nashuaworldcup Chapter 215
Chapter 215
Yun Wan also saw the content on the letter, and her breath caught in her throat. "Little Treasure is missing?"
Her voice trembled, and her face went pale.
"How could Little Treasure suddenly disappear?" Yun Wan grabbed his arm, her tone anxious. "What else did Sui say? Has the entire capital been searched?"
The mere thought that her daughter might have met with misfortune made her vision blur and darken.
When it came to the safety of her children, she couldn't help but worry.
Emperor Jingxuan said thoughtfully, "Don’t panic just yet, my dear. Sui only said Little Treasure isn’t in the palace. He said nothing else."
"Knowing our son, if Little Treasure’s safety weren’t certain, he wouldn’t have sent just one message. From this, it’s likely that Little Treasure isn’t lost—she’s probably hiding somewhere."
If their daughter were truly missing, the Xuanlong Guard would have sent word by now.
Hearing this, Yun Wan slowly calmed down. "You mean Little Treasure secretly followed us and is probably hiding somewhere on this very ship?"
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. She let out a sigh of relief.
Emperor Jingxuan nodded. His little Mingyang was bold, after all.
The two got up and left the room, only to run into a maidservant sneaking about with a tray of food in her hands.
When she saw them, she instinctively tried to hide, but finding nowhere to go, she stood still, head lowered, and stammered, "Master, Mistress."
Glancing at the pastries and fruits on the wooden tray, Yun Wan’s expression remained calm. "For Little Treasure? Where is she?"
Knowing the little mistress had been exposed, the maidservant didn’t dare conceal anything. She answered honestly, "The young lady is in the room at the far end."
She pointed in a direction.
Yun Wan and Emperor Jingxuan walked straight to that room, pushed open the door, and rounded the screen. There, they saw their daughter lying face down on a pillow, fast asleep.
Seeing her in the flesh, the two finally felt relieved.
Mingyang, sound asleep, remained oblivious. She turned over to continue sleeping, revealing the creases on her cheek from the pillow.
At ten years old, Mingyang was beginning to take on the shape of a young girl. Her features were delicate, her figure had grown leaner, and the baby fat on her snow-white cheeks had begun to fade slightly.
Yun Wan sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to tuck the quilt corners around her. Her palm gently stroked Mingyang’s face, and her gaze softened with tenderness.
No wonder the little one had been so well-behaved and quiet before their departure without throwing a fuss—she’d already had a secret plan all along. She had sneaked onto the ship and even convinced the palace staff to cover for her.
It was as the saying went: when children go quiet, trouble is brewing.
She must not have eaten well during the two days of sneaking around on the ship. Her little face looked thinner.
In her sleep, Mingyang caught the scent of her mother. She blinked drowsily. "Mother... something bit me."
She snuggled into Yun Wan’s embrace, acting spoiled.
Yun Wan tapped her nose in mock annoyance, though her tone was filled with affection. "Serves you right. If your brother hadn’t sent word to me and your father, were you planning to stay cooped up in this room without coming out?"
Mingyang giggled. "I thought if no one found out, I’d surprise you and Father when we were nearly at Yangzhou."
Emperor Jingxuan snorted lightly. "Surprise? More like a shock."
Mingyang pouted in protest. "Who told you to sneak Mother away? I wanted to come to Yangzhou to play too! Since I’m already here, you can’t send me back!"
She turned to plead with Yun Wan. "Mother~ Let me stay with you, okay? I swear I won’t disturb you and Father’s time alone!"
She clasped her hands together and looked at them with watery eyes.
Yun Wan and Emperor Jingxuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other’s eyes.
"Let Mother see where the bugs bit you."
Mingyang held out her arm. "Here, and here."
Yun Wan applied medicine to her bites while Emperor Jingxuan ordered the maidservant, "Prepare the room next to ours for the young lady, and have the kitchen bring up her favorite dishes."
Though it was a deviation from his original plan, now that their daughter had followed them all the way, he didn’t have the heart to send her back to the capital. They would just have an extra little tag-along.
........
When the official ship arrived at Yangzhou, it was already the fourth month of the lunar calendar—a time when grass was lush, orioles sang, and everything was thriving.
On Fengshui Lane in Yangzhou City, a family of three had recently moved into the long-vacant Cen family estate. The man was handsome, the woman was beautiful, and the daughter was lovely. They dressed in brocade and silk, bore an air of nobility, and seemed to be from the capital. In no time, they became the talk of the neighbors over tea and meals.
This family of three was none other than Yun Wan, her husband Emperor Jingxuan, and their daughter Mingyang. The house they lived in was the ancestral estate of the Cen family—the place where Yun Wan had stayed as a child while living with her maternal uncle.
Over the years, Cen Yuanzhou had thrived in his official career. Apart from a few years in the provinces, he had spent most of his time in the capital, rarely returning to his hometown Yangzhou. He had only sent people to thoroughly renovate the old estate and the family graves.
Several decades had passed, and Fengshui Lane was still Fengshui Lane, yet the changes were earth-shattering.
"The only things I can still recognize are the river outside the lane and that willow tree," Yun Wan said with a sigh as she sat in the carriage.
Then she smiled. "But that’s enough."
After all, decades had gone by.
Emperor Jingxuan gently patted her shoulder in silent comfort.
Mingyang leaned against her mother’s shoulder, curious. "What kind of people were Grandmother and Great-uncle?"
She knew they were on their way to the outskirts to sweep the graves, and she was brimming with excitement.
In fact, ever since arriving in Yangzhou, Mingyang had been cheerful every day. Everything unfamiliar fascinated her.
Yun Wan spoke softly, "They were... very, very good elders..."
Following her memory, she recounted a few unforgettable stories for her daughter.
Beside her, Emperor Jingxuan listened with a gentle smile.
Perhaps the grave-sweeping stirred up many memories of her loved ones. That night, Yun Wan dreamed of a time many years ago, before her uncle had passed away—
........
In the eighth year of Emperor Jingxuan’s reign, Third Son Lu of the Lu family was gravely ill. The doctor had given him no more than a month to live.
When word reached Yangzhou, Uncle Cen Zhuo discussed the matter with his family, bought boat tickets, and prepared to head north to the capital the next day. After his nephew-in-law died, he planned to bring his niece back.
But that very night, Cen Zhuo caught a cold. His old illness flared up with ferocity. Just as all the doctors in Yangzhou were shaking their heads, saying nothing could be done and suggesting the Cen family prepare for his funeral, Cen Zhuo suddenly recovered from his illness.
Once recovered, Cen Zhuo immediately bought a new boat ticket and rushed to the capital. Upon arriving and making inquiries, he learned that the Third Son of the Lu State Duke Manor had passed away the day before.
Cen Zhuo wiped his weary face, thinking that he had made it just in time. He found an inn, settled in, and waited for the right chance to contact his niece.
Seven days later, on the day of Third Son Lu’s funeral, the sound of suona horns and drums shook the skies.
But inside the room, still carrying the lingering bitter scent of medicine, silence reigned. Yun Wan sat before her vanity table in white mourning clothes, a chilling cold seeping through her.
Hugging her knees, she curled up. In her mind echoed the conversation she had overheard not long ago—her mother-in-law plotting to kill her as a sacrifice to the deceased husband.
The cold, heartless words replayed repeatedly in her head. Hatred slowly brewed in Yun Wan’s heart.
She couldn’t sit and wait for death to claim her. She had to find a way to save herself—at best, to rid herself of the Lu family once and for all.
With resolve, Yun Wan put aside her despair and pulled herself together.
At that very moment, she received word that her uncle had arrived in the capital.
........
The uncle and niece found an opportunity to meet briefly at Yun Wan’s spice shop.
The moment they saw each other after so many years, both their eyes reddened. They exchanged warm words of concern.
When Yun Wan learned that her uncle had come to the capital specifically to take her back to Yangzhou, and that he had fallen gravely ill before the journey, nearly losing his life, she wept uncontrollably. This only strengthened her resolve to break free from the Lu family.
Cen Zhuo, upon learning that his poor, unfortunate niece had been mistreated by that family to the point where her life was now in danger, became so furious that his eyes turned red. He declared with righteous indignation: "A-Wan, rest assured. Even if it costs me my life, I will get you out of that hellhole!"
He knew well that in large, prestigious households—especially those bound by familial interests and arranged marriages—it was all too common for the in-laws to demand that a widowed daughter-in-law "voluntarily" remain chaste for the sake of family honor and profit.
Not to mention the hardships faced by ordinary widows, but the lives of widows in noble families who were forced to uphold chastity were beyond words. They dressed in plain clothes, ate simple meals like nuns, and had to adhere to countless strict rules without a single misstep; otherwise, they would be subjected to gossip and curses.
He had seen such women in Yangzhou City—pale and emaciated, their eyes dull and lifeless, filled with numbness like stagnant water. It stirred deep sorrow in the heart.
A-Wan was the only child of his late sister, his only niece. He and his wife had always treated her as their own daughter. No matter what, he could not bear to see such a young and vibrant girl buried alive in that oppressive mansion that devoured lives.
This was a decision both he and his wife agreed upon. At worst, they would simply take A-Wan in and support her.
"Uncle, don’t say such reckless things!"
Yun Wan interrupted urgently, shaking her head repeatedly as tears streamed down her face. "I don’t want you to risk your life for me! I want all of you to be safe and sound!"
Cen Zhuo wiped the corner of his eye and revealed a gentle, weathered face with a kind smile. "Alright, alright. We’ll all be fine!"
After exchanging warm words, the uncle and niece discussed their next plan in detail. From that day on, they did not contact each other again.
The following day, Cen Zhuo went to the Yun residence, demanding that Yun Wan’s father take his eldest daughter back. Unsurprisingly, he was refused and thrown out of the mansion.
Having expected this outcome, Cen Zhuo was not discouraged. Once thrown out, he simply sat on the stone steps in front of the Yun residence, hanging his head, wiping his tears, and sighing.
The Yun residence was located in the western market district, bustling with people during the busy market hours. Curious passersby wondered what could have caused a grown man to weep in public.
Someone asked him what was wrong.
Cen Zhuo opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated, a pained and sorrowful expression overtaking his refined, thin face.
"I weep for my poor, ill-fated niece. She is the eldest daughter of the Yun family, married into the Lu Duke Mansion. Her husband recently fell ill and passed away. She lost her husband so young, with no children. I can only imagine how difficult her life has become in that household."
"She is the daughter of my late sister, the original wife of Vice Minister Yun. My heart aches for my niece. I wanted to discuss with my brother-in-law bringing her back to her family home. But..."
He beat his chest and stomped his feet, sobbing uncontrollably with overwhelming grief: "But my brother-in-law said that a married daughter is like spilled water—nothing to do with the Yun family! My poor, departed sister! My poor, lonely niece!"
Hearing this, many people couldn’t help but feel sympathy. They murmured among themselves, saying that with a stepmother comes a stepfather, and that the eldest daughter of the Yun family must really be suffering.
They also remarked that Vice Minister Yun was heartless, even throwing out his brother-in-law, who had traveled so far from Yangzhou. Truly cold-blooded.
In truth, Cen Zhuo had not even seen Vice Minister Yun; he had been turned away by the current stepmother. Satisfied with the crowd’s indignation, he wiped his face and sighed:
"Ah, well. Since the Yun family refuses, I’ll just come again. After all, my niece is still a legitimate daughter of the Yun family. Just because her mother died young, it doesn’t mean the whole family can bully her relentlessly, does it?"
For the next few days, Cen Yuanzhou came to the Yun residence every day. When no one let him in, he would sit at the gate from morning till night, drawing the attention of neighbors, colleagues, and curious onlookers.
Before long, the story spread through the capital. Everyone knew about it, and the Yun family’s "selling off their daughter" became a favorite topic over tea and meals.
Under this pressure, the Yun family had no choice but to invite Cen Zhuo back inside. No one knew what was discussed, but after he came out, Cen Zhuo hired a group of people to parade with drums and gongs to the Lu Duke Mansion. He announced that, on behalf of the Yun family, they were requesting the return of their newly widowed, childless daughter-in-law.
This dynasty had no law requiring a widow to remain chaste for life after losing her husband. On the contrary, remarriage for widows was encouraged to help rebuild families and bear children.
Therefore, Cen Zhuo’s request did not seem unreasonable. After all, any family that truly loved their daughter would not want her to waste her life as a widow.
However, in contrast to the Yun family’s response, the Lu Duke Mansion did not even send anyone out to acknowledge the request.
Just when everyone had concluded that the Yun family’s daughter would spend the rest of her life as a widow in the Lu mansion, something unexpected happened during the Lu family’s funeral banquet.
Yun Wan accidentally knocked over a bowl of freshly served soup.
The soup spilled onto a silver bracelet worn by one of the guests, and immediately, the bracelet changed color, startling the guest, who shouted, "There’s poison in the food!"
Panic spread through the banquet. All the guests put down their chopsticks and looked around warily.
An investigation confirmed that the soup Yun Wan had overturned contained a large amount of arsenic. A single sip would have killed even a god, rendering any effort to save her futile.
Yun Wan’s face turned as pale as paper. Her frail body trembled, evoking pity and sympathy from everyone present.
Then, in full view of the crowd, she dropped to her knees before the Old Madam Lu, crying out:
"Please, Mother, spare me! Let me live! Your son and I loved each other dearly, but I still want to live! I don’t want to be buried alive to accompany him!"
As if terrified out of her wits, she ‘inadvertently’ revealed what she had overheard in a conversation between a mistress and her maid.
Her words were disjointed, but the onlookers caught the key point:
The poisoning was ordered by the Lu matriarch, intended to kill her daughter-in-law so she could be buried alive with her dead son!
The hall erupted into uproar.
Given that poisoning had occurred at a funeral banquet hosted by the Lu family, the guests demanded an explanation.
The Lu family conducted a search and discovered that the maid serving the Old Madam had already committed suicide by poison. In her room, they found an emptied packet of arsenic.
With the evidence solid, that very afternoon, Cen Zhuo went to the Dali Temple to beat the drum and file a complaint against the Lu family for attempting to murder their newly widowed daughter-in-law. Forced into action, the Yun family also joined as plaintiffs.
They could accept their daughter showing filial piety as a widow or even choosing to die out of devotion to her husband—but being deliberately poisoned? That was a step too far, an open slap in the face!
Under Cen Zhuo’s orchestration, the story spread so widely that even street children knew about the Lu matriarch who tried to poison her son’s widow to death.
Three days later, Yun Wan successfully obtained her decree of annulment. She packed her belongings and dowry and, cheerfully following her uncle, boarded the official boat headed for Yangzhou.
Gazing at the sunlight shimmering on the water’s surface and inhaling the faint scent of the water, all the gloom and shadows cleared from Yun Wan’s brow.
She was finally free!