She went over to pay her respects, but Xia Siheng stopped her. "No need for formalities. Away from home, being so bound by etiquette would only arouse suspicion."
His cool voice drifted from inside the carriage, and Liu Wan understood that the Ninth Prince did not want anyone to learn his identity.
She said, "Thank you, young master. If there is ever anything I can help you with, please send someone to... the Xie Residence!"
Xia Siheng nodded indifferently and lowered the carriage curtain.
Liu Wan pressed her lips together, then turned to have Pan Chun gather their belongings before boarding the driver's carriage with her baby in her arms.
Hired carriages were usually shabby, but although this one looked ordinary outside, its interior was fitted with excellent wood and fabric. There were no unpleasant odors, either. It looked like a carriage belonging to a respectable household.
Liu Wan could not help growing a little wary.
Yet when she saw through the rear window that the Ninth Prince's carriage was descending the mountain alongside theirs, she suddenly felt much more at ease.
The two carriages parted ways at the city gates.
Many more refugees had gathered inside and outside the city, all commoners driven here by flooding in a neighboring town.
The sight pained Liu Wan.
Outside, the commoners' chatter grew louder. The bustling crowd was discussing something she could not make out, their emotions running unusually high.
Pan Chun quietly lifted the carriage curtain. After listening, she turned to Liu Wan with a smile. "Madam, I heard that a Coal Mine Spirit rolled down the mountain road from Golden Mountain Temple today. It could even split into three bodies! How marvelous!"
"People from all over the capital came out to see them. There was clearly no wind or downhill slope, but they still rolled smoothly all the way from East City to West City. Plenty of people even came out to make wishes to them."
"The refugees even chased after them, asking the Coal Mine Spirits to bless them and make the floods subside quickly. Sure enough, the rain eased! How miraculous! What a pity we came back too late, or I would have made a wish for you too, madam!"
Liu Wan listened with her heart pounding in alarm. In all her twenty years, she had never encountered anything so outrageous.
Recalling the thunder earlier and her daughter's thoughts, she had a bad feeling.
Those three Coal Mine Spirits couldn't be her mother-in-law and husband, could they?
Sure enough, the black marks left by the rolling Coal Mine Spirits led all the way to the Marquis's Residence!
Many people stood outside the Marquis's Residence with their palms pressed together, making wishes.
Some had even set out offerings, lit three sticks of incense, and knelt to kowtow!
Before long, a steward led the servants out and drove the commoners away!
"A bunch of lunatics! Why worship outside the Marquis's Residence instead of at Golden Mountain Temple? One rotten thing after another! We just sent off three pitch-black tramps, and now here comes this bunch of lunatics!"
Qing Da, the burly steward of the outer courtyard, was muttering curses.
Then he saw a carriage stop, and Liu Wan and her attendants stepped down.
"Oh, madam, you're back! Did everything go smoothly today? Oh, right, why didn't the heir and... come back with you?"
Qing Da came forward with a cheerful smile.
That morning, he had finally seen the heir and madam leave in the same carriage. When the masters were loving, the servants reaped the blessings.
He had never expected madam to return alone again.
Liu Wan nodded. "Everything went smoothly. I thought the heir and the others would already be home. By the way, what did you mean just now by one rotten thing after another? Did someone come here to cause trouble?"
Qing Da chuckled, his face full of pride.
"No one came to cause trouble. This evening, three people who looked like sticks of coal showed up outside the Marquis's Residence and ordered us to open the gates."
"I took one look at them. They were so uniformly black that they must have come from somewhere far away. They didn't know any better, so I had someone send them off."
"But that man wouldn't let it go. He kept shouting that he was the heir, and that woman shouted that she was the marquis's wife. She even said she'd sell us all off! To hell with that! As if we don't recognize our own heir! Their skin wasn't even the same color, yet they dared impersonate them. Did they take us guards for fools?"
"With this temper of mine, I certainly wasn't going to indulge those pitch-black friends! I had them beaten, gave them two steamed buns, and sent them to the authorities!"
"Not long afterward, a crowd gathered here, saying they wanted to worship some Coal Mine Spirits, right in front of our main gates. I thought it was bad luck, so I sent them packing!"
As Qing Da recounted the incident, the pride in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He was waiting for the heir and madam to return and praise him for being clever.
Liu Wan's temples throbbed. She said evenly, "You did the right thing. The authorities will probably bring the heir and his mother back soon. Don't worry. Let's go inside first."
Qing Da nodded, bowing as he had someone open the gates for Liu Wan.
He muttered, "Why would the authorities bring the heir and the others back? Did he get into trouble again?"
"That heir really never gives us a moment's peace. He looks so frail and scholarly, but why is his temper so fierce? Someone says one word against him, and he goes around stirring up trouble. If madam hadn't pleaded for him last time, he'd still be in jail."
"Madam is much better. Stick with madam, and you get nine meals a day. Hehe!"
After returning to her courtyard, Liu Wan picked up her brush and wrote another letter, then handed it to Pan Chun. "Have someone deliver this to my third younger brother. He works at the government office. He'll know what to do!"
"Are you trying to get the heir and his mother out, madam?" Pan Chun asked in confusion.
"No. I'm trying to save Qing Da's life!"
The next day.
The authorities delivered three strips of people back.
No, three people.
Qing Da clutched his head and let out a piercing shriek!
"Ah! This is bad, madam! The authorities are here!"
"It seems the heir didn't just break the law-he's dragged you into it too! Hurry and pack your things, then go back to your parents' home. I'll guard the place for you!"
Liu Wan's hands trembled as she held her baby. Pan Chun stepped forward and scolded him. "What are you doing? Can you take responsibility if all this shouting frightens madam?"
Liu Wan was just about to tell him to take a breather and explain properly when Qing Da waved his hands.
"There's no time to explain, madam! Come with me! I've prepared a carriage at the back gate. The driver will take you straight to your parents' home. We can't let the heir drag you down with him!"
That useless heir had even implicated madam. What a rotten piece of work!
Woken by Qing Da's racket, Little Wanwan yawned in her mother's arms before opening her eyes.
[Oh, it's-sniff-Qing Da~ (choking up).]
[He's one of Mother's diehard fans. What a loud voice he has.]
Liu Wan smiled faintly and sat down in the pavilion. "Whatever it is, take your time and tell me!"
"The authorities came with the heir and his mother, saying they wanted to see you! I was afraid the heir had broken the law again and dragged you into it. You'd better hurry and run away with me, back to the Minister's Residence!"
Qing Da was nearly frantic!
[Hehehe, Mother, Qing Da is someone who repays kindness. Unfortunately, that blind fool of a woman dismissed him and gave his position to the mistress's elder brother.]
[And that wasn't even the end of it. Our lustful third uncle defiled Qing Da's daughter. To shield him, Madam Li sold Qing Da's entire family off to the borderlands.]
Little Wanwan sighed inwardly as she thought.
Before you continue