Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 219

Chapter 219: Fan Yuxiu’s Situation

The night was deep.

The boat drifted on the Bianliang River under the moonlight, the world crystal clear.

Jiang Mi fell into Cui Zi Xuan’s arms. Because the night was a little chilly, she untied his outer robe to cover them both. At this moment, their body heat mingled, their breaths connected, and the sky was still.

In this moment, where even the dust was stained with blood, this poetic tranquility, this peace of being with one’s beloved, as if it could last forever, was truly intoxicating.

Cui Zi Xuan held Jiang Mi tightly, gazing up at the full moon amidst the blue sky and white clouds, and murmured, “I truly hope that every year, every month, will be like this.”

He smiled wistfully at this.

After a while, Cui Zi Xuan said to Jiang Mi, “Ah’Mi, let’s listen to the flowing water and see where we end up.”

Jiang Mi was delighted. She turned her head and rubbed against his sleeve.

Jiang Mi’s movement was subtle, and she barely noticed it herself. Cui Zi Xuan looked down at her, meeting her languid expression, and slowly took her small hand, their fingers intertwining tightly…

Lovers doing joyful things was the greatest happiness in the world, but unfortunately, both Cui Zi Xuan and Jiang Mi were busy with their own affairs. They stayed in the valley for less than three days before being urged to return by their respective subordinates five or six times.

On the fourth day, they had no choice but to return to Bianliang City.

Almost as soon as they arrived home, both of them received invitations from Zhao Kuangyin, inviting them to Li Mo’s welcoming banquet.

Knowing Li Mo, Cui Zi Xuan immediately accepted. At dusk, he picked up Jiang Mi in a carriage, and the two headed towards Zhao Mansion.

The Zhao brothers were military officers, and the mansion was frequented by many military men. Before Jiang Mi even alighted from the carriage, she saw Shao Xiaozi and others chatting and laughing loudly with several military officers.

After alighting from the carriage, as the banquet had not yet begun, Cui Zi Xuan was ushered into the main hall by Zhao Kuangyi, while Jiang Mi was escorted to the inner courtyard by Zhao Kuangyi’s wife, where Zheng Wen and others were speaking in hushed tones.

Lady Yang was quite a legendary figure; upon her arrival, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

Zheng Wen greatly admired Jiang Mi, her savior, and her eyes lit up instantly upon seeing her.

A young woman nearby, seeing her like this, could not help but cover her mouth and chuckle, “Does Madam Li like this, Lady Yang?”

“Lady Yang has done me a great favor,” Zheng Wen said eagerly, standing up. Looking in Jiang Mi’s direction, she said longingly, “She’s simply… simply exactly the kind of person I’ve always imagined.” With that, Zheng Wen hurried forward, bowing deeply to Jiang Mi, saying, “Zheng Wen greets Madam. I will never forget your life-saving grace.”

Jiang Mi quickly helped her up, smiling, “Madam Li, you flatter me.”

Nearby, Zhao Kuangyi’s wife quickly came over, taking their hands on either side and leading them towards the main seat. As they walked, Madam Zhao chuckled, “You two are you perhaps considering becoming sworn sisters? Even if you want to become Big Sister Little Sister…” “Yes, it’s better to settle things back at your seats.” She teased the two of them for a moment, then turned to Zheng Wen and said, “I heard Madam Li is from Sichuan? Then Cui Zi Xuan should know her, right? Perfect timing, Lady Yang is also acquainted with Cui Zi Xuan; you two can chat.”

Upon hearing Cui Zi Xuan’s name, Zheng Wen paused, thinking of her good friend Jiang Mi, and momentarily lost in thought.

After helping Jiang Mi to her seat, Zheng Wen hesitated for a long time before asking tentatively, “Does Madam know Cui’s young master?”

Jiang Mi looked at her; seeing an old friend, her eyes warmed, so Jiang Mi smiled warmly and replied, “Yes, I do.”

Zheng Wen nervously twisted her fingers for a moment, finally unable to resist asking again, “Then, does Madam know Cui Zi Xuan’s wife, Jiang Mi?”

Hearing her mention Jiang Mi, Lady Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, “Why was this Madam Li mentioning Cui Zi Xuan’s ex-lover in front of Lady Yang?” Mentioning both new and old lovers in this setting would likely spoil Lady Yang’s good mood.

To Madam Zhao’s surprise, Zheng Wen’s words did not anger Lady Yang. Instead, she looked at Zheng Wen with incredibly warm eyes. She gently patted Zheng Wen’s hand and said, “Madam, do not worry; your old friend is perfectly fine.”

It must be said that Lady Yang’s words were quite intriguing. Madam Zhao, Zheng Wen, and even those listening nearby were all taken aback. They wondered: Who was this Lady Yang? How did she know that Lady Jiang and Madam Li were old friends? And how did she know that Lady Jiang was alright? And why did she speak of Lady Jiang in such a tone?

Full of questions, Zheng Wen had no chance to ask, because several more ladies arrived.

After the commotion subsided and everyone was seated, Madam Zhao smiled at an elderly woman sitting to her left and said, “Since arriving in Bianliang, you’ve kept a low profile. It’s truly an honor for Niece that you could attend this banquet.” She then introduced Zheng Wen, saying, “Madam Li may not know, but Old Madam Shao’s new daughter-in-law is also from your Shu State.” Turning to Old Madam Shao, she asked, “It’s been a year since the marriage, yet your new daughter-in-law has not come out to meet anyone?”

Mentioning her daughter-in-law, Old Madam Shao’s expression darkened. She said sternly, “The old lady in the countryside is unwell; she’s gone to attend to her.” Old Madam Shao seemed to want no one to bring up the matter again.

At this moment, Zheng Wen, sitting to one side, suddenly changed her expression. She asked Old Madam Shao, “Is Old Madam’s daughter-in-law surnamed Fan?”

Fan? Suddenly, Jiang Mi recalled the gossip she had heard and immediately thought: Could it be Fan Yuxiu? They said Fan Yuxiu would marry into the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Could she have married Shao Xiaozi’s elder brother, that scholar surnamed Shao?

Old Madam Shao clearly did not want to elaborate. She replied in a flat tone, “Yes, her surname is Fan.”

Zheng Wen’s eyes lit up. Ignoring Old Madam Shao’s unfriendly attitude, she quickly asked again, “Is her name Fan Yuxiu?”

Hearing this, Madam Zhao exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, you really know her?”

It really was Fan Yuxiu!

In an instant, not only Zheng Wen, but also Jiang Mi beside her… A thought flashed through Zheng Wen’s mind.

Zheng Wen observed Old Madam Shao’s expression darken upon hearing Fan Yuxiu’s name, her worry growing with each observation. Old Madam Shao’s stern face at the mention of Fan Yuxiu, and the fact that Fan Yuxiu had only been married into the Shao family for a short time before being sent to the countryside, suggested that Fan Yuxiu’s situation was likely dire.

What Zheng Wen could think of, Jiang Mi also considered. She frowned and, seeing that no one was paying attention, beckoned a maid. As the maid approached, Jiang Mi whispered instructions, telling her to quickly gather information about Madam Shao, Fan Yuxiu.

Originally, Zheng Wen was determined to befriend Jiang Mi, but now that she knew about Fan Yuxiu’s situation and that her precarious circumstances might be dire, she, being a straightforward and stubborn person, could not care less about anything else and became rather distracted.

Old Madam Shao was clearly unwell, and after a short while, she rose to take her leave. Madam Zhao quickly sent someone to escort her out.

As soon as Madam Shao left, Zheng Wen frequently glanced at Madam Zhao. Just as she was about to speak to Madam Zhao, she heard Lady Yang’s extremely pleasant voice from the side, “Why did Old Madam Shao’s face show displeasure when she mentioned her daughter-in-law?”

This Lady Yang was indeed used to her high position and power; her questions were particularly direct. Zheng Wen thought to herself while quickly glancing at Zhao Kuangyi’s wife.

Scholar Shao was a confidant of the Zhao brothers, their chief strategist; logically, Madam Zhao should be well aware of his family’s situation.

Unexpectedly, Lady Yang was also interested in this matter. Madam Zhao hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, “I heard that Lady Fan is rather rude and uncouth, which displeased Old Madam Shao.” She clearly did not want to say more, and since another person had come to greet her, she got up to go and greet them.

As soon as Madam Zhao left, a young woman in her early twenties sitting on the left-hand side let out a mocking laugh and said to Jiang Mi, “Madam, you do not know, the Shao family, though not of high social standing, is a notorious place of trouble.” Zheng Wen, sitting nearby, quickly asked, “Has something happened?”

“What trouble?” the young woman curled her lip disdainfully and said, “They are just poor people who’ve been struggling for a long time. Suddenly, a phoenix appears, and everyone wants to cling to her. What kind of rules do they have?” She leaned closer to Jiang Mi and her companion, lowering her voice, and said, “I heard that even before Lord Shao was married, Old Madam Shao kept one of her nieces by his side. Now, in Shao Mansion, this concubine is in charge of everything, while the wife, whom they carefully brought back from Sichuan, was sent to the countryside to suffer on some pretext.”

The young woman snorted and sneered, “People say Lord Shao is a man of exceptional talent and intelligence, yet he’s nothing more than a bastard who neglects his wife!”

On the side, Zheng Wen’s face darkened with barely concealed displeasure upon hearing this. Jiang Mi, however, pondered and asked, “Has Lady Fan been married for over a year now?”

“Exactly a little over a year.” The young woman’s voice lowered again. “I heard that less than a month into the marriage, Old Madam Shao found an excuse to send her to the countryside. The other day, Old Madam Shao was talking to people, implying that she disliked that she had no children. She cannot even see him, so where would she get a son?”

Jiang Mi never imagined that the Fan Family’s carefully considered marriage arrangement would end like this. Immediately, she frowned and asked, “Is Lord Shao not going to do anything about it?”

The young woman thought for a moment and replied, “General Zhao has been fighting all year, and Lord Shao has been with him. He has not been back to Bianliang much.”

Just then, the sound of string and wind instruments drifted over, signaling the start of the banquet.

As tables of food and drink were set out, Madam Zhao returned to her seat at the head of the table. After she, Zheng Wen, and Jiang Mi took a small sip of wine, a commotion arose outside. Li Mo had come to greet his wife so they could go and pay their respects to the officials. Unexpectedly, Cui Zi Xuan followed closely behind Li Mo, holding Jiang Mi’s hand just as Li Mo had held Zheng Wen’s. Under the astonished gazes of Madam Zhao and Zheng Wen, they walked towards the hall where the men were.