Noble Lady

"After receiving my letter, your grandfather was worried that I would be looked down upon by the Xue family if I followed the young marquis of the Xue family to the border alone..."

"As the saying goes, betrothed to a wife and then a concubine. He didn't want his daughter to suffer any injustice, even if it was just a delaying tactic out of helplessness."

At this point, Mrs. Xue choked up, "After that, he ignored the fact that he had caught a cold and needed to recuperate, and braved the severe cold to rush to the border."

"I didn't expect it to be such an unfortunate coincidence. That area was originally guarded by the Pingxi Army and was relatively safe. But at that time, a group of bandits came from the north and robbed my father's carriage."

Xue Chenyu's eyes widened when he heard this, "Grandpa is..."

"They took everything valuable from him. My father gave them whatever they wanted. But he refused to let go of the one thing he had, a silver-gilt pomegranate hairpin with a hundred seeds."

"Those bastards chopped off his hands and feet, and he bled to death!"

Xue Chenyu shuddered in disbelief, "Then, that hairpin is..."

"Dowry." Mrs. Xue's voice trembled and tears rolled down her face.

"The gold and silver jewelry he brought in his car were all for my dowry, especially that hairpin, which he specially asked a craftsman to make."

"Since the year I got engaged, he hired someone to make one. He revised the blueprints dozens of times, back and forth countless times, before he finally got one."

Xue Chenyu silently handed over the handkerchief, unable to utter the words of comfort.

A'niang went to the border to avoid disaster, but she lost her father's life.

Although A Niang has been leading the Jiang family in business over the years, they have not had any dealings. She thought that A Niang did not want to involve the Jiang family, but she did not expect there was another reason.

"Later, Xue Heyan found those beasts, chopped off their heads one by one, and placed them in front of your grandfather's grave as a memorial."

……

Later, Xue Chenyu asked Madam Xue a lot more questions, asking her how she felt when she thought of His Majesty now, and how she hated his stubbornness back then.

Mrs. Xue said, "All those years of love and sincerity were betrayed. How can I not be sad? It was because of him that I lost my father."

"But now that I think about it, I don't hate him anymore. I just don't want to see him again, let alone have anything to do with him."

Life is short and unpredictable.

If you want to live a good life, you must learn to accept all kinds of impermanence and disappointments, and then face the challenges head-on.

Xue Chenyu was silent for a long time.

So this is how my grandfather passed away.

No wonder that over the years, although my mother prepared very elaborate New Year gifts for my grandparents every year, she rarely mentioned taking them to visit my grandmother's house.

Also, there is a special sacrificial day every year.

At that time, she couldn't understand why they had to hold such a grand ceremony when it wasn't a festival.

Now I understand.

"What about my grandmother..." Xue Chenyu was a little hesitant to ask.

Madam Xue smiled and said, "My mother loves me very much, and she loves my father just as much. My father was kidnapped on the way to deliver my dowry, and he didn't even get to see me. Naturally, my mother was furious."

"But she never said anything harsh to me. Instead, she always advised me, saying that if my father were still alive, he would definitely not want me to feel guilty."

"But how can I not feel guilty? How can I not feel guilty? If it weren't for me..."

Mrs. Xue almost choked with sobs.

Xue Chenyu seemed to understand her mood immediately.

She had only been to her maternal grandparents' house a few times, and that was always when there was a happy event in her uncle's family, and her mother went to join in the fun.

But he didn't stay there for long. He rested for one night at most and then came back.

At that time, she always knew that her mother was avoiding suspicion, but she didn't know why she was avoiding suspicion.

No matter what, the Jiang family is A'niang's maternal family. Even if A'niang does not stay in the Jiang family for a long time, the relationship between the Jiang family and the Wu'an Marquis Mansion cannot be severed in any way.

But now she understands.

In the eyes of businessmen, the Wu'an Marquis Mansion is an insurmountable mountain.

But in the eyes of the powerful, the Wu'an Marquis Mansion is just ordinary.

A'niang really wanted to protect the Jiang family, but was also afraid that the Jiang family would suffer because of the involvement of the Wu'an Marquis Mansion. She was also thinking about the past when her grandmother passed away and could not let it go for a long time.

She felt so miserable.

Therefore, A Niang was not born with the ability to do everything well, but she has experienced countless lessons of blood and tears to become what she is today.

Xue Chenyu stood up and bowed deeply to Mrs. Xue.

"For so many years, my daughter has been hiding under the wings of her parents. Now she has grown up and can stand on her own."

"In the future, women can also share some of the responsibilities for parents. Please know this, mother."

Mrs. Xue's eyes were red and tears were about to fall, but Xue Chenyu saluted her solemnly and she couldn't help laughing.

"Okay, now that we've talked about the past, since you said you can handle things on your own and help your parents, then it's time for you to get down to business."

Madam Xue said as she pulled out a jade token from her bosom. "After so many days, your father and the others should be preparing to enter the city. You will be responsible for meeting them."

Xue Chenyu took it with both hands and said yes respectfully.

The jade plaque is engraved with dragon patterns, which are patterns that only the royal family can use.

She turned it over and saw that the dragon had coiled from the front to the back. There was a poem written in the blank space, "The south wind knows my intention", and the signature "Ling".

Xue Chenyu's heart trembled, and she suddenly felt that the token in her hand weighed a thousand pounds.

in fact.

The letter written by Fang Rui not only mentioned that one of the prince's bodyguards was found, and that the prince and Marquis Xue were in danger together, but also mentioned the things they had been looking for everywhere.

At the end of the letter, greetings are included, wishing you a happy spring and good health.

This is where the doubt lies.

The letter was written to Mrs. Xue in the name of Fang Rui, but it was addressed to Mrs. Xue and Marquis Xue and his wife.

Knowing that Marquis Xue is not in Kyoto and his whereabouts are unknown, a normal person would never use such words. This is offensive and even rude.

But he used it.

Fang Rui is the long-time attendant of Prince Cheng. He would not be confused about such an important matter. He wrote the letter himself and would not easily make such a low-level mistake.

Then there is only one reason: he did it on purpose, and he was using this method to remind Mrs. Xue something.

For example, Marquis Xue has escaped danger and is on his way back to the capital.

The whereabouts of Prince Cheng, who was not mentioned, is also hidden in the phrase "respectfully pray for spring peace."

As the saying goes, a seventh-rank official is in front of the prime minister. He is the chief attendant of Prince Cheng. He would not add this to the letter to Madam Xue for no reason, let alone in such a tone of inquiry.

Therefore, it is likely that both Prince Cheng and Marquis Xue escaped danger, but their troops were divided into two groups, and he was not sure where Prince Cheng had gone, so he was using this opportunity to pass on information to them.

After she and her mother figured this out that day, they made the subsequent arrangements.

"Others have carefully planned and staged this scene, so we must also put on a convincing performance to make them believe that their plan has succeeded, and then they will take the next step."

"Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste for them to build such a big stage?"

Mrs. Xue said so in the past.