Li Guangwen was worried when Second Madam Liu happened to come to pay her respects to Old Madam Deng. Hearing his words, she couldn’t help but smile: “Why is elder brother worrying about this? I say, even if something happened to the emperor, our Third Miss would still be fine.”
Old Madam Deng directly reached out and pinched Liu Shi.
With so many fools in the family, she’d had enough!
Li Guangwen found these words quite pleasant to hear and immediately broke into a big smile: “Then I’ll accept younger sister-in-law’s auspicious words.”
“All of you, get out!” The old lady pointed toward the door.
She didn’t want to talk anymore.
Liu Shi, who had been driven out, was still comforting Li Guangwen: “The old lady is just worried and confused.”
Li Guangwen nodded: “Mm, I understand.”
Returning to Yahe Courtyard, Li Guangwen went to see Fu Ge’er at He Shi’s place.
“Is Fu Ge’er feeling better?”
Fu Ge’er had been having diarrhea for the past couple of days. His little face had grown thin, and he looked listless and pitiful.
He Shi fed Fu Ge’er some water, looking somewhat worried: “He’s still not getting better. Today’s doctors are all quacks—how can they compare to our Zhaozhao? Speaking of which, Zhaozhao has been away from the capital for over a month. I wonder when she’ll return.”
When children travel a thousand li, mothers worry. Though her daughter was already married, she remained an irreplaceable concern in her mother’s heart.
Afraid of worrying, He Shi, Li Guangwen didn’t mention his suspicions and smiled: “She should return soon. Haven’t you noticed the weather is starting to turn cool?”
He Shi smiled upon hearing this, her eyes filled with anticipation: “Fu Ge’er can already call ‘elder sister’ now. When Zhaozhao comes back and hears it, she’ll definitely be delighted. Our Fu Ge’er is so clever—already calling ‘elder sister’ at just one and a half years old. He takes after Zhaozhao.”
Li Guangwen chuckled.
What did being able to call “elder sister” at one and a half have to do with being clever? Never mind, as long as his wife was happy.
The Imperial Guards, transferred from the capital, traveled urgently and soon reached Qingliang Mountain.
The arrival of the Imperial Guards brought relief to everyone.
The emperor’s violent death was hardly a glorious matter. Once word spread, not only would it destabilize popular sentiment, but it would also arouse the ambitious wild hearts of the barbarians.
After the discussion, all the ministers unanimously decided that before returning to the capital, they must strictly conceal news of the emperor’s death on the mountain. Only after returning to the capital would they spread news of the emperor’s serious illness, followed by his death from illness and the succession of Prince Rui.
“Can we return to the capital now?” Prince Rui’s heart had already flown away upon hearing that everything was properly arranged.
Finally, the time to return to the capital had come. He hadn’t dared close his eyes these past two days. Even staying in the place Marquis Guanjun had vacated for him, he would still have nightmares the moment he closed his eyes.
Unfortunately, Marquis Guanjun was too respectful of propriety between ruler and minister. When he wanted him to sleep alongside him, the marquis always found excuses to decline.
“Yes, Your Highness. We can depart now.”
“Then let’s depart!” Prince Rui waved his hand grandly, and the Imperial Guards began escorting the group toward the capital.
Though the Imperial Guards appeared no different from when they arrived, the ministers’ moods were completely transformed.
After years of finally getting a chance to spend the summer at Qingliang Mountain, both the emperor and Prince Mu had met their end here. Prince Rui would certainly never come again in the future, so it seemed they would have no more opportunities for publicly funded excursions.
Emperor Mingkang’s retinue remained unchanged, with the Empress Dowager’s carriage following closely behind the luxurious royal carriage.
Empress Dowager Yang sat in her carriage, looking haggard, appearing to have aged five or six years since the journey began.
Though her son had been troublesome, he had still been filial to her. Now that her grandson had inherited the throne, there was a layer of separation between them.
After returning to the capital and the period of national mourning ended, the first matter would be to have the new emperor marry her family’s grand-niece!
Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Yang’s expression finally relaxed somewhat.
“Lai Xi.”
“This servant is here.”
Empress Dowager Yang opened her eyes and looked down, gently stroking her neatly trimmed fingernails: “I hear that in recent days, the prince has been getting quite close to Marquis Guanjun?”
When answering questions about Prince Rui now, Lai Xi no longer dared to be as casual as before.
Prince Rui was about to become emperor.
“Marquis Guanjun rendered meritorious service in protecting the emperor. It’s only natural for His Highness to show favor to Marquis Guanjun.”
Empress Dowager Yang curved her lips: “That Marquis Guanjun doesn’t seem like someone who would willingly remain subordinate.”
Lai Xi’s heart jumped upon hearing this, but she didn’t dare speak carelessly and remained silent with lowered head.
Empress Dowager Yang reclined against the low couch and closed her eyes.
Great achievements overshadowing one’s master, high position, and great authority, plus gaining the new emperor’s favoritism—if this continued, it would hardly be auspicious.
Empress Dowager Yang had always been dissatisfied with Prince Rui. This grandson was too weak, with soft ears, completely unsuited to be a nation’s ruler.
Such an emperor would easily be manipulated by ambitious, powerful ministers, or even… have the dynasty change hands.
It would be better to make Prince Rui distance himself from Marquis Guanjun before the marquis could cover the sky with one hand.
Empress Dowager Yang silently made her decision and gradually fell asleep to the gentle swaying of the carriage.
Within a few days, the long procession returned to the capital.
Needless to say, common people gathered to watch the excitement, and many officials who hadn’t gone along quietly sent people to investigate the situation. Seeing nothing unusual, they temporarily set their minds at ease.
The next day, news spread that the emperor had fallen ill from the long journey.
The officials and nobles, still kept in the dark, felt an inexplicable shadow fall over their hearts.
The Li residence had no such shadow. They had cleaned every corner of the mansion until it was spotless, waiting for their daughter and son-in-law to return home from their distant travels.
Indeed, Qiao Zhao and Shao Mingyuan came hand in hand to her natal home the very next day.
The Li residence’s doorkeeper had been watching on his master’s orders and spotted the marquis’s carriage from afar. He immediately opened the main gate, and news flew quickly inside.
When Qiao Zhao stepped down from the carriage with Shao Mingyuan’s assistance, the Li residence’s steward was already waiting on the stone steps outside the main gate.
“Marquis, Third Young Madam, the old lady, and the others are all waiting in Qingsong Hall.”
“Thank you for your trouble.” Shao Mingyuan nodded slightly to the steward and walked inside holding Qiao Zhao’s hand.
Along the way, the pair received countless envious glances.
After they passed by, the maids whispered among themselves: “The marquis and Third Miss have such a good relationship—they’re still holding hands in broad daylight.”
“Exactly. If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed.”
A maid nearby teased: “You’re just wishing you could find a husband like the marquis.”
The teased maid laughingly scolded her back.
Qiao Zhao faintly heard the maids’ discussion and whispered reproachfully: “Always being handsy—now the maids are laughing at us.”
Shao Mingyuan smiled nonchalantly: “What does other people’s opinion matter?”
Except for life-and-death matters, he no longer needed to care about others’ gazes.
He simply enjoyed holding his wife’s hand every day, and no one could control that.
Qiao Zhao twitched the corner of her mouth but let him be.
Hearing that his daughter and son-in-law had arrived, Li Guangwen wanted nothing more than to rush out, but mindful of his dignity as an elder, he sat properly in his chair while frequently glancing toward the doorway.
Soon, footsteps could be heard. As the maid at the entrance lifted the bamboo curtain, Qiao Zhao and Shao Mingyuan walked in side by side.
Li Guangwen’s gaze involuntarily fell on their clasped hands.
Shao Mingyuan quickly released her hand.
Ahem, though he didn’t care about others’ opinions, his father-in-law wasn’t just “others.”