Chapter 291: Concubine Hui’s Plan

Eyes are on the front; people have to look ahead.

“Lei Yun, did you forget that we once had a happy time together in Lingnan?”

“Ah, that was all in the past. Why bring it up now?”

“Though time has passed, every time I think back to those days, my heart still feels warm,” Concubine Hui said with a helpless smile. “In the end, I am the one who let you down. If I had waited for you, would our outcome be different now?”

“Concubine Hui, let the past stay in the past.”

Concubine Hui fell silent, shaking her head and smiling wryly. “It seems I came at the wrong time today.”

Since entering the Lei residence, she had heard Lei Yun’s repeated insistence that the past should remain in the past.

Lei Yun stood there, watching as Concubine Hui turned and walked away, seeming to leave in tears.

He was at a loss. He hadn’t said anything wrong.

And what exactly was Concubine Hui’s purpose for coming today?

—

When it came to their relationship, it had completely ended the moment they stopped exchanging letters.

“Has she left?” Lei Yun returned to the main hall, where Old Lady Lei was sitting in a chair, glancing at him, her meal untouched.

“Yes, she’s gone.”

Old Lady Lei immediately picked up her cane and struck at Lei Yun. “Lei Yun, what on earth are you doing? Why are you bringing everyone home? She’s Lin Rumeng, but she’s also Concubine Hui, the emperor’s concubine and the biological mother of the Eighth Prince.

You returned home just today, and she came to the residence to find you. If word gets out, you won’t be able to clear your name even if you jumped into the Yellow River.

A subordinate associating with a palace concubine—what do you want to do? Speak up! My old bones have held out for so many years without seeing a granddaughter-in-law,

Your father passed away early, and I accepted that; he sacrificed himself for the country, and I’m proud of him!

Now, do you want me to experience the loss of a child before my death?”

“Grandmother, I didn’t do anything. Please don’t be angry.” Lei Yun stood still, the old lady’s cane lingering over him but not falling.

Old Lady Lei was so furious she almost slammed the table.

“Grandmother, please take care of your health. Don’t get too worked up.”

“Yun’er, my old bones will eventually be the death of you!”

“Grandmother, I wouldn’t dare.”

“Then explain, why did Concubine Hui come? What’s the relationship between you and her?”

Despite not living together for ten years, Lei Yun had been raised by his grandmother as a child, and that bond, no matter how much time had passed, remained strong.

Lei Yun hesitated but eventually told his grandmother about his past entanglement with Lin Rumeng from ten years ago. “Actually, there’s really nothing between us. I don’t know why she visited the Lei residence today.”

“Just because you haven’t thought much about it doesn’t mean she hasn’t. As a woman, her thoughts might be different from yours,” Old Lady Lei, with her experience, said thoughtfully. “Concubine Hui is a palace concubine, and if she wants to come, we can’t stop her. You just need to take care of yourself. Also, the urgent matter now is to find a wife for you. How old are you, still single? Do you want the Lei family to die out?”

Lei Yun felt overwhelmed. He knew that returning to the capital would mean his grandmother would pressure him about marriage.

But, despite her age, listening to his grandmother’s nagging still felt somewhat comforting.

Only those closest to you would care about you. Outsiders would just watch the spectacle.

Lei Yun smiled wryly. “Understood, Grandmother. I’ll keep this matter in mind.”

“Xiaohe, clear away these dishes and pack them up.”

Just as Lei Yun was about to start eating, Xiaohe took the dishes away.

Old Lady Lei shot him a stern look. “No wife, no food!”

Lei Yun swallowed. “Grandmother, who are you packing the food for?”

“Hmph, mind your own business.” Old Lady Lei, delighted, left with Xiaohe and went next door, knocking on the door. “Little grandson, open up, Grandma is bringing you some food.”

Lei Yun, still in the Lei residence, found it odd that his grandmother seemed off.

When Xiaohe mentioned that his grandmother had taken the food next door, he remembered that the place next door had once been an abandoned courtyard.

—

After leaving the Lei residence, Concubine Hui found that Lei Yun had not followed her.

“Mother.” Di Xuan emerged from the alley, having waited there for a long time.

Concubine Hui hurried forward. “Xuan’er, does your eye still hurt these days?”

Di Xuan shook his head.

Concubine Hui looked at her obedient and well-behaved Eighth Prince and was resolute about her secret visit to the Lei residence today. She had no regrets.

She hadn’t expected that the inconspicuous young man from Lingnan ten years ago would become the current General of Lingnan.

If she had known this would happen, she would have never cut off contact with Lei Yun.

This morning, when she learned that the emperor was returning to the palace, she was thrilled and brought Di Xuan to greet him at the palace gates.

Seeing a tall figure from a distance, she inquired with the palace servants and learned it was Lei Yun, the general who had made significant contributions by defending the border during the Lingnan epidemic.

She was reminded of the past between her and Lei Yun ten years ago.

Although she was the favored daughter of the Lin family, she was not content with being a minor concubine in the palace, especially with her son suffering from eye disease. She couldn’t bear the thought of her son being blind for life.

She needed to plan for her and her child’s future.

Lei Yun’s appearance gave her the perfect opportunity.

“Xuan’er, don’t worry. I promised you I would do everything in my power to cure your eyes,” Concubine Hui comforted Di Xuan.

Not only did she want to heal his eyes, but she also wanted her son to become the Crown Prince.

If she received support from Lei Yun in secret, it would make it much easier for Di Xuan to become the Crown Prince in the future.

Although Lei Yun had been very distant with her today, she believed that a man who had not married for ten years must still have some lingering feelings for her.

Men pursue women with great difficulty, while women pursue men with ease.

As long as she managed the situation well, Lei Yun would be under her control in no time.

She knew Lei Yun’s character well. He was a person who valued emotions and loyalty, and even after ten years, he surely still had a place for her in his heart. That was enough.

Even if it meant her own ruin, she was determined to plan for her son’s future.

“Mother, where are you taking me?” Di Xuan asked as Concubine Hui led him through the bustling market.

Wow.

I really want to go back to the palace and play with my sister.

“To get your eyes treated.” Concubine Hui took Di Xuan to the Prince Han’s residence.

The young princess’s medical skills weren’t a secret, but how effective her skills were hadn’t spread widely in the capital, though many knew in Yucheng.

Of course, Concubine Hui didn’t expect that Di Hongluan’s medical skills could cure Di Xuan’s eyes, but Di Hongluan seemed to know some extraordinary techniques.

—