The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

Chapter 908 - 863: Hot Spring Manor

The man was Li Yuan’s full-blood elder brother, Amuer’s biological father, Li Tinglu.

Hearing Li Yuan’s voice, Li Tinglu lifted his head; his gaze pierced through his disheveled hair and fell on the little one.

The little one was curled up in Li Yuan’s arms, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep, not revealing those beautiful sapphire-blue eyes.

Even though they had been apart for many years and Amuer’s appearance had changed, Li Tinglu still recognized him at a glance as his own flesh and blood.

His long-dead features suddenly stirred with agitation, his mouth constantly calling, "Amuer, Amuer..."

Amuer was still alive; his son was still alive!

"This is the child you and her gave birth to." Li Yuan sat down at the side on the Taishi Chair, lowered her head and gently stroked Amuer’s small face, the corners of her lips hooking into a curve. "His eyes are like hers."

Li Tinglu’s hands were shackled, his body also bound by iron chains to the pillar. He could not get close to Li Yuan, could only glare red-eyed and growl low, "What exactly do you want?"

Li Yuan’s slender fingers drifted from Amuer’s little face to his tender neck, almost curling to squeeze down, but in the end she stayed her hand, only chuckled softly. "It’s been twenty years, elder brother. What you owe me, it’s time to pay back."

Li Tinglu gnashed his teeth, then suddenly let out a mournful, bitter laugh. "Twenty years—look at what you’ve turned yourself into. The West Yue female general who once cut a dashing figure in brocade and on horseback has become a raving lunatic through and through!"

Seeing Li Yuan’s face go stiff and cold, her gaze chillingly sharp, he said bitterly, "My life is already in your hands. Kill or flay, do as you like. But if you dare so much as lay a finger on Amuer, I won’t let you go even as a ghost!"

Listening, Li Yuan suddenly raised the corners of her lips. "You’re my blood brother; how could I bear to kill you? At most, I’ll just take back everything you gained back then."

Li Tinglu’s expression changed drastically. "She’s still alive?"

The smile on Li Yuan’s face deepened. "Otherwise, what do you think brought you to such a wretched state? Wasn’t it all her idea? Brother, doesn’t it feel awful to be betrayed?"

She tittered twice; the laughter echoed through the empty secret chamber, especially eerie.

Li Tinglu’s chest heaved violently; only after a long time did he draw a deep breath. "Back then I wronged you, but twenty years have passed. You’re already a wife and a mother. Can’t you just forget those things? Take it as your elder brother begging you—can you live like a normal person? Stop tormenting yourself."

Seeing Li Tinglu humbled like this, Li Yuan was reminded of the betrayal back then; hatred she could not put into words surged up. She set Amuer on the Taishi Chair, took up the whip beside her, dipped it in salt water, her eyes blazing red as she lashed it hard across Li Tinglu’s body.

Li Tinglu had long grown used to the bouts of torture she inflicted every few days; he merely clenched his teeth and endured, not uttering a single sound.

Only when Li Yuan was tired of beating him did she throw the whip aside, turn, pick up Amuer and leave. Once she reached the bedchamber, she roused him awake.

...

Wen Wan was worried about Amuer and came to Fengyang Palace at night as usual, intending to take the little one back to sleep.

Li Yuan refused at first; it was only when the Emperor arrived in person that she had no choice but to hand Amuer over to Wen Wan.

Wen Wan was from Chu Country and held the status of Commandery Princess, so she did not need to kneel when meeting the Emperor. After she gave a formal curtsey, she straightened up, holding the little one who was yawning over and over.

The Emperor smiled, his face full of doting affection, and looked at Li Yuan. "You’ve rested for two days. How is your health, my beloved concubine?"

Li Yuan lowered her eyes and said, "Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. This concubine is no longer seriously unwell."

No longer seriously unwell.

The Emperor silently chewed over those few words again and again, inwardly wishing the Imperial Concubine would simply drop dead at once.

But this woman’s vigilance was too keen. After sharing the same bed and pillow for so many years, he had never been able to find a chance to put her to death.

During the day, he had people place a little black dog in Huitong Hall, planning to use it as a cover to spirit Amuer away without anyone knowing, but things had not gone as planned.

Thinking that the existence of this woman was in itself a humiliation, a reminder of that dark Chapter in his past, a cold, sinister glint flashed quickly through the Emperor’s eyes.

By coincidence, it was caught by Wen Wan. She swiftly shifted her gaze away, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Once she returned to Ganquan Palace, she handed Amuer over to Su Qing and went to the side hall to find Song Wei.

Song Wei had just finished bathing. Hearing the knock, he quickly put on his clothes and completed his disguise. The instant he opened the door and saw that it was Wen Wan, he relaxed slightly.

With so many eyes and ears in the palace, Wen Wan could not address him as husband outright. After sitting down, she went straight to the point. "I just went to fetch Amuer and happened to bump into the Emperor going to Fengyang Palace."

Song Wei said, "The Imperial Concubine enjoys the sole favor of the six palaces. It’s no surprise the Emperor would stay the night at Fengyang Palace."

"But I feel the Emperor’s attitude toward the Imperial Concubine is somewhat out of the ordinary." Thinking of that trace of icy cruelty she had just seen in the Emperor’s eyes, Wen Wan went on, "It might not be what we imagined."

Hearing her say this, Song Wei figured she must have discovered something, so he also sat down and said gently, "What do you mean by that?"

"Leaving aside the fact that the Emperor Yan is letting the rumors in the streets run rampant, let’s just talk about the assassination attempt on the Imperial Concubine in Chu Country—and that it was openly arranged by that young little Emperor of ours. Back in Fengyang Palace, when the Emperor saw me, not only was he not angry, his tone was even quite mild. Does he truly dote on the Imperial Concubine? Why hasn’t he avenged her? Why didn’t he vent his anger on me? We’ve been in Yanjing City for two days now, and the Emperor hasn’t made a single move. Is it that he’s broad‑minded, weak and incompetent, afraid to offend us? Or did he never intend to avenge the Imperial Concubine in the first place? Don’t you find this very strange?"

Song Wei nodded. "From a man’s standpoint, the Emperor can only have two attitudes toward the Imperial Concubine: either, because of the life‑saving grace back then, he’s deeply grateful and wants to repay her; or, he resents that the Imperial Concubine once witnessed him at his most wretched and shameful, and wants nothing more than to get rid of her."

"If it’s the latter, then the Emperor’s current favor toward the Imperial Concubine is all an act, isn’t it?" Wen Wan asked in puzzlement.

"It’s possible."

"That’s terrifying." Wen Wan couldn’t help shivering. How blind did Li Yuan have to be to save such an ungrateful cur?

...

That night, Li Yuan did not sleep well. She had a nightmare: she dreamed of a sword driving straight into her chest, and the one holding the sword...

"Norma, don’t..."

Li Yuan jolted awake with a cry and found the Emperor propped up on one elbow, staring at her without blinking.

Li Yuan paused, took a silk handkerchief from under the pillow, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and quickly restored her composure. "Why is Your Majesty awake?"

The Emperor asked her, "Who is Norma?"

As he asked, he took the handkerchief from her hand and carefully wiped her again, his movements extremely gentle, as if he were afraid of hurting her.

Li Yuan’s expression did not waver in the slightest. "I had a nightmare and was scared; I must have shouted nonsense. I’ve already forgotten the specifics of what I dreamed."

The Emperor lowered his eyes to hide the doubt in them and said warmly, "Sleep, it’s still early yet."

Li Yuan lay down in his arms, but before long her expression changed. She immediately sat up and leaned over the side of the bed, dry heaving.

The Emperor’s brows knitted together. He put on his outer robe, got off the bed, brought her a spittoon, then reached out to pat her back. "You’ve seen so many Imperial Physicians and taken so many prescriptions, yet your stomach trouble has never improved. How about I find a few itinerant doctors from the streets to take a look at you?"

Once Li Yuan finished retching, a palace maid immediately came in to clean up the filth, then poured tea for her to rinse her mouth.

Li Yuan’s face was slightly pale. After lying down, she shook her head weakly. "No need. This is an old ailment I brought with me from my mother’s womb; it can’t be cured."

After the Emperor lay back down, Li Yuan added, "Amuer must not be used to the climate of Bei Yan. I have a Hot Spring Manor; it’s fairly warm there. I intend to take him there to stay for a few days. I hope Your Majesty will grant permission."

The manor Li Yuan mentioned was something the Emperor knew about. In the past, thinking she might be going out to secretly meet someone, he had people keep close watch, ready to catch them in the act. Unexpectedly, aside from two palace maids keeping the place, there was no one else at that manor. It seemed that her stomach illness eased somewhat over there; Li Yuan rather liked going, and every time she would soak in the hot spring for half a day before returning.

As time went on, the Emperor got used to it.

Now, hearing Li Yuan say she wanted to bring Amuer there, he didn’t think too much of it and merely asked, "Do you need Me to assign a few more people to accompany you?"

"This isn’t the first time I’ve gone." Li Yuan said, "Just as before will do."

...

The next day, when Wen Wan went to Fengyang Palace to pay her respects, Li Yuan brought up taking Amuer to the Hot Spring Manor.

Seeing Wen Wan hesitate, Li Yuan said, "If the Commandery Princess is uneasy, then come along."

Before Wen Wan could speak, she added, "However, only you alone may come."

Wen Wan’s heart fluttered uneasily, because a bad premonition had surfaced: Li Yuan would be killed today, and she was the only eyewitness. Naturally, the Emperor would pin all the blame on the Chu Country mission, and then everyone who had come from Chu Country this time would end up in prison.

Wen Wan could not persuade Li Yuan not to go to the Hot Spring Manor; she feared the Imperial Concubine would become suspicious. Besides, she also wanted to take this opportunity to find out exactly what kind of relationship existed between the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine and, incidentally, by dropping hints, ask the Imperial Concubine to halt the Northern Border campaign for Amuer’s sake.

Having made up her mind, Wen Wan hurried out of the palace to Jiuyin Square, produced the token, and asked by name to see the workshop master.

The workshop master was a woman of about thirty, with a graceful figure and a face bearing the mature beauty peculiar to that age; that kind of allure was not something just anyone could imitate.

Because of the token, Wen Wan was treated as an honored guest and led to a private room. After examining the token, the workshop master curved her lips in a smile and asked, "What does the Commandery Princess want me to help you with?"

Wen Wan said bluntly, "The Imperial Concubine may encounter danger when she leaves the palace today. Could the workshop master help me save her?"

The workshop master reminded her, "This token means I can only help you once. Are you sure you want to use it to preserve the Imperial Concubine’s life?"

"I’m sure." Saving the Imperial Concubine was also saving her own life.