Chapter 50: A Love-Sick Fool on Wu Family Slope

Xu Wanning trembled all over. She looked at the carriage in the distance, its silhouette blurry in the darkness.

Her parents were old, and it was so hot. They were suffering outside because of her foolishness.

The slope was lush with vegetation, and there were countless mosquitoes and insects. Her heart ached, and she forced herself to run down the slope.

“Father! Mother!” Xu Wanning knelt down from afar. Censor Xu and his wife, with tears in their eyes, rushed over to support her and helped her up.

“Do you know you were wrong?” Censor Xu choked out. At this moment, where was his upright and proud spirit? All he had was a heart full of love for his daughter.

“Daughter was wrong!” Xu Wanning cried, admitting her mistake.

Censor Xu was a man who was tough-mouthed but soft-hearted. Seeing his daughter kneeling and crying, he couldn’t say a word of reproach.

“Don’t cry, Daughter, don’t cry.” Lady Xu hugged her, “Let’s go home.”

“Yes, let’s go home.” Censor Xu, taking advantage of the darkness, secretly wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes.

Lady Xu pulled Xu Wanning into the carriage. Censor Xu was also anxious to leave this place with his daughter. Thinking that Wang Baochuan was still on the slope, he quickly walked forward to thank her.

Wang Baochuan greeted him. She was wearing a light pink cloud-patterned dress, and in the evening breeze, she looked like a fairy.

“Mr. Xu, you should go back early.”

“Thank you, Third Miss, for your help. I will definitely come to thank you in person another day.” Censor Xu bowed slightly, his steps hurried as he got into the carriage.

He gave an instruction to the young man on horseback beside the carriage and left in a hurry.

The man on horseback was Censor Xu’s eldest son, Xu Yongyan, Xu Wanning’s brother. He stepped forward and bowed to Wang Baochuan, “Thank you, Third Miss, for saving my sister from danger.”

Wang Baochuan felt a little embarrassed. To be honest, it was all thanks to her own efforts. If others had tried to warn her, but she refused to listen, what could they do?

“You’re welcome.”

“My father and mother are anxious to see my sister, so they’re leaving first. I’ll escort you back to the mansion.”

Xu Yongyan was wearing a light blue long robe. Although he was a son of an official, he didn’t have any air of wealth about him, only a strong scholarly aura. He was tall and slender, with delicate and elegant features, truly handsome.

Before Wang Baochuan could refuse, he directly led his horse and followed behind the group.

The night was quiet, and the wind from the valley blew, as if scattering the stars in the sky.

Wang Baochuan hadn’t slept well these past few days. As soon as she got close to this place, she felt unlucky.

Xu Yongyan was a man of his word. He escorted her to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, greeted Prime Minister Wang and his wife, and then took his leave.

In the beginning of autumn, Wang Baochuan was taking a flower petal bath in her room. She had just applied jade face cream when she heard Qingqing’s voice outside the door.

“Miss, Lady Xu and Miss are here. Lady Xu asks you to go to the front hall to talk.”

Hearing this, Wang Baochuan reluctantly got out of the bathtub, changed into a cloud-shadow gauze dress, put on a few simple ornaments, and went to the front hall.

Since Xu Wanning had come to her senses and returned to the Xu Mansion, Lady Xu had often visited the Prime Minister’s Mansion. She would bring Wang Baochuan all the latest silks and satins, rouge and jewelry from the capital, treating her like her own daughter.

However, after Xu Wanning returned to the Xu Mansion, she didn’t go out. She seemed to be brooding and refused to see anyone.

As soon as Wang Baochuan entered, Xu Wanning came forward and bowed to her. Wang Baochuan was startled by her actions and hurriedly helped her up.

In just over two months, she had completely changed. She was no longer disheveled, and her eyes were bright.

“Thank you, Third Miss, for helping me again.”

“You came to your senses yourself. I didn’t do anything.” Wang Baochuan smiled and helped her up, pulling her to sit down.

“How could you say you didn’t do anything? I still drool when I think about the dishes you made.” Xu Wanning joked.

“If that’s the case, then have the kitchen make them all at noon to satisfy your cravings.” Wang Baochuan replied.

“Okay, I won’t be polite.”

Lady Wang and Lady Xu smiled at them as they chatted and laughed. Lady Xu couldn’t help but cry again.

Wanning immediately went over to comfort her, “Mother, I was wrong. I won’t do anything foolish again. Don’t cry.”

“Mother isn’t crying. Mother is happy to see that you’ve come to your senses.”

Xu Wanning followed Wang Baochuan back to her boudoir. On the way, Xu Wanning told Wang Baochuan that fortunately, her parents had disagreed. Although she and Xue Pinggui had simply exchanged vows, they hadn’t gone through the official paperwork.

Wang Baochuan thought about Xue Pinggui’s true identity, “Wanning, have you ever thought about it? Xue Pinggui is handsome and extraordinary. He’s clearly not an ordinary person. If he makes a name for himself in the future, will you regret returning to the Xu Mansion today?”

Xu Wanning was stunned and stopped in her tracks, “What do you mean?”

“I don’t mean anything. I was just thinking, the King of Xiliang only has one daughter, Princess Dai Zhan. Now that Xue Pinggui has become the Prince Consort of Xiliang, maybe the throne of the King of Xiliang will be his in the future. At that time…”

“The King of Xiliang?” Xu Wanning scoffed, “Even if he becomes the Emperor, what does it have to do with me? He asked me to wait for him in the Cold Cave, but he didn’t come back to find me.”

Her eyes were filled with sadness. Wang Baochuan could see that although she was stubborn, she still had feelings for Xue Pinggui.

Wang Baochuan rubbed the jade bracelet on her wrist. For eighteen years, Xue Pinggui had single-handedly promoted trade between Xiliang and the Tang Dynasty, but he hadn’t thought of sending someone back to the capital to inquire about her.

Was he unable to do it? No, he simply didn’t want to!

Xu Wanning didn’t know what she was feeling sad about. After thinking for a long time, she still couldn’t help but say, “Baochuan, do you think he might be forced by circumstances? Maybe he’ll come back to get me when he’s in power in Xiliang?”

“Even if he comes back to take you to Xiliang, can you, his original wife, surpass the Xiliang princess and become the Queen of Xiliang?” Wang Baochuan reminded her coldly not to let her emotions cloud her judgment.

She suddenly came to her senses, “But…”

“Or would you be willing to go to Xiliang and be a concubine?”