Chapter 14 Wanwan with her peach blossom eyes, you are my little lucky star. ...
Lou Yanxu snatched the sesame seed cake away, her face flushed red, and she pursed her lips in regret. Hearing his voice, she said, "Yunlu is from Ezhou. If you have any favorite foods, just tell him to buy them."
Yun Lu leaned against the window, sword in hand, listening intently. "?"
He felt embarrassed and thought, "Well, it's only right that I serve the future mistress of the household."
Lou Yan chuckled twice. Yun Lu was Xu Congjing's personal bodyguard, so how could she dare to give orders? "No, no need."
She had lied to everyone that she had no appetite, but Xu Congjing caught her craving sesame cakes. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she politely asked him to leave, saying, "It's getting late, and it's not convenient for you to stay any longer, Situ. You should get some rest."
She was about to close the door when Xu Congjing slipped his hand through the crack in the door. "Wait."
Lou Yanxu parted her lips slightly, like bright red fruit. He subconsciously raised his hand, paused in mid-air, looked away and chuckled, "Remember to wipe the grease off your lips, lest you attract mice to your bed."
"I've got it."
Her delicate face flushed red, spreading from her cheekbones. After a short while, she deftly closed and locked the door, leaned against it, dug her nails into the hard clipboard, and let out a long sigh.
Why was she always caught in his embarrassing state? She pondered this, and because of her problem with sleeping in unfamiliar beds, she didn't fall into a deep sleep until the early hours of the morning.
The next day, it was raining continuously. Several horse-drawn carriages passed through Huainan Road one after another. When they approached Suzhou, a torrential downpour began. Floods destroyed dikes and farmland. They finally made it into the city and waited for the rain to stop, pattering on the roof of the carriages.
After that, the group parted ways, and Sheng Yan entered Lou Yanxu's carriage to head to the Lou residence.
As the rain subsided, she lifted the curtain and peered out. She had long anticipated that the torrential rains of January had flooded half the city, but seeing it in person still pained her. In the low-lying areas, the sewage could submerge footstools. There were few shops on the streets, and the little beggar, unable to find any food, plunged into the puddles to eat something dirty and cold.
Her fingers trembled slightly; unable to bear watching any longer, she drew the curtain and closed her eyes.
Upon arriving at the Lou residence, Lou Yanxu disembarked and stood in front of the door, her gaze falling on the dripping roof brackets. Returning to her familiar home, she felt momentarily dazed.
The door opened from the inside, and Old Madam Lou came out with a smile, "Second Madam!"
"Grandmother!" Lou Yanxu lifted her skirt and ran towards her grandmother, who was already waiting for her. She patted the back of Lou Yanxu's neck through her hair and said, "It's nothing serious, why come all this way?"
"Please don't blame Pu Niang. It's just that Second Sister missed Grandmother, so she pestered my husband to come back with me." Lou Yanxu said, smiling sweetly as she looked back at Sheng Yan. He greeted her respectfully and smiled gently in return.
Not wanting her grandmother to worry, she had already discussed it with Sheng Yan in the carriage. He could do whatever he wanted on this trip, and she wouldn't make a fuss. Her only condition was that they be affectionate in front of her grandmother.
"You, you..." Old Madam Lou's eyebrows lit up as she touched her forehead, took her hand and led her into the mansion, "Alright, alright, come in quickly."
The group walked through the covered corridor to the main hall to catch up. With no men in the house, Sheng Yan was inevitably bored, so he frequently gazed at the raindrops on the eaves. Later, the old lady suggested he go about his business. He was secretly overjoyed that he wouldn't have to "stay in jail" there.
Lou Yanxu guessed that he must have secretly taken on official business, but it was inconvenient for others to know. Coincidentally, her return to her hometown provided an excuse, and this trip also allowed her to be with her beloved, truly killing two birds with one stone. The misty rain veiled the figure of her beloved, and she withdrew her gaze, only to find that her grandmother had been staring at her for a long time.
"Silly girl, you conspired with your husband to deceive your grandmother. Do you think I don't know what you're up to?"
She felt a pang of panic, then sighed inwardly. How could she possibly hide it from her grandmother?
The old lady tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "But you were able to handle him, so my efforts in teaching you were worthwhile."
Lou Yanxu smiled bitterly. She had no control over Sheng Yan at all. He cared about face, official status, the Marquis's mansion, and many other things. She could only have a say if she was more daring than him.
"Don't worry about me, you should just enjoy your retirement."
"My life has been full of ups and downs, and now I only wish for you to give birth to a big, healthy son!" The old lady carefully observed her expression and sensed something was amiss, so she probed, "Could it be that we haven't consummated our marriage yet?"
Lou Yanxu was prepared for this. She lowered her head as if shy, but actually concealed the coldness in her eyes. "How could that be? My husband is a man who knows how to care for people."
"What's there to be shy about now that you're married?" Old Madam Lou teased her, laughing so hard she almost fell over. Even the servants standing nearby couldn't help but smile. She turned around, feigning anger, "Grandmother, please stop!"
The old lady in the back building comforted her for a long time, and the grandmother and granddaughter had endless things to talk about. With the young master returning home, the mansion became much more lively.
After taking a sip of hot tea, Lou Yanxu glanced around discreetly and remarked, "Have the servants in the manor been replaced?"
"You have a sharp eye!" Pu Niang brought over some hot cherry dumplings, and the old lady handed them to her. "A few days ago, there was a thief in the manor and some jewelry was stolen. Your second cousin took the thief and reported it to the authorities. He also said he didn't trust me, so he started to replace the thief with a new group of people. Now there are rules in the manor, and people are assigned to manage all the items. If anything is missing, the people in charge will share the compensation."
“So, there is someone specifically in charge of storing the grain.” Lou Yanxu took the grain, savoring its crispness and fragrance, and slowly said after finishing it, “I heard that my uncles went straight to the granary upon entering the mansion. Father had already moved and renovated the granary, so how did they know where the new granary was?”
Suzhou is prone to rain, and the granary in the prefecture was once flooded. Later, the father took advantage of the situation to choose a high place to build a new one, but this matter was not known to outsiders.
Old Madam Lou was extremely shrewd. She sensed something was amiss at her granddaughter's slightest suggestion. After thinking it over, she angrily slammed her hand on the octagonal table, causing the maid who was dusting off the dust to tremble.
"That damned bastard! I really thought he was a filial son!" The old lady sighed in regret. "When people get old, their minds become dull."
"Grandmother, don't worry, leave this matter to your granddaughter."
Lou Yan ordered Pu Niang to gather a crowd, and the maids and servants crowded into the main hall. She patiently watched with a teacup in her hand. Although Madam Zeng had not made her manage the household, she was now the principal wife and had learned a thing or two. Sitting in the main seat, she exuded great power, and the servants gradually quieted down, none of them daring to make a move.
"Whoever accepted the bribes from the third wife, step forward and you'll be treated leniently. If I find out, even if you wail in front of the government office, I'll still beat you!" She twirled around in place, holding an empty teacup behind her back. "If this rain doesn't stop, you'll have to rely on the grain stored in the mansion to survive. If your uncles steal it today, or someone else steals it tomorrow, you won't get anything in the future."
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to deal with their young master, and no one dared to speak up.
Lou Yanxu put down her teacup. "I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Think it over carefully."
Seeing her calm and composed demeanor, Old Madam Lou stared at her for a while, tears welling up in her eyes.
As the incense stick burned out, Lou Yanxu specially ordered someone to prepare benches and canes to bolster their resolve, and it worked. Several timid people had already tearfully begged for mercy, and then several others came forward to confess their innocence, but she ignored them and deliberately threatened them, "If no one is willing to confess, then each of them will be given ten strokes of the cane. Those who are innocent, remember this: today's suffering is all because of that thief in the mansion!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd condemned the guilty party, shouting that if they did not confess today, those who were found guilty in the future would not be let off. At this moment, Lou Yanxu tilted her head and saw a trembling hand reaching out from the crowd, and she ordered everyone to be quiet.
Lou Yan ordered him to step forward and asked coldly, "What is your name?"
"Replying to Second Madam, my name is Huinu." He said in a trembling voice, his hands resting on his knees, not daring to raise his head.
"You betrayed your master!" She grabbed a teacup and threw it in front of him, shouting angrily, "Do you know your crime, you slave!"
Upon hearing this, Hui Nu knelt down with a thud. "Second Mistress, please forgive me! Second Mistress, please forgive me! My mother is seriously ill and we are in dire need of money for treatment. If Young Master Cheng is willing to provide this money, I really cannot refuse!"
If that's true, Lou Yanxu gritted her teeth in anger.
The Lou family has three branches. The eldest son is the legitimate son of the late wife, while the third son is a son born out of wedlock. The second son is Lou Yan, also known as Xu Aye, who was conceived by the current old lady after the late wife's death.
The second cousin, named Lou Cheng, was the son of the third wife. He was close to the old lady in his youth, but their relationship soured as he grew older. During a famine, storing grain was of paramount importance, yet he went to great lengths to exploit his own grandmother, using the pretext of a robbery to replace the servants and arrange for someone to take over the granary. This man acted out of his grandmother's trust and then tried to curry favor with the eldest son's family—truly a cunning schemer!
Because of their past relationship, Grandmother didn't think about it that way. Lou Yanxu subconsciously looked at her and was slightly relieved to see that she had no expression.
"Second Mistress, spare me! Second Mistress, spare me!" He crawled to Lou Yanxu's side and begged, "Second Mistress, I have something to tell you, can you atone for my sins?"
Tell me about it.
"I overheard this by chance yesterday, and it was true. Lord Cheng, in league with the river bandits, is planning to rob the imperial grain today!"
Entering the mansion to seize grain was at least a family matter, but Lou Cheng dared to set his sights on disaster relief grain! Lou Yanxu's eyes widened, "He...he's gone mad!"
Xu Congjing is currently ordered to provide disaster relief. If there is a problem with the grain transport, he will not only face punishment from the court, but he will also act as a cold-faced judge to arrest the Lou family to vent his anger.
"Grandmother, I'm going to the governor's mansion." With that, she hurried away, fearing that if she was even a step too slow, Lou Cheng would take action.
But she still didn't have time.
The carriage sped through the streets and alleys, when suddenly the cries of the people could be heard: "Those damned bandits have stolen our disaster relief grain!"
Some even lamented, "I only have this one daughter, and she was taken away by the river bandits. I might as well die!"
Lou Yanxu felt a pang of pain in her heart. She arrived at the governor's mansion shortly afterward. Ignoring the wetness on her skirt, she hurried to the door. The gatekeeper went inside to announce her arrival, but no one came for a long time. Just as she was stamping her feet in frustration, she heard a child's voice, "Young Master's Wife!"
She rushed over as if she had seen a savior, asking, "Is your husband inside? I need to speak with him urgently."
Yun Lu said solemnly, "Young Master is currently discussing matters with the Magistrate, so it is probably inconvenient for him to meet with you."
"I'll go inside and wait for him."
Seeing her insistence, Yunlu pondered for a moment, then led her inside, thinking to himself that his husband would surely reward him.
He led her to the corridor, where Lou Yanxu saw Xu Congjing and Wen Jie discussing matters with Zhang Yuanwen, the prefect of Suzhou. Listening closely, she overheard that it was about the river bandits stealing grain.
Zhang Yuanwen bent slightly and stood in front of Xu Congjing, his hands hidden in his sleeves and placed in front of his abdomen. "That group of river bandits is entrenched on Lingbo Island outside Suzhou City. This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. With only a hundred or so people, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to take back the grain."
Xu Congjing tapped the corner of the armchair with his fingers, remaining silent. Wen Jie, however, gave a cool smile and said, "Those bandits are incredibly audacious, daring to openly seize grain and forcibly abduct women. Could it be that they gave someone some benefits?"
Zhang Yuanwen wiped his sweat and dared not look up. "It's just that they have the high ground and are good at naval warfare, which is why we can't do anything about them."
Lou Yanxu rubbed the back of her hand, and seeing Xu Congjing glance coldly at Zhang Yuanwen, she dismissed him for the time being. The two remained silent for a while, and then Xu Congjing stood up. "This matter should not be delayed for too long. Let's set off tonight and catch them off guard."
The famine is severe right now; every day the food is delayed, another person will starve to death. They can wait, but the people cannot.
Wen Jie was well aware of the situation, but he felt it was inappropriate and immediately objected, "No! We are not familiar with the terrain and are outnumbered. It would be too dangerous to go there rashly."
"I know what I'm doing."
The two had known each other for several years and shared a deep friendship. With just a glance, Wen Jie knew what he was thinking: "You want to capture the king first?"
Xu Congjing nodded, and Wen Jie crossed his arms and spun around, then turned back and said, "I still think it's safer for us to recruit some soldiers."
"I have soldiers!" Lou Yanxu shouted from afar, rushing to the two of them, her voice trembling as she calmed herself, "I have soldiers."
Xu Congjing was taken aback, then smiled brightly.
I still remember when my uncle gambled away all the family's wealth. My grandfather died because the old house was destroyed, and my parents were nowhere to be found. He didn't even have money to make funeral arrangements. It was Lou Yanxu who took him to Lou Yuanwai and promised to lend him money, which solved his immediate problem.
That night, the two climbed onto the roof to admire the moon. The girl, resting her chin on her hand, asked him with a smile, "Brother Zizheng, what are you thinking about?"
Wanwan, you are my little lucky star.
That was true in the past, and it is true now.
Recalling their past feelings, he cast aside his old grudges, his eyes filled with the same deep affection as before. Lou Yanxu met his familiar peach blossom eyes, and her heart suddenly trembled.
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