After speaking, Jiang Wanwen reached into her sleeve to retrieve silver notes—though in reality, she was taking them from her space.
She handed thirty thousand taels’ worth of silver notes to Zhong Yuancheng. With so many people traveling such a long distance, the expenses along the way would not be a small sum.
Zhong Yuancheng had already been inwardly reeling from his foster mother’s words, and now that she was handing him such a large amount of silver notes, he sensed an even stronger signal of danger.
Although Zhong Yuancheng knew the situation was urgent, he still wanted to clarify things—the more he knew, the better his decisions would be. “Foster Mother, is the court about to make a move?”
Though Jiang Wanwen trusted Zhong Yuancheng because she knew the plot from the book, she wouldn’t reveal everything to him. If any detail went wrong, it could be fatal. “This is all my own speculation. Now that the Wangye is gone, I just want to make preparations early.”
Zhong Yuancheng had always trusted his foster mother. Since she said so, he believed she must have heard some rumors. He carefully stored the silver notes. “Foster Mother, don’t worry. I will absolutely not let any news leak.”
As he made this promise, Zhong Yuancheng was already forming plans in his mind.
The matter was urgent, so Jiang Wanwen didn’t keep Zhong Yuancheng for casual conversation. “I trust you to handle things. You may go now. I’ll be returning with An’er shortly.”
Thinking of the preparations he needed to make, Zhong Yuancheng immediately bowed and took his leave.
Only after watching Zhong Yuancheng disappear into the distance did Jiang Wanwen enter the ancestral hall to find Jiang Ping’an.
Standing at the doorway, she saw the boy muttering in front of the memorial tablets of his elder brother and sister-in-law, occasionally chuckling as he spoke—nothing like the well-behaved child he had been in the Wangfu.
A pang of sorrow struck Jiang Wanwen’s heart.
She didn’t go in to disturb him. Instead, she turned to find Zheng Bo. She wanted him to serve by Jiang Ping’an’s side—specifically, by meeting them in Cheng County.
Jiang Wanwen feared that after their successful escape, the Emperor might go mad and harm Zheng Bo.
At first, when Jiang Wanwen suggested that Zheng Bo go to Cheng County, his response was a firm “No.”
It wasn’t until Jiang Wanwen said, “Jiang Ping’an is going too,” that Zheng Bo agreed to pack up and leave the city overnight in the next couple of days.
Zheng Bo wasn’t worried about the married young lady, but he was deeply concerned about the only remaining bloodline of the Jiang family. Especially with the young master going to a distant place like Cheng County, he felt he must follow to take care of him.
Otherwise, after he passed away, he would have no face to meet the General in the afterlife.
After arranging matters at the General’s residence, Jiang Wanwen finally entered the ancestral hall and called Jiang Ping’an out. She herself bowed solemnly before the memorial tablets, then waved her hand and stored all the tablets safely in her space.
Before coming to the General’s residence, Jiang Wanwen hadn’t intended to take the tablets. But after seeing them, she felt she ought to bring them along, so she followed her instincts.
After collecting the tablets, Jiang Wanwen personally closed the ancestral hall doors. Only then did she lead Jiang Ping’an, who had been waiting outside, back to the Wangfu.
Fortunately, this body was naturally strong; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to close the heavy ancestral hall doors alone.
Meanwhile, the hottest gossip in Shengyang City that day was about how the young Master Jiang had been wronged at Pingwu Wangfu and directly took his people back to the General’s residence.
The Wangfei of Pingwu, still in deep mourning, had personally gone after him.
And the rumors were growing increasingly exaggerated and widespread.
After learning about it, Jiang Wanwen only made minimal arrangements to dispel the rumors. As for whether people believed it or not, that was no longer her concern.
The Dharma assembly at Baohua Temple was approaching, and Jiang Wanwen still had many matters to handle! She had already ordered most of the belongings to be packed. The most pressing issue now was how to deal with the remaining servants in the mansion.
If she completely abandoned them, none would escape unscathed once Jiang Wanwen and the others departed.
In the end, Jiang Wanwen decided to entrust the matter to the steward of the outer courtyard, having him handle these affairs when the time came.
This steward had been previously recommended by Prince Pingwu to the original host as a reliable person.
Of course, Jiang Wanwen did not disclose the details to him immediately. Instead, she planned to instruct him when she departed for Baohua Temple:
“In a couple of days, I will have tasks for you to carry out. Someone will deliver a box to you—you will understand once you see it.”
Jiang Wanwen intended to have a letter written and sent back along with the indentures (Maishenqi) and reward silver for the servants in the mansion. Whether they could escape this calamity would then depend on their own fate.
Naturally, if any wished to seek refuge with the Shizi (Heir Apparent) and her in Yongning, Jiang Wanwen would welcome them. However, they could not travel together with Jiang Wanwen’s group.
Jiang Wanwen made these arrangements because by the time the letter was delivered, they would have been gone for two days and should have put considerable distance behind them.
Even if there were informants in the mansion who discovered the plan, it wouldn’t pose a significant problem. This way, she wouldn’t have betrayed those who had served them loyally.
As for the family of Guanshan Hou, her eldest daughter-in-law’s natal family, that was none of Jiang Wanwen’s concern. After all, even their own granddaughter hadn’t remembered them, had she?
With everything prepared, Jiang Wanwen began praying that no unexpected troubles would arise during this period.
Fortunately, everything went as Jiang Wanwen wished, and they smoothly arrived at the day of the Buddhist rites at Baohua Temple.
Jiang Wanwen looked at the children gathered in her room and solemnly instructed, “Today we are going to perform the funeral rites for your father. None of you are to act on your own or leave my side.”
Fu Xuanzhao and Fu Xuanming, who was holding his eldest nephew, obediently agreed. Jiang Ping’an earnestly nodded, following the example of his older cousins.
Only Fu Xuanchen remained silent.
“What? Fu Xuanchen, do you have an objection?” Jiang Wanwen felt this was the last chance she would give the boy. If he ran off on his own later, he couldn’t blame them for leaving him behind.
Fu Xuanchen, meeting his mother’s gaze, feared another beating. Since the last time he was punished, he still felt weak and sore all over.
Snapping back to reality, Fu Xuanchen hastily shook his head, “I have no objections, Mother. I will obey you in everything.”
Hearing her youngest son say this, Jiang Wanwen felt an unexpected twinge of regret in her heart.
Seeing that it was about time, Jiang Wanwen brought Jiang Ping’an to the carriage. They traveled without stopping until the carriage reached the foot of Baohua Temple’s mountain.
Jiang Wanwen glanced at the long staircase, then at the two younger children, and sighed inwardly with resignation. “Chen’er, help your second brother carry Xu Er.”
Habitually, Fu Xuanchen retorted, “Why should I? I won’t carry him! Let Second Brother hold him himself.”
“This is your eldest brother’s legitimate eldest son, his only child. Your eldest brother has always doted on you, and yet you refuse to lend a hand with his two-year-old.”
“Your eldest brother’s sincere affection for you has truly been misplaced.”
Fu Xuanchen had always enjoyed boasting in front of his second brother and younger sister about how well their eldest brother treated him. Hearing his mother’s remark this time, even someone as thick-skinned as him found it somewhat hard to bear.
He could only stubbornly scoop the chubby little Fu Zhuoxu out of his second brother’s arms, declaring, “Who says I don’t care? Eldest brother’s son is my son.”