Chapter 181: Meeting at Dawn
Beside the Hibiscus Pond, Xue Sui and Xue Yue Lou stood side by side, leaning against the blue stone railing.
The autumn sunlight slanted across the water, gilding the entire pond of red-crowned koi with a thin layer of gold.
Xue Yue Lou’s lips curved into a gentle smile as she watched Ming Ge’er, holding a thin bamboo branch, coaxing the koi to leap, splashing water like shattered jade.
Under the corridor not far away, three maids hurried past carrying food boxes, the aroma of “osmanthus sugar steamed curd” and “crab roe tofu soup” faintly drifting over.
Xue Yue Chen, who craved sweets during her pregnancy, insisted on “liking sour,” and her meals in the Prince’s Mansion were all prepared by the medical officer, making it hard for her to indulge.
Returning to her maternal home today, Madam Fu felt sorry for her and had the kitchen prepare the desserts she used to love. Xue Qing Zhi indulged her good intentions, even putting on a show of marital harmony for Xue Yue Chen, displaying a rare pleasant demeanor towards Madam Fu.
This kind of adoration made the weeping Xue Yue Ying in the courtyard seem even more desolate.
Xue Yue Lou looked at Xue Sui’s meaningful smile and sighed.
“The wind in the Xue Mansion has truly changed.”
In the past, Fourth Miss Xue was the sun of the mansion, getting whatever she wanted. Xue Qing Zhi doted on her so much that she often didn’t even put her legitimate elder sisters in her eyes.
Xue Sui curled her lips into a shallow smile, her fingertips lightly tapping the railing, scattering the koi in the pond.
“The child hasn’t even been born yet. Once the young heir is born, the sky of the Xue family will likely become even clearer.”
“Fourth Sister is truly obsessed—”
Xue Yue Lou pulled Ming Ge’er into her embrace, then crouched down to wipe the water stains from his clothes, her eyes filled with the tenderness of a mother.
“If I were Grandmother, I would have sent her to the ancestral temple for quiet cultivation long ago. Besides the Marquis Jingyuan’s Mansion, what family would tolerate a shameless daughter-in-law? Yet she still doesn’t know what’s good for her…”
Xue Sui nodded slightly, smiling softly.
“Second Sister is truly fortunate; you have finally come into your own.”
She looked up at the sparrows perched on the distant eaves, a self-deprecating smile on her face, her voice barely audible.
“As a divorced woman, having a place in the Xue Mansion is already a great fortune.” She looked up at the distant eaves, her voice softening slightly, “As long as the Xue family can allow my son and me to live in peace, I will be content…”
They exchanged a look, both understanding perfectly.
Xue Yue Lou’s current stability was entirely due to Third Madam Qian Shi managing the household.
Third Madam came from a merchant family but was kind-hearted and pure, not lacking in small change, nor did she skimp on their mother and son’s expenses. If Madam Fu had been in charge of the household before, this concubine’s daughter who had returned after a divorce would likely have been married off to some poor scholar by her.
“Miss.” Just as Xue Sui was about to speak, Jinshu arrived with a vermilion and gold-sprinkled invitation, a hint of hesitation on her face.
“Princess Wen Jia has sent an invitation, asking you to go to Pu Ji Temple tomorrow to copy scriptures and offer the Medicine King Sutra scrolls for the Empress Dowager.”
Taking the invitation, Xue Sui’s gaze swept over the hand-drawn magnolia pattern on the envelope, and she smiled knowingly.
This was Wen Jia’s usual stationery.
It carried the meaning of “magnolias in the courtyard, pure and upright.”
Truly a woman of orchid heart and orchid nature.
At critical moments, it was still Wen Jia who could come to the rescue.
Xue Sui’s lips curved into a faint smile, and she instructed Jinshu.
“I’ll go tell Eldest Sister. You tell Xiao Zhao to prepare the green lotus incense and the purple brush; we’ll set off early tomorrow morning.”
–
With Wen Jia’s invitation in hand, she told Xue Yue Chen, who readily agreed.
Wen Jia was now the Princess Protector of the Nation, the Empress Dowager’s most favored princess. She lectured on medical sutras for the Empress Dowager daily, making her smile with joy, and her health had improved considerably.
Xue Yue Chen, being pregnant, was even more unwilling to offend this newly popular figure. She merely instructed them to bring more guards before returning to her mansion.
That night, Xue Sui stayed in Li Xiang Courtyard.
Not long after dinner, Madam Qian sent someone to report that Xue Qing Xiu had returned to the mansion.
She quickly changed her clothes and headed to the West Courtyard, hearing her Third Uncle’s hearty laughter from afar.
In just half a year, this Third Uncle seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, as if he were a different person. His brows now held a touch of a general’s heroic spirit, making him look imposing.
Xue Sui suddenly understood why Xue Ji had fallen for Xue Qing Zhi at first sight—
The Xue family bloodline inherently carried good bone structure.
“Third Uncle.” She bowed gracefully.
“Quickly, quickly, no need for such formalities.” Xue Qing Xiu took off his Wild Goose Feather Saber, placed it on the desk with a clang, and sat down imposingly in the armchair, exuding the straightforwardness of a man from the military.
“I just returned from the military camp and haven’t had a chance to eat. Make do with a few bites, and sit down to chat.”
Madam Qian served dishes from the side, her lips curved in a gentle smile. The two children chased each other around the dining table, and in the flickering candlelight, the family of four was harmonious and joyful.
Xue Sui watched, somewhat entranced, until Madam Qian coughed softly, her face flushed.
“Sixth Miss is still here; you’re an elder, don’t be so unrefined with your eating.”
Xue Qing Xiu laughed heartily, took the handkerchief Madam Qian handed him to wipe his hands, and looked at Xue Sui with bright eyes.
“Speak, Sixth Girl, what do you need from Third Uncle?”
Xue Sui pondered for a moment: “Your niece indeed has something. However…”
Her gaze swept over the playing children. Xue Qing Xiu understood and immediately asked Madam Qian to take Tenth Miss and Xue Yi out.
Once the room door was closed, the newly promoted general’s smile faded, and he said seriously, “Just say what you need to say, don’t hesitate. If the sky falls, Third Uncle will support you.”
Xue Sui tilted her head slightly and asked with a half-smile:
“Third Uncle, under General Yi Wu, do you often go to the Divine Arm Camp in the southern part of the city…”
“Sixth Girl truly has sharp ears and eyes.” Xue Qing Xiu burst into a low laugh. “To be honest, the General values me, and he often sends me to handle matters at the Divine Arm Camp. Have you heard something?”
Xue Sui smiled, “I heard that recently there have been a group of Xizi merchants in the West Market who specialize in stealing imperial supplies and secretly hoarding weapons. They ambushed and killed an official at the posthouse in the southern part of the city. Is this true?”
Xue Qing Xiu’s expression turned solemn as he nodded. “Indeed, quite a few Xizi Death Warriors are causing trouble in Shangjing City, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate imperial family members and court officials. Recently, two officials have been murdered, both related to Xizi Death Warriors…”
He paused, looking at Xue Sui as if he had something more to say.
“Actually, the General ordered me to procure grain to secretly investigate… Last month, when the Ministry of War went to the Divine Arm Camp to verify equipment, the officer in charge of reception, Chief Qian, died suddenly under very strange circumstances. The General suspects there is more to it…”
The window lattice suddenly made a light sound as the night wind struck, startling flocks of crows.
Autumn insects chirped in the cracks of the stones, making the night seem even more eerie.
–
The next day at dawn, Xue Sui had the mansion prepare a carriage and set off for Pu Ji Temple with two maids and Jinshu.
As they turned the corner of Vermilion Bird Street, they heard the sound of horses’ hooves approaching from afar. A troop of black-armored Imperial Guards rode on the blue stone slab road.
The person in the lead rode a Wuzhui Horse, his cloak fluttering.
It was Li Zhao, whom she hadn’t seen in many days.
Xue Sui’s hand, which was lifting the carriage curtain, stopped mid-air, her gaze meeting his cold one.
Li Zhao’s eyebrows rose. “Madam Ping’an is leaving the city?”
Xue Sui bowed. “Replying to Your Highness the Crown Prince, this humble wife is going to Pu Ji Temple.”
Li Zhao reined in his horse and stopped. The black jade on his waistband gleamed faintly in the sunlight. “Are you going to pray for Imperial Brother?”
He had lost weight in the past few days; dark circles appeared under his eyes, and his lips were slightly pale. Only the burning light in his eyes seemed like a scorching breath, piercing through the morning mist and directly hitting her.
