Chapter 445 - Domineering Old Madam (1)
Chapter 445: Domineering Old Madam (1)
Yu Wan still did not know that her sons were already on their way to the Imperial Capital. Unlike their journey which was filled with bumps and hardships, the little fat fellows could be said to be eating well and drinking well along the way. Some massaged their shoulders and backs, and some gave them money to spend. They were as happy as a few little jerks who were about to cause trouble for a thousand years.
Yu Wan and Qing Yan left Juxian Restaurant and planned to return to the Helian Manor. Jiang Hai set off for Paramount to keep an eye on the courtesan and the Fire Lingzhi. If someone had designs on the Fire Lingzhi, they would be able to receive the news immediately.
Jiang Hai left, and Qing Yan drove the carriage. Yu Wan sat in the carriage and looked at the busy streets and rows of shops. An unfamiliar feeling arose in her heart, but there was an indescribable sense of familiarity. It was as if… she could also belong here.
But didn’t this feel strange? She was born and raised in the Great Zhou. Why would she have such an illusion about Nanzhao’s Capital? She must have been obsessed with finding the medicinal primer recently.
“Move aside, move aside!”
There was a commotion ahead. It was unknown who was shouting, but the originally bustling crowd suddenly pushed to the sides. The vendors were also pushing their stalls and almost sticking to the walls of the shops. The owners of the shops seemed to be used to this and did not scold them. Instead, they moved the tables and chairs at the door to make more space for them.
“I’m talking about you! Stop in the alley!” The owner of the shout rushed to Yu Wan and Qing Yan’s carriage. He was riding a majestic horse, wearing cold armor, and holding a sharp spear. Wherever he went, people made way for him.
However, it was obvious that he was not the protagonist of this commotion. Behind him, a glorious ceremonial guard walked over domineeringly. Dozens of guards were guarding a carriage with purple-gold light. The carriage was carried by ten muscular experts. The body of the carriage was covered by a purple-gold veil, and one could vaguely see a golden-clothed girl sitting cross-legged inside.
Beside the girl knelt two flower boys dressed as maidservants. The pedestrians knelt down. Qing Yan snorted.
“Qing Yan,” Yu Wan said.
Qing Yan stopped the carriage in the alley. The long queue drove past the entrance of the alley. It took them a full fifteen minutes to reach the last person. Although this was partly because of the slow pace, Yu Wan roughly counted that there were as many as a hundred guards accompanying them.
“Which family’s daughter is this?” When the carriage passed by the alley, Yu Wan saw a graceful figure inside and could vaguely judge that it was a young girl.
It was not Qing Yan who answered her, but another passerby who had also been squeezed into the alley. It was a scholar.
The scholar said, “I’m afraid you aren’t from the Capital, right?”
Yu Wan said politely, “I’m here to visit my family. I just arrived yesterday.”
The scholar looked enlightened. “No wonder you don’t recognize her. That person just now was the Little Commandery Princess of the Queen Manor, titled Yuehua.”
Yu Wan paused and asked in confusion, “Doesn’t Her Highness only have one son? She has a daughter?”
The scholar smiled. “She only has one son. Princess Yuehua is the adopted daughter of the Queen and the Prince Consort. The Queen and the Prince Consort dote on her very much, and the Emperor dotes on her very much. These guards were all personally rewarded by the Emperor during the Little Commandery Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony. It’s said that they’re royal guards. They’re very impressive since they could fight one against ten.”
One could see the entire panther at a glance. If an adopted daughter of the Queen Manor was treated so well, the Queen’s status in the Nanzhao Nation could be imagined.
The Queen was equivalent to the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou. Once she was conferred the title of Queen, she would be the Crown Princess of the entire royal family. It was no wonder that the Emperor thought highly of the Queen.
“Hmph.” Qing Yan snorted again.
The scholar looked at him. “Brother, are you dissatisfied with the little princess?”
Qing Yan glanced at the carriage behind him. “How can that be? The Little Commandery Princess is so cute.”
Yu Wan was speechless. “Isn’t it just a glance from afar? How can you tell that she’s cute?”
Qing Yan looked at her deeply and said, “I can tell after seeing so much.”
“You’ve seen the Little Commandery Princess?” This time, it was the scholar who was puzzled.
Qing Yan chuckled. “Not only have I seen her before, I’m very familiar with her!” With that, he waved his horse whip and left.
The scholar shook his head and scoffed. “You clearly came to the Imperial Capital yesterday, but you actually said that you’ve seen the Little Commandery Princess. Are you a fool or am I a fool!”
Yu Wan also thought that Qing Yan was joking and did not take it to heart.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Helian family’s East Manor. Ordinary people could not use the main entrance, but as the wife of the Old Madam’s obedient grandson, Yu Wan naturally had this privilege.
The Helian family’s path was abnormally wide, and the carriage was able to drive all the way to Xixia Garden. Yu Wan alighted from the carriage and returned to her room. Qing Yan first went to the horse shed to settle the horse down before going to the old man’s room.
“Grandma, Yue Gou.” Yue Gou was also there. He greeted them one by one.
The old man saw his gloomy expression and asked him, “What happened? Didn’t you find out the whereabouts of the medicinal primer?”
Qing Yan said listlessly, “We did find out that it’s in the hands of a courtesan. We’ll go find her in a few days.”
“There’s more?” The old man asked. The old man knew Qing Yan best. When the old man saw his troubled expression, he knew that something extraordinary had happened on the way.
Qing Yan sighed. “I saw the Little Commandery Princess.” Worried that Grandma and Yue Gou would not be able to react to which little princess he was referring to, he quickly added, “The Little Princess’s adopted daughter.”
Yue Gou was surprised. The old man’s expression did not change much.
Qing Yan said, “I saw her sitting on a wide carriage with the Emperor’s personal guards beside her, enjoying the love and affection of all the citizens of Nanzhao…” At this point, Qing Yan’s voice lowered. “But Ah Wan didn’t have anything.”
The old man’s muddy old eyes moved. Yue Gou frowned. Although Yu Wan was their hostage, they still could not help but feel a little uncomfortable when they heard this news. However, all of this seemed to be destined from the beginning. The children of the jinx were naturally inferior to the children of the lucky star, even if they were adopted.
“Grandma, is the Eldest Princess really a jinx? Will she really bring bad luck to the Nanzhao Nation?” Qing Yan asked.
This was the first time he had asked such a serious question. He did not know why he asked. After meeting the Little Commandery Princess who was respected by everyone, and meeting Yu Wan, who could only be squeezed into the alley without light, his chest… was filled with fire.
The old man nodded. “When the Eldest Princess was born, dark clouds hid the sun and a black aura covered the sky. The entire Lingxiao Palace was enveloped in a terrifying haze until the Little Princess was born. The golden aura broke through the clouds and dispersed the haze. Although I wasn’t at the scene, everyone I’ve seen said so.”
“Grandma, I don’t believe it,” Qing Yan said.
Yue Gou nodded blankly. “Yes, I don’t believe it either.”
The old man said, “You’re not the Emperor. What does it matter if you believe it or not?”
Qing Yan, who had finally become sentimental: “…”
And Yue Gou, who had finally been infected: “…”
… .
The weather in Nanzhao was really strange. It was still so hot in September. When Yu Wan entered the room, her clothes were drenched. Zi Su quickly fetched hot water for Yu Wan to wipe her face first, then opened the cabinet and found a set of dry clothes.
Fu Ling carried a few buckets of hot water and poured them into the bathtub, sprinkling fresh petals.
The reason why it was hot for a woman to dress up as a man was because of the corset. The circles of cloth wrapped around her chest were almost suffocating. After undoing the corset, she seemed to be so light that she could fly.
Yu Wan fell onto a chair. “Phew, farming isn’t even that tiring!”
Zi Su burst into laughter. Her Princely Heir Consort was really cute. How could anyone compare such a thing to farming?
“Madam, have some tea.” Zi Su served a cup of flower tea made of honey.
Yu Wan took a sip. She was not addicted to sweetness, but the taste of this honey was damn good. She simply drank it all. After drinking it, she felt refreshed and had the strength to worry about other things. “Did anything happen in the manor during the half a day I wasn’t around?”
“Madam, are you asking about Young Master? Young Master has been in Old Madam’s courtyard. I’ve gone to take a look twice. Nothing happened.” As Zi Su spoke, she suddenly thought of something and said, “The Second Madam of the West Manor came.”
“Second Madam?” Yu Wan raised her eyebrows. Helian Qi’s first wife? What was she doing here?
Zi Su continued, “She brought a lot of bird’s nests for Young Master. She said that she’s here to congratulate Old Madam for acknowledging her biological grandson.”
If it were anyone else, Yu Wan would have believed them. However, Madam Li was probably one of the people in the manor who did not want Old Madam to acknowledge him as her biological grandson. It was for no other reason than that once Old Madam’s grandson returned, Madam Li’s son might not be able to inherit the entire family business.
Madam Li was probably here to test Yan Jiuchao’s authenticity. However, Yan Jiuchao was not stupid. It would be strange if she could find a flaw.
“Did my husband drink the medicine?” Yu Wan was most concerned about her husband’s body.
Zi Su smiled and said, “Yes.”
“Did he nap?”
“Yes.”
“Did he throw any tantrums?”
“No.” Zi Su had served the two of them for so long, so she naturally knew Yan Jiuchao’s temper. “Young Master has been… obedient recently.”
Yu Wan agreed deeply. Ever since her little husband was poisoned, he had become obedient, so Yu Wan could not help but want to bully him. But soon, Yu Wan realized that she was too naive.
Yan Jiuchao, who had nowhere to cause trouble all the way, could not help but cause trouble again on the first day he stayed in the Helian family!