ng Qianqian and Lu’s mother halted their steps.
Lu’s mother exclaid in surprise, "I didn’t expect the Grand Commander to co."
ng Qianqian thought for a mont and said, "At the Governor Mansion’s grab-the-items banquet last ti, Lord Liu also attended."
Although she hadn’t attended the banquet herself, she had seen with her own eyes that Lu Xingzhou rode to the event in Lord Liu’s carriage.
Lu’s mother, unfamiliar with political affairs, couldn’t grasp Lu Yuan’s determination to gain military command. From a purely familial perspective, the Liu Family wasn’t one of the noble lineages, nor had they any prior affiliation with the Governor Mansion. She presud the Grand Commander was rely extending courtesy toward the Marquis Mansion of Yong’en.
She thought of sothing and glanced outside the door.
ng Qianqian asked, "Mother, what’s wrong?"
Lu’s mother shook her head. "It’s nothing. Let’s go."
The two entered the accounting room and t Lady Liu. The old Madam from the Liu Family had been a good and kind mother-in-law. With her passing, Lady Liu’s grief ran deep and genuine.
"She passed away in her sleep... rather peacefully."
Lady Liu choked on her words as she spoke.
Lu’s mother consoled her for a while before lending her efforts in arranging the old Madam’s funeral.
anwhile, the Marquis of Yong’en personally went to the main gates to welco the Grand Commander. All the officials greeted Lu Yuan with formal reverence.
"There’s no need for such ceremony. I’m here today to pay my respects to the late Lady Liu."
With that, Lu Yuan, accompanied by Commander Shangguan Ling of the Imperial Guards, entered the mourning hall.
In Shangguan Ling’s arms was a soft, chubby little child.
After departing the mourning hall, it beca evident that Lu Yuan intended to stay. The Marquis of Yong’en imdiately, with utmost courtesy, invited him, saying, "Grand Commander, please this way."
The guests who arrived tonight would mostly stay to vigil for the old Madam together with the host family. However, the Grand Commander, known for his busy schedule and disregard for tradition, was an unexpected participant. How could anyone have anticipated that he would remain for the vigil?
Yet, since the Grand Commander had chosen to condescend to such a gesture, there was no room for the Liu Family to slight him.
The Taoists began performing their ritual rites. mbers of the Liu Family sobbed profusely, and visitors arrived in droves. The Marquis of Yong’en had no choice but to find so peace amid the chaos. He arranged a separate mourning shed exclusively for Lu Yuan and instructed the Liu Family’s steward not to admit other guests into it.
The Liu Family’s servants brought in a brazier.
Unable to afford the premium red charcoal, the Liu Family used silver charcoal instead. Even this was specially provided by the Marquis Mansion of Yong’en to properly host their esteed guest.
Lu Yuan had just taken a seat.
Suddenly, the little dumpling in Shangguan Ling’s arms beca restless, pointing outside incessantly and fluttering like a chubby little moth, "Waaah! Waaah!"
Shangguan Ling remained unmoving.
"Waaah!"
Bao Shu exploded with frustration.
Shangguan Ling remarked, "Yelling at won’t help. I can’t go wandering around; your daddy has to take you."
Bao Shu looked pitifully at her father.
Lu Yuan sipped his tea nonchalantly, entirely indifferent.
Bao Shu clenched her tiny plump fists.
Over in the mourning hall, the summoned Daoists had begun performing rites.
ng Qianqian moved among the various mourning sheds, hosting and attending to the female guests who had co to keep vigil.
In this dynasty, customs weren’t as restrictive as in the previous one. Male and female guests’ mourning sheds were placed in the sa area, separated only by a small flowerbed in the middle.
Due to the cold weather and to shield against the falling snow, every shed’s curtain had been lowered.
As ng Qianqian exited one of the sheds, she accidentally ran into Lady Wang.
Lady Wang exclaid, "Oh my, why aren’t you resting at ho? Why have you co out here?"
A maid from the Liu Family approached, carrying a platter of snacks. "Madam Lu, where should I take these snacks?"
"To that side."
ng Qianqian pointed toward the eastern shed.
"Understood."
The maid walked off.
Lady Wang asked, "Still here to help out? Are you managing alright?"
ng Qianqian replied softly, "It’s no trouble. Please, co and sit inside."
Soon after, Lady Liu—clearly at her wit’s end—hurried into the shed and exclaid, "Sister ng, I can’t do this anymore! There’s a child crying terribly over there, and no one can calm them down!"
ng Qianqian responded, "Let take a look."
Turning to Lady Wang, she said, "Pardon , Madam. I must excuse myself."
Lady Liu stayed behind to entertain Lady Wang as ng Qianqian headed toward the mourning shed Lady Liu had ntioned.
Upon entering, she discovered the wailing child was none other than Bao Shu.
The little one was in the arms of a wet nurse, who had been brought along by another guest to assist with soothing the children. Yet, even this highly experienced wet nurse couldn’t seem to manage Bao Shu.
"Let hold her," ng Qianqian stepped forward and said.
The wet nurse, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to try, handed the child over.
To everyone’s astonishnt, the noisy little one instantly stopped crying upon entering ng Qianqian’s embrace. Bao Shu even stuck out her tiny feet in leisure, looking utterly content.
The wet nurse was completely dumbfounded!
A maid from the Zhou Family walked over. "Wet nurse, the young master is crying."
It wasn’t just the Zhou Family’s young master crying—thanks to Bao Shu, every child present had started wailing.
What was even more infuriating was that, after setting off the chain reaction, Bao Shu herself quietly retreated like soone who had accomplished her mission.
Lu Yuan let out a short laugh.
Bao Shu raised her chin haughtily.
It was as if she were declaring: I earned these tears fair and square—no sha in that!
The wet nurse went back to soothe her own charge.
ng Qianqian approached Lu Yuan, offering a formal bow. "Greetings to the Grand Commander."
Tonight, Lu Yuan was dressed in dark robes. The bewitching allure he usually carried was replaced by an air of solemn frigidity.
Lu Yuan acknowledged her with a soft "Mm."
ng Qianqian then turned to Shangguan Ling and offered another bow. "Greetings to Lord Commander."
Shangguan Ling cupped his hands in return. "Madam Lu, you’re too kind."
Bao Shu pointed first at a chair, then at one of her own little feet.
ng Qianqian understood and sat down on the chair.
This chair was different from those in the other mourning sheds: it was outfitted with soft cushions and a thick backrest. Her fatigued, weary body instantly felt much more at ease.
She held Bao Shu’s foot. "What’s wrong with your foot?"
Bao Shu’s tears ca imdiately, her expression turning pitiful and aggrieved.
ng Qianqian gently removed her little tiger-head shoe. "By the way, wasn’t Zhaozhao going to stay with Lady Yan for three days? Why has she co back after just one?"
As she spoke, the child’s stockings were removed, revealing a swollen, bun-like foot.
ng Qianqian’s brows furrowed. "Is this... a bee sting?"
Bao Shu nodded tearfully in grievance.
Lu Yuan said coldly, "Hm, and now you think you’re the victim?"
ng Qianqian looked at Lu Yuan and Shangguan Ling in confusion.
Shangguan Ling explained, "Ah, Lady Yan took Miss Bao Shu to her residence at Wanhua Hall this morning. Within just one hour, Miss Bao Shu managed to shatter Lady Yan’s prized jade dish, soak her rouge with water, and burn her inkstones to charcoal... As if that wasn’t enough, she sohow released the venomous bees Lady Yan had been keeping."
"I see," ng Qianqian said.
Her sense of sll and taste were temporarily impaired, so she couldn’t detect any dicinal odors from the child’s wound. But visually and through touch, she could tell that treatnt had been applied.
"That must have hurt terribly."
Even treated wounds could still hurt.
Bao Shu nodded and burrowed into ng Qianqian’s arms, seeking comfort.
Shangguan Ling twitched his mouth slightly and said, "Miss Bao Shu was stung by the one harmless bee among them. Lady Yan, however, wasn’t so lucky—her hands swelled like bear paws from being stung while trying to catch her. The other won at Wanhua Hall were also stung, all ending up with swollen, pig-like faces, unable to show themselves."
That hall had operated for years, enduring even Beiliang spies hiding within its walls, and had never closed its doors. Yet this little one’s visit had led to it shuttering temporarily.
ng Qianqian looked earnestly at the child in her arms.
Bao Shu blinked innocently and raised her injured little foot.
It was as if she were silently saying, "I’m hurt. So pitiful, right?"
ng Qianqian stayed in the mourning shed to care for Bao Shu.
Soti during the night, the silver charcoal in the brazier was replaced with smokeless red charcoal, filling the shed with warmth. Exhausted, the pair—one big, one small—soon drifted off to sleep.
Lu Yuan stood up with a frosty expression.
Shangguan Ling straightened nervously. "Grand Commander?"
Lu Yuan said, "I’m going out for a walk."
Shangguan Ling glanced at ng Qianqian, who was asleep in the chair, holding Bao Shu, and nodded. "Understood!"
The two n left the mourning shed while Qing Shuang erged from the shadows to guard the door.
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