Chapter 168 [VIP]
During dinner, Wang Ying told her two elders about the war that had broken out in the Northwest.
Madam Li put down her chopsticks and said, "Is the Marquis about to lead his troops into battle?"
Lin Sui nodded, "They said they'd be leaving in a few days, and they were thinking of having Qing'er recognize me as her godfather first."
Chen Rong asked worriedly, "What about your marriage? What if it gets delayed..."
"The Marquis said that if there is any delay, we should wait for him to come back and reorder."
"Why did we have to start a war out of the blue..."
Wang Ying was also very worried. As someone from a later generation, he knew too many dynasties that had been destroyed by war.
Once war begins, the people instantly plunge from a peaceful and prosperous era into a chaotic and turbulent world.
A speck of dust in history can become a mountain when it falls on an ordinary person.
Two days later, the Hou family's carriage arrived and picked up the Chen family and Lin Sui's family. Many of the Li family's relatives were also invited. Except for Li Mu's father and mistress, almost all the other relatives were present.
Li Mu entrusted his daughter to Lin Sui in front of relatives and friends, fearing that if he encountered danger on his trip to the Northwest, Qing'er would have no one to rely on.
My mother is old and easily swayed. If my biological father says a few kind words to her or the mistress sheds a few tears, she will soften her heart and might hand over the entire Marquis's mansion to someone else.
Needless to say, the Li family members, except for the eldest brother who showed some affection, all wished he would die soon so they could seize his family property.
Surrounded by wolves and tigers, how could he be at ease leaving behind orphans and widows after he left like this? So he simply went through with the proper channels.
He had considered this matter very carefully. First of all, Lin Sui was infertile, which meant that he could not have his own children. If Qing'er recognized him as her godfather, she would definitely treat him as her own child.
Secondly, he trusted the Chen family's character. Lord Chen Jing was renowned for his integrity, and Chen Qingyan was also quite upright. In addition, her husband helped his cousin open his own shop. He was kind-hearted and intelligent. Such a family was worthy of his entrusting his child to.
Of course, Li Mu was not entirely without precautions. After all, money can be a powerful motivator, and if he were to die on the battlefield, his vast fortune might very well change him.
Therefore, he left two bodyguards in the army. Once news of his death spread, these two would go to the Marquis's mansion to protect Qing'er. If Lin Sui treated Qing'er well, he would accept the money. However, if she mistreated the child, the bodyguards would not be able to keep him alive.
Actually, there is an even more reliable method, which is to marry Lin Sui directly.
But Li Mu couldn't bear to rush things. The young man hadn't been treated well by his husband's family before, so how could he hastily arrange the marriage? What if he really died outside? Wouldn't he become a widow again?
After getting ready, Qing'er took the child and the whole family to the Li family's ancestral hall. In front of the elders of the relatives, Qing'er served tea and recognized Lin Sui as her godfather.
Qing'er was the happiest. She didn't know that her father was going to the battlefield. She only knew that from today onwards, she also had a father. The little girl held Lin Sui's hand as she came out of the ancestral hall, reluctant to let go.
Li Mu stopped at the gate. Everyone knew the two had something to say. Wang Ying took the initiative to pick up Qing'er and said, "Come on, go to the car with your uncle. Come to the house later to play with Yuanbao."
Qing'er nodded and happily followed the carriage.
"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow." Li Mu lowered his head and coughed. "After I leave, I'll entrust Qing'er to your care."
"Don't worry, my lord, I will definitely treat her as my own child. You know... I never thought I could be a father in this life, but I never expected to meet Qing'er..." Tears welled up in Lin Sui's eyes; he was genuinely happy and grateful.
Li Mu took a deep breath, and the biting cold wind rushed into his chest, giving rise to a vague and inexplicable sense of longing.
He wasn't afraid to die on the battlefield. He thought that his mother's life would be better if he died, because his father said that the mole on his face was an ominous sign, which was why his mother was disliked.
Since Qing'er came into his life, he has had an extra burden on his heart, and now there is another one.
"If anyone from the Li family comes to cause you trouble, go to the military camp and find General Zheng. He will help you settle things."
"Oh, I understand."
Li Mu took out a jade token from his pocket. "With this, I can withdraw five thousand taels of silver from the bank. Please keep it safe for me. If I need the money urgently, I can go and withdraw it."
Lin Sui declined, "This, you keep this yourself... It's too valuable, I'm afraid I'll lose it..."
"It's alright, I can get money from the bank even if I lose it, so don't worry about taking it."
Li Mu reached out and pulled Lin Sui into his arms, but released her in an instant. Only the distinctive smell of rust on his body told Lin Sui that the embrace had just happened briefly.
"I'm leaving. Qing'er will stay with you for the next few days. If she asks, just say I'm out training troops and won't be back for a long time."
Lin Sui nodded.
Li Mu beckoned, and his subordinate led a horse over. He mounted the horse and rode away without looking back.
Lin Sui stood in the cold wind, but his heart was burning hot. He pressed his wildly beating chest and prayed silently, hoping that this man would return safely.
News of the war in the Northwest reached Jizhou Prefecture along with the biting cold wind.
Within just a few days, the streets and alleys were filled with talk of war. The Wu Dynasty had been at peace for too long, with no major wars for over a hundred years, so the common people treated this matter as a topic of conversation, completely unaware that danger was quietly approaching.
On the sixteenth day of the first month, the Jizhou army received orders to lead over 13,000 troops under the command of Marquis Wuping to the northwest. Who knows how many more will be buried far from home on this journey...
*
On the 24th day of the first lunar month, Chen Qingyan and his party arrived in Kyoto. Because Lord Liu had given prior notice, their journey was almost smooth.
Upon entering the city, servants of the Liu family were already waiting at the city gate. They came forward to greet the carriage when they saw the wooden plaque with the character "Liu" on it.
"Has the second young master arrived?" Liu Changyi was the second oldest in the Liu family.
Liu Changyi opened the car door and saw the familiar face. "Uncle Liu, what brings you here?"
"My master estimated that you would arrive in the next few days, and instructed me to wait for you at the city gate, in case you get lost."
Liu Changyi laughed and said, "I remember the way!" He came to the capital when his second sister got married last time and stayed at his uncle's house for several days. Only three or four years have passed since then.
Uncle Liu sat at the front of the cart, directing the driver on how to proceed. "Has the journey been smooth so far?"
"It snowed halfway through, but it stopped quickly and didn't delay our journey."
"When the old lady learned that you were getting married in the fall, she planned to go back to visit, but she caught a cold and the master didn't dare let her move. When she learned that you were coming this time, she talked about it several times a day and even left you a lot of food."
The old lady was Liu Changyi's grandmother. She was already in her seventies and, because she had few children, she felt especially sorry for her children and grandchildren.
A few years ago, Liu Yaozhi took her to the capital to live out her days in peace. The old lady missed her second son and two daughters very much. It was a pity that she was too old to travel back and forth, otherwise she would have returned to Jizhou long ago.
As they spoke, the carriage arrived at Suzaku Avenue, which is Kyoto's main street of power. Despite its length, only five households actually live on this street.
The Liu, Song, Zhang, Yang, and Shen families were all either imperial relatives or powerful officials, but we will not go into details for now.
The carriage stopped in front of the Liu residence. The steward, Liu Xin, knocked on the door, and the gatekeeper immediately opened the gate, removed the threshold, and let the coachman drive the carriage into the courtyard.
Upon entering, one is greeted by a large screen wall, carved with two lions to guard the house, surrounded by auspicious clouds. The scene is so lifelike that the two lions seem ready to leap off the stone wall at any moment.
Chen Qingyan thought to himself that compared to his own screen wall that supposedly brought wealth and prosperity, it was utterly vulgar...
As soon as we entered, three or four servants came up to us and led the carriage to our rooms. They didn't need to worry about the things in the carriage; they would be delivered to the rooms that had been arranged in advance.
Because Chen Qingyan was an outsider and could not easily enter the second gate, the two bypassed the hanging flower gate and went directly to the courtyard where the old lady lived.
Along the way, Liu Changyi kept introducing Chen Qingyan, saying, "Grandmother has a very good temper. If she can't see Qingyun, she can see you instead."
Chen Qingyan chuckled and said, "How can that be the same?"
"Hey, that's enough. The old lady will give you food later, so eat as much as you want. The more you eat, the happier she will be. Don't be shy."
"Okay, don't worry."
Upon reaching the door, Liu Changyi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Grandmother!"
His voice was loud enough that the old lady in the house recognized him immediately. "Is that Tiger Head?" Tiger Head was Liu Changyi's nickname.
Madam Liu said, "It must be him. Who else but this boy has such a bright voice?"
"Hahahaha," the old lady clapped her hands and laughed.
Before long, Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyan entered the house. As soon as they opened the door, a wave of heat hit their faces. The house was warm because of the underfloor heating. They couldn't wear their thick cloaks anymore, so they took off their hats and cloaks and handed them to the maids next to them before entering the house to pay their respects to the old lady.
"Your unfilial grandson pays respects to his grandmother and wishes her a belated Happy New Year. May you enjoy boundless happiness and longevity."
"Get up quickly, my dear grandson!" The old lady reached out and pulled Liu Changyi into her arms, doting on him. Her youngest son and eldest grandson were the old lady's lifeblood. Although Liu Changyi was not the eldest son, the Liu family was small, with only two sons, so the old lady naturally doted on both of them.
Sitting next to her, Madam Liu asked, "And who is this young master?"
Chen Qingyan quickly stepped forward to greet him, "I am Chen Qingyan, the younger brother of my wife from Changyi. I am here to participate in the imperial examination."
"Oh, you must be Chen Qingyan. I've heard the master mention you several times!"
When Madam Liu heard that Chen Qingyan was Liu Changyi's brother-in-law, she couldn't help but take a closer look. Seeing that he was handsome and well-mannered, she knew that Changyi's wife must be just as good.
"It's a pity I couldn't bring your wife this time. Grandma prepared so many things for her."
Liu Changyi whispered, "Qingyun is pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to travel, so we didn't bring her along."
The old lady was even happier to hear that. "That's wonderful! This girl is so lucky! When you go back, Grandma will bring her lots of nice things!"
The aunt next to her was also happy, as the addition of a new member to the family was a joyous occasion, especially for a small family like theirs.
After a while, the old lady got a little tired, so Madam Liu got up and said, "You must be tired from your journey. Go and rest. We'll call you for dinner when the master comes back."
"Okay, Grandma, I'll be going now."
Chen Qingyan also cupped his hands and said, "This junior will take his leave now."
As the two left the house, Madam Liu couldn't help but say, "This child has really grown up. Last time he came, he was still greedy for candy, but now he's married and about to have children."
"Who says otherwise? I'm getting old and useless. I'm too tired to sit still after just a short while."
Madam Liu comforted her, saying, "I'm not old. I'm still waiting to hold my great-grandchild."
"I don't know when Changrui will be back. I haven't even met his children yet."
But it's good that my nephew is coming; the old lady will be happy for a long time.
A note from the author:
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