Chapter 30

Madam Huo seemed utterly incensed. With a swift motion, she grabbed the item the maid next to her was holding and thrust it into Huo Rou’s arms.

“I originally planned to have you take the divorce letter, but if you would rather defy me and stay here, then keep it. From now on, whether you live or die, you’re no longer in any way connected with our Huo family!”

“Mother…”

Madam Huo felt a pain as if her chest was being squeezed. Gritting her teeth, she turned and walked away. Yet Su Jinyuan noticed that tears streamed down her face while she tightly bit her lips, and her retreating figure was unsteady and faltering.

Huo Rou, clutching the object close to her chest, had reddened eyes. She stepped forward twice to follow but then stopped.

After a long moment of hesitation, Su Jinyuan stepped up, lowered her voice, and said, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“About Madam Huo…”

“My mother might have a sharp tongue, but she has a heart of tofu.” Huo Rou’s eyes were bloodshot, yet her voice remained steady.

When she unwrapped the bundle, she found it full of gold and silver jewelry and silver notes. The thick stack was so heavy that holding it felt burdensome.

The Huo family was not a prestigious one. Her father held only a minor official position, and their household had very little wealth. This bundle alone could easily have drained nearly half of the Huo family’s resources.

As Huo Rou took a deep breath, she couldn’t help but shed tears.

Watching the bundle in her arms, Su Jinyuan’s heart trembled. Although it appeared that Madam Huo was taking Huo Rou away, she must have long known her daughter’s true character and realized she couldn’t be dragged along. However, the current situation of the Xiao family is far from promising.

Madam Huo had other children, and there were others in the Huo family as well. She couldn’t allow her daughter to tarnish the Huo name, yet she couldn’t bear to see her suffer either. That was how today’s scene came to be. It seemed as though the bond between mother and daughter had been broken, and that the Huo family was severing ties with the Xiao family. But this bundle carried with it all of Madam Huo’s unspoken care and reluctance.

Huo Rou whispered, “It’s my fault—I’ve wronged our parents.”

After hesitating, Su Jinyuan said, “Actually, you could go back…”

Huo Rou suddenly looked up at her and retorted, “What? So you’re saying that only you are allowed to share life or death with the Xiao family, while I’m not allowed to stay behind? Or do you think that I, like Qi Lanzhi, am nothing but a coward afraid of death?”

“I didn’t mean it that way…”

Su Jinyuan urgently began to explain, but Huo Rou cut her off immediately. Sniffing, she said: “I, Huo Rou, may not have many talents, but I understand the meaning of loyalty and affection. Now that the Xiao family is in ruins, if I were to leave, I would betray Fourth Brother and myself. I love Fourth Brother and promised him that I would never abandon him. I don’t want to desecrate this bond, nor do I want Fourth Brother to rest uneasily in his grave. If staying means nothing more than certain death, then so be it—I’m not afraid!”

Su Jinyuan could only notice that whenever Huo Rou mentioned Xiao Yunxin, her eyes would light up. Even though Su Jinyuan’s hands trembled as she clutched the bundle, she insisted that she wasn’t afraid.

After a moment of silence, Su Jinyuan gently said, “We won’t die.”

“No one is going to die,” Huo Rou replied with a tilted head. After a brief pause, she smiled and declared, “Right—we won’t die, and the Xiao family won’t fall either!”

“Those turtle bastards who want to wipe out the Xiao family and consign them to death—they’re simply dreaming!”

Huo Rou’s face was softly rounded, her apricot eyes still tinged with red yet smiling. She reached over and stuffed the bundle into Su Jinyuan’s hands. “I heard about your situation from Grandmother, and I know you’re more capable than I am. All of these are for you.”

“Elder Sister-in-law, we must definitely rescue Sixth Brother!”

Su Jinyuan felt the bundle weighed a thousand pounds as she held it, but when she met those hopeful eyes, she earnestly nodded, “Alright.”

Fearing that the old madam and the others would see her reddened, swollen face, Huo Rou used the excuse of not going to the Jintang Courtyard. Su Jinyuan then had Xing’er take the items delivered by Madam Huo back to Yuqing Hall while she went to meet with Old Madam Xiao and the others.

Old Madam Xiao, dressed in full military attire, confidently strode in her deer‐skin boots while the Eldest Madam avoided her gaze. After Su Jinyuan had respectfully bowed to them, Second Madam Xiao pulled the little girl beside her and said: “Xuan’er, hurry up and meet your elder sister-in-law.”

Xiao Yunxuan was only eight years old. Her hair was neatly styled into two adorable buns, she wore a plain light white jacket, and her head was tied with a white hairband. The little girl looked rather timid; her eyes widened as she hid behind Second Madam Xiao and softly called out, “Elder Sister-in-law.”

It was Su Jinyuan’s first time meeting Xiao Yunxuan since returning to the Xiao household. Gently, she asked, “Is Little Seven feeling any better?”

Second Madam Xiao replied, “Much better—it was just a bad cold. We had no medicine before, which is why it took so long. Thanks to the medicine you brought back that day and having her take it for a few days, she’s now well.”

Xiao Yunxuan looked at Su Jinyuan curiously and said in a soft, tender tone, “Thank you, dear sister-in-law.”

Old Madam Xiao put down the whip she had been holding. After washing her hands, she took a handkerchief to wipe her sweat and said, “I see you’re much more lively today – your complexion isn’t as bad, either. Did you sleep well last night?”

Su Jinyuan immediately smiled and replied, “Thank you for your concern, Grandma; I slept very well.”

Old Madam Xiao then told Nanny Chen to have someone bring breakfast over. Once everyone was seated at the table, she continued, “I have called you all here today because there are two matters I wish to discuss with you.

“In the past, the household was always managed by the eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law, but as you all well know, the current situation is different. Therefore, I plan to hand over the management of the household treasury to Ah Yuan.”

Eldest Madam Xiao and the others had long been aware of this matter, so none of them objected.

Wei Wanyun understood that Old Madam Xiao was transferring the steward’s authority (and control of the treasury) to Su Jinyuan simply to make it easier for her to access the family funds to smooth relationships and manage affairs; hence, she didn’t say anything further.

“The second matter: a letter has arrived from Linchuan.”

Everyone at the table froze, and then the Old Madam said, “The remains of Jin’er and sons have all been found; only Yunxin is nowhere to be seen – all that was recovered were fragments of the battle armor he once used and several pieces of dismembered limbs.”

“Their remains have already been transported back to the capital, and His Majesty has agreed to allow Little Sixth, in his capacity as the Xiao family’s adopted son, to leave the city to assist with the funeral rites – and to permit the Xiao family ladies to open the door to receive the coffin…”

Eldest Madam Xiao’s eyes welled up, and she nearly shed tears, though she had already calmed considerably after last night’s outburst. In a hoarse voice she said, “Has His Majesty pardoned Ah Yan?”

Old Madam Xiao shook her head and replied, “He is only permitted to leave the city to attend the funeral; once the coffin is delivered back to the Xiao household, he must immediately return to prison.”

“Originally, this matter was not supposed to be allowed. It was He Ying and Marquis Jian’an, along with several military generals at court, who jointly submitted a petition during the morning session. They pointed out that the Xiao family had fought heroic battles for the nation for many years and noted that, even though the family has lost all its male heirs, even if they were to be reproached, their remains should at least first be brought back to the capital.”

“Only then did His Majesty allow Little Sixth to be temporarily released from prison.”

Eldest Madam Xiao suddenly looked up sharply at Su Jinyuan.

Su Jinyuan was momentarily stunned and said, “Qi Sheng managed to complete everything this quickly?”

She had only visited Pengyun Pavilion yesterday and assumed that even if Prince Duan’s Mansion agreed to act, it would likely take several days—yet she hadn’t expected Qi Sheng to be so efficient, managing to accomplish everything she had mentioned in just one night.