Chapter 229

Chapter 233: Life and Death (Part 2)

Upon hearing the news of Wang Lang's death, Eleventh Miss was momentarily stunned.

Wang Lang is dead? How did he die?

Thinking of what he had done to Tenth Miss and considering her temper... it couldn't be Tenth Miss...

As the thought flashed through her mind, she suddenly felt her mouth go dry.

In this society, it's not uncommon for a man to hit a woman, but if a woman kills a man, she will almost certainly pay with her life.

Tenth Miss must not do anything foolish!

Remember, they are both daughters of concubines. Unless it can be proven that Wang Lang was entirely at fault, the Luo family would never support them.

She couldn't help but look towards Lord Xu.

Then, Xu Lingkuan across from her exclaimed, "Wang Lang is dead? When did it happen? How did he die?"

Seeing his wife's anxious gaze, Lord Xu paused and said, "It happened this afternoon during the You hour. He drank too much and got into a conflict with someone. The magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, knowing the relationship between our two families, specifically sent someone to inform me."

He spoke concisely, without unnecessary details. Eleventh Miss sensed something was amiss; it seemed Lord Xu was avoiding something.

But the thought that this matter had nothing to do with Tenth Miss still made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as she was about to ask for more details, the elder madam inquired with concern, "Has the perpetrator been caught? Should we send someone to offer condolences to the Wang family?"

"The one who reported the case was... the boss, and the perpetrator was caught immediately," Lord Xu said with a hint of hesitation, but quickly regained his usual calm composure. "Death is like extinguishing a lamp. Previously, we were worried about Little Five getting involved with Wang Lang. Now that Wang Lang is gone, our two families are still connected by marriage, so it's only right to send someone to offer condolences. But it's already late today, and the Wang family has just received the tragic news and is grieving. Let's send someone tomorrow."

The elder madam nodded, her expression melancholic. "Wang Lang was the only son... the Wang family must feel as if their world has collapsed." Then, as if remembering something, she asked Eleventh Miss, "Did he have any children?"

Eleventh Miss shook her head. "No."

She thought of Tenth Miss's suffering and Jinlian's miscarriage... Did Wang Lang think of these when he died? Did he regret anything?

"This child..." The elder madam's eyes glistening with tears as she shook her head and sighed.

The fifth madam comforted the elder madam, "Wang Lang was spoiled and reckless, always pushing his luck. If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get wet. It was just his bad luck."

"What do you know? It's the hardest thing for parents to outlive their children," the elder madam said, her eyes glistening with tears.

Seeing this, Madam Du quickly handed over a handkerchief. "Elder madam, why are you sad? All the young masters are here to comfort you!"

"Yes, yes," the third madam chimed in, eagerly offering tea to the elder madam. "Have some hot tea; it will make you feel better."

"Grandmother, please don't be sad!" The children also clamored to comfort the elder madam.

The elder madam took the handkerchief from Madam Du and wiped her eyes, then accepted the tea from the third madam. Seeing the children's worried little faces, her heart warmed.

"Growing old makes one sentimental," she sipped the hot tea. "It's getting late; everyone should disperse. We can discuss anything else tomorrow."

Everyone agreed and dispersed.

Madam Du assisted the elder madam with her bedtime routine.

"About Lord Xu's matter... should I send someone to ask?"

"No need," the elder madam sighed deeply. "What's done is done; there's no point in saying more. Let the fourth son have some peace and quiet first. When he's ready, he'll naturally tell me."

Madam Du nodded and assisted the elder madam into her nightclothes.

Xu Lingkuan stayed quiet the whole way to their room.

The fifth madam eyed him worriedly and nudged him with her elbow, "What's up?"

Xu Lingkuan didn't answer, quietly washing up and lazily climbing into bed.

The fifth madam paused, then pouted and snuggled closer, "Lingkuan, what's the matter? Feeling off? Want me to call Songxia to keep you company?"

Songxia was a second-tier maid serving the fifth madam. Since Xiao Lan and others became concubines, she had become the fifth madam's personal attendant. She was a beauty with almond eyes and rosy cheeks.

"No need!" Xu Lingkuan sighed, pulling Dan County into his arms, "I can't believe Wang Lang is dead!" So that was the reason.

They were childhood friends, after all. And he had a tender heart.

At this, the fifth madam dropped the sleeping arrangements talk and rested her head on his shoulder, murmuring, "Yeah, no one saw it coming. Honestly, I never liked him, even as a kid. His stare always gave me the creeps."

"I always figured he was trouble waiting to happen," the fifth madam continued. "But I never thought he'd die so young. I wonder who killed him? Did they even know he was Duke Mao's heir? Wang Lin's really stuck with a lousy brother. She’s had a rough time in the Jiang family these past years. She’s got to butter up the elders, mind the younger ones, and look after the kids. If it weren’t for her brother holding her back, she wouldn’t be stuck like this..."

Xu Lingkuan half-listened to her ramble, idly stroking her hair, but his mind wandered.

When his fourth brother chewed him out for messing around with Wang Lang, he acted obedient but didn’t take it seriously. He’d bolt whenever his brother scolded him... Looking back now, he was thankful; otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble he’d have gotten into...

Right after the incident, the Shuntian magistrate sent word to the fourth brother, probably seeking his take. I wonder if the magistrate knows the fourth brother’s been dismissed? If they did, would they still be so eager to please? Even though this doesn’t really involve the Xu family, it does touch on the fourth sister-in-law’s side. If the magistrate doesn’t show any respect, it’s one thing for the fourth sister-in-law to lose face with her family, but it’s another for the fourth brother to look bad in front of her.

I’ve got to figure out how to help the fourth brother.

It’s a shame I was so stunned by Wang Lang’s death that I forgot to ask the fourth brother who did it...

At this, he bolted upright, nearly knocking the fifth madam off the bed.

"Sibao!" Xu Lingkuan called to his servant, "Head to the Shuntian magistrate first thing tomorrow and find out who killed Wang Lang."

The servant responded and left.

The fifth madam tugged his sleeve and whined, "The lord told you not to get mixed up in Wang Lang’s business. Why are you butting in again?"

Before she could finish, Xu Lingkuan said, "I just want to help the fourth brother."

The fifth madam was exasperated, not believing he was doing it for Lord Xu, "Does the lord need you to step forward?"

Xu Lingkuan couldn’t say he was worried about the magistrate’s snobbery and not taking Lord Xu’s words seriously, so he made up an excuse, "In such matters, naturally, the more people, the stronger the force. The authorities are also afraid..."

The fifth madam was speechless.

When has the government ever been afraid of the number of people?

He must want to stand up for Eleven Miss!

Listening to her husband’s nonsense, she pulled the blanket over herself and turned her back to Xu Lingkuan to sleep.

*

At this moment, Eleven Miss was helping Lord Xu soak his feet.

"Besides removing you from the position of the Grand Marshal of the Five Military Commissions, did the Emperor... say anything else?"

She felt a little uneasy.

Lord Xu reclined with his eyes shut, his face set in a stern expression.

"He mentioned something..."

But he didn’t elaborate.

Eleven Miss paused briefly, grabbed a handkerchief from the stool nearby, wiped her hands and settled onto the stool beside the recliner. She whispered, 'What did he say?'

A warm breath, tinged with the subtle fragrance of roses, brushed past.

His gaze met a pair of sparkling eyes.

He gave a faint smile, 'The Emperor has called Wang Jiubao to the capital.'

The Emperor has summoned Wang Jiubao to the capital.

The Wang family and the Qu Clan have been sworn enemies...

Eleven Miss mused, 'It seems the Emperor is on our side.'

Lord Xu nodded, a subtle smile in his eyes, 'Though several ministers, like Minister Liang, opposed it, Minister Chen stayed silent. So the Emperor decided to summon Wang Jiubao to discuss lifting the maritime ban.'

As the chief minister, Minister Chen’s silence suggests a sixty percent chance of success.

Eleven Miss was surprised Minister Liang opposed it, 'Didn’t he visit you during the New Year?'

Lord Xu smiled self-deprecatingly, 'He was merely here to gauge my stance. I didn’t want to get involved and was wary since Huang Yu bypassed him to deliver Wang Jiubao’s letter to me. I danced around the issue for hours without revealing my stance on lifting the maritime ban.'

The court officials have differing views on the maritime ban, making the situation quite complex.

She was more worried about the Qu Clan’s next move, 'With the Emperor summoning Wang Jiubao, shouldn’t the Qu Clan act too?'

'It won’t happen that quickly,' Lord Xu said. 'The Emperor’s decision was abrupt, and his stance was firm. He took the edict from the Secretariat and had ministers issue it to the ministries. The ministers were blindsided and debated for nearly an hour over Wang Jiubao’s summoning and the maritime ban. Only after Minister Chen stepped in was the matter resolved. I only just learned of it, and the Qu Clan in Fujian likely only has a trusted agent in Yanjing. Decisions still need to be made based on instructions from Fujian.'

Eleven Miss nodded.

Lord Xu continued, 'We should make good use of this. But it's not convenient for me to step forward. You know, there's also Ouyang Ming by the Emperor's side! He's probably watching me all the time. Rather than giving him a handle, it's better to wait until Wang Jiubao arrives in the capital. I think Wang Jiubao will be eager to show his strength, to convince the Emperor and the court officials that he is fully capable of competing with the Qu Clan.'

It's like a pledge of allegiance.

Wang Jiubao can't refuse.

Eleven Miss smiled bitterly.

Politics really isn't something everyone can play.

'As for Ouyang Ming,' Lord Xu sneered, 'I can take this opportunity to see how he reacts.'

Eleven Miss was startled.

Why bring up Ouyang Ming?

"When the fifth prince died, Ouyang Ming was sent to accompany the eldest prince to pay respects to the ancestors, while I was to accompany the Empress and the third prince to the Western Hills," Lord Xu looked up at the blue-green gilded ceiling, "This shows that he regards the eldest prince as the heir apparent and is also guarding against me getting too close to the eldest prince. If I can see this, how could Ouyang Ming not? If he can't see it, he doesn't deserve to be a future emperor's companion."