Chapter 450: Chapter 309: The Princely Heir’s Wife Arrives

“Pah! As if being an official’s relative is so impressive! Lady Changsheng is such a capable woman, yet she never flaunted her power like this, not even a word of thanks. What lack of manners!” the waiter grumbled resentfully.

The pedestrians around saw the luxurious carriage heading towards Tongji Street and dispersed, while some idle bystanders, with nothing better to do, followed the carriage from a distance, ready to watch the excitement unfold.

Though these days Miss Huo of the Mandated Noble Lady overshadowed Medicine God Lady Changsheng, Lady Changsheng was, after all, still Lady Changsheng. Matters concerning her, more or less, always became the talk of the streets and alleys.

Yhan Qinrui, dressed in an eight-colored floral robe, her hair piled high, sat in the carriage, hearing the panting of the housekeeper outside. She smirked and spoke, “Uncle Yhan, why bother with common folk like that, losing your dignity for nothing!”

Outside the carriage, Housekeeper Yan, walking alongside the carriage, bowed slightly, “Miss is right!”

On hearing this, Yhan Qinrui shook her head, “Uncle Yhan, I have already come of age, you should change the way you address me. You can’t call me ‘miss’ anymore!”

At the mention of coming of age, a blush of shy redness appeared on Yhan Qinrui’s face, which quickly faded, but a sharp glint still flashed through her eyes.

“I have been calling you ‘miss’ for so many years, suddenly having to call you ‘young madam’ feels somewhat difficult to adjust to…” Housekeeper Yan shook his head.

Now, after major young ladies come of age, their maternal families must change how they address them. The servants who follow them to their marital homes change their manner of addressing them, while those from their maternal families must refer to them as ‘young madam’, regardless of seniority. This is the rule in major households.

“Since Uncle Yhan finds it awkward, then just follow Chun Hua and Qiu Yue in calling me the heir’s wife!” Yhan Qinrui was quite close to Housekeeper Yan, who raised her since she was a child, and his wife was her nanny, who was currently sitting in the carriage behind.

“Then let’s do as the heir’s wife says!” Housekeeper Yan nodded in response, turned around only to notice the people trailing not far behind the procession, and approached the carriage to speak worriedly in a low voice, “Heir’s wife, it seems Gu Changsheng has quite a reputation in Liuzhou City. With this being the case, it might be difficult to take action against her…”

Upon hearing this, a look of displeasure flashed across Yhan Qinrui’s delicate face. She forced herself to calm and responded, “If she was capable enough to catch His Majesty’s attention, she would surely not be an easy opponent. I’ve traveled thousands of miles here just to see for myself what kind of woman she is!”

“Heir’s wife, in this servant’s opinion, wouldn’t it be better to simply eliminate her?” Housekeeper Yan whispered close to the carriage window, a hint of murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

Yhan Qinrui shook her head, a trace of forbearance flashing in her eyes, “It is not possible. Liuzhou City is His Highness Prince Mu’s fief. If I act here, we might incur criticisms and potentially implicate my father as well. Moreover, if my husband were to find out, he would think me petty and jealous, and it would certainly create a rift between us…”

“I promised my husband to bring her and her son back to the Capital, and I must bring both of them back to the Capital!”

Housekeeper Yan nodded, “The heir’s wife’s considerations are very thorough. Once we bring them back to the Capital, how they are dealt with will be at a simple flick of your finger.”

Upon hearing Housekeeper Yan’s words, Yhan Qinrui’s lips curled into a barely visible smile.

A woman from a lesser family, how could she know the rules of survival in the backyards of major houses? If I say she lives, she lives. If I say she dies, she dies! And she dares call herself Changsheng!

As Yhan Qinrui thought this, she snorted coldly. The name did indeed carry a nice implication, but her life and death were not for her to decide!

Yhan Qinrui’s slender fingers resting on her knees slowly intertwined, a determined gleam flashing in her eyes.

“Do you see that house with the glazed tile roof? That’s the Longevity Medical Hall, the residence of Medicine God Lady Changsheng!”

The carriage had just reached the intersection of Tongji Street and hadn’t turned the corner when a kindly folk pointed in the direction of the Longevity Medical Hall from afar.

Housekeeper Yan was momentarily startled.

A look of displeasure also flashed across Yhan Qinrui’s face.

Housekeeper Yan turned his head following the direction pointed by the bystander, and indeed, standing out amidst the neatly arrayed shops and courtyards on both sides of Tongji Street, largely consisting of ordinary one-story civilian houses and occasionally two-story buildings, was one courtyard that strikingly caught his eye…

Waiting a while without any reaction from Housekeeper Yan, Yhan Qinrui quietly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain with her fingers coated in Red Nailpolish, the first thing she saw being the stare of Housekeeper Yan lost in a daze…

Following Housekeeper Yan’s gaze towards the Longevity Medical Hall, Yhan Qinrui’s expression changed as well.

Under the lush towering trees that shaded the area, the glazed tiles reflected the morning light, dazzlingly fragmented and too brilliant to look directly at.

This was the scene, clearly visible from the head of Tongji Street…

A thought abruptly crosses Yhan Qinrui’s mind: Magnificently opulent!

Indeed, this was her first impression of the Longevity Medical Hall: magnificently opulent!

“Official Kiln produced glazed tiles…” Yhan Qinrui squinted her eyes as she stared distantly at the Longevity Medical Hall, murmuring to herself…

Born into a high-ranking official’s family, with generations of officials, well-informed and widely exposed, only Official Kilns could produce such colored glazed tiles, and in limited quantities meant only for the Imperial Family’s use. Even her own family did not qualify to use them!

Yet, Gu Changsheng’s medical hall courtyard was filled with glazed tiles!

Yhan Qinrui’s heart suddenly had an ominous feeling…

She felt she should understand why the lowly Gu Changsheng had caught the emperor’s eye…

Glazed tiles… In Liuzhou City, only one person had the authority to mobilize glazed tiles from the Official Kiln, and that was none other than the War God of Great Zhou, Prince Mu, who governed the Liuzhou Region!

Presumably, this Gu Changsheng must have formed a connection with His Highness Prince Mu, which prompted the emperor to want her removed from Liuzhou…

She had been curious about why Huo Shuixian had been so successful in Liuzhou. Now, it seemed there was no need to ask in person; Huo Shuixian’s visit to her maternal aunt was probably also to safeguard against Gu Changsheng and His Highness Prince Mu…

In that case, wasn’t Gu Changsheng’s relationship with His Highness Prince Mu not just a mere connection, but rather a deep one?

At this thought, Yhan Qinrui’s expression grew even darker…

An abandoned wife, carrying along an evildoer son, she had actually managed to forge a connection with His Highness Prince Mu! Gu Changsheng, indeed, should not be underestimated! It seemed she needed to tread carefully!

“Uncle Yhan, let’s go!”

Yhan Qinrui collected her thoughts and softly commanded.

Upon hearing his master’s voice, Housekeeper Yan immediately snapped back to reality, his face still showing a hint of shock.

The carriage once again started moving toward Longevity Medical Hall, and even more people were following to see what the commotion was about.

The city chief went to Prince Mu’s Mansion and reported everything in detail to Lord Yuan Bao.

Lord Yuan Bao listened with a puzzled face, then waved his hand dismissively, “And I thought it was something significant. It’s just a household member from the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion, a minor family. Does my lord need to personally welcome them?”

The city chief blinked at these words, but still spoke, “But they are people from the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion after all!”

“Even if it were the old codger from the Ministry of War himself, it would still be him coming to pay respects to my lord! Alright, alright, stop making a mountain out of a molehill. Go back to your duties!” Lord Yuan Bao said while patting the city chief’s shoulder.

The city chief was a man of Prince Mu’s Mansion and, hearing this, he almost imperceptibly shook his head, “This subordinate feels it’s still not appropriate. Our lord left Southern Fujian and killed several coastal officers there, and the matter hasn’t been settled in the capital yet. At such a time, having people from a directly controlled military power mansion like the Ministry of War’s could be indicative of ulterior motives…”

“Snap!” A sudden flick struck the city chief’s forehead. Yuan Bao, corners of his mouth twitching, spoke, “Who did you learn this needless worrying from? Has our lord ever killed too few officials? If the sky falls, taller men will handle it; we needn’t bother with these trifles!”

“It’s rare that our lord is in a good mood today, clear-headed and cheerful, so let’s not bother him with such trivial matters. You, go back to your duties!” Lord Yuan Bao said, pushing the city chief out.

“But…” The city chief wanted to say more but was cut off by Yuan Bao.

“You’re supposed to guard the city, and yet you worry like a great general. That’s enough. When the Minister of War comes, then come to report!”

With these words, Lord Yuan Bao unhesitatingly pushed the city chief out of Lansheng Courtyard.

The city chief, looking dejected, gazed at the tightly shut courtyard door, scratching his head in annoyance, “When will Generals One and Two return? Lord Yuan Bao is as unreliable as ever!”

He was worried! These were people from the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion! Miss Huo’s recent visit had stirred up trouble in Liuzhou City, and now another official’s family had arrived from the capital; the city chief felt there must be something fishy!

From the capital to Liuzhou City, the journey was long and arduous. One official’s family member visiting might be excusable, but to have another follow, and this time from a family with real governmental power, it made him worry…

“Guo Daqian, stop worrying. With our lord in Liuzhou City, who can cause much trouble? Let’s go, let me escort you out of the mansion. When do we brothers have time to get together for a drink?” said a guard familiar with Guo Daqian, slinging an arm over his shoulders as they walked out together.

As Guo Daqian was being jostled outside, he looked back worriedly; something still didn’t feel right to him…

Meanwhile, the carriage carrying Yhan Qinrui and her party had already reached a spot not far from Longevity Medical Hall.

The closer they got to Longevity Medical Hall, the quieter the people on the streets became.

They truly revered the Medicine God Lady Changsheng from the bottom of their hearts!

“Stop the carriage!”

Suddenly, Housekeeper Yan, his face in shock, raised his hand to halt the carriage.

“Chief Steward Yan, what’s the matter, why have we stopped before reaching our destination?” Qiu Yue, a maid by Yhan Qinrui’s side, lifted the carriage curtain and complained poutingly, “Do you expect the heir’s wife to walk the rest of the way?”

Housekeeper Yan, regaining his composure, helplessly shook his head, “Please, heir’s wife, dismount the carriage!”