Chapter 479: Chapter 478: Heavy
That night, Du Yunluo slept very soundly.
Having returned to the Capital after the exhausting journey, she felt a sense of relaxation in the familiar place.
As the sky began to lighten, Mu Lianxiao woke up, but unlike before, he couldn’t practice martial arts yet; he needed to fully recover before doing anything reckless.
Mu Lianxiao was to enter the palace to report, and the carriage took him all the way to the palace gates.
Du Yunluo took Brother Yan back to the Du Mansion.
Hong Jinbao’s family had already sent word yesterday, and Mrs. Zhen, with the support of Nanny Zhao, greeted her at the second gate.
As soon as Du Yunluo got off the carriage, Mrs. Zhen hurried over and embraced Du Yunluo tightly: "Nannan, you’ve finally come back. I’ve missed you so much these two years."
Mrs. Zhen was emotional, and Du Yunluo snuggled into her embrace, sweetly calling her "mother."
The mother and daughter had endless things to talk about. Mrs. Zhen took Brother Yan from Lady Peng and went with Du Yunluo towards Lianfu Garden.
In Lianfu Garden, Du Gongfu and Old Mrs. Xia were also waiting, with the Liao Family and the Miao Family accompanying them.
Mrs. Zhen handed Brother Yan to Old Mrs. Xia and said with a smile, "This little boy is really sturdy. I’ve only held him for a little while, and my arms are already sore."
Old Mrs. Xia laughed heartily.
Knowing that Du Yunluo had returned with her son, Xia Anxin and Mrs. Tang came to see her.
Rui stared with wide eyes, talking to Brother Yan, delighting the adults with endless laughter.
Mrs. Tang was six months pregnant, not too big nor too small. Upon seeing the family’s most favored little sister-in-law, Mrs. Tang smiled warmly: "Grandmother and Mother both say this pregnancy of mine looks like it will be a girl."
Du Yunluo smiled, softening her gaze as she looked at Mrs. Tang’s belly and said, "I also think it will be a girl, exquisite and lovely, just like in the New Year’s paintings."
Mrs. Tang’s eyes crinkled with laughter. This being her first child, she didn’t mind if it was a boy or a girl, as long as the family was happy.
Du Yunluo asked about Jiang Si Niang.
Xia Anxin smiled and said, "The third sister-in-law is almost due, so she’s resting in her room."
"It’s said that these little ones like to join the excitement; they come all at once," Old Mrs. Xia teased Brother Yan as she spoke, "Isn’t Yunru’s second child also almost due?"
Du Yunluo nodded and replied, "Calculating the time, it should be soon. Aunt said she would go to Linggu to take care of her during her delivery."
"Huairang’s wife is thoughtful." Old Mrs. Xia nodded.
Over the past two years, the Yang Family had taken good care of Du Yunluo, and now they were attentive to Du Yunru. Their attention to the nieces who married into other families left Old Mrs. Xia feeling a great deal of affection and satisfaction with the elder daughter-in-law who was often not around.
Mrs. Zhen asked about Mu Lianxiao: "The Princely Heir went to the palace, did he? Will he come by for a meal later?"
Du Yunluo shook her head: "The Princely Heir was injured at Shanyu Pass and hasn’t fully recovered. We consulted Imperial Doctor Xing in Tong City, who advised him to lie down as much as possible and rest more to avoid leaving a chronic condition. Today he’s in the palace to meet the emperor, so naturally, he can’t lie down to go there. After leaving the palace, he should return home early to rest. The Princely Heir said that once he’s recovered, he’ll come to pay respects to grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother."
Hearing that Mu Lianxiao was injured made Mrs. Zhen’s heart tighten, but since he was able to meet the emperor, his condition shouldn’t be life-threatening.
"There’s no need to pay respects, healing is most important."
This was exactly what Mrs. Zhen wanted to say, but as a daughter-in-law, she couldn’t make decisions for Old Mrs. Xia. These words came more appropriately from the elder lady.
Du Yunluo followed Mrs. Zhen back to Qinghui Garden.
Mrs. Zhen inquired about life in Lindong in detail, and finally, she said: "Sister-in-law mentioned in a letter that Xuancheng surrounded the Changping Marquis Mansion, and thanks to your quick thinking, the womenfolk in the government office weren’t harmed. Nannan, what exactly happened?"
Du Yunluo’s face turned pale; she had always been reluctant to recall that day’s events. Even though everything had settled, she didn’t want to think about it.
Especially about when she knocked the villain unconscious, only to have him burned alive in front of her...
Only those who have personally experienced it can understand this state of mind.
Du Yunluo truly began to understand why Madam Wu never liked to talk about her time at the Northern Border, especially about killing the Dazi. The old lady never mentioned it.
Taking someone’s life personally, no matter who they are, feels equally heavy.
They are just women, not soldiers bravely rushing into battle. They can bear the weight of life on their backs with determination but cannot speak of it with ease.
"Mother..." Du Yunluo pursed her lips and threw herself into Mrs. Zhen’s arms, saying softly, "Can I not talk about it? I don’t want to..."
The tender voice carried a few notes of unease and fatigue, and it pained Mrs. Zhen’s heart to hear it. She quickly rubbed Du Yunluo’s back and comforted her: "If you don’t want to talk about it, we won’t. As long as you, Nannan, have returned safely, I won’t ask, my dear. Don’t be afraid; tell me happy things. Let’s talk about the Princely Heir. Is he good to you? Does he bully you?"
Du Yunluo chuckled out loud.
After Mu Lianxiao left the palace, he came to the Du Family to pick up Du Yunluo and Brother Yan.
The Liao Family hurried over and asked Du Yunluo in a low voice, "Is he alright?"
Du Yunluo pursed her lips and nodded: "The eldest young master’s fine. He contributed significantly to the surprise attack on Ancient Meili."
The Liao Family pressed their hands together in a gesture of prayer and whispered a blessing.
Mu Lianxiao greeted Mrs. Zhen with respect while in the carriage before taking his wife and child back.
The afternoon in the Capital was bustling, filled with the sound of people outside. Brother Yan listened intently, looking very cute.
As the carriage entered the alley, the driver, Jiuxi, immediately noticed someone dismounting from their horse and forcefully pushing the Marquis Mansion’s gate open, hurriedly rushing inside without bothering to be announced.
In Baijie Hall, Madam Wu was softly speaking with Mrs. Zhou: "Did you cough up blood yesterday? Don’t think about hiding it from me. If your health is poor, just rest more. Now that Lianxiao’s wife is back, you can leave the household affairs to her."
Mrs. Zhou nodded with a smile.
Footsteps were heard outside, and Nanny Shan went to take a look, seeing a servant woman stumbling over. She said sternly, "What’s going on!"
The servant woman faltered, falling face-first. Ignoring the pain, she crawled to Nanny Shan’s feet: "Something’s happened!"
Nanny Shan’s heart wrenched; this scene eerily overlapped with a past incident.
"News just came from the Northern Border; Mr. Si is gone, Mr. Si has died in battle!" the servant woman’s voice suddenly rose, shouting sharply.
The sound reached the West Warm Pavilion.
Madam Wu sat up abruptly from the Arhat Bed, looking incredulously at Mrs. Zhou. Her trembling arm pointed outside: "What did they say outside? Is the old lady’s hearing failing, or did I hear wrong? Yuan Ce’s wife, what exactly did that servant woman say!"
Mrs. Zhou also stood stunned for quite a moment. She had heard clearly; the woman outside had said Mu Lianyu died in battle.
How could this be!
Mu Lianxiao and his men had captured Ancient Meili. Huang Yun was currently stationed in Ancient Meili City, and the Dazi, who retreated to the Northern Border, had been repelled outside the city...
Moreover, it’s still winter, with heavy snow falling in the Northern Border; how could such a thing happen!
Mrs. Zhou gasped, raising her voice: "Who’s out there, come in quickly and speak!"