The Female Regent’s Daily Guide to Spoiling Her Wife - Chapter 25

After the Grand Princess left, Yunxia returned to the banquet and sat alone in silence. Stealing glances at Lu Zhao from afar, her heart churned with countless thoughts. The granddaughter of Grand Tutor Song seemed particularly close to the Grand Princess, while she herself was merely a lowly daughter of the Xu family. Could she truly be with Lu Zhao?

Feeling disheartened, Yunxia lowered her head and drank several cups of fruit wine from the table.

Lu Zhao had been watching Yunxia since her return. Though her expression remained neutral, a faint smile lingered in her eyes as she lounged lazily in her chair, exuding an air of casual indifference.

Gao Wenyuan, noticing that Yunxia had been gone for a long time and had returned with a cut on her lip, leaned in with a suggestive grin. “Lu Xiaozhao, did you get scratched by a wild cat while you were out?”

Lu Zhao shot him an impassive glance and ignored him.

Wenyuan tapped the table, tilting his head thoughtfully. “Let me guess who it was. Was it Song Jin, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Song? Or did you bring that Niannian girl here?”

A faint smile curled at the corner of Lu Zhao’s lips as she narrowed her phoenix eyes and replied coolly, “What? Jealous?”

Wenyuan was momentarily speechless. After a pause, he drawled, “Thrilling.”

Lu Zhao scanned the banquet hall and asked seriously, “Wenyuan, did you notice the masked young man?”

Gao Wenyuan’s expression darkened slightly. “I had someone look into him earlier. They say he’s the adopted son General Song took in at the border.”

Lu Zhao downed the wine beside her in one gulp. “Do you really believe he’s just an adopted son? Could he be?”

Wenyuan closed his eyes in pain, his voice strained and bitter. “A Zhao, it can’t be. I saw him buried with my own eyes back then Besides, that young man is clearly taller and more imposing than Ziyan. Ziyan was frail and timid. How could he be someone like that?”

Lu Zhao remained noncommittal, lowering her gaze to toy with the cup in her hand. Silly Wenyuan, why couldn’t it be? People change over the years. If Song Ziyan hadn’t died back then, the entire General’s estate might have perished. The Emperor is inherently suspicious, and Ziyan was so brilliant. The civil and military officials couldn’t all be from the Song family. So, whether it’s him or not, we’ll only know for sure after seeing him in person.

As night fell, the music continued without pause, and guests began to bid their farewells. General Song stood at the entrance with the masked young man, seeing off the visitors.

Gao Wenyuan slung an arm over Lu Zhao’s shoulder, his phoenix eyes half-closed as he waved to General Song. With a laugh, he said, “Lu Xiaozhao, I haven’t had enough fun today. Let’s go! We’ll continue at your place!”

The strong scent of alcohol wafted from Wenyuan, and Lu Zhao wrinkled her nose in disgust, shoving him away.

Wenyuan stumbled backward, losing his balance. The masked young man, who had been standing silently nearby, moved unobtrusively behind him and steadied him with a light touch. A hoarse, rough voice spoke, “Prince Rui, be careful.”

Feeling a pair of large hands supporting his waist, Wenyuan turned unsteadily and found himself staring into a pair of pitch-black eyes. His heart pounded like a drum, and he felt even more intoxicated, his mind wandering deliriously to thoughts of Ziyan.

A gust of wind snapped Wenyuan out of his daze. Without a word, he draped himself over Lu Zhao again. “Let’s go, Lu Xiaozhao! We’re heading to your place to drink until we drop!”

The masked youth suddenly lost the warmth in his palm, and Wen Yuan didn’t even spare him another glance. Disheartened, he lowered his lashes and quietly returned to stand behind Song Qin.

Song Qin observed everything without a word, only shooting the youth a sharp glare and whispering a stern rebuke: “Behave yourself!”

Lu Zhao, helpless against Wen Yuan’s antics, nudged the person clinging to her. Seeing he wouldn’t budge, she reluctantly agreed. Throughout the evening, she had been keeping an eye on Yun Xia, noticing she had drunk quite a bit of the fruit wine on the table after returning. Worried, Lu Zhao had intended to escort her home personally, but Gao Wen Yuan kept her tied up.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Zhao quietly instructed Xi Gui, “Do not return to the estate with me today. Follow the Xu family’s carriage and ensure Xiaxia returns safely before coming back to report.”

Xi Gui replied respectfully, “Yes!” and immediately trailed behind the Xu family’s carriage, inwardly grumbling about Lu Zhao: Our mistress is so infatuated staring over there all night is one thing, but now she has to make sure the girl gets home safely too. How nauseating!

After Lu Zhao and Gao Wen Yuan departed, no one noticed the masked youth still gazing at their retreating figures.

In the darkness of the night, the Xu family’s carriage moved forward slowly, but instead of continuing along the main road home, it halted at a dark corner.

“Mother, let’s wait here for a moment. There are wolf packs in the general’s estate’s back hills. We’ll toss her there and claim tomorrow that she got lost while drunk!” Xu Ruoxiang said viciously to Lady Yang.

Lady Yang frowned slightly as she looked at the unconscious Yun Xia, a trace of fear crossing her face. Hesitantly, she asked, “But how will we explain this to your father?”

Xu Ruoxiang replied with exasperation, “Mother, you’re being foolish! Never mind whether they had anything to do with Cousin’s incident just think about how the Princess and Lady Song favored that wretched girl today. Aren’t you afraid she’ll surpass me one day?”

“Now that Cousin has died in prison, the Yang family already holds many grievances against you and won’t help us anymore. Father only supports those who can aid his position at court. If that Xu Yun Xia manages to win over Pei Shu, we’ll have to treat them with respect from then on! Do you think they won’t seek revenge against us when that time comes?”

Xu Ruoxiang pushed the unconscious Yun Xia and urged anxiously, “Mother, today is our best chance! The general’s estate is bustling with the banquet, so security in the back hills is lax. Besides, I’ve already knocked her out we can take this opportunity to dump her there. No one will find out, Mother! Don’t worry!”

Lady Yang stared at Yun Xia’s delicate profile, gritted her teeth, and hardened her heart. “Alright! I’ll do as you say!”

The two waited quietly for a while, avoiding a few passing carriages, then secretly ordered the coachman to drive toward the back hills.

Xi Gui, following behind, grew increasingly uneasy this wasn’t the way back to the Xu residence. His heart sank, and he stealthily closed in on the carriage.

When he saw the carriage enter the general’s estate’s back hills, a chill ran through Xi Gui’s entire body. It was well-known that the back hills were not just home to wolf packs; rumors said General Song had laid out formations there. If an ordinary person ventured in, they might never find their way out.

Hesitating in the dark for a long time, Xi Gui ultimately didn’t dare to proceed. Instead, he turned back to the estate to find Lu Zhao!

Lady Yang and Xu Ruoxiang stared into the pitch-black back hills, their hearts trembling with fear. Too scared to go further, they harshly ordered the coachman to carry Yun Xia down and throw her into the woods.

The coachman was a shifty-eyed middle-aged man who nodded obsequiously, sweating profusely as he carried Yunxia into the woods. Hearing the intermittent howling wind and wolf cries from the forest, the man grew too frightened to venture further and simply dumped Yunxia beside a tree at the entrance.

Yang Shi pressed a gold ingot into the coachman’s hand and threatened in a low voice, “Shut your filthy mouth! If even half a word of this gets out, I’ll have your head!”

The coachman bared his yellowed teeth and let out a lecherous chuckle, eyeing Yang Shi’s voluptuous figure. “At your service, madam. I’d go through fire and water for you,” he said.

Yang Shi shuddered in disgust and spat at him. Glancing at the pitch-black, bottomless forest nearby, she felt a surge of terror under the dark, windy night. Grabbing Ruoxiang, she hurried into the carriage and snapped, “Let’s go, now!”

The coachman licked his lips, narrowed his eyes at the carriage curtain, and thought to himself, Hah! That wretched woman would never shake him off now. They were accomplices in murder did she really think she could just walk away? After all these years alone, it was high time he got a taste of an official’s wife.