Chapter 5: Big Shot

Lady Li was at a complete loss. Hearing that Wen Sheng had a point, she decided right then to return to her maiden home tomorrow to quietly seek advice from her mother and elder brother.

Seeing that Lady Li intended to go back alone and leave her at home, Wen Sheng stated plainly that she would be going along as well.

Not only that, but she personally supervised Lady Li as she packed up the house deeds, valuables, and all other precious items into a bundle to take back to the Li family. She also sent Cui'er to pass word to her father, asking him to drive the donkey cart to the mouth of the alley early tomorrow morning to wait for them.

Lady Li did not understand the reasoning. She felt that ever since the incident, her daughter's temperament had changed drastically; her words and actions carried a subtle air of decisiveness that was even more forceful than her sister-in-law Jiang's. Previously, she could never win an argument against Jiang, and now, naturally, she could not win against her daughter either. Whatever Wen Sheng arranged, she followed obediently.

The next day, once seated in the donkey cart, Wen Sheng looked at the sorrowful Lady Li and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She wasn't worried about herself; if the Li family also had no way to deal with that man surnamed Zhao, she would simply leave this small city and start her own life.

However, Lady Li would be left all alone from then on, relying on her father and brothers for a living. Wen Sheng wondered if she would spend her days washing her face with tears, perhaps even losing hope just like her daughter once had.

Having come into this life halfway through, it was truly difficult for her to view another woman as her own biological mother, especially one who burst into tears at the slightest provocation.

Along the way, Wen Sheng did not dare to speak to Lady Li easily, fearing she might trigger more tears.

She turned her head away, listening to the various sounds passing by, feeling a wave of confusion about the road ahead.

Why had she come to this strange world? How should she live her life from now on? Even in her previous life as the Ninth Miss of the Gu family, she had never found her life's purpose. Perhaps it was simply that there wasn't enough time; life was too short. If her grandfather had lived longer, perhaps he would have taught her why people live.

Fortunately, during those seventeen years, she had seen the world and broadened her horizons. Otherwise, she would have ended up like Lady Li, unable to escape the invisible cage set for women by secular society for a lifetime.

As Wen Sheng thought about it, she felt an inexplicable sense of sorrow. In truth, people like Lady Li wouldn't feel they were particularly unfortunate. It was like a soaring eagle that would rather die than return to a cage. If Gu Wen Sheng were to live like that, she would surely suffer through endless agony; the mere thought made her skin crawl.

The Gu and Li families were separated by more than half of Lishui City; the journey would take nearly an hour.

As they entered the main street, the road gradually widened and the donkey cart stopped jolting so much. Cui'er's father called out from the front, "The General's Manor is almost here."

Wen Sheng lifted the cart curtain to look out. At the distant street corner stood an imperial-bestowed memorial archway. From her direction, she couldn't see what characters were written on it, but two rows of soldiers stood beneath the arch. A silk banner in front of the ranks fluttered in the wind, bearing a large, bold character: "Ji."

Wen Sheng had excellent eyesight. With a quick glance, she noticed that the soldiers were all robust and burly, exuding a murderous and fierce aura from a distance, which piqued her curiosity.

Cui'er's father kept a tight rein on the black donkey to prevent it from bumping into pedestrians, muttering, "Looking at this commotion, something must be happening at the General's Manor today. Let's take the back street."

The donkey cart did not continue straight but turned onto another street. The crowds here were noticeably larger. After taking a detour, the cart passed the back gate of the General's Manor and joined the official road heading west.

Not much further ahead, the road was blocked. Dozens of soldiers holding long spears stood at the head of the street, preventing passage. Citizens with urgent business detoured, while those without were staying behind to watch the spectacle.

Cui'er's father drove the donkey cart to an empty spot by the roadside and consulted Lady Li, "I told you something was up. Madam Gu, if we detour through the west city, it will take much longer. We might as well wait here."

Lady Li agreed with an "Alright." It didn't matter if she was a little late returning to her maiden home with her daughter; it gave her time to think about how to approach her mother later.

More and more onlookers gathered. Wen Sheng heard people discussing that a great figure would be arriving in Lishui today and would be passing through here shortly.

Ordinary commoners couldn't say for certain, but Wen Sheng wondered to herself, "I wonder who this so-called 'great figure' is?"

They waited for more than half an hour until the sound of galloping hooves drifted from the distance. The crowd suddenly fell silent, and several people whispered in unison, "They're coming!"

Wen Sheng leaned out from the cart to peer through the curtain. A procession of horses and carriages was passing through the street corner. Through the gaps between the soldiers' spears, she saw at least a hundred horses pass by. Most of the riders were dressed as guards, protecting the two central figures like stars surrounding the moon.

These two figures flashed past Wen Sheng's vision like falling stars; they were seen from the side and did not leave a deep impression on her.

One was riding a horse, appearing to be about fifty years old and wearing a blue brocade robe.

Wen Sheng's main attention was on the other person in a sedan chair. It was a soft sedan chair with an open top, making the occupant clearly visible.

That man looked somewhat younger, with a pale, translucent complexion. He wore a jade crown and a white robe trimmed with gold thread, with a green jade flute tucked into his waist, giving him an air of extraordinary elegance.

In that brief moment, Wen Sheng did not focus on his facial features, but instead fixed her eyes on that flute. She had an inexplicable feeling that the flute looked quite extraordinary and was likely a treasure.

The procession passed quickly, and the street corner returned to normal.

Wen Sheng heard the surrounding pedestrians discussing it; it seemed the newcomers had gone directly to the General's Manor. That meant they were guests of the General's Manor.

No one could say for certain what the true identities of those two were.

The donkey cart set off again, and this time there were no more obstacles, smoothly delivering the mother and daughter to the Li family in the west of the city.

Like many locals, the Li family had made a living through fishing for generations. It wasn't until Lady Li's father, Li Youtian, encountered a great storm at sea when he was nearing forty and nearly didn't make it back that he sold the family's fishing boat and turned to small-scale trading in the fish market.

Business in the fish market was difficult, but it depended on the person. Li Youtian had little talent for it, and the first few years were tight, with the whole family barely managing to stay fed. However, once the eldest son, Li Rong, took over the business, he didn't seem to work particularly hard from dawn till dusk, spending his days mingling among the vendors, yet somehow, the Li family's life grew better and better.

Lady Li was Li Youtian's youngest daughter, with several older brothers and sisters. Growing up, someone was always there to worry about her. After marrying into the Gu family, she not only suffered hardships but also became distant from her own family. Every time the Old Lady Li thought of how her daughter had spent ten years as a widow for the Gu family, she couldn't help but feel stifled and tearful.

Since it wasn't a holiday or festival, Lady Li's sudden return with her child without any prior notice gave the Li family quite a fright.

As the saying goes, "A mother knows her daughter best." As soon as Old Lady Li saw Lady Li, she could tell by the forced smile on her face that she was full of grievances; something must have happened in the Gu family.

She told Li Rong's wife to lead Wen Sheng to settle in first, then avoided the old man to take Lady Li into the inner chamber alone, saying, "Speak, what on earth happened?"