Chapter 365 Entering the Capital (Part 2)

Chapter 365 Entering the Capital (Part 2)

After Jiang Yuan handed over military affairs to the new commander of Dinghai Guard, his family left Dinghai County with their pre-packed luggage, surrounded by guards and servants.

The October wind already carried a hint of chill, especially as they were traveling northwest from Dinghai County.

The departing convoy slowly drove out of the city gate, watched by the people of Dinghai County, with the sounds of wheels and hooves alternating.

Xie Wanniang sat in the frontmost princess's carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked at both sides of the road.

The fields on both sides of the road were empty, with no crops left. Occasionally, a few birds would fly by, leaving behind a few clear chirps.

"Princess, it's windy outside, please lower the carriage curtain." Haitang gently advised, touching her slightly protruding belly.

She was five months pregnant, and although she didn't seem to care and continued as usual, Xie Wanniang and Wu Qing were both very worried about her.

This time, when everyone was traveling from Dinghai County to the capital, Xie Wanniang completely exempted her from her guard duties, only letting her accompany An'an in the carriage, and not letting her do any heavy work.

Hearing her say that, Xie Wanniang lowered the carriage curtain as instructed. "I know. You're feeling heavy, so lean back and rest more. Don't keep thinking about those trivial things."

As she spoke, she turned to look at An'an, who was sitting opposite her, playing with her younger brother with a rattle drum. "An'an, are you cold? Do you want to put on another layer of clothing?"

An'an shook her head, her little face flushed, "Mommy, An'an isn't cold."

After saying that, she touched Linlin's hand again, "Little brother, are you cold?"

Linlin's little hands were warm and soft. He looked up at his chubby, round face and replied, "Not cold~"

An'an then smiled and patted her younger brother's head, "Linlin is such a good boy."

Xie Wanniang couldn't help but laugh, turning her head away and raising the corners of her lips.

Haitang said, "As we head north, the weather will definitely get colder day by day."

While pouring tea for Xie Wanniang, Cunyu interjected, "Luckily, we prepared enough warm clothes in advance."

Even before setting off, Xie Wanniang had the sewing workshop staff make cotton-padded jackets, cotton-padded trousers, and thick cloaks for everyone in the group. There wasn't time to prepare lined jackets, but everyone had some on hand, so they weren't left without anything to wear.

Not far into the distance, a small caravan and three horse-drawn carriages trailed far behind the main group.

When the guards came to report, Jiang Yuan waved his hand and ordered, "It's alright, let them follow."

The guards responded with a yes, and indeed did not run off to drive away the travelers and caravans trailing behind.

Perhaps because they were easy to talk to, along the way to the capital, many more scattered travelers and small caravans followed, trailing far behind their group.

Some of these people only traveled with them briefly for a day or two, while others' routes almost completely overlapped with theirs. The reason they trailed behind Xie Wanniang's group was because they saw that this group was heavily guarded and had an imposing presence. They knew that bandits and thugs along the way would not dare to approach them easily, so they wanted to take advantage of their presence to avoid some dangers and troubles they might encounter along the way.

Jiang Yuan didn't drive them away, which made them feel even more at ease following him. But they didn't expect that Jiang Yuan not only didn't have anyone drive them away, but also instructed his guards, "Keep an eye out. If anyone dares to bypass us and try to target those people behind us, you should help to deter them as appropriate."

He receives a salary from the imperial court, so protecting the people is his duty. These travelers and merchants from ordinary families face difficulties traveling, so he helps them whenever he can.

With Jiang Yuan's instruction, the guards became more attentive to the travelers and merchants behind them.

When encountering rugged mountain roads, she would deliberately slow down; if a caravan's carriage broke down, she would offer to lend a hand; if a traveler suddenly fell ill, Xie Wanniang would even have someone help diagnose his pulse and prescribe medicine, and give him a few packets of the appropriate medicine free of charge.

As they traveled along, those trailing behind their group grew increasingly fond of Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang. Some even brought gifts of thanks, while others praised their kindness to everyone they met. As a result, Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan's good reputation spread like wildfire throughout the counties and prefectures along the way.

The group traveled day and night for about twenty days. On the afternoon of October 21st, the majestic city walls of the capital finally came into view of the leading guards.

The dark blue city walls stretched endlessly, majestic and imposing. The city gates were bustling with people and carriages, a scene of great prosperity.

Hearing the lead guard shout "We've arrived!", everyone in the group couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The fatigue from days of travel seemed to dissipate with the sound of "We've arrived."

Jiang Yuan ordered his men to slow down and line up for the city entry inspection. However, just then, a dozen or so people suddenly rushed out from the crowd craning their necks to look outside the city gate.

They headed straight for Xie Wanniang and her group. The middle-aged man in the lead, dressed in silk and sporting a goatee, waved to Jiang Yuan, who was riding on horseback, from afar.

"Young Master! Young Master! I am Fang Youcai, the second steward of the manor."

As he spoke, Fang Youcai ran over.

Before Jiang Yuan's guards could drive him away, he knelt down with a thud outside the circle of guards.

The guards paused for a moment, their hands instinctively reaching for their swords, when Fang Youcai knelt on the ground and burst into tears: "My dear young master, you've finally decided to return to the capital! Please, have mercy and come with me to the Earl's mansion to see the lady!"

His crying immediately attracted the attention of everyone around him. The city gate was already crowded with people, and now that he was singing, reciting, and acting, he could even sing better than professional actors, which naturally aroused even more curiosity.

Everyone was busy queuing and watching over their luggage, so it wasn't appropriate for them to crowd around and watch the excitement. However, without exception, they all cast curious glances from afar.

Although Jiang Yuan was wearing casual clothes, not official robes, he was tall and composed, and the fabric of his clothes was not something an ordinary person could afford. In addition, the black horse he was riding was also exceptionally fine and obviously very valuable.

The guards behind him were all agile and sharp-eyed; anyone with eyes could tell they were elite soldiers.

Not to mention that their procession also included a princess's carriage bestowed by the emperor, a type of vehicle that few ordinary people could afford.

This group of people, who clearly came from a prominent background, were actually stopped and accused of "disrespecting their parents," so how could the onlookers not be curious about this novel gossip?

Taking advantage of their distance from the center of the conflict, they all openly cast their gazes in this direction.

Seeing this, Fang Youcai cried even louder, "Young Master, Madam is too ill to get out of bed. She calls your name every day, hoping to see you again. I know you suffered injustice back then and harbor resentment towards Master and Madam, but they are still your parents! Blood is thicker than water. How can children hold grudges against their parents for a lifetime? Please have pity on Madam and come back with me to see her!"

Jiang Yuan frowned, staring at Fang Youcai with cold and disgusted eyes.

He was abandoned at a young age and later abandoned by Jiang Tong and his wife because he grew up in the countryside. If it weren't for the Wang family elders taking him in and Hao Yu protecting him, he wouldn't have had a normal environment to grow up in.

To him, the people of the Anping Marquis's mansion were nothing more than strangers related to him by blood. If these strangers lived their own lives quietly and did not bother him or try to take advantage of him, he would not take them seriously.

But these people seemed unable to understand human language or other people's attitudes. They repeatedly jumped out and used the guise of "family affection" and "filial piety" to morally blackmail his family, making him increasingly intolerant of them.

He was not good with words and disdained to argue. He just stared at Fang Youcai in silence, pondering whether he should go directly to the palace to file a complaint with the emperor or send this clown to the authorities.

Fang Youcai paused subconsciously as he was stared at by his gaze.

Hearing the commotion from inside the carriage, Xie Wanniang thought for a moment and then got off the carriage with her two children.

She was dressed in fine clothes, and although she didn't wear many pieces of jewelry, they were the most sought-after glass products at the moment. Moreover, the glass was beautifully colored and had a delicate texture, clearly a top-quality item that was not available on the market.

Both children were clearly from wealthy families, raised in luxury. An'an held her hand, while Linlin was being held by Cunyu. Their four eyes were curiously watching the surrounding crowd.

Fang Youcai, who was afraid of Jiang Yuan, immediately turned to Xie Wanniang when she came down, and kowtowed repeatedly to her, saying, "Princess, please help me persuade the young master! No matter how wrong the master and madam are, you and the young master, as juniors, should still be filial to them! Madam is seriously ill now, and if she can't see the young master, I'm afraid she won't last much longer! You are kind-hearted, virtuous and reasonable, please have pity on our madam and persuade the young master to return to the manor!"

Xie Wanniang found his pretentious act quite amusing.

In her younger days, when she was hot-blooded, she would always roll up her sleeves and confront those who twisted the truth and argued with them to find out who was right and who was wrong.

But as she grew older and gained more experience, she had long since lost interest in such things.

After all, some people are simply not reasonable.

They may not be unaware of right and wrong; they simply prioritize their own interests above all else and don't care about right or wrong, face or dignity, or morality and shame.

Even if she were to encounter oddballs like the Jiang family again, she would simply treat it as a spectacle, witnessing the diversity of species in this world, and her emotions would remain completely unaffected by their words or actions.

She glanced indifferently at the maid Cunyu beside her.

Cunyu immediately understood, turned around and ran quickly to the middle of her own group. A moment later, she led two nannies who were around fifty years old, but were clean, neat and full of energy.

These two are none other than Granny Lu and Granny Gu. They are old women whom Xie Wanniang brought from Baoding Prefecture. Not only are they eloquent, but they also witnessed Xie Wanniang dealing with those people sent by the Jiang family to claim kinship.

At this moment, Cunyu brought the two of them over to act as mouth doubles for Xie Wanniang, and their speech was naturally able to get straight to the point.

Granny Lu stepped forward and asked loudly, "You rascal, you say my master is the biological son of your master and mistress, where is the proof?"

Granny Gu stood beside her and continued, "You can't just say a few words and our family suddenly has a pair of adoptive parents, can you?"

Those who had been listening intently to the gossip thought about it and, sure enough, it really was true.

Let alone people from this family who clearly have a powerful background, even ordinary people like them wouldn't just casually acknowledge someone as their father!

Who knows what kind of wicked scheme this person who suddenly appeared, claiming to be their "parents," is plotting?

When Fang Youcai heard that the other party wanted evidence from him, he secretly cursed inwardly.

Years ago, their patriarch sent people to Baoding Prefecture to claim kinship, but because there was no evidence, they ultimately had to return empty-handed.

After that, their lord persisted in sending letters and gifts to Jiang Yuan, trying to soften the other party's attitude in this way. However, the other party remained unmoved and refused to accept the letters and gifts every time. If they threw down the letters and gifts and ran away, the servants of the Jiang family would even throw the letters and gifts out the door.

The errand runner had no choice but to sheepishly walk back, pick up the items and letters, and take them back to report to Jiang Tong.

Jiang Tong was naturally furious that Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang were so unyielding. If it weren't for the fact that Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang were both incredibly capable while his sons were all utterly useless, he wouldn't have kept shamelessly trying to mend their relationship.

Previously, he had persuaded his sister, Madam Wu, to go to Dinghai County to seek refuge with Jiang Yuan. While he intended to get rid of Madam Wu and her family, it was also a test for Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang.

If Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang could soften their hearts and take in Madam Wu's family when Madam Wu is widowed, Wu Kun is useless, and the Wu family has driven them out of their clan territory, then he is confident that he can use Madam Wu's family's situation as an opportunity to make Jiang Yuan gradually let go of his resentment towards him and Madam Han.

Unfortunately, Xie Wanniang had no regard for face, propriety, or family ties. The Wu family had only bumped into her daughter's carriage, yet she made a big fuss about sending the Wu family to the yamen.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. But she learned such ruthless methods from who knows where. As a relative, she didn't help cover up or clean up the mess that Madam Wu's family had done before. Instead, she took the initiative to interrogate them and expose them to the blazing sun.

Thanks to her, Madam Wu and her family lost all face and suffered greatly. Their once substantial wealth of gold, silver, and valuables dwindled considerably.

Because of this incident, Madam Wu is now staying at his house and refusing to leave. Not only does he pay for all of their family's daily expenses, but Madam Wu also treats her brother with disdain.

The only thing Jiang Tong could be thankful for was that Madam Wu's family had suffered enough in Dinghai County, so they no longer dared to be arrogant and provoke others outside. Otherwise, he didn't know how many messes he would have to clean up for them.