On the morning of the fourth day after Hong Xiaoduo arrived in the capital, Wei Junpei, after finishing the morning court session, returned to the Ministry of Personnel to handle some urgent official documents before taking a carriage back to his residence.
Upon entering the mansion, he asked the steward, Zhongqing, who had accompanied Miss Hong shopping today.
"What, neither Madam nor Young Madam went?" Wei Junpei asked, frowning as he looked at his steward's expression.
Zhongqing quickly explained, "It's not because of the Madam and the Young Madam. It was because Young Master Mu came to the manor early this morning to pick them up, saying he would take Miss Hong and the Young Master to the street."
"What? Mu Rongjing? What is he here to pick up? Our guests don't need him." Although Wei Junpei had already learned from Hong Xiaoduo that he knew Mu Rongjing before, he had also inquired about it in detail with his grandson Kaiyang.
But even so, it's still inappropriate for him, Mu Rongjing, to come and pick up Hong Xiaoduo for shopping.
"Going shopping" literally means wandering around the streets, which would definitely cause misunderstandings if someone who knows him saw him.
If the heir doesn't care about his own reputation, shouldn't he at least consider Xiao Duo's reputation?
“My lord, the young master is with us, and besides, Prince Mu should be of good character. Otherwise, shall this old servant go and follow him?” Seeing his master’s displeasure, Zhongqing quickly said.
"Never mind, how are the mother and child? Has anyone come by?" Wei Junpei asked again.
Instead of handing the mother and son over to the authorities, he locked them up in the back courtyard and secretly arranged for people to guard them.
The people sent out to investigate Jiang Yumin's husband's family haven't returned yet, and they won't be back anytime soon. If they've kept the mother and daughter locked up, someone will probably come to inquire about them.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the mother and daughter were crying and making a fuss today, but they quieted down when no one paid attention to them. Madam Yin even insisted on seeing you, threatening to go on a hunger strike if you didn't see them. As a result, the child couldn't stand the hunger and started eating after noon. It seems that she was also slapped. No suspicious people came near the mansion today."
"The gates of Minister Gu's residence are tightly closed today, and the situation inside is unclear," Zhongqing replied carefully.
"Yes, give them a heads-up, don't be careless. Also tell the people watching Gu Tongfan's side that they don't need to worry about what's going on inside, just keep an eye on who goes in or out, and where they go." Wei Junpei gave instructions as he walked.
Zhongqing agreed and went to make the arrangements.
As Wei Junpei walked towards his own courtyard, he saw his daughter-in-law there as well, and the two of them seemed to be discussing something.
“Father.” Upon seeing her father-in-law, Madam Hua quickly rose and stepped forward.
"Hmm, what's going on with you two?" Wei Junpei only then noticed the silver notes and several land deeds on the small table of the daybed.
"Didn't you say last night that using that bloodline identification technique would upset Xiaoduo and affect her lifespan? She's used that technique several times already for Kaiyang. Zizheng's wife and I have been discussing how much to pay her as compensation."
"Those two times with the Gu family, Xiaoduo only had his appraisal done because of us, so it should be counted as our responsibility." Qi felt very guilty thinking about what she heard last night about how using that secret technique would shorten one's lifespan.
“We don’t even have several thousand taels of silver,” Wei Junpei said, frowning. He knew exactly how much he and his son earned in salary.
"Father, your daughter-in-law has some here. Please help me decide how much to give," Hua said.
What? Several thousand gold coins?
Wei Junpei looked at his daughter-in-law with surprise. He knew that his daughter-in-law's family was wealthy, and he also knew that his daughter-in-law's brother sent people to deliver dividends from the property every year, but he had never asked about it.
Because he felt that no matter how much others gave, it was all for his daughter-in-law.
The crucial point is that he never expected his daughter-in-law to be able to produce several thousand taels of silver. What kind of divine in-laws had he found!
Since her daughter-in-law married into the family, her family has never mentioned doing anything for the younger generation of the clan or arranging any jobs for them in the capital. They are a very reasonable family.
"If you can afford it, give her two thousand gold coins. I doubt she'll accept anything more. You could try giving her the land deed. You two should go out and buy some things later. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Xiaoduo is leaving tomorrow."
"You two should take a look and buy some practical things for her to take back to the six children, Kaiyang's master, and Feiyan, the sister Kaiyang mentioned," Wei Junpei said after thinking seriously.
Upon hearing this, Madam Qi and her daughter-in-law exchanged glances and nodded.
At the same time, both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law became worried. Xiaoduo was leaving tomorrow, and Kaiyang was reluctant to part with her. He was sure he would cry his eyes out.
On the street, Hong Xiaoduo and Murong Jing walked side by side, with Kaiyang in the middle. From a distance, they looked like a pleasing family of three.
Upon closer inspection, she doesn't look like one, because Hong Xiaoduo looks like an unmarried young lady.
Passersby noticed the three figures walking towards them in the painting. They wondered why the young master in the middle looked unhappy, with a tense face and red eyes, as if he were about to cry at any moment.
What happened? Did you want to buy something but didn't get it? Judging from their clothes, they don't seem to be short of money. Just give the child what they want. The child looks so wronged and pitiful.
"If you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in," Hong Xiaoduo said to the child she was holding.
Kaiyang tilted his head and glanced at her, his little face tensing up even more. The tears that were about to fall were forced back into his eyes.
With so many people on the street, how can he cry like that? Doesn't he have any dignity?
Kaiyang felt that his mother was definitely doing this on purpose. Otherwise, why wouldn't she have told him in the mansion that he was leaving the capital tomorrow? Why did she have to say it on this bustling street?
It's also possible that it's because she's young? So, she's more mischievous?
"Alright, stop muttering and slandering me in your heart. You're seven years old, not a little kid anymore. What kind of behavior is this, crying and whining? It's not like we'll never see each other again."
It's not like we've completely severed ties and will never see each other again, so why is it like this?
"Since you're in the capital, I won't have to stay in inns when I come to the capital anymore, isn't that great?" Hong Xiaoduo said resolutely as she walked away.
In this situation, you can't use a coaxing tone. The gentler and more careful you are in coaxing the child, the more aggrieved they will feel.
"Then, can't you stay a few more days? Why are you in such a hurry? You'll just wander around anyway when you get back," Kaiyang protested softly.
But no matter how leisurely he wandered around, there was no chance for him to get a share!
"Kaiyang, you know my temperament. This capital city is not suitable for me. Under the emperor's nose, where the imperial power and nobility gather, there will be no shortage of injustices. Look, on our second day here, when we went to a restaurant for a meal, didn't we encounter someone trying to bully us and steal our roast duck?"
"Besides, if I were to encounter this, I certainly wouldn't stand idly by. But standing up for justice might also cause trouble. What if the other party is a member of the royal family? What if I don't watch my mouth during a conflict and say something outrageous? You wouldn't want me to implicate your grandfather's family and have them executed, would you?" Hong Xiaoduo said in a low voice.
Kaiyang fell silent after hearing this. Given her personality, it was indeed possible that such a thing could happen.
"Then, then let's not go out. We can stay in the manor, tell stories, and fish. It's good to do that. You haven't checked my studies these past few days." Kaiyang said softly, trying to persuade himself.
Murong Jing, who had remained silent the whole time, listened to her earnestly trying to fool the child, and dared not laugh. He felt very sorry for Xiao Kaiyang.
However, she's leaving the capital tomorrow...
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