After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 843 Gratitude
Haitang immediately became interested in finding out the news.

She lowered her voice even more: "What's going on? When are you planning to return to the capital? I was thinking, isn't it said outside that the emperor is seriously ill? The crown prince will be appointed soon, and you and your sister will definitely return to the capital when the new emperor ascends the throne. That's why I felt there was no need to entrust the flowers and plants to you. I didn't know you would be leaving soon!"

Wu Qiong then realized that she had made a mistake. However, she and Haitang had always had a good relationship. She dared to tell this close friend about the palace affairs in the past, so naturally she would not hide anything at this time, so she told her frankly: "I didn't expect it. I had the same idea as you, thinking that my cousin and I would be able to go back next year or the year after. Yesterday, the Duke specially called my brother into the mansion and told him that we could pack our bags and prepare to go to Beijing. My brother was also very surprised. So, I came here today to pay my respects to the Duke's wife and inquire about the inside story."

Although it was the Duke of Zhenguo who told Wu Ke about this, the old man was ill and not in good spirits. Wu Ke was full of doubts, but he couldn't disturb him for too long. He could only leave first and let his cousin go to the Duke's wife to find out later. Fortunately, the Duke's wife did not hide the meaning of the Wu brothers and sisters. Although some words were not easy to say too clearly, they were also very obvious. Wu Qiong understood immediately and was very happy.

She whispered to Haitang: "The Duke and his wife wanted my cousin to leave Chang'an first, using the excuse that he was going to study with a great scholar from another place. I pretended to move back to the Duke's Mansion, but in fact I was going with my cousin. We went to the capital quietly and hid for a few days so that no one would know that we were back. When the time was right, the Empress Dowager would arrange for us to appear in public. It seemed that the Empress Dowager meant that she and Empress Xu were trying to persuade the Emperor to give us brothers and sisters a favor and allow us to return to the capital. He would also grant my cousin a title, and return the house and property at home one by one, so that we could live in peace in the capital from now on. In this way, even if someone in the folk had criticized the Emperor for being unfair to our Wu family, no one would mention it again. This is also for the sake of the Emperor's reputation after his death, so as to avoid leaving a stain during his reign..."

To be honest, the cousins ​​were resentful of the emperor, but what the Duke's wife said made sense. No matter how much resentment they had, they couldn't let it out at this time. They had to make sure they could return to the capital, take back everything they had lost, and have the confidence to revive the Wu family. Once the Wu family had established a firm foothold in the capital, with the support of the Empress Dowager and the new emperor, would they still be afraid that they would not have the opportunity to seek justice from the Sun family?

As for the emperor, it was useless for them to hate him. As long as he was willing to make up for his mistakes, forget about the past. If my grandfather and aunt were still alive, they would definitely think so...

Wu Qiong forced herself to suppress the resentment in her heart, and when she thought of the bright future, she felt happy again.

Haitang understood. She was not optimistic about the persuasion plan of Empress Dowager Zhou and Consort Xu. The emperor obviously hated the Wu family. Only when he was angry with the Sun family would he raise the Wu family again and disgust the Sun family. But while he posthumously conferred the title of Duke Wen'an on Wu and pardoned the former Wu family members, he refused to let the survivors of the Wu family return to live in his own home and refused to give them even the most basic treatment as relatives of the emperor. It was clear that he would not forgive the Wu family so easily. Instead of hoping to solve this matter during the emperor's lifetime, Empress Dowager Zhou and Consort Xu might as well wait until the new emperor took office before issuing an order.

However, this was harmless. If Empress Dowager Zhou and Consort Xu could convince Emperor Deguang, that would be even better. If they couldn't, they could wait until he died before issuing the decree. Those who had a bit of dignity could say it was the will of the new emperor. Those who were thick-skinned could forge an imperial edict and say it was the will of the late emperor. The late emperor couldn't just stand up and say that it wasn't his intention.

As long as the Wu family kept a low profile before the emperor's death and didn't let him remember it, he would not deliberately leave an edict to embarrass the Wu brothers and sisters.

The emperor did not leave a clear decree. Empress Dowager Zhou, Concubine Xu, the crown prince, the eighth prince, and the seventh prince were all in the same group. Concubine Zhang Gong, Concubine Lu Zhaoyi, and Concubine Sun all fell out of favor and power. The cabinet also had Tao Yue as an insider. The Wu family and the neutral faction in the court had no reason to make things difficult for the orphans of the Wu family. The Sun faction could not protect itself and would not cause trouble. In this way, as long as things were done cleanly, who would jump out to sabotage? No wonder Empress Dowager Zhou was sure. The Zhou family also prepared the Wu brothers and sisters to move back to Beijing in advance. If the Wu brothers and sisters appeared at the funeral to mourn for the late emperor after the death of Emperor Deguang, it would make the emperor's "repentance" attitude more real. Emperor Deguang "issued" the decree. When the new emperor ascended the throne in the future and rewarded the Wu family, no one would jump out to say that the new emperor violated the will of the previous emperor and was suspected of being unfilial.

Haitang thought of this and whispered to Wu Qiong, "How early or late will you leave? My brother has sent me several letters from the capital, saying that the emperor is seriously ill and may not last long..."

Wu Qiong blinked, her lips curled up slightly, "Yes, the Duke's wife also reminded my cousin and me to leave as soon as possible. The Duke's Mansion will send someone to escort us. We have to hide our names, change our identities, and use other people's ways to get to Beijing. We can't be delayed on the way, because it would be bad if we were late. I'm still a little worried. In recent years, Xuejun and Huajun have been practicing horse riding and archery, and I've always been lazy. My riding skills are not even as good as those of the maids. I can only take a car all the way, and I'm afraid I'll suffer a lot..."

Haitang's expression was somewhat meaningful: "It's better to take a car than a horse. Although it's bound to be bumpy, but if you don't show your face in front of people, you don't have to worry about being recognized..."

Wu Qiong nodded: "Yes, the Duke's wife also said so, and also said that my brother had better take a car, and try not to stay in the post station along the way, and show up less in front of people. Although few people in the world recognize us, we have to be prepared for the worst..."

"I'll send a few more beds from home later." Haitang said, "Although they are old, they can at least make you more comfortable and less painful to ride in the carriage. I also have some anti-motion sickness pills and oils, which I'll send to you later."

Wu Qiong was very surprised: "How can I be so embarrassed? The medicine is fine, I need it urgently, you can just keep the bedding for your own use. Cotton is not cheap outside nowadays..."

Haitang smiled and said, "When we went to Beijing, the weather was not too cold, so we didn't need to bring all the thick quilts at home to save them. Anyway, we have money and time, so we can buy new ones when we get to Beijing. These old quilts were originally meant to be given away, and there is no difference between giving them to you and giving them to others, as long as you don't despise them."

How could Wu Qiong dislike it? To be honest, she had also thought about taking some anti-vibration measures on the carriage, but the departure time set by the Duke of Zhenguo was a bit tight, and she was not sure if she could prepare all the supplies. Now she was also a person who managed the household and took care of the general affairs. She was not like the spoiled young lady in the past who didn't care about anything and just relied on others to help without worrying about anything herself. She knew that some supplies were not so easy to buy in a short time, and it would be a waste to buy them at a high price. Haitang was willing to lend a helping hand, and she was grateful enough!
Wu Qiong's eyes were red, and she held Haitang's hand: "My dear sister, you are so enthusiastic to help me, how can I thank you? I am afraid that my cousin and I will go ahead and arrive in the capital a day earlier than your family. Please leave me your address, so that I can write to you when you arrive. You and I have known each other for many years. After arriving in the capital, we must continue to visit each other and be friends forever. We must not be estranged!"

(End of this chapter)