Transmigrator meets Reincarnator

401-450

Chapter 401: Reunion (2)

They had chased after her on the snowboat. Along the way, they had found two frozen corpses, both male.

Judging from the direction they had been headed, they were likely Xiao Bojian's men, sent after Chu Lian.

If even they hadn't been able to survive in this weather, how would a young, fragile lady like Chu Lian fare?

He Changdi refused to continue that line of thought.

After seeing how silent his brother was being, Xiao Hongyu couldn't help but try to reassure him. "Brother He, try to think positively. Since Sister-in-Law managed to escape this far, she must have found a way to survive."

He Sanlang shot a glance at Xiao Hongyu. The complicated bitterness in his eyes spoke volumes. He couldn't even think of his past complaints against her right now. His only hope now was to see Chu Lian safe and sound.

Wasn't there the saying 'troublemakers live for thousands of years'? That wicked woman was a master at causing trouble- how could anything happen to her?!

The snowboat glided silently over the snow-covered ground. They continued travelling for what seemed like years to He Sanlang before the whole group abruptly stopped.

He Changdi finally showed some signs of life as he started and headed out of the warm pen to ask why they had stopped.

"What's going on? Why did we stop?" He Sanlang’s husky voice was heavy with fatigue.

Li Xing quickly ran over. "Third Young Master, there's no sign of any more tracks..."

Terror took over He Changdi for a moment.

What did they mean by no more tracks? What a bunch of useless fools!

He Changdi disregarded the objections of his subordinates and headed out to see for himself.

The scout had no choice but to lead him to where the tracks had vanished.

The hoof marks had disappeared under the snow. They couldn't find any more tracks despite checking in every possible direction. He Changdi stood in the middle of the endless snow-covered plains. His heart felt like it had been flash frozen into an icy block in his chest, even colder than the northern night around him.

His hands clenched into fists as the depths of his eyes turned murky. He turned to all of his subordinates around him and ordered, "Look around! Even if we have to dig up all the snow in a hundred-kilometre radius, I want to see Third Young Madam in front of me!"

He was normally a man of few words and cold expressions. His subordinates had never seen him in such a frenzy before.

Thus, they could only obey their orders.

Each of them got back onto their respective snowboats and started searching for clues in their surroundings.

He Changdi stood right at the spot where the tracks had disappeared, as if he had turned into a statue. He refused to believe that Chu Lian would have simply vanished and died out here!

At a loss for what to do, his gaze drifted across the surroundings and suddenly noticed that his soldiers had made a campfire not too far away. About twenty metres away from the fire, there was an odd protruding mound...

He Changdi had simply been scanning the horizon when he had noticed the lump. He stopped all movement and just stared at that spot.

Then, he ran like a madman towards the lump on the ground.

Upon arriving, He Changdi stretched out his hand and touched the snow with his fingers. He seemed to have found something there, as his entire body trembled and he immediately dropped to his knees and began shovelling the snow.

As he dug, He Changdi called out for the rest as loudly as he could.

Xiao Hongyu quickly noticed his actions and led a team over, equipped with shovels.

"Dig, dig right here! But be careful!" Xiao Hongyu ordered after seeing how frenzied He Sanlang's movements were.

The top layer of snow was quickly removed, and they finally saw what was underneath: two horses! Two dead horses, to be precise.

Xiao Hongyu stopped digging in disappointment, but He Changdi noticed that the horses' bellies had been sliced open.

His eyes lit up and he threw himself at the horses.

Xiao Hongyu thought that he had gone crazy because they had only found some dead horses. He hurriedly pulled him back and tried to persuade him in a mournful voice. "Brother He, don't lose hope! These are just some horses, but even though Sister-in-Law... Sister-in-Law isn't here, stay strong!"

He Changdi pushed the brat away and let out an angry roar. "What nonsense are you saying? Your sister-in-law is right here inside the horse's belly! Hurry up and help me pull her out!"

After Xiao Hongyu was pushed by He Changdi, he stumbled and fell into the knee-deep snow. It took him a moment to process the words before his expression turned into stunned astonishment. "What? Sister-in-Law is in the horse's belly!? The hell are you guys waiting for?! Quick, we have to save her!"

He Changdi pulled apart the horse's belly with his bare hands, only to discover the brothers Myeryen and Narisong curled up together within.

Even while hidden inside a horse's belly, they hadn't been completely shielded from the low temperatures outside. The two brothers had been sickly to start with, so they had already passed out by now.

He Changdi stared blankly at them for a second. When he finally recognised that they weren't Chu Lian, he turned to the other horse immediately.

Xiao Hongyu was already there with his men.

Once the horse's belly was opened, they found Chu Lian lying inside, hugging a barbarian woman.

Xiao Hongyu cried out in surprise before shouting, "Brother He, Sister-in-Law... Sister-in-Law is here!"

The moment He Sanlang had turned around, he had already seen Chu Lian lying in the middle of the horse's belly with her eyes shut. He pushed away the people surrounding the horse like a madman before throwing himself down on the ground next to Chu Lian. His hands shook as they reached out to embrace her, his heart in his throat. It was only when he felt the warmth of her body on his fingertips that his heart finally settled back down into his chest.

Chapter 402: In the Warm Pen (1)

Chu Lian had already passed out. Even though she had her fox fur cloak wrapped around her, she had still been affected by the cold since she had been lying on the outside.

He Changdi carried her in his arms like she was a rare, precious treasure. He hugged her tightly, as if afraid that she would disappear from his embrace if he loosened his hold even a little.

Chu Lian was all covered in blood and fluids from the horse's belly and she didn't smell very pleasant right now. However, He Changdi was able to ignore the nauseating odour completely.

He looked down at Chu Lian's bloodstained face and kissed her forehead gently.

Xiao Hongyu was so shocked by the sight that he stared in astonishment.

He recalled how Brother He had been so obsessed with cleanliness back in the northern border camp. When he looked at how Brother He was now carrying someone covered in blood and dirt, Xiao Hongyu felt like his image of him had been completely shattered.

He Sanlang brought Chu Lian into the warm pen of one of the snowboats. Although Xiao Hongyu was usually more careless with his actions, he was considerate when it came to certain things. He let He Sanlang have the warm pen all to himself and went over to squeeze into Li Xing's after leaving some orders for his men.

He Changdi carefully set down the woman in his arms on a fleece blanket.

It was much warmer inside the pen compared to the cold night outside. He personally took off Chu Lian's bloodstained fox fur cloak and threw it off to one side. Next, he grabbed a damp cloth from somewhere and wiped away the dirt on Chu Lian's face.

His dark eyes were locked onto the unconscious Chu Lian, and his normally cool expression had softened into a gentle gaze.

By the time he was done cleaning her face, the doctors in their team had rushed over.

He Changdi called them in with his low, magnetic voice. The doctor entered the warm pen with a wooden box full of medicines.

By then, He Changdi had already covered up the whole of Chu Lian's body with a blanket, with only her slender white wrist revealed for the doctor to take her pulse.

He Sanlang's face was still carved into its usual strict expression without any change in emotion. However, the hands hidden under his sleeves were tightly curled, and he was still tense stiff as he stared at Chu Lian's ashen face.

"How is it?"

The middle-aged barbarian doctor took his hands off Chu Lian's wrist and, in a respectful tone of voice, he answered, "Captain, please don't worry. Honoured Lady has a healthy body and she hasn't suffered the cold for too long. She only slipped into unconsciousness because of the low temperatures. Once her body warms up again, she'll be fine after resting for a few days. Do keep her warm over the next few days."

It was only after hearing the doctor's diagnosis that He Sanlang finally let go of his worries.

"Go and take a look at the mother and children who were with Honoured Lady!"

The doctor quickly left.

There was some hot water boiling over the brazier in the pen, so He Sanlang dipped a damp handkerchief into the water and wiped Chu Lian's hands. When he saw that her hands were reddened from the cold, he wrapped them in another cloth dipped in hot water to warm them up.

Chu Lian was still trapped in an unconscious daze, her mind heavy and fuzzy.

As it had gotten colder and colder, she had struggled to stay conscious. However, in the end, she hadn't been able to resist the cold and fainted.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the surroundings had suddenly become warmer. There was also a strangely familiar and pleasant scent in the air. She felt like her body had been submerged in a furnace, its red hot embers radiating a heat that soothed her discomfort. Her hands were suddenly wrapped in something warm, making her so comfortable she wanted to sigh in relief.

Chu Lian's furrowed brows slowly eased apart.

At this point in time, He Changdi was sitting right next to her.

His eyes were still fixed on her with murky, unreadable depths, and his thin lips were pressed into a line.

He had assumed that he was only slightly attracted to this wicked woman. It wasn't until now that he discovered that he had completely fallen into Chu Lian's 'trap'. Willingly, at that.

He would never forget the anxiety and despair he had felt while searching for her earlier.

He Sanlang stared at the 'shameless' wicked woman. She had long since stolen a spot in his heart, and although she had the exact same face as that person, his feelings towards her had already changed.

While deep asleep, Chu Lian felt a hint of a chill. There were still limits to how warm the pen on the snowboat could be when compared to a tent, especially since it was the middle of the night.

After her body had finally adjusted to the temperatures of the pen, Chu Lian regained her sensitivity to the cold.

Her relaxed brow started to wrinkle again and she mumbled under her breath, "Cold..."

He Sanlang had long drifted away, immersed in his thoughts. He was only called back to earth by Chu Lian's murmur. When he looked around him and realised there weren’t any spare blankets, He Changdi blanked out. Per the doctor’s instructions, he had to keep her warm, but without anything to do so with, he would have to rely on body heat.

He Changdi loosened the ties around his neck and took off both his cloak and outer layer before lying down next to Chu Lian. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace before wrapping his clothes around them both.

The chain of actions came naturally to He Changdi. The two of them had slept like this back in the cave as well, so this was familiar to him.

Although Chu Lian's body was small and slim, she had curves in the right places. Furthermore, she had specially trained herself to prepare for the trip to the north, so even the little padding on her waist had gone away.

Curled up in He Sanlang's arms, she was like a soft little doll.

He Changdi didn't want to let her suffer the slightest bit of cold, so he hugged her tightly to his chest.

Chapter 403: In the Warm Pen (2)

Men had higher body temperatures than women in the first place. Once Chu Lian had gotten close to this heat source, she subconsciously wanted to get even closer. It was all part of her natural instincts.

In order to hug her heat source tight, one of her legs even found its way between He Sanlang's legs.

The cool-faced He Changdi looked down at Chu Lian for a moment as his body stiffened. After some time, he simply let her do as she liked.

The two of them were each down to a single layer of clothing, which was thin to begin with. He Sanlang had one arm under Chu Lian's neck while the other circled around her slender waist.

Chu Lian was exhaling warm puffs of air around He Changdi's collarbone. One of her hands had subconsciously curled around the collar of He Changdi's shirt, like she trusted and relied on him.

The couple was stuck close to each other without any gaps between them.

He Sanlang's cool mask had melted a little by now. When his arms were filled with Chu Lian, it felt as if his heart was full, too.

Hidden from Chu Lian's view, He Changdi sighed in satisfaction and shut his eyes, as if he was about to join Chu Lian in slumber.

He hadn't been able to rest for a very long time. His nerves had been tightly wound for the entire search, and he had only been able to relax once she had finally returned to his arms again, so he was rather tired.

He Sanlang’s eyelids slowly slid shut and he was just about to fall asleep when Chu Lian suddenly moved. She wriggled as if trying to burrow deeper into his embrace. It seemed like her current position wasn't too comfortable and she wanted to change into a better one.

After Chu Lian moved, He Changdi completely lost all traces of sleepiness.

He loosened his hold on her and let Chu Lian shift into a more comfortable position. Once she had fallen back into deep slumber, he slowly tightened his arms around her again, keeping her safe and secure in his embrace.

However, after all that movement, He Sanlang didn't feel like sleeping any longer.

Helpless, he sighed and stared blankly at his surroundings while keeping a tight hold of her.

After a short moment, He Changdi started to feel like something wasn't quite right.

His expression changed and his ears started to flush red.

While Chu Lian was ensconced in his arms, her mouth was very close to his Adam's apple. The warm puffs of her breath were making his mouth dry.

He had been too worried earlier to think about how intimate their actions were. Now that he had calmed down, everything that had escaped his notice earlier was standing out. It was hard for him to ignore it again.

Since the two of them were bundled so tightly together and wearing such thin clothing, he could feel the softness of her chest on his.

The palm that he had placed on Chu Lian's waist suddenly felt burning hot. He froze up, not daring to make the slightest bit of movement.

He tried to forcefully adjust his breathing, trying to make himself calm down.

He Sanlang's tall body was now tensed like a drawn bow.

A bow that was already pulled to its limit and was about to shoot at any moment now with all its stored energy.

The sleeping Chu Lian just had to start getting restless.

He Sanlang had been tense with restraint due to the overwhelmingly strange sensations he was experiencing. His arms had turned into tight bars around Chu Lian, holding her in a vice-like grip as he put all his effort into trying to repress his feelings. Chu Lian wanted to escape the uncomfortably tight hold around her, so she started to wriggle.

She rubbed her body against He Changdi's and let out an uncomfortable moan. It was only then that He Changdi finally realised that he was crushing her. Panicked, he immediately released her, a light blush dyeing his handsome face pink.

Chu Lian wriggled a few more times before realising that her uncomfortable bindings had disappeared. She smacked her lips and slipped back into peaceful slumber.

He Changdi's body remained stiff for a long time after that. It wasn't until Chu Lian stopped moving that he finally dared to move. The pen's surface area was small; there was only so much space for them to sleep on.

Afraid that she would still be affected by the cold, He Changdi could only attempt to hug Chu Lian once again, but more carefully this time.

He reached out towards her under the blanket and wrapped his arm around Chu Lian's waist. However, what his fingers touched wasn't smooth fabric- rather, it was something soft and warm.

He Changdi reverted into a statue again. This time, his whole face turned a bright lobster red. The thoughts that he had managed to suppress only a few moments ago came flooding back into his mind.

Chu Lian's earlier movements had caused her clothes to unravel a little, revealing some of the smooth skin around her waist.

He Sanlang wanted to remove his scorching hot palm from Chu Lian's bare skin, but it was like it was stuck there- he couldn't move it at all...

Although He Changdi's expression remained as cool as usual, the raging blush on his face revealed his inner turmoil. He swallowed hard, gulping a mouthful of saliva.

He Changdi looked down at the woman in his arms.

Her lips were currently formed into a pout and her hair was slightly messy. A few strands had fallen over her flushed cheeks, right under her eyes. Her cute little nose was twitching slightly.

He Sanlang's gaze couldn't help but follow the line of her nose down to Chu Lian's slightly parted red lips.

He pressed his own dry lips together.

Inch by inch, He Sanlang moved closer until he could feel the warmth of her breath on his face. At this point, he forced himself to stop.

He Changdi was fighting a massive battle in his heart. His breathing became more hurried. In the end, he could no longer hold himself back and he placed a light kiss on Chu Lian's soft lips.

The palm resting at her waist glided over her skin before moving upwards in a very natural movement.

He still remembered the heavenly softness that had been pressed against his hard chest earlier, tempting him to lose control of himself...

Chapter 404: Together in the Pen (1)

He Changdi’s palm felt scorching hot.

The feel of Chu Lian’s smooth skin under his fingers was intoxicating. He couldn't pull away even if he wanted to.

He Sanlang gently pressed his lips to Chu Lian. His breath quickened. For some reason, he couldn’t help but think back to Xiao Hongyu’s obscene drawings, and in the process, his hands began to slowly climb towards Chu Lian’s chest...

A strange feeling washed over him when he finally reached that new uncharted land. Every fibre of his being drew taut with tension.

He swallowed hard. Despite his expression being as cool as ever, his eyes had already darkened into fathomless pools.

He Changdi had always been more aloof than most. Due to the tragedy he had experienced in his past life, his personality had become even more stoic and unfeeling.

It was hard to move the heart of someone like that. However, the moment they fell in love, they fell hard.

He Sanlang stared at Chu Lian with eyes as deep as the star-filled skies above.

He was uncomfortably tense all over, and the insides of his mouth felt parched. Finally, his hand began to move.

It was a sensation He Sanlang had never experienced before, and it pushed him right over the edge of no return.

He had never known that his wife's body was so soft to the touch. Compared to her, he was muscular and hard like a rock- definitely not as enjoyable.

Though He Changdi kept a straight face the entire time, his neck was slowly beginning to turn red. Only the heavens knew how excited and stirred up he was inside.

His long black eyelashes trembled as his eyes focused on the unconscious Chu Lian. The movement of his hand paused as well. However, he couldn't bear to part from the plush feeling of her breast beneath his palm; instead, he spread his fingers and cupped it in his hand.

After freezing for an agonising few seconds to make sure that Chu Lian was still sleeping and had no consciousness of what he was doing, He Changdi’s palm started moving again. Now that he was reassured that she hadn't woken up, he became even bolder.

He gently kneaded the area under his hand before realising that he wanted even more, and letting go of his restraint, He Sanlang slipped his entire hand inside to cover her breast. He pinched the entire handful and squeezed. Much to his delight, he found a little nub standing out from the rest of the smooth skin beneath his palm.

He Sanlang's lips were already pressed into a thin line. His palms grew sweaty. After a slight pause, he reached out with one finger and touched.

It seemed like that nub was too sensitive and couldn't withstand any sort of teasing. It began to change rapidly...

The natural reaction of Chu Lian's body acted like a catalyst, causing a strange sensation to arise within He Sanlang's own body.

In the dimly lit warm pen, the lantern hanging on the side swayed with the movement of the snowboat, casting a warm, romantic light over the two.

Even a man as aloof as He Sanlang wouldn't be able to keep an iron hold over his control when faced with the woman he liked.

Furthermore, Chu Lian was his lawfully wedded wife. It was only natural for a husband to be intimate with his wife.

Now that He Sanlang had found an excuse for his lapse of control, his movements became even bolder.

It wasn't enough for him to cope a feel with his hand alone. He wanted to see exactly what he was touching.

His eyes glanced down at Chu Lian's pale face, touched with a flush of red, and reluctantly pulled his rebellious hand out from her clothes.

He left another gentle kiss on Chu Lian's forehead before he reached towards the ties keeping her clothes together. Shifting back a little gave him more space to maneuver about, and then his hands did the rest.

Perhaps due to his nerves or the urgency of the situation, He Changdi wasn't able to untie her clothes no matter what he did. He had pulled so hard on the strings that the originally loose knot had tightened beyond repair...

The tips of He Sanlang's ears turned even redder, and his breathing came out in heavy pants. In the end, he lost all patience and used his internal energy to break the tie completely.

He Changdi's gaze landed on the sliver of fair skin exposed from the loose collar of Chu Lian's clothes, where her pretty collarbones stood out beneath her slender neck. His eyes slid lower towards the place his wandering hand had found earlier.

Chu Lian’s clothes were still keeping everything under wraps, but the pressure of lying down sideways had pushed her chest together, forming an enticing valley.

He Sanlang picked up one side of her inner robe with his fingers. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped hard.

The halter top that Chu Lian wore as underwear had loosened with all the movement. Despite his earlier troubles, this was enough for the usually blockheaded He Changdi to simply untie the strings at the back and gently toss it aside without further ado.

Thus, the soft, tender buns that had just been in his palm were finally in sight.

He Changdi’s gaze was now firmly affixed to Chu Lian's chest.

Looking at them was completely different from blindly holding them in his hand. The visual impact caused He Sanlang's body to wind up to its maximum. He had never thought that the two little buns on Chu Lian's chest would be so cute.

He was almost trembling with how taut he was holding his body. Although he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't restrain himself anymore. He reached out to rub one of the soft peaks.

The moment his fingers touched her smooth skin, He Sanlang lost control.

His slightly cool lips rained kisses on Chu Lian's forehead and then her nose as he headed further downwards.

He Changdi was completely immersed in enjoying the sensations overwhelming his body.

The one thing he couldn't have expected was Chu Lian waking up right this moment.

Chapter 405: Together in the Pen (2)

Deep in her slumber, Chu Lian had began to feel herself grow warmer again. However, at some point in time, her chest had started feeling somewhat uncomfortable. She had been able to bear with the pressure at first, but later on, it had gotten stronger and stronger until she just wanted to escape from that overbearing feeling.

Chu Lian's almond-shaped eyes blearily blinked awake, having been woken up from the pain of having her chest groped so hard. Who could have thought that she would be met with such an awkward scene the moment her vision cleared up?

She was shocked frozen for a second before a boiling rage overtook her. The slender leg that had been thrown over He Sanlang's body immediately retracted and delivered a swift and merciless kick.

Chu Lian had used every bit of strength she could summon for that one blow.

Even a strong man like He Sanlang was pushed away by the force of Chu Lian's kick... he rolled out of the blanket, a wretched sight to behold.

He Sanlang was abruptly woken from his fit of euphoria. A crack appeared in his cool expression as he directed a disbelieving look at Chu Lian.

After getting kicked at by Chu Lian, his arousal had faded away... Little Brother He likely wouldn't be able to get up to any mischief for the moment...

His left hand was still curled up like it was cradling something, so anyone could tell that he had been up to no good.

Chu Lian looked down, only to see that half of her chest was exposed! A furious blush lit up her cheeks. She finally understood what must’ve happened, and exactly what He Sanlang had been doing to her while she was unconscious!

Anger swelled up in her heart. She quickly pulled up her clothes, covering up the little bun that was slightly reddened from all the groping.

Chu Lian was bursting with fury, and she unleashed it in an enraged roar. "He Changdi, when did you become so shameless?!" He had actually taken advantage of her while she was unconscious! He had even touched her... there... and it had been so painful that there were likely marks left on her skin!

Was this still the same cold and stoic lunatic He Sanlang?!

In the midst of her rage, tears had welled up in Chu Lian's wide eyes. Despite the fiery light in them, she didn't look the slightest bit imposing while glaring at He Changdi. Instead, she looked like a bullied puppy.

He Sanlang was stunned as he stared into Chu Lian's eyes. In the next moment, he actually clambered back up expressionlessly and returned to Chu Lian's side. He lifted the fox fur cloak covering her, trying to burrow back into the pile of blankets.

This was completely out of Chu Lian's expectations. She didn't think that He Sanlang would be so shameless as to return without any sort of shame in his expression at all!

Her fury climbed to new heights. What was this lunatic He Sanlang trying to do?!

Chu Lian's brows drew together and she tried to voice an enraged shout, "He. San. Lang!"

However, Chu Lian's voice was naturally tender and pleasant to the ears. She didn't seem threatening in the least, let alone in this situation. Conversely, she was the very picture of a frazzled little kitten who had just been bullied and was trying to threaten someone by showing off her fluffy little claws. However, those tiny kitten claws probably wouldn't even leave a mark if she tried using them on someone.

He Sanlang reached out with one long arm and captured her immediately, stuffing her back into the nest of blankets in one smooth movement as if her struggles were nothing.

"The doctor said that you have to keep warm. You can't let your body get chilled again. Lie down first."

Chu Lian's chest was still hurting!

This darned He Sanlang didn't know how to control his strength!

She wanted to object to his order, but she didn't have the physical strength to do so, so she could only let him wrap her up in the warm blankets again.

"You little..."

"Do you remember where you were before?" Although there was the usual cool cast to He Sanlang's handsome features, his husky and magnetic voice had become softer. Before Chu Lian could start chewing him out, he had cut in with his question.

That one question pulled Chu Lian's thoughts away from her rage.

That's right. Chu Lian blinked. How had she woken up in this warm place with her lunatic husband next to her?

Hadn't she been hiding with Urihan in a horse's belly in the middle of the snowy plains?

She had been trembling so hard from the cold that she thought she wouldn't be able to make it.

Had He Sanlang found her?

Chu Lian's moist eyes widened in surprise. She found it hard to imagine how He Changdi had managed to find her out on that inhospitable swath of snow-covered ground. What kind of dangers had he faced in order to get to her?

She had still been in the horse's belly then!

"Do you remember now?" He Sanlang asked gently.

Chu Lian nodded, looking rather shaken.

She had been in precarious situations twice now, ever since she had come to this world. Each time, it had been He Changdi who had saved her in the nick of time while her life had been dangling on a thread. She wasn't made of stone, of course she felt something for him in return.

So He Changdi.... actually cared for her that much...

When He Sanlang saw that Chu Lian had slipped into a daze, a wave of relief swept over his heart, though his outer expression remained unchanged.

That had been way too awkward just now. It was bad enough that he had lost control over himself, but he had actually gotten caught by Chu Lian. Luckily, he had changed the topic in a quick turn of wit, otherwise the 'wicked woman' would probably have annoyed him for a long time over this matter.

He continued hugging Chu Lian and stroked her back gently, as if he were soothing a puffed up little kitten.

However, after finishing two comforting strokes, his hand couldn't help but twitch. The sensation of touching those buns still remained on his palm and had yet to fade away.

Chapter 406: You Look More Handsome (1)

Chu Lian looked up at the man embracing her. Although the lighting was dim, she could see his features clearly.

He Sanlang didn't look as handsome as his usual self. Right now, he looked more like a normal man worried about his wife.

His face had an unhealthy pallor to it and he was starting to look like a panda. Stubble had even begun to grow on his chin. However, he didn't look disheveled or unkempt. Instead, those marks of fatigue gave him the charisma of a mature man.

She had to mention it again; He Sanlang's looks were really top-notch. Although his brilliant, heroic features weren't as popular as Xiao Bojian's in this era, He Changdi was the better-looking of the two in Chu Lian's heart.

As Chu Lian looked up at him with her wide eyes, the back of He Sanlang's ears were slowly turning red and his expression was becoming a little stiff.

The icy timber of He Changdi’s voice sounded especially clear and loud within the small amount of space they had. "What are you looking at?" he asked a little awkwardly.

Without thinking, Chu Lian replied, "Looking at you."

He Changdi hadn't expected such a frank statement from her. A blush immediately began to spread down his neck.

He jerked his face away, his eyes darting frantically about until they finally landed on the roof of the pen.

When Chu Lian glanced at him and noticed that his entire neck was now red, she stared in stunned surprise. He... He Changdi was actually embarrassed... Had he always been so sensitive?

He Sanlang resisted the urge to squirm under Chu Lian's probing gaze and finally just covered her inquisitive eyes with his hand. His voice was slightly husky as he said, "Stop looking, there's nothing to see here. Go to sleep!"

Considering what she had woken up to, Chu Lian didn't dare to actually fall asleep again!

Who knew what her lunatic husband was going to do if she fell asleep this time...

Even though Chu Lian hadn't brought up the topic, it didn't mean that she had really forgotten about what had just happened. She just felt that it was too awkward and she wasn't brave enough to mention it. One side of her chest was still throbbing a little in pain!

That damned He Sanlang!

She tried her best to hold back her question, but she ended up asking it anyway. "Are you going to be here as well? I'm fine now."

Chu Lian was implying that she was already perfectly well, and He Sanlang should move along with his own business. His presence would be disturbing her rest.

He Changdi still had some smarts left in that head of his. He instantly understood the meaning behind Chu Lian's words. His expression turned slightly stormy; any husband who had just been disdained by his wife would probably react the same.

"We have too many people in our party, and there aren’t enough warm pens to house us all. Some of the others are packed with up to five people."

Chu Lian bit her lip. She had no choice here; He Changdi had actually managed to corner her.

He had a point. If she really threw him out this time, wouldn't his brothers laugh at him?

It would be hard to explain why he wanted to squeeze in with the other guys instead of staying with his wife.

Chu Lian lamented her misfortune inwardly and gave up. They were married anyway, and she didn't actually dislike He Sanlang. On the contrary, she might even have taken a liking to him somewhere deep in her heart.

There wasn't really anything in the way of them becoming husband and wife in truth rather than just in name.

Chu Lian showed him a faint frown and said, "Then you had better behave yourself."

He Sanlang's expression had somewhat relaxed after Chu Lian hadn't taken him to task for his misdeeds. The moment she brought up the elephant in the room, his handsome face lit up in a spectacular blush once again.

He gulped hard. Even his fingers felt rather stiff from all the tension in him.

It was only after a long pause that he finally managed to reply, "Sleep, I won't move at all."

Chu Lian shot a doubtful glance at him before grunting lightly in agreement. From the way she wrapped her clothes tightly around herself, it was clear that she didn't trust He Changdi's weak self-control in the least.

She was about to shut her eyes when she abruptly remembered Urihan and her sons.

"What about the people who were lying in the horses with me?"

He Sanlang shifted the cloaks and fleeces covering the two of them and made sure that Chu Lian's entire body was properly shielded from the cold. "They're in another warm pen. Don't worry, there's a doctor looking after them. They'll be fine."

Upon hearing that her companions were safe, Chu Lian sighed in relief and finally let herself relax fully.

She looked up at He Changdi. He seemed to have recovered from his blush and was now back to the normal calm and cool-headed Sanlang. However, when she looked closer at his narrow, upturned eyes, she could still detect a well-hidden trace of tenderness in their depths.

Chu Lian blinked. "He Sanlang, did you find out who did all this?"

The question made He Sanlang's sharp brows lift a little. He didn't like how Chu Lian had addressed him.

After a slight pause, he cast a searching gaze down towards the woman curled up in his arms, trying to see through her thoughts.

"What do you think?"

The space between Chu Lian's brows wrinkled as she thought seriously. Her face was like an open book. All of her thoughts and emotions could be read just by looking at her.

"Those kidnappers couldn't possibly have been sent by Xiao Bojian, right?" Chu Lian's words sent a ripple of shock through He Changdi.

His pupils constricted, and he met Chu Lian's innocent gaze with a grave expression.

"Why would you think so?"

Chapter 407: You Look More Handsome (2)

A corner of Chu Lian's mouth tilted downwards. She spoke honestly, as if she hadn't noticed the doubts in He Sanlang's eyes.

"I think there's something wrong with his mind. He keeps pestering me. You saw how he was like on the way we went back to the Ying Estate. Later on, he even tried to meet me at Defeng Teahouse on the basis of being acquainted in the past, but I rejected him. He's my grandfather's favourite pupil and he entered the Imperial Academy after just half a year of examinations, so he has some smarts- I'm afraid he's not someone to be trifled with."

Although she hadn't revealed some details in her complaints, everything she had said was true.

Chu Lian had read the original story before and she knew that Xiao Bojian wasn't a good man. She had decided to draw boundaries with him when she had first arrived in the Great Wu Dynasty. Of course she wouldn't let He Changdi have any misunderstandings of the relationship between her and Xiao Bojian.

She wasn't the original wicked woman 'Chu Lian'. She wasn't the one who was hell-bent on loving Xiao Bojian, who wanted to keep her body pure for him even after marrying someone else.

Chu Lian knew that He Changdi likely already knew about everything she had just told him.

Why else had he sent Wenqing and Wenlan to serve her?

Just because she hadn't mentioned it outright didn't mean that she was completely oblivious to what was going on. She knew that Senior Servant Zhong would add a letter for He Changdi every time they sent letters to the northern border troops. Even if she had never read those letters before, she could guess at their contents.

They were most likely reports about her.

Her goal had always been to be a layabout. As long as she had good food and enough money to live on, she would be perfectly happy. With her sister-in-law, Madam Zou, around, she didn't even need to manage the household and she could just spend her time having fun. Thus, she had been too lazy to bother with controlling Senior Servant Zhong and the Wen sisters' surveillance of her.

He Sanlang clearly hadn't expected Chu Lian to complain about Xiao Bojian. When she had been talking about him, He Sanlang had been able to feel just how much she disliked him from the disdain in her expression alone.

His brows wrinkled for a bit before he broke out into a sudden smile. "I didn't know that you thought of Mister Xiao that way. You've really surprised me there. Don't you know that Xiao Bojian has been the ideal lover of many noble ladies, even back in the Imperial College?"

He Changdi wasn't exaggerating at all. If Chu Lian had been able to see for herself the carnage of Xiao Bojian's victory parade after he had become the top scholar, she would have probably stood dumbstruck, marvelling at the ladies going crazy over him.

Back then, it had been raining flowers all over. The girls on either side of the road had tossed flower petals at the top scholar sitting atop his horse. The streets that Xiao Bojian had passed through had been left strewn with so many flower petals that they formed a thick carpet.

Chu Lian was already numb to the strange, abnormal aesthetics of the Great Wu Dynasty. She rolled her eyes hard and almost cringed as her imagination brought up an image of Xiao Bojian's feminine face, all dolled up with a huge flower tucked into his hair, wearing his bright red scholar's robe and parading about town.

The corners of her lips twitched. "In my eyes, you're much better-looking than he is."

It was He Sanlang's turn to freeze in shock. He pressed his lips together. He wanted to ask if she meant it, but he just couldn't bring himself to ask.

In the end, He Sanlang took a deep breath to calm the repressed yet happy feelings within him and told her the truth. "It was him. Xiao Bojian is in Su City right now."

Chu Lian's response was to open her eyes as wide as they could go in a show of disbelief.

Xiao Bojian was in Su City?!

Going by the original story, Xiao Bojian and He Changdi didn't get along in the first place. Did that mean that they had already crossed swords in Su City?

He Sanlang had successfully brought supplies back to camp. It was clear who had won their first duel.

Chu Lian suddenly felt a burst of pride. Although her husband was a little crazy sometimes, he was still pretty strong when it came to fighting!

She wanted to add something else, but He Sanlang patted her back lightly. His voice was still husky as he prompted, "It's late, hurry up and go to sleep!"

Chu Lian swallowed her words and agreed.

She had been kidnapped today, after all, and taken away to that hill where she had spent all night trying to think of a way to escape. Luckily, the sneak attack she had suffered in the forest the last time had increased her caution. From then on, she had always kept some drugs on her at all times.

Once she had drugged those kidnappers and taken Urihan and her sons away, they had spent a whole day travelling through the windy, snowy plains. Later on, they had killed the horses and hidden inside their bellies for warmth. After a whole day and night of tumultuous events, Chu Lian had already gone past the limit of her body and she was extremely fatigued.

If not for He Sanlang and his excessive use of force, she wouldn't have woken up at all. The feeling of He Changdi's gentle pats on her back brought her back to her childhood, when her mother had held her in her arms and soothed her to sleep in much the same way.

The sleepiness she had been holding back returned to her mind immediately. In less than a minute, Chu Lian had already slipped back into slumber, as evidenced by her long and shallow breaths.

He Sanlang cast his gaze down at her, scanning Chu Lian's young features with unreadable depths.

He hugged the slender body in his arms more tightly and sighed.

In his past life, Urihan had saved him, so he had come looking for her family earlier in this life. He had given them some necessary supplies for winter. Later on, there had been too many military matters at hand keeping him busy until the war with the Tuhuns started. He hadn't had any time to check on Urihan and her sons at all. He hadn't expected her to appear now and save his wife.

Fate worked in strange ways.

It was as if the hidden strings of destiny had already connected all these events together.

Although the events seemed like random coincidences, it felt like they were simply following predestined paths.

Chapter 408: Take Good Care of Your Wife (1)

He Sanlang felt a thin thread of anxiety needle its way into his heart, and just like that, the heat in his belly instantly cooled. He subconsciously hugged the warm, soft woman in his arms tighter, as that seemed to be the only way he could reassure himself.

Urihan and her sons were fine. After eating some food and resting for the whole night in a warm pen, their spirits were better than ever.

By the time Chu Lian woke up again, she realised that it was already the afternoon of the next day.

She curled up a little and rubbed at her sleepy eyes. The natural furnace that had been keeping her warm was already gone. In the chill left by its absence, her body shivered into wakefulness.

Just as Chu Lian was about to sit up and call for someone, the curtain covering the entrance shifted. He Changdi used only one arm to push himself into the warm pen.

The first thing he did was set a little indigo package off to one side. When he looked up and accidentally met her gaze, He Changdi immediately looked away.

Chu Lian noticed that his expression seemed a little weird. Even the tips of his ears were slightly red. Her brows drew together in confusion and she looked downwards at herself. It was then that all was made clear, and her own face flushed red.

It seemed her inner clothes had fallen loose in her sleep. Since the string holding the two front panels of her top together had been broken by a certain someone, her clothes were wide open, showing the light yellow halter top she wore inside. However, the halter top had also shifted in her sleep and was now exposing a great amount of her fair skin. There were obvious red marks all over her chest, the remaining evidence of He Sanlang's 'indulgence' last night.

Chu Lian glared at him and quickly pulled her top closed. She angrily barked, "Turn around!"

This time, He Sanlang was strangely obedient. He turned around without any retort. Once Chu Lian was sure that he couldn't see her, she quickly adjusted her own clothes.

However, when she found out that the tie keeping her top closed had been broken, she could no longer suppress her vexation and cried, "He Changdi, this is all your fault!"

He Sanlang had already forgotten about that small detail. When his wife started shouting at him out of the blue, he felt rather aggrieved.

He pressed his lips together, but he still kept his back to her just like she ordered.

"Can I turn back now?"

"Turn back here!" Chu Lian fumed.

When He Changdi turned around and looked at Chu Lian, he finally understood what she was angry about.

A furious blush flared to life on his cheeks as he recalled exactly how he had broken that cloth string last night. His right hand twitched in remembrance as well. Even the cool and collected He Sanlang couldn't quite summon up the courage to speak in the face of his wife's admonishment.

"Do you have any clothes? Get me some."

She could only make do by holding her inner clothes closed for now. The fox fur cloak she had been wearing yesterday was now completely covered in horse blood and was stinking to high heaven. She couldn't put that on anymore.

He Changdi coughed awkwardly and reached out towards a small cabinet built into the wall of the warm pen. He dug around in it and found a set of clothes.

"We don't have any female clothing here; you’ll have to make do with mine first."

This was the snowboat that He Changdi had taken to Su City, so there were a few sets of his clothes in here.

Since they were still stuck in the vast snowy plains, Chu Lian had no choice but to wear He Sanlang's clothes for now.

He had given her a thick, long black robe embroidered with green bamboo patterns. It seemed like any other piece of clothing at first, but once she pulled it on, she immediately felt the difference between her and Sanlang.

He Sanlang's figure was tall and lanky. After training for almost half a year in the north, his body had become much more sturdy as compared to before.

Conversely, Chu Lian's figure was small and slim. When the two of them stood together, she only reached his chest. Now that she had He Sanlang's robe on her, she looked as if she was wearing some long-sleeved stage costume...

After she finished doing up the round little buttons on the top, the robe still felt loose around her.

Chu Lian sighed. She really didn't have any other options. She couldn't just keep wearing a single layer of inner clothing with the tie broken. Even if she didn't have to meet anyone in that state, she would surely freeze to death.

She climbed up from her nest of blankets and dug out her waistband, using it to cinch the huge robe around her.

Then, Chu Lian rolled the sleeves up high until she could finally see her hands. It was only then that she heaved a sigh of relief. Now she could sit down in peace.

He Sanlang was watching her with his slightly slanted eyes the whole time.

Actually, the robe was made to be worn by itself, and he usually didn't need a waistband to tie it up. However, in order to hold the loose robe in place, Chu Lian had needed to make use of her inner clothes’ waistband. Unexpectedly, the secured robe only emphasised her natural curves. Without his bidding, He Changdi’s mind drifted back to the sensation of his hands on her chest last night.

Furthermore, Chu Lian was wearing his clothes right now. Any man would feel a sense of domination and satisfaction upon seeing the woman he liked in his clothes.

Chu Lian didn't know that her simple actions had somehow managed to satisfy a hidden desire of Sanlang's. She sat down and turned her gaze to the package that He Sanlang had brought with him.

She gulped. Her stomach audibly rumbled just in time.

He Sanlang was pulled back to the present by the sound. However, he didn't seem disagreeable at all. Instead, he seemed to understand what she wanted and passed the cloth bag in his hands to Chu Lian.

"Eat something first to fill your belly. We'll reach the main camp by evening."

Chapter 409: Take Good Care of Your Wife (2)

When she opened up the bag, there was just some jerky and preserved food. Chu Lian didn't mind the poor offerings and simply started eating.

In a situation like this, Chu Lian knew better than to complain about the food. No matter what, she couldn't let herself go hungry.

He Sanlang sat at one corner and watched her eat. When he didn't catch any trace of disdain or unhappiness in her expression, a part of his heart relaxed and warmed up at the same time.

Actually, Chu Lian was a very caring and considerate lady. She had never been difficult on purpose and everyone got along well with her, no matter their position. She wasn't at all like the spoiled, haughty noble ladies of the capital.

When He Changdi thought back to the reports he had received from Prince Jin regarding Chu Lian, his brows suddenly drew together and his chest tightened.

Although Chu Lian was the Sixth Miss of the Ying Estate, her mother had died when she was young and Chu Qizheng had remarried. As the saying went, once there was a stepmother, soon there would be a stepfather. Chu Lian hadn't been favoured at all, and since there were too many children in the Ying Estate, Duke Ying and Duchess Ying had never taken notice of her. She hadn't had a good life in the Ying Estate.

Her quality of living was sometimes even worse than some of the concubine-born daughters.

He Sanlang had never given much thought to Chu Lian's past before. However, when he thought of it now, his heart felt a little heavy.

Chu Lian was currently focused on the jerky, so she hadn't noticed any of He Sanlang's little changes in mood.

Even if she knew what he was thinking, she would only roll her eyes at him.

Anyway, the person he was lamenting for wasn't her. She wasn't the original 'Chu Lian'. She couldn't even recognise all the Ying Estate’s members!

However, He Sanlang had gotten something right. Although Chu Lian was a picky eater and loved good food, she wasn't someone who would be difficult on purpose.

Chu Lian would consider the circumstances she was in before thinking with her stomach. If she still fussed about food when there were more dire things to be concerned about, wouldn’t she be the first to die?

Once her stomach was full, Chu Lian sat by the brazier in the warm pen and kept herself warm.

The glowing embers cast a red glow over Chu Lian's fair face. It was rare for the couple to get a chance to sit together for a chat like this.

Actually, when He Sanlang wasn't in one of his fits of lunacy, he was still a pretty handsome man, albeit rather stone-faced. Chu Lian couldn't get enough of his looks.

Under Chu Lian's forceful questioning, He Changdi reported every detail of how he had come to find her. However, he hid the details about the murders of the four kidnappers.

He Changdi didn't know why he had done so subconsciously. When he looked into Chu Lian's wide, trusting eyes, he just felt the urge to protect the innocence shining within them.

Chu Lian stared into the embers of the brazier, her eyes sparkling. Her head was lowered, so no one could see the upwards curve of her lips she hadn't been able to hold back.

She hadn't made the wrong choice to stay with this husband of hers now, hadn't she?

When evening came, before the last traces of the sun fell below the horizon, He Changdi and the rest of the search party managed to reach the border camp on time.

Captain Guo, Sima Hui, Zhang Mai, Tang Yan, and all the rest had already gotten the news and were waiting at the main camp entrance to welcome them back.

Chu Lian was still wearing He Changdi's clothes, so it wasn't appropriate for her to make an appearance.

He Changdi jumped out of the warm pen with his usual cold expression and exchanged a few words with the welcome party before personally escorting Chu Lian to her tent.

Once Chu Lian had changed into a proper set of clothes and became presentable again, she came out to personally greet all of the friends who had been worried for her.

Since Chu Lian was still living in the female camp, it wasn't good for He Changdi to stay there, so he returned to his own camp and tent after giving Wenqing and Wenlan some instructions.

Once he entered his tent, he could hear Xiao Hongyu and the others talking.

Captain Guo and Zhang Mai hurried over after seeing He Sanlang enter.

Captain Guo patted his shoulders and said, "It's good that Sister-in-Law is safe. Don't think too much about all of this."

Zhang Mai chipped in with his own words of comfort.

The two of them were much older than He Changdi and Xiao Hongyu, so they thought more than the others.

Chu Lian was a woman after all. After getting kidnapped like that, even if she had her identity as an Honoured Lady to keep some from talking, there was plenty that other people could say about a woman taken out to the wilds by a pack of rogues...

If rumours like those affected her reputation, it wouldn't be good for the young couple.

Captain Guo was afraid that He Sanlang would overthink things.

He Sanlang was a little dumbfounded, which showed in his expression as he looked at his two older brothers. He helplessly replied, "What are you thinking about? Why would I even think like that?"

When Captain Guo heard his response and saw that he seemed open-minded, he finally set down his worries. "You brat. I'm not worrying for you. Alright, it's good as long as you understand. Sister-in-Law is a good lady, you had better not mistreat her."

During these years of peace, what kind of noble lady would come all the way out to this desolate north and suffer through so much for the sake of her husband?

Although Honoured Lady Jinyi's words and actions showed maturity beyond her years, she was still a young lady who hadn't even reached the age of sixteen.

"Thank you for your concern, brothers. But you've worried too much for this matter. Rest assured, I've already ordered my men to seal their lips shut. Not many people know about what happened other than my trusted subordinates." He Changdi was usually meticulous with his actions. Before leaving the main camp to look for Chu Lian, he had already settled the matters at hand in the army.

Since he had the responsibility of being Chu Lian's husband, he couldn't allow her reputation to be besmirched.

Captain Guo nodded in admiration. He was also someone who would protect his wife with his life, so he understood why He Sanlang had done so.

"Relax, I'll take care of everything else in the army. I won't let anyone spread the news."

When He Sanlang heard this, he made the rare gesture of bowing deeply to Captain Guo.

The corners of Zhang Mai's lips lifted up. "What are you being so formal for between us brothers?"

Captain Guo burst out into laughter. "Let him bow, we deserve this gesture! Damn brat, take good care of your wife from now on."

Chapter 410: Protecting His Wife (1)

Although it was a very common phrase, it sounded a little strange to He Changdi when it finally filtered into his mind. He felt like there was a double meaning to the word 'care', especially after he had experienced more intimate contact with his wife...

Thus, the tips of He Sanlang's ears started turning a little red.

Captain Guo and the others didn't notice this little detail. At most, they just thought that He Sanlang's expression seemed slightly awkward.

However, they weren't bothered about such minute changes amongst brothers.

The men sat down in the center of the tent.

As He Changdi removed his sword from his waist, Zhang Mai glanced at him and asked, "Have you found the culprit behind this?"

He Sanlang looked at his brothers and said a single name.

"Xiao Bojian."

Although He Sanlang’s tone hadn't changed, Captain Guo was able to sense the deep-rooted hatred that he had for the man.

Zhang Mai furrowed his brows. His surprise showed in his voice as he asked, "I've never heard of that name before; how is he involved in this?"

Captain Guo's home was in the capital, and he regularly exchanged letters with his wife and children. He knew a little more about the capital’s latest news compared to Zhang Mai. Captain Guo frowned as well and said, "That person is this year's top scholar for the imperial examinations. His good name has spread across the whole city. He's Old Duke Ying's disciple."

When the mention of Duke Ying came up, Captain Guo shot a meaningful look at He Changdi as his expression turned a little strange.

Xiao Hongyu was lying on his bed. One of the corners of his mouth pulled down. "That old man Duke Ying must be really blind. He's raised a feral wolf by his side without knowing."

The young Xiao Hongyu had somehow stumbled upon the truth of it.

He Sanlang sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. After taking a small sip, his brows drew together and he set the cup down. It was clear he didn't like the mixed taste of sencha. He licked his lips and realised that Chu Lian's sickly sweet honey water was actually better than sencha.

"Although House Ying is linked to me in marriage, we're not close to House Ying."

He Sanlang had put it nicely. Not only were they not close to House Ying, Chu Lian probably would never want to go back.

He Changdi brought his fingers together and touched the green Hetian jade ring on his right thumb before continuing, "Xiao Bojian is currently the secretary of the northwestern army encamped in Su City."

This time, Captain Guo and Zhang Mai's expressions both changed.

Surprise and bewilderment showed on their faces. They had never expected a newly minted top scholar to have climbed his way up the court ranks so quickly!

When Captain Guo noticed the darkness swirling in He Changdi's eyes, he startled a little and held down Sanlang's shoulder. "We have to think about this in the long term. Don’t be rash."

He Sanlang looked helplessly at his two older brothers and said, "Brother Guo, Brother Zhang, don't worry about me. I'm not an impulsive person."

In his past life, he had already suffered enough torture under the hands of that adulterous couple. How would he fall for their tricks once again? Once bitten, twice shy, but he had already been bitten more than just once!

Although He Changdi was young, even Great General Qian placed the utmost trust in him, let alone his band of brothers.

Zhang Mai patted He Changdi's shoulder in comfort. However, he didn’t end the conversation there. "There's one more thing,” added Zhang Mai.

He Sanlang looked up at Zhang Mai in slight confusion.

Zhang Mai's expression was grave, as were his words. "You probably don't know this yet since you just came back, but the traitor in our camp has been caught. It was Gao Zhangwei."

Although Gao Zhangwei didn't get along with their Right Wing Army and constantly went against them in the northern border troops, conflict within an army was one thing and selling out their country was another.

Even if they fought within the army ranks, there wouldn't be any grudges left once one side won. However, if they betrayed the entire army by colluding with the enemy, the entire army would look down on them.

Who could have expected Gao Zhangwei to have done such a thing?!

Great General Qian was also both shocked and angry. He immediately decided to have Gao Zhangwei executed under the flagpoles of the border camp.

He Changdi was a little startled. He remembered that Gao Zhangwei's collusion with the enemy hadn't been discovered in his past life. Not only that, but Gao Zhangwei had even earned a lot of merit from this war and later, he had been personally titled General Changping by the Emperor himself. He had also been awarded a noble rank with the title.

Thoughts swirled in He Sanlang's eyes. Although Gao Zhangwei was narrow-minded, he didn't have much courage to do anything. If he had really sent secret military information to the Tuhuns, then there had to be a mastermind behind it.

"The execution will be held tomorrow. In order to send a warning to the whole army, the general will be doing the execution himself in front of the two wings and the female army. We have to be present as well."

On this night, everyone was able to set aside the worries in their hearts to have a good night's rest. Even the burdened He Sanlang was no exception.

Since the Tuhun army had already been defeated, it wasn't too appropriate for Chu Lian to continue staying in the camp. The next morning, He Changdi escorted her back to Liangzhou City's He Estate, along with his subordinates and House Jing'an's private soldiers.

He Changdi didn't sit in the warm pen together with Chu Lian this time, and stayed on horseback next to the snowboat instead.

Mo Chenggui was following right behind him, his old face wrinkled up. He stared at He Changdi for a long time, lips parted and with a conflicted expression. In the end, he wasn't able to say a single word.

He Changdi cast a neutral glance at him before saying, "Uncle Mo, if you think that you shouldn't speak up, then don't speak at all. Keep your words to yourself forever."

Mo Chenggui was startled by the frankness and hurriedly chased up to He Changdi on his horse. He looked around them first before asking He Sanlang in a low tone, "Third Young Master, when Third Young Madam was taken away..."

Chapter 411: Protecting His Wife (2)

Before he could finish, Mo Chenggui was interrupted by He Changdi. He stared at Mo Chenggui unhappily with a threatening aura that demanded obedience. "Uncle Mo, you had better remember this. Nothing happened to Lian'er at all. If I happen to hear anything that says otherwise, I won't let you off easy even if you've served our family for a long time!"

Mo Chenggui was shocked by the sudden forceful air his Third Young Master had taken. That aura had been exactly like that of the old count when he had still been alive. It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on his face. Mo Chenggui was startled awake.

In the end, Mo Chenggui glanced at He Sanlang and chose to seal his lips on this matter. "Please rest assured, Third Young Master. This old Mo knows how to behave."

"It's good that Uncle Mo knows how to behave. I hope that Uncle Mo will pass down this order to the rest of the old soldiers. I don't want to hear any other misunderstandings about Lian'er in the future either."

After throwing down those words, He Changdi twitched the reins in his hands and pushed his horse ahead to the warm pen where Chu Lian was.

Mo Chenggui stopped his mount and stared at He Changdi's leaving back as he moved to meet his wife. Uncertainty wavered in his heart. Ever since he had come to the northern border and seen for himself everything that He Changdi had done in the military, his turbid old eyes had a new shine to them.

The current Count Jing'an, also known as the North Defender General of Mingzhou’s border, was a large, tan, burly man who simply didn't look the slightest bit similar to the tall and slim Old Count Jing'an.

If not for how loving the old count and countess had been and how he had watched Matriarch He swelling up for ten months and eventually giving birth to Count Jing'an, Mo Chenggui would have suspected that the current Count Jing'an wasn't the old count's biological son.

Everyone said that He Sanlang took after his mother, Countess Jing'an, but that was because they had never seen Old Count Jing'an in person. Out of the three sons that Madam Liu had given birth to, He Sanlang was the most similar to the old count when he had been young. This was most evident in his slender build and his steady and introverted nature.

It was most likely because of the similarity to her husband that the matriarch liked this grandson of hers the most.

The second son of House Jing'an was already twenty four this year. Even though he still refused to take a wife, the matriarch had left him to his own devices. However, when He Sanlang came of age, the matriarch had gone to plead the empress dowager for the sake of getting him one of House Ying's fertile young misses.

This wasn't purely because Matriarch He wanted the He bloodline to go on, but also because she wanted the grandson who looked the most like her husband to leave behind some children of his own flesh and blood for the future.

A resolute glint lit up in Mo Chenggui's old eyes. He seemed to have returned to the days when he had followed the old count into the battlefields and lost themselves in the heat of battle. Since the old count had already gone ahead without him, he would have to take the place of the old count to take care of the grandson who looked the most like him.

When they returned to the He Estate, He Sanlang actually personally helped Chu Lian out of the warm pen.

Wenqing and Wenlan were waiting on Chu Lian nearby. When they saw this, they couldn't contain the elation on their faces. It seemed like this incident hadn't created a gap between Third Young Master and Third Young Madam, but had actually pulled the young couple closer instead.

Chu Lian shot a look at the huge palm that He Sanlang had offered to her and placed her tiny hand in. The corners of her lips curled up.

Just as the couple had entered the He Estate and settled down at the table, before they even had the time to breathe, Mo Chenggui had already strode in with someone behind him. It was a familiar face to all of them: Laiyue.

This was when Chu Lian recalled that He Changdi had entrusted the matter of searching for the Snow Mountain Mists flower to Laiyue. Did this mean there was good news?

As the thought crossed her mind, she became even more alert.

When Laiyue entered the hall after Mo Chenggui, his face was practically radiating joy. Even before He Changdi or Chu Lian could ask, he had already spoken up, unable to contain himself. "Third Young Master, Third Young Madam, we found it! We found the Snow Mountain Mists!"

As expected. Chu Lian's almond-shaped eyes lit up. "Did you find it at Mount Ah-Ming? Have you heard when it will bloom?"

Laiyue nodded so furiously that he looked like a chicken pecking at grain. "We've investigated all the details. It seems like the Snow Mountain Mists will bloom in about seven or eight days. We heard from an old barbarian living at the foot of Mount Ah-Ming that the flower blooms for about five days. We just have to climb up to the mountain peak during this period and pluck the flower."

Although there wasn't any change in He Changdi's expression, his eyes were also overflowing with an expectant light. "Since that's so, send out the orders. Prepare to leave immediately; we'll depart for the mountain tomorrow!"

Mo Chenggui had received the good news along with them, so he followed Laiyue and went off to prepare for the journey.

Soon, only the young couple was left in the hall, along with Wenqing and Wenlan.

Chu Lian abruptly turned to He Changdi with her eyes sparkling. She was about to speak when He Changdi cut in first.

"You're not allowed to go!"

Chu Lian was stunned speechless, but she had enough wit left to roll her eyes. What was this? When had He Sanlang learned how to read her mind? She hadn't even said anything yet, but he had already anticipated what she was going to say.

He Changdi's gaze fell onto her ankle.

"My ankle wound healed a long time ago. I can walk the same as any other person now."

He Sanlang remained resolute. "Even so, you're not allowed to go. Be good and stay in the He Estate. I'll lead my men to Mount Ah-Ming."

In the end, no matter how Chu Lian tried to persuade him, He Sanlang was stubborn and refused to let her go. Even though Chu Lian was on the verge of getting angry at him, He Sanlang still remained steadfast.

Chu Lian had no choice but to give up on following along.

Actually, she knew that He Sanlang was worried for her health. However, when she saw him being so stubborn, she just wanted to knock heads with him anyway.

Chapter 412: Looking for Snow Mountain Mists (1)

Of course, Chu Lian obviously wasn’t allowed to go in the end, so she stayed in the mansion.

However, she wasn’t silly enough to just wait around doing nothing. She compiled modern tips and tricks for hiking onto a sheet of paper for He Changdi to take along with him.

Although Chu Lian had never climbed Mount Everest in her past life, she had tried climbing some other snowy mountains. Furthermore, she had taken the time to take several lessons under a professional coach, so it was obvious that she was more well-trained for mountain climbing than the ancients.

He Sanlang tucked the list of ‘things to note’ away into his clothes. The thin slip of paper felt like a personal heater for his heart.

When he looked at the writing and saw how different it was to ‘Chu Lian’s’ writing in his past life, He Changdi didn’t know why he didn’t feel a single shred of alarm. Conversely, the tightly wound nerves in his heart relaxed.

The northern border troops had achieved an overwhelming victory over the hundred thousand-strong Tuhun army, and this news only took two days to reach Suzhou City, which was next to Lake Qianshan.

Suzhou City then passed on the news to the capital, sent out at the highest speed and priority.

The scourge of the north had been defeated, and it was nearly New Year. If the good news could reach the capital before New Year’s Eve, then the capital’s celebrations would be even more joyous.

With their borders safe and their tributary states coming down to pay their respects for New Year, it was a double blessing for the Great Wu Dynasty.

When the news reached Suzhou City, Xiao Bojian was in the middle of drinking some tea inside his tent.

Three men dressed in black were kneeling in the center.

One stood right next to Xiao Bojian at his usual place. He was trying his best to erase all signs of his presence, afraid that he might provoke his unstable master somehow.

Xiao Bojian’s cool gaze swept over the three kneeling men. Although his tone seemed normal, the three men knew exactly what he meant when he spoke. They couldn’t help but shiver in fear.

“One, settle this according to our standard procedures.”

Even the leader of the secret guards, One, couldn’t hold back a shiver from the unfeeling words.

However, he didn’t have any right to plead for mercy for them. He walked up to the three men and stuffed a small brown pill in each person’s mouth so quickly that they couldn’t react.

After having the small pill forcefully fed down their throats, the faces of the three men turned deathly pale.

“It’s your last chance now. You know what will happen if this poison isn’t cured after a month,” One warned.

Following that, Xiao Bojian dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

One took his place at Xiao Bojian’s side again, turning back into an invisible person.

Only he knew what he felt inside at this moment.

He just couldn’t understand how a pampered, weak girl like Honoured Lady Jinyi could have escaped from the hands of their deadly operatives. She had also been able to kill the four operatives before escaping… His throat suddenly felt a little dry and cold sweat gathered on his back.

Xiao Bojian’s features had always been more feminine. The threatening aura draped around him only emphasised the sinister cast of his face. Now that the northern border troops had won the northern war, there was no longer any need for the northwestern army to continue staying in Suzhou City. He believed the Emperor would recall the northwestern army once he received the news and send them back to their original posts.

Then he would be returning to the capital soon.

Although Xiao Bojian refused to accept this truth, there was no longer any need to remain in Suzhou.

But thinking of Lian’er... Whenever Xiao Bojian thought of how Chu Lian was still by He Changdi’s side, his rage would slip out of his control and he would feel the urge to rip He Changdi to shreds.

While the clouds hanging over Xiao Bojian’s expression had yet to fade, someone outside the tent had something to report.

Returning to his senses, Xiao Bojian hid his emotions and allowed the messenger to enter.

The curtain blocking the entrance was lifted and a low-ranking soldier entered with a letter.

With the utmost respect, the soldier said, “Sir Xiao, you have a letter from the capital.”

It was One who stepped forward and picked up the letter, handing it to Xiao Bojian with both hands.

Xiao Bojian gripped the thin letter with his slender fingers and waved in dismissal at the soldier. The soldier then bowed his head and left.

As Xiao Bojian stared at the letter, his brows drew together.

He checked both sides of the envelope, but there weren’t any markings at all. If not for the feeling of something inside the envelope, he would have thought that it was empty.

He sneered inside; this was probably a ploy from someone.

His parents had died when he was young and his clan had fallen into decline. There weren’t that many of them left. The only people he was familiar with in the capital were members of House Ying and his schoolmates. He had already received House Ying’s letter a few days ago, so this couldn’t have been sent by Old Duke Ying. This made the anonymous sender even more of a mystery.

After tearing the envelope open, Xiao Bojian found a thin piece of paper.

Not much was written within; only up to half the paper had been filled. However, just the content alone was enough to make Xiao Bojian’s expression change completely.

His disdainful expression was instantly wiped clean. Xiao Bojian gripped the paper in his hands hard as his features contorted. After a moment, he actually burst out into loud laughter. The sight was so spine-chilling and fearsome that even One’s body trembled.

“Mas… Master, is something wrong?”

“The heavens are truly on my side!” Xiao Bojian was already so immersed in the waves of excitement overwhelming him that he didn’t even hear what One said.

His upturned eyes were filled with excitement as he gripped the letter in his hand and ordered, “Send some men to Mount Ah-Ming! They must annihilate He Changdi no matter the cost! If they fail the mission, then expect their heads to roll! Send someone to investigate the source of this letter as well!”

One didn’t dare to question his master further and immediately left to carry out his commands.

Chapter 413: Looking for Snow Mountain Mists (2)

After One left, Xiao Bojian was left alone in the tent.

He stared at the words on the letter. Mount Ah-Ming, Snow Mountain Mists! He Sanlang, this is going to be a journey of no return for you!

After staring at the letter for a while, Xiao Bojian felt that the writing was strangely familiar, but he lost the feeling after inspecting it carefully.

When he gave it some thought, Xiao Bojian couldn’t help but find it strange. He Changdi had gone into the army so quickly, just who could it be that hated him so much? House Jing’an didn’t have many enemies in the capital as Count Jing’an spent most of his time guarding Mingzhou. Furthermore, the information contained in the letter was a huge secret that should only be known to the family members of House Jing’an.

Even his spies hadn’t been able to find out that they needed the Snow Mountain Mists flower.

Xiao Bojian’s eyes turned into narrow slits as he pondered.

The following day, He Changdi brought a team of people he trusted and rushed towards Mount Ah-Ming.

Mount Ah-Ming wasn’t too far from Liangzhou City. Now that they had their snowboats and the warm pens, there wasn’t any place that was too far from reach for them, even on the snowiest of days.

The northern border troops had just achieved a huge victory, and He Sanlang was one of the soldiers who had contributed much to that. After he had privately explained his reasons to Great General Qian, the general had kindly given him half a month off and even allowed him to choose a few elite soldiers to accompany him.

He Changdi didn’t depart from the He Estate and left directly from the main camp instead. Thus, Chu Lian didn’t have to send him off.

On the third day after He Sanlang had left for Mount Ah-Ming, Chu Lian had just gotten out of from bed when she noticed Wenqing, Wenlan, and Manager Qin all busy directing the other servants in a buzz of activity. Her courtyard was especially lively with people going to and fro.

Even Urihan and her two children were pitching in to help.

Chu Lian was flabbergasted. She didn’t know what they were so busy with.

When Wenlan noticed her bewildered young madam standing in the corridor watching them, she hurried over to welcome her with a smile.

“Third Young Madam, why didn’t you put on an extra cloak on such a cold day?”

Chu Lian waved her hand to indicate that she was fine. Her body was completely healthy now, and she wasn’t that fragile.

“What are you all so busy with? There’s so many people, and it’s so early, too...”

Wenlan’s eyes widened with how startled she was. She covered the smile that had sprung to her lips and said, “Third Young Madam, you must have forgotten the date! The Kitchen God Festival is approaching, so we are getting everyone to clean the courtyard in preparation for the Kitchen God Festival.”

Chu Lian smacked her head. Her mind had been so occupied with worries these few days that she had completely forgotten about that!

It was the 18th of December now, so in a few more days, it would be the Kitchen God Festival.

Chu Lian smiled helplessly. “That’s right. I’ve actually forgotten such an important date.”

Wenlan smiled along with her and ordered one of the maidservants passing by to retrieve a list, which she then passed to Chu Lian. “Third Young Madam, these are the things that Manager Qin, Wenqing and I have come up with after discussing what we need to prepare. Please take a look and let Manager Qin know if there’s anything we’ve missed out.”

Chu Lian took the list from her and glanced over the long list of goods. She felt a little overwhelmed; they had even listed all the types of dried fruits and nuts they needed.

Her fingers pointed at a few items on the list. “This, this, and this. Are we able to get these in Liangzhou City?”

Wenlan covered her mouth and chuckled. “Third Young Madam, have you forgotten that we have the snowboat now? Suzhou City isn’t far from Liangzhou. If we rush over there to buy the things we need now, we’ll definitely be able to send them back before the Kitchen God Festival.”

Chu Lian: …

Alright, she had actually forgotten about the ‘sled’ she had ordered to be made.

After hearing what Wenlan had said, a light bulb lit up in Chu Lian’s head. Her limpid eyes were sparkling as bright as if if there were gold ingots in her eyes as she said, “Quick, go and call Manager Qin over.”

Before Wenlan could answer her, she turned back and returned to her room. Chu Lian sat by the desk in front of the window and began fervently writing with her charcoal pen.

When Wenlan led Manager Qin in, Chu Lian was still hunched over the table. Seeing that she was in deep concentration, Wenlan didn’t dare to disturb her, so she stood there silently waiting with Manager Qin.

By the time Chu Lian had finished writing out the idea that had suddenly struck her, an hour had already passed.

She stretched out her sore body. It was only when she turned her head that she noticed the two waiting for her.

Chu Lian walked over to the warm hearth and pointed at the seats on either side of her. “Everyone, take a seat. I have some orders for you.”

Following that, Chu Lian handed over the papers in her hand to Manager Qin on her right.

It wasn’t the first time Manager Qin had worked for Chu Lian. No one knew better than he did how novel Chu Lian’s ideas and how well she could execute them.

He respectfully received the few pieces of paper and his attention was immediately taken away by them. He lowered his head and started reading earnestly.

At first, the space between his brows was wrinkled in confusion, but as he got to the end, his eyes began to sparkle even more. Manager Qin’s whole face was flushed red with excitement. He held the few pieces of paper reverently as if they were some ancient treasure.

Manager Qin looked at Chu Lian with his eyes as wide as they could go and said, “Third Young Madam, please entrust this matter to this humble one! This humble one will definitely execute everything perfectly!”

Chu Lian smiled. “I called you over to look at this, so of course I was planning to hand this task over to you. Even if you wanted to reject it, I wouldn’t allow you to.”

After getting confirmation from Chu Lian, Manager Qin’s excitement shot through the roof. “Thank you for granting my wish, Third Young Madam. This humble one will head out to select the helpers immediately!”

Wenlan stared after Manager Qin with a face full of curiosity. When she saw how stirred up he was as he ran out, her face showed that she couldn’t make heads or tails of it. “Third Young Madam, what’s wrong with Manager Qin? Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?”

Chu Lian smiled secretively, but didn’t explain her plan to Wenlan at all.

Chapter 414: Aunt (1)

Instead, Chu Lian changed the topic. "Since the border troops have come out victorious, there’s even more reason to celebrate. I've thought of some foods we can have for New Year’s. Go and discuss it with Wenqing, then put all the ingredients we need on this list and hand it over to Manager Qin."

After all that had happened ever since they had come to Liangzhou, Wenlan was very happy to see that her mistress had finally recovered the mood to cook up some good food. Chu Lian had just mentioned the food offhandedly and Wenlan was already bubbling with questions about what she was going to make this time.

Although they were stuck out here in rural Liangzhou, Chu Lian didn't want to just make do for this New Year. Anyway, they weren't going to make it back to the capital in time for New Year's Day, so why not make their own preparations here and have some nice festivities with He Changdi?

Thus, for the following days, Wenqing, Wenlan, and Chu Lian made spring rolls, dumpling skins, then the actual dumplings, new year cake, and all sorts of assorted snacks...

Time passed so quickly that, in the blink of an eye, it was already the night of the Kitchen God Festival. Chu Lian and the maidservants prayed to the Kitchen God before they sat down with Urihan and her sons for a hearty dinner. At first, Wenqing and Wenlan weren't willing to sit at the same table as their mistress, but after Chu Lian shot them a warning look, the two of them sat down awkwardly.

The table was filled with all sorts of food. A huge hotpot was placed right in the center with plenty of ingredients next to it. There were thin slices of beef and mutton, tofu, clean sheep intestines, dried vegetables, beancurd skin, beef meatballs...

Chu Lian and a whole group of maidservants had been kept busy the whole day in order to prepare this authentic 'Chongqing hotpot'.

Other than the lack of fresh vegetables, it was pretty much the same as the modern Chongqing hotpot.

There was some weak yellow rice wine, especially suited for women to drink, warming over the brazier. Chu Lian waved her hand to signal the maidservants to start cooking.

The He Estate in Liangzhou was filled with people making merry and enjoying the festivities. Even the outer court was no exception, with Li Xing and the old soldiers leading the celebrations.

However, it wasn't so peaceful and lively back in the capital’s Jing'an Estate.

At the end of November, the estate had been greeted with the news that Heir Jing'an's servant concubine, Miaozhen, was pregnant.

On the very same day, the heir's wife, Madam Zou, had burst out in a fit of temper and broken the teacup in her hand. She had even brought Senior Servant Qiao and her handmaid, Jinshui, to Miaozhen's courtyard to make a fuss.

Miaozhen had almost been force fed some herbal medicine to make her miscarry.

Luckily, her maidservant had been quick-witted enough to run away and report the situation to Countess Jing'an, Madam Liu.

When Madam Liu had heard what was going on, she flipped her lid and pushed her sickly body out of bed to stop Madam Zou.

Following that, she had brought Miaozhen back to her side so that she could have a peaceful pregnancy.

However, after forcing herself out of bed and having her blood pressure shoot up from her anger, the efforts that Great Doctor Miao had put into strengthening her body were completely wasted. The state of her health was back to where they started.

Since Madam Zou had no other outlet to vent her anger on, when He Changqi returned to the estate, she had another huge quarrel with him.

He Dalang had been feeling guilty about the whole mess at first, but after what Madam Zou put him through, that little bit of guilt instantly disappeared.

Madam Zou took her two daughters with her back to her maiden home, the Dingyuan Estate, for a week. After both getting persuaded by her mother and being invited back by a messenger from Matriarch He, she finally returned to the Jing'an Estate.

The new year was almost here. The estate couldn't do without a woman in charge of the household, and there was no one else who could take the post.

It was around this time that Madam Zou suddenly started playing up her helplessness. Her belly was still boiling with anger. Furthermore, the stores in House Jing'an's name weren't earning much. They had to spend lots of money to keep up their dignity as a noble house while visiting friends around the capital.

On this day, she brought her two daughters over to Qingxi Hall to give their greetings to the matriarch.

Madam Zou pulled the six-year-old Little An and the four-year-old Little Lin close to her and whispered in their ears, "Hurry up and greet your great-grandmother."

Little An and Little Lin ran over to the matriarch on their little legs and called out sweetly in unison, "Great-Grandmother!"

The matriarch patted the two girls' heads with affection.

When she had a good look at how the two girls were dressed, Matriarch He's expression turned grave.

"It's almost New Year’s now; why haven't you let the children dress up a little? At such a young age, they should be wearing brighter and livelier colours. They should have their golden lock amulets and pearls on, too."

After Matriarch He mentioned their state of dress, everyone in the parlour directed their gazes to the two youngest misses of the house. They showed all sorts of expressions after doing so.

The two young girls were wearing some worn, plain short dresses today. There wasn't even a single kind of decoration on their little heads. Even the pearl-inlaid gold collars they usually wore had been taken off. They didn't look anything like the precious noble ladies they were. Instead, they looked no different from the daughters of commoners.

It was going to be New Year’s in a few more days, yet the legitimate misses of their estate were dressed so poorly. No wonder the matriarch wasn't pleased.

Madam Zou had been waiting for Matriarch He to say something like this. She gripped the handkerchief in her hand without saying a word, as if she was embarrassed to speak. Senior Servant Qiao couldn't stand seeing her mistress like that, so she spoke up.

"Matriarch, please pardon us. The two young misses are our madam's dear children. How could Eldest Young Madam bear to treat them shabbily? It's just that our Eldest Young Madam has found it hard to make ends meet as the lady-in-charge, especially since we're preparing for New Year’s. Eldest Young Madam still has to spend an appropriate amount for gifts to other estates so that our estate won't be looked down upon. Since the two misses are Eldest Young Madam's daughters, the two misses have to share a little of the burden now that the main branch has cut down on spending."

Senior Servant Qiao immediately kneeled down right after she finished speaking, as if she knew she had done wrong by explaining all that and was prepared to receive any punishment for speaking out of turn. This made it hard for the matriarch to say anything else.

Chapter 415: Aunt (2)

The corners of Madam Zou's eyes reddened and she mumbled, "Grandmother, it's Granddaughter-in-Law who wasn't capable enough to manage the household properly and made Grandmother worry."

Matriarch He frowned deeply. Although she was starting to dislike this granddaughter-in-law of hers more and more, Dalang had indeed taken a concubine before he had turned thirty, so she still felt like she owed Madam Zou a little for that.

After thinking for a bit, the matriarch swallowed her frustrations.

"Bring over the public account books for me to see how much we're lacking."

Madam Zou inwardly celebrated even as she kept her head lowered in a sign of obedience. She quickly shot her handmaid Jinshui a look.

In a short moment, the account books had been brought over.

Matriarch He set the account books on a table next to her and waved her hand at Madam Zou. "Go and mind your tasks. I'll keep this account book with me for now. Come back again tomorrow morning. Also, Little An and Little Lin are still young. Even if we can't make ends meet any longer, we can't let the children suffer."

Madam Zou stood up and led her two daughters to bow towards the matriarch with reverence. "Thank you for your teachings, Grandmother. Granddaughter-in-Law won't let this happen again."

"Alright, alright. You're dismissed."

Madam Zou left and brought her daughters back to the main branch's courtyard.

Little An and Little Lin were taken back to their own rooms by their nursemaids. Only Madam Zou's most trusted servants, Senior Servant Qiao and the handmaid Jinshui, were left in the room.

Senior Servant Qiao passed a teacup to Madam Zou. "Eldest Young Madam, will this really work? Even though Third Young Madam is no longer in the estate, the matriarch's servants are still managing Guilin Restaurant. The matriarch didn't agree to this before, so why would the matriarch agree to it now?"

Madam Zou harrumphed. "This time, it's not up to the matriarch any longer! Just wait and see!"

Although Senior Servant Qiao didn't agree with what Madam Zou was doing, she couldn't stop her anymore. She could only sigh to herself.

Ever since the heir had taken a concubine, Madam Zou's thoughts had gone to new extremes.

Actually, House Jing'an's family tradition was one of the best around. Even though He Changqi hadn't waited until he was thirty to take a concubine, according to the family laws, he was already twenty nine this year. That was already close enough to thirty. The couple had been married for almost ten years, but they still only had Little An and Little Lin.

There was no male heir for House Jing'an at the moment. In any other noble house, it was perfectly normal for the senior family members to be getting antsy by now.

Even so, Eldest Young Madam wasn't putting her efforts into winning back her husband, but on trying to control the family fortunes instead. Senior Servant Qiao lamented again in her heart.

Madam Zou's eyes were still alight with determination.

The matriarch's only daughter was about to return home. She really had to thank the person who had revealed that information to her.

Within Qingxi Hall, Matriarch He was still lying back on the wooden couch with an account book in hand. The more she looked at the accounts, the more she wanted to tear the book apart with her bare hands.

Senior Servant Liu was doing some embroidery next to the old matriarch, together with Muxiang. When she saw the matriach’s tightly furrowed brows and depressed expression, she quickly set down the needle and thread in her hands. Senior Servant Liu walked over to the matriarch’s side and, in an attempt to comfort her, said, "Matriarch, what's the matter? Please don't get angry over small matters like these."

The matriarch tossed the account book in her hands aside and let out a long sigh. She angrily pointed at it and said, "Take a look at it yourself. How is that a small matter? You know how much our family assets were worth when I handed them over to her. Look at what she's done to them! The value of our assets have shrunk by at least half. For this whole year, not a single store brought in any profit for us. No wonder she doesn't even have the money to send out New Year presents!"

Senior Servant Liu took up the account books and flipped through the pages. Soon, her brows were furrowed just like the matriarch's. "How can this be? How could we have such heavy losses? Still, you should calm down, Matriarch. You know that Eldest Young Madam isn't good at managing businesses."

"Forget it, forget it. Who told Dalang to have done such a sorry thing to her! Go and get my personal account books from the drawers."

The matriarch flipped through the personal account book in her hands and pointed at a few parts. "Tell the steward to give all these to Madam Zou."

Senior Servant Liu was watching carefully the whole time. When she heard so, she pressed her lips together like she had something to say.

Matriarch He glanced at her. "What's wrong? What is it that you can't say in front of me now?"

"This old servant doesn't dare. But this old servant was just thinking, if you give all these to Eldest Young Madam, then what about Miss Ying..."

The matriarch froze for a moment. Miss Ying was Matriarch He's only daughter; she had married far away to Siyang. Back when she had gotten married, something had happened that had caused Matriarch He to stop all contact with her daughter for many years.

After so many years, Senior Servant Liu had still kept the habit of calling the past Eldest Miss of House Jing'an by her maiden title, Miss Ying.

Half a month ago, Miss Ying had sent a letter home, saying that her husband had passed away from illness and that her husband's family had fallen into ruin. She wanted to bring her daughter back to her maiden home to live out the rest of her days.

The events of the past had happened long ago, and her son-in-law was already gone. Miss Ying was still Matriarch He's very own daughter- how could the matriarch bear to ignore her for the rest of her life?

Thus, the soft-hearted matriarch had sent a letter and some servants to bring Miss Ying and her daughter back to the capital to celebrate New Year’s together.

The matriarch stayed in a daze for a long time, as if she had slipped back into her memories. Finally, she said, "For all the assets under my name, which store is the most profitable right now?"

Senior Servant Liu replied truthfully, "You have two silk stores and two grain stores under your name, as well as a dried medicinal herb store. As for the most profitable one, that would have to be that old Guilin Restaurant that you gave to Third Young Madam."

Chapter 416: Not Stupid (1)

The profits from Guilin Restaurant were currently helping with the burden of Countess Jing’an’s medicine expenses, and the matriarch had already handed the deed to the restaurant over to Chu Lian. If she were to take it back and put it into the public accounts now, it wouldn’t be appropriate.

Matriarch He thought of how Chu Lian was still in the north and sighed. “Xiangyun, what should I do?”

Senior Servant Liu frowned. It took a short while for her to reply. “How about putting two months of Guilin Restaurant’s profits into the public funds for now? When Third Young Madam returns from the north, Matriarch can return Guilin Restaurant to her. How does that sound?”

Matriarch He’s lit up and she nodded immediately. “Let’s do that.”

The matriarch’s private assets weren’t infinite either. Their whole family wasn’t good at business. She had used her private funds to make up for shortfalls here and there and she still had to leave enough for He Erlang’s wedding. There really wasn’t much left.

As for Miss Ying’s matter, although her daughter hadn’t lived up to her expectations when she was younger, that was still the child she had carried for ten months in her womb. Now that her daughter had left her husband’s family with her newly come-of-age daughter and had no other support in the world Matriarch He had to stretch her funds to account for Miss Ying as well with her return.

Children would always be a debt for their parents. As rational as Matriarch He was normally, when it came to her own daughter, she just couldn’t make her usual clear-headed decisions.

“Muxiang, come with me to Guilin Restaurant later,” Senior Servant Liu instructed.

Muxiang had been doing needlework in the corner. She seemed a little dazed and she didn’t respond for quite some time.

Senior Servant Liu shot a glance at the girl when she didn’t get a reply. Upon noticing her odd behavior, she found it weird and asked, “Muxiang, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

It was only then that Muxiang returned to her senses. She shook her head and replied respectfully, “Matriarch, momo, this servant is fine.”

Senior Servant Liu laughed and joked, “Don’t tell me that you’re occupied with thoughts of your marriage now that you’re all grown up! Don’t worry, you’re the most capable maid under our matriarch. When you marry someday, she’ll definitely treat you well.”

Muxiang acted shy and said, “That’s not it at all, momo! This servant is going to serve Matriarch forever!”

Matriarch He smiled and poked her forehead. “Alright, stop that silly talk. Make a trip down to Guilin Restaurant this afternoon with Xiangyun and explain things clearly to the steward there. Take these ten taels of silver and buy more clothes and accessories for yourselves.”

Senior Servant Liu smiled and led Muxiang in a grateful bob to the matriarch.

On the night of the Kitchen God Festival, a few days before New Year’s Eve.

It was rare for all the resident masters of the Jing’an Estate to be home at the same time. They all gathered at the parlour in the outer court for a meal.

However, there was a single seat that remained empty. Countess Jing’an was still bedridden due to her fit of anger at Madam Zou’s actions.

Only Dalang’s family and Matriarch He were seated at the large round table.

The pregnant Miaozhen was currently kept by Countess Jing’an’s side so that her pregnancy could go smoothly.

There was a subtle pressure in the air that made the entire meal uncomfortable.

Matriarch He sighed deeply. “Dalang, do you have any news of Erlang and Sanlang?”

He Changqi knew that his grandmother was worried for them. The He family already had very few members to being with, yet the men of the family were all fighting hard in distant lands, away from the family. He Changqi knew he couldn’t really share every single detail to his grandmother. Of course he would only report the good news while withholding the bad.

“Grandmother, please don’t worry. Erlang is currently investigating a case with Prince Jin in Zhangzhou. They’ve already found some clues, so if there aren’t any unexpected incidents, he should be able to come back for the new year. Third Sister-in-Law is still in the north so Sanlang has someone to take care of him!”

The matriarch let out another long sigh. She couldn’t muster up any appetite, so she set down her chopsticks and reached out behind her, signalling for Muxiang to help her stand. “It’s getting late and my old body is tired. Eat slowly, you two. I’ll be heading back to rest. Don’t forget to visit your mother after you’re done eating.”

“Grandson understands. Please walk carefully, Grandmother.”

“Alright, don’t bother with sending me off. Spend more time with your wife and children.”

Not long after the matriarch had left, He Changqi got up and left in huge strides, without even glancing back at Madam Zou.

Madam Zou stared at He Changqi’s retreating back with hatred as her nails dug angrily into her palm.

Within Songtao Court, Senior Servants Gui and Zhong were leading the whole courtyard of maidservants in celebrating New Year’s.

Since their masters weren’t around and they were all servants, the two stewards didn’t dare to make too much of a fuss over the festivities. They simply sat down with the other servants and had a good meal together, and that was the end of it.

When they were done eating, the two senior servants and the few handmaids began to tidy things up in the warm room.

Meanwhile, Xiyan was wearing a serious expression as she wrote down some records in an account book. She placed all the accounts that had been sent over from Guilin Restaurant on the table.

Senior Servants Gui and Zhong were working on some new clothes for Chu Lian. One of them smiled and asked, “So how much did Third Young Madam’s Guilin Restaurant earn last month?”

When this was mentioned, Xiyan first reacted by freezing up, then taking a deep breath to calm the fires raging in her heart.

“Momo, don’t talk about that anymore. No matter how much Guilin Restaurant has earned last month, it has nothing to do with our Third Young Madam.”

The senior servants exchanged bewildered looks before they said, “Why not? It was Third Young Madam who single-handedly made Guilin Restaurant what it is. Although she borrowed the restaurant that the matriarch gifted to her, the deed is still under Third Young Madam’s name!”

Chapter 417: Not Stupid (2)

Xiyan was clearly still huffy over the whole matter. Her usual calm and generosity were completely non-existent as she snorted. “So what if it belongs to our Third Young Madam? Our Third Young Madam is the most junior in this family, so she can’t beat the senior family members. See, with one word from Matriarch He, a whole month of profits from our Third Young Madam’s Guilin Restaurant have been confiscated for the public funds! They didn’t even leave  a single silver behind!”

Senior Servants Gui and Zhong were astounded. They hadn’t expected Matriarch He to have done so.

To be honest, even though it was the matriarch who had ordered this, it was still a little too much.

Guilin Restaurant now belonged to Chu Lian alone!

A shared sense of foreboding appeared in their hearts.

Senior Servant Zhong mulled it over before saying, “Tell me, what do you think the matriarch means by this? Is she thinking of taking Guilin Restaurant back?”

Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan both sunk into silence.

Moments later, Xiyan bit her lower lip and said, “Forget it, Third Young Madam was already prepared for this even before she left. I thought she was overthinking things back then, but now it seems like it’s a real possibility. We can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

Senior Servants Gui and Zhong looked at Xiyan with amazement. Could it be that Third Young Madam had left some instructions for Xiyan before leaving?

Since things had progressed to this stage, there was no need for Xiyan to continue hiding it anymore. Chu Lian trusted Senior Servants Gui and Zhong as well.

Chu Lian had already considered that a situation like this would happen even before she had left for the north. She had written down some solutions and left them to Xiyan. She instructed Xiyan not to use them until she really had to. Xiyan had never even considered opening that letter before, but now she had no other choice.

“Alright, momo, did you really think that our Third Young Madam is someone who’s easy to bully?”

Since Xiyan had said so, the two senior servants’ worries turned into smiles.

While they were speaking in the warm room, a servant from outside reported that Princess Duanjia’s handmaid Jinxiu had come.

Xiyan’s face lit up with joy and she quickly replied, “Invite her in!”

The three personally went to the entrance to receive her.

A short while later, Jinxiu was welcomed into the warm room.

A servant brought tea over for their guest. When Jinxiu looked at the three servants, her expression changed subtly and she asked, “The three of you seem rather downcast, is there something in the estate that’s troubling you?”

Back when Chu Lian had still been in the capital, she had gotten along the most with Royal Princess Duanjia. She had even saved the princess once. When Chu Lian had left for the north, Princess Wei had even specially sent some guards from her estate to follow along.

Xiyan and the others were Chu Lian’s most trusted subordinates, so they knew that they didn’t have to hide things from Princess Duanjia’s servant. They explained the situation with Guilin Restaurant.

Jinxiu frowned. Although she was from Prince Wei’s estate, even from the perspective of a bystander, Matriarch He had gone overboard with her actions.

“Do you require any assistance from our princess?”

Xiyan hurriedly shook her head. “How could we trouble the royal princess? Our madam isn’t someone who would let others bully her just like that. Third Young Madam left some solutions for us, so we should be able to work things out by ourselves.”

Jinxiu nodded, “Alright, then be careful. We’re all servants here, remember that we don’t have the same immunity as our masters.”

Xiyan put some dried snacks in front of Jinxiu to let her have a taste.

“What have you come over for, Sister Jinxiu?”

Jinxiu quickly set down the snacks in her hand and dusted them off. She turned to a lower-ranking maidservant behind her and took a small bag from her.

“I was so occupied with chatting that I almost forgot about the task that Princess Wei and Royal Princess entrusted to me.”

Jinxiu opened up the small bag right in front of the others.

There were a few exquisite long boxes and a set of luxurious clothing within.

Jinxiu carefully took out the dress first and explained, “This is a dress made from some silk Sichuan brocade that our princess acquired from Mianzhou. There were only two outfits made in total; one light yellow and this pink one. Honoured Lady has the same measurements as our Royal Princess, so Princess sent me over with one set for Honoured Lady.”

Xiyan and the other servants hurriedly accepted the dress and thanked Princess Wei in place of Chu Lian. Even though Chu Lian wasn’t in the capital, Princess Wei was still thinking of her as she was having dresses made for Royal Princess Duanjia. That showed how much Princess Wei favoured Chu Lian.

Xiyan, Senior Servant Gui and the rest were genuinely happy for Chu Lian over this.

They couldn’t count on House Ying for any support. Now that Princess Wei had become Chu Lian’s backer, even if Chu Lian distanced herself from her maiden house, the noble madams and ladies of the capital wouldn’t be able to bully her.

Jinxiu then opened several of the pear blossom wood boxes.

“Here is the share of the profits for the jewellery store for this month. Since Honoured Lady isn’t around, you can keep these for Honoured Lady first. The rest of the boxes are all accessories that the master craftsmen of the store have made. These were personally picked out by our Royal Princess for Honoured Lady.”

Before leaving the capital, Chu Lian had opened up a jewellery store together with Royal Princess Duanjia. They had agreed on leaving the management of the storefront and personnel to Princess Duanjia, while Chu Lian was in charge of drawing up new and interesting designs for the jewellery.

Although Chu Lian had handed over a stack of designs to Royal Princess Duanjia before leaving, the store hadn’t opened that month.

It wasn’t until the start of November that the jewellery store Treasure Pavilion had officially opened.

This was the first time that Chu Lian had received profits from the jewellery store.

Xiyan, Senior Servant Zhong, and Senior Servant Gui all stared at the thick piles of banknotes inside. They were all slightly dazed from shock. All of this was from just a single month’s earnings?

Jinxiu seemed to have guessed at their train of thought. She smiled and explained, “You might be surprised now, but if you go over to Treasure Pavilion and take a look for ourselves, you’ll realise that this much profit is actually on the lower side. It’s almost New Year’s, so all the noble families in the capital are going to come to the store to make new accessories or headdresses. The earnings for the last month of the year should be at least twice as much as the previous month!”

Chapter 418: Hurt (1)

Xiyan had no words to describe how amazed she was. She hadn't expected that a store Third Young Madam and Royal Princess Duanjia had casually decided to open would actually be so profitable! Could their Third Young Madam somehow be the reincarnation of the God of Wealth...

Jinxiu took in Xiyan's slack jaw and glared at her rebukingly. "It's not really that much. Don't tell me that Guilin Restaurant earns less than this in a month."

Xiyan looked a little embarrassed as she replied, "Well, no..."

She sighed inwardly. Wasn't it precisely because Guilin Restaurant earned so much that they were facing these troubles now? While Third Young Madam was still away from the capital, others were eyeing the restaurant.

Jinxiu didn't stay for too long. She left after an hour of chatting and tea.

Right after the Kitchen God Festival, Guilin Restaurant suddenly shut its business down on the very next day!

A die-hard group of their customers squatted in front of the doors of Guilin Restaurant early in the morning. It was only when the ancient doors remained shut even after noon had already come and gone that they finally gave up and left with many laments.

Actually, while most businesses would shut down for the new year celebrations, for restaurants and inns, they would usually wait till after the last two days of the year before shutting down. After that, they would usually open their businesses on the fifth day of the new year.

However, going by the sign that Guilin Restaurant had hung on its doors, they were going to close right when the new year celebrations had just started, and they would be undergoing renovation right at the start of the year. They didn't even reveal when they would open again!

Even though the customers gathered outside Guilin Restaurant were brimming with anger, Guilin Restaurant had always gone by its own rules and they had never bent them for anyone. Guilin Restaurant likely wouldn't change their minds even if the customers were to charge in and demand an explanation.

Furthermore, Guilin Restaurant had somehow been emptied out completely in the span of a single night. Not one person could be found in the restaurant now. It was clear that the staff had known about this for a while.

On the same day, when it was almost 11am, Old Duke Zheng rode his simple blue carriage over to the rear entrance of Guilin Restaurant. The servant driving the horses stopped the carriage and went over to knock on their doors, like he had done many times before. In a short moment, the doors were opened from within by a manservant dressed in blue.

However, this time, the blue manservant didn't come up to lead Old Duke Zheng's carriage away. Instead, he bowed deeply towards Old Duke Zheng's servant with an apology written all over his face. "Your Grace, our most sincere apologies. Our humble business will be closed from today onwards."

Old Duke Zheng had just alighted from his carriage when these words hit him like a ton of bricks. His wrinkled yet spirited eyes glared at the manservant as he said, "What? What do you mean closed?! Since you're running a restaurant, why aren't you open for business? Are you trying to slack off while your owner isn't in the capital?!"

The corners of the blue manservant's lips twitched and he continued respectfully, "That's not possible, Your Grace. We servants would love to work more and earn more money. We wouldn't dare to skive. This decision didn't come from us, but from Third Young Madam herself. We humbly beg for your understanding, Your Grace."

Once the blue manservant had given his explanation, Old Duke Zheng frowned. He grumbled lightly, "What is that girl doing now?"

Following that, he turned to ask the blue manservant, "Are there any chefs left in Guilin Restaurant?"

Upon hearing this, the blue manservant knew that the old duke hadn't given up. He could only grit his teeth and reply, "Your Grace, all the staff in Guilin Restaurant have already left. Only this servant and a few old servants have been kept here to look after the building."

In the end, Old Duke Zheng had no other choice but to return to his own estate with a very stormy expression.

On this day, the blue manservant had to hold off at least twenty more waves of noble customers who had come to have a meal at Guilin.

Next to Guilin Restaurant, in a private room on the second floor of a newly opened teahouse, a middle-aged man harrumphed. He slammed the porcelain teacup in his hands back on the table, causing the tea within to slosh out and spill.

The middle-aged man's voice was low and husky, filled with a domineering aura that only someone of a high status would have. "Yang Yanfeng. So this is the restaurant famed all over the capital that you've brought us to? So famous that it has shut down?"

Lord Yang coughed awkwardly. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This humble subject did not expect Guilin Restaurant to have shut down so suddenly."

The man who had forgone his imperial robes in favour of more ordinary clothing sitting opposite Lord Yang was the current ruler of the Great Wu Dynasty, the Chengping Emperor. The Emperor was dressed in a low-key grey brocade robe today, with a simple white jade crown on his hair. He looked just like any other rich nobleman. If not for the imposing aura that he wore like a cloak, he looked like a handsome, finely aged man.

Through the slats of the windows, the Chengping Emperor's sharp eagle eyes narrowed as they focused on Guilin Restaurant's rear entrance.

Very well. So this is where all his good subjects had been running to after morning court to enjoy themselves.

They had been sitting here for two hours. Just look at the people who had come knocking on those doors.

Dukes, Great Generals, the Head of the Secretariat, the Minister of Transport, many of his cabinet and trusted officials. Even the reclusive and lofty scholars who never stepped out of their studies had come.

The Chengping Emperor didn't understand how a restaurant tucked away in such a remote alley was so enticing to all of his subjects. All manner of important people were rushing up to their doors. Any one of them could make the entire capital shake if they simply stomped their feet. Could these people be trying something behind his back, rather than coming here merely for a meal?

However, it didn't seem quite right the more he looked at it. If they were trying to plot something, why would they bring empty food containers along with them?

They were clearly planning to bring home another set of food after eating their fill!

Chapter 419: Hurt (2)

That... what's his name... Wasn't that Li Xiuxian from the west suburbs?

The Chengping Emperor had sent envoys three times to invite that sour scholar to become the princes' private tutor, but that old fellow had kept refusing to move like a stubborn old tortoise. Well look now, a simple restaurant's dishes had somehow lured him out of his home!

Look at how that old fellow's body trembled as he got off his carriage. He looked like he was about to be blown away by the wind any second now, but he didn't fall. Instead, he stood in front of Guilin Restaurant's rear entrance, full of energy and spirit.

The Chengping Emperor was about to faint from the sheer intensity of his anger.

As Lord Yang watched clouds gather over the Emperor's face, he smiled bitterly inside. He could only do his best to persuade the Emperor and say, "Your Majesty, perhaps we should return to the palace first. It looks like Guilin Restaurant has really shut its doors. There's no meaning in waiting any longer."

However, the Chengping Emperor remained stubborn as a mule. "We'll sit for a while longer! We want to see which gluttons are going to show up now!"

Cold sweat was running down Lord Yang's forehead. He lit a candle in mourning for his comrades who had come to Guilin Restaurant and been met with closed doors today.

"Yanfeng, does the food in this Guilin Restaurant hold such attraction? Half of my court has been enticed here."

The Chengping Emperor felt a little uneasy.

When Lord Yang heard such a question from the Emperor, he tried his best to reply, "If Your Majesty might allow me to be bold, this humble subject thinks that even the imperial cooks in Your Majesty's palace can't compare."

He had come to Guilin several times himself ever since Guilin had opened. As busy as he might be, he would definitely come to Guilin Restaurant every month with his wife to have a meal. There were small private courtyards in Guilin Restaurant, separated from other courtyards. Furthermore, their soundproofing and the way they had designed the place were excellent. Even if he knew that many of his colleagues came here to eat as well, if he didn't make the effort to meet and greet them, they would never bump into each other while in Guilin.

If he were not kept busy by official business, Lord Yang would have liked to come to Guilin Restaurant every day for meals.

Unfortunately, most of them couldn't enjoy their lives like Old Duke Zheng, taking all three meals of the day there and practically living in Guilin Restaurant.

When the Chengping Emperor heard Lord Yang 's appraisal, he was taken aback. Better than the imperial cooks... How could he leave it be now?

Once he thought of how his subjects were eating better than him, the very ruler of this dynasty, the Chengping Emperor felt a huge sense of unfairness.

"Hmph, so all of you have been eating such delicacies every day! What loyal subjects you are!"

Lord Yang had simply spoke the truth. He hadn't expected his frank admission to have provoked the Emperor somehow.

He gulped anxiously. Keeping the Emperor company was really like lying next to a wild tiger.

"Your Majesty, this is the only indulgence this humble subject has. Furthermore, now that Guilin Restaurant has shut down, it won't be possible to come here any longer."

The Chengping Emperor only felt slightly better after staring at the tightly closed doors of the restaurant.

"Who's the one behind such an impressive restaurant?"

When Lord Yang saw that the Emperor had dropped the previous topic, he relaxed and quickly replied, "Actually, Your Majesty has already met the owner of this restaurant."

"Oh? Tell me more."

Lord Yang smiled, "It's the lady you've personally named, Honoured Lady Jinyi."

"Jinyi?"

When that familiar face popped back into the Emperor's mind, his mind went into a daze for a moment. By the time he regained his senses, there was a slight upward curve to his lips. "So it's that girl. Where is she? Send someone to call her here. We will question her and see why that silly girl has shut down the restaurant."

Lord Yang tried to hold back his sweat. "Your Majesty, Honoured Lady Jinyi has gone to the northern border. She's not in the capital now..."

"What? She's gone to Liangzhou in the north?" The Chengping Emperor started frowning deeply. With his fearsome gaze focused on Lord Yang, Lord Yang was starting to feel unwell.

He could only harden up his courage and try explaining the situation. Luckily, he had some connection with Chu Lian, otherwise he wouldn't know how to explain everything.

"She's been gone for two or three months. Your Majesty might have forgotten that He Sanlang is in Liangzhou right now! When the situation in the north changed, the He matriarch must have felt uneasy, so she requested the Empress Dowager to pass down a decree for Honoured Lady Jinyi to head to Liangzhou."

"Even so, how could she send a young lady to the north! What nonsense is House Jing'an thinking?!"

Lord Yang didn't know what to say. Helpless, he replied, "Your Majesty, there's no one else House Jing'an can send other than Honoured Lady Jinyi."

When the Chengping Emperor was reminded of this fact by Lord Yang, realisation dawned upon him. His eyes narrowed. Even though he now knew that Matriarch He hadn't had any other choice, he still felt disgruntled.

Honoured Lady Jinyi was considered part of their imperial family after all, since he had personally given her her title. How could she be sent to and fro just like that by that old biddy in the He Family?

Since their conversation had turned to the topic of the war in the north, the Emperor lost the mood to remain in disguise. He brought Lord Yang with him as he returned back to his 'estate'.

Once the Kitchen God Festival was over, time passed fleetingly.

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed and it was almost New Year's Eve.

Even in the main camp of the border troops, the mood had turned festive and the army cooks had all started preparing the food they would need for New Year's Eve.

However, at this time, Chu Lian seemed to be rather listless. She had been kept busy by the preparations for the past few days. Now that they were done, her mood had sunk quite low.

It had been ten days since He Changdi had left, and he wasn't back yet.

Going by the news that Laiyue had brought, the Snow Mountain Mists flower on Mount Ah-Ming should have wilted yesterday.

Although Chu Lian had both hands stuffed into a rabbit fur tube with a little handwarmer to boot, she still felt cold all over.

She had been asking Wenqing and Wenlan to check at the entrance every day. She had even gone so far as to send someone to the border camp to ask after He Changdi.

The servants' reports had left her disappointed each time. Chu Lian sat against the warm hearth bed lacking the mood to do anything at all. She tried hard to remember all the details in the story she had read, but unfortunately, the book had never mentioned the northern border in detail.

While she was still in a daze, Manager Qin came running into the room in a panic, all etiquette having flown out of his mind.

Terror and anxiety filled his face as he said, "Third... Third Young Madam, please come with me. Quickly! Third Young Master is hurt!"

Chapter 420: Treatment (1)

Chu Lian's expression abruptly changed. She hadn't expected He Changdi to get hurt.

Before Manager Qin could say any more, she leaped from the hearth bed, even forgetting to put on her shoes in her haste.

"Quick, lead me there!"

Manager Qin had only given the situation in the outer court a cursory glance before rushing over to report to Chu Lian. The only thing he knew was that Third Young Master was badly injured.

When He Changdi had been brought in by the guards, he was already in a coma.

Without knowing more about his condition, Manager Qin didn’t dare to say anything else to Chu Lian. Thus, on the journey to the outer court, the atmosphere remained sombre and tense.

Once they reached the central room of the outer court, they were met with the sight of a group of guards surrounding the soft bed in the center of the room. Amongst them was a sorry-looking Mo Chenggui, who stood to one side with an expression full of self-blame and guilt.

When Chu Lian saw the slender figure lying in the center, her mind went completely blank. She hurried over to check on He Changdi’s injuries.

The usual humour in her almond-shaped eyes was gone, replaced with anger and worry.

The guards surrounding He Changdi shifted away upon seeing that it was their young madam who had come.

Before Mo Chenggui could explain, Chu Lian was already throwing out questions in a cold tone. “Where is he injured? Hurry up and call for a physician!”

Mo Chenggui moved his mouth without speaking at first, looking close to sobbing. When Chu Lian shot him a fierce glare, he gritted his teeth and replied, “Third Young Master fell from the mountain. The worst injury is on his right thigh and there are a few smaller injuries all over his body. We’ve already called a physician, he’ll be here soon.”

Chu Lian cast a cold look at him before shifting away. Right now, she wasn’t in the mood to ask what exactly had happened on Mount Ah-Ming and how He Sanlang had gotten into this state.

She ignored the customary reserve between men and women and reached out to take off He Changdi’s clothes.

When Manager Qin noticed her movements, he knew that Third Young Madam wanted to inspect the wounds herself.

Manager Qin was one of the calmer ones present. He quickly ushered the guards out and called Wenqing and Wenlan in to help.

Mo Chenggui rushed over to stop Chu Lian when he realised that she wanted to check on He Changdi’s wounds herself. She wasn’t a doctor, and Third Young Master was injured all over. If she made his injuries worse by accident, he could die from it!

However, before Mo Chenggui could reach Chu Lian, he was held back by Manager Qin.

The space between Manager Qin’s brows was tightly furrowed as he stated coldly, “Leader Mo, Third Young Madam knows what she’s doing. The physician hasn’t arrived yet, but Third Young Master’s wounds can’t wait!”

“But…”

“But what? Are you going to tell me that you know what to do?”

Mo Chenggui finally sunk into silence. How could he possibly know what to do in this case? The extent of his medical knowledge was to cover up any areas that were bleeding with bandages… If he were a physician, would he have waited until now to take action?

Once Manager Qin saw that he had been placated, he ushered him off to one side and said, “Rest here, Leader Mo. When the doctor comes, Third Young Madam will definitely have some questions for you.”

Although there weren’t any deadly wounds on Mo Chenggui’s body, he cut a sorry figure. He likely had some hidden wounds underneath his rumpled clothing. The thick fur cloak on him had traces of dried blood all over.

With Wenqing and Wenlan as her helping hands, Chu Lian worked fast.

He Changdi was covered in bloodstains, and there were cuts all over his body. Some of the wounds had been left exposed to the elements and were frostbitten, exacerbating his condition.

However, Chu Lian simply couldn’t bring herself to think about the smaller wounds now. She took a deep breath to keep calm.

Taking a pair of scissors from Wenqing, she began carefully cutting his right pants leg while making sure to avoid contact with his wounds.

Chapter 421: Treatment (2)

The pants leg was covered in numerous cuts, and blood from the wound had caused more than half of the cloth to be stuck to his leg. There were also parts that were stuck directly to his wounds. Chu Lian clenched her teeth and mustered up the courage to pull it off in one go.

The unconscious He Sanlang was covered in cold sweat. There was an unnatural flush on his cheeks, and his lips were pale and cracked. These were the signs of a high fever.

Wenlan ordered a servant to bring in a few more braziers, then placed a towel soaked with cold water on He Changdi’s forehead.

Chu Lian pursed her lips tightly, holding back her tears with everything she had.

After cutting for approximately five minutes, she finally managed to cut off the clothing stuck to his wounds, revealing his entire right leg.

His right leg was badly mangled from thigh to calf,. She couldn’t even see a single patch of clean skin- everything was covered in blood.

Chu Lian had gone through special training for emergency first aid in the wilderness before. Although she couldn’t match the treatment a medical professional might provide, she could still patch up his wounds before a doctor arrived.

She asked Wenqing and Wenlan to search for some supplies before she began tending to He Changdi’s thigh. Before long, the condition of his thigh and calf was stabilised.

Those who remained in the room were all Chu Lian’s trusted servants, so nobody questioned Chu Lian’s decisions. Even though Mo Chenggui had tried to object, his objection had already been quelled by Manager Qin.

By the time Chu Lian finished, an old physician with a snow-white beard was helped in by two guards.

Chu Lian quickly welcomed him in. This physician was a familiar face. He had been the one to see to the wound on Chu Lian’s ankle, and he was an experienced old physician who was skillful with external wounds.

“Sir, please take a look at my husband’s wounds,” Chu Lian said as she supported the physician to the bed.

When the old physician saw that the wounds on the patient’s right thigh had already been cleaned, he seemed astonished. “Who tended to these wounds?”

The question from the unknowing physician lit a fire in Mo Chenggui’s heart. He thought that the physician meant that Chu Lian had made the condition of He Changdi’s wounds even worse. He immediately stood up to face Chu Lian with a fierce glare.

Chu Lian completely disregarded his angry look. Instead, she focused on suppressing her own anxiety and remaining calm. “Sir, it was me.”

The old physician raised his head to glance at Chu Lian. He nodded with approval. “Madam, you’ve done very well. You must have studied a little about medicine before. I didn’t bring any of my assistants in my rush to come here, so I’ll need to trouble you in a bit.”

Chu Lian quickly nodded and took off her loose outer robe, which would only get in the way. She changed into a more flexible tunic.

Mo Chenggui was stupefied. It was completely out of his expectations that a young lady like Third Young Madam would actually have some medical knowledge at the tender age of sixteen. However, since the old physician had said so, he believed it.

For a moment, he felt rather guilty.

Manager Qin glanced at him with contempt. For some reason, Manager Qin just couldn’t get along with Leader Mo.

He just couldn’t see eye to eye with this old ruffian no matter how much he tried.

The old physician didn’t like how crowded the room was, so he only allowed Chu Lian and Wenqing to stay while everybody else was chased out of the room.

After a whole two hours, the old physician finally exited the room with the support of Wenqing, while the weary Chu Lian came out right behind them.

The moment the door was opened, Mo Chenggui and Manager Qin anxiously went up to them.

Mo Chenggui asked apprehensively, “Doctor, how is Third Young Master?”

The old physician looked him up and down. When he saw that the middle-aged man also seemed to be covered in wounds, he rattled out a list of complaints. “Were you involved with bringing the patient back here? You, don’t you know how to take care of someone? If that young man in there had stayed on horseback for just half a day longer, you can forget about keeping his right leg! Luckily, your madam arrived just in time to take care of those wounds. Otherwise, even if I were Hua Tuo reborn, I wouldn’t have been able to keep that leg! A fine young man would have been crippled just like that!”

Chapter 422: Taking Care of He Sanlang (1)

Although Mo Chenggui wasn’t happy to be the subject of the old physician’s nagging, he understood that He Changdi’s condition had taken a turn for the better thanks to Chu Lian.

He hastily lowered his head in apology.

Chu Lian pressed her palm to her forehead, clearly fatigued. She shot a signal at Manager Qin with her eyes. Manager Qin caught on to her intentions and quickly helped the old physician to a room nearby for some tea and snacks.

The old physician was skilled at his craft, but he seemed to enjoy prattling on a little too much, perhaps due to his age.

Chu Lian still had questions for Mo Chenggui, so she couldn’t just let the old physician ramble on like that.

Once the old physician was out of sight, Chu Lian called Mo Chenggui to the study for a chat.

He Changdi had suffered severe injuries. Despite the fact that his condition had been stabilised, it wasn’t good to move him at this point. There was no way for him to return to the northern border army for now, so they would have to send a messenger to notify them.

Some time later, He Changdi was moved off into a side room. Chu Lian took on the task of feeding him herself and used a teapot with a narrow spout to pour the medicine straight into his mouth. After she fed him a total of three bowls’ worth of medicine, she touched his forehead and sighed in relief. He Sanlang’s high fever had finally broken.

When Chu Lian set the special teapot aside, her gaze was attracted by a long box that had been placed on the side table. She sat on the stool beside the bed, picked up the box, and carefully opened it. Two pure white flowers with layers upon layers of petals were laid out on a velvety red fabric. They were only about the size of her thumb. Although their shape somewhat resembled cherry blossoms, these were much prettier.

According to Great Doctor Miao, the Snow Mountain Mists flower supposedly grew bright red on its tree, and it only turned a pure white two days after it was picked if it had reached full bloom. It was a very magical existence.

When He Changdi had led his men up Mount Ah-Ming, the arduous journey had taken most of their strength and energy. Right at the moment when they were picking the flowers, they had been ambushed. It was clear that the enemy had been lying in wait for some time. Most of the attackers had been Tuhuns, but there had also been several masked people from the Great Wu. They were most likely trained assassins.

Although He Changdi had brought elite fighters with him too, they had already used up most of their stamina on the journey there. To make things worse, they were on a mountain peak where the air was thin. They struggled against the enemies for as long as they could, but the odds were stacked against them.

The enemies were ruthless and fearless. In the end, there were only four people left on He Changdi’s side.

As powerful as He Sanlang was, it was impossible for him to contend against so many enemies alone, so they had no choice but to flee.

As they were fending off the Tuhun assassins, He Changdi’s thigh had been pierced by a sword. He Changdi then ordered Mo Chenggui to bring the Snow Mountain Mists flowers back while he stayed to hold off their pursuers.

Mo Chenggui had been left with no choice but to take the Snow Mountain Mists and escape first.

The enemy seemed to have come just for He Changdi, as none of them chased after Mo Chenggui.

Once he got away from them, it took Mo Chenggui half a day to find He Changdi by the tracks he left behind. Eventually, Mo Chenggui found his young master in a pile of snow.

Somehow, He Changdi had actually managed to survive the whole ordeal by hiding in this thick pile of snow. By his side were two frozen Tuhun corpses.

When Mo Chenggui finally found the bloodsoaked He Sanlang, his eyes had filled with tears.

Later on, it was Mo Chenggui and two other old soldiers who transported He Changdi back.

Chu Lian shut the lid of the wooden box and carefully put away the lifesaving medicinal herbs. A glint of light passed through her limpid, almond-shaped eyes. Her usual smile was gone, replaced with a grave expression.

Assassins had ambushed He Changdi on Mount Ah-Ming!

And there had been a group of Tuhuns with them!

There were very few people who knew that they had come out to the northern border to look for the Snow Mountain Mists flower, and most of them were within their circle of trust. Even Prince Jin’s subordinate, Tang Yan, didn’t know about their mission.

The only ones in the army who were in the know were Captain Guo, Zhang Mai, and Xiao Hongyu.

They had only mentioned it to Great General Qian in private when He Changdi had departed.

None of them had any motive to attack He Changdi. Furthermore, those Tuhuns had already been lying in wait near the Snow Mountain Mists flowers, so it was clear that they had been prepared beforehand.

When she thought back to the people who had kidnapped her, Chu Lian’s eyes were filled with a dangerous aura.

Xiao Bojian!

As far as she knew, the only one who would use such despicable methods to achieve their goals was him!

But how had he known that He Sanlang would be going up Mount Ah-Ming to pick the Snow Mountain Mists?

It was impossible for anyone here in the north to leak that information, so it had to be someone back in the capital!

With that, the list of suspects was narrowed down greatly; it had to be someone in the Jing’an Estate.

While Chu Lian was immersed in her thoughts, Wenlan entered the room carrying some clean clothes with her. She called out softly to Chu Lian, who blinked and returned to the present. She turned to Wenlan.

“Third Young Madam, Laiyue has already set off for the army camp to inform them about Third Young Master’s situation. These are some of Third Young Master’s clean clothes. Do you want to change them now?”

Chu Lian nodded and handed over the box of Snow Mountain Mists flowers to Wenlan, ordering her to keep them hidden well.

“Put down the clothes and bring some hot water over.”

The walls of this side room were heated, so it wasn’t cold in here at all. Chu Lian brought a pair of scissors over to the bedside before pulling the blanket off He Changdi’s body.

The old physician had left behind plenty of salves and had told Chu Lian to apply them to He Changdi’s smaller wounds, which were littered all over. In order to access them, He Changdi would need to be stripped.

Fortunately, there was a convenient way to do this. When Chu Lian had been tending to the injury on his thigh earlier, she hadn’t had the time to change him out of his torn, dirty, bloodstained clothes. Thus, It would be easier to simply cut them off and throw them away than to carefully strip him of them.

Chapter 423: Taking Care of He Sanlang (2)

Chu Lian worked quickly and managed to get He Sanlang’s outer robe off. When she could finally see the dark green undershirt he was wearing, she was slightly startled.

The square patterns embroidered on the collar were so crooked that they looked like furry little worms instead. Wasn’t this the shirt that Li Yue had practised on?

He Changdi was actually wearing it! Judging from how worn the edges of the cloth seemed to be, she could guess that he wore this shirt quite often...

He couldn’t possibly have worn these clothes for so long because he thought that I was the one who made them… right?

Chu Lian covered her face with a hand. Considering He Changdi’s fickle temperament, she didn’t dare to tell him the truth behind the shirt now.

Thus, she followed the mantra ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ and simply destroyed the shirt.

This lousily embroidered shirt that He Changdi wore the most was cut to shreds by the indignant Chu Lian…

Although He Changdi looked like a tall, skinny man, his body was actually brimming with hidden strength once his clothes were stripped away. Though his muscles weren’t overly large, they gave him an underlying aura of power.

Even though he was covered in tiny little cuts and scratches from his chest down to his waist, Chu Lian felt her cheeks heating up from looking at his body.

She murmured under her breath, “Isn’t He Sanlang’s figure a little too perfect?”

An eight-pack of abs sat on his abdomen. They didn’t look very obvious because he was lying prone right now. Then there were the two alluring lines on either side of his waist, leading down further…

Even though Chu Lian was treating He Changdi as a patient right now, she couldn’t help the blush that spread across her face.

She moved faster and stripped He Sanlang in record time before panicking and throwing the blanket over his excellent figure.

By this time, Wenlan had returned with the hot water.

“Third Young Madam, here’s the hot water. The salves are on the side table. This servant has some tasks at hand, so this servant won’t be able to help. If Third Young Madam has any orders, just call this servant.”

Once she finished speaking, Wenlan vanished from the side room. The speed of her disappearance left Chu Lian agape.

Wenlan thoughtfully shut the doors, leaving He Changdi and Chu Lian alone in the room. She hunched her shoulders and chuckled evilly.

Since there was a chance, she had to let Third Young Master and Third Young Madam spend more time together!

Even though she was just a maidservant, she had noticed that there was something wrong between the couple.

They had been here in the north for so many days, yet they had never once spent the night together. It wasn’t as if Third Young Master didn’t have any opportunities to stay overnight, either.

From her objective point of view, the problem definitely wasn’t a lack of passion between the two. Third Young Master had been furious upon hearing that Third Young Madam had been kidnapped. She and her sister, Wenqing, had been scared stiff by the bloodlust in his eyes.

Although Third Young Madam was still young, she didn’t seem to be interested in much in particular, apart from cooking gourmet food. She had never really put her full attention into anything else, even when it came to making money. However, when it came to matters that concerned Third Young Master, she had actually gotten so worried that it had been written all over her face. Third Young Madam had even personally thought of a plan to solve his problems. Didn’t that mean something?

Since the couple clearly had each other in their hearts, then all they needed was a good opportunity. They were already married anyway. If they got along well enough, there might even be a baby born next year!

There were still no male heirs in the next generation of House Jing’an yet. If their Third Young Madam managed to produce the first one, wouldn’t the matriarch favour Third Young Master’s branch even more?

Thus, Wenlan had specially left the couple alone at this time.

Chu Lian could almost feel the sweat dripping down her forehead. Wenlan’s thoughts were as clear as day to her.

However, she didn’t mind it for now. Her first priority was to get He Changdi healed up.

She glanced at the basin of hot water on the table before resigning herself to the manual labour. Chu Lian used a warm wet towel to wipe off all the dirt on He Sanlang’s body. When he was all clean, she started applying medicine to his wounds.

When evening fell, the old physician came by to check up on his patient again.

Although He Sanlang was still unconscious, his high fever was gone by now.

To Chu Lian, the old physician explained, “Madam, as long as the patient’s fever doesn’t return tonight, his condition will be stable from tomorrow onwards. He’ll just have to focus on recovery from then on.”

Chu Lian thanked the old physician and ordered Manger Qin to send him off personally.

After she had her dinner, Chu Lian stayed by He Sanlang’s bedside. When Li Xing, Li Yue, and Manager Qin saw that she was going to take the grueling night watch, they were about to offer to take Chu Lian’s place, but Wenqing and Wenlan held them back.

“What are you poking your noses into? It’s enough to have Third Young Madam alone to care for Third Young Master. Don’t worry, my sister and I will keep watch in the outer room through the night. If there’s any news, we’ll let you know immediately.”

Since Wenlan had given her guarantee, the group of people backed down and went off to bed.

Chu Lian told Wenlan to move a chaise next to He Changdi’s bed. It was warm inside the room, so she didn’t need extra blankets. A thin blanket draped over her body was sufficient.

Chu Lian picked up a book of folk stories and leaned against the chaise to read. She touched He Changdi’s forehead and palms from time to time to check if his fever returned.

It was fact, however, that Chu Lian had already gotten used to sleeping early. She had already yawned countless of times before it had even reached midnight.

In order to keep awake, Chu Lian ate some sour candied fruit, but even so, she only managed to hang on till after midnight. When she finally couldn’t take it anymore, she laid sideways on the chaise and fell asleep.

When Wenqing noticed that there were no more sounds of activity coming from the room, she crept in silently and tucked the thin blanket more securely over Chu Lian. She checked He Changdi’s temperature before leaving as quietly as she had come.

Sometime before daybreak, when the skies were at their darkest, the comatose He Changdi finally opened his eyes with great difficulty.

His vision was still rather blurry, but the first thing he noticed was the face that he had been yearning to see the most.

Chapter 424: Taking Care of He Sanlang (3)

He Sanlang fell back into a dazed state for a moment. He thought he was dreaming!

The wound on his leg was actually very serious, so even he thought that it was the end of the line for him. If not for his strong will to live, those attackers would really have achieved their goal and offed him once and for all.

At the critical moment, thoughts of what would happen to Chu Lian when he was gone had flashed into his mind. She would most likely be kidnapped by Xiao Bojian, or even locked up into a dungeon somewhere. Those thoughts had pushed him to fight to keep his consciousness and to live.

He opened his eyes again. This time, he didn’t open them slowly. Instead, he flicked them open impatiently. When light filtered into his eyes and his vision cleared, revealing Chu Lian’s lovely sleeping visage once again, He Changdi’s dull eyes immediately lit up with the spark of life.

So it wasn’t a dream. It was real! He had survived! And Chu Lian was right by his side...

Those wide, limpid eyes of hers were shut tightly now. Her thick eyelashes were still, casting a shadow on her cheeks. Her breathing was slow and shallow and the puffs of air she exhaled were warming up his face, even as her cheeks were flushed red.

Even up close, her skin remained as fair and smooth as it looked from afar. It looked as flawless as a boiled egg, giving him the urge to reach out and pinch her cheeks, just to see if they were as soft and smooth as they looked.

Especially now when Chu Lian was in the middle of deep slumber and her face was relaxed into an innocent and harmless expression. It made him feel even more like teasing her.

While He Sanlang’s mind was still processing these thoughts, his palm had already slunk out of the blankets and was reaching towards Chu Lian’s tender cheeks.

The calloused tips of his fingers gently touched Chu Lian’s fair face. His pupils dilated and he couldn’t help sliding his fingers down her raised nose bridge and tapping her slightly parted pink lips.

That soft and smooth sensation on his fingertips sent a bolt of lightning through his body, transmitting a numb feeling from his arm down into his heart, making his heart beat faster.

He Changdi shifted his body and bore with the pain of the injury on his thigh so he could see the sleeping Chu Lian better.

Time seemed to have stopped in this moment. He Changdi couldn’t keep his hands off of Chu Lian’s sleeping face. He just couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to touch her face here and there. The millenia-old ice on his face seemed to have thawed into a gentle and warm expression. The strangest thing of all was that the corner of his lips had lifted into a smile without his knowing.

He looked exactly like a man enamoured with his lover, who would do anything for her sake. It was completely unlike what he had shown Chu Lian so far.

Luckily Chu Lian was asleep right now. Otherwise, she would probably get the shock of her life from such a ‘terrifying’ sight.

Although He Sanlang constantly acted cold and indifferent, he was actually like a blank piece of paper when it came to romantic relationships. He hadn’t even had the chance to fall in love in his past life before he had been so cruelly betrayed.

The things that the original ‘Chu Lian’ had done to him had become a shadow haunting his heart.

It really hadn’t been easy for him to set his grudge aside and fall in love with the current Chu Lian.

It didn’t take long for He Changdi to become dissatisfied with some simple touching. Although his leg was injured, his arms were perfectly fine. The chaise she was lying on had been placed right next to his bed and was at the same level. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and managed to move Chu Lian over to his bed with a little strength.

He had been worried that she would wake from his actions, but he soon found out that there wasn’t the slightest bit of resistance from her, even when he had her entire person ensconced in his arms.

He Sanlang relaxed and tightened his embrace around her. He placed a gentle kiss on her soft lips before shutting his eyes in satisfaction.

Although he wanted to do something a little more intimate to her, something that only couples would do, he had just suffered grievous injury after all, so he didn’t have that much energy.

With his chin resting on the top of her head, He Sanlang slipped back into dreamland with her familiar scent all around him.

While He Sanlang was now perfectly content, it was getting uncomfortable for Chu Lian in his tight embrace.

Her nerves had been strung tight for the whole day. Later on, she had acted as the doctor’s assistant and then stayed up by He Sanlang’s side for most of the night.

It had always been easy for her to fall asleep in the first place. Since she was so tired, her slumber was even deeper this time. She had been feeling pretty comfortable at first, but she soon felt her body heating up while her nose seemed to be squashed by something. It was all stuffy and hard for her to breathe.

Chu Lian finally found it difficult to continue sleeping and opened her eyes, only to be met with the sight of a wall of flesh. She was still a little stunned at first, but she quickly realised what was going on.

Her first reaction was to roll her eyes before thinking of pushing away the lunatic He Sanlang. However, when she noticed the various wounds on his chest exposed by his slightly open shirt, she hesitated. The reminder that there was a serious injury on his right thigh came to her mind. In the end, she just softly sighed and let him do as he liked.

She wanted to move out of his embrace a little at first, but his arms were wrapped around her too tightly and she couldn’t budge him. After trying for some time, she managed to create at least a hand’s width of space between them. Finally, Chu Lian reached an impasse so she gave up on it. She yawned sleepily and shut her eyes to continue her slumber.

He Sanlang was her husband anyway. Even if the servants chanced upon them like this, no one would actually be as stupid as to gossip about it outside.

It was only after he heard Chu Lian’s breathing devolve into long and slow breaths that He Sanlang finally dared to open his eyes and glance at the woman in his arms. When he saw that she was still obediently curled up and sleeping in his embrace, his mind relaxed while a warm feeling spread through his heart.

Chapter 425: Taking Care of He Sanlang (4)

The next day, when the sun had already risen, it was the sound of Wenqing pushing the doors open that woke Chu Lian.

Her eyelids fluttered open as consciousness filtered back into her eyes. This time, she mercilessly forced He Sanlang’s arms away from her and crawled out from his embrace. She put on her embroidered shoes and walked over to the screen in one corner of the room to put on her clothes.

Chu Lian turned around to glance at the seemingly unconscious He Changdi and the corners of her lips twitched subconsciously.

That fellow had already been awake for who knows how long. He was still pretending to be asleep even now. He really should improve his acting skills though. His eyelids were twitching from time to time and his breathing was too heavy for him to be sound asleep.

Chu Lian rolled her eyes.

When Wenqing entered the room, she was greeted with the sight of a fully dressed Third Young Madam seated on a round stool and waiting for her.

Wenqing had brought hot water with her. When her gaze darted towards the neat chaise and then the disheveled bed, she couldn’t help the upward curve of her lips. It looked like they could move the chaise away today! They probably wouldn’t need it any longer tonight.

It was only when Chu Lian had come out from the bathroom that He Sanlang finally ‘woke up’ with a frown.

Chu Lian sat by his bedside and resisted the urge to laugh, “You’re awake?”

He Changdi looked at her with his deep gaze and nodded in a serious manner.

“Too bad, I thought my dear husband was going to continue pretending to sleep! It’s still early now, it’s only 8am.”

He Sanlang hadn’t expected his dear wife to see through his acting as well as to expose it completely, without any care for his dignity.

He shifted away his gaze, the roots of his ears flushing red. He pressed his lips into a thin line and said, “Chu Lian, don’t speak nonsense.”

Wenqing’s eyes almost fell out of their sockets at this sight. This tsundere Third Young Master who refused to admit his mistake was a completely different person from the grim and gloomy master she knew.

Er… The way Third Young Master was acting now really fit how Third Young Madam had described him once upon a time.

Wenqing felt that she had stumbled upon a dangerous truth. She quickly lowered her head and did her best to erase her presence. Third Young Madam was untouchable, but she wasn’t! If Third Young Master realised what she knew, she would have to face the consequences.

Chu Lian was too lazy to argue with him now. If he hadn’t been pretending to be asleep, why didn’t he at least ask what was going on the moment he woke up?

“Stay there and rest first. I’ll go to the kitchen to see how the preparations for your medicine and our breakfast are going.”

He Changdi felt extremely embarrassed right now, so he didn’t stop Chu Lian from leaving.

Today’s breakfast was wontons, spring rolls and egg rolls, made by the kitchen staff under Wenlan’s lead.

In the time it had taken to place all the breakfast dishes on the side table, Chu Lian had already changed into another set of clothes and returned to the room, carrying a bowl of medicine in her hands. Chinese medicine was usually a little harsh on the stomach, so it was better to have some food before taking the medicine.

Chu Lian helped He Sanlang up so he could lean against the headboard. Wenlan quickly shifted the side table over to the bedside where He Changdi could easily reach.

Looking at the food before him, memories rose to the forefront of He Changdi’s mind, distracting him.

He remembered that the first breakfast Chu Lian had made for him was wontons. Back then, all he had felt towards her were hatred and contempt, but now he was deeply enmired in the blossoming feelings between them.

The stark difference in the situations then and now filled him with regrets.

Chu Lian was already starving, so she quickly scooped up one of the fat wontons and stuffed it into her mouth.

The stuffing in the wontons had been made with only three simple fresh ingredients: pork, mushrooms and shrimp. The wontons had been cooked in a fragrant and thick chicken broth and chopped spring onions had been scattered on top. When she picked one up and bit into it, the juices within would gush out in a burst of flavour. Mixed with the thick chicken broth, it was a delicious combination that she couldn’t stop eating.

He Sanlang watched as Chu Lian ate the wontons. Her delicate lips drew close to the spoon and she blew gently on the wonton before she moved the spoon into her mouth. She then chewed on it as her eyes closed in delight; it was clear that she was enjoying the food a lot.

He Changdi couldn’t help but gulp. When he saw how busy Chu Lian was with eating and how she didn’t have the time to care for him, jealousy sprung up in his heart. He purposely put on a grave expression and said, “Is it good?”

Chu Lian didn’t even bother to glance at him and nodded, “Of course it’s good! This is Wenlan’s best dish! Even if I made these myself, I wouldn’t be able to make the wontons look as nice as when Wenlan does them.”

With a dark expression, He Sanlang gritted his teeth and said, “Really?”

Chu Lian finally noticed that something was amiss. She looked at him with a baffled expression. What’s wrong with this lunatic He Sanlang? Even the delicious wontons couldn’t get him to shut up?

Chu Lian kind-heartedly pushed the white bowl of wontons closer to him, “Hurry up and eat some. I’m not lying to you, it’s really tasty! I taught Wenlan her skills myself.”

“Well aren’t you generous to others?” He Changdi mumbled.

Chu Lian raised a brow in silent comment. She didn’t know what was going on in her lunatic husband’s mind again and she didn’t want to know. She chose to ignore him and focus on eating her fill first.

He Sanlang hadn’t expected Chu Lian to ignore him just because of that. Anger, disappointment and dissatisfaction rose up in his chest all at once.

He kept his frosty gaze on Chu Lian with an overcast and unreadable expression. Nobody could tell what was up with him.

Even Wenlan was starting to pity Third Young Madam.

Third Young Madam was right all along, Third Young Master is a lunatic…

Chu Lian lost her appetite under his gaze. She set down her chopsticks and bowl before staring at He Changdi with a frown. She crossed her arms on her chest and questioned in a sharp tone, “He Sanlang! What are you trying to do?! If you’re not going to eat, I’ll get Wenlan to clear the table!”

Seeing that she was truly unhappy with him, He Sanlang set aside his pride and finally revealed his true motive.

“I’m injured and I can’t really move.”

Chu Lian was smart enough to understand what he was hinting at. Her slightly angry expression turned dazed upon her realisation.

What? His arms were so strong that he had kept her trapped as his bolster all night, yet now he’s trying to say that he can’t even lift a damned bowl now? Did he take her for a fool!?

Chapter 426: Cleansing (1)

-
If it had been any other day, Chu Lian would have just ignored her lunatic husband.

However, considering that he was currently her patient and how injured he was, Chu Lian suppressed her rage and forced herself to calm down.

She shot a sideways look at He Changdi before resigning herself to her fate. Then, she placed one of the wontons on her spoon and blew on it.

He Changdi's dark eyes shone like the night sky. His lips parted expectantly.

Chu Lian watched him with mounting disdain. When she unceremoniously shoved the spoonful of wontons into his mouth, her thoughts filled with glee. There! He could have his fill of wontons!

It was obvious that He Sanlang’s stiff features had softened into a warm expression. He followed Chu Lian’s movements closely. Every time she moved the spoon close to him, he would obediently open his mouth.

While eating, he didn’t forget to add, “It’s pretty good, but it’s not as delicious as the ones you made.”

Chu Lian rolled her eyes. She felt that He Changdi was just lying brazenly. Setting the matter of taste aside, Wenlan had already surpassed her in skill as far as folding wontons into their ingot shape was concerned. Furthermore, Wenlan had come up with this chicken broth herself after much trial and error.

Chu Lian snorted in dismissal, but there was still a trace of warmth in her heart from his words.

When Sanlang’s band of brothers entered, they were met with the scene of Chu Lian patiently feeding He Sanlang.

Xiao Hongyu was stunned. The corners of his eyes immediately turned red. He showed his usual loud personality as he quickly strode towards the bed and wailed, “Brother He, so it wasn’t just your leg that was hurt; even your hands have been crippled! Just… How can this be?! Tell your little brother which damned bastard did this, I’ll kill them all!”

He Sanlang’s warm expression immediately froze over into his usual cold one. He glared at the wailing Xiao Hongyu before taking the bowl from Chu Lian’s hands and gobbling the rest of it.

Xiao Hongyu watched his movements with a stupefied expression before understanding dawned upon him. He pointed at He Changdi’s arms and said, “Brother He, so your arms aren’t injured at all!”

Then, Xiao Hongyu turned his gaze to the awkward Chu Lian. “Sister-in-Law, since Brother He’s arms are completely fine, you don’t have to wait on him. Brother He is actually really tough when he’s in our army camp! There was even this one time when…”

Before Xiao Hongyu could finish, he felt an eerily icy gaze fall upon him, sending a chill down his back. When he looked up, he was met with He Changdi’s warning gaze. His voice trailed away and his throat clogged up.

Xiao Hongyu scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly.

Captain Guo came up and delivered a smack to his head. “Alright, that’s enough nonsense from you. Single brats can go wait over there.”

Xiao Hongyu held the back of his head and gave another pitiful wail before retreating to a corner to lick his wounds.

Zhang Mai shook his head. Bachelors like Hongyu wouldn’t understand the little enjoyments shared between couples.

Chu Lian ordered Wenqing and Wenlan to clear the table and serve tea to their guests. She wanted to leave so that the band of brothers could have some privacy to chat, but He Changdi grabbed hold of her hand and told her to sit at the side.

Thus, she had no choice but to stay.

As she listened to their analysis of what had happened to Sanlang, Chu Lian was lulled into deep thought. She hadn’t expected that it was truly Xiao Bojian who sent those men.

Her brows scrunched together tightly, disbelief showing on her face. There was no other reason for there to be any enmity between Xiao Bojian and He Changdi… other than her. Count Jing’an was away guarding the border so Xiao Bojian couldn’t possibly have had any interactions or connections with House Jing’an. She couldn’t imagine there was any political benefit to pitting himself against House Jing’an, either.

Chu Lian was extremely vexed with the whole situation. She was completely innocent, having done her best to avoid him. However, Xiao Bojian was still targeting her even after she moved way out here to the north. Was he crazy or something?!

Chu Lian didn’t know if there was actually something wrong with Xiao Bojian’s mind, but she did know this: if this kept up, she was going to be driven mad by him very, very soon.

Captain Guo and the others who had come to visit He Sanlang shamelessly stayed for lunch before leaving. They even cleared out the He Estate’s kitchen before they left.

Chu Lian took the chance to have some free time to herself when He Sanlang settled in for an afternoon nap.

She ordered the servants to summon Manager Qin and had an hour-long meeting with him in the parlour.

After getting pointers from his young madam, Manager Qin happily ran off to work on his business.

Ever since He Changdi’s fever had broken, Chu Lian would accompany him in the side room every day. However, she told the maidservants to move the chaise away from the bedside.

When it was time to rest for the night, Chu Lian would return to her own courtyard within the He Estate. This was something she didn’t budge on even when He Sanlang gave her a long face.

Was he joking? The wound on his thigh was still in a bad condition and it couldn’t be touched right now. If the two of them slept in the same bed, what if Chu Lian were to accidentally kick him in the thigh in her sleep? He Sanlang would really lose the use of his leg then.

Anyway, they definitely wouldn’t be able to make it back to the capital before the new year. Even if He Sanlang wasn’t injured, snowstorms were still raging all over the north. It would take too much effort to head back to the capital now, even with the snowboats. Furthermore, the report of their victory likely hadn’t reached the capital yet, so the northern border army had to remain on standby and await the Emperor’s orders.

It seemed like they would have to wait till after New Year’s to get any news.

Thus, it was already certain that they were going to spend New Year’s celebrations in the north.

Chapter 427: Cleansing (2)

It was the first time that Chu Lian was celebrating New Year’s in the Great Wu Dynasty. Although it was only going to be the two of them together for the festivities, Chu Lian didn’t feel lonely at all. On the contrary, she was looking forward to it.

Once the Kitchen God Festival had ended, time seemed to pass in a flash.

In a blink of an eye, it was already the twenty-seventh, and there were only three more days to New Year’s Eve.

On this day, everyone had to bathe and cleanse themselves. The commoners living in the harsh environment of Liangzhou were no exception, even for the poverty-stricken. They would heat up pots of water and wash themselves with the scraps of soap they had collected in the summer, scrubbing away the filth they accumulated during the year. This was all to ensure that they greeted the new year with a clean body.

Early in the morning, Chu Lian was woken up by Wenqing. After washing up in a daze, she listened as Wenqing chattered on.

“Third Young Madam, today’s the twenty-seventh, the day of cleansing. This servant has prepared a flower bath for you. After lunch, you should take a bath and wash away your fatigue.”

Even out here in the freezing north, Chu Lian still kept clean. She would take a bath every three days, so she didn’t take much notice of Wenqing’s words.

However, after putting on her face cream, Chu Lian suddenly remembered the bedridden He Changdi. She asked, “Wenqing, is it an absolute must to go through the cleansing today?”

Wenqing thought that she was interested in the tradition, so she explained with a smile, “Yes, we do. Even the guards watching the doors have to prepare their own baths to wash off the dirt of this year in preparation for the new one!”

A corner of Chu Lian’s mouth twitched. Didn’t that mean that the patient He Sanlang had to bathe too?

How was he going to bathe with his body covered in scabs!

Chu Lian felt a headache coming on.

Chu Lian went to visit the recuperating He Changdi after breakfast. After convalescing for eight days, he was finally able to move his gravely wounded right leg. He no longer needed help from others to sit up or turn over.

The moment she entered the outer room, a servant welcomed her.

“Greetings to Third Young Madam.”

Chu Lian nodded to her. “Is my husband awake?”

The servant respectfully answered, “Third Young Master woke up two hours ago. Laiyue has already served Third Young Master his breakfast.”

Chu Lian glanced into the room. She found it strange as Laiyue was always the first to welcome her whenever she came looking for He Sanlang, yet he was nowhere to be found.

“What about Laiyue?”

“Replying to Third Young Madam, Laiyue was sent out on business on Third Young Master’s orders early in the morning. Before he left, he said that he would only be back tomorrow morning.” The servant took out a small wooden box from a cupboard and respectfully held it up with both hands for Chu Lian to inspect.

“Laiyue told this servant to pass on this message to Third Young Madam. Third Young Madam will have to help with changing Third Young Master’s bandages for today.”

Chu Lian: …

That clean freak He Sanlang didn’t like others serving him and wasn’t used to having maidservants around him. Other than Chu Lian, only Laiyue was allowed to change his bandages every day. Now that Laiyue wasn’t around, this task had fallen upon Chu Lian’s shoulders.

Chu Lian suspected that she had walked right into his trap.

She waved her hand to dismiss the servant and told Wenqing to pick up the medicine box instead. After a short pause, she entered the side room where He Sanlang was.

Now that it was coming close to New Year’s Day, the whole capital was abuzz with activity. It was only in the Jing’an Estate that the atmosphere seemed a little gloomy.

The roads to the north had been sealed by the snows, so there wasn’t any news at all. He Erlang was still investigating the corruption case in Zhangzhou with Prince Jin. He had sent a letter back yesterday saying that he might not be able to get back to the capital in time for New Year’s..

Matriarch He sat alone in the parlour of Qingxi Hall. Although she was dressed in riches, her silhouette looked pitiful amidst the understated luxury of her surroundings.

She leaned back in her seat as she stared blankly at the entrance of the parlour, as if there would be someone entering and calling out for her in the next second.

Senior Servant Liu came in from the side with some teacups. The sight of the matriarch in this way made her heart heavy with sadness.

Although the He Family was few in number, at least they had Second Young Master and Third Young Master in the estate as well as the two young daughters of the main branch to add a bit of liveliness to their festivities in past years.

This year, the main branch was still in pandemonium over the new concubine, and the countess was bedridden and unable to attend the celebrations. They had been holding expectations of a new family member to join them after He Sanlang had married his wife, but fate had dashed their hopes. Sanlang and his wife were now out there in the north, and they didn’t even know if they were faring well!

The matriarch heard Senior Servant Liu’s movements and briefly came to life. She touched the side of her head where her hair was turning more and more white as the days passed. “Do you think this old woman chose wrongly by letting Lian’er go to the north?”

How could Senior Servant Liu let the matriarch beat herself over this? The matriarch had spent so many days worrying that her body’s condition had deteriorated.

Senior Servant Liu quickly consoled her. “What are you saying, Matriarch? The roads from the northern border have been blocked; there’s no way for us to know anything! Perhaps Third Young Master and Third Young Madam are actually preparing to celebrate New Year’s over there instead!”

A wave of guilt rose in Matriarch He’s heart. “It’s all my fault, I didn’t think it through enough.”

As master and servant were speaking, Muxiang suddenly entered in a panic.

Senior Servant Liu put on a stern expression. “Is this how a personal handmaid should be acting?”

Muxiang paused and quickly collected herself.

“What is it? Speak!” the matriarch ordered.

Muxiang gulped before stammering out, “Matriarch, many of the noble houses we’ve sent New Year gifts have returned them to us untouched!”

Chapter 428: Losing Favour (1)

They returned the New Year gifts?

Returning those gifts meant that they no longer wanted to associate with House Jing’an!

Matriarch He slammed her palm on the table, causing the teacups to shake and clink.

“Are they trying to bully our House Jing’an now that we have fewer members around?” Matriarch He’s chest heaved as she bellowed in rage.

Senior Servant Liu saw that Matriarch He’s complexion had turned pale and noted how she was desperately trying to catch her breath. She quickly patted the matriarch’s back in fright and tried to reassure the old woman. “Matriarch, please keep your health in mind! It’s not worth it to let those fairweather friends anger you so much that your health declines. The countess is still bedridden and Erlang and Sanlang aren’t around. This house still needs your support to stand strong.”

Matriarch He finally calmed down a little. She rested for a moment before asking, “Which houses returned our gifts? Have you recorded their names?”

Muxiang had lowered her head during the matriarch’s rage, not even daring to breathe until Matriarch He had spoken to her. In a small voice, she obediently reported the name of every house that had returned their gifts.

Matriarch He’s hands curled into fists. “Remember all of those names! Since they don’t want to associate with us any longer, we don’t have to go out of our way to accommodate them either!”

“Yes, Matriarch.”

The matriarch paused in thought before giving them another order. “Get someone to bring over all the gifts that were sent back. I want to inspect them myself.”

Muxiang left to carry out her orders immediately.

In half an hour, Muxiang returned with the stewards of the outer court, along with a group of manservants who carried the New Year gifts into Qingxi Hall’s parlour.

The stewards bowed respectfully towards the matriarch and said, “Matriarch, these are all the gifts that were sent back from the various noble houses.”

Matriarch He walked over to the gifts with the help of her cane. She pointed at the boxes placed on the carpet and ordered, “Open all of them! I want to see what’s inside for myself.”

The manservants carefully opened each of the red carved wooden boxes. When Matriarch He was finally able to see what was in them, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Her first reaction was to blow up in anger. “Is this what you prepared as gifts?! An absolute disgrace, the lot of you!”

The stewards were all frightened by the matriarch’s temper and immediately kneeled to the ground. “Please have mercy on us, Matriarch. It was Eldest Young Madam who ordered us to do so. Although we felt that it wasn’t appropriate, we couldn’t disobey Eldest Young Madam’s orders.”

Matriarch He was trembling with rage. She wanted to lift her cane and teach all these servants a lesson, but she managed to restrain herself in the end.

Senior Servant Liu hurriedly stepped forth to support the matriarch. She was genuinely worried that the matriarch would faint from her anger.

“Matriarch, what’s done is done. There’s no way to make up for this even if you lose your temper.”

Matriarch He took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh, seemingly having lost all her spirit in that one huff. Disappointed, she said, “Tell them to dismiss themselves.”

Senior Servant Liu waved her hand at the stewards kneeling on the ground. The stewards quickly took the chance to make their escape and left.

Senior Servant Liu helped Matriarch He over to the warm hearth for a break.

“That Madam Zou is becoming more and more careless! Send someone to bring her here.” The matriarch’s anger hadn’t died out at all. She had only suppressed it momentarily. Once Madam Zou appeared, the wrath of the heavens would likely rain down upon her.

Just look at what she had prepared for the noble houses as New Year gifts! They would normally send out the highest quality of mountain ginseng, but it had been swapped for an inferior grade of ginseng. The jade Buddha statues were actually made of flawed jade, and the high-quality sencha tea cakes had been changed to low-quality loose leaf teas...

Madam Zou had been in charge of the household for at least five or six years. How could she be so careless as to make such a terrible mistake?

Shortly after, Madam Zou rushed over to Qingxi Hall with her trusted senior servant and handmaid by her side.

“Granddaughter-in-Law greets Grandmother.” Madam Zou made a perfect curtsey without any fault. Even her expression was dignified and composed, without any trace of impatience or apprehension.

Senior Servant Liu frowned upon seeing Madam Zou acting in this manner.

The matriarch harrumphed and said, “There’s no need to greet me now. Just take a look at those gift boxes behind you!”

Hearing so, Madam Zou finished her curtsey to the matriarch before turning to look at the brocade-lined gift boxes.

When she was done, she turned back to the matriarch and asked curiously, “Grandmother, these are the New Year gifts I ordered the stewards to send to the other noble houses. Why are they here?”

The matriarch was almost forced to laugh from the intensity of her anger. “Madam Zou. Don’t you know exactly why these are here in my hall?”

It was only now that surprise showed on Madam Zou’s face. She asked in disbelief, “Grandmother, were these New Year gifts returned?”

Matriarch He’s expression was overcast as she watched her granddaughter-in-law putting on a show.

Madam Zou walked over to Matriarch He’s side, her head lowered. She acted as if she was suffering some grievance and said, “Grandmother, it’s not that Granddaughter-in-Law was trying to skimp on the New Year gifts, but the public funds are simply not enough. Granddaughter-in-Law had no other choice.”

The matriarch frowned. “Didn’t I draw Guilin Restaurant’s profits into the public accounts?”

Madam Zou acted as if she was struck dumb and quickly explained, “Grandmother, Guilin Restaurant has already closed down since the middle of the month. Just a single month’s worth of profits isn’t enough for our New Year expenditures.”

Closed down?

Matriarch He lapsed into deep thought for a moment.

Although she now knew the reason behind the lackluster New Year gifts, Matriarch He still couldn’t forgive Madam Zou’s carelessness as the lady-in-charge of the household.

She continued restraining her anger and replied, “No matter what, it’s your responsibility that something like that has happened. I see that you no longer want to be in charge of the household. I’ll be the one to take over your labours then. Return to your courtyard and reflect on your mistakes!”

Getting her authority revoked was something out of Madam Zou’s expectations.

The alarm and astonishment she had been faking instantly became real. Her eyes widened, showing her disbelief. It took her a good long moment to finally regain her senses and react. She lost all of her noble reserve and dignity and kneeled in front of the matriarch, even going so far as to grab on to the matriarch’s leg as she pleaded.

“Grandmother, you can’t do this! It was all my fault, I shouldn’t have insulted the noble houses by sending such poor quality gifts. I’ll make up for it right now! I’ll use my own funds to make up for it! Please, give Granddaughter-in-Law a chance!”

Matriarch He seemed indifferent to her pleas. She looked at the sorry Madam Zou as she declared, “Madam Zou, it’s too late to regret your actions now. Servants! Send Eldest Young Madam back to her courtyard!”

Once Matriarch He had given the order, Madam Zou was dragged out of the parlour by a few strong senior servants.

Chapter 429: Losing Favour (2)

When Madam Zou’s cries could no longer be heard in Qingxi Hall, Matriarch He rubbed her forehead in fatigue. Some time later, she instructed, “Call all of the stewards and stewardesses of every courtyard here. I have some orders for them. Tell the stewards in charge of the accounts to come here as well.”

There was a never-ending stream of people coming to and from Qingxi Hall on this day. The whole estate soon knew that the heir’s wife was no longer in favour with the matriarch.

The moment Madam Zou returned to her own room, she swept every single thing in arm’s reach to the ground. It was only when Senior Servant Qiao held her back that she finally stopped her path of destruction.

“Eldest Young Madam, please calm down. You still have the two young misses to take care of!”

Little An and Little Lin had already been woken up by the commotion and drawn over to the noise. The maidservants and senior servants hadn’t been able to hold back the two young misses, so they had witnessed the entirety of Madam Zou’s fit of madness. Little An and Little Lin were frightened by the sight of their gentle, loving mother turned into a violent demon.

Their young faces were filled with panic as they stayed rooted to the spot, not daring to make a peep. It was at this time that Madam Zou turned to look at them.

Her eyes were fixed upon them for a long time before her features contorted into a contemptuous snarl. “Hah! Why weren’t either of you born as boys! If one of you had been a boy, would I have fallen to this state?! You useless things, get out of here!”

Senior Servant Qiao was shocked to her core. She hadn’t expected Eldest Young Madam to have spat out such vitriol at the two children. Although Eldest Young Madam had blamed herself for not being able to give birth to a male heir, she had still treated the two young misses with tender loving care. She had personally taken care of the children every day instead of leaving their care to the servants. This attack towards the innocent children was completely out of the blue for her.

Although Little An and Little Lin were young, they were already aware of the situation. When faced with such contempt from their own mother, the two girls burst into tears and ran towards Madam Zou. They wanted to make sure that their mother’s words weren’t serious.

Senior Servant Qiao didn’t dare to let the crazed Madam Zou near the children now. She quickly shot a look at Jinshui, who caught the hint and ordered the maidservants to bring the two young misses out.

After Little An and Little Lin had been taken away, Madam Zou seemed to have calmed down from the sound of the children’s cries. She collapsed into a chair, her eyes empty and listless.

She was really done for this time. Her husband loathed her, the concubine was pregnant, and she had lost the power to manage the household once again. She, the wife of House Jing’an’s heir apparent, was probably going to be the laughingstock of the capital.

She suddenly recalled the strange letter she had received two days ago.

That’s right, it was that letter! That letter had urged her to send shoddy gifts to all the noble houses and report the lack of funds to the matriarch. She was supposed to inform the matriarch of the fact that Guilin Restaurant had shut down and the matriarch was supposed to take back the deed for Guilin Restaurant in a fit of temper. When the restaurant was placed back into the public accounts, she would then have the most profitable restaurant in the whole capital under her control.

She had clearly followed the instructions on the letter through and through, so just how had things ended up like this?!

Lady Zou frantically grabbed onto Senior Servant Qiao’s arms as if she had finally found a straw to clutch at. “Momo, that letter, where’s that letter!? Hurry, find that letter for me! Grandmother will surely return control of the household to me once she sees that letter!”

Although stunned, Senior Servant Qiao was able to recall the letter that the Eldest Young Madam was referring to.

A few days ago, Eldest Young Madam had somehow been given a mysterious letter. She had sat down and read it by herself. Once she was done, excitement and malevolence had flashed across her face before she quickly tossed the letter into a brazier.

Even she and Jinshui hadn’t gotten a glimpse of its contents.

Senior Servant Qiao sighed. She guessed that Eldest Young Madam had been used by someone.

“Eldest Young Madam, you’ve already burned that letter.”

“What? B… Burned?”

As much as she didn’t want to deal another blow to Madam Zou, Senior Servant Qiao still had to tell her the full truth.

Madam Zou blanked out for a moment before bursting into laughter.

It looked like she only had herself to blame!

Matriarch He sat at her desk and flipped through the account books. Her age was really catching up to her by now. She had only been reading for a short period of time, but her back and waist were already aching.

Senior Servant Liu couldn’t continue watching without doing something. She brought up a suggestion. “Matriarch, why don’t you take a rest? The maidservants can help you with looking through the accounts and report a summary to you at the end. Wouldn’t it be the same?”

Matriarch He knew that her body couldn’t take much more of this abuse, so she nodded in agreement. She pointed at Muxiang, who was waiting behind her, and said, “Muxiang, come and look through these accounts. If it’s too much for you alone, pick two second-tier maidservants that you trust to help you with this.”

Muxiang quickly lowered her head and made a sound of agreement before sitting down and getting to work.

Matriarch He was helped to one side by Senior Servant Liu for a quick break.

“Go and see what has happened to Guilin Restaurant, and why it has suddenly shut down its business.”

Senior Servant Liu immediately left to carry out her orders.

Chu Lian led Wenqing into the side room where Sanlang was. The moment she entered, she was greeted with He Sanlang’s usual frosty expression.

He Changdi sent over a cool glance before turning away. He even shifted his body so that his back was to Chu Lian.

Then, Chu Lian heard him say, “Why are you here? Haven’t you left me for dead?”

Chapter 430: The Horrible He Sanlang (1)

Astonished, Chu Lian froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected those to be He Sanlang’s first words after seeing her again.

The way he was currently acting was exactly like a dog that had been ignored by his owner. She didn’t know how to react.

The corners of her lips twitched. Chu Lian headed over to the bedside with Wenqing trailing after her.

She sat down on the stool next to the bed and said, “Since Laiyue has gone out, I’ll be the one to help change your bandages later. It’s already the twenty-seventh, so you should take a bath at the same time. I’ll put on your ointments after you’re done.”

He Changdi turned back around and looked at Chu Lian silently.

Chu Lian remained her usual calm and easygoing self. “He Changdi, if you don’t answer me, then I’ll take it that you’ve agreed.”

After she was done, Chu Lian turned to Wenqing and told her to get the maidservants to prepare the items required for a bath.

Just as Chu Lian stood up to look for bandages and gauze, He Changdi directed his frosty gaze at the servants in the room. The maidservants trembled and retreated quietly.

A trace of satisfaction showed on He Changdi’s face.

As Chu Lian set the bandages and gauze to one side, together with the ointments that she had ordered to be brought to her, she felt that the room was strangely quiet. It was only when she turned and looked around that she realised she and He Changdi had been left alone.

She put the medicine box down and shot a confused look at He Sanlang. “Where’s everyone?”

He Changdi was calm as he replied, “I’ve sent them away.”

Ah? Chu Lian didn’t understand. What had he sent them all away for?

“Is there something important you have to tell me?” Chu Lian sat down next to He Sanlang and drew close to him, expecting some secret.

Although there was still some distance between them, He Changdi could already smell the fragrance on Chu Lian’s body. He couldn’t tell what perfume she used, but he just thought that it was very nice.

There was a faint smile in He Changdi’s eyes, though he wasn’t aware of it.

He shifted his body even closer to Chu Lian. He Changdi’s breath glided across Chu Lian’s soft cheeks.

“It’s not anything major, but I want you to help check my wounds. They were hurting a little when I woke up this morning.” He Sanlang’s tone was very cool and impersonal. Aside from his heated breathing, he had managed to hide his ‘evil’ intentions very well.

If this had been a normal situation, Chu Lian would have definitely been able to detect the white lie. However, when it came to matters concerning He Changdi’s body, Chu Lian instantly tensed up and forgot her usual calm.

With an astonished and reproachful look, Chu Lian began to admonish him. “Did it only start hurting this morning? How about during the past two days? He Changdi, are you stupid? Why didn’t you mention your wounds hurting before? Why would you just bear with the pain without saying anything!”

Once she had finished her scolding, Chu Lian quickly reached out for the blankets covering He Changdi.

Since He Changdi’s injuries had been healing well, Chu Lian had not asked the old physician to come every day, and in fact, the old physician had gone home for New Year’s the day before yesterday. Fortunately, the old physician had left behind some instructions. He Changdi’s life was no longer in any sort of danger with the few days’ worth of recuperation, and it was only a matter of time before he was fully healed.As long as his bandages were changed daily and he continued drinking his medicine, he would be able to walk in another month.

However, Chu Lian had seen the state of He Sanlang’s injuries with her own eyes. It had been an extremely frightening experience with his leg a bloody mess at the time, and that was why she reacted immediately when He Sanlang mentioned that his wounds hurt.

He Sanlang suddenly felt guilty upon seeing how panicked Chu Lian was over him. He wanted to reach out to hold her still and stop her frantic movements.

However, Chu Lian couldn’t rest easy until she inspected his wounds personally. In the modern world, there were many cases where external wounds would fester and become inflamed if they weren’t taken care of properly. If that happened to He Changdi, the result would be even worse than the original state of his injuries.

Chu Lian pushed away He Sanlang’s hand and puffed up her cheeks. She threw a glare in He Changdi’s direction with an angry huff. “Don’t you dare move, or your wounds might be affected!”

Although Chu Lian had been going for a fierce tone, her voice was naturally soft and charming. Even though she tried to harden her stance, there wasn’t a single threatening bone in her. Instead, He Changdi felt warm inside. He wanted to pull the angry little kitten in front of him into his arms for a nice round of snuggles and pets.

It was only then that He Sanlang finally realised he wasn’t going to win over his stubborn wife when she was on a roll. Thus, with a resigned smile, he laid back against the headboard and let her do as he wished.

The wound on He Changdi’s right leg was on the inner part of his thigh. Actually, it was very dangerous to have a wound there as it was close to a major artery. Any cuts could easily cause extreme blood loss and death.

Lucky for He Sanlang, he had somehow escaped that fate- the wound hadn’t gotten close to his artery. Right now, he was only dressed in a pair of really short pants to make it easier to change the bandages every day. The pants were so short that they only covered the most important parts of his lower body.

Once Chu Lian had gotten the blanket out of the way, she was met with the sight of He Sanlang’s muscled thigh all covered in bandages.

She glanced at him and said, “Bear with it for a while, I’m going to remove the bandages and check on your wound.”

Before He Sanlang could give his assent, she had already started to untie the bandages.

The corners of He Changdi’s lips twitched. How were her movements so fast?

He watched Chu Lian’s serious expression as she went about her task. Although his features were still locked in their usual cool mien, there was warmth welling up from deep inside his heart.

It had been a long time since he had experienced being cared for like this.

Chapter 431: The Horrible He Sanlang (2)

Chu Lian’s fingers were nimble, and she quickly but carefully took off the bandages covering He Sanlang’s leg.

She looked at the wound on his knee first and found that the wound had already scabbed over. The surrounding skin was also clean and dry, so there was nothing wrong with it.

Chu Lian frowned and traced the wound upwards. She started checking on the injuries on He Sanlang’s inner thigh.

Since He Sanlang couldn’t move his leg right now, Chu Lian had no choice but to move into another position and climb onto the bed. She kneeled on the inner side of the bed while bending over to take a good look at the wound.

He Changdi hadn’t thought much of her inspection at first, but her unintentional pose made his thoughts run wild. His gaze flitted downwards, only to see her fair little face near a very important part of his body...

He had already fallen for Chu Lian and desperately wanted to be closer to her physically, so it was even harder to restrain his reaction.

Chu Lian hadn’t noticed her lunatic husband’s response at all. She finished inspecting that wound on his right thigh and found that it was actually healing pretty well and that there was no problem with it.

The realisation that he had been lying, coupled with how he had tried to stop her earlier, hit her like a ton of bricks. She instantly puffed up with anger.

Due to her fury, her face flushed red and even her almond-shaped eyes were lit up with the fire of her rage.

Chu Lian harrumphed. She looked up, about to vent her temper on He Changdi, when her gaze accidentally fell upon a part of his body that was a little abnormal right now.

What could a thin pair of shorts hide?

The excited Little Brother He stood out clearly.

Chu Lian’s eyes widened in disbelief as all of the blood in her body rushed to her cheeks. Her blush even extended all the way down to her neck.

It took Chu Lian a dazed two seconds before she quickly moved away. Following that, her limpid eyes glared accusingly in He Sanlang’s direction.

Chu Lian gaped as she tried to recover her wits. Finally, she spat out, “He Changdi, you pervert!!”

In the whole of the Great Wu Dynasty, He Sanlang was likely the only one who had ever been branded a pervert by his own wife.

He Changdi was also both ashamed and frustrated at his own reaction. The roots of his ears were also completely red. However, he still managed to keep his aloof expression on his face as he stared at Chu Lian’s lobster-red face in a daze.

After a while, he tried to explain in a raspy voice, “I didn’t do it on purpose, I couldn’t hold it back…”

Chu Lian’s response was to shoot a fierce glare at him. The meaning behind it was clear: could you be any more shameless?

He Changdi: …

Chu Lian’s heart was thumping rapidly in her chest. Even though she had lived in the modern era for over twenty years, she had never experienced anything like this before. Her face was so red that it felt like it was on fire. She wanted to escape from this awkward situation as fast as she could.

Chu Lian scrambled off the bed in a panic, intending to pull on her shoes and run away. However, the more panicked she was, the clumsier she became. As she was getting off the bed, she accidentally tripped over her own skirt and almost tumbled right off the bed.

Luckily, He Sanlang had been watching her the whole time and was able to catch her at the right moment. With a tug of his strong arms, Chu Lian landed in his embrace.

Chu Lian had already gone through the whole spectrum of emotions by now. The fright from the near-fall shocked her into a dazed state. Bewilderment filled her eyes, softening her usual sharp wit and adding an extra trace of cuteness.

Urged on by that lovely sight, He Changdi’s pupils dilated before he bent over to capture those rosy red lips. The soft, slightly cool feeling of her lips against his sent a wave of enjoyment crashing through his whole body.

Ever since they had shared their first kiss in the tent, the memory of it would pop into his mind from time to time. Every time he reminisced about it, He Changdi would get even more love drunk.

Chu Lian hadn’t expected this sudden attack from He Sanlang at all. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as far as they could go and she struggled in his grasp. Her muffled grunts didn’t do anything to move him and she didn’t have any strength to push him away. She wanted to try kicking instead, but when she remembered that his leg was still heavily injured, she stuck to using only her hands to push against his chest.

However, Chu Lian’s weak arms were like ants trying to push down a tree. Once He Changdi had tasted enough of the sweetness of her lips, he gently pushed past her teeth to brush against her tongue.

He Sanlang had become even more familiar with this after the first time.

The all-consuming kisses made Chu Lian short of breath. Although the force of her arms against his chest slowly weakened, He Changdi wasn’t willing to let her off so easily.

The hands he had placed on her back started wandering and caressing her. Although she was dressed in layers of clothing due to the cold weather, he was still able to hold on to her slender waist easily. With a slight tug, she was now flush against his body.

It was only when Chu Lian’s face had flushed completely red again that He Sanlang finally let her go. Even then, he wasn’t willing to part with her. He showered kisses lovingly on her fluttering eyelids, the bridge of her nose, the fine corners of her lips, and her dainty little chin.

Chu Lian had almost fainted from the lack of air during their kiss. Her mind was a complete blank while her body felt like a wet noodle. All she could do was gasp for air right now, so she didn’t have the spare energy to mind the light kisses that he was dropping on her face.

However, it didn’t take long for her to recover. When she finally realised that there was something hard jabbing her in the waist, Chu Lian’s soul instantly returned to her body.

Right as He Changdi’s trail of kisses had reached Chu Lian’s slender neck, she shot out a hand to cover his face.

“He Sanlang, why are you so horrible!”

Chapter 432: The New Year (1)

He Sanlang's eyes shone with the light of the stars as he fixated on Chu Lian’s flushed face and heavy breathing.

Chu Lian was turning redder and redder under the weight of his gaze.

All of a sudden, He Sanlang actually broke out into a smile and he let out a peal of relaxed laughter. That spontaneous, genuine smile shocked Chu Lian silly.

He Changdi was well-known for his outstanding appearance all over the capital.

Ever since Chu Lian had arrived in the Great Wu Dynasty, all she had seen of him was his aloof and haughty side. He always kept a cold aura cloaked around himself to repel everyone away from him. She had never seen such an unguarded, unrestrained smile from him before.

That rare display of emotions from him drew a profound change in her own heart; it was as if an ancient wall of ice had melted under the strength of the sun. It felt warm and comfortable.

Compared to his usual cool facade, Chu Lian felt that this agreeable, warm look suited He Sanlang more.

When she thought back to the original story's description of him, this was likely how He Changdi had been before he had gotten married!

A pang of sympathy surfaced in her heart when her thoughts led her to that reminder.

Although she didn't know why he was fighting so hard, she knew that he must have some sort of reason for his actions.

Now that Chu Lian had broken the strange mood that had been hanging over them, a little of He Sanlang's rationality had returned. He suppressed the desires in his heart, but kept Chu Lian close to him.

Due to the passion from before, his voice was still a little husky. "Yes, I'm horrible. It's my bad, I shouldn't have lied to you."

Chu Lian had already suffered several rounds of fright ever since waking up this morning. Her life was terribly exciting.

She stared at He Changdi, mouth agape. So this stubborn man actually had times when he would apologise?

She pulled out her hand and felt He Sanlang's forehead, murmuring under her breath as she did so. "That's weird, he doesn't have a fever..."

The warmth on He Sanlang's expression immediately faded away, exchanged for frustration.

With a mix of shame and anger, he shouted, "Chu Lian!"

Chu Lian laughed sheepishly. "Ehe. So you're actually normal sometimes, my dear husband?"

"When have I been abnormal?"

"You've always been abnormal." Unfortunately, Chu Lian didn’t dare to speak her true thoughts. She wasn't so stupid as to provoke the bear who currently had her in his clutches.

When He Sanlang looked down and noticed that her eyes were sparkling with humour, he had the urge to rub his cheeks against hers.

The moment the urge came over him, he acted it out without any restraint.

Chu Lian suffered the stabbing, prickling sensation of stubble on her tender skin and quickly shook her head, trying to dodge his face.

She raged, "He Changdi, you haven't shaved!"

The air between the couple had turned harmonious all of a sudden.

By the time He Changdi had his fill of snuggling, the two of them were panting for breath.

He Sanlang cradled the back of Chu Lian's head with his palm, pressing her head against his broad chest. He took a deep breath to gather his determination before declaring, "Chu Lian, once I'm fully healed, let's get together. If... that's alright with you?"

This time, Chu Lian didn't shove his words back in his face like she had previously done in the army camp. She curled her fingers in his collar as she rested her head against his chest. After a moment, her low, muffled voice resounded.

There weren't any words in her reply; just a simple affirmative 'mm' mumbled into his shirt.

The anxiety in He Sanlang's heart instantly transformed into a burst of fireworks, overwhelming him and giving him the urge to fly up into the sky.

Fifteen minutes later, He Changdi pulled Chu Lian away from him with his strong arms, tugging her slender body out from his embrace.

It was rare for them to have such a warm and peaceful moment, so Chu Lian didn't want to move at all. She looked up with confusion at He Changdi, asking with her soft voice, "What's wrong?"

He Sanlang leaned over to place a kiss on her tender pink lips. "Be good for me and get off the bed first. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back any longer."

A blush returned in full force to Chu Lian's face and she awkwardly scurried out of his arms.

She put on her embroidered shoes again and straightened out her clothing before shooting a 'fierce' glare at He Changdi.

"I'm going to find a razor. You have to shave your stubble now." After giving herself a shoddy excuse, Chu Lian turned and made her escape from the room.

After they had finally agreed to be together, even though their following interactions weren't very intimate, it took He Sanlang a lot of effort to control his physical reactions so that it wouldn't cause even more embarrassing incidents.

He Changdi was a very restrained person in the first place. Although it was hard for him to hold his bodily reactions back, when he thought of how Chu Lian had finally agreed to be with him, this sweet torture felt like nothing.

Chu Lian didn't give much thought to their snuggling at all. As a woman, she didn't have much in the way of sexual needs.

Instead, she rather enjoyed the sweet closeness they shared.

When Chu Lian finally found a razor and returned to the room, He Changdi didn't let her do it for him and shaved his own stubble. Later on, with Chu Lian's help, he wiped down his body and washed his hair.

He couldn't take a bath due to the position of his injuries, so he could only make do.

Once the twenty-seventh had passed, New Year's Eve soon arrived.

There was a touch of celebration in the air, even in the frigid north.

Naturally, Liangzhou City was the most festive compared to the other cities nearby.

Chu Lian had gotten up early in the morning to start preparing New Year’s dinner. Wenqing and Wenlan were also so busy that they didn't have any time to rest. In the afternoon, Manager Qin and his subordinates finally returned to the He Estate.

Wenqing and Wenlan knew that Manager Qin had gone out on Third Young Madam's orders, but they didn't know what exactly he had gone out to do. However, they weren't too curious about it. They knew that anything done on Third Young Madam's instructions was definitely good for their household and good for Third Young Master, so there was nothing for them to worry about.

Chu Lian had ordered Wenqing to start cooking a large pot of braised pork in the morning. Wenqing had found it strange and asked, "Third Young Madam, even if we give a whole bowl of this to everyone in this estate, we won't be able to finish this up!"

Chu Lian smiled secretively. "You'll know why when it comes time for dinner."

Since Chu Lian had already explained it like that, Wenqing dropped her line of questioning.

Chu Lian found it funny. She refused to believe that Captain Guo and the others wouldn't come over to the He Estate to beg off a free meal when faced with such a great excuse.

Chapter 433: The New Year (2)

As expected, when night fell and the maidservants had just started serving up a whole array of steaming hot dishes on the table, the gluttons from the northern border troops arrived.

He Changdi was bedridden so the only person who could host their uninvited guests was Chu Lian.

She stood at the main entrance to welcome them in, looking upon the huge group of foodies helplessly. It seemed like it wasn't just He Sanlang's band of brothers who had come. Even Great General Qian had followed along. Of course, Sima Hui was here too.

Chu Lian was starting to suspect that the extra portions of food she had ordered Wenqing and Wenlan to prepare weren't going to be enough.

However, it was too late to prepare more food. If they really ran out, they would just have to add a big bowl of dumplings for them and make sure that they left with full bellies.

In order to match the festivities, Chu Lian was wearing a pink dress with white rabbit fur accents. Layered on top was a bright red vest and a white fox fur cloak. Chu Lian still had a little bit of baby fat clinging to her face, giving her a youthful air, and whenshe was dressed up in so many layers, it made her look like a cute little ball.

After Chu Lian personally greeted Great General Qian with a respectful bob, General Qian pulled out a red packet from his sleeve and passed it to Chu Lian.

"Take this, it's a New Year gift from your Uncle Qian."

Chu Lian stared in a blank daze for a moment before quickly reacting and receiving the envelope with both hands. She smiled at General Qian and said, "Uncle Qian, I'm already married, I'm not a child any longer."

Although her current body was only fifteen, she had been in her twenties in her modern world and was long past the age where she would receive red packets from her elders. On the contrary; whenever she went home for New Year’s, Chu Lian would be the one giving out red packets to her little nieces and nephews. Now that an elder had suddenly given her a red packet, Chu Lian felt a little awkward.

While Duke Lu was the fearsome Great General Qian in the border camp, he had come here to visit her as an elder, so she had changed her form of address for him accordingly.

General Qian found it amusing that the little Honoured Lady Jinyi was acting like an adult. "Even though you're already married, you're still a young lady who has just come of age. Don't tell me that you're too shy to accept your Uncle Qian's red packet?"

Chu Lian smiled in return and said, "Alright, please don't tease me, Uncle Qian. I'll accept it!"

Now that General Qian had opened up the way, the rest of the people who had come for her cooking all gave her red packets. Even the youngest Xiao Hongyu managed to take out a thin red envelope and pass it to Chu Lian. He showed a foolish smile and said, "I don't have much savings, so please don't take offense, Sister-in-Law."

Although Xiao Hongyu called Chu Lian 'Older Sister-in-Law', he was actually older than Chu Lian by four years, so it was still acceptable for her to accept his gift as a junior.

The last person to enter was Sima Hui.

Chu Lian hadn't seen her in quite some time, so she was naturally happy to meet her friend again on New Year's Eve. Sima Hui was normally taller than Chu Lian by half a head. Today, she had stuck a red feather in her neat hair, making her look even taller and slimmer than usual.

Sima Hui offered up a smile and pulled on Chu Lian's hand in a familiar way. She took off a red purse with embroidered flowers from her waist and gave it to Chu Lian. "Lian'er, I didn't prepare a red packet for you unlike the Great General and the others. Take this as Sister Hui's New Year gift to you."

Chu Lian's smile was even brighter than usual as she dispensed with the usual courtesy of rejecting the gift. She reached out to receive the purse immediately. "Since it's something that Sister Hui prepared for me, I'll accept it shamelessly!"

Once Chu Lian had finished accepting the stack of red packets and one red purse, she finally welcomed everyone into the He Estate.

While He Changdi and Chu Lian were passing their first New Year together with a lively celebration, things weren't going so well back in the capital’s Jing'an Estate.

It was now certain that Count Jing'an couldn't come back for New Year’s, while Second Young Master He Changjue, who was investigating a case in Zhangzhou, had also sent a letter stating that he wouldn't be able to make it either.

Eldest Young Madam was grounded in her branch's courtyard. It was rumoured that she wasn't feeling very well these two days and that Senior Servant Qiao had taken over management of her own courtyard's matters.

Matriarch He had just taken control of the household again and was going through the public account books. The sudden stress and hard work had caused her old illnesses to flare up, making her bedridden.

Eldest Young Master He Changqi disapproved of his grandmother's overwork. He specially ordered Senior Servant Liu to keep watch over the matriarch's health.

Senior Servant Liu had no other choice but to take up the task of checking the accounts herself. She picked a portion of the account books and left the rest to Muxiang.

Senior Servant Liu wasn't good at numbers, so it was Muxiang who oversaw the accounts.

At the end of the year, rumours started swirling about the capital that the northern border troops had fallen into critical danger, and that it wasn't boding well for the fifty thousand troops hanging in the balance.

Matriarch He's health declined even further upon hearing these rumours. Due to the rumors, many noble houses stopped associating with House Jing'an.

Chapter 434: Eldest Madam Returns (1)

On the following day, Matriarch He's health had deteriorated so much that she was too weak to get out of bed. He Changqi had suddenly become the only master in the entire estate who was entirely healthy and normal.

He Changqi was actually mired in his own worries, and he was in no mood to celebrate New Year’s. Each day, he would leave early in the morning to search for any news of the situation in the north, only returning late at night. He even used his connections to send a request to Princess Wei.

Early this morning, the silent and subdued entrance of the Jing'an Estate suddenly turned lively again.

A few carriages marked with the flags of the Jing'an Estate stopped in front of the gates.

Following that, a green-clad maidservant jumped out from the lead carriage before quickly placing a wooden stool beneath its door. She lifted up the curtain covering the entrance and carefully helped out the person within.

The first to emerge from the confines of the carriage was a young lady wearing a dark green hood. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. She had a slender figure, dressed in a plain-coloured vest over a russet dress. Closely following her was a middle-aged woman.

The woman was slightly plump and was wrapped in a brocade cloak. Her hair was combed up into a conch shape, with only a simple silver hairpin to decorate her black hair.

She turned her head slightly and patted the young lady's hand, as if to reassure her.

Her face actually held some resemblance to House Jing'an's matriarch.

"Nianzhen, this is your grandmother's home." He Ying's voice was clearly emotional right now. The gaze she was directing towards House Jing'an's gates were filled with both yearning and greed.

Pan Nianzhen hugged her mother's arm tightly. Her narrow eyes filled with uncertainty and envy as she took in the large, luxurious gates of the Jing'an Estate and the roofs of the buildings within.

She gulped nervously and said, "Mother, Grandmother's home is so huge. I've never seen such a large courtyard in my whole life. Can we stay here forever from now on?"

The corners of He Ying's mouth tilted upwards. "Of course. Since we've returned, no one can chase us out!"

Senior Servant Liu hurried over with some servants in tow after receiving the report from the gatekeepers.

Ever since He Ying had married into the Pan Family, far away in Siyang, they hadn't met in decades. Now that she was meeting the He Family's former Eldest Young Miss again, a mix of emotions welled up within Senior Servant Liu.

She walked up to He Ying and bobbed in greeting towards her, together with the servants behind her. It was only after a respectful pause that she raised her head and said, "Eldest Madam, it must have been a long journey for you. Please, follow this servant into the estate."

Even though it had been many years since they had last met, He Ying was able to recognise the senior servant who was even more well dressed than she was.

"Senior Servant Liu, I hope you've been well since we parted."

After saying so, He Ying rearranged her expression into a frown as she took in the servants who had come to welcome her together with Senior Servant Liu. All of a sudden, she let out a mocking peal of laughter. "I see that we're not that welcome after all, since you've only sent servants out to welcome us back."

Senior Servant Liu's expression changed. She pressed her lips together and just barely managed to hold back the sharp words bubbling up within. Then, Senior Servant Liu respectfully lowered her head as she replied, "Eldest Madam might not have gotten the news yet. None of the male masters of our house are home right now. The matriarch and the countess are both sickly and bedridden, so the honour of welcoming you has been left to this old servant."

He Ying's brows drew together. "Mother is sick?"

Senior Servant Liu nodded, her heart clearly aching for the matriarch. "Eldest Madam and Miss Pan, please enter first and listen to this old servant's explanation later."

It was only then that He Ying stopped talking and let the maidservants help her and her daughter into the estate.

The news had been sent to Qingxi Hall already. Perhaps due to the pending reunion with the daughter she had been separated from for decades, the matriarch was much more spirited than the two days before. She forced herself out of bed and on her feet.

The matriarch let her maidservants help her dress before letting Muxiang escort her to the hearth in the parlour. It was there that she awaited the arrival of her long lost daughter.

Matriarch He's old eyes remained fixed on the entrance the whole time. Eventually, she urged, "Muxiang, send someone to ask if they've entered the inner court."

Muxiang covered her lips and smiled. "Of course, this servant will go now. Please don't worry, Matriarch. Eldest Madam has already entered the estate, it will only take her a moment to arrive in the inner court. Senior Servant Liu has even sent out sedans and specially arranged for the most fleet-footed menial servants to carry them. They won't be delayed."

The matriarch sighed. "I know that, but I just can't help myself."

Just as Muxiang walked over to the parlour entrance and lifted up the heavy drapes covering them, she spotted Senior Servant Liu leading a group of people down the corridor. She turned around joyously and said, "Matriarch, Eldest Madam has arrived!"

"Quick, welcome them in!" Matriarch He was so happy she almost leaped up from the hearth, giving Muxiang a fright as she hurriedly went over to support the matriarch.

The haughtiness on He Ying's face immediately faded the moment Senior Servant Liu lifted the curtains.

Once she entered the parlour, she fixed her eyes on the old woman sitting by the hearth. Tears seemed to spring to her eyes almost instantly.

"Mother!"

Matriarch He looked down upon the daughter who had left her as a young lady and grown into a middle-aged woman. Her old eyes looked hazy as tears welled up in their corners.

"Miss Ying, come to Mother's side and let Mother take a good look at you."

He Ying ran forward and threw herself into Matriarch He's arms. The mother and child who had been separated for years hugged each other tightly and cried their hearts out.

Pan Nianzhen was at a loss for what to do. She shrunk back and looked up at the kindly matriarch sitting at the head of the room before her attention was attracted by the sumptuous luxury of the parlour furnishings. Her eyes darted here and there, looking over everything with desire.

Chapter 435: Eldest Madam Returns (2)

Senior Servant Liu and Senior Servant Zhou were afraid that the matriarch's fragile health would decline even more if she went through more emotional upheaval, so they hurriedly spoke words of reassurance. "Matriarch, now that Eldest Madam is back and the New Year is coming, you should be happier! Miss Pan is watching from the side!"

As expected, with the reminder that her granddaughter was watching, Matriarch He slowly got her emotions under control. She let go of her daughter and dabbed at her tears before finally getting a good look at her daughter. When she was satisfied, she turned her gaze to her granddaughter, Pan Nianzhen.

He Ying pulled her daughter closer. "Nianzhen, this is your maternal grandmother. Quick, greet her."

Pan Nianzhen was a little timid. She darted a glance at the kindly yet intimidating old lady before her and greeted in almost a whisper, "Grandmother."

"What a good child!" The matriarch reached out and took Pan Nianzhen's hand in her own. She carefully looked over the young lady before asking, "How old is Nianzhen this year?"

He Ying looked at her daughter with pride. "Her coming of age ceremony was done just this summer, so she'll be sixteen this coming year."

Sixteen years of age? That was considered an adult woman in the Great Wu Dynasty. It was also the right time to start preparing for marriage and it wouldn't be good to tarry on that matter.

An idea sparked to life within Matriarch He.

She let the two ladies sit down next to her. At the same time, she had also noticed that they were dressed in rather plain and shabby outfits.

He Ying seemed to have sensed her mother's measuring gaze. She lowered her head in shame.

The matriarch frowned. "Why are you dressed in this manner?"

He Ying glanced at her mother. Her lips parted, as if she wanted to speak, but it seemed like her shame was holding her back.

"Even if you don't want to dress up, you should have given Nianzhen a few good dresses at least. She should be dressing prettily at her age."

Once Matriarch He had spoken, He Ying could no longer hold back and said, "Mother, it's not that I'm not willing to, but I just don't have the money right now."

Matriarch He stared in disbelief. "Did you spend all of the taels I gave you back then?"

He Ying acted aggrieved when reminded of the money she had been given. "Mother, it's been so many years. How could there be anything left from just a few ten-thousand taels?"

Matriarch He deeply regretted that she hadn't raised Miss Ying properly.

She was actually dismissing several ten-thousand taels. How could several ten-thousand taels be a small amount?

That was enough to buy at least ten or more storefronts! Even if they did nothing with the storefronts and just rented them out, they would still be able to live much more comfortably than they seemed to be now. She would at least have the money to make some new clothes and accessories for her daughter.

The frustration within the matriarch almost shot through the roof after that casual comment from her daughter.

However, as angry as she was, she couldn't just let her daughter and granddaughter continue dressing so shabbily.

She looked her daughter up and down once more before saying, "The two of you can stay in my Qingxi Hall for now. You're about the same size as I was back then, so you can take some of my clothes for now. Muxiang, lead Eldest Madam over to the storehouse in a while."

Muxiang respectfully acknowledged the orders.

Matriarch He looked at the timid Pan Nianzhen and faced a dilemma.

Pan Nianzhen was fifteen this year and in the prime of her life. Matriarch He didn't have any clothes suitable for her to wear. Even if they ordered the seamstresses to rush out something, it would still take a few days. It was already close to the year's end, so the clothes stores outside were all closed. They wouldn't be able to buy any ready made dresses. It was really a tough problem for the matriarch.

Senior Servant Liu was observant. She smiled and whispered a suggestion to the matriarch.

"Matriarch, why don't you send someone over to Third Young Madam's courtyard to ask?"

Now that Senior Servant Liu had reminded her, realisation dawned upon the matriarch. That's right. Sanlang's wife was also fifteen. Although the two young ladies were a little different in size, it wasn't so drastic.

"Xiangyun, take Miss Pan over to Sanlang's courtyard and borrow two outfits for the time being. Get our seamstresses to measure the two of them tomorrow afternoon to make some outfits they can wear," Matriarch He instructed Senior Servant Liu.

Once those details were settled, Matriarch He held on to her daughter's hand and started chatting about their past memories.

He Ying wanted to get closer to her mother, so she put all her efforts into caring for the matriarch. They started talking about He Ying's childhood and kept chatting until it was time for the midday meal.

In the afternoon, they had lunch served in the parlour of Qingxi Hall. Matriarch He shared the meal together with her daughter and granddaughter.

On the table was Eight Treasure Duck, boiled fish with pickled cabbage and chilli, Pingqiao tofu, pork strips in chilli sauce, and meatballs in clear soup. There weren't that many dishes, but He Ying and her daughter were stunned.

They had never eaten or even seen such exquisite dishes before.

The parlour was filled with the fragrance of food.

"Mother, what... what is all this?" He Ying pointed at the dishes and gulped.

Matriarch He puffed up with pride at the mention of the food. "These dishes were all taught to our estate's cooks by Lian'er. They're much better than what we had before. Come, have a taste! Nianzhen, start eating!"

He Ying found it strange. "Mother, who's Lian'er? One of your maidservants?"

Matriarch He glared at her daughter upon hearing her ask such a question. "What nonsense are you speaking? Lian'er is your niece-in-law! She married Sanlang this year in early autumn."

He Ying's eyes almost bulged out in shock. "Sanlang is married?"

"You silly child. Have you forgotten everything as the years passed? Sanlang is already twenty this year; important matters like marriage can't be delayed!"

Upon hearing her mother's reply, a trace of disappointment flashed across He Ying's eyes.

"Alright, that's enough of that. Let's eat first. Once we're done, Xiangyun will explain everything that has happened in our estate."

None of what her mother and grandmother were talking about had gone into Pan Nianzhen's ears. She had just taken a bite of the Eight Treasure Duck and almost swallowed her tongue along with it because of how tasty it was. She couldn't help but think: how could there be such delicious food in the world?

Chapter 436: Borrowing Clothes (1)

Although Pan Nianzhen had heard her parents talk of the riches and luxury of the capital in the past, it was nothing compared to seeing it for herself.

Setting aside the exquisite decorations, clothes, and jewellery, even a simple meal here was a hundred times better than what the wealthy in Siyang had.

If even House Jing’an was living in such luxury, one could just imagine how amazing life was in the house of a first rate noble.

Pan Nianzhen felt that she had made the right decision to come to the capital with her mother. It was no wonder that her mother missed the capital so dearly.

Once she thought of it this way, Pan Nianzhen began to envy the noble ladies who grew up here.

She stealthily glanced at Matriarch He who sat at the head of the table. Even though the capital was so rich and lavish, even though House Jing’an was obviously thriving, it wasn’t until autumn this year that her grandmother had allowed the two of them to return. Pan Nianzhen had the inklings of a grudge in her stare.

It had been a long time since Matriarch He had been this happy. She kept adding food into their bowls. Satisfaction warmed her heart as she watched them enjoy their meal.

No matter what He Ying had done in her youth, she was still Matriarch He’s very own flesh and blood. Matriarch He only had this one daughter. Now that decades had already passed, her daughter had likely undergone enough suffering and hardship in the outside world to learn her lesson. It was fine if her daughter now returned to stay and pass her days happily with her again.

As for this granddaughter of hers, Matriarch He planned to treat her well.

The six dishes should have been more than enough for the three of them, especially since the matriarch had a small appetite. There should even be leftovers. However, all of the plates were completely wiped clean. When He Ying and her daughter were done, there was no longer any food left in sight. They had even used some plain buns to soak up all the remaining gravy from the sliced pork dish.

It was only after setting down their bowls and chopsticks that the two finally noticed the discomfort from their bloated stomachs. When they looked again at the messy table, as thick-skinned as she was, even He Ying’s face flushed red.

The servants waiting on them all wore awkward expressions. Even Muxiang’s stare was filled with contempt.

The matriarch, on the other hand, had a gentle look in her eyes. She asked sympathetically, “Have you had your fill? If you want more, I’ll have the kitchen cook a few more dishes.”

He Ying quickly shook her head. “It’s fine, Mother, we’re already full.”

As they had eaten too much at lunch, He Ying and her daughter rested in a side room in Qingxi Hall for over two hours. When they woke up, Senior Servant Liu led Pan Nianzhen to Songtao Court to borrow some clothes.

Once they arrived at the entrance, Senior Servant Liu happily introduced the place to her. “Miss Pan, this is the residence of Third Young Master and Third Young Madam.”

Pan Nianzhen looked into the courtyard. Although it was winter, it didn’t seem chilly here at all. There was even some greenery left in the garden amidst the decorative mountains, and off to the side were patches of wintersweet flowers.

She looked at the place with admiration and envy. Back in Siyang, only the family elders would get to live in a courtyard as lovely as this. The junior members of the family wouldn’t get a turn at all. So this was how her older cousins had been living, having such a wonderful environment all to themselves their whole lives.

Senior Servant Liu wasn’t bothered by her silence. She just continued introducing the interesting things in the courtyard, not knowing if Pan Nianzhen was actually listening.

Chapter 437: Borrowing Clothes (2)

In the main room of Songtao Court, a servant had just informed Xiyan, Senior Servant Gui, and the others of this matter.

Xiyan was in the middle of cataloguing all of Chu Lian’s accessories together with the other servants.

She had heard from some of the servants in the outer court that an Eldest Madam had come to the estate, but she hadn’t expected that Eldest Madam to bring her daughter over to Songtao Court.

She put down the register, and brought the servants over to welcome her.

Pan Nianzhen was politely escorted to the main room of Songtao Court, while Senior Servant Liu tactfully explained the situation to Xiyan.

With a slight smile, Xiyan said, “Since that’s the case, please follow this servant, Miss Pan.”

Pan Nianzhen carefully sized up the decor in the main room of Songtao Court. As her gaze swept the room, a book placed on the side table caught her eye.

That was the book that Xiyan had been using to catalogue Chu Lian’s accessories. Pan Nianzhen’s appearance had been so sudden that she had forgotten about the catalogue, even though she had ordered the servants to put the jewellery away. Xiyan had left it open on a little table near the hearth. It was unfortunate that it caught Pan Nianzhen’s eye.

At first, Pan Nianzhen had just glanced at it due to curiosity. However, when she read the names of the accessories recorded on the book, she was first startled before swimming in envy.

Golden hairpin with sapphire and jade inlays, Eight Treasure hairpin with pearl chains, dangling hair ornament shaped as a blooming blossom with rubies… The names of some of these accessories leaped out at first glance- they sounded like they were worth a few hundred taels at least!

In Siyang, even the provincial official’s wife didn’t own such jewellery.

Pan Nianzhen was overcome with jealousy. In her mind, Chu Lian was merely the wife of the third young master, but she had so many expensive accessories! What about the wives of the first and second sons then?!

Xiyan, Senior Servant Liu, and the others didn’t notice where Pan Nianzhen’s gaze had been directed. Xiyan continued with a smile, “Miss Pan, please follow this servant, Third Young Madam’s clothes are all in the bedroom.”

Although Chu Lian wasn’t home, Xiyan still followed their standard procedures and switched out the clothes in the closet for ones suited for winter.

Once the closet was opened, it became too dazzling for Pan Nianzhen to behold.

Her mouth was agape as she looked at the various winter clothes in disbelief. Her eyes were filled with greed.

When Xiyan looked towards the fragile-looking Miss Pan, she noticed that something was amiss with her gaze. She turned her head to check what she was looking at. When she realised that Miss Pan was eyeing the clothes in the closet, her brows knit together.

Xiyan suppressed the displeasure in her heart and tried her best to remain calm. "Miss Pan, Third Young Madam’s winter clothes are all here. These were all newly made this year and Third Young Madam hasn’t worn them yet. Please go ahead and pick a few from here.”

The clothes that Xiyan had pointed at had been made by the seamstresses in the estate and were part of the regular allowance sent to every member of the household. There were six sets in total, all made to Chu Lian’s measurements. There were high-quality dresses, fur-lined jackets, vests, and cloaks.

However, Pan Nianzhen’s eyes landed on another chest of clothes off to the side. The outfits in that chest were just too outstanding. One of the full-length dresses was even decorated with black pearls the size of rice grains. The pearls followed a winding pattern on top of the dark-coloured dress. It was the epitome of understated luxury. Pan Nianzhen couldn’t help pointing at that outfit, her eyes glistening as she said, “I’ll take that set then.”

Xiyan followed where Pan Nianzhen was pointing. The moment she saw the outfit Pan Nianzhen wanted, her expression changed and she took a deep breath. Xiyan used all her patience to explain, “Miss Pan, I truly apologize, the winter clothes in this wardrobe were all bestowed to our Third Young Madam by Princess Wei. We can’t give them to you.”

What? Bestowed by Princess Wei?

Although her hopes had been crushed, Pan Nianzhen refused to give up.

“Can’t I just borrow these and wear them for a bit?” Pan Nianzhen asked, using a slightly whiny tone as if she had been bullied.

Xiyan was stunned. She didn’t expect this Miss Pan to be stubborn to the point of ignoring what Xiyan had spelled out for her.

Princess Wei doted on Chu Lian, so she had sent a whole chest of clothes over at the end of the year. The clothes in the closet could all be lent to Miss Pan, but the outfits bestowed by Princess Wei truly couldn’t be lent to her. Their own mistress hadn’t even worn them once yet, so it would be bad if Princess Wei found out that the clothes had been lent to others.

Chapter 438: Third Young Master is Here (1)

“My sincerest apologies, Miss Pan. Since Third Young Madam isn’t here, we servants can’t act on our own initiative.” Although Xiyan was trying to be tactful about it, the meaning in her words was clear: the clothes that Princess Wei had given to Chu Lian couldn’t be lent to her.

Pan Nianzhen scrunched up the handkerchief in her hands, showing her displeasure. She wanted to continue insisting, but Senior Servant Liu quickly jumped in upon seeing the situation turning bad. “Miss Pan, these clothes over here are all in the capital’s latest styles and colours. Miss Pan will surely look good in them.”

Pan Nianzhen’s hopes were left unfulfilled. In the end, she picked from the collection of winter clothes gifted from the estate. In a fit of temper, she picked out six sets of clothing from the closet, practically taking all of the winter clothes that Chu Lian had been given.

Xiyan stood to one side and watched. Although her heart ached for the clothes taken away, she couldn’t do anything to stop it as a mere servant, especially since her masters weren’t even around.

All she could do was to stand by and let Miss Pan Nianzhen take them away.

Once the group of visitors had taken a box full of clothing and left Songtao Court, the second-tier maidservant Baicha asked, “Sister Xiyan, are we going to let those people take Third Young Madam’s things away just like that? This servant thinks that that Miss Pan isn’t a good person at all.”

Xiyan turned around and shot a glare at Baicha. “We’re servants. Even if we want to protect our Third Young Madam, we can’t go over the authority of the other masters in this household. We have to keep our thoughts in our hearts and remember everything that happens. We’ll report all of these to Third Young Madam when she’s back. Third Young Madam will know what to do. Also, while it’s fine for you to say something like that in front of me, keep your lips sealed around others, or we might accidentally make new enemies for our masters. While our masters aren’t around, we servants of Songtao Court must behave ourselves.”

Baicha nodded. “Baicha will remember Sister Xiyan’s teachings.”

“Alright, don’t just hang around me now. Go and put Third Young Madam’s clothes back in order. Record everything that Miss Pan just took. We have to make sure we keep our records straight.”

After getting her orders, Baicha went off to do her work.

Xiyan watched as the young girl diligently hurried off and smiled.

Although Baicha was only twelve this year, she was good at her work. In fact, she was even more trustworthy than Jingyan and Fuyan.

When Senior Servant Liu returned to Qingxi Hall, she mulled over the issue for some time before reporting what Pan Nianzhen had done at Songtao Court to Matriarch He.

The matriarch’s first reaction was stunned amazement. Then, she sighed and said, “That child has grown up by her mother’s side all these years and hasn’t seen enough of the world. Since it’s her first time here, she’s more shallow-minded. It’s still within the realm of forgiving. Xiangyun, tell the inner court steward to add a few more headdresses and accessories for Miss Ying and her daughter. Take another two headdresses from my personal stores for them too.”

Senior Servant Liu hadn’t expected such a reaction from Matriarch He. Not only had she not increased her guard against them, but she was even pitying Eldest Madam and her daughter. While Senior Servant Liu wanted to try persuading otherwise, she knew clearly that Matriarch He wouldn’t listen to her at this time. Thus, she could only resign herself to following her orders.

Eldest Madam He Ying was in her forties this year. Her figure was slightly plump and her round face was similar to Matriarch He’s, but with fewer wrinkles. The two lines framing her mouth were rather deep, giving her a mean appearance.

After her afternoon nap, He Ying started strolling about Qingxi Hall. She inspected every corner of it. This courtyard hadn’t changed much overall since she had left, but there were a few parts that had changed a lot.

The furniture and arrangements throughout the courtyard had become even more lavish. She could tell that Qingxi Hall had gone through at least two renovations after she had left to marry in Siyang.

From the time she had stepped into the Jing’an Estate all the way till the midday meal had ended, He Ying had felt that the the past House Jing’an from twenty years ago couldn’t compare to its current state.

In these past twenty years, House Jing’an had found its footing in the capital.

The corners of her mouth curved upwards in a smile, deepening the wrinkles around her lips and making her look even harsher.

As she turned around, her gaze landed upon a half-open window.

This corridor ran parallel to Qingxi Hall’s little study.

The study was originally where Matriarch He took care of the household matters. However, after the old Count had passed away, Matriarch He had moved her own study into the old Count’s study in the outer court instead, to remember her husband, leaving the little study empty. Now it was used by the trusted servants of Qingxi Hall for their work.

Through the half-open window, she could see the matriarch’s most trusted handmaid, Muxiang, seated at a desk with an abacus.

Eldest Madam He Ying thought for a moment before walking over.

The study was quiet with only a maidservant watching the door. However, the maidservant had already dozed off in front of a brazier, so He Ying was able to sneak into the study.

Muxiang was staring at the account books, diligently at work. The clacking of the abacus beads hid the sounds of the footsteps behind her.

He Ying looked over at the account books that Muxiang was working on from a meter or two away. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.

What kind of storefront was that? How was it able to earn so much money?! It was bringing in more than three thousand taels of income a month!

Her gaze quickly darted up to the start of the entries, only to see two words printed at the top: Guilin Restaurant.

Guilin Restaurant?

Wasn’t that part of her mother’s dowry?

Even at its peak, the only noteworthy thing about it was that it was one of the oldest restaurants in the capital. There hadn’t been anything special to it. How had it suddenly become a money tree?

Three thousand taels! That wasn’t a small sum. Most noble ladies wouldn’t even be given that amount in their dowries when they married. This Guilin Restaurant was bringing in three thousand taels of pure profit each month!

Back then, when Matriarch He had sent her away to Siyang, she had only been given ten thousand taels of silver.

He Ying’s eyes lit up instantly.

Chapter 439: Third Young Master is Here (2)

When Muxiang turned around and noticed Eldest Madam standing behind her, her expression changed and she quickly shut the account book. She stood up to give her greetings. “Eldest Madam, how did you come to be here?”

He Ying had recovered her senses by now. She hid the greed in her eyes and raised her chin. “I was just taking a walk around since I was bored. Why? Are you trying to pry into my business?”

“Of course not, Eldest Madam. If Eldest Madam wishes to take a stroll, this servant will arrange for some of the brighter maidservants to accompany you. Although it’s winter, there are still some scenic areas around our estate.”

He Ying could sense that this handmaid Muxiang was more stoic and stubborn. She thought for a bit before replying, “I won’t trouble you. I’ll go over to the matriarch; continue with your task!”

Muxiang escorted Eldest Madam out before turning back to deal with the skiving maidservant guarding the door.

The little maidservant trembled and pleaded for mercy, but Muxiang’s face was contorted into a fierce expression.

Another maidservant standing off to the side couldn’t hold back her own tremors upon seeing Muxiang’s appearance.

Back in Liangzhou on the night of New Year’s Eve, the guests who had come to the He Estate were now seated together in the parlour after eating their fill at the feast. They stayed up to usher in the New Year until it was past midnight. Chu Lian then ordered the servants to bring them to some rooms to rest.

Chu Lian returned to her own little courtyard and placed all the red packets and one purse she had received that night on the table. She sat down and began to open up the red packets using the faint light of the lanterns around her.

These red packets were just like presents. The most enjoyable part was the surprise right before opening the envelopes. She hadn’t gotten any red packets in a long time back in the modern world, so she wanted to experience the delight of it again.

Meanwhile, although it was already New Year’s, He Sanlang was still pulling a long face in his room, causing the whole room to be enveloped in cold.

Laiyue stood to one side with a conflicted expression- he didn’t know whether he should sit or stand.

He rubbed his hands together and said, “Third Young Master, it’s already late. Your wounds aren’t completely healed yet, so why don’t you turn in early today?”

He Changdi didn’t look at him. Instead, he showed his palm to Laiyue and said, “Give it to me.”

Laiyue quickly pulled out a thin, exquisite wooden box out of his clothes and offered it up to his young master with both hands. “Third Young Master, it’s right here. This servant kept it close at all times. This servant didn’t dare to be careless with it.”

He Changdi took the wooden box without another word.

An idea flared to life in Laiyue’s mind and he coughed lightly. He bent over and whispered a suggestion into He Changdi’s ear. “Third Young Master, it’s a matter of course for a couple to be together. Since it’ll be the first day of the new year tomorrow, it seems like you should spend the night with Third Young Madam no matter what. Although Third Young Madam hasn’t said anything, she surely has you in mind. However, she’s still young so she’s likely a little too shy to mention anything.”

He Changdi’s handsome face finally melted a little upon hearing Laiyue’s words. His slender fingers gripped the wooden box. After a short pause, he said, “You’re right. I’ll head over to your young madam’s room tonight then!”

Laiyue was elated. When He Changdi turned his gaze away, he quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and heaved a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, ‘Sheesh, I’ve finally pushed this load over to Third Young Madam. Now no matter what Third Young Master’s mood turns out to be, it won’t be my problem anymore!’

It wasn’t easy to be a manservant. Not only did Laiyue have to look after his master’s daily needs, he also had to keep guessing at what his master wanted and help him out of awkward social situations. If things continued in this manner, Laiyue’s lifespan would probably be shortened by at least ten years.

Thus, Laiyue quickly ordered some servants to carry He Sanlang over to Chu Lian’s courtyard. Once they set their young master down, Laiyue made his escape.

Chu Lian was still happily opening her red packets in her room! When she heard noises from outside, she found it strange and called for her maidservants. Wenqing came running in and reported, “Third Young Madam, Third Young Master is here.”

Ah?

Chu Lian gaped speechlessly. It was already so late. Why had he come over to her place instead of resting comfortably in his bed?

She set down the purse that she had been about to open- the one that Sima Hui had given her- and followed Wenqing to the outer room.

He Changdi wasn’t able to walk on his own yet, so he had been carried over to Chu Lian’s courtyard by a few of the family’s soldiers. Right now, he had been set on the hearth bed in the outer room.

He was dressed in a black fur-lined cloak that accentuated the current pallor of his handsome face. His long, narrow eyes were half-lidded and his lips were pressed together. He was lying sideways on the hearth. Due to his height, his long legs stuck out a little past the length of the hearth bed, so he had propped them up on the armrest. His slender fingers were playing with the green jade ring on his left thumb.

Chu Lian realised that He Changdi would play with the ring whenever he was in deep thought, ever since she had unwittingly given him the jade ring.

Stunned as she was by his otherworldly looks, Chu Lian stood by the door in a daze.

Chapter 440: Warmth (1)

Chu Lian cleared her throat to gloss over the awkward moment. She lifted the curtain and asked, “It’s so late, why aren’t you resting yet? Do you have something urgent to tell me?”

Although He Sanlang’s eyes were lowered, he had been watching Chu Lian from the corner of his vision. When she had paused in front of the pearl curtain at the door and had been seemingly entranced by him, he was beside himself with delight despite his cold countenance.

Restraining the fireworks in his heart, He Changdi said in a low, husky voice, “I remembered that there is something I haven’t given you yet, so I came over.”

Chu Lian looked at him doubtfully.

She walked over and sat down beside him. Tilting her head to one side, she asked, “Really?”

He Changdi covered his mouth and coughed before shifting his gaze elsewhere. “When have I ever lied to you?”

Chu Lian’s brows creased together. Her limpid eyes stared at He Changdi, her suspicion as clear as day.

This lunatic He Sanlang was always full of empty words.

He Sanlang inwardly scolded Chu Lian for ‘shamelessly’ staring at him. She was too brazen for her own good. However, he also felt like he was floating on cloud nine at the same time. He enjoyed this ‘scorching hot’ gaze of hers and he wished that Chu Lian would only ever have him in her eyes. Thus, a short while later, the tips of his ears began to redden.

Chu Lian held her hand out towards He Changdi.

He Sanlang caught sight of her small, outstretched hand as he looked up. Before he realised it, he had already reached out to grab it with his larger, coarse hand.

As their hands came into contact, it felt as if a spark of electricity had traced its way up their arms to strike directly into their hearts. He Sanlang couldn’t help rubbing and kneading her soft and delicate hand.

His wife’s hand was so lovely to the touch!

Her hand was so soft, so warm, and especially smooth. It was so tender and fragile that he was afraid of squeezing too hard. Coming here tonight was the wisest decision he had ever made.

Chu Lian’s temples twitched. She watched as He Sanlang’s chiseled face gradually turned warmer while his eyes lit up like the stars in the night sky. She could feel his large palm enveloping her hand. As if grabbing her hand wasn’t enough, he rubbed and caressed it all over, like he had just found his favourite toy. It looked to her like he wanted to commit even the length of her nails to memory.

Although this feeling wasn’t half bad, this wasn’t what she had intended when she had held her hand out.

Chu Lian forcefully pulled hand back before once again showing her palm to He Changdi. “So where is it? Didn’t you say that you wanted to give me something?”

It was only then that He Sanlang finally understood why his wife had held out her hand. So it hadn’t been for him to touch; it was to ask him for her present…

He Sanlang felt like he had been dealt a blow.

The icy countenance that had thawed a little froze right over again. He scanned the young girl before him with half-lidded eyes. Inwardly, he was fuming- he wanted to punish this ‘wicked’ woman. Unfortunately, his heart was willing but his flesh was weak.

He Sanlang retracted his gaze and didn’t try to continue touching Chu Lian’s hand. Chu Lian thought that he was purposely feigning ignorance and was about to speak up when she heard a violent fit of coughing from him.

Chu Lian’s brows creased together. Worried, she asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Is it because you had a drink earlier? Brother Guo and the others are really too much; even if we’re celebrating New Year’s, they shouldn’t make a sick person drink…”

Chu Lian grumbled on and on until Wenlan couldn’t hold back any longer. “Third Young Madam, the outer room’s windows are still open for ventilation.”

Chu Lian: …

“Why are the windows open in the peak of winter? Hurry up and close them!” Chu Lian awkwardly ordered.

Wenlan was speechless. It had been Third Young Madam who had complained that the room was too warm in the first place due to the hearth! She had been the one to order them to open the windows.

Wenlan shut the windows before turning around and suggesting, “In this servant’s opinion, Third Young Master and Third Young Madam should move to the inner room to talk.”

Chu Lian thought it over and turned to He Changdi. “Do you need someone to carry you over?”

He Sanlang shook his head. “I’ll be fine if you help me. Only one of my legs is injured. I can’t walk too far, but such a short distance is fine.”

Chu Lian also felt that it would be too heartless to wake the servants up at this time, since most of them had already gone to rest for the night. Thus, she followed his wishes and lended him her arm for support.

Knowing that Third Young Madam’s body was slender and fragile, Wenlan was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to support their tall Third Young Master. She was about to step forward and offer her help, but before she could walk over, she felt a frosty glare from He Changdi.

Wenlan was so shocked that she stayed rooted to the spot. Realisation dawned upon her.

She really was dumb; of course Third Young Master was still able to walk! He obviously wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Third Young Madam.

She was overjoyed for Third Young Madam. As long as Third Young Master cared about their Third Young Madam, their days would only become more and more blissful.

With a smile, Wenlan stealthily retreated to the side room, even dismissing the two maidservants that were on duty.

Chu Lian’s head was at the same height as He Changdi’s shoulders, and that was only because she had grown a little last year. Otherwise, she would only be as tall as his chest, like before. Despite all that, she still appeared frail and puny beside He Sanlang.

He Changdi rested an arm around Chu Lian’s shoulders. With half of his body leaning on hers, he carefully got off the hearth bed. His large black cape practically covered Chu Lian’s whole body. The two of them were so close that Chu Lian could smell the bitter ointment on his body.

With the two of them like this, it didn’t look like Chu Lian was supporting him. Instead, it seemed more like He Changdi was embracing her.

Actually, He Changdi wasn’t even putting much of his body weight on her because there was no way she would be able to shoulder that burden with the little strength she had.

The young couple then entered the bedroom together.

Chapter 441: Warmth (2)

The incense burner in the bedroom was giving off a faint watery fragrance. The decor of the room made it clear that it belonged to a lady. He Changdi took in the entirety of the room in one glance and frowned, as if he wasn’t satisfied with how the room was only suffused with her taste. He decided that he would have to add his own touch to this room in the near future and turn this living space into a mix of their styles.

He Sanlang’s gaze finally landed on the desk in the room. There was a lotus lantern on the desk, lighting up the plain brocade-lined surface. A stack of opened red envelopes and a small pile of banknotes and silver ingots, as well as a slightly opened purse, were placed on the table. It looked like she had stopped in the middle of opening the purse.

Chu Lian looked around the room as well. The whole courtyard was small, so even though this was the main room, there wasn’t much space inside. There were only the most basic furnishings: a bed, a closet, chairs, and a desk. There wasn’t even a single chaise in here.

He Changdi’s thigh was wounded so he couldn’t sit down. Thus, she could only have him lie down on the bed that she used.

With no other options, Chu Lian helped him over to her bed. She gave him a long cushion to lean against.

“Take off your cloak.”

He Sanlang held his arms up to let Chu Lian take off his cloak, which she then hung over a nearby screen.

When she turned back, Chu Lian noticed that her husband was staring at the pile of red envelopes on the table with a crease in his brows. She smiled and explained, “Uncle Qian and the others gave those to me as a blessing when they came over to eat!”

As she was saying this, her eyes sparkled. He Sanlang could tell that she was truly happy over receiving these red envelopes, even though their amount didn’t exceed fifty taels of silver in total.

He Sanlang couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t you receive red envelopes in the past?”

Without thinking, Chu Lian blurted out the truth. “It’s been years since I last received a red packet.”

It was only afterwards that she remembered she was supposed to be House Ying’s Sixth Miss and not the Chu Lian from the modern world.

An awkward silence ensued, causing Chu Lian’s happy expression to cool off into indifference.

He Sanlang was absolutely stunned by what she had said.

He had heard about things to some extent, and he had even sent someone to investigate her after he reincarnated, so he definitely knew about her situation back in the Ying Estate. Chu Lian’s birth mother had died earlier and her birth father was absent from her life. Her stepmother was harsh towards her. There were plenty of children in House Ying and the old Duke and Duchess favoured boys over girls, so Chu Lian had never gotten much love from her family. Even though she had her loyal and caring nursemaid Senior Servant Gui by her side, Senior Servant Gui was just a servant after all.

It felt as if a thousand needles were pricking his heart. In the past, he had wished for her to receive all of the suffering in the world, but now he couldn’t bear to listen to even a single one of her bad experiences.

He adjusted his expression and waved at Chu Lian, who wasn’t too far away.

When Chu Lian saw that he wasn’t going to pursue that line of conversation, she quickly walked up to him, wanting to bury the earlier topic.

He Changdi caught her wrist and pulled her into his embrace.

While his tone remained cold, it just so slightly thawed as he said, “I’ll give you a red packet every New Year’s from here on out.”

Chu Lian was frozen stiff. She hesitated for a moment before turning her head to meet his gaze. Her heart was full of self-reproach and warmth at the same time.

Here she was, afraid of exposing her true identity, yet he was trying to soothe her past wounds.

Actually, this lunatic husband of hers was a true tsundere- a person with a sharp tongue and a soft heart.

Even the rational Chu Lian had a sour feeling in her heart. She scolded the past ‘Chu Lian’ angrily in her mind: ‘You stupid idiot! Why did you abandon such a good husband? You were really dumb!’

However, she was glad that this good husband was now all hers.

Chu Lian blinked in an attempt to stop the tears in her eyes from spilling.

She pouted in He Changdi’s direction and couldn’t hold back the urge to tease him when she saw how serious he was.

“How much are you going to give me then? I don’t want it if it’s too little.”

He Sanlang had a sincere expression on his face as he reached out to gently touch her soft and delicate face. “I’ll give you everything that I have.”

Chu Lian had only been trying to tease him; who could have expected words like that to come from He Sanlang’s mouth? Chu Lian gaped a little and exclaimed, “Are you stupid? If you give me everything that you have, then what about yourself? Most men usually think of ways to hide their money instead. What if I’m a spendthrift and I end up spending all of the money you give me?”

A rare burst of laughter spilled out from He Changdi. He tightened his hold around her and enjoyed the warmth of her soft body against his. “If you spend it all, then so be it! You’re my wife anyway. If you really spend it all, then you’ll just have to go out and beg for food with me.”

Chu Lian rolled her eyes. This naive He Sanlang was assuming that she wouldn’t leave him in that case, just because they were married on paper.

The two of them continued hugging for a while before He Changdi finally took out the long, exquisite wooden box that Laiyue had given him earlier.

“This is for you.” He Changdi looked down at her with love and devotion in his eyes.

Chu Lian was astounded. “So there really was a present for me?”

When he had ignored her in the outer room after she had demanded he bring out his present for her, Chu Lian had assumed that he was only using that as an excuse to visit her.

Chapter 442: Giving His Wife a Present (1)

Chu Lian sat up in his embrace. He Sanlang continued holding her with one arm, just in case she slipped and fell from the bed.

The wooden box was finely made and there was a hidden lock on its side. If one were to gently push at it, the lock would release.

With a clatter, the box sprung open, revealing the velvet indigo lining inside. A lovely pure white jade amulet was nestled within, completely white and flawless. The amulet wasn’t very big. It was only about the size of Chu Lian’s thumb, and it had been carved into a very life-like handsome steed.

Every hair on the horse’s body was distinct. The detailed carving indicated that this amulet was definitely very valuable. Near the top was a hole threaded through by a red string mixed with gold thread, long enough to be worn as a necklace.

Chu Lian’s zodiac was the horse, just like the original ‘Chu Lian’ in the story.

Her wide eyes glowed with happiness. It was clear that she really liked the very first present He Changdi had ever given her.

She took the exquisite jade amulet into her hands and showed it off to He Sanlang. With a sweet smile and an even sweeter tone, she asked, “When did you buy this?”

He Sanlang’s expression had been frozen stiff. He had been observing her face the whole time- when he saw that her smile seemed genuine, he let out a sigh of relief. Only the heavens knew how nervous he had been when he had given her the present. Even now, his heart was still hovering in his throat. He had run through at least a thousand different possible reactions leading up to this moment- what if she didn’t like it? What if she thought that the jade amulet was too cheap? But when he saw how happy she was with his gift, all his uncertainty had disappeared into thin air.

However, He Changdi had always been awkward at expressing his feelings. His reply to Chu Lian’s question was just a simple, “I bought it in passing when I went to Su City.”

Of course, the part about buying it ‘in passing’ was an absolute lie. This fellow had lain in bed thinking about what to give her for many days. It wasn’t until the twenty-seventh that he had finally sent Laiyue off to Su City to pick out something very carefully. Laiyue almost died from how hard he had to rush for the trip.

He Sanlang had used up most of the savings he had on him to buy this small piece of white jade. He originally wanted to buy something even better, but this was all he was able to afford at the moment.

Chu Lian could sense the white lie he was telling, so she giggled and moved closer to He Sanlang. “My dear husband is so lucky. A jade amulet that you randomly purchased just so happened to be horse-shaped, just like my zodiac. It’s even made of high quality white jade. If there’s a next time, why don’t you buy a few more so I can give them away as presents to my friends in the capital?”

He Sanlang’s temples throbbed. Buy a few more? He would have to sell himself to get that much money.

Chu Lian presented the jade amulet to him on her palm.

The white jade amulet sat prettily on her fair and soft hand, dazzling He Changdi’s eyes. He raised an eyebrow in question, wordlessly asking her what she was doing.

Chu Lian pressed her forehead into her hand and puffed up her cheeks. A little speechless from her slow-witted husband, she said, “Help me put it on! Didn’t you buy this for me to wear?”

It was only then that He Sanlang took the jade amulet from her with a poker face. He lifted up the hair covering her back, revealing a fair and smooth neck. Then, he helped her put on the horse-shaped jade amulet with gentle hands.

The gold and red string stood out against her porcelain white skin. It wandered down her neck and ran parallel to the curve of her chin, placing the amulet right in front of her chest.

The jade amulet sat there above her bust like a beautiful accent to her natural charm, leaving his mark on her.

Chu Lian pushed away the arms that He Sanlang had wrapped around her and turned around. She looked up at him with a lovely smile and asked, “Does it look nice?”

He Sanlang’s ice block of a face had long since melted. He reached out to touch the jade amulet resting against her chest and nodded cheerfully.

“Beautiful,” he murmured in a low and husky voice.

Chu Lian was taken off guard by his sudden passion. She quickly stuffed the amulet into her clothes and got off the bed in one swift movement. Then, she walked over to her desk and said, “Go ahead and rest first. I’m not done with opening my red packets, so I’ll sleep right after that.”

Although He Changdi seemed a little embarrassed, he didn’t stop Chu Lian this time.

He had already made it into his wife’s bed anyway. Now that he had achieved his goal, he wasn’t too bothered by other minor details.

After experiencing that heart-pounding moment, Chu Lian actually didn’t have the mood to continue opening her New Year’s gifts. She was only using them as an excuse to avoid him because she was too shy to face him right now.

In an absent-minded daze, she opened up the purse that Sima Hui had given her.

The ties keeping the purse close had already been undone earlier. Chu Lian simply upended the purse onto her palm, causing whatever was inside to slide out.

Something cool fell onto her palm, surprising her. Jolted out of her daze, Chu Lian looked down at it. Her first reaction was a stunned silence. Then, she quickly closed her fingers around the item and snuck a look behind her at He Changdi, who was lounging against the headboard of the bed. She smiled at him a little stiffly.

He Sanlang caught sight of her gaze and frowned. He asked suspiciously, “What’s wrong? What’s in that purse?”

Chu Lian quickly explained, “It’s nothing, it’s just some banknotes. I’ll go and get Wenlan to bring some hot water in!”

After saying so, she quickly left the bedroom.

He Changdi watched as his wife practically sprinted out of the room. His eyes darkened.

Why would she have to go out of the room to get the servants to bring some hot water in? The side room where the servants rested was placed right next to this one. Most master bedrooms had a rope connected to a bell in the side room so they could call the maidservants in with just a simple tug.

Chu Lian patted her chest once she was out of the bedroom. A whoosh of air signified her relief from the awkward situation. She swiftly hid the item in her hand. If that lunatic He Sanlang saw this, it would surely leave a blow on his heart.

Luckily she had been sitting with her back facing him.

Chu Lian sighed and called out to Wenlan before returning to the bedroom.

When Chu Lian returned, He Sanlang didn’t say anything and acted as if he hadn’t noticed anything strange about what had just happened. Once Chu Lian had finished washing up for the night, he went to sleep with his arms around her.

Chapter 443: Giving His Wife a Present (2)

The next day, on the dawn of the first day of the year, the sound of firecrackers could be heard all over the normally desolate Liangzhou City.

Even though they were out here in the north, there were still customs they had to follow. Chu Lian woke up bright and early to prepare New Year gifts for General Qian and the others.

When Chu Lian woke up, He Sanlang was still sleeping. She carefully tucked the blankets back around him without waking him up and quietly got off the bed to put on her clothes.

Once Chu Lian had left the bedroom, He Sanlang opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a while before finally moving the covers aside and rising out of bed. He took the cloak that was still hanging on the screen and headed outside.

Wenqing was on duty in the outer room. He Sanlang’s sudden appearance gave Wenqing a fright, as he was hobbling and favouring one leg.

“Third Young Master, this…”

He Changdi sent her a cold glare and ordered, “Go and guard the door. Don’t let anyone in.”

Wenqing looked back at him in surprise, but unfortunately, she couldn’t withstand He Changdi’s ice-cold gaze for long. She gave in to the threatening aura surrounding her young master and obediently guarded the door, despite the uncertainty in her heart.

Once Wenqing had left and shut the door, He Changdi started opening all the cabinets and chests in the outer room.

After training in the army, He Changdi had gotten pretty skilled at tracking. He found the traces left by Chu Lian and quickly found what he was looking for.

In just a few moments, as he was digging under the pillow on the hearth bed, he felt something icy cold and pulled it out. When he got a good look at it, He Changdi instantly froze.

It was a jade amulet carved in the shape of a horse. Although it was also made of white jade, both the craftsmanship and quality of the jade were better than the one he had given her.

He Sanlang had grown up in a noble house, so he had a discerning eye for quality. This jade seemed quite old; it was probably something from the previous dynasty. It might have even come from the imperial palace- in that case, it would be a priceless artifact.

His gift couldn’t even compare to this jade horse.

However, Chu Lian had quietly hidden this piece away.

A warm feeling suffused He Sanlang’s heart. He understood why Chu Lian had done so.

After a momentary daze, He Changdi carefully hid the jade back where he had found it and called Wenqing back in.

He leaned against the headboard of the hearth bed with a cool, neutral expression. The threatening air around him, honed by his time in the army, made Wenqing lower her head in deference.

She and Wenlan had grown up under Senior Servant Zhong’s guidance. They hadn’t seen Third Young Master much when they were young. Now that she had finally met her master again in the north, she always felt pressured whenever she was around him. She didn’t even dare to lift her head before him now. 

Wenqing gulped anxiously and asked, “Third Young Master, do you have any orders for this servant?”

He Sanlang’s voice was practically dripping icicles. “Who gave your Third Young Madam that purse yesterday?”

Wenqing hadn’t expected her master to ask something like that. She was worried that the purse might have caused some sort of misunderstanding between him and Third Young Madam, so she quickly explained, “The red purse with embroidered patterns that Third Young Madam received yesterday was from General Sima. This servant witnessed it personally!”

Please don’t mistake it as Third Young Madam receiving a present from some stranger!

He Changdi’s eyes narrowed into slits. Sima Hui. It was that Sima Hui again!

Chu Lian was his wife! Who was she trying to make a move on? That damned butch!

Wenqing felt like her head was still in the clouds even after she was dismissed. She couldn’t wrap her head around why Third Young Master had only asked her a single question about the purse before letting her go.

Left alone in the room, He Sanlang leaned against the headboard in deep thought.

He hadn’t bothered much about material items before. As long as he had enough silver to buy what he needed, he had felt perfectly fine. Furthermore, there usually wasn’t much that he needed to spend on in the army. However, it looked like it wouldn’t do if he continued like this. He had to start earning some money!

At the very least, he had to be able to afford better presents for his wife so that he wouldn’t get outshined again.

Chu Lian spent the whole afternoon busying herself with the New Year gifts before ordering Mo Chenggui to send them to the army camp, along with some of the family soldiers.

Just as she finished that task, Manager Qin came into the main room, beaming from ear to ear.

During this period of time, he had been busy with what Chu Lian had ordered him to do. Compared to his physique back in the capital, his whole figure had slimmed down, and his face had become sharper.

As the saying went, every chubby man was an unpolished jewel. Once he had slimmed down, Manager Qin was a rather good-looking man himself.

The way he smiled before saying anything made him look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He was looking more and more like a proper steward as time passed.

Chu Lian was sitting on the hearth bed in the main room, drinking some red bean and lotus porridge. When she saw how radiant Manager Qin seemed to be, she smiled back. “Did you bring some good news?”

Manager Qin never forgot his manners in front of Chu Lian. He bowed respectfully to her first and spoke some customary words of New Year’s blessings before moving on to report his tasks.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This servant has finally fulfilled Third Young Madam’s order.”

Chu Lian’s almond-shaped eyes lit up. The speed at which Manager Qin had accomplished her request was out of her expectations.

She set down the porcelain bowl in her hands to ask, “When can we start operating?”

“The day after tomorrow at the latest. The barbarians don’t celebrate the New Year. This period is when there’s great demand for material goods. This servant has already inquired about the location. There are eighteen places in total. We’ll send the goods over in the next two days. As long as we have enough manpower, we’ll be able to start operating immediately.”

Chu Lian was generous with her praise. “You’ve done well for this task. Remember what I said to you last time. Offer whatever goods we manage to get to the northern border troops first. Move whatever they don’t want according to the plans I’ve given you. Also, give the northern border troops forty percent of the profits we make from this. We’ll keep the other sixty percent.”

Chapter 444: Princess Wei's Birthday Banquet (1)

Having the best ideas in the world alone is not enough. One needs to have the resolution to give up something in order to make ideas a long-term reality.

Manager Qin admired his mistress a lot for this quality of hers. If he had been the one to come up with this idea, he wouldn’t have the generosity to give away forty percent of the profits just like that.

Manager Qin noted down all of Chu Lian’s instructions for him.

“Also, I want to be there for the opening day.”

Manager Qin was happy about that, of course. It was going to be a very important day; the culmination of all of his efforts over the past few days. If he were to get Chu Lian’s approval from this, that would make him even prouder and even more satisfied compared to getting ten percent of the profits.

Before all these events, there had been something else important happening in the capital: Princess Wei’s birthday. It was on the day right before the eve of the New Year.

Although Prince Wei’s Estate had always been favoured by the Emperor, both Prince and Princess Wei remained as low-key and humble as possible. It was also precisely because they didn’t go around flaunting or boasting of their favour that they were able to remain in the good graces of the Emperor.

Princess Wei usually kept it quiet for her birthday and would only hold a small family banquet in their estate. Her birthday was so close to the end of the year anyway, so she didn’t want to disrupt the New Year celebrations of the other noble houses. However, this year was different, because it was Princess Wei’s fortieth birthday.

Even before her birthday had come, the Empress Dowager- let alone her own husband, Prince Wei- had instructed her to host a large celebration this year.

Royal Princess Duanjia was in her mother’s room right now, writing invitations together with her.

“Mother, Chu Liu isn’t around now. What are you doing, inviting those people from House Jing’an!” Royal Princess Duanjia pouted, showing her displeasure on her face. She didn’t like a single person from that house except for Chu Liu and He Erlang.

Princess Wei petted her daughter’s hair helplessly. “You’re already fifteen. If not for your father and I wanting to keep you with us for two more years, you’d be married by now. How are you still so rash when it comes to these social matters?”

Royal Princess Duanjia continued pouting. “Mother, you’re still nagging at me! It’s not that I don’t understand what you mean, but I just can’t see eye to eye with that Madam Jing’an! Did you forget what happened at the mid-autumn banquet?”

“Alright, that’s enough. We’re just inviting them for a meal. Even if you don’t like them, they’re Jinyi’s in-laws. Since you like Jinyi so much, you’ll have to get along with House Jing’an if you want to keep associating with her.”

Royal Princess Duanjia rolled her eyes. “Fine! Mother knows best!”

Thus, House Jing’an received an invite from Prince Wei’s Estate the next day.

Even though Princess Wei was hosting a large celebration this year, it was still very low-key compared to other members of the imperial clan. There were only ten or so noble houses who received invites, so these invitations were extremely precious. They were a mark of association with Prince Wei’s Estate.

House Jing’an wouldn’t receive an invite normally, since their house didn’t have any connections with Prince Wei’s Estate. However, thanks to Chu Lian, Princess Wei had sent one to House Jing’an.

Those who didn’t know about Princess Wei’s connection with Chu Lian would think that it was House Jing’an’s prestige that had earned them an invite. He Ying was one of them.

Matriarch He was extremely happy about receiving an invite and took it very seriously. She immediately ordered Senior Servant Liu to prepare the gifts. He Ying pleaded with her mother for half a day before the matriarch finally agreed to bring her and her daughter to Princess Wei’s birthday banquet.

Her daughter-inlaw was still bedridden and her granddaughters-in-law weren’t present. If not for the lack of other female family members to accompany her, Matriarch He wouldn’t have agreed to bringing He Ying and Miss Pan so easily.

On the morning of Princess Wei’s birthday, He Ying and her daughter got up early to prepare.

The two of them were staying in a side room in Qingxi Hall. Matriarch He had given them some of her maidservants to serve them, and all of the maidservants had been trained well. Their standard of living was much better than before.

Eldest Madam and her daughter, Miss Pan, had brought a maidservant each back from Siyang. The one serving He Ying was called Qiuyun and the other serving Miss Pan was called Pinglu.

Pinglu was older than Qiuyan by a year and was already sixteen this year. She was small and frail-looking. Apparently, she had been trained as a female escort before entering the estate as a maidservant.

Once mother and daughter were both dressed up, they went to Matriarch He’s bedroom in Qingxi Hall together. Matriarch He inspected their dressing and accessories personally and made sure that there was nothing offensive about them before leading them to the carriage that would take them to Prince Wei’s Estate.

The entrance of Prince Wei’s Estate was currently filled with arriving guests. The young royal princes were standing at the door to welcome their guests, along with Princess Wei’s trusted senior servant and court ladies.

It was Pan Nianzhen’s first time attending such a grand banquet, so she was a little timid. Once she was helped out of the carriage by a maidservant, she kept her head low and followed right behind her mother and grandmother, imitating their every step.

When Princess Wei’s trusted senior servant, Senior Servant Lan, noticed that House Jing’an’s matriarch had arrived, she walked towards their party with a welcoming smile.

“This old servant greets the matriarch. It’s already the end of the year, but our house has troubled Matriarch He to make the trip all the way here. Princess Wei was still telling this old servant last night that she feels guilty for it!”

Senior Servant Lan had a rank as a court lady in the palace, as she acted as Princess Wei’s subordinate. With her rank, she didn’t actually have to bow towards the madams of the various noble houses. She was treating House Jing’an’s party with respect purely due to Princess Wei’s affection for Chu Lian.

Chapter 445: Princess Wei's Birthday Banquet (2)

Matriarch He had been living in the capital for so long that she understood all the nuances of the etiquette in play here. Her face was kindly, making her look approachable despite her age.

“There’s no need for you to greet me. It is my honour to be invited to Princess Wei’s birthday banquet. I will have to trouble Senior Servant Lan to pass on my blessings to Princess Wei.”

He Ying was standing to one side. When she saw how courteous her mother was acting towards a servant, she looked upon the scene with disdain.

This person wasn’t even the princess herself; she was only a servant! Did her mother really need to fawn over a mere servant like this, with her title as a first-ranked noble wife? Could it possibly be her age getting to her?

Senior Servant Lan was sharp-eyed, as befitted her position. She had caught He Ying’s small movements.

“You’re too courteous, Matriarch. This old servant will pass on your words to Princess Wei later on. It’ll be the eve of the new year tomorrow. Has there been any news from Honoured Lady Jinyi in the north?”

Senior Servant Lan had mentioned Chu Lian in front of Matriarch He at this time on purpose. A smart person would instantly realise what she meant.

Matriarch He had never been a slow-witted person as the de-facto leader of her family.

Senior Servant Lan wasn’t really asking about news of Chu Lian. Princess Wei had sent two of her bodyguards to accompany Chu Lian during her time in the north. If there was really any news, Prince Wei’s Estate might even find out earlier than they did.

Right now, she was using the mention of Chu Lian to remind her that the only reason they had received the invite and why they were now able to mingle with Prince Wei’s Estate, was purely due to Chu Lian’s efforts.

When you drink water, think of the person who dug the well.

Matriarch He sighed. “I have not received any news of her. I’ve always been thinking of Lian’er; please pass on my gratitude to Princess Wei for remembering Lian’er. If there’s any news, I’ll definitely send a message to the princess immediately.”

When Senior Servant Lan saw that the matriarch had understood her reminder, she ended the topic. Courteously, she said, “Look at this, this old servant has completely forgotten the time while chatting. Apologies for keeping Matriarch here out in the cold wind. This old servant has failed in my duties. Matriarch, it’s getting late. This old servant will guide you to the inner court.”

He Ying had already lost her patience waiting some time ago.

It wasn’t until the three ladies had gotten onto the sedan arranged by the prince’s estate to take them to the inner court that Matriarch He finally got the chance to give a stern warning to her daughter.

“Miss Ying, what kind of look was that just now?” Matriarch He intoned.

He Ying was too stubborn to accept the scolding and snapped back, “Mother, what were you doing talking so nicely to her? Even if she’s dressed lavishly, she’s still just an old servant. We’ll lose our dignity if we lower ourselves in front of a servant!”

Matrairch He harrumphed, annoyed with her daughter’s tone. “What do you know?! That servant you’re talking about is a highly ranked court lady! Her rank is even higher than yours!”

He Ying was frozen stiff in shock. “That old woman is a court lady?”

Matriarch He suppressed her rage, not wanting to have it out with her daughter at this time. However, her tone turned colder as she said, “Put away that haughtiness of yours! This birthday banquet is extremely important, and so are all the guests here. If you offend a respected personage and make enemies for me, I’ll send you right back to Siyang.”

He Ying shrunk back. It was only after the matriarch had pulled out that threat that she really felt fear.

Back when she had still been a young miss in House Jing’an, the house hadn’t been as illustrious as it was now. They didn’t even have a noble title back then. Old Count Jing’an had earned that title by risking his life on the battlefield.

Thus, she had never interacted much with the nobles in the capital. It was normal that she wouldn’t realise an unassuming senior servant would be a formally titled and ranked court lady.

The court ladies’ ranks in the Great Wu Dynasty were equal to ranked noble madams. Senior Servant Lan was a seventh-ranked title at the very least. That was much higher than He Ying’s own rank. Furthermore, court ladies had always been looked up to.

After this small commotion, He Ying decided to give up all of her airs and remain low-key for the remainder of the day.

The timid Pan Nianzhen had also been properly frightened from all this. The capital was really teeming with all sorts of noble ranks. If a stone randomly fell from the sky, it would likely hit someone with a noble title.

Princess Wei was waiting in the main hall of the inner court for her guests.

There were many esteemed madams and misses here today. Some of them were the noble wives of the ministers of the cabinet. There were even some high-ranked imperial clan members around.

Even Matriarch He wasn’t able to lift her head high in front of all these people.

She hurriedly gave her greetings to Princess Wei before retreating from the circle with He Ying and Miss Pan.

Old Duchess Zheng and a few other senior members of noble houses were gathered in one area, naturally forming a social circle.

Matriarch He entered the circle and sat down. Old Duchess Zheng greeted her with a smile. “It’s just us old ladies left in this circle.”

After saying so, she glanced over at He Ying, who was behind Matriarch He.

Old Duchess Zheng was close with Matriarch He and knew all about the events that had happened in their estate a few decades ago. She frowned slightly before continuing to say, “When did Miss Ying return to the capital?”

Matriarch He set aside the ill feelings in her heart and returned the smile. “She came back just a few days ago. After so many years, I just couldn’t rest easy with her raising her child in Siyang. The young ones in my estate aren’t around much so I get lonely easily. Thus, I thought of bringing Miss Ying back.”

While Old Duchess Zheng didn’t approve of the matriarch’s decision, she kept it to herself and didn’t make any mention of it in front of He Ying. Instead, she nodded and said,, “It’s good that you’ve brought her back. Now that we’re old, all we want is to see our children happy by our side!”

Following that, Old Duchess Zheng turned to Pan Nianzhen, whose head was still pointed at the ground. “This is…”

House Jing’an didn’t have any young misses around this age. She had seen Chu Lian a few times before, so she would have recognised her.

Matriarch He smiled. “This is my granddaughter. She came back from Siyang along with her mother.”

Chapter 446: News Reaches the Capital (1)

Realisation dawned upon Old Duchess Zheng. She sized up Pan Nianzhen seriously for a moment. The way the young lady shyly kept her eyes down was much more to her liking than how her mother acted.

As Matriarch He’s old friend, she couldn’t help but be curious.

“How old is she? Is she engaged yet?”

“She just had her coming-of-age ceremony this year. She’ll be sixteen in the new year.”

“Why, she’s a full-grown lady already!”

“Isn’t that exactly why I’m worrying about it now?”

Old Duchess Zheng chuckled and shot her old friend a look. “Alright, I understand. I’ll keep an eye out for you. If there are any suitable families, I’ll bring it up with them.”

The matriarch was glad that her friend could help her, of course.

Meanwhile, the young miss in question sitting behind Matriarch He ducked her head. Her cheeks flushed upon the sudden mention of her future engagement.

He Ying’s expression turned.

Her mother was trying to marry her daughter off to someone else?

Right now, she and her daughter were penniless and helpless. They didn’t have any noble titles or ranks, and she was a widow. Even with House Jing’an backing them, her daughter wouldn’t be able to attract a good family. It would most likely be a poor minor official or some noble’s son with something wrong in his household.

Compared to that, wouldn’t it be better to let her daughter stay in House Jing’an?

They would be able to stay in her maiden home forever then.

He Ying hadn’t been slacking these past few days in her maiden home. She had gone around listening to all the news she could get about the estate.

Her elder brother had three sons. The eldest and the youngest were married, but the second one, Erlang, was still single. Furthermore, he was working for Prince Jin in Zhangzhou. His future was extremely bright!

He Ying had had her own plans for her daughter’s marriage. The conversation between Matriarch He and Old Duchess Zheng had agitated her, and she now felt that she should push her plans into motion a little earlier.

As she was thinking of how she could do that, Old Duchess Zheng directed her attention to Pan Nianzhen and said, “Royal Princess Duanjia is here. She’s going to take all of you young ladies off to play! Why don’t you follow along?”

Everyone turned towards Princess Wei. The pretty young lady dressed in bright red with a white fox fur cloak was obviously Royal Princess Duanjia.

Royal Princess Duanjia gave her birthday wishes to her mother before she was ordered to take care of all the young noble misses who had come today.

Matriarch He turned to look at Pan Nianzhen. “Go on. It’s rare for the royal princess to be in the mood to socialise. There’ll be more to talk about with young ladies your age.”

However, after she thought on it a little more, she couldn’t rest easy sending Miss Pan away alone, so she ordered Senior Servant Liu to follow.

Pan Nianzhen was still hesitant. Most of the beautiful young ladies in the group following after the princess had very high statuses, so it was rather intimidating. However, just as she raised her head, she caught a threatening glare from her mother.

Pan Nianzhen didn’t dare to disobey her mother. She stood up and bid her goodbyes to the older women before rushing off to follow Royal Princess Duanjia.

Princess Duanjia didn’t like to socialise with all these fragile noble misses in the first place. Just looking at them sucked all the energy out of her. If it hadn’t been a very special occasion for her mother, she would have snuck off to laze somewhere else by now.

She sighed inwardly. When was that darned Chu Liu coming back? She was going to die of boredom here in the capital.

Of course, Pan Nianzhen’s identity as a distant relative of House Jing’an wasn’t enough to attract Princess Duanjia’s attention.

The princess didn’t like hanging around with so many people, so she was only giving the bare minimum of hospitality to her guests. Thinking of the task her mother had given her, she led the group of ladies over to Plum Pavilion.

It was the end of December, so it was just the right season for plum blossoms. Prince Wei’s Estate had had plum trees growing in the Plum Pavilion since the previous dynasty. After a hundred years or so had passed, the branches of the old plum trees had become gnarled, and they bloomed even more vigorously. Princess Wei loved plums, so Prince Wei had ordered all sorts of plum trees to be planted here.

The current Plum Pavilion was overflowing with plum trees in full bloom. Their beauty and aroma had long become one of the most famed winter scenes of the capital.

There was a special corridor built in the plum tree garden of Plum Pavilion, where some tables and chairs had already been placed. Light muslin veils were covering both sides of the corridor and braziers had been placed within. The moment they entered the corridor, a burst of warm air surrounded them. It was the perfect location for admiring the plum blossoms.

However, it wasn’t just the plum blossoms they were meant to be admiring today.

Right next to this walled off garden, with just a single barrier separating them, came a burst of men’s voices and laughter.

Once they heard the sounds of young men so close to them, most of the young ladies instantly knew what the real purpose of this plum blossom party really was.

All of them exchanged glances and smiles.

Instruments of the Four Arts— zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting— had been placed in the corridor. They were meant for the young ladies to play with and pass the time, but mainly for them to show off their talents in front of the young noblemen.

Once Royal Princess Duanjia had led the party of ladies in, she leaned against a chaise in the corner with a completely disinterested expression.

She had no interest in this matchmaking party. After she ordered Jinxiu to pour a cup of honey water, she sipped a little and frowned.

Inwardly, she complained to herself, ‘Why isn’t Chu Liu back yet? Wouldn’t it be nice if we sat here with some barbecue and wine and enjoyed the beautiful scenery? Why do I have to entertain these snobby, pretentious noble misses here? How boring!’

Pan Nianzhen was timid and Senior Servant was still keeping an eye on her, so she simply sat off to the side and watched the noble misses in the center playing the zither and painting.

There was envy in her gaze.

Suddenly, there was a burst of movement from the crowd. The ladies gathered together and pointed at the wall separating this garden from the next one, chattering in excited voices.

Pan Nianzhen stood up in curiosity and moved towards where the ladies were pointing.

Chapter 447: News Reaches the Capital (2)

Through the thin muslin veils, they could see a tall man through the holes in the walls of the courtyard.

Although he gave off a gloomy aura, that exquisite face looked like it had been sculpted by the heavens, as if he had come straight out of a painting.

He had upturned eyes and the space between his brows was slightly wrinkled. His elegant hands moved as if they were plucking at their heartstrings.

The young man was dressed in blue from head to toe, with an azure brocade robe and a darker navy cloak. There was a jade amulet hung at his waist and a crown tied in his hair. He looked like a brilliant, refined nobleman.

The way he carried himself dazzled the eyes of most of the ladies there.

Pan Nianzhen was staring with her eyes wide herself, and it took her a long time to regain her senses.

It was the first time she had ever seen such a good-looking man.

Excited snippets of chatter filtered into her ears.

“Sir Xiao!”

“He’s the top scholar this year!”

“Old Duke Ying must be proud.”

……

Pan Nianzhen soon found out what that man was called— Xiao Bojian! He had been a talented student in the Imperial College and was now a rising court official!

A promising youth! With looks beyond measure!

In this short moment, Pan Nianzhen had already fallen for Xiao Bojian.

Although Xiao Bojian was on the other side of the courtyard wall, he could still hear the excited discussion of the young ladies. He cast a casual glance their way. The combination of gloom and perfect features was rather contrary, but the noble misses loved that type of air somehow.

Perhaps due to complete coincidence, Xiao Bojian’s gaze paused in Pan Nianzhen’s direction, only for a second.

Pan Nianzhen felt her heart leap out of her chest.

She quickly pressed a hand over her heart. Even after Xiao Bojian had taken a seat with his back to them, she was still staring at him dazedly for a long time.

This caught Royal Princess Duanjia’s attention, and she frowned. “Who is she?”

Her handmaid, Jinxiu, looked to where the princess had focused before leaning down and whispering into her ear, “Replying to Royal Princess, she’s from House Jing’an.”

Royal Princess Duanjia found that strange. She looked at Jinxiu with confusion in her eyes.

“Princess, she’s the daughter of the Eldest Madam of House Jing’an, surnamed Pan. This servant heard that she came to the capital from Siyang just two days ago.”

Royal Princess Duanjia glanced at Pan Nianzhen once again, her brows still furrowed.

She made a mental note of this event and looked towards the courtyard wall as well.

Her next reaction was a light snort. She disliked Xiao Bojian at first sight. He might be slightly better-looking than most men, but he was purposely acting in such a way to tempt young ladies. How shameless!

Although this was a disguised matchmaking party, there were no further incidents.

The noble misses stayed in Plum Pavilion until it was close to midday, when they were then taken to the banquet by Royal Princess Duanjia.

They had only been at the lunch banquet for a while when good news came from the palace.

Princess Wei was seated at the head of the female guests. Although none of the ladies in the inner court of the palace had come today, the Empress Dowager and Empress had each sent their trusted servants over with gifts. They likely hadn’t come so that they wouldn’t overshadow Princess Wei during her birthday party.

At this moment, Senior Servant Lan was whispering something into Princess Wei’s ear with a smile.

When she was done speaking, Princess Wei’s eyes lit up. She beamed happily and nodded. “When did this news arrive?”

Senior Servant Lan was very happy as well. “The eunuch who delivered the presents from the palace said it himself.”

That meant that the news was practically confirmed and wasn’t just rumour. However, there wasn’t much possibility that it was a rumour anyway. No one would dare to joke with such important matters.

By now, the guests seated below had noticed the joy in Princess Wei’s expression.

All of them found it strange. Princess Wei was normally more subdued; even her expressions were controlled. It was rare to see her showing her emotions so openly.

Now they all wanted to know what it was that her senior servant had whispered to make her so happy.

It was Princess Wei’s sisters who understood her the most, in the end.

A middle-aged noble madam dressed in a gorgeous dress, sitting not too far down from the princess, was the first to ask. “I wonder what news has made Your Highness so lively?”

Princess Wei shot a displeased look at the madam who had spoken. “Second Sister-in-Law, are you so afraid that I’ll hide the good news from you?” After saying so, she turned to the hall full of noble ladies, prepared to reveal the news.

“Even if I didn’t tell you now, I’m sure you’ll find out when you get home today.”

Everyone exchanged looks, curious about the good news that the princess had mentioned.

Princess Wei calmly smiled. “There was news from the palace that the north has come out victorious in the war with the Tuhuns!”

For a moment, a cloak of heavy silence fell over the hall. Then, the silence burst, giving way to deafening cheers.

Some madams even tried using this opportunity to fawn over the princess. “Your Highness must be a lucky person. Such wonderful news came from the palace today! It’s double the blessings for your birthday!”

Princess Wei usually didn’t like this kind of flattery, but she didn’t speak up this time, only sending a reprimanding look at the madam.

The happiest person amongst the group of noble madams was Matriarch He.

Hot tears spilled from her eyes. Out of all her grandsons, the one she had been most worried about was Sanlang. This news elated her, sending her happiness levels soaring through the roof.

They could finally have a nice, peaceful new year ahead.

On the day of Princess Wei’s birthday, news of the great victory of the northern troops exploded in the capital like fireworks.

The Chengping Emperor was the first to receive the report, of course. He immediately summoned the messenger who had reported the news for a personal audience.

Chapter 448: Becoming a Marquis (1)

The messenger respectfully handed over Great General Qian’s report to the Chengping Emperor.

The report contained detailed records of the war’s events.

When the Chengping Emperor finished reading the report, his shout of approval rang three times before he immediately ordered a servant to bring him a writing set. He wanted to personally write the imperial decree.

Having received such wonderful news at the end of the year, the palace’s New Year celebrations were going to be even livelier than previous years.

On the first day of the new year, the Chengping Emperor’s decree arrived at the Jing’an Estate.

Matriarch He took the lead in front of the entire estate to kneel and receive the decree at the entrance between the inner and outer courts. Astonishment, apprehension, and joy warred within her heart. It was completely out of her expectations that her youngest grandson, He Sanlang, had contributed the most to the victory in the northern war!

The Great Wu Dynasty was at peace and their ruler was wise. It was rare for anyone to earn great military merit in a golden age like this. Even if they held equal ranks in the imperial court, the positions of the military officials could hardly be compared to the literary officials’. A noble house like House Jing’an, which had come to power using their military contributions, would find it hard to rise through the ranks. Even for those with ambition, it would likely take at least a decade of effort to establish a foothold in court.

The previous Count had passed too early, while the current Count Jing’an was stationed far away in Mingzhou. Matriarch He had actually been very worried about the future of her grandsons. She hadn’t expected He Changdi to have made a name for himself just by making a trip to the northern border!

This was truly a pleasant surprise.

The imperial decree was written very simply, so it was likely that the proper bestowal of the rewards would have to wait until He Changdi returned to the capital.

Even so, the simple sentences written in the decree were enough to leave the matriarch in a daze.

The Chengping Emperor had actually bestowed the title of Marquis upon He Changdi!

Marquis Anyuan!

That was a whole rank higher than the Count!

Despite her decades of experience, Matriarch He was still dumbfounded by this.

The person who had read out the decree to them was a eunuch favoured by the emperor himself.

He smiled and said, “Matriarch, this is wonderful news. When the Marquis returns, this lowly one would like to join in the celebration.”

Matriarch He was pulled back to reality by his words. She immediately set aside all other thoughts in her head and cleared her mind so she could attend to the eunuch. “Then this old woman shall await your arrival when the time comes, gonggong.”

Matriarch He accepted the decree and rewards on He Changdi’s behalf and had Senior Servant Liu offer up a gift in return. The eunuch had to rush back to the palace to report the completion of his task, so he politely declined Matriarch He’s invitation to stay.

Once the party that had delivered the imperial decree had left, Matriarch He was left holding onto it in a daze.

So there were now two noble titles in House Jing’an?

Excluding the previous dynasty, since the beginning of the Great Wu Dynasty, there hadn’t been any noble families who had the honour of possessing two noble titles.

This meant that a second-rate aristocratic family like House Jing’an had made the leap to the upper echelons of the nobility with a single promotion.

Matriarch He had doted on He Changdi the most from the beginning. It was a fact that the title of Count Jing’an would be passed down to the eldest grandson He Changqi. The second son, Erlang, spent most of his time with the Dragon Guards and was unwilling to marry, so the matriarch couldn’t be bothered with him.

Initially, her plan for He Changdi was for him to take the imperial examination and go on the path of becoming a literary official. Although it would have definitely been difficult, with the support of House Jing’an, he would still be able to become successful in court after a few years of effort. However, who could have expected that he would sneak off to the northern border?

All the worries that Matriarch He had carried throughout his absence now turned to joy.

Now that He Changdi had a noble title, even if the children decided to split the family into smaller branches one day, there was no need for her to worry.

The one that she had to worry about from now on was the single He Erlang.

It went without saying that Madam Liu was exultant upon hearing that her son had become even more successful than his father and grandfather.

The eldest son He Changqi had always been self-aware of his talents. He knew that he wasn’t half-bad, but he was willing to admit that he wasn’t as good as his youngest brother. Now that He Sanlang had managed to achieve success at the northern border, He Dalang was proud of him as a member of the He Family.

In the whole of House Jing’an, Madam Zou was probably the only one who was unhappy to receive this news.

She had already been less favoured than Chu Lian before this, but the third branch now had a noble title ranking above theirs. Coupled with the fact that she hadn’t birthed a heir for the main branch, her days in House Jing’an would only get tougher from now on.

Madam Zou lowered her head while being helped up by Senior Servant Qiao. No one noticed her jealous, hostile expression.

As for He Ying and Pan Nianzhen, they were first shocked, then overcome with joy.

He Ying was the Eldest Madam of House Jing’an. Now that House Jing’an’s position had risen, her status would naturally rise alongside it.

Once He Sanlang returned to the capital, he would likely be placed in an important position considering the Emperor’s intentions behind this imperial decree. When that happened, House Jing’an would become an esteemed house even amongst the capital’s nobility.

Since her older brother, Count Jing’an, was still around, House Jing’an wouldn’t be splitting up their family branches anytime soon. However, the only way for them to maintain this standard of living for the rest of their lives was to have her daughter marry into her maiden house.

He Ying’s slender eyes glistened.

At the same time, the Chengping Emperor’s decree was being sent to Liangzhou at top speed.

However, as it was still winter, it would still take more than ten days for the news to get from the capital to Liangzhou. In all likelihood, the Lantern Festival would probably have passed by the time the decree arrived.

Chapter 449: Becoming a Marquis (2)

Once the first day of the new year was over, the days that came after seemed to pass in a flash.

Liangzhou City was still snowed in, so anyone who wanted to travel long distances had to ride the snowboat made by Chu Lian’s orders.

According to Urihan, who had lived in the north for decades, the ice of winter would only melt in the second month of the year. When that happened, more than half of the snow-covered plains would turn into wetlands, which were just as dangerous as snow.

Urihan and her sons now lived in the He Estate. After spending some time with them, Urihan was now able to speak the common language used in the Great Wu at a basic level. Although her intonation was a little strange, there was no problem in communicating with day-to-day matters.

Having survived an arduous trial with Urihan and her sons, Chu Lian had a great relationship with them. Urihan only had two sons and no daughters, and Chu Lian was even younger than her eldest son Myeryen, so she doted on Chu Lian like her very own daughter.

The barbarians were a straightforward people and weren’t bound by complicated rules and etiquette like the nobles of the Great Wu Dynasty. As an honest young lady born in the modern world, Chu Lian found it easy to get along with Urihan. They acted like long-lost relatives around each other.

The health of the eleven-year-old Narisong had slowly improved after days of proper nutritious food and medicine in the He Estate. Now the two brothers were working under Manager Qin.

Chu Lian had already discussed the matter of Urihan and her sons with He Sanlang. They were going to bring the three of them back to the capital, where they would stay with them from now on.

The usually ‘narrow-minded’ He Sanlang had generously agreed with Chu Lian’s suggestion. This had caused Chu Lian to ask for a second confirmation, as she wasn’t sure if he had heard her clearly. Only then was she sure that he wasn’t joking.

Chu Lian was seated beside He Changdi’s bed with a bowl of medicine in hand. Finding her husband’s sudden geniality strange, she asked, “He Changdi, when did you become so agreeable?”

He Changdi shot a quick glance at her before he closed his eyes, hiding the flash of emotion in their depths. The changes in his mood couldn’t be detected from the evenness of his voice at all. “When have I ever been anything but agreeable?”

Chu Lian had been stirring the concoction in the bowl with a spoon. She rolled her eyes when she heard He Changdi’s reply and said, “When have you ever been agreeable? You get into a temper if I stay for just a moment longer with Sister Hui!”

The tips of He Changdi’s ears reddened. He then pursed his lips and remained silent.

During the time they had spent together in the past few days, they hadn’t been glued to each other the whole time, but they had still shared the same bed and ate all three meals together everyday. Now, they were both more familiar with each other.

Chu Lian had always been sharp-witted, so she had a much better understanding of how socially awkward her husband was.

The fact that he had pursed his lips and maintained his silence probably meant that he had justified his own actions to himself a hundred times over.

Chu Lian’s mouth twitched. She wanted to stuff the bowl of medicine into his hands.

He Sanlang intentionally stayed still, so Chu Lian could only come to a compromise. What could she do since he was still injured?

She resigned herself to her fate and lifted a spoonful of medicine to He Sanlang’s mouth.

It was only then that He Changdi finally opened his mouth to take the bitter medicine.

Chu Lian was speechless. She had tried tasting his medicine out of curiosity before. It was bitter as hell! If she had the choice, she wouldn’t take a single sip.

Wouldn’t it better to just gulp it all down considering how bitter it was? Why did he insist on her feeding him spoon by spoon? Could it be that He Sanlang had lost his sense of taste? He even looked so happy drinking it, what a weirdo.

Chu Lian started discussing the matter at hand only after he had finished the last mouthful of medicine.

“I’ll be going out later, and I’ll probably only be able to return in the afternoon. The doctor will be coming to the estate later to prescribe more medicine, so let Laiyue attend to him.”

He Sanlang had initially been in a good mood. However, his wife’s words immediately made his mood take a turn for the worse.

There wasn’t much change in his expression, as he already had a cold and handsome face, but his eyes seemed to darken a little. His aura became so imposing that it would make others freeze, but He Sanlang didn’t realize that.

“Where are you going?”

Chu Lian knew that he was leaping to conclusions again, so she said, “Get Laiyue to follow me then. I’ll have Wenqing and Uncle Mo stay behind to take care of things.”

They were husband and wife, so she didn’t want to keep him in the dark regarding what she was doing. Thus, she might as well open up everything she was doing to his watch. If Laiyue followed along, He Sanlang would definitely trust what he reported about her doings.

In the end, He Changdi agreed, but he didn’t forget to remind her, “Bring more guards with you.”

With a laugh, Chu Lian suddenly kissed him on the cheek, then quickly made her escape.

The sound of her sweet bell-like laughter resounded in the room.

He Sanlang was stunned by Chu Lian’s sudden kiss. It was only after she was long gone that he managed to regain his senses. His first reaction was to blush hard.

Luckily, there was no one else in the room at the moment, otherwise they would have witnessed the poker-faced Third Young Master blushing after getting assaulted by Third Young Madam. The sight alone would likely shake them to their core; they might even worry that he had been possessed.

Manager Qin had already prepared the snowboats for departure.

Chu Lian was helped up onto the snowboat by Wenlan. She and Wenlan shared the snowboat with Li Yue.

Laiyue and Manager Qin sat in another.

Their itinerary wouldn’t take them too far away today; it would only take about an hour to get to the closest place.

When they arrived at the first area, Chu Lian slightly lifted the carriage curtain to look at the six sturdy tents nearby.

From time to time, barbarians from all directions stopped by the tent.

Most of the barbarians were herding yaks, horses, and goats. There were also some who carried goat and yak skins. However, they all shared one common trait, which was their skinny bodies and haggard faces.

Someone with experience would be able to tell that this was because of a poor quality of life.

It may not necessarily have been caused by a lack of food.

There could be a few causes for their haggard appearances: not eating salt for a long time, or an imbalance of nutrition due to only eating meat for extended periods of time. It may even be due to them lacking coal to provide them warmth.

This small area with the six tents in the center was a simple market specially prepared for them to trade goods.

Chapter 450: Returning to the Capital (1)

Chu Lian didn’t get out of the warm pen immediately. She simply lifted the curtain and watched.

It was only when she was sure that everything was working smoothly here that she sent the order to continue to the next spot.

Just like Chu Lian had predicted, they were already back in the He Estate by afternoon.

Chu Lian was so tired from the long trip that she quickly ate a simple meal and went off for her afternoon nap. He Sanlang took this chance to summon Laiyue in for some questioning.

Laiyue’s excitement showed all over his face. The moment he entered the room, without any prompting from He Changdi, he immediately began to spill the beans.

“Third Young Master, Third Young Madam is amazing! This servant is starting to wonder if Third Young Madam is the reincarnation of the God of Wealth! She actually managed to find a business opportunity out here in the desolate north.”

Hearing this, He Changdi frowned. He made a ‘mm?’ sound to prompt Laiyue to explain further.

Laiyue trembled and quickly held back his excitement to make a proper report.

When Laiyue finished reporting everything he had seen today, He Sanlang was dumbfounded.

With the convenience of the snowboats, Chu Lian had sent some men out to Suzhou to trade for large amounts of basic necessities. For example, coarse cloth, salted vegetables, coal, lamp oil, and assorted grain crops. Following that, they had divided the goods and brought them to a few designated areas.

The barbarians who lacked these basic goods could trade for them with their livestock: yaks, horses, and goats.

A single fat yak would get the barbarians only a single small jar of salted vegetables in return. Laiyue’s eyes were about to pop out of his head from the absurdity.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn’t have believed it.

Back in the capital, a single yak was worth at least ten taels of silver, and it was a rare commodity!

Even though their Third Young Madam was so ‘ruthless’, the barbarians were actually pleased with their trades. They even looked like they had just scored a great deal. It made Laiyue completely flabbergasted to watch.

The law in the Great Wu Dynasty prohibited the trading of important resources like salt and iron to other countries. Chu Lian was an upright and law-abiding citizen, so instead of selling salt, she sold salted vegetables! Anyway, the barbarians weren’t picky about it; they were happy as long as it was salty.

He Sanlang hadn’t expected Chu Lian to come up with such a brilliant money-making idea. Even if they didn’t process the barbarians’ livestock, they could still sell them as-is for at least ten times the original value of the goods they traded them for.

It was an extremely profitable trade.

He Changdi shook his head. When he thought of how their estate had been unable to gather a thousand taels for his mother’s monthly medicine costs, he smiled helplessly.

However, as a man, he couldn’t let his wife tire herself out trying to earn money for the family. It was time for him to start making his own plans now.

With that thought, He Changdi waved Laiyue over and whispered into his ear.

This time, it was Laiyue’s turn to be stupefied. He froze.

Laiyue gulped hard. Trembling, he asked, “T-Third Young Master, what you’re saying… is… is true?”

He Sanlang’s expression hadn’t changed throughout this exchange. He calmly nodded and said, “Bring Tang Yan here tomorrow afternoon. Tell him that I have something to discuss with him.”

Laiyue nodded forcefully. “This servant will do as you say!”

The afternoon was the most idle period of the day for the northern border camp. Sima Hui was too bored to stay in camp, so she would frequently bring her guards along with her to the He Estate to look for Chu Lian.

Although she was never able to get a welcoming expression from He Sanlang, Sima Hui had already chosen to ignore it.

Meanwhile, Chu Lian had found an opportunity to explain the situation with the horse amulet to Sima Hui. As she could not accept it, her only choice was to return it. Sima Hui was a smart person and didn’t reject the returning of the gift. She simply turned to her female adjutant, who then offered up a gilded jade headdress to Chu Lian that was even more valuable than the jade amulet.

He Sanlang was furious when he found out.

After the Lantern Festival had passed, the imperial decree sent all the way from the capital finally managed to reach the north.

Anyone in the army who had contributed to the war effort was given some sort of reward.

Only the ones who had achieved great merits like Great General Qian, He Changdi, Sima Hui, and Captain Guo were to receive their rewards back in the capital.

Everyone knew that the Emperor had bestowed the title of marquis upon He Changdi.

Although many of them were envious, they admired him first and foremost. It was He Changdi who had contributed the snowboats and gone to Su City with an elite group to bring back supplies and save them just in time. He had even gone up against the northwestern army and Xiao Bojian to do so. Without him, the northern border troops wouldn’t have been able to come out victorious in the war.

Although transporting the supplies was a small matter, it had been the key to victory. The dangers he had faced while doing so weren’t any less than facing the Tuhuns in battle. Furthermore, He Sanlang had killed just as many Tuhuns on the battlefields as they had.

Thus, his brothers-in-arms in the army were all happy and satisfied to see that he had been bestowed a noble title.

Since they had already received the imperial decree and their next set of orders, the worries of the northern border troops dissipated. Great General Qian then decided to bring all of the men who had contributed outstanding service back to the capital for their rewards.

Since her mother-in-law, Countess Jing’an, was still awaiting the Snow Mountain Mists flower to treat her illness, Chu Lian couldn’t stay too long in the north either.

On the twentieth of the month, Chu Lian made preparations to return to the capital.

He Sanlang’s injury wasn’t completely healed yet, so they had to avoid jostling him too much on the journey back. This meant that he couldn’t travel too quickly. Thus, Great General Qian ordered He Changdi and his wife to set off earlier than planned with General Sima and the others. In four or five days, General Qian would catch up to them with the rest of the men.