Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 473 Past
As the guests arrived one after another, the Zheng family's courtyard gradually became lively. The adults sat in the living room, drinking tea and chatting, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious; the children laughed and played in the side hall, full of innocence and joy.

After lunch at the Zheng family, Yun Hao said goodbye and left with his wife and children, saying that he had official business to attend to.

In the carriage, Zhao Wangshu said considerately: "You go and do your work, we can go home by ourselves."

"I'll send you home first, and then I'll go handle official business." Yun Hao was worried if he didn't personally send Zhao Wangshu and his son home.

"Have some assassins escaped?" Zhao Wangshu frowned slightly and asked softly, with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Although most of the assassins have been caught, there is no guarantee that there will be some who escape. I will send you and your son back and make sure you are safe, then I will feel at ease." Yun Hao replied.

"Then you have to be careful and don't get hurt again." Zhao Wangshu reminded with concern.

"I'll be careful." Yun Hao looked at little Yun Yu yawning, "Are you sleepy, son?"

Zhao Wangshu held little Yunyu horizontally, patted him gently, smiled and whispered: "Thank you for your hard work."

For fear of disturbing the little one’s sleep, the couple stopped talking and just quietly looked at their son’s sleeping face.

The carriage moved forward slowly. Soon, it entered the mansion and stopped at the second gate. A woman was waiting beside the carriage with an umbrella.

It's snowing again and the cold is biting.

Zhao Wangshu handed his son to Yun Hao and said, "Wrap him in your cloak."

Yun Hao took his son and carefully wrapped him in his cloak to protect him from the wind and snow.

He escorted his wife and children all the way into Linglong Courtyard, "You rest first, I may be back late tonight."

"I know you have official business to attend to." Zhao Wangshu poured a cup of ginger soup and brought it to his mouth. "Drink a cup to get rid of the cold."

Yun Hao took the cup and drank the ginger soup in one gulp. "I'm leaving. It's cold outside if you don't come with me."

"The roads are slippery in the snow, tell the driver to drive slower." Zhao Wangshu watched him leave.

Yun Hao was busy outside, and Zhao Wangshu was busy at home, taking care of all the affairs for the New Year.

The twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month is the day for celebrating the Little New Year and worshiping the Kitchen God. It is a big day. Last year, little Yunyu was still young and did not go to the ancestral hall, but this year he can accompany his father.

The purpose of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God is to "bribe" him so that he will say more good things and less bad things when he goes to heaven.

Zhao Wangshu started to get busy early in the morning. She arranged for the servants to clean the ancestral hall thoroughly and then placed various offerings, including sugar melons, malt sugar, dates, peanuts, etc., all to please the Kitchen God.

Little Yunyu was also awakened early by his mother. He changed into a red satin jacket embroidered with five blessings and a melon-shaped little red hat. He followed his mother into the ancestral hall.

Zhao Wangshu took Xiao Yunyu and checked it again, "OK, no problem."

Then she took Xiao Yunyu back to Linglong Courtyard.

After a while, Yun Hao, who was summoned to the palace by the emperor early in the morning, came back and brought back two strings of candied haws, one for Zhao Wangshu and one for Xiao Yunyu.

"Thank you, Daddy." Little Yunyu took the candied haws and went to the side to eat them.

Zhao Wangshu smiled with curved eyebrows and said, "Thank you, husband."

Yun Hao looked at his happy wife and son and smiled dotingly.

"By the way, what does His Majesty want to see you about?" Zhao Wangshu frowned slightly. "It's the New Year's Eve, and no one can live in peace." "When we were catching the assassin, we found a large number of weapons and armor in a remote manor outside the city." Yun Hao said in a low voice.

"Prince Rong's?" Zhao Wangshu asked.

"Not sure." Yun Hao said solemnly.

Zhao Wangshu was surprised, "How can you be unsure?"

I thought of something, "Will it involve Prince Zuo? Or other princes?"

Let her think about it, how many princes are left now?

Yun Hao nodded and sighed, "Indeed, Prince Zuo is also a suspect, and there are several other princes. But so far, we have no solid evidence pointing to any one person."

"Then what does Your Majesty plan to do?" Zhao Wangshu asked.

"His Majesty asked me to investigate secretly. The end of the year is approaching and he doesn't want to cause unrest." Yun Hao said.

"This matter is of great importance. If it is really a prince's private soldier, it must involve the safety of the court. Your Majesty is handling it so carefully, which can stabilize the overall situation, but..." Zhao Wangshu frowned, "But in this way, the pressure on you will be too great. How can you find out the truth in such a short time?"

"As a subject, I will do my best." Yun Hao said calmly.

The emperor didn't ask him to find out before the New Year, so he could just take his time.

Zhao Wangshu finished eating the candied haws, wiped his hands, picked up a pair of scissors and started cutting window paper-cuts.

In the evening, Yun Hao took Yun Yu to the ancestral hall, while Zhao Wangshu went to the Buddhist temple. Although he knew that Madam Yun would not come out to celebrate the New Year with them, Zhao Wangshu still had to make the trip to fulfill the etiquette.

As soon as he entered the Buddhist hall, Zhao Wangshu heard a burst of rapid coughing. He hurriedly took a few steps forward and pushed open the door. He saw Madam Yun slumped on the cushion, coughing constantly, with Aqi supporting her.

"Mother." Zhao Wangshu called softly and walked in.

"Wangshu is here." Mrs. Yun said in a hoarse voice.

"Mother, why didn't you tell me that you were coughing so badly?" Zhao Wangshu would come to the Buddhist temple and sit for a while every five days to show her filial piety as a daughter-in-law.

"It's an old illness that occurs every winter. You don't have to worry, I've..." Mrs. Yun couldn't help coughing again before she finished her words.

Zhao Wangshu squatted down and gently patted Madam Yun's back, hoping to ease her cough. "Mother, let's ask the court doctor to come and see you. You cough so badly that you can't do without medicine."

Madam Yun took a breath and said, "I know my body well. There is no need for me to take medicine. These illnesses are God's punishment for me. It reminds me of my mistakes at all times."

Zhao Wangshu had been married for several years when she vaguely realized that Yun's father's death was related to Madam Yun. But she tried to ask Yun Hao what the specific relationship was, but Yun Hao always avoided the question, so she did not continue to ask.

Today, Madam Yun suddenly mentioned his faults. Zhao Wangshu's heart moved, "Mother, if you have any worries, maybe you can tell me. Although I can't share anything for you, I can still give you some advice."

"Wangshu, you are a good daughter-in-law. It is a blessing for our Yun family that Hao'er can marry you." Mrs. Yun was reluctant to mention the past.

Then he started coughing again, tears welled up in his eyes, and he fell weakly into Ah Qi's arms.

Seeing this, Zhao Wangshu did not delve into the past and advised, "Mother, you are a Buddhist. Buddha is forgiving and will not punish his followers with illness. You have been a Buddhist for many years. Even if you have sinned, you have redeemed yourself. You should ask the court doctor to come and see you and take some medicine to stop your cough."

Ah Qi also followed suit, and Madam Yun could not resist her daughter-in-law's kindness, "Let him come and take a look."

Seeing that she had relaxed, Zhao Wangshu quickly asked the maid to call the palace doctor.