Chapter 131 The Original Owner's Birth Mother, Madam Wu
Qi Jinxiu decided to return to the capital and welcome his family with Yunxi on the same day. This was simply because the sun had been quite strong these past few days, and he didn't want Yunxi to make two trips.
He knew that Yunxi was standing on the city wall watching him. Qi Jinxiu used almost all his strength to keep himself from turning around and meeting the little girl's gaze.
He couldn't put Yunxi in a difficult position, and he certainly couldn't let Gu Nanxiao misunderstand Yunxi because of him.
Yun Yi noticed that the Pavilion Master seemed expressionless, but he could sense the sorrow emanating from him. He wanted to advise the Pavilion Master that if he couldn't let go, he should go for it and fight for it with all his might, but in the end, he said nothing.
As Yunxi watched Qi Jinxiu ride away, she felt an indescribable loneliness emanating from his departing figure.
Love is the most hurtful thing. She can't reciprocate the feelings of two men at the same time, which is a trampling on the sincerity of both men.
Yunxi couldn't even introduce Qi Jinxiu to a marriage, because that would be an invisible way of hurting him. With a long sigh, Yunxi pondered in her heart whether she should give Qi Jinxiu an extra 20% of the shop's profits, and also buy him some land and estates.
Save up more money for his future wife, so that if Qi Jinxiu meets a girl he loves in the future, she won't be unable to afford a decent dowry just because he comes from a poor family.
The happiest person after Qi Jinxiu left was Gu Nanxiao. Seeing Yunxi still standing on the city wall gazing into the distance, he immediately pulled her to a shady pavilion and personally poured her tea.
The two of them would have to wait here for a while to hear the report from the scouts ahead. Yunxi's parents would arrive in about an hour.
Since it's such a short time, there's no need to go back and forth. We might as well pick them up and settle them in before returning to the Prince's Mansion.
Yunxi felt no affection for these adoptive parents. However, in the original owner's memories, her mother, though weak by nature, had also tried her best to love her.
The other day, Yunxi was tormented by Shen Yujiao because of Yunxi, so Yunxi thought of bringing her over to recuperate properly, which would be her way of fulfilling her filial duty to the original owner.
As for her father, who loved to flatter and fawn over his concubines while neglecting his wife, it was fine as long as he provided for her food and drink. She wasn't short of money, and there was no need for others to accuse her of being unfilial.
Consider it as repaying the original owner's debt of gratitude for being born and raised, but if that cheap father wants any other benefits, that's impossible.
Thinking of this, Yunxi suddenly looked at Gu Nanxiao and asked, "I forgot to ask, which prefecture do you plan to appoint my father as prefect?"
Gu Nanxiao was unsure of Yunxi's attitude, so he tentatively asked, "What about Changliu County?"
Yunxi knew it was a medium-sized prefecture, neither too poor nor too rich. Gu Nanxiao was clearly testing her intentions, so Yunxi didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Put the person in Xingyang Prefecture."
Gu Nanxiao readily agreed, understanding Yunxi's plan. Although Xingyang County was very close to their Prince's Mansion, it was the poorest and smallest prefecture in his fiefdom.
It seems Yunxi harbors considerable resentment towards her father. Thinking of this, Gu Nanxiao guiltily touched his nose, because he suspected Yunxi's dissatisfaction with her father might stem from his sending her to the Prince's mansion as a concubine.
It seems he needs to get Yunxi to forgive him completely as soon as possible, and then hold a grand wedding to make up for what he owes Yunxi in a glorious way.
The thought of forgiving filled Gu Nanxiao with bitterness. Ever since finding Yunxi, the little girl had only agreed to stay by his side temporarily and let him sleep with her at night; otherwise, she had been so cold that she treated him almost like a stranger.
If he doesn't take the initiative to get closer to Yunxi, Yunxi won't even say a word to him or give him a glance all day.
Even the tricks that Yunxi used to use to please people—fireflies, fireworks, Kongming lanterns, wood carvings, and flower lanterns—have all failed now.
Yunxi seems to be uninterested in anything now, or more precisely, uninterested in anything he does.
What troubled Gu Nanxiao even more was that every time he tried to get close to Yunxi, it would trigger her nightmares. This matter was driving Gu Nanxiao crazy.
He had absolutely no idea how to break this deadlock. If he didn't resolve that inner conflict, it was hard to say what the future would hold for the two of them, let alone marry Yunxi.
Gu Nanxiao had planned to treat Yunxi's parents well when they arrived, hoping that Yunxi would be more lenient with him because of his care for her parents.
Who would have thought that Yunxi would treat her parents like this? It seems that this path is also blocked.
What Gu Nanxiao found even more infuriating was that everyone around him was a single man, and no one could offer him any advice or experience.
Although he kept telling himself not to rush things and that time would tell, there was always Qi Jinxiu, who was constantly fussing over Yunxi.
Gu Nanxiao had no idea that Yunxi might suddenly realize he was nothing special and that Qi Jinxiu was indeed a good match. If that happened, he and Yunxi would be completely finished.
While Gu Nanxiao was engaged in a fierce internal struggle, Yunxi was completely oblivious, sipping her tea. She was preoccupied with something else entirely.
The reason Yunxi placed the original owner's parents in the county town, which was very close to the royal palace, was so that she could get there quickly if anything happened.
According to the original owner's memories, there was a very favored concubine named Xu in the household, a cunning and manipulative woman. The original owner's mother was weak-willed and unassuming, and often suffered at Xu's hands.
Moreover, the original owner's younger brother, who died of illness at the age of three, clearly did not die so simply.
The original owner's mother fell ill for no reason after giving birth and could not get pregnant again. If all of this were a coincidence, even a fool would find it hard to believe.
Yunxi had considered bringing the original owner's mother to live in the Prince's mansion. However, the ancient Chinese belief that a woman should obey her husband after marriage would likely restrain her from doing anything outrageous.
Just then, a guard at the city gate reported that Miss Zhao's family had arrived outside the city. Upon hearing this, Gu Nanxiao and Yunxi both got up and went to the city gate to greet them.
This was the first time Yunxi had seen the original owner's family since she was reborn. She examined their expressions and appearances as if they were complete strangers.
Only when he saw the original owner's birth mother did he feel an uncontrollable bond in his heart; this must be the power of blood ties.
Perhaps by some unseen force, the original owner also hoped that she could take care of his mother. If this was the original owner's last wish, Yunxi would fulfill it for her.
The original owner's mother, Wu, should have been around the same age as the princess, but she looked like a woman who was nearly fifty, even though she was not yet forty.
Even in more glamorous clothes, one could still see her frail figure beneath. Her no longer straight back and her snow-white hair at the temples all testified to how difficult her life was.
What's most striking is Wu's pair of eyes, filled with numbness and bewilderment. It's as if life has ravaged her to the point of exhaustion, leaving her utterly hopeless.
It is said that women are flowers that men cherish, and only a careless man would let his wife become broken and miserable.
Yunxi remembered that before the original owner left home, Wu Shi wasn't in such a terrible state. It seems that after the original owner left the mansion, her life became even more miserable.
In contrast, the original owner's father had a ruddy complexion and a fuller figure. The four or five concubines behind him were also beautiful. The dozen or so illegitimate sons and daughters were dressed in much more luxurious clothes than before.
Presumably, after the original owner entered the Prince's Mansion, this cheap father somehow gained some benefits by taking advantage of Gu Nanxiao's influence.
The Zhao family members stood up, but Wu Shi stood out as an outsider. Despite her adoptive father's efforts to show his closeness to Wu Shi, the scene only heightened the sense of estrangement. It was as if people without feelings were forcing themselves to appear affectionate and harmonious in front of outsiders.
Those who came to greet him at the city gate today were naturally local officials. Although Gu Nanxiao hadn't specifically notified anyone, they wouldn't miss this opportunity to curry favor with Prince Xian.
Zhao Maoquan was just a ninth-rank official in the capital. He had never seen such a grand scene before. The lowest-ranking official who came to the city gate to greet people was at least two ranks higher than him.
Although he was somewhat nervous, he was also secretly excited. He had heard that his eldest daughter had Gu Nanxiao completely under her thumb since entering the Yong Prince's mansion.
If that's the case, wouldn't he, as the future father-in-law of a prince, be able to do whatever he wants on his son-in-law's fiefdom?
Zhao Maoquan, lost in his daydream, walked blissfully to Gu Nanxiao. He had assumed that Prince Xian would come to the city gate to personally greet him, and naturally, he wouldn't make him kneel in public.
He stood there for a long time, when suddenly he heard the guards behind Prince Xian shout sternly, "How dare you! You have to kneel down and pay your respects to Prince Xian!"
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