Chapter 526 - 525: Taboos

Chapter 526: Chapter 525: Taboos

When Mu Lianxiao returned to the mansion, the sky was already dark.

He had good night vision, so he didn’t light a lantern as he walked through the plum blossom gate, heading straight to Shaohui Garden.

Just when he was about to catch sight of a corner of Shaohui Garden, he saw the lights inside were bright, and Mu Lianxiao couldn’t help but curve his lips. His Yunluo was waiting for him.

Du Yunluo was lounging on the couch, flipping through a book. Hearing the commotion in the yard, she casually put the book aside, slipped on her shoes, and went out to greet him.

Pulling aside the curtain, she was met with a slight smell of alcohol from the person in front of her.

Du Yunluo instinctively furrowed her brows.

Mu Lianxiao noticed and leaned in to tease her.

Du Yunluo stomped her foot, stepped back two steps, and chided, "Go wash up quickly."

Mu Lianxiao laughed heartily and went to the washroom. When he came out clean and refreshed, Yu Zhu was setting the table.

"The kitchen heated up some porridge. I had them bring it over," Du Yunluo said.

There was hot shredded chicken porridge, a plate of pickled cucumber slices, a plate of drunken dates, and a plate of steamed rice cakes left to cool.

"All I did was drink tonight, my stomach is empty," Mu Lianxiao sat at the table, naturally pulling Du Yunluo’s hand, "Are you hungry? Join me."

Du Yunluo obediently sat down.

Knowing that Mu Lianxiao would need some late-night snacks when he came back, Du Yunluo didn’t eat much at dinner, saving room specifically.

She enjoyed eating with Mu Lianxiao, whether it was a variety of dishes in the mansion, a light midnight snack, or simple meals at Shanyu Pass, eating with Mu Lianxiao always made everything taste better.

With such an experience, even if there were three meals a day plus a midnight snack, Du Yunluo didn’t mind.

The rice cakes were fragrant, Du Yunluo tore a small piece and popped it into her mouth. Seeing Mu Lianxiao looking at her, she tore another piece, offering it to his lips.

Mu Lianxiao opened his mouth to accept it and chuckled, "Is this the third piece? I was about to tell you to be careful not to overeat."

Du Yunluo was taken aback, blinked at the half-eaten plate of rice cakes, and mumbled, "I won’t."

Though she said that, she didn’t take any more.

"Today, I went with my sister-in-law to Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager mentioned that the Holy Emperor is going to handle Young Master Ye’s marriage," Du Yunluo said, propping her cheek up with one hand.

Mu Lianxiao didn’t show any surprise and said, "General Huang and Huang Yun have returned to the Capital. Today, in the Imperial Study Room, General Huang praised Yu Zhi a lot. With the war at Shanyu Pass on hold for the past two months, I figured the Holy Emperor might want to call Yu Zhi back to the Capital."

"Did Duke Jing Mansion do something to make the Holy Emperor unhappy again?" Du Yunluo asked, puzzled. No matter how the Holy Emperor favors Ye Yuzhi, it wouldn’t make sense to intervene in the marriage of a concubine’s son without consulting the Duke Mansion.

Mu Lianxiao hesitated for a moment, then looked at Du Yunluo with amusement in his eyes: "I really can’t hide anything from you. I heard from Eunuch Chen, at the beginning of the month, it was the Imperial Uncle’s birthday, and Duke Jing Mansion made a taboo."

The fourth day of the sixth month marks the birthday of the Empress’s own brother.

In every dynasty, the power of the maternal relatives has been a matter of concern. Therefore, the Empress’s maternal family, the Sun Family, had long resigned from powerful positions. Even if the descendants entered government service, they held no key positions, maintaining a respectful distance from the power circles in the Capital. On that day, the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion only sent gifts.

According to old customs, only gifts were sent, and no one went to the mansion, especially since the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion needed to command troops.

But this time, Duke Jing Mansion not only sent generous gifts but the Young Master also personally attended the birthday celebration.

One doesn’t hit a smiling person, and since they came to congratulate, the Sun Family didn’t have a reason to drive him out. They invited the Young Master in for the banquet. By the next day, this matter reached the Empress.

Duke Jing Mansion sought a marriage for the legitimate daughter, Ye Jinzhi, wanting to marry her into the Sun Family.

For this, the Holy Emperor threw a fit in Jiaofang Palace, and it took a long time for the Empress to calm him down.

According to the Holy Emperor, who in the entire Capital doesn’t know about the mess in Duke Jing Mansion? Matters that are clean and clear in other families become complicated in theirs.

Marrying the legitimate eldest daughter into the Sun Family, the Old Master and his wife are not merely seeking an advantageous alliance for the legitimate eldest son’s succession, but with the Old Master still alive and the Young Master young, who knows what disruptions might occur in a few decades?

If they want to cause chaos, they can, but dragging the Empress’s family into their mess is truly reprehensible.

Du Yunluo listened, dumbfounded.

Among the power struggles in the Capital, neither the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, the Bai Family, nor the Empress’s family, the Sun Family, dared to be provoked.

Duke Jing looking to drag the Sun Family into the mire explains why the Holy Emperor was furious.

The dispute between legitimate and illegitimate heirs is not rare among the Capital’s aristocratic families. Still, for the sake of propriety, it’s never as ugly as Duke Jing Mansion’s behavior, slaughtering the donkey after it has completed its work, and once again seeking to suppress the concubine-born children after using them.

If Ye Yuzhi were untalented, the Holy Emperor might have overlooked it. However, his competence made the Holy Emperor, who values talent, displeased.

Moreover, among the Holy Emperor’s most trusted aides is Prince Cheng, Li Yuan, with whom the Empress Dowager and Imperial Consort share close ties. The mutual support among siblings regardless of legitimate or illegitimate status is what the Holy Emperor wishes to see. With Cining Palace as an exemplar, Duke Jing Mansion’s countercurrent goes against what the Holy Emperor approves of.

Reflecting on her past life, Du Yunluo remembered that Duke Jing Mansion smoothly handed down to the legitimate eldest son without causing displeasure in the palace. The reason, she recalled, was that in the past, Duke Jing’s Young Master did not remarry the original wife’s sister, and the Old Master and his wife were considerate regarding An Ran’s marriage, avoiding the present life’s situation of ruthlessly severing An Ran and harshly treating Ye Yuzhi.

In this life, when the original wife passed, the Old Madam Duke Jing publicly embarrassed An Ran, nearly causing her a miscarriage. Lady Enrong’s weeping in Cining Palace marked the beginning of the palace’s dissatisfaction with Duke Jing Mansion.

"If Young Master Ye returns to the Capital, how will the Holy Emperor arrange for him?" Du Yunluo asked.

Mu Lianxiao shook his head: "I guess it would be a position where he can rise in status. He’s a concubine-born son, so no matter the chaos in Duke Jing Mansion, it wouldn’t affect him. If the Holy Emperor wants to use him, he won’t let him get entangled in those affairs and will ensure he’s not restrained by the Duke Mansion. I suspect it’ll be in the Ministry of War or the Five Armies Commander’s Mansion, but he’ll have to endure a few years."

Remembering Ye Yuzhi’s determined expression during the Shangyuan Festival, Du Yunluo thought that someone like him, if given an opportunity, wouldn’t mind waiting a few years. His only fear was that all roads would be closed to him.

The next morning, Du Yunluo and Mu Lianxiao got ready and took Brother Yan back to Du Mansion.

The newly born daughter of Mrs. Tang has already been named Tian.

White dew smokes split the light, a faint ripple settles the green waters smoothly.

Previously, the girl was also named this. For this granddaughter, born with congenital deficiencies, Du Gongfu hoped she would live a life of calm without turbulence, yet she passed away at a tender age.

In this life, this healthy child should grow up smoothly as Du Gongfu hopes.