Chapter 777: Chapter 739: Mother and Son Reunited, Information House (Part 1)

Zhao Xunyin paused for a moment while putting a hat on Lu Yanli, and after a while, asked, "Why not invite him in?"

Dou Kou hesitated, "The young master is kneeling outside, we tried to persuade him for a long time but he wouldn’t get up."

Hearing this, Zhao Xunyin said nothing more, letting Lu Yanli stay inside while she followed Dou Kou to the outer gate.

Lu Yanqing was kneeling in the snow, wearing a thin, tattered coarse cloth robe. His face was dark and rough, with a stubbly beard, lacking any of the vigor and energy typical of a twenty-year-old.

Zhao Xunyin looked on for a moment, suppressing the tears in her eyes, and asked Dou Kou, "Why didn’t you change his clothes?"

Dou Kou shook her head, saying that it was the Lu family who sent to fetch him, she didn’t know.

At this moment, two guards by the carriage stepped forward to salute, "Reporting to the Princess, when we went, the old lady specifically instructed us to bring new clothes, but, the young master refused to change..." Pausing momentarily, they continued, "Along the way, he didn’t say a single word."

Zhao Xunyin stepped down, stood in front of Lu Yanqing, and slowly squatted down, her voice gentle, "Yanqing, you’re home now, get up, the ground is cold."

She reached out to help him.

Lu Yanqing remained kneeling, silent.

Zhao Xunyin couldn’t help but glance worriedly at the guards, "Did something unexpected happen while he was in the Northern Desert?" Is that why he can’t speak?

The two guards shook their heads in unison.

The young master had been exiled for so many years, who knows what he had gone through.

Zhao Xunyin hadn’t gotten an answer yet when she saw Lu Yanqing break free of her hand, suddenly bowing low to the ground, and knocked his forehead heavily three times on the snow-covered ground.

Zhao Xunyin no longer cared whether he would speak or not, it was enough that he had returned. She helped him up and instructed Dou Kou, "Have the boys come out and set off a couple of strings of firecrackers to welcome the young master in."

Dou Kou turned around and went inside, and before long, a young servant came out carrying firecrackers, efficiently lighting them.

Amidst the lively crackling sounds, Lu Yanqing was welcomed inside and seated in the main hall.

Zhao Xunyin personally poured him tea, and then had warm water prepared for him to bathe.

After so many years apart, there couldn’t be many common topics between mother and son. Zhao Xunyin was not about to ask him about his time in the Northern Desert, so she simply had Dou Kou bring Lu Yanli out from the inner courtyard.

"This is your younger brother, Yan Li," Zhao Xunyin said, "He has always been longing for his brother’s return."

Lu Yanqing still didn’t speak, but his gaze softened noticeably when he saw Lu Yanli’s young, adorable face.

Zhao Xunyin looked at Lu Yanli gently, "Haven’t you always wanted to call your brother? Here he is, Lier, go ahead."

The little fellow obediently, without minding Lu Yanqing’s disheveled appearance, softly called out, "Brother."

He was small, and standing in front of Lu Yanqing, he had to tilt his head up, his eyes bright and shiny, looking soft and cute.

Lu Yanqing seemed to be moved by this scene, his lips quivered, but in the end, he said nothing.

Zhao Xunyin did not get discouraged, her smile remained, "The hot water should be ready, go and bathe, I’ll have some of your favorite dishes prepared, eat well and get some sleep, rejuvenate yourself before meeting your grandfather and grandmother."

So Lu Yanqing was led to the bathroom to bathe.

Zhao Xunyin went to the kitchen, selected a few of Lu Yanqing’s favorite dishes, oversaw the cooking, and, after ensuring everything was packed into a food box, brought it back herself.

Lu Yanqing had bathed and changed into a round-collared robe of Hangzhou silk, his face cleaned as well.

However, it was still impossible to fade the dark layer on his face left by the sand and wind of the Northern Desert.

Zhao Xunyin sighed quietly, walked to the Eight Immortals Table, opened the food box, and brought out the dishes, also handing him chopsticks personally.

Long before he smelled the aroma of the dishes, Lu Yanqing had swallowed his saliva. Now he took the chopsticks, didn’t wait for Zhao Xunyin to say a word, picked up the bowl and started wolfing down the food, stuffing his mouth full.

Zhao Xunyin sat across from him, noticing a hint of redness in his eyes. She thought it understandable that his temperament had undergone changes due to years of exile, making it hard to adapt to the Capital quickly, so she remained silent.

It was apparent that during his time in the Northern Desert, he often had not enough to eat, as Lu Yanqing demolished three large bowls in a row before finally laying down his chopsticks and wiping his mouth.

Zhao Xunyin said, "I’ve had the room cleaned up, you should go get some rest, whatever needs discussing, do it another day."

Lu Yanqing sat still, took a sip of hot tea, and finally spoke, "How about him?"

"Who?"

As if not daring to admit to this question, his lips trembled for a long time before he squeezed out two words, "My father."

"The Bei Yan army is pressing on the border, your father has led soldiers north."

Lu Yanqing inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

On the way here, because he did not speak, the guards dared not converse much with him, so he knew nothing of the news from the Capital City. When the carriage stopped, what he saw was not the Princess Mansion of old but Changning Marquis Mansion. Seeing Zhao Xunyin alone come out to greet him, he thought that Lu Xingzhou must have broken off with Zhao Xunyin because of his lineage, and the two were no longer husband and wife, with Zhao Xunyin remarried to someone else—the Marquis Changning.

Now, upon hearing that Lu Xingzhou was merely leading troops to battle rather than divorcing Zhao Xunyin, the guilt in his heart was slightly alleviated.

"Yanqing," Zhao Xunyin said softly, "I will have someone escort you back to your room to rest."

As soon as she finished speaking, Dou Kou came in and respectfully said to Lu Yanqing, "Second Young Master, please follow me."

Lu Yanqing did not stand up and extended his hand to Zhao Xunyin.

Zhao Xunyin was taken aback, "What?"

"Give me Silver," he said succinctly.

"What do you need Silver for?"

Zhao Xunyin asked, realizing it was inappropriate to question him this way, as the young master of Changning Marquis Mansion ought to have Silver with him. Yet, since he just returned, everything he needed was in the mansion...

Not thinking further, she instructed someone to fetch him a hundred taels in silver notes.

Lu Yanqing accepted the silver notes, stood up, and walked out of the hall, heading towards the main gate.

Zhao Xunyin was startled and followed him, "Yanqing, where are you going?"

Lu Yanqing’s expression remained unchanged, and his tone was indifferent, "I have something to do, no need for anyone to follow."

Zhao Xunyin moved her lips but eventually just watched him leave the mansion.

Behind her, Dou Kou worriedly asked, "The Second Young Master just returned to the Capital, isn’t it inappropriate for him to go out like this?"

Zhao Xunyin sighed and, after returning to Liufang Courtyard, summoned the Hidden Guard, "You few, follow the Young Master closely and by all means, ensure nothing happens to him."

...

Arriving at the market, Lu Yanqing first bought a conical hat to cover his face, then went to a place called "Information House."

As the name suggests, as long as you have money, the people inside can sell you any news.

Because there was a storefront, they also sold stationery besides selling information.

Today, the shop was tended by a plump middle-aged man who, seeing a customer, greeted him with a smile, "Do you want paper or ink?"

Lu Yanqing placed a fifty tael silver note on the counter, "Seeking information."

The smile on the middle-aged man’s face froze slightly, "Customer, you should know, the information here is graded. The price rises according to the secrecy of the information you wish to know. For fifty taels, the information cannot exceed the Capital’s range, cannot involve the nobles, and cannot..."

"No need to investigate," Lu Yanqing sat down, "Just tell me everything you know that happened from the year Lu Yanqing was exiled until now."

The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up, "That simple?"

Lu Yanqing did not respond.

The middle-aged man swiftly pocketed the silver note, brewed a pot of tea, and sat down with him. After clearing his throat, he began to speak.

From the man’s mouth, Lu Yanqing learned that after he was exiled, Lu Xingzhou and Zhao Xunyin volunteered to leave the family and went to Ningzhou to watch over the miners’ spirits.

In addition, the court established the Divine Soldier Bureau, Mr. Lu was put to great use, the mechanical beast emerged, the expedition against West Yue saw great success, the Emperor granted the Lu Family a dukedom, Duke Lu requested his eldest son Lu Pingzhou be named Princely Heir, and that Heir’s wife from the Su Family, due to a grave mistake, was exiled to Suzhou and hasn’t returned since.

Speaking of which, the middle-aged man looked gossip-filled, "The detailed reason for Su Family’s exile surely piques your interest."

Lu Yanqing made no sound, his fingertips tapping on the ashwood table without rhythm.

Seeing his indifferent response, the middle-aged man didn’t linger on trivialities, plainly stating, "Because she used unknown means to expose the fact that the Eldest Princess has an illegitimate daughter."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanqing under the dark veiled fabric frowned, "Who?"

"It is Mrs. Wen, wife of Fourth-rank Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Mr. Song, Song Wei."

Mrs. Wen?

In Lu Yanqing’s mind, unexpectedly appeared a face quite resembling his mother’s.

"What a pity, hitting the mark by mistake," the middle-aged man continued, "At the time, Mr. Song personally admitted it, saying Mrs. Song was no illegitimate child, but a child born after the Eldest Princess and the Prince Consort solemnized their marriage outside. However, many things happened back then, the Eldest Princess couldn’t return to the capital, and the child was handed over by the Prince Consort to someone in Ningzhou, and later, the child was born there."

At this point, the middle-aged man suddenly covered his mouth with his hand, fearing others might hear, leaned in close to Lu Yanqing, and whispered, "Actually, these are just surface statements. Upon careful examination, it’s not hard to find loopholes. If you want to unearth the truth, pay a little more, and I’ll have someone get you insider information."