Chapter 199 This Love Is Unlike That of an Imperial Family

"Father? What are you doing here? Where's Mother? Has Father eaten yet?"

"Oh, it's Dalang! How did you know your father caught another 20-pound fish today?! Did you smell it and get hungry? My son, you have such a keen nose."

Su Fu: ...

He just came out after class to get some fresh air and slack off...

Su Xian freed one hand and waved it in the air, exuding boundless heroic spirit:

"It's alright, you're in for a treat. My son studies hard every day, he really does. He needs to be well-nourished. I'll have the kitchen stew a fish head for you later."

Losing his balance, Master Su quickly withdrew his hands, picked up the fish again with both hands to maintain his balance, and solemnly instructed:

"By the way, could you send another portion to the Meilu Garden next door? The fish soup is delicious and good for recuperation. No problem, this time the fish is big enough to share!"

"You should visit your nephew Ouyang more often. His writing has the style of a master, he is upright and honest, and he has great talent in water management. Even your sister praises him highly and has condescended to make his way to him. You can't be so aloof."

"I understand, child."

Su Fu responded with a hint of helplessness. Although he had heard and answered these elders' admonitions countless times, the eldest son of the Su family showed no impatience whatsoever, and said respectfully:

"Father, rest assured, Lianghan and I have been good friends for a long time. I have been visiting him once every morning and evening recently. However, I am afraid that if I go too often, I will disturb Miss Weilai in taking care of Brother Lianghan. They have been busy preparing tea and snacks for me."

"Well, it's good that you know your limits." Su Xian changed the subject: "Remember to come over for fish head lunch."

At the entrance of Juxian Garden, the Su family father and son, who had "met together," spent a short time together before parting ways.

Su Xian left with a faint smile on his lips.

Su Dalang stood there, holding a book, staring blankly at the corner ahead, where his father was carrying a fish half his height in both hands, seemingly "lost" as he wandered around.

Her clothes seemed to sway in the wind as she walked.

However, judging from the direction he left... it seems that my father, who is usually quick and agile, is going to "get lost" and end up in my sister's yard this time.

Su Fu couldn't help but shout from afar:

"Father, be careful. Don't let Mother find out you've secretly gone fishing again, or else..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a nonchalant echo from a certain Mr. Su came from afar:

"I know, but it's a small matter. It's one thing for a woman to meddle in household affairs, but why are you interfering so much..."

Su Fu opened his mouth, shook his head, and didn't pay any more attention. He turned around and went back to his study.

It had been a long time since Su Fu had seen his father catch such a big fish. Every time he had met his father before, his hands were empty, and the buckets carried by the servants behind him were also empty. He never gave Su Fu a friendly look.

The last time I returned with such a bountiful catch was when I hosted a perch feast and invited Brother Lianghan... It's truly a rare treat.

I don't know where he caught another big fish this time, so it's understandable that my father is speaking more firmly...

In the distance, on a garden path.

Su Xian hummed a little tune, his hands behind his back, and strolled leisurely toward his daughter's Plum Shadow Studio.

A burly servant behind him helped him carry buckets and fish.

The patriarch of the Su family seemed to be in a good mood, glancing back from time to time at the large fish in the servant's arms, stroking his beard with pride.

"How about we have another sea bass feast and invite some of the neighbors?"

Su Xian muttered to himself.

In the distance, a corner of the eaves of Meiyingzhai, where Su Guo'er lived, peeked out from among the plum trees.

Su Xian noticed.

"Fish, come here! Now step back."

"Yes, sir."

Su Xian took the big fish with great interest, carrying it in both hands, and prepared to walk forward.

“Master, look, that looks like Madam! She’s coming out of Miss’s courtyard.”

The burly servant in blue seemed to have noticed something and immediately pointed.

Su Xian's expression changed.

At the corner ahead, a middle-aged woman in a long dress walked by with a group of maids, and they met Su Xian and his companion from a distance.

The woman in the long dress and her group seemed to pause for a moment.

"Master, Madam... seems to have seen us."

The burly servant in blue scratched his head and said, but as soon as he turned his head, he found that there was no one around him. The figure had disappeared, or rather, the person and the fish had disappeared together.

"Master? You..."

The servant was startled. Just then, a "plop" was heard, as if something had fallen into the pond beside them.

Su Xian reappeared beside the strong servant, smiling broadly, and stepped forward to greet him, his hands already empty.

The burly servant stared in disbelief.

"Seventh Brother!" Wei Mei's sharp voice, with raised eyebrows, came from not far away.

"Madam, what are you doing here..." Su Xian forced a smile and tried to please her.

The couple were only ten steps apart.

"Stop right there!" Wei Mei glanced at the pond next to Su Xian and quickly stepped forward.

Without saying a word, Su Xian turned and ran.

"My lady, I was wrong!" he pleaded, leaving behind only these words.

"..." Wei Mei and the others.

...

In a quiet flower hall at the southern end of the Su residence, Su Xian was peeking out and observing for a while.

The surroundings were silent, as if no one had come looking for them.

Su Xian breathed a sigh of relief:

"It seems like everything's alright now. We'll have to wait for Mei Niang's anger to subside."

He looked worried and raised his hand to straighten his crooked hat.

"Master! Master!"

Just then, an old servant hurriedly walked in from outside, his face serious.

The old servant had served the Su family for many years and was also the head steward of the Su household. He was extremely loyal, but his surname was unknown. Both Su Guo'er and Su Fu called him Uncle Shun.

Uncle Shun had no beard and, although he looked old, was quite fair-skinned. He was meticulous in his work, strict and courteous, and had rarely made mistakes over the years.

But right now, the seemingly calm and collected old butler in everyone's eyes rushed to Su Xian's side, a hint of nervousness in his eyes:

"Master, a letter has arrived from Jiangzhou. It seems there are some news coming from the north."

Upon hearing this, Su Xian's expression turned serious.

"Take me there!"

He immediately left the flower hall where he was hiding and followed the old servant to a waiting room, where he met a messenger who looked travel-worn.

The messenger was a middle-aged man who didn't say much. He looked Su Xian up and down, checked the token, confirmed his identity, clasped his hands in a salute, solemnly handed over a letter, and then hurriedly left.

Su Xian held the yellow envelope in his hand, his brows furrowed.

"What news is coming from Luoyang in such a hurry? Aren't they afraid of being discovered by someone with ulterior motives? Coming here in broad daylight, they're becoming more and more careless..."

He frowned and shook his head, pacing back and forth in the living room for a while before finally giving up.

Break the wax seal, pull out the letter, shake it in the air, and unfold the four corners.

Su Xian looked down.

The next second.

Uncle Shun, who was standing to the side, saw his master's face change drastically, and he was extremely shocked, as if he had discovered something terrifying in the letter.

Su Xian took a few steps back, and the letter slipped from his stiff fingers, falling lightly to the ground.

"Master, what has happened? Is there any movement in Luoyang...?"

Uncle Shun seemed to know something about the situation and asked with concern, while bending down to pick up the letter.

"It's over!"

Su Xian suddenly shouted.

"It's completely over now! It's finally happened! After all these years, what was bound to happen has finally come!"

The old man of the Su family, who had been leisurely fishing and showing off at home that morning, now looked completely distraught. He flailed his arms wildly, stepped over the old servant picking up papers from the ground, and rushed out of the living room.

"Master, Master!"

Uncle Shun hurriedly chased after him out the door.

To the southeast of the Su residence, there is a pavilion built among flowers, surrounded by vibrant and beautiful blooms.

Under the sunlight, a woman in a long dress, accompanied by several maids, was arranging flowers and placing them in vases inside the pavilion.

The woman in the long dress seemed to still be angry. Despite the maid's attempts to soothe her, she would occasionally snort coldly, her dissatisfaction evident.

At that moment, Su Xian's running figure suddenly appeared on the flower path not far from the pavilion, along with his shouts coming from afar:

"Meiniang! Meiniang!"

"Fine, Qilang, you still dare to come looking for me! Go ahead and run, why don't you run now? If you're so capable, go fishing with your cronies. If you're not capable, then admit it! If I don't make you give up fishing today, I'll take your surname!"

Wei Mei's eyebrows shot up, and she suddenly stood up.

A series of loud crashes erupted inside the pavilion as vases shattered on the ground, silencing the maids who had been trying to calm them down.

Wei Mei pulled out a thick stick from somewhere and rushed out of the pavilion with a menacing air.

"Your crying and begging won't do you any good! Are you even a man?!"

Wei Mei, with a cold expression, raised his stick.

But soon she noticed that her husband was acting strangely today, crying unusually hard, and ignoring the maids watching from the pavilion behind them.

The couple met, rushed into each other's arms, and looked into each other's eyes.

Su Xian, tears streaming down his face, blurted out incoherently:

"Meiniang, it's over, we're all over! People from Luoyang are coming! Someone complained to Mother about the birth ceremony of Guo'er. Mother... Mother has sent people over, they'll arrive in Longcheng soon, we're finished!"

Wei Mei, who had been roaring like a shrew, suddenly composed herself, dropped the stick, and upon hearing this, took out a handkerchief and silently wiped away her husband's tears.

"Meiniang! It's my fault, I'm sorry, I'm sorry to Dalang and Guo'er! It's my fault, I've dragged you down!"

Su Xian, feeling extremely guilty, hugged the woman in the long dress.

"This is not Qilang's fault. Dalang, Guo'er, and I have never blamed you. Qilang, do not grieve. Where is the letter? Let me see it."

Wei Mei remained completely calm, looking directly into her husband's eyes.

“Believe…believe…” Su Xian murmured, looking around blankly.

Wei Mei turned her head and, with an inscrutable expression, dismissed the curious maids around her.

Only Wei Mei and the heartbroken, dejected Su Xian remained in the garden.

"Madam, the letter is with me... Please take a look."

Uncle Shun came running, panting, and finally caught up with Su Xian, presenting the letter to Wei Mei.

After comforting her husband for a while, Wei Mei turned around, rolled up her sleeves, took the letter directly, and bowed her head to instruct:

"Uncle Shun, go to Meiyingzhai nearby and call Guo'er over. We'll meet in the Peony Hall. And Dalang too."

She slightly rolled her eyes, glanced at the sky, and made a decision:

"It's now the second quarter of Shen Chu. Today is Mr. Yuan's class. If he's here, please invite him as well. Also, Miss Xie, go to Yi Lan Xuan to call people. We'll meet at the Peony Hall in half an hour."

"Yes, madam!" Uncle Shun's spirits lifted.

The old servant, who had been flustered by his master's influence, calmed down a bit and quickly withdrew, calling for people in all directions.

Half an hour later.

In Yilan Pavilion, in a west wing study that Xie Lingjiang rarely used, everyone gathered.

Su Xian, Wei Mei, Su Dalang, Su Guo'er, Xie Lingjiang who returned in a hurry, and that old Mr. Yuan.

The group did not ultimately meet at the Peony Hall, where they often held secret meetings.

Because Xie Lingjiang arrived last, they couldn't find her at first. Xie Lingjiang was a Qi cultivator who moved silently. In the end, it was Su Guo'er's maid Caishou who had a flash of inspiration and went to the plum grove courtyard next door, where she found Xie Lingjiang.

Xie Lingjiang arrived last. The others who had been waiting impatiently had already left the Peony Hall and were waiting near the Yilan Pavilion.

The group gathered in the study of Yilanxuan, which was nearby, for a secret meeting.

Inside the room, Su Xian stared blankly at his shadow on the floor, lost in thought. Wei Mei, standing beside him, rose and took a crumpled letter from Su Dalang and Su Guo'er, silently handing it to the other two.

"Miss Xie, Mr. Yuan, please take a look as well."

Just as Xie and Yuan, who were like advisors and guest ministers, were solemnly examining the letters.

Su Xian suddenly looked up and said with a bitter smile:

"This time, it was Prince Wei Jisi who complained to the Empress Dowager, falsely accusing me of using the gifts from the Li clan, the Wei clan of Jingzhao, and court officials to build up my faction and harbor ambitions for the birth ceremony of Guo'er."

His eyes were red, and his tone was full of resentment and grievance:

"But Guo'er is clearly still on the family genealogy of the Imperial Clan Court. She is her eldest granddaughter and a member of the imperial clan. They have held a birthday celebration for her every year. Not to mention compared to the current princess, which of the lower-ranking princesses or county princesses didn't have a more extravagant birthday celebration than Guo'er? It is perfectly reasonable for noble relatives to give gifts..."

As if suddenly recalling some unbearable experience, Su Xian stopped speaking, his face turning ashen.

"Your subject doesn't want any status or title, I just want to give my child a little wealth, is that not allowed? Mother, you are so heartless!"

Despair filled his eyes as he addressed his quiet family and staff:

"Brother... His Highness Prince Xiang secretly sent someone from Luoyang to report that after hearing about this unsubstantiated matter, Mother sent her personal maidservant away from the palace overnight to rush to Jiangnan Road... It seems she is also here to deliver a gift, but I heard that Mother has prepared an extra gift, not only to give to her granddaughter, but also to give a gift to her son... to her son, ha..."

"It's on its way now and will arrive in Longcheng County soon. His Highness Prince Xiang's letter was delivered urgently, only a little faster than the messenger sent by the Empress Dowager. It's too late...

To receive a gift from the empress for no reason... Everyone fell silent, recalling the empress's various methods of executing people over the years.

For example, if a gift box sent all the way from Guanzhong to Luoyang to Jiangnan is empty, you still have to give something in return, like a head?

Su Xian suddenly smiled, his face full of misery:

“If a mother wants her son to die, the son has no choice but to die. Besides, she is the current emperor, a subject of the emperor! I might as well hang myself with dignity first, and then you can cut off my head. Maybe that will save your lives.”

As if grasping at a last straw, he prepared to draw his knife.

Su Guo'er suddenly stood up: "Why does Father say he is going to die? This matter started because of me. If Father dies, how can I live alone?"

Su Fu knelt down: "Your son hangs himself in place of your father, begging your grandmother to calm her anger."

Wei Mei said to her husband, "Misfortune and fortune are unpredictable, and neither is immutable. At most, one of them will die. What is there to be afraid of, Qi Lang? Besides, no one can escape death. If you die, then so be it. The whole family will be with you. There's nothing to cry about!"

"Meiniang, Guo'er, Fusu!" Su Xian said, his voice trembling as he closed his eyes.

Wei Mei pursed her lips, stubbornly raised her head, and looked north out of the house... There was a mother-in-law there whom she both respected and hated, whom she had defied back then.

If this cold-blooded old woman were to send gifts to order his death, Wei Mei would never beg for mercy; he would simply maintain his dignity.

Wei Mei turned his head around:

"Miss Xie, Mr. Yuan, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Looking at the family in front of them, whose kinship resembled that of ordinary people, Xie Lingjiang and Yuan Xiangshan exchanged a glance but did not speak immediately.

(or the fifth day of abstaining from pornography)

(End of this chapter)