The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 645 - 607: Exile (Second Update)

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Chengde Courtyard.

Old Mrs. Lu was in a daze for a considerable time before she finally regained consciousness. Upon opening her eyes, she saw Duke Lu sitting beside her and was momentarily stunned, "Isn’t there a feast outside? Why has His Grace come?"

Duke Lu took a sip of tea and asked if she felt any other discomfort.

The old lady shook her head, saying she was fine, but recalling everything that had happened, she frowned deeply, "Has the commotion in the inner courtyard become so apparent that you knew about it?"

Duke Lu nodded slightly, his expression somewhat grave.

The old lady suddenly felt a blockage in her heart, "Then... that child, she..."

Before coming in, Duke Lu had inquired with the servants about the specific reason for the old lady’s fainting, guessing that his wife might have had trouble accepting the sudden appearance of a granddaughter. He said, "Wan is indeed the biological daughter of our second son’s couple. You should invite her over more often, so you can gradually get accustomed."

Upon hearing this, the old lady almost fainted again from anger, exclaiming, "Her surname is Wen, not Lu!" She was raised by the Wen Family.

And that man with the surname Wen is the former husband of the second son’s wife.

Such a twisted relationship, how could she accept it?

Duke Lu said nothing.

Beside them, Mrs. Qiao said, "Old lady, Mr. Song has personally addressed the situation. Mrs. Song is indeed the biological daughter of the second son and his wife. The reason she was raised by the Wen Family was due to the second son’s request."

"Request? What request?" The old lady frowned again, "Didn’t those countryside women all say that the second son’s wife was already married before joining the Lu Family? Since she was already a married woman, how could she... how could she come and harm Erlang again!"

Mrs. Qiao had no choice but to recount everything that had happened in the parlor after the old lady’s fainting.

After hearing, the old lady remained in a daze for a long time.

Mrs. Qiao sighed, "As they say, the path the second son and his wife have taken has been too rough. That child is even more unfortunate, separated from her biological parents from a young age. She came to have a meal today and almost fell into a trap and was slandered. Watching her cry, this old servant’s heart ached so much."

Old Mrs. Lu hadn’t expected the truth to be like this. In the end, she could only sigh and look towards Duke Lu, "Now that things have come to this, what do you plan to do, Your Grace?"

Although the girl’s identity has been openly acknowledged in front of everyone, if she were to truly become a granddaughter of the Lu Family, she would inevitably need to be recognized officially first.

"There’s no record of the second son’s branch in the family genealogy. If we rashly add Wan’s name, the clan members would likely have opinions. Let’s leave things as they are for now. When the second son’s family has the chance to return to Beijing and be placed back in the genealogy, then we can let Wan formally acknowledge her ancestors and change her surname to Lu," Duke Lu said.

Mentioning the second son, the old lady couldn’t help but have her eyes redden, clutching a handkerchief pressed to the corner of her eyes, "Last time after the victory, it was clearly possible to grant amnesty so their family could return. If you didn’t consider the second son, that would be one thing, but you even stood out to oppose the general amnesty..."

Old Mrs. Lu became more and more distressed as she spoke, her tears flowing freely.

Duke Lu couldn’t help but frown, "Affairs of the court, how can a woman like you meddle in them?"

Old Mrs. Lu was taken aback, then said, "I don’t understand the court, I only know that our eldest grandson has been in exile for many years, we don’t even know whether he’s alive or dead till now. The second son and his wife have also been in Ningzhou guarding the spirit for so many years. Whatever their crime, it should have been absolved by now. Why can’t they come back?"

Duke Lu, forced into a corner by her, looked very displeased, "Yanqing was sentenced to thirty years of exile. The second son and his wife are to guard the spirit for life. If they are pardoned so easily, how would the families of others feel? If your son died unexpectedly due to someone else’s negligence and the perpetrator is casually exiled for a few years and then pardoned, would you also be pleased?"

Old Mrs. Lu was stunned by what he said, murmuring something under her breath, ultimately not daring to argue further.

——

On the carriage ride back, Wen Wan remained silent, as did Song Wei. Song Jiao and Jinbao exchanged glances, Song Jiao several times wanting to speak up, yet fearing she might ask something inappropriate, finally swallowing her words back down.

After arriving home, Song Jiao wisely took Jinbao to her own courtyard, saying there were treats. The little one was about to turn five, and he knew his big sister was deliberately drawing him away. He didn’t resist, wanting to give his parents some space.

Although Yun Cai and Linglong didn’t follow to the Lu Family, they clearly felt something was off with the mistress upon her return. The two exchanged a glance and discreetly withdrew, not forgetting to shut the door for their mistress.

When only Song Wei and Wen Wan were left in the room, Wen Wan lay sideways on the huanghuali three-screen Arhat Bed, her back to Song Wei.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat awkward. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Song Wei sat over, gently covering her with a blanket, and said with a tone full of apology, "It’s my fault today for arriving late and causing you grievance, Wanwan."

Wen Wan thought of the nearly accusatory glances she received from those at the Lu Family earlier, her nose became a little sour, and she hoarsely asked, "Who among you deceived me?"

Song Wei replied honestly, "It was me who lied."

Wen Wan furrowed her brow and turned to face him, "Then that letter, was it really written by my father?"

"Yes." Song Wei no longer concealed, "Back then, when the Empress Dowager passed away, your parents went to Beijing to offer condolences. Before leaving, they left you a peace charm, which was the letter. Your father sought me out individually, instructing me that if your lineage could no longer be concealed someday, I should present this letter along with a prepared explanation, so your lineage could be publicly clarified and no one would dare again to use your origins against you."

After listening, Wen Wan felt touched, "I didn’t expect my parents to have thought even of this..."

Song Wei said, "It shows that they cared about you. But over the past twenty years, many things have happened, and given that you’ve grown up, they had no way to bring you to their side to make up for it. They could only address it in another manner."

As a mother herself, Wen Wan could understand her parents’ concerns, yet she was profoundly moved by their actions, causing indescribable emotions.

Along with being moved, she also felt a sense of lament, "Had you arrived just a bit later at the Lu Family earlier, I truly would’ve been out of options."

As a child, she had trouble communicating and often came across as clumsy. Were it not for her ability to foresee, she wouldn’t know how many times she would have met with disaster.

This time, the trap set by Su Yi had no prior warning. As soon as Wen Wan arrived at the Lu Family, she fell into it. Facing so many skeptical voices, maintaining her composure without faltering was already difficult. In such a situation, it was utterly impossible for her to quickly find a solution. Especially with the Imperial Censor’s Wife present, any mistake could implicate her husband, which left her even more constrained.

"I know." Song Wei leaned in, kissing her smooth forehead, his voice gentle and deep, "It’s my fault. It won’t happen again."

Wen Wan, originally calmed down, now felt aggrieved upon hearing his words. Unable to contain her feelings, she punched him with a small fist, "You hide everything from me, never tell me anything! First you hid my lineage, now my parents’ plans; how many more secrets are you keeping from me?"

"No more." Song Wei seized her fist, his expression sincere, "Truly, no more."

"You liar!" Wen Wan flushed with anger, glaring at him, "What happened when I was three?"

As if not expecting her to ask this, Song Wei was momentarily stunned, then said, "That part is true. When your mother left Ningzhou, she couldn’t take you with her, so she entrusted you to me to look after."

Wen Wan was astonished, "My mother asked you to take care of me, and you made me mute?"