Chapter 345

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

Less than half a month after Liu Fu's transfer order arrived, Liu Fu left Luojing City by carriage.

Also leaving with Liu Fu were several concubine-born children and concubines, all types Liu Fu favored.

Liu Furen handled this perfectly—not only did she not get jealous or angry, she even personally selected suitable women to send to Liu Fu.

"As his wife, I naturally want the master to be satisfied, but you must not learn from me; this is not a good thing." Given how harmoniously she had gotten along with Shen Yao lately, Liu Furen rarely said a few thoughtful words.

In terms of marital affection, Liu Furen had poor luck, but she did not want her two children to encounter the same thing.

Shen Yao smiled and nodded, looking like she had learned her lesson, which satisfied Liu Furen.

"Jingsheng will be busy for a while; by then you'll need to lend a hand." Liu Jingsheng was Liu Jingyan's elder brother, much older than Liu Jingyan.

Liu Jingsheng's marriage had been settled early, but for various reasons, it was delayed until now before he could finally bring his bride home.

Liu Furen complained about this for a while, but who made the woman being married in have such noble birth, with a deeper foundation than their Liu family?

Sigh

Sometimes, a daughter-in-law's family background being too low is bad, but being too high is just as bad.

"We can't do much for Eldest Young Master's side, Mother, why be so courteous?"

Shen Yao always knew how to conduct herself; staying in the Liu residence, she had secured her footing by her own abilities, and ordinary people dared not look down on her.

"You're a good one," Liu Furen said, patting Shen Yao's hand with a smile, thinking that once this cheap daughter-in-law of hers entered the household, who knew what trouble she would stir up.

A princess of legitimate imperial birth, whose father was the current Holy Emperor's own younger brother—hope she isn't spoiled too much by her maiden family.

Shen Yao was not as anxious as Liu Furen; Liu Furen was the type to get flustered when worried.

After exchanging a few jokes and switching to other topics, Shen Yao asked Qing Shui to bring over the children who had just woken up.

The little steamed buns Liu Mingxuan and Liu Mingfei were at an adorable age, with chubby faces and eyes like black grapes, making Liu Furen call them her heart and liver treasures.

Old people always favor grandchildren; Liu Mingxuan and Liu Mingfei perfectly inherited the best traits of Liu Jingyan and Shen Yao, and their appearance could be called quite outstanding.

Asking about the wet nurse regarding the children's condition, and learning everything was fine, Liu Furen gently rocked the swaddling clothes in her hands, "Our family's child is truly lovable."

Even the most iron-hearted person would soften upon seeing them.

Shen Yao followed her gaze to the children in the swaddling clothes, and in her heart she also agreed with Liu Furen's words.

One's own children are outstanding in every way; if not for Liu Jingyan's good luck and perfect timing, he might not even be qualified to be their true father.

Although the system was useless, by other means she had already confirmed the children possessed overwhelming talent, and Shen Yao now had plenty of confidence in the Liu residence.

Presumably Liu Xiuwen also had a premonition; just his frequent visits to see the dragon-phoenix twins was enough to explain something.

…………

After Liu Fu left, Liu Furen acted even more freely and relaxed, occasionally visiting Shen Yao's small courtyard and even inviting Shen Yao to go out and play.

Riding on Liu Furen's coattails, Shen Yao made several trips to temples said to be flourishing with incense, and knelt to worship the Buddha Ancestors and Bodhisattvas enshrined within.

What puzzled her was that the temple, supposedly a pure Buddhist place, was also filthy and chaotic, utterly wasting that shell emitting golden light on its body.

From then on, Shen Yao lost some interest; even when Liu Furen invited her, she didn't go out much, instead focusing on staying in the small courtyard to care for the two children.

Liu Jingyan did feel some heartache for Shen Yao, but lately whenever he went out he was doing serious business, and because of the dragon-phoenix twins, Liu Xiuwen had poured many resources into Liu Jingyan, leaving Liu Jingyan even less time to fool around.

"A Yan, as long as you and the children are well, I ask for nothing else."

Shen Yao was not a person who loved to play, and besides, the outside was not very safe.

Who knew if it was just their time for bad luck, but strange phenomena kept appearing outside; with good luck they could be suppressed by the Exorcism Office, with bad luck an entire city would be destroyed.

Strange phenomena were not people; they had no human emotions, more like certain wild beasts with muddled minds.

The Demon Race far at the border was also stirring, and had even planned several attacks on cities; between the two races there was no great war, but small battles never ceased.

To put it in Shen Yao's words, this was because peace had lasted too long, and some people didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth yet wanted to cause trouble.

Once war started, it couldn't just be stopped whenever; how many would lose their families and homes, how many commoners would be displaced, and with the Human Race and Demon Race clashing, they might just be cannon fodder for those strange phenomena.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Liu Jingyan held Shen Yao tightly, "Yao Yao, soon we will leave Luojing City."

Shen Yao:... Huh?

"Why? Is Luojing City unstable?" This was where the capital was located.

Liu Jingyan sighed, "The Emperor intends to personally lead the expedition to the border, and Luojing City will be in chaos."

The older the Emperor got, the more he liked to act arbitrarily; he not only refused to listen to the ministers' opinions, but also loved to spend extravagantly.

War was the fastest way to consume money; because of this matter, the court had been arguing for several days, and just the unlucky ones who had been removed numbered no less than a handful.

Liu Jingyan knew all this thanks to Liu Xiuwen's daily nagging.

Now Liu Xiuwen wanted to find an opportunity to properly arrange the clansmen at home, in case he wasn't in Luojing City and the Liu family couldn't withstand the schemes, leading to total annihilation.

As for why Liu Xiuwen had this idea, it also had to do with the compensation the Emperor previously proposed; there were many things involved.

In short, the Liu family could not stand aside, and Liu Jingyan had already received the news of leaving.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao's expression was hard to describe; she thought, if they weren't staying in Luojing City, why hadn't they left with Liu Fu back then? After all, they were biological father and sons; Liu Fu couldn't just watch them suffer losses.

"A Yan, where are we going?" Shen Yao considered the several cities around Luojing City; they probably wouldn't go to all of them.

"Grandfather means to return to the ancestral home," the Liu clan's ancestral home was in Yingchuan; back then they had been able to leave purely out of hot-blooded passion, and returning now could also count as seeking refuge.

"Just us?" Shen Yao continued asking.

"There are also some clansmen; this time they plan to settle in Yingchuan," after Liu Jingyan finished speaking, he added that Liu Furen would leave with them.

Liu Jingsheng and his wife, along with Liu Xiuwen, will remain in Luojing; they are the core of the Liu Family and also hostages, so they rarely go out.

Yingchuan?

Shen Yao pondered where Yingchuan was located and what specialty products its surroundings had, before suddenly realizing it was an ordinary and unremarkable town in central Wei State.

"Listen to A Yan; tomorrow I'll have Qing Shui and the others pack up the things first," since they would be living in Yingchuan in the future, any family treasures that could be moved should be moved, otherwise who knew who they would end up benefiting if left behind.

The two quickly settled the matter, and the next morning Shen Yao summoned Qing Shui, ordering people to hurry and pack the valuables in the small courtyard.

Pack? Were they leaving the Liu Residence?

Qing Shui had the thought in her mind, but out of regard for her mistress's dignity, she dared not ask too many questions, and ultimately just obeyed orders.

By the time Shen Yao had finished packing the items in the small courtyard, on the other side Lady Liu had also finished arranging Liu Jingsheng's wedding.

Shen Yao naturally reported daily, occasionally comforting the uneasy Lady Liu, urging her to let go of her burdens and peacefully enjoy life.

Until Liu Jingsheng's fiancée entered the household and the Liu Family had a proper Young Mistress, the matter Liu Jingyan had mentioned about returning to their ancestral home in Yingchuan was simply put on the agenda by Liu Xiuwen.

Naturally no one in the Liu Family objected: first, Liu Xiuwen's reason was very proper; second, now that the Junzhu Young Mistress had just entered the residence, she could send away the mother-in-law above her and take power herself—she was too happy to refuse.

The matter was easily settled, and Liu Xiuwen gave Liu Jingyan the timeframe of the sooner the better.

When Shen Yao boarded the carriage leaving Luojing for Yingchuan, it had been no more than half a year since her father-in-law left.

Gazing at the Liu Residence growing farther behind her, Shen Yao felt indescribably complex in her heart.

Perhaps there was some reluctance, after all it was simply impossible to find a place as safe as the Capital.

"Don't be afraid; once we reach Yingchuan, no one will make us leave again."

The feeling of being forced to leave home was very unpleasant; Liu Jingyan embraced Shen Yao's shoulders, and before them lay a child in the cradle.

A child under one year old was still a little tot babbling; Liu Xiuwen had originally wanted to leave the two children behind for him to raise and cultivate, but unexpectedly Liu Jingyan refused outright, and the two parted on bad terms.

Liu Jingyan might have been reminded of these things, thinking Shen Yao felt upset in her heart, which was why she spoke to comfort her.

Shen Yao hadn't thought of those things; she just felt that since coming to this world she hadn't stayed long in any one place, always running from here to there.

Fortunately Liu Jingyan was fairly reliable; she had given birth to children and now had someone to rely on.

Being a bit more of a salted fish, once she waited for the children to grow up and achieve great deeds, Shen Yao could happily take her mission and leave this place.

Of course, this was assuming everything went smoothly with no accidents along the way.

If during the period they were attacked by the Demon Race or strange phenomena or even the Human Race and died midway, then the mission reward would be halved.

Mm

She still had to protect the two brats well, and besides, she couldn't have too many children of her own; once they couldn't be cultivated properly, it would be a waste of resources.

From Luojing to Yingchuan, they had to pass through several towns along the way.

There were quite a few Martial Artists in the group, and adding Liu Jingyan, an actual Third Rank Cultivator, there was no need to worry about safety.

Lady Liu sat in the front carriage; usually she only got out at mealtimes, and many times Lady Liu hid inside the carriage, silent and not speaking.

Compared to the young couple Shen Yao and Liu Jingyan, Lady Liu did not want to leave Luojing, but for the stability of the Liu Residence and to consider Liu Jingsheng's difficulties, Lady Liu could only choose to sacrifice herself.

After all, the Royal Junzhu was a member of the imperial family; whether favored or not, she could never submit to others.

Lady Liu was also the matriarch who had managed the household for many years; once they clashed, the one who would be put in a difficult position would only be Liu Jingsheng, this Junzhu Fufu.

"Mother is not in good spirits; I had Qing Shui send some soup, but the effect was not good."

Shen Yao quietly said to Liu Jingyan, then picked up a porcelain bowl and held it to Liu Jingyan's mouth.

The bowl contained clear soup; to better nourish the body, many medicinal herbs had been added while simmering the soup.

"This matter can only be figured out by Mother herself," they were powerless.

Liu Jingyan sometimes found such an identity tiresome, but he had been able to live so comfortably without worry all thanks to the status.

The two had little interest in talking; basically they hurried to rest after eating.

Shen Yao also had to take care of the two children on her side, so her time arrangement would be even tighter.

Liu Jingyan tried to slow the travel speed to give everyone time to adapt, but because of various unexpected events he had to speed up, arriving in Yingchuan before winter came.

The carriage raced along the road, causing the carriage compartment to shake constantly.

To avoid the two children's bodies not being able to take it, Shen Yao fed them many spatial pills.

Lady Liu also had no time to grieve; she cheered up to manage the car fleet, trying not to let these trivial matters affect Liu Jingyan.

Time passed bit by bit; during this period they also encountered attacks from strange phenomena and the Demon Race.

Both sides suffered casualties, but in the end Liu Jingyan was more skilled and achieved victory.

…………

The bright moon hung high, bonfires were densely spread.

The temporary camp smelled faintly of blood, stinging one with nausea.

After Shen Yao took care of Liu Jingyan's injured arm, she turned around and patted her belly.

Lady Liu was tallying the car fleet's casualties while also inquiring about the surroundings.

Three days ago, they mistakenly entered a dense forest and triggered a Demon Race attack.

Neither side held back; the Demon Race side all died, while Liu Jingyan's side also suffered heavy casualties.

For safety, the car fleet could only temporarily stop at a sheltered spot to rest, and also spend money to replenish the car fleet's strength.

After all, there was still some distance to Yingchuan where they were going; without enough manpower to protect them, how could they reach Yingchuan?

Lady Liu soon returned, without time to eat, and directly told Liu Jingyan the news.

"Mother, tomorrow we enter the city to spend money hiring a dart agency's martial masters."

Liu Jingyan was not short of money; he definitely wanted as many people as possible.

Lady Liu grunted in agreement, nodding, took the soup bowl Shen Yao handed over, and took a sip.

The busy Lady Liu had long lost her previous sentimentality; now she was efficient and decisive, with a very high presence in the car fleet.

Seeing that Lady Liu had more vitality day by day, Shen Yao and Liu Jingyan deliberately handed over as many car fleet matters as possible for Lady Liu to handle.

Not long after, Madam Liu finished the soup in her hand and, taking advantage of the moment, picked up her bowl and chopsticks again to eat the dishes.

They were freshly made dishes, not as refined as those in Luojing, but after being anxious and frightened all day, starving to the point of her front and back pressing together, even ordinary dishes tasted delicious.

Shen Yao occasionally helped add some dishes, to prevent Madam Liu from not having enough to eat.

Liu Jingyan had already eaten his fill and drunk enough, and after finishing listening to the news Madam Liu sent over, he considered the choice of night watchmen for tonight.

Coming out this time, all sorts of things were inconvenient; if possible, it was still best to try not to walk around outside.

"By the way, a letter from Luojing: your grandfather this time will accompany the Sheng Di on a personal expedition, instructing you not to return to Luojing for the past two years."

Madam Liu put down her bowl and chopsticks, recalling the letter she received this morning, feeling quite sighing.

The Emperor personally led the expedition, and the court officials could not stop him, so they could only increase manpower for protection.

It was just that once the Emperor left, the internal situation in Luojing was empty, and no one knew how big a disturbance would be kicked up.

"The Sheng Di personally leads the expedition; which Prince will serve as Co-Regent?" Liu Jingyan asked back.

"No one has been designated; it is several Princes serving as Co-Regents together," Madam Liu said in a deep voice.