Chapter 4
Ah Xiu endured the anger for many days and finally found a window to vent it. She ignored Murong Yu's scolding and tucked back the messy hair behind her ears.
"What am I doing? Of course taking back what belongs to my Li family. You and my young lady are divorced now, and my young lady's dowry should naturally be sent back."
The onlookers gasped. His Royal Highness Murong Yu and His Consort were a perfect match, it was destined by heaven. How could they suddenly divorce? Weren't they always so loving?
Murong Yu croaked, "I didn't agree to the divorce!"
Scoff!
Ah Xiu sneered, "This is the late emperor's decree, you have no choice but to agree. Our young lady took the initiative to divorce, isn't it just catering to your wish? Otherwise how could your outside woman enter the door!"
"Nonsense!"
"Nonsense!" Ah Xiu pointed at his nose, "I'm talking nonsense? Let's wait and see if a pregnant woman comes through your door in a few days!"
Murong Yu shuddered. No wonder, no wonder they knew about it. He looked at the excited onlookers, now was not the time to argue.
The watermelon was lost, he couldn't lose the sesame too.
Ah Xiu commanded people to continue moving things. A soldier rushed over on horseback, barely avoiding crashing into people.
"Bad news, bad news, the Consort is missing!"
Ah Xiu was stunned and rushed up to grab him. "What did you say?"
"The Consort is missing!"
Ah Xiu's vision blurred and she almost collapsed, supported by others.
In one day, Murong Yu and his Consort divorced, he had a woman and child outside, and the former Consort went missing. The three major events satisfied all the gossipy people in the capital.
Murong Yu's guards and Li's guards searched everywhere in the capital and nearby but failed to find Li Mingwei.
The station where Li Mingwei last disappeared was surrounded three layers deep. After fruitless searching, they prepared to interrogate the station attendants.
The young brother who was making fire in the station was just throwing a bun into the firewood when he was seized by the officers and dragged outside.
"Officer, we have nothing to do with this! We are all odd-job workers, we can only work in the back yard and can't get to the second floor. Officer!"
"Ah! Officer, we really don't know anything!"
"Please, stop beating us!"
"I really don't know anything!"
Screams rose one after another. Li Mingwei clenched the bun in her hand, almost rushing out immediately. Bastards from Murong Yu's manor!
"Stop!"
A roar came. Li Mingwei recognized the familiar voice, it was their chief steward. She breathed a sigh of relief and shrank back into the cellar.
"You are taking human lives casually!"
"You overstate, we are just following orders to find the whereabouts of the Consort."
"What Consort, there is no such person as the Murong Consort anymore, only my young lady from the Li family. We don't need you to find our young lady, all of you get lost!"
"But!"
"No buts, our young lady was lost under your manor guards, those who were present that day will not get away."
The steward glared at the badly beaten men on the ground and sneered coldly, "Don't think finding some scapegoats can exonerate your suspicion!"
Immediately silence fell over the crowd. Murong Yu's affair... he was indeed suspicious too, the Li family would definitely not let them off.
At midnight, the young brother who made fires during the day sneaked into the kitchen again, added some water to the pot, lit the stove, and glanced at the guard who came in and left again.
He carefully waited until all were gone before knocking on the firewood quietly, "Murong Yu's people left, your steward has surrounded the station. Young lady, what do you plan to do next?"
"Wait a little longer. How are you?"
The young brother knew she was asking about his injuries. "I'm fine. Your steward got medicine for us, though the maids serving you were all taken away, don't know if they will be in trouble."
"Doesn't matter, those were all Murong Yu's people, I didn't bring my own with me."
"Young lady is so clever! But I may have to be more careful these days, can't bring you food on time, please endure it."
"Alright, thank you so much."
The young brother grinned, "Why thank me? Without you young lady I would have died long ago. I never thought I could help you."
Li Mingwei also smiled, recalling when she first saved him. She silently retreated to the depths of the cellar to rest and conserve her strength. She still had much to do.
Of course, not only Murong Yu's and Li's families were in turmoil, so was the Cheng family.
Watching his kneeling daughter, General Cheng swept the teacups and pot to the ground. His face was gloomy as he looked at his favored concubine.
"I trusted you to discipline our daughter, yet this is how you raised her!"
"Old Master, I!"
"Ruo Ruo, apologize to your father quickly!"
Cheng Ruo Ruo touched her belly and somehow summoned her courage. She stood up straight and said, "Father, I know I have shamed you, but I truly love His Highness Murong Yu. I want to marry him."
General Cheng was furious. He couldn't believe his own daughter was so naive. As His Highness Murong Yu, doesn't he understand better than a young girl like her?
"Marry, in your dreams! Get rid of the child immediately!"
"No, this is the flesh and blood of His Highness and I!"
"Cheng Ruo Ruo!" General Cheng raged, then looked at his daughter calmly again, repeating "good" three times.
"Good, good, good, let's get you married then."
Cheng Ruo Ruo was overjoyed. She knew her father loved her the most and would agree.
General Cheng slowly commanded the steward, "Go prepare a small palanquin to send her to Murong Yu's manor. I don't want such a daughter."
"Cheng Ruo Ruo, remember, once you walk out this door, you are no longer my daughter. Just watch, without my support, how His Highness Murong Yu treats you."
Cheng Ruo Ruo's face paled. Father wanted to sever ties with her. She pleaded for help from her mother.
"Old Master, she is our daughter!"
"Not anymore." General Cheng looked at his concubine coldly, extremely disappointed in her. Don't they know what kind of family the Lis are? He didn't have the power to steal the Li's son-in-law.
Whoever did it, bears the consequences themselves.
Cheng Ruo Ruo was not allowed to bring anything. She was sent to Murong Yu's manor deep in the night. From Murong Yu's expression, nothing else needed to be said.
Well, the sesame was lost now too.
"Yulang!"
Cheng Ruo Ruo apprehensively called out softly. Seeing Murong Yu's stern face without response, she knew she had gambled wrong after all.
Father was right. Without the Chengs, what was she to His Highness?
With teary eyes, she stroked her belly. "Yulang."
Murong Yu snapped back to attention and had her taken away. What a stressful day.
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