Chapter 48: Wang Baochuan Takes on a Difficult Task

“But I…” Wang Baochuan hesitated, “I’m not close to Miss Xu. I’m afraid she won’t listen to me.”

“Third Miss!” Lady Xu was heartbroken and about to collapse. The hairpins in her hair swayed as she swayed.

She was about to kneel down, but Wang Baochuan hurriedly supported her, “Don’t do that, Baochuan can’t bear it.”

Censor Xu and Prime Minister Wang were officials in the same court, and she was the Censor’s wife, and she was older. How could Baochuan let a middle-aged woman who was heartbroken over her daughter kneel before her?

Lady Wang also hurriedly helped her, “Sit down quickly. I’ll agree for Baochuan.”

“Thank you.” Lady Xu was about to kneel again. She had tried to persuade Xu Wanning several times, but Xu Wanning refused to see her. She really couldn’t bear to watch her daughter suffer.

“Lady Xu, I can only try my best. As for whether I can persuade her, I don’t know.” Wang Baochuan agreed reluctantly.

Lady Xu was grateful and moved to tears. She knew that her husband had said that he had cut off ties with Wanning, but since Wanning left home, her husband had become much quieter, always gloomy and easily angered. He was just stubborn and wouldn’t admit defeat. In this, Wanning was exactly like him.

After Lady Xu left, Wang Baochuan pulled Lady Wang’s hand and acted cute, “Mother, how come you’re suddenly acquainted with Censor Xu’s wife?”

Lady Wang sighed, “Today, I went to the palace to pay my respects. I saw Lady Xu looking dazed and almost made a mistake in front of the Empress Dowager and the Empress. I couldn’t bear to see it, so I helped her out.”

“On the way back, she insisted on riding in the same carriage with me, and she kept crying. I’m soft-hearted…” Lady Wang said, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.

“I don’t know why, but just listening to her talk about her daughter made me feel so sad…”

Wang Baochuan remained silent. She was truly a fool in her previous life!

“Mother, don’t be sad. I’ll do my best to help Miss Xu.”

Lady Wang held her hand, “My daughter is so considerate and kind.”

“Today, I went to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. I stood for an hour, and now my legs are numb.” Lady Wang said.

Wang Baochuan hurriedly helped her massage her shoulders and legs, “Mother, you’ve worked hard.”

“All the other wives were standing too. It wasn’t just me.” Lady Wang looked at her daughter lovingly, “Fortunately, none of my daughters have entered the palace as concubines. Today, I saw the White Consort in the palace… Sigh… She knelt outside the Empress Dowager’s palace for half a day…”

“Such a scorching sun, kneeling for half a day, wouldn’t that be fatal?” Wang Baochuan was startled.

“Yes, the White Consort said that the Empress Dowager’s pulse was weak and her body was weak. She suggested that the imperial physician add Wuling Powder to the Qing Shu Yi Qi Soup. But the Empress heard this and scolded her for being audacious, saying that she was treating the Empress Dowager’s health as a joke…”

“Sigh, it’s getting late. Mother, I’ll go back and rest. I have to go to the palace to pay my respects tomorrow.”

“Yes, Daughter, I’ll see Mother out.” Wang Baochuan got up and helped her out of the room.

In the evening, the sunset painted half the sky red.

Qingqing led Wang Wan into the room. Wang Wan, following Baochuan’s orders, had specially gone to investigate Yang Xiong’s whereabouts. After much effort, he learned that he was in the vanguard camp and had been captured by Xiliang along with Xue Pinggui.

The reason why the battle report said he had died in battle was because Wei Hu and the others wanted to report more casualties to deceive the court and get more compensation.

Wang Baochuan listened to his report, waved her hand, and told him to go and rest.

“Miss, should we send the Yang family back?” Qingqing asked.

“They’ll be bullied if they go back alone. Leave them at the manor.”

“Yes.” Qingqing smiled at her, “Miss, you’re the kindest person I’ve ever met.”

“Really? Then tell this kind person what you’re happy about lately.”

Qingqing fidgeted, clutching the corner of her dress. Before she could speak, her cheeks flushed red, “My fellow villager is coming to the capital.”

“You little rascal!” Wang Baochuan scolded her with a laugh, then gave her a few instructions about Xu Wanning before letting her go to rest.

Wang Baochuan lay in bed. Wei Bao was dead, Wei Hu had been demoted out of the capital, and she had also distanced herself from Xue Pinggui in this life, but she still felt uneasy lately.

She felt that there were many more things that would happen in the future, things she could no longer predict.

The next morning, Wang Baochuan specially changed into a lotus-colored cloud brocade dress embroidered with hibiscus flowers, wearing a jade carved peony hairpin and a gold filigree hairpin.

She sat in the carriage and slowly headed towards the Cold Cave outside the city. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to ask Qingqing to bring two buckets of ice. It was so hot, she didn’t want to get heatstroke.

There were only the sounds of insects and wind in front of the Cold Cave.

Ge Da and Zhang Wei had taken the other beggars to repair canals and dig rivers. They could earn two or three taels of silver a year, and they were also provided with meals. Ge Qing couldn’t do those heavy tasks, so she could only help cook for others.

The carriage stopped, and Qingqing led the servants from the mansion to set up a sunshade.

After setting up the tent, she began to teach the cooks how to prepare breakfast.

Xu Wanning was half asleep when she heard a commotion outside. She was startled and thought that someone was coming to harm her.

She looked out the window and saw Wang Baochuan sitting leisurely under the tent, with two maids massaging her shoulders and legs. Another group of people were preparing to cook on the open grass.

“Wang Baochuan?”

She put on her washed linen clothes and walked out of the cave with a cold face.

“Good morning.” Wang Baochuan replied.

“What are you doing here?” Xu Wanning saw her grand entourage, twenty or so servants serving just one person.

“I’m bored in the mansion, so I came out for a walk.” Wang Baochuan sat calmly under the silk canopy, her voice unhurried.

“Why come here when you could go anywhere else? You’re clearly here to make me feel bad!” Xu Wanning was angry.

Seeing her anger, Wang Baochuan was even more pleased, “So what? What are you going to do about it?”