Chapter 876: Mother and Daughter Reunited [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
The news of Wu Xian staying in Consort Mi's courtyard quickly reached the ears of the imprisoned First Lady, and even the orange candlelight couldn't brighten her complexion. The candlelight flickered quietly, and the First Lady's face was deathly pale, her deep eyes filled with surging malice.
The second young master draped a warm cloak over her shoulders.
He whispered, "Mother, you've misunderstood Father."
The first wife took a long time to recover, her voice hoarse: "If it were a misunderstanding, he wouldn't have abandoned the main courtyard to stay in a dancer's quarters. He just returned; even staying in the study would be better than staying in a concubine's room. He didn't care about my feelings at all. He wouldn't give me any dignity whatsoever..."
She knew without a doubt that the news of "Wu Xiangang placing his wife under house arrest as soon as he returned" had spread like wildfire, and she knew how others were gossiping and mocking her. Just thinking about that scene made her cheeks burn, as if she had been slapped until her face was swollen.
The second young master suppressed the irritation in his heart.
He defied his father for his mother's sake, but his mother paid no attention, still preoccupied with her past grievances with his father. Her narrow-mindedness only held him back. It wasn't that he didn't love his mother; he was just annoyed that she could never prioritize and was always entangled with his maternal grandparents' family. Didn't she know how much his father loathed his uncles? They were utterly useless, yet his mother still thought they were reliable.
Influenced by her in his childhood, the second young master was also close to several of his uncles. However, as he grew older and saw through his uncles' incompetence, and witnessed his aunts' constant attempts to freeload, he realized that his mother had deceived him. He tried several times to persuade his mother to change her ways, suggesting that instead of helping his uncles succeed, she should put in more effort to completely win over his father.
My father was easily swayed. Talking to him about feelings, reminiscing about the past, playing the victim, and going along with his wishes—while not exactly inseparable—left no room for his concubine to harbor any improper thoughts. Unfortunately, my mother simply couldn't bear to see her uncles suffer. Even if she agreed to everything one moment, the next, when an uncle came to her door offering comfort and playing the victim, she would treat them like precious jewels.
Tsk tsk, she doesn't seem to dote on her own son much.
From this perspective alone, he felt that his mother and father were a match made in heaven, both of them incredibly swayed by others. His father had long suspected that his mother and uncle were getting involved in things they shouldn't have, which nearly led to his death while hunting. Out of consideration for their past as husband and wife, he only gave them verbal reprimands and distanced himself from them. His mother was repeatedly wronged by her own family, yet she continued to dedicate herself to them as always.
“Mother, don’t be sad. Look on the bright side. Father only put you under house arrest to make you reflect on your actions. It’s clear that he still cares about your relationship.” The second young master had countless grievances in his heart, but he couldn’t say them out loud. He had to go along with his mother’s wishes and comfort her to think more positively. “You probably don’t know that because of Qin Gongsu’s faction, Father almost lost his life on the battlefield. It was a very dangerous situation.”
Speaking of the Qin Li lineage, even the Second Young Master feels like cursing.
The Qin Li faction is the most crucial piece in restraining the Tianhai family. Forcing them out will only make the latter more arrogant and domineering, while also shrinking Wu Xian's power. In addition, the subsequent night raid on the main camp by elite enemy troops caught them off guard, resulting in losses that cannot be estimated. The second young master has the ambition to replace the eldest young master and succeed Wu Xian, so what belongs to Wu Xian will naturally be his.
How could he not feel heartbroken when his family's wealth dwindled?
With the Tianhai family growing powerful, how could he not have a headache?
However, he was more troubled by his father and older brother.
"Don't worry, your son and elder brother will plead with Father later, and you can soften your stance and admit your mistake, and this matter will be over." The second son said with a wry smile, "It's just that elder brother has been busy lately, and I'm afraid Mother will have to endure it for another two days."
The lady looked up and glanced around.
He asked, "Your older brother didn't come?"
The second young master gave a vague answer: "Perhaps they haven't received the message."
The First Madam's expression shifted repeatedly, her aura of hostility visibly intensifying, a fleeting hint of disgust flashing across her eyes. The Second Young Master, seeing this, inwardly smirked, pleased with the scene unfolding before him.
He knew his mother didn't like his older brother very much.
I heard that my eldest brother was restless in my mother's womb, causing her a lot of suffering. He was also larger than average when he was born, which made it difficult for my first-time mother to give birth for three days and three nights. She endured all the hardships of childbirth, raising a child, and educating a child. She gave so much effort only to have a child with a disability. My father disliked my eldest brother because of his mediocre talent, and this dislike extended to my mother as well.
Ugh, that's really frustrating.
In the past, the second young master would not have bothered to sow discord between his mother and elder brother, but things were different now. He keenly sensed that his father's attitude towards him had changed. On the surface, there was not much change, but when privately teaching him his studies, his father mentioned, "One who possesses virtue can be virtuous and upright, and should act in accordance with the times; or one who serves the king can bring great glory," teaching him humility.
That one sentence was enough to make him freeze.
Follow your lord closely, possess talent but do not flaunt it, achieve merit but do not be arrogant, value humility, prohibit arrogance, and adhere to the right path.
The underlying meaning was unacceptable to the second young master!
His elder brother was inferior to him in every way, but he was born into a better family and took the position of "eldest son," which made his years of hard work and cultivation pale in comparison, and all his painstaking efforts vanish into nothingness.
He was unwilling to accept this, and he wanted to save himself!
The first wife patted the back of his hand and sighed, "Whether he didn't receive the message or received it but refused to come, only your eldest brother knows the truth. You don't need to worry about your mother. Even for your sake, your mother won't fall down easily. Let those people in the back courtyard have fun for a few days, and we'll deal with them later!"
The second young master nodded: "Yes."
The wife looked at her sincere and filial son with affection and said, "You can stay in the side room for one night and leave tomorrow."
If we leave now, we don't know what Wu Xian will think.
The second young master obediently agreed.
The next day, as dawn broke.
The second young master got up early to pay his respects to Wu Xian, but was told that the latter had just left. He asked, "Father, are you going to the military camp?"
"The head of the family has gone to the Zhao residence."
They rushed over to offer their concern, money, and condolences. They coaxed Zhao Feng's family to eat and drink more, practically feeding them three or four meals a day, subtly and overtly fattening them up before they left, ensuring that no one would be allowed to depart until they were well-fed!
Seeing this, the people in the Zhao family had no choice but to grit their teeth and cooperate.
After a few days, my chin has become rounder.
When Lady Zhao Feng came to resign for the third time, Wu Xian finally stopped making excuses to avoid her. He sent five hundred elite soldiers with generous travel expenses, as if he wanted to announce to the world with gongs and drums—look, Zhao Feng's wife and children have been safely sent away!
If anything goes wrong on the way, it's not his fault.
A dozen carriages, escorted by elite guards, drove ostentatiously out of Tianhai. Lady Zhao Feng had just breathed in the fresh air when she couldn't help but lean against the window and dry heave. Her young son gently patted her back, and her close friend offered her some dried fruit: "Eat some, it'll calm you down."
It took her a long time to suppress the nausea she was feeling.
He cursed, "Wu Zhaode is really sick!"
Then he cursed Zhao Feng: "Zhao Dayi is blind too!"
Fearing criticism from the outside world, he forced a group of elderly, weak, women and children to gain weight rapidly, causing her to feel nauseous at the sight of food.
"Let's not talk about those two men. At least we're off the road. As long as nothing unexpected happens on the way, we'll see your man soon. You can decide how you want to scold him later, right?"
Lady Zhao Feng then suppressed her anger.
However, the longer it is suppressed, the more violently it will erupt.
If it were to follow the typical melodramatic tropes of tragic love stories, this group would definitely encounter some setbacks on their journey, and if they were unlucky enough to be wiped out, they would all perish. Ideally, the accident would happen just before they reached their destination or when their contact was only a dozen miles away.
In reality, they didn't even encounter any foolish bandits.
The five hundred elite soldiers Wu Xian dispatched were the cream of the crop; he was more afraid than anyone of anything happening to the group of elderly, weak, women, and children. The five hundred elite soldiers traveled day and night, finally delivering the people safely to Shen Tang's territory, but—they didn't encounter anyone coming to meet them.
After all, nobody knows when they will arrive.
The only option is to give advance notice to the garrison stationed at the border of the two sides.
Although the first version of the military system of Kang State had not yet been established in detail, the border troops had already been arranged. The highest-ranking general was stationed here to garrison troops, recruit soldiers, train soldiers, patrol, and cultivate land... everything was in good order.
The only drawback is that the government offices are still paralyzed.
It wasn't that Shen Tang didn't send anyone on a business trip, but rather—
The person sent was Cui Xiao.
Who understands the feeling of forgetting your superior the moment you turn your head? It's that subtle feeling of knowing he's there, yet not really.
Cui Xiao: "..."
Despite the accumulated troubles caused by the paralyzed government offices, the high-level literary scholars were able to "split their minds," and their literary avatars and true selves could divide the twelve hours into thirty-six hours, while also inspecting the counties and towns under their jurisdiction.
They sent people to dig out all the old staff of the government office who were still alive, and then coerced and lured a dozen or so barely usable people. They also went to the neighboring border army camp and pulled out a group of literate and clever people to sew, patch, and cobble together.
Therefore, the current true state of the government office is as follows:
Paralyzed, but not completely paralyzed.
The only thing that comforted Cui Xiao was that his lord's power struggle with the aristocratic families had finally come to an end, and he figured it wouldn't be long before he could finally catch his breath. His scholarly avatar returned from outside, passing the gate and seeing a dark-skinned soldier and the clerk he had temporarily promoted standing there. The soldier's voice drifted into his ears: "...When will you be back?"
The official said, "Judging from the sky, it will be soon."
Then the clerk inquired further about the matter.
The soldier replied that half an hour ago, several hundred soldiers appeared at the border, claiming to be elite troops under Wu Xian's command, ordered to escort Zhao Feng's family and elderly relatives so that they could reunite. These elite troops could not simply abandon him; they needed to make a clear handover before giving a proper reply.
As for why they didn't look for the garrison commander...
The general has gone off to clear land somewhere and cannot be found.
In comparison, Cui Xiao's range of activities was relatively small.
The minor official was also at a loss and told the soldiers to wait patiently.
Because Cui Xiao had only been in office for a month or so, he was constantly on the go, handling numerous tasks: rescuing the paralyzed government offices, dispatching people to salvage the autumn harvest, arranging for land surveying, cooperating with the border troops to reclaim wasteland, and re-registering the population register… In addition, he had a mysteriously faint presence, so even the clerks who dealt with Cui Xiao daily couldn't recall any distinguishing features of his face until they saw him again. The only saving grace was that this new superior was very responsible, residing in the government office every day.
If you squat down, you can still find someone.
Upon hearing this, the soldier sighed, "That's the only way."
Cui Xiao stood three steps away from them, watching.
The two treated him as if he were invisible.
Clearly, expecting them to pay attention to him was difficult, so Cui Xiao, the embodiment of Wenqi, had to make a commotion, which the two assumed was because he had just arrived. The soldiers clasped their hands in salute, explaining their purpose. Cui Xiao knew the identities of the women, children, and elderly people who had been brought in, and nodded.
"I understand."
They sent soldiers to invite Zhao Wei, who had just arrived two days ago.
Zhao Wei was a trusted confidant of the lord's personal guards and would normally not stray too far from him. However, given the lord's strength, he didn't really need Zhao Wei to be an eyesore. Considering the manpower shortage in various regions under his jurisdiction, especially in the border counties, Zhao Wei was demoted.
They specifically instructed that she be placed with Cui Xiao.
Zhao Wei rushed over upon receiving the news. Wu Xian's men had already left, leaving only Cui Xiao and a group of elderly, weak, women, and children who were worried, tired, and weary from their journey. When Madam Zhao Feng saw familiar faces, her tense nerves completely relaxed, and an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over her. When she learned that Zhao Feng was not there, she was disappointed but not surprised: "Ah, as long as he's alright."
Military campaigns are jobs where you risk your life.
Her husband was a high-level martial artist, strong in skill but also facing formidable enemies. A single misstep could cost him his head, which would then become a prize for someone else's advancement. For her, all she cared about was that her husband returned alive from the battlefield.
Cui Xiao deliberately kept everyone in suspense: "Sister-in-law, although the great cause is gone, there are still people around. Why don't you try to guess?"
Lady Zhao asked in bewilderment, "Who is it?"
For the time being, she couldn't think of her daughter.
Or rather, it was impossible to think of Zhao Wei.
Zhao Wei had been away from home for many years and had very little contact with her family during that time. Each time, she would only report that she was safe and sound, without ever revealing that she could cultivate. As for the matter of the Martial Gallant Warrior, Zhao Feng only learned about it when he and the father and daughter from the Dragon Slaying Bureau first met. Cui Xiao was the second person to do so.
All she knew was that her daughter was safe, and that was enough for her.
Cui Xiaodao: "An unexpected person."
Lady Zhao, not expecting this, began to make wild guesses.
"Could it be Gong Su?"
"It's not Gong Su."
Qin Li was being held captive by his lord and wouldn't be allowed to leave.
In Qian Yong's words, he was showered with favor.
Cui Xiao was about to make things difficult when he heard hurried footsteps outside, and occasionally the crisp sound of metal armor clashing together. He held up his sword fan and laughed, "What I said has come true."
Lady Zhao and the others also looked in the direction of the sound.
A tall, imposing figure entered against the setting sun. The room was dimly lit, and with the light backlighting on, Madam Zhao Feng couldn't make out the person's features. However, the man spotted her quickly. With a long stride, he closed the distance in a few steps.
Zhao Wei looked at her mother, who was still in a daze.
A fierce woman gave him a bear hug, so tight that there was no gap between them.
Excitedly, she cried out, "Mother!"
Lady Zhao Feng was stunned: "..."
The hand that was raised to push the person froze in mid-air.
Zhao Wei's powerful "Mother" made her ears ring, the echoes reverberating, as if those two words were filling her very soul. The usually composed woman completely panicked.
"You, you, you—"
"You can eat any food you want, but you can't just claim to be anyone's mother!"
Lady Zhao's voice trembled.
She only has three sons!
Who is this burly, imposing man in front of me?
Madam Zhao Feng's inner thoughts: ∑(っ°Д°;)っ Holy crap, where's my daughter?
(End of this chapter)
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