After Fu Xuanchen finished speaking loudly, he took the lead in carrying Fu Zhuoxu up the steps.
Jiang Wanwen then turned her gaze to Jiang Ping’an, who quickly said, “Aunt, I can climb. Let me try climbing on my own for a while.”
Ruhua, afraid that the Wangfei might say “I’ll carry him,” chimed in, “Don’t worry, Wangfei. When the young master gets tired, this servant will carry him up. I have plenty of strength!”
Ten-year-old Fu Xuanzhao also proactively took her little cousin’s hand, thoughtfully helping her mother share the burden. “Mother, don’t worry! Your daughter will hold little cousin’s hand. I’m strong too!”
After saying this, Fu Xuanzhao gave Jiang Wanwen a look that said, “You understand, Mother.”
Seeing both her daughter and young nephew appearing so capable and eager, Jiang Wanwen didn’t want to dampen their enthusiasm.
She then turned her attention to her second son, Fu Xuanming, who wore an expression of resignation. “Mother, although I’m the only one among us without innate divine power, I am still a boy. Surely I can manage these few steps without help!”
Fu Xuanchen, carrying his eldest nephew, had already climbed over forty steps when he noticed his mother and the others hadn’t followed. He couldn’t help shouting, “Mother, are you coming or not?”
Startled by Fu Xuanchen’s yell, Jiang Wanwen immediately forgot what she had been about to say and simply began ascending the steps.
Seeing their mother moving upward, Fu Xuanming and the rest hurried to catch up.
Thus began the family’s arduous climb. After continuously climbing for three hours, they finally reached the mountaintop temple. In the end, Jiang Ping’an had to be carried up by Ruhua.
The most exhausted was undoubtedly Fu Xuanchen, who had been carrying the thirty-pound child. Compounding his fatigue were the medications he’d recently taken that left him with little strength.
Upon reaching the summit, Fu Xuanchen desperately wanted to collapse on the ground, but the crowded space made him too embarrassed to lie down.
The mountain was already populated with numerous nobles and commoners who had arrived via sedan chairs – naturally much faster than their climbing party.
As for why Jiang Wanwen’s family didn’t use sedan chairs, it was generally accepted that climbing the steps devoutly would make prayers more effective.
The entire family had mobilized under the pretext of holding memorial services for Prince Pingwu. Not climbing personally would have given critics ammunition.
Since Jiang Wanwen was preparing to flee under cover of darkness, she wanted to avoid any complications.
Despite her high status, Jiang Wanwen’s heavy mourning attire discouraged many from approaching to pay respects.
She led her large family to worship at every hall, operating on the principle of “since we’re here, we might as well pray for everything.”
After completing their rounds of worship, the family attended the so-called enlightened monk’s dharma assembly.
By the time the assembly ended near 5 PM, Jiang Wanwen’s group was ravenous. Their midday vegetarian meal at the temple had been insufficient, leaving everyone hungry.
The family moved to the quarters prepared by the temple and enjoyed a satisfying meal.
During the meal, Fu Xuanchen picked at his food with distaste, earning a scolding from Jiang Wanwen.
In a fit of pique, Fu Xuanchen refused to eat further. Jiang Wanwen didn’t press him, thinking that during their impending months of escape, he would come to appreciate the luxury of eating a complete meal undisturbed.
If it weren’t for the fact that the original owner had already died by the time Jiang Wanwen arrived, making it impossible to know whether the original owner had forgiven this son or not, she would have really wanted to abandon this unfilial son and run away.
In the end, Jiang Wanwen could only console herself by treating it as if she were bringing along a primary caregiver for the child. Once they reached the fiefdom of Yongning, she would dump this son on the eldest son and be done with it—out of sight, out of mind.
After Jiang Wanwen and her party finished their evening meal, they lingered in the temple to rest for a while. By the time they descended the mountain, it was already dark.
Jiang Wanwen then took her family justifiably to the Suiyuan Estate, which was not far from the temple, to stay for the night.
As soon as the group arrived at the estate, Ruyue, who had been waiting there, came out to greet them. “Greetings, Wangfei, Second Young Master, Third Young Master, Junzhu…”
Jiang Wanwen, her face full of exhaustion, instructed, “No need for formalities. I’m tired too. Take them to their respective courtyards to rest.”
Half of it was an act, and half of it was genuine—listening to scriptures being recited was quite draining.
Fu Xuanming and the other half-grown children were all exhausted and listless, while Jiang Ping’an and Fu Zhuoxu had long since been carried off, fast asleep.
Upon hearing their mother’s instructions, Fu Xuanming and his siblings immediately bowed and followed Ruyue Gugu away.
Ruhua, meanwhile, attended to Jiang Wanwen as they headed toward the main courtyard. As soon as Jiang Wanwen entered her room, she ordered her attendants to help her change into a practical riding outfit.
She then had Ruhua take her to inspect the grain stored on the estate—this was the foundation of their livelihood once they arrived at their destination.
Jiang Wanwen didn’t believe for a moment that her eldest son, who was rebelling, would provide her with much grain. In fact, she suspected that he might even expect her to give him some.
Ruhua personally pushed open the door to the storeroom and guided Jiang Wanwen inside. While reminding the Wangfei to watch her step, she explained, “The grain inside is packed in coarse cloth sacks. Some of it needs further processing before it can be used, while some is already refined rice.”
“In total, there are thirty thousand catties. The main issue is that time was too tight, and our Wangfu is under close scrutiny. Otherwise, we could have purchased more grain.”
After her introduction, Ruyue pointed to a corner of the storeroom. “Those are all kinds of seeds, but time was too short, and we haven’t had the chance to sort them by type yet.”
Although Jiang Wanwen felt it was insufficient, with these thirty thousand catties of grain, the people around her would not have to worry about food in the short term. “This will do for now. All of you, step back. I’ll take a look by myself.”
Ruhua was Jiang Wanwen’s trusted confidante. Upon hearing the Wangfei’s order, she immediately signaled for everyone to withdraw.
Once everyone had left, Jiang Wanwen proceeded to store all the grain and seeds in her space, one by one.
She only left about twenty to thirty sacks near the door, mainly to avoid raising suspicions among the servants when the door was opened later.
Jiang Wanwen busied herself in the storeroom for over half an hour. When there was almost nothing left, she opened the door and stepped out.
After exiting, Jiang Wanwen immediately ordered the storeroom to be locked and took the key herself.
She instructed the person in charge of the storeroom, “I will arrange for the items in the storeroom to be transported away. You won’t be responsible for any follow-up matters.”
After giving her orders, Jiang Wanwen also instructed Ruhua to reward each of the men with five taels of silver.
The steward in charge of the storeroom led the others in expressing their gratitude before happily taking the silver and leaving.
Once they were gone, Jiang Wanwen hurriedly took Ruhua back to the courtyard to rest.
Without even changing her clothes, she lay down directly in them to sleep. She planned to rest until midnight, then leave with the children.
Among the servants, only Ruhua and Ruyue would be taken along; the rest would be dealt with after their departure. She would give them their Maishenqi (Indentures) and reward money. If they were willing, they could bring the indentures to Yongning to find them.
Those who no longer wished to serve others could also use this opportunity to seek out a remote place and live as ordinary commoners.