FBC – Chapter 256 Departure

Gu Hua, filled with doubts, forced herself to wait patiently until Mu Junyan finished bathing and returned. The moment he appeared, she could no longer hold back and grabbed his hand.

“What exactly is going to happen? Tell me clearly, or I’ll go mad with worry.”

Mu Junyan lifted her up and placed her on his lap. His long arms circled her gently as he stroked her still-damp hair.

“There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

Gu Hua’s misty almond eyes stared at him, unable to hide her deep concern.

Seeing her like that, Mu Junyan’s heart softened. He lowered his head and kissed her pink cheek.

Gu Hua wrapped her jade-like arms around his neck, locking eyes with him. “Look into my eyes and tell me properly—what happened?”

Mu Junyan gave a helpless smile. “Look at how nervous you are. Don’t worry—everything is under my control. It’s just… I want you to accompany Mother back to Juzhou in Southern Jiang.”

“Why suddenly go back to Juzhou? You’re not coming? Then something serious must’ve happened!”

Her voice trembled.

That scene earlier had been so shocking—it truly felt like a farewell before death.

“Mu Junyan, if you see me as your wife, then tell me the truth. Otherwise, I’ll worry myself sick—and that’s not good for the baby.”

Tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks.

Mu Junyan chuckled softly, wiping her tears away. “Alright, I’ll tell you the truth.”

——

The main courtyard of the Duke’s Mansion had lost two wings to the fire. Zhou Chunyu and a group of servants had been secretly busy through the night until dawn approached.

Those imprisoned in the back courtyard had all been quietly transferred elsewhere.

In the charred remains of Zuimoxuan, a new bed had been set up—on it lay Mu An, motionless.

Two of his personal maids stood nearby, pale and frightened.

Bi Yu approached, giving the half-dead man a cold glance.

“Don’t let him die.”

The two maids looked miserable. “Sister Bi Yu, we…”

Bi Yu glared at them. “Normally, the young master spoiled you both the most—fine food, fine clothes, gold and silver jewelry. What, now you want to forget all that?”

Tears streamed down their faces.

One of them mustered courage. “Sister Bi Yu, why make things hard for us? We’re all sisters here. You’re with the Old Madam now, living comfortably—but what about us? Are we supposed to guard this half-dead man in this burned-down yard forever?”

Bi Yu sneered. “And yesterday, when you watched the young master pile up firewood to burn down the Duke’s Mansion, why didn’t you speak up then?”

The two cried harder.

“We didn’t dare! Sister, you know how violent the young master gets when he loses his temper—he hits too hard!”

Bi Yu’s face remained cold. “The Duke’s Mansion already gave you a chance. Otherwise, you’d have been sold to some filthy place long ago instead of being allowed to stay here!”

Her patience ran thin. “Cry again and I’ll tell the Old Madam to replace you both—you’ll be sold off right away.”

She turned to leave, but the two maids quickly grabbed her sleeves.

“Please, Sister, we’ll behave! Just… please put in a good word for us. We were forced into this.”

Bi Yu said indifferently, “Wait. Someone will come for him. When they do, they’ll find me. I’ll hand over your slave contracts to them—you can go along, still dressed in gold and silver.”

The two maids looked at each other, uncertain and trembling in fear.

——

At dawn, a faint light touched the sky.

Five carriages stood neatly before the gates of the Duke Yong’s Mansion.

The first, the largest, carried the Old Madam, Gu Hua, Yi Niang, and Zhou Zhilan.

The next two held eight close-serving maids and matrons.

The last two were packed with large wooden chests.

Chi Yu led more than forty guards on horseback, escorting them front and rear.

The procession moved grandly toward the southern gate of the city.

Along the way, breakfast stalls were already steaming with early-morning smoke, and a few townsfolk bustled along the roads.

Seeing the carriages marked with the “Mu” insignia slowly roll past, people stopped in shock.

Yesterday, a major event had taken place at Jinming Pond. That night, the Duke’s Mansion had caught fire. And now, early in the morning, the Old Madam and Madam Mu were both leaving the city.

It felt like something big was about to happen in Bianjing.

Suddenly, the carriages stopped beside a wonton stall near Lingying Bridge.

The curtain of the first carriage lifted, and Zhou Zhilan and Yi Niang got off first, helping Gu Hua and the Old Madam down afterward.

The elderly couple running the stall quickly bowed.

“This humble couple greets the Old Madam and the Madam.”

Yi Niang helped them up personally, while Gu Hua supported the Old Madam.

The Old Madam laughed heartily. “When I was young, I loved eating your wontons the most. I used to sneak out almost every morning just for a bowl—it made my day.”

Tears filled the old couple’s eyes.

“Yes, even later, Old Madam still sent people to buy them. This old man even delivered wontons to the Duke’s Mansion himself.”

The Old Madam nodded with a smile. “Indeed. These past two years you’ve worked hard bringing them to the palace, but I still miss eating them fresh—they taste so much better right out of the pot, hahaha.”

The old man’s eyes lit up. “Then shall I prepare a fresh bowl for Old Madam today?”

She smiled warmly. “Good. A big one. And everyone with me gets a bowl too.”

“Alright, alright!”

He turned to his wife. “What are you standing there for? Get to wrapping!”

The old woman nodded vigorously, tied on her apron, and began making the wontons while the old man boiled water.

Chi Yu’s men set up the only table and four chairs by the stall.

The Old Madam said to Gu Hua, “It really is delicious.”

Gu Hua smiled. “Yes, I love it too. Whenever I get the chance, I come for a bowl myself.”

Soon, four steaming bowls of wontons were served.

The stools were too low, so Gu Hua sat on the edge of the carriage, holding her bowl as she ate.

Everyone else ate standing, each with their own bowl in hand.

The elderly stall owners had never seen such a grand sight—so many noble people eating wontons at their stall! They were overwhelmed with emotion, fussing around, asking,

“Is it enough? Should I add more? Want more soup? I can make extra wontons!”

The Old Madam laughed merrily. “If you want more, go ahead. Eat your fill so you’ll have strength for the road.”

The guards didn’t hold back—each asked for another big bowl.

Even the women added half a bowl more.

Before long, all the wontons were gone.

Those who came later for breakfast could only stand around watching curiously.

A bold onlooker asked Chi Yu, “May I ask, Sir, where are the Old Madam and Madam heading?”

Chi Yu replied, “We’re going to Juzhou. The fire last night destroyed half the Duke’s Mansion—it’s uninhabitable. Madam is heading there to rest and await childbirth.”

“What? The mansion can’t be lived in anymore?”

Chi Yu gulped down a mouthful of soup. “Boss, another bowl, please. Who knows when we’ll get a proper meal on the road.”

The old man hurried over, took his empty bowl, and said, “At once!”

Chi Yu wiped his mouth and sighed. “It’s not that it’s completely uninhabitable—but who would dare live there? In broad daylight, they set fire to the mansion and sent in masked assassins. Even the captain of the Shadowfire Squad was killed! Tell me, isn’t that terrifying?”

By now the sun had risen, and a crowd had gathered.

“What? Such a thing happened?”

“I tried to help fight the fire last night—had my buckets ready, but the Shadowfire Squad blocked us from entering.”

“Same with us—we went too!”

“Isn’t Juzhou too far? The Madam’s pregnant—won’t the journey be hard?”

Chi Yu shook his head. “There are vile people out to wipe out the Mu family. The Old Madam can only take the Madam away first. Once the baby’s safely born and the mansion repaired, they’ll return.”

“Alas, poor widow and daughter-in-law—they’ve done nothing wrong! How cruel!”

“Indeed. The Jiang family’s always been arrogant. The eldest prince lost and still refuses to accept defeat—now he wants to kill the whole Mu family.”

“Exactly…”

The old man came back with a steaming bowl, eyes squinting with delight. “Captain, here’s your wonton—extra scallions, just how you like it.”

“Thanks.” Chi Yu accepted it and resumed eating, no longer responding to the crowd.

Dong Hua returned, panting, with two servants, each carrying a large food box.

“Old Madam, Madam, I bought the pastries from Jixiang Zhai.”

The Old Madam had finished eating and stood with Yi Niang’s help.

“Though it’s all main roads ahead, there’s no good place to rest for a hundred li once we leave the city. With these pastries, Hua’er won’t have to worry about going hungry.”

Gu Hua came over, holding her arm. “Mother, I can’t eat that much.”

The Old Madam glanced at her belly and smiled. “My grandson can. He’ll grow strong.”

Gu Hua blushed—the past month her belly had grown quickly, larger than most expectant mothers’.

She murmured shyly, “It’s true, my appetite’s been unusually good lately.”

“My grandson from the Mu family eats well,” the Old Madam said proudly, laughing as she got back into the carriage.

Around them, spies who had been watching quietly slipped away in different directions—each hurrying back to report the news.