The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 87

By the time the turmoil was quelled, it was already late at night. The assassins turned out to be remnants of the Tianling Cult, and their purpose was to seek revenge on the Eldest Princess. Five years ago, there was a drought in the northwest, and the Tianling Cult took the opportunity to cause trouble. The court officials wanted to appease them, but the Princess went against public opinion and sent heavy troops to suppress them. As a result, the Tianling Cult was defeated, and the remnants held a grudge and planned for many years to avenge themselves.

The Eldest Princess was still in shock as she sat on the soft couch in the Zhangde Hall, with her children and grandchildren kneeling on the ground below her. The Third Master had returned to the capital to serve the Duke, and the eldest and fourth masters were serving the Eldest Princess. They were all silent, prostrating on the ground, except for Wang Yining, who was leaning against the Eldest Princess with red eyes, sobbing non-stop.

Behind the screen, the Imperial Physician was applying medicine to Wang Shuhuai. When everything was done, Xie Yunchu personally helped him put on his robe and tied his belt. After a while, the couple slowly walked out and saluted the Eldest Princess together.

The Imperial Physician bowed first and said, “Your Highness, the Second Young Master’s condition has stabilized. He has only broken skin and flesh, and no broken bones. Don’t worry, he will recover in a month.”

The Princess pressed her brows wearily, signaled the court lady to send the man out, and then her eyes fell on Wang Shuhuai with a complicated expression.

“Huai’er, thank you.”

Wang Shuhuai bowed and said, “This is what your grandson should do.” He then glanced at his wife, who remained calm, and did not erase her contribution in front of the Eldest Princess. “To be honest, today it was all thanks to Yun Chu’s keen perception. She was the first to discover that the peasant woman’s sticks were different. If it were not for this, your grandson would not have been able to get to you and His Majesty in time.”

The Eldest Princess shifted her gaze to Xie Yunchu, revealing relief and approval. “Chu’er has always been a good person.” Her tone was obviously much more intimate.

When Xie Yunchu heard Wang Shuhuai say her name, she got distracted. She had been waiting for such a word her whole life in her previous life. It turned out that those two words sounded so beautiful when he pronounced them. It was a pity that the woman who was always servile and fawning in the previous life would never be able to hear it.

Wang Shuhuai risked his life to save her, which made the Princess’s other children and grandchildren feel ashamed.

The others couldn’t even raise their heads.

The Princess looked extremely calm and said nothing extra. She just nodded and said, “Go back and rest. We’ll return to the capital tomorrow morning.”

After Xie Yunchu and Wang Shuhuai left, the others burst into tears, “Mother…” They were about to explain themselves for their incompetence, but the Princess had no intention of listening to their confession. She waved her hand for everyone to disperse and walked into the inner hall alone, holding the hand of a female official.

The old lady sat against the bed curtain for a long time, and the personal maid opened the curtain and served her a cup of soothing tea. “Your Highness, drink it.”

The Princess did not take the teacup but looked deeply into the lady-in-waiting’s eyes. “What do you think of what happened today?”

The female official had served the Princess for decades and understood what she was asking. “This servant feels that the Second Young Master is very special.”

“Yes.” The Princess raised her head and sighed. “Either he truly treats me as his grandmother, in which case I should repay him, or he is so cunning and cruel; I cannot be his enemy.”

The female official had not expected that a newly minted scholar, who was only twenty years old, would actually make the regent princess feel wary.

“Your Highness, please tell me what you are planning, and I will help you understand it.”

The Princess laughed. After making the decision, her expression became less solemn. She leaned back on the pillow and said slowly, “The Jiangnan case has become a big deal. Someone recently reported the case to the court. Regardless of whether the case is directed at me or not, the matter of the Jiangnan Fish Scale Atlas should be resolved.” The Princess smoothed the wrinkles on her clothes and made up her mind. “Rather than letting people find out about me, it’s better to send one of our own people to the south and take the initiative.”

The female officer asked, “Who do you plan to send south?”

“Wang Shuhuai.”

The Princess said word by word, “Whether he is truly submitting or just pretending to be submissive, let him go south, and we will know for sure.”

“Besides, he has made many great contributions, and His Majesty and I need to give him an explanation.”

“Who else but him?”

The female official smiled. “Your Highness is wise. No matter how powerful the Second Young Master is, he cannot escape from your grasp.”

The Princess did not respond to this but sighed. “Old Wang really gave birth to a good grandson.”

“If Xu’er and Ye’er were half as capable as he is, I would be able to rest easy.”

The female official helped her lie down. “The Fifth Master and Sixth Master are still young. When they pass the Imperial Examination and become officials, you can promote them. They will definitely not lose to the Second Young Master.”

The Eldest Princess sneered. “Even you try to coax me.”

—

After Xie Yunchu and her husband returned to the villa, she stared coldly at his injured hand and said, “Second Young Master, you’re really trying hard.”

She didn’t expect that by helping the Duke avoid disaster, Wang Shuhuai was injured instead.

Wang Shuhuai looked relaxed, staring at his wife with sharp eyes. “Madam, this time it’s all thanks to you.”

Xie Yunchu certainly knew what he meant. He had taken another big step up the ladder to fame. She wanted to mock him, but thinking of how hard he was working, she finally shut up and said, “Rest early.”

Xie Yunchu washed first. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw the tall man standing behind the screen in embarrassment. Their eyes met. Xie Yunchu’s gaze moved to his wounds. Naturally, she knew what he was thinking. In her previous life, she wanted to help him, but he didn’t allow her. In this life, he was dreaming.

“Second Young Master, please ask Ming Gui to serve you.” Xie Yunchu walked into the inner room leisurely.

Xie Yunchu didn’t know how Wang Shuhuai took the shower in the end. When he came out, Xie Yunchu had already fallen asleep peacefully.

After such a big incident, the Emperor was in no mood to have fun. He returned to the palace the next day and took all the people to the Yamen for interrogation.

After returning to the Duke’s Mansion, Wang Shuhuai went to study as usual, and Xie Yunchu hurried back to Chunjing Hall to hug her daughter. The couple parted ways on the stone path.

For several days, Wang Shuhuai was recuperating in the mansion, and Xie Yunchu never went to the study to visit him. The crisis in the Duke’s Mansion was resolved, and she and Wang Shuhuai should return to their respective tracks. With Wang Shuhuai’s rescue this time, her status in the Wang family rose, and even Jiang was polite to her. She was happy to live a relaxed and comfortable life.

Instead, Wang Shuhuai was lying alone in the inner room of the study, looking at the vast moonlight spreading over the empty study. He felt strange in his heart. It had only been a few days, but he was not used to sleeping in a separate bed from her.