heart to this day. His cousin was something else: first a divorce, then rumors with the new emperor, and now she was being ambiguous with Prince Liang’s Princely Heir. Tsk tsk, one thing after another—if any of that had happened to him, he’d probably have been skinned alive already. Yet Old Master and Old Madam actually kept indulging her. Truly unfair, so unfair!

Now this was good—hardship shared together. He and Wen Wan could be called a brother-and-sister in misfortune; from now on neither could point fingers at the other.

Listening to him, Mrs. Xiao Liu’s expression did not look very good. "Father told you to go check the accounts at the shop this morning. You’re back from checking them?"

Lu Yanbin had already made up his mind to stay home and watch the show. "I told Father Little Treasure wasn’t feeling well and I had to stay home to look after him."

With so many maids in Furong Courtyard, how could they possibly need Lu Yanbin, the master, to look after the child?

Mrs. Xiao Liu more or less understood what he was thinking and did not say anything more, merely shifting her gaze coolly away from Lu Yanbin. "Sister Wan, let’s go."

Watching Mrs. Xiao Liu’s retreating back, Lu Yanbin called out, "Shuyuan, Little Treasure coughed twice this morning. I really stayed for my son’s sake."

Mrs. Xiao Liu did not look back. "If that’s the case, then stay in Furong Courtyard and look after the child. As for Old Madam, I’ll accompany Sister Wan myself."

Lu Yanbin choked a little, but still had the gall to follow along, though he didn’t dare get too close. He knew Wen Wan was not easy to provoke.

Glancing at the indifferent look on Mrs. Xiao Liu’s face, Wen Wan teased, "Your temper’s grown lately, huh!"

When she’d first been taken back by Lu Yanbin, even if just for appearances’ sake, she could still squeeze out a forced smile and put on a front every day. Now she wouldn’t even give him that thin bit of face.

Mrs. Xiao Liu smiled, saying she was fine, that it was just her emotions being more volatile during her nursing period. But in her heart she couldn’t help sighing over the sorrow of having married a man who was not yet mentally grown.

In the east side room of Old Madam’s courtyard, several people were already seated. Besides Old Madam, there were Duke Lu, Lu Pingzhou, and Aunt Wen.

The three of them lifted the curtain and went in, paying their respects to the elders one by one.

Seeing Duke Lu sitting with a stern face and not speaking, Old Mrs. Lu hurriedly told the three to find seats. So they sat down one after another on the round-backed chairs off to the side.

Duke Lu looked at Wen Wan, his aged face heavy with gloom. "You’re leaving tomorrow morning?"

Wen Wan nodded and said, "Your Majesty has already issued the decree, the Ministry of Rites is making preparations."

Although Duke Lu was furious that Wen Wan had been challenging his bottom line again and again lately, once he thought of how she was the second son’s daughter, and how the second son was now on the front line fighting for the country, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. "When something happens, you never think to come back and discuss it. You act on a whim. If you keep going on like this, you’ll ruin yourself sooner or later."

Wen Wan lowered her eyes meekly. "Grandfather’s reprimand is right."

Such a completely noncommittal answer made Duke Lu’s old face flush red with anger.

Old Mrs. Lu kept frowning. Was this still that demure and gentle daughter from the second branch? She was just about to say a few words to press down Wen Wan’s temper when Lu Pingzhou beat her to it. "Wan, come to my study for a moment."

Lu Yanbin drew in a sharp breath. His father’s study was a place he himself had hardly entered a few times in his whole life. His elder cousin had caused such a huge mess, and instead of being scolded, she was actually allowed into the study—what kind of celestial treatment was this?

Feeling sour inside, Lu Yanbin stood up without much interest, used the excuse of going back to check on his son, and left.

Aunt Wen watched her son’s departing back and sighed inwardly, while Mrs. Xiao Liu wore an expression of complete indifference, as if long used to it.

Wen Wan happened not to want to listen to the old lord and old lady’s scolding either, so she quickly followed Lu Pingzhou to the study.

In her impression, her eldest uncle was someone good at lying low and enduring, with deep thoughts and considerable means. Wen Wan didn’t dare play tricks in front of him; once inside, she obediently stood to the side.

"Bei Yan is a place full of trouble. Once you’re over there, the Lu Family will no longer be able to protect you." As Lu Pingzhou spoke, he took a small square box down from the antique shelf, unlocked it with a key, took out a brocade pouch, and handed it to Wen Wan. "This is a token. If you run into difficulties in the future, give what’s inside to the workshop master of Jiuyin Square. She can help you once."

"Jiuyin Square?" Wen Wan was puzzled.

"In Yanjing, it’s a song-and-dance house," Lu Pingzhou said.

So her eldest uncle even knew someone in Yanjing? He really was hiding his abilities.

Wen Wan thought, during those years he pretended to be ill, he must have been plotting quite a lot.

After leaving the study, Wen Wan took advantage of a moment when no one was around to quietly open the brocade pouch and take a look. Inside was a copper coin, about the same size as an ordinary copper coin, only the casting pattern on it was different. If one didn’t look closely, one wouldn’t notice anything.

Wen Wan put the brocade pouch away, went back once more to the old lady’s courtyard to explain that they would be setting out early the next morning and she needed to go back and make preparations, then hurriedly left the Lu Family.

Once she was in the carriage, she quietly rejoiced. It seemed it had been her eldest uncle who deliberately called her over, not her grandfather or grandmother. Fortunately, she hadn’t really been scolded, otherwise she wouldn’t know how stifled she’d feel.

...

At dusk, Song Wei was secretly brought into Changning Marquis Mansion by Wen Wan.

A full change of clothes had been prepared for him, all according to the specifications for the Marquis Mansion’s house servants: two sets of short servant clothes, two servant hats. The next day he was fully disguised: his skin was smeared wax-yellow, his pretty double eyelids were glued into single eyelids, and a few moles that wouldn’t wash off even with water were dotted on with oil-based ink. Once he changed into the servant clothes, Wen Wan looked him over and clicked her tongue twice. "Looking like this, I’m afraid even if Mother-in-law were still alive, she wouldn’t recognize you."

Apart from being a bit tall, the man before her was plainly just an utterly inconspicuous commoner from the streets.

Wen Wan was very satisfied with her handiwork. "By the way, husband, Mother-in-law once told me she gave you a childhood nickname. What was it? I mustn’t slip up and call you wrong later."

Song Wei glanced at his own reflection in the bronze mirror, his expression perfectly unchanged as he replied, "Sanshun."

Wen Wan: "...So, um, were the first two in front of you called Dashun and Ershun?"

"Mm."

Wen Wan held back her laughter. "Sanshun is great. Once we go to Bei Yan and make it back, forget Sanshun, husband, you’ll be Liushun if you like."

Seeing how she obviously wanted to laugh but was forcing it down, the muscles at the corner of Song Wei’s lips twitched twice.

At exactly 5 a.m, everyone gathered at North City Ding’an Gate.

Wen Wan brought Song Wei, the group of Chu Country envoys headed by Minister Xue, Su Qing who had Amuer with him, as well as the Beiyang Delegation, plus a mighty escort of guards.

Amuer was still small and couldn’t ride a horse, so Su Qing took him in a carriage. The little fellow held a big bamboo skewer candy figure, occasionally licking it, looking unspeakably adorable.

Wen Wan could ride a horse, but this would be a long journey. If she rode all the way to Bei Yan, her thighs would definitely be ruined. She chose to sit in the carriage and also pulled Song Wei up into it.

The others all rode on horseback.

When Fu Zichuan saw that there was a man dressed as a house servant inside Wen Wan’s carriage, and that he was so ugly he wasn’t even worth one of his fingers, he felt rather disgruntled. He urged his horse forward and, eyes full of mockery, said, "Princess Yong’an’s carriage really doesn’t turn anyone away, does it?"

Wen Wan lazily leaned on the carriage window, her hands propping up her chin, and smiled at him with her eyes curved. "Is the Princely Heir jealous?"