HLnovel Chapter 836: Wife and Son Separated
Chapter 836: Wife and Son Separated
Pei Ji grabbed the plump carrier pigeon that had landed on the window frame and muttered, "It's quite fat, no wonder it flies so slowly."
He took the note off the pigeon's leg and released the pigeon from his hand. The pigeon flapped its wings and landed on the window frame, staring with its two beady eyes and cooing twice.
"Tsk, if you don't leave, I'll stew you."
The carrier pigeon cooed twice more before reluctantly flying away.
Pei Ji unfolded the note as he walked towards Zong Que, but when he saw the words on it, he stopped abruptly, exclaiming in surprise, "A general amnesty?"
He hurriedly handed the note to Zong Que, and saw four characters written on it.
Amnesty to the world.
Zong Que looked at the words on the note and suddenly smiled.
"Young master, what does this mean? Why would that person suddenly grant a general amnesty?" Pei Ji truly didn't understand.
"Yangyang did a great job." Zong Que tapped the note lightly with his fingertip. "I asked Sheng Er to pass on a message to her, to take this opportunity to propose to Father Emperor the abolition of the law of collective punishment. Father Emperor is unlikely to agree, and the abolition of collective punishment involves a wide range of issues and cannot be accomplished overnight. It is precisely because it is impossible to do so that we can take this opportunity to make demands."
"To think of granting a general amnesty, this Scholar Lu is quite a remarkable person."
“Scholar Lu?” Pei Ji blurted out, “A rival in love!”
Zong Que looked up and glanced at him. "How many more days until we arrive?"
"I received the letter yesterday; I estimate it will take about ten more days," Pei Ji replied.
"Tell our people to prepare. Once they arrive, we'll set off for the capital immediately." Zong Que put the note away.
Pei Ji thought to himself, "He's getting anxious, he must be getting anxious."
……
When the Emperor announced the end of the court session, Lu Yangyang, clutching the waist token given to her by the Emperor, walked down the steps.
Duke Sheng looked at her with mixed feelings. When she came to the capital back then, he never imagined that his daughter, who was raised in the countryside and whose only asset was her face, would grow up to be like this.
In recent years, everything he had worked so hard for seemed to slowly crumble and collapse with her arrival and departure.
He and his wife had been deeply in love for twenty years, but in one night, they were separated.
After Lan left that year, she never returned. He secretly sent people to follow her and learned that she had returned to Jiangnan, but not to her ancestral home of Jiangling. Instead, she met Prince Rong, who was on a southern tour on behalf of the emperor, in Jiangnan. Under Prince Rong's introduction, she went to a private school for girls in Jiangnan to work as a teacher.
He sent her letters and gifts, but she only accepted the letters and returned the gifts, as if she had made up her mind to sever all ties with him.
The couple had three sons and one daughter. Their eldest son and he had always disagreed on political views and had stopped communicating for a long time because of their respective positions.
After the second son stormed off in anger, he reportedly returned to the capital, but never showed up in front of him.
The youngest son went to the Northwest to stay with the eldest son, but there has been no news of him since.
Their daughter, in particular, has never acknowledged them.
He hadn't thought much of it before, but perhaps because the situation of the Duke of Sheng's mansion had been deteriorating in the past two years, the Third Prince, though still trying to win him over, didn't trust him. His position in the court had become increasingly awkward as the struggle for the throne intensified.
The affair between the real and fake heiresses caused quite a stir back then. His biological daughter became the Crown Princess, but not as a daughter of the Sheng family. Later, the Crown Prince was deposed, and the marriage alliance with the Third Prince failed. He couldn't rely on either side and wanted to extricate himself, but he couldn't.
Frustrated and unfulfilled in the imperial court, he grew increasingly empty at home.
I often think back to the past, wondering if things would be different now if I hadn't been so fixated on it.
He watched Lu Yangyang walk over and pass by him without even glancing at him.
"Yangyang," the Duke of Sheng couldn't help but call out subconsciously, turning around to chase after her.
Lu Yangyang stopped and glanced at him sideways. "Is there something you need, Lord Sheng?"
"I..." Duke Sheng looked at her completely unfamiliar appearance and felt bitter. He could only force himself to say, "Your mother went to Jiangnan and is working as a female teacher in a private school. If you need her address, I will have someone send it to you."
"No need. I'll find a way myself if I need it," Lu Yangyang said, then turned and left.
Lu Yangyang indeed had no news of the Lan family. Most of her information came from her second brother, but her second brother harbored resentment towards the Lan family, especially after Sheng Junye was injured. Her second brother was unwilling to mention the Lan family again.
She still has a lot to do, and it's very dangerous.
Knowing that Lady Lan has returned to Jiangnan and is doing well is enough.
She was willing to let go of the prejudices in her dreams and forgive her past inaction after Lan treated her sincerely. However, they were ultimately destined to be a close mother and daughter, so she was at ease knowing that Lan was doing well.
As Lu Yangyang left the palace, Hongyu and Xiao Liu were already waiting for her at the palace gate in their carriage.
Now that she has been pardoned by His Majesty, she no longer needs to hide. Although her second brother did not say anything, she knew that he had secretly sent people to protect her, so she was not worried that the Third Prince would retaliate against her.
"Miss!" Hongyu jumped excitedly from the carriage when she saw her come out. "I was so worried! The Second Young Master said that what you were going to do today was very dangerous. I came early this morning, but there are guards all around the palace gates. I couldn't get close and I couldn't get any information. I was so anxious!"
"I'm fine, come on, let me take you home!" Lu Yangyang said happily.
"Go home?" Hongyu asked instinctively. "Which home?"
“Of course it’s our home!” Lu Yangyang pulled her to the carriage and instructed Xiao Liu, “Xiao Liu, go to the Princess’s residence first. Later, go to the Duke of Sheng’s residence to find the Fourth Miss and ask her to bring her Second Aunt to stay at the Princess’s residence for a few days!”
"Alright!" Xiao Liu replied with a smile.
There were many people and eyes at the palace gate, so Lu Yangyang didn't linger and left in her carriage.
Upon arriving at the Princess's residence, Lu Yangyang instructed Xiao Liu to find Sheng Yunjiao. She took Hongyu and knocked on the door. Although she hadn't returned for over two years, the residence was still well-maintained, and someone quickly opened the door. Upon seeing her, the person seemed somewhat confused.
"Who are you?" The gatekeeper was a little hesitant to recognize her, but soon, Granny Shen arrived with her entourage.
Upon seeing Lu Yangyang, tears welled up in her eyes. "Miss, it really is you who has returned!"
Granny Shen stepped forward, took her hand, and looked her over carefully: "You've grown taller and more beautiful."
When Lu Yangyang saw Granny Shen, she was also very surprised: "Granny Shen, didn't I tell you to go back to Jiangnan after settling everyone in?"
“I originally wanted to go back, but my sister is my only family now. She went back to Jiangnan with the Madam, and I didn’t know where to go. Anyway, His Majesty didn’t send anyone to seal up the Princess’s residence. I asked around, and no one came to cause trouble, so I stayed on the estate for a year. After things calmed down, I came back. I thought that if you came back one day, you would definitely come back too. And it did!” Granny Shen sighed, but thankfully, the young lady finally came back!