But three days passed and Mo Xiang had not returned to the mansion. Upon inquiry at Huangjue Temple, it was discovered that Mo Xiang had never been there. Even after a clandestine city-wide search, no trace of her could be found. It was then that Prince Jing finally panicked.
Mo Xiang was beautiful and intelligent, always providing him with advice and strategies; she could be described as his closest confidant and think tank. Without Mo Xiang, what would he do in the future?
However, Mo Xiang seemed to have vanished into thin air. No matter how much Lin Zheqi or Prince Jing searched, they could never find Mo Xiang.
Yang Mengchen was informed of the incidents at the Lin family and Jing Prince Mansion as soon as they happened, the corners of her lips slightly raised in an enigmatic smile.
On August 17th, Yang Chengyou led his brothers and servants, carrying sixty-four loads of dowry gifts in a grand procession to Hua Mansion (with only a level lower than a prince’s specifications. Since the Emperor doted on Yang Mengchen and valued Yang Chengyou highly, no one dared to accuse the Yang family of overstepping), the first three loads were the rewards from the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress, drawing gasps of admiration and envy from the onlookers lining the streets.
In the afternoon, Yang Mengchen and Long Xuanmo arrived at Hua Mansion to add to Fu Chuyan’s trousseau. Xiao Wanxue, Nangong Lingyan, and Ling Youxuan equally enhanced their own attires. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Lady Hua was very fond of her adopted daughter Fu Chuyan. On August 18th, when the trousseau was sent, together with the dowry gifts from the Yang family, a total of one hundred twenty-eight loads were prepared.
This time it was the Yang family taking a bride; naturally, the Yang family stayed at the Yang Mansion.
On August 19th, just as dawn was breaking, everyone began to bustle about. The mansion was decked out with lanterns, festivity and laughter filled the air, and almost all the noble aristocratic families in The Capital came to present gifts and congratulations.
The following morning, seeing the newlywed couple join hands and come together, the Yang family was very happy.
Especially Yang Chaoyi and his wife, they were extremely satisfied with this fair and knowledgeable daughter-in-law.
The day after Fu Chuyan returned to her parents’ home, the Yang family set off for home.
Yang Chaoyi and his wife were very liberal and in good health; they didn’t need their eldest daughter-in-law to be dutiful at their knees, so they let her stay in The Capital to take care of Yang Chengyou and his siblings.
Mo Xiang’s incident was something Long Xuanmo said he would handle, and the brothers were also aware of the situation, so Yang Mengchen did not inquire further, focusing entirely on overseeing the construction of the Hot Spring Villa.
The villa occupied more than two hundred acres; it was just a three-hour carriage ride from The Capital. After the construction of cement roads, the travel time was almost halved. The projects involved weren’t as complex as Chu Ao Villa, focusing mainly on health and beauty as it catered to women, naturally imposing certain limitations.
Yang Mengchen named the Hot Spring Villa ’Comfortable Water Pavilion,’ still having the Emperor personally inscribe the plaque; she gave two percent of the shares to Princess Ning and other ladies.
On the day of opening, Yang Mengchen invited the Empress Dowager, the Empress, Old Lady Luo, Lady Hua, and other ministers’ wives and daughters for a free visit.
Because of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, many ladies also came upon hearing the news, making it quite lively.
The uniformly dressed maids always wore smiles, patiently explaining to guests the benefits of beauty treatments, massages, acupuncture, and other services, as well as the advantages of frequent hot spring baths, hoping to spread the word through the guests’ testimonials, but the results were not very promising.
Yang Mengchen didn’t mind and carefully selected two women: one was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Xing’an, Ji Qingyu, who had been frail and frequently ill from a young age, surviving only on medicinal soups; the other was Madam Song, the wife of a Cabinet Scholar who had long been neglected by her husband and was disheartened.
The maids arranged for Ji Qingyu to bathe in the hot springs every other day, with massages, acupuncture, or mountain climbing exercises on other days. Coupled with the tranquil and elegant environment, after three months, she became as healthy as a normal person, brimming with confidence and vitality from within. Overjoyed, Marquis Xing’an and his wife wept with joy, and suitors came to propose marriage incessantly (Ji Qingyu, now eighteen, had previously had no suitors due to her health).
Madam Song, at twenty-six, was very beautiful, but had become disillusioned by her husband’s longstanding neglect. The maids arranged for her to soak in the hot springs for a month, constantly praising her charm and giving her abundant self-confidence, while also teaching her how to capture her husband’s heart and reform her bad habits.
When the Cabinet Scholar returned home to find his wife transformed, gentle, and attentive, his heart naturally leaned toward her. After just over two months, Madam Song, once diagnosed by the Imperial Physician as infertile for life, miraculously conceived.
Before long, Ji Qingyu and Madam Song became the most sensational topics in The Capital’s circles of nobility.
Of course, that was later.
Gradually, more and more people came to Comfortable Water Pavilion, some in hope of conceiving, others to improve their health. Over time, the serene and peaceful atmosphere of the villa allowed these women, who rarely left their homes or who were always busy with family affairs, to enjoy a rare sense of tranquility and comfort.
By the end of the year, the revenue of Comfortable Water Pavilion was nearing half that of Chu Ao Villa.
However, Yang Mengchen built Comfortable Water Pavilion mainly for the Empress Dowager and Old Lady Luo and others, so she could come soak in the hot springs anytime, thus not caring whether it could make money or not.
On the ninth day of September, which was Yang Mengchen’s seventeenth birthday, two pieces of victorious news from the border arrived one after the other.
One was that the Huwei Army, stationed at the border adjacent to Beiyue Country, had finally subdued the Taji Chang Tribe. The tribe’s leader, accompanied by General Ye, would soon come to The Capital to pay homage, and Yang Chengning, who had made great contributions, was ordered to accompany them.
The second was that the Yulin Army, led by Grand Prince, had annihilated nearly ten thousand mountain bandits who had been rampaging along the border of Dong Chu and Nanping for years, committing all kinds of evils. His Deputy General, Shao Mingyi, even beheaded the bandit leader. In a few days, Grand Prince and Shao Mingyi would also return to The Capital to present their victory.
Receiving the victorious reports, the Emperor was overjoyed; in the presence of all ministers, he proudly praised Yang Mengchen as Dong Chu’s lucky star and sent rewards to Chen Prince Mansion like flowing water.
On September 29th, General Ye and Yang Chengning led five thousand imposing soldiers into The Capital. Taji Chang tribe’s leader, Laksh, accompanied by his favorite son, Prince Batelgen, and Princess Higuirre, walked beside General Ye.
The entire Capital was abuzz with excitement. The ladies, all wearing veils, accompanied their elders to join in the excitement as the foreign tribe’s leaders and royalty paid homage to Dong Chu. As Dongchu People, they naturally felt an immense sense of pride.
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