Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 381 Thinking

The box looked perfectly ordinary, with nothing unusual about it, but its ability to appear silently on the Duke's carriage was truly eerie and ominous.

Seeing him deep in thought, Liu Yuechu realized something was wrong. "Is there something wrong with this gift?" It was precisely because he was afraid there was something wrong with the congratulatory gift that he had put all the items in the carriage behind them instead of bringing them with him.

Yuan Cuo responded softly and opened the box again.

There were only two keys and two deeds inside the box.

The contract listed the names of two mansions, but Liu Yuechu couldn't remember their locations at all.

"This doesn't seem to be the capital. I've never heard of the names of these streets and alleys before." She thought carefully, but she couldn't even recall the outskirts of the capital.

Yuan Cuo said quietly, "This is a land deed from the State of Chu."

Liu Yuechu covered her mouth, her eyes widening. "You mean...?" It was a gift from the Chu Emperor? She dared not say the rest.

Yuan Cuo chuckled, put the contracts back into the box, and sealed them all. "Anyway, they're gifts, so just accept them. Two contracts, one seat for each of the two children, that's fine."

“We can’t possibly stay in the Chu Kingdom’s residence; that would be more like declaring war on His Majesty.” Liu Yuechu clicked her tongue twice.

Yuan Cuo disagreed, saying, "Who says we can't stay there? We can go anytime we want."

Liu Yuechu: "???"

"Have you forgotten that you just scolded the prince of Chu away?"

Not only did he verbally drive him away, but he also issued a challenge. Moreover, Chu Lan was his half-brother.

Yuan Cuo remained relaxed and at ease, saying, "It only depends on whether we want to or not. We don't need to worry about whether we can. As long as my wife wants it, I will do my best."

"All you do is talk big," Liu Yuechu scolded playfully.

The carriage slowly started moving forward, and they returned to the Liu family's residence instead of the Duke's mansion.

Many eyes were watching the glorious entourage from the shadows.

Among them are Jiang Yunjiao and Li Shu.

Li Shu followed behind her mother. Now, Li Chengyue was thriving in the Ministry of Works, and the Li family's social interactions had also become much richer.

As for the Marquis of Zhenning, with Lady Guan's passing and Wei Gongming's departure from the capital, Li Shu was not qualified to enter the palace to participate in any celebrations. It was only because Lady Li specifically brought her along that she had this opportunity.

Seeing Liu Yuechu's meteoric rise to prominence always filled Li Shu with unease, resentment, and discontent. A merchant's daughter, married to a man who turned out to be the illegitimate son of Emperor Qi Xiao and Emperor Chu?

She wanted to ask God, if He was going to favor a woman, why couldn't it be her? Why couldn't He give her such an excellent husband, but instead gave her a man as cold as ice, whom she couldn't melt no matter what she did?

"Let's go." After Madam Li arrived at the carriage, Li Shu immediately helped her up.

Before she boarded the carriage, she caught a glimpse of Jiang Yunjiao out of the corner of her eye. The two looked at each other and nodded slightly.

Li Shu left with her mother, while Jiang Yunjiao followed the Right Chancellor's wife.

She is now Pei Chun's wife, no longer the young lady of the Left Chancellor's mansion, and no longer has the right to make many decisions on her own.

"What are you looking at? That jinx from the Li family, don't pay any attention to her." Madam Pei saw Li Shu and her face was full of displeasure. If she had a daughter like Li Shu, she would have thrown her into the well and drowned her long ago; she couldn't bear the shame of that.

Jiang Yunjiao immediately nodded in agreement, "Mother, don't worry, I'm not familiar with her and we haven't had any contact before."

Madam Pei glanced at her and, unusually, muttered a few words, "Her current difficult life is all her own doing. In fact, without her mother-in-law and her husband not in the capital, her life is much more carefree than yours."

"But she's so full of bitterness and resentment, seeing herself as a bitter, resentful woman. Who can she blame for that?"

“My mother-in-law treats me very well, and my husband is also very respectful to me. I am grateful… But you are right, life is what it is. I will definitely stay by my husband’s side and persuade him to stop making a fool of himself.” Jiang Yunjiao dared not slack off in the slightest. Madam Pei was no pushover.

Madam Pei seemed satisfied with her answer. When she saw the carriage arrive, she was helped up first. "If you want to stay and have a private talk with your mother, you can stay for a while."

“It’s not a holiday, so there’s not much to say. My daughter-in-law is still willing to come home with her mother.” Jiang Yunjiao got into the car without any hesitation.

She was already a daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, how could she dare to continue to have entanglements with her own family?

Moreover, the Left Chancellor's residence and the Right Chancellor's residence have always been mortal enemies. She just happened to become the daughter-in-law of her mortal enemy's residence, and every wrong word or even a single syllable she uttered would make her life very difficult.

Madam Pei slightly twitched the corners of her mouth and ordered the carriage to set off.

As Jiang Yunjiao listened to the sound of the cart turning, her mind was filled with images of Yuan Cuo, and she felt a mix of emotions.

If she hadn't made the first move and had obediently waited to get married, even as a concubine, she could have risen to prominence alongside them.

But she stubbornly refused to submit to the fate of a merchant's daughter...

After marrying Pei Chun, apart from their wedding night and becoming a woman, she never saw him again.

Madam Pei's words, though seemingly directed at Li Shu, were actually meant for her as well.

"I just don't believe in superstitions," she muttered hoarsely, silently calculating in her heart. She didn't want to be a caged bird, trained to only fawn over its master.

Upon returning home, she took the initiative to seek out Pei Chun and brought up the matter of Consort Yu selecting concubines, saying, "...My husband is already married and lacks servants. Why don't I go to the palace and ask Consort Yu to find a pair for my husband?"

Consort Yu was her own aunt, so she naturally had the connections.

Pei Chun had also inquired and learned that the young ladies were all chosen for Emperor Qi Xiao, so he naturally dared not covet them. However, now that Emperor Qi Xiao had directly refused, the young ladies could not be left hanging and could only be betrothed to various mansions.

However, Pei Chun still has some difficulty in getting the imperial concubines, since he doesn't have any official positions to offer, only a stake in the Liu family's horse farm, though he doesn't lack money.

"Why do you have to swallow your pride and beg in the palace to choose two women for me? What are you plotting? Just say it." Pei Chun married her because of a deal with Liu Yuechu.

He initially found the deal infuriating, as it involved sacrificing his dignity. However, now that Yuan Cuo's identity has been revealed and he has been granted the title of Duke of Baoguo, he, as one of the owners of the horse farm, is now swaggering around.

“I am genuinely thinking of my husband. Several of his close friends are already married with children, but there are still no children born in his household.” Jiang Yunjiao pursed her lips, thinking of Liu Yuechu’s radiant smile.

She forced a smile, trying to emulate Liu Yuechu's carefree and spirited demeanor. "I know my husband has never liked me, but if there's anything I can do, I'll still tell him. If he's willing, I'll help him. If he's not, I won't be seen as mean and jealous, and I'll maintain a respectable image in the eyes of others."

Pei Chunzai scrutinized her closely. "You vicious woman with a heart of stone, you would actually be so considerate of me?"