The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 45

Song Luoning looked down, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes. While living in the manor, her brothers and sisters-in-law had always been very kind to her, and she had missed them often during her time away.

She had thought she might never see them again after leaving, yet here she was, back in the capital so soon. However, the circumstances of their reunion were not what she had hoped for. Song Luoning’s gaze fell on Xiao Yu, and she sighed softly, thinking she should first clear the charges against him.

She composed herself, her eyes returning to normal. With a gentle smile, she said, “Thank you, brother.”

Song Yanqi laughed heartily and loudly, “Why be so formal with me? Let’s go. I’ve heard about your husband’s situation. Don’t worry, Father has already spoken to the Dali Temple officials. They will handle the case with caution and won’t let your husband be wrongly accused.”

“Yes, thank you, Big Brother,” Song Luoning nodded.

Song Yanqi waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh, really?” Xiao Yu blinked, suddenly feeling very fond of his brother-in-law. Before coming to the capital, he had worried that the Dali Temple officials would be like the corrupt official in Lingyang County, convicting him despite insufficient evidence. Now, it seemed that wouldn’t happen, and it was all thanks to his father-in-law.

He felt much more at ease.

The group was at the border between the capital and Qingzhou. Although Song Yanqi had brought many soldiers, he was still concerned that the culprits might act rashly. After a few pleasantries, he said, “Little sister, Young Master Xiao, it’s getting late. We should set off soon. We can talk more once we get home.”

With her eyes shimmering, Song Luoning agreed.

The thought of seeing her family again filled her with an uncontrollable excitement.

Song Yanqi turned back to his troops, mounted his horse, and the large group set off again. When they finally stopped, they were in front of a three-courtyard residence. The accompanying soldiers held torches, their bright yellow flames dancing in the night. Chen Yu and the young maid got out of the carriage first, followed by Jiang Wanrou, and finally Xiao Yu helped Song Luoning alight.

The residence’s main gate was open, and two rows of servants stood with their heads bowed, hands clasped over their abdomens, their attitudes respectful.

“Is this the residence my father-in-law arranged for me?” Xiao Yu couldn’t help but widen his eyes. The largest courtyard he had seen since arriving in this world was the two-courtyard one at the Xiao family’s home. This was a three-courtyard residence, with so many servants waiting to attend to them. He couldn’t help but be amazed. He truly was a government official; no wonder the young mistress had given her a thousand taels without a second thought back then.

The others were just as surprised. The young maid’s eyes darted around excitedly. Chen Yu, clutching Jiang Wanrou’s arm, looked a bit reserved. Only Liang Chengqiu appeared normal, his face expressionless and cold.

“Let’s go. Why are you all standing there? You’ll be staying here for a while,” Song Yanqi said with a smile. “We originally wanted you to stay at the Prime Minister’s residence, but Father worried about gossip, so we’ll have to trouble you to stay here.”

“No trouble at all, not at all,” Xiao Yu waved his hand. This was no trouble; this was luxury. He held Song Luoning’s hand and followed Song Yanqi, talking as he walked.

Song Yanqi continued to explain, “Just settle down here. You can leave the rest to me. If you need anything, just tell the steward. They’re all old family servants from the Prime Minister’s residence and can be trusted.”

Song Luoning’s eyes curved into a smile. “Alright, thank you, Big Brother. When will we be able to see Father?”

“Father will come tomorrow. It’s too late tonight, and you’ve been traveling all day. You should rest early. By the way, how is your health lately? Your complexion looks much better than before, and I haven’t heard you cough at all during the journey,” Song Yanqi asked.

As health was mentioned, a faint smile appeared in Song Luoning’s eyes, and her gaze subconsciously shifted to Xiao Yu.

“Why are you looking at your husband when I’m asking you a question?” Song Yanqi was puzzled. What was so special about this man that his little sister would fall for him? His sister, though not in the best of health, was unmatched in talent and beauty in the capital. If she had been a man, she would have certainly achieved great things. Unfortunately, she was a woman, and her health…

Song Yanqi sighed regretfully and looked at Xiao Yu. This person was rather handsome, a face that could just barely match his sister’s. But why was he wearing such a silly grin?

He couldn’t bear to look.

Song Yanqi averted his eyes, unable to agree with his sister’s taste in men.

Song Luoning paused for a moment. “My health is much better, thanks to your concern, Big Brother. My quick recovery is all thanks to my husband.”

“Oh?” Song Yanqi was surprised. Could her husband be a physician?

He re-examined Xiao Yu. If he could cure his sister’s illness, then not only had she found a good match, but this misfortune might also turn out to be a blessing. He pondered for a moment and said, “That’s good. But I’ll still have the family physician come to see you tomorrow, just to be sure. Let’s leave it at that for today. It’s late, and I should report back to Father so he doesn’t worry. You all should rest early.”

With that, without waiting for Song Luoning’s reply, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture toward Xiao Yu, turned, stepped over the threshold, and left the courtyard with the steward following behind him.

With the outsiders gone from the main hall, Chen Yu grew bolder. “This place is so big,” she marveled. “When we came in, I saw a pond full of lotus flowers in the courtyard.”

The young maid agreed, her eyes sparkling as she looked around. “It really is! I was afraid to look before. Are we really going to live here from now on?”

Jiang Wanrou, being more rational, interrupted her. “What are you thinking? We are only staying here temporarily. We will return to our own home eventually.”

Chen Yu sighed heavily. “Auntie is right. No matter how big or nice this place is, it’s not our home. There’s no place like home.”

Seeing that her daughter wasn’t blinded by wealth, Jiang Wanrou smiled with relief. She said to Song Luoning, “Luoning, we owe a great debt to your in-laws for A’Yu’s situation. If they hadn’t intervened, A’Yu would probably have been thrown into jail by now.” She paused, sighed softly, and glanced at Xiao Yu. “When this is over, we must thank your in-laws in person. Besides…” She took a few silver notes from her sleeve. “We should still pay for some of the expenses. Take these silver notes for now.”

Song Luoning froze, looking at the notes Jiang Wanrou handed her. She glanced at Xiao Yu and then, with pursed lips, did not take them. “Mother-in-law, please put them away. My husband didn’t do this. The Dali Temple will handle the case impartially and find the truth. If we suddenly try to bribe them, it will only make us look guilty and confirm the charges. The officials won’t take the investigation seriously.”

“That’s true.” Jiang Wanrou hesitated, then took back the silver notes and held them in her hand. “I wasn’t thinking things through. Alright then. If you need money, you can come to me for it.” But she knew it wasn’t that she wasn’t thinking things through; her daughter-in-law simply didn’t want to use her money.

The Prime Minister’s residence had already helped so much. She couldn’t be so shameless as to take their help for granted. This money should be spent by her. It seemed she needed to find a chance to give the money to that unfortunate boy.

Thinking this, she sighed again. She truly didn’t know what kind of luck her unfortunate child had stumbled upon to marry such a sensible wife. Most importantly, she was a woman herself, and she still didn’t care about that and was willing to help her.

If that unlucky child ever dared to betray this girl, she wouldn’t even let him pass her.

Just then, the steward returned after seeing Song Yanqi off, followed by six young maids. They stood with their heads bowed and hands clasped. “Young Mistress, the rooms have been arranged. This old servant will have the maids show you to your quarters to rest.”

“Thank you, Uncle Zhang,” Song Luoning nodded. She turned to Jiang Wanrou. “Mother-in-law, please rest early. We can talk more tomorrow if you need to.”

“Yes, alright,” Jiang Wanrou replied.

Steward Zhang gestured to the maids behind him. The maids stepped forward, curtsied, and led them to their respective rooms.

“Young Mistress,” one of the maids looked up. “Young Mistress, it’s me, Cui Zhu.”

Song Luoning froze, her eyes welling up with tears. Cui Zhu was her personal maid, who had been with her since she was a child. They had a deep bond as mistress and servant. If her father hadn’t specifically instructed her, she would have brought Cui Zhu with her when she left.

Thinking of how the maid had cried while saying goodbye, Song Luoning felt a pang in her heart. After a moment, she smiled faintly. “Did Big Brother arrange for you to come?”

“Yes, Nanny was worried that others wouldn’t be able to take care of you properly, so she specifically asked me to come,” Cui Zhu said, her eyes a bit red.

Song Luoning nodded. “How is Nanny?”

“She’s fine, she just misses you dearly,” Cui Zhu replied.

Nanny Li was her mother’s dowry maid, and she had taken care of Song Luoning ever since her mother passed away.

Song Luoning’s smile deepened, and her gaze softened.

In a spare moment, Cui Zhu’s eyes fell on the silent Xiao Yu next to them, specifically on the hand he held with her young mistress. She looked at him with an appraising gaze.

Xiao Yu met her gaze and smiled at her.

“This is the young mistress’s husband?”

“He doesn’t seem like much. He looks a bit simple-minded. From what I can see, other than his appearance, he’s not as good as the eldest son of the Ministry of Personnel. My young mistress is truly settling.”

Xiao Yu, of course, had no idea of the maid’s thoughts and allowed her to look at him with a clear conscience. Song Luoning, however, saw right through the maid’s thoughts. She cleared her throat. “Why are you just standing there? Aren’t you going to lead us back to our room?”

Cui Zhu came to her senses, looked away, and scratched her head in embarrassment. Now that the hall was empty except for the three of them and her young mistress had just returned, she felt she was not doing a good job as a personal maid. How could she make her mistress wait? Cui Zhu quickly said, “This servant was wrong. Young Mistress, Young Master, please follow me.”

Cui Zhu held a lantern, bowing as she led the way. They passed through the hall and entered the back courtyard. The residence’s interior was quite elegant, and the garden scenery was arranged to Song Luoning’s liking, though it was hard to see clearly in the darkness.

Soon, the two were led by the maid into a courtyard. The doors were closed, and a lamp was lit inside the room.

Cui Zhu stepped forward and pushed the door open, smiling prettily. “This is it. I looked at it during the day, and the furnishings here are exactly the same as the young mistress’s original boudoir. It’s clear that the eldest young master put a lot of thought into it.”

“Yes,” Song Luoning said as she entered the room, giving it a quick glance. “Big Brother was indeed very thoughtful.”

After a pause, she heard Cui Zhu continue, “After you left, the master would often come to your courtyard and sit for a while, sometimes for half a day. Everyone misses you very much.” As she spoke, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Song Luoning comforted her, “But I’ve returned now, haven’t I?”

“Yes, I should be happy that the young mistress has returned,” Cui Zhu said, wiping away her tears and revealing a smile.

“Alright, stop crying. Go and prepare some hot water. I want to take a bath,” Song Luoning instructed.

“Yes, I’ll go now,” Cui Zhu said, sniffing, then bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Support