Chapter 56: Leave Right Now

Luo Yunqiao clenched her hands tightly as she watched Xiao Muyuan’s retreating figure. A sudden sense of desolation welled up in her heart, and she could not help calling out, "Wait—"

Xiao Muyuan paused in his steps.

"The Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion has reduced my body to this state, so naturally I cannot allow them to continue acting so arrogantly and domineeringly. The Third Prince is the chief culprit above all; if I can help bring them to justice, I am willing to do so..." Her voice was unmistakably hoarse. Not daring to meet Xiao Muyuan's eyes, she only added, "I only hope that when the dust settles, Your Highness can spare my grandmother."

"She has toiled for the Marquis's estate her entire life, and she is the only one who still remembers to care for me. I do not wish for her twilight years to be troubled."

Xiao Muyuan nodded. "Rest assured."

Outside, only the fierce whistling of the wind remained, piercing through the gaps in the window with a rather terrifying sound.

Luo Yunqiao could not remember when she had fallen asleep, but she was awakened by Yinxin’s voice: "Spring makes one fond of sleep; my lady has been waking up increasingly late these days. However, the peach blossoms outside have sprouted buds, and my lady might as well go out and have a look."

"Very well," she nodded. "It has been quite a while since I last paid my respects to grandmother."

As she rose and prepared to head toward Old Madam Luo's chambers, she noticed Yinxin lingering with hesitation, prompting her to frown and ask, "What is it? Are you starting to keep secrets from me now?"

"It is not that this servant wished to conceal anything from my lady, but the Madam is outside, saying she wishes to see my lady. This servant figured my lady might not want to see the Madam, so I declined on the grounds that you were still asleep. Who could have imagined that the Madam would wait outside the entire time and refuse to leave..."

There was a clear note of complaint in Yinxin’s words.

Luo Yunqiao raised an eyebrow, somewhat failing to comprehend Madam Luo’s behavior, yet she replied, "No matter what, she is still my mother; it is not proper to never see her. Go and ask her to come in."

Yinxin acknowledged the order and hurried outside to call her.

As soon as Madam Luo entered the room, she made a beeline for Luo Yunqiao. With reddened eye rims, she grabbed Luo Yunqiao's hands and wept, "My good child, you have suffered. It is all your mother's fault for letting you endure so many years of grievances and even allowing you to be plotted against and bullied upon returning home. If your mother had recognized Luo Yunzhen's true nature sooner, you would not have had to suffer such torment. It is all mother's fault..."

She berated herself sentence by sentence, her eyes brimming with tears.

Yet to Luo Yunqiao's ears, this was simply the precursor to another scheme against her.

"Mother, if you have something to say, just say it directly," she could not help interrupting Madam Luo.

Seeing Madam Luo's expression change slightly, Luo Yunqiao did not make a fuss, simply waiting for her to speak.

Madam Luo hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Mother knows that after enduring so many grievances, your heart must inevitably harbor resentment toward us. Yet your father and I truly value you in our hearts. Although spring has arrived and it is a bit late, you still need to nourish your body properly. Our family has a manor on the outskirts of the capital that is piped with hot spring water, and since your body is aching everywhere from the cold, why not let Jinxin and Yinxin accompany you there to soak and recuperate, lest you grow too exhausted to endure the wedding day?"

"Thank you for troubling yourself over me, Mother. However, as the wedding day draws near and my illness has not yet fully healed, it is only proper that I stay at home and recuperate more," Luo Yunqiao politely declined.

She had a persistent feeling that Madam Luo's sudden insistence on sending her to the outskirts of the capital had hidden motives.

Sure enough, a hint of anxious urgency crept into Madam Luo's tone: "It is precisely because you have not fully healed that you must go recuperate! It will only take two or three days; it certainly will not delay your wedding day. I have already had a carriage prepared for you—pack your things and leave right now!"

By the end, her words had become an outright command.

Realizing that she had no way to refuse this matter, and recalling Xiao Muyuan's words, Luo Yunqiao said, "It would be boring for me to go alone. Grandmother is advanced in years, and her health has also been worsening lately. Why not have Grandmother accompany me?"

Fearing that Madam Luo might refuse, she quickly added, "In this way, it will not only demonstrate Mother's filial piety, but also allow Grandmother to teach me some household management matters so that I won't make mistakes and become a laughingstock after I cross the threshold into marriage."

Madam Luo did not reply immediately; after pondering for a moment, she finally agreed.

Within half an hour, the few of them had packed their belongings.

Old Madam Luo remained silent until they had boarded the carriage. Once the narrow space left only the two of them—grandmother and granddaughter—she finally spoke: "I used to be quite strict in disciplining your mother, which is why she could never feel close to me. Today, she asked you to go to the estate to recuperate, yet you asked me to accompany you. Weren't you afraid that this would cause her to grow a rift between you?"

"Although Luo Yunzhen's wolfish ambitions have been made public, I can tell that in Mother's heart, I still cannot compare to Yunzhen. Since that is the case, why should I care about her opinion?" Luo Yunqiao reached out to link her arm through her grandmother's, smiling as she said, "But Grandmother is different. When Grandmother returned to the capital, you appeared aloof toward me on the surface, but behind the scenes, you helped your granddaughter with a great many things..."

"Though your granddaughter did not say it aloud, I saw it all in my eyes. The capital may not be peaceful right now, and it would be good for Grandmother to take this opportunity to seek refuge at the estate."

Old Madam Luo's voice suddenly turned colder by two degrees as she stared into Luo Yunqiao's eyes: "Do you know something?"

"I..." She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, but for now I cannot tell Grandmother. I only hope Grandmother will not hate me in the future."

Who could have expected that Old Madam Luo would stare at her for a moment longer before letting out a soft chuckle? "How do you know I will necessarily regret it? Luo Chao is ruthless and scheming, which is the only reason he holds his present status, and Imperial Concubine Duan is no benevolent character either. Who knows how many heaven-defying atrocities that brother and sister have committed behind the scenes? If Prince Yan can truly bring them to justice, it can only be considered heaven showing mercy."

Luo Yunqiao stiffened, her eyes filled with sheer disbelief.

"Grandmother, they are your own children after all, why..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Although she was Luo Chao's daughter, she had not been raised by his side since childhood, nor had she ever received a shred of his protection. But Old Madam Luo was different—

These were her children, and moreover, the pillar of support for her old age.

Old Madam Luo closed her eyes, tears visibly streaming from the corners of her eyes as her voice took on a sobbing tone: "If not for that brother and sister, how could my other children have died prematurely? But back then, Luo Chao was the only surviving flesh and blood of the old Marquis, and the old Marquis was so good to me—I could not let his lineage die out."

Luo Yunqiao's pupils constricted, unable to believe her ears.

She had always thought Luo Chao's ruthlessness had been cultivated through years of floating in the political arena, never imagining he had been this way since childhood.

"That brother and sister are growing increasingly ruthless, and there is no guarantee they will not utterly ruin the old Marquis's foundation one day. If Prince Yan can indeed deal with them, that would be for the best, only—" Old Madam Luo suddenly looked at Luo Yunqiao. "Only, please spare Zeting at any rate."

"Although he is young and has committed many acts that harmed you in the past, he is, after all, the only remaining male descendant of the Luo family capable of standing tall..."

"Consider it a favor for him uncovering the truth for you: spare his life at the least, so that he may have a chance to revitalize the House of the Marquis of Jing'an in the days to come."

"Will you?"