Chapter 361

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

After sleeping until dawn, Shen Yao looked at the bed curtain hanging beside her before she realized she was at the estate.

Oh, she had returned yesterday.

Shen Yao patted her not-quite-clear head, then got up and called for Qing Shui.

Holding the other person's hand, she got out of bed to wash and clean herself; after all that was done, another quarter of an hour passed.

"I had the kitchen prepare the morning meal, Master, would you like to eat something to fill your belly?"

Qing Shui helped her sit on the bedchamber couch, then turned to take a soft long bolster pillow.

"Serve it. Where are the others?" Shen Yao glanced at the books scattered on the couch, casually stacked them, and set them aside.

Qing Shui clapped her hands, and the servants waiting outside the door entered in turn, bringing out the items from the food boxes and arranging them.

"The young master went to the front courtyard and hasn't returned; the Eldest Miss is practicing her cultivation arts with her teacher every day, and it should be nap time by now."

Shen Yao picked up a pastry and put it in her mouth; the soft texture made her narrow her eyes involuntarily.

"Mingjin is working hard at his cultivation; remember to prepare more nourishing and qi-nourishing soups."

Whether out of initiative or passivity, all four children worked very hard.

Compared to their somewhat laid-back parents, Shen Yao and Liu Jingyan really should be ashamed.

Qing Shui nodded, took her mistress's words to heart, and planned to carry them out immediately.

Shen Yao said nothing more, as if casually muttering a couple of sentences; filling her belly with a table full of food, she stood up and stretched her wrists, planning to go out for a stroll.

Although she had not returned for two months, the layout of the small courtyard had not changed at all, giving Shen Yao no sense of strangeness.

The lotus flowers in the pond outside the pavilion had withered, leaving only withered yellow leaves and lotus roots buried beneath; the fish swimming in the pond had been replaced batch after batch, poking their heads out cutely.

Shen Yao teased these little cuties for a while, and when she felt it was about time, she went to Lady Liu's place.

From yesterday's conversation, besides being troubled by the Lin Family marriage alliance, Lady Liu had no other troubles.

And the three of them had preliminarily discussed a solution to the marriage alliance matter; naturally, Shen Yao came over purely to chat with Lady Liu.

Lady Liu rested her chin on her hand, listening to Shen Yao describe the scenes outside, and sighed that the world was truly in chaos.

"When we left Luojing, problems in various places were just beginning to show but were still restrained. Now Luojing is already a thing of the past, and other cities have also suffered damage."

"Sigh, I truly don't know when things will settle down; the Liu Family staying put in one corner is already a great blessing."

At least the Liu Family could retreat intact, unlike other friendly families where some died and some were injured, all long buried in unknown corners.

Back then, Liu Jingsheng, under Liu Xiuwen's arrangement, had secretly returned to Luojing once, and brought back several hostages on the way.

Originally Liu Xiuwen meant to cast a wide net whether there were fish or not; the result was quite good—the families of these few hostages were completely wiped out, and the Liu Family's investment was all wasted, truly a most failed investment.

Now these few people are long gone from Yingchuan; as for whether they are still alive or not, who knows.

People, without comparison there is no harm; only with comparison do you know how good or bad the situation is.

The area around Yingchuan is not safe, but at least Yingchuan has no major natural disasters or human calamities, unlike other realms of the Human Race, which are simply not survivable; ordinary commoners staying one more day is a blessing from the heavens.

Shen Yao had seen much of the world when she went out; she concealed some things inconvenient to reveal, but this did not affect Lady Liu listening to her stories.

Compared to the peaceful estate where nothing happened, it was the vast and tumultuous outside world that people would long for.

"However, I am old; these old bones truly cannot walk anymore."

Lady Liu waved her hand, finding an excuse to extricate herself from not being able to go out.

Women of great clans long for freedom but would not abandon everything for true freedom.

Lady Liu had spent her whole life in such rules and constraints; to make her break through limits was no different from disrupting the worldview she had long formed and reshaping it—the difficulty was not on the same level.

"Mother is joking," Shen Yao praised Lady Liu for being too modest on her lips; a noble lady's upkeep was not just talk; even though Lady Liu was over fifty, her face had only a few sporadic fine lines that were not obvious. Not to mention Lady Liu's head of black hair was too eye-catching; from the back, she looked like a graceful beauty.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law mutually flattered each other, throwing out pleasantries as if they didn't cost money.

It was not until a steward from the estate came to report that Shen Yao found an opportunity to leave.

With nowhere to go, Shen Yao simply went back to the small courtyard and slept for most of the afternoon.

When Liu Jingyan returned in the evening, he was directly pestered by Shen Yao to chat.

Liu Mingjin was doing his best to act like a good baby and was not in the room.

Liu Jingyan embraced Shen Yao's waist, talking with his mouth about the things he had been busy with today.

Shen Yao pouted her mouth corner, "The Lin Family really put in effort."

Not only the marriage alliance, but they also sent people to deliver gifts afterward; the Liu Family could not refuse to accept them, nor could they fail to reciprocate.

Liu Jingyan had been busy with these things all day; he finally finished them and breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Lin Family is anxious; I suspect those strange phenomena from before took effect."

Liu Xiuwen's "doing unto others as they do unto others" was not just talk.

Strange phenomena come from where they go; Liu Xiuwen neither wronged good people nor let bad people off, focusing on clear gratitude and grudges; no one could blame him.

Liu Jingyan remembered that before his grandfather handled Changsheng Town, he had already handled the inexplicable strange phenomena in the Yingchuan region two months in advance.

If one carefully calculated the relationship between these several strange phenomena and the Liu Family, even just one or two would give the Lin Family people no end of headaches.

Unlike the area occupied by the Liu Family in Yingchuan, which was not large, the Lin Family's territory was not small and was still expanding; their high-end combat power for dealing with strange phenomena was probably insufficient.

"Is the Lin Family seeking peace?" Saving face but suffering for it; let them be.

Liu Jingyan took off his outer robe, revealing the blue long shirt worn inside.

"They didn't say seeking peace; they just pretended not to know. It's not a time when they are still weak and need stability; the Liu Family's dignity cannot be trampled just like that."

Shen Yao smiled slightly, touched Liu Jingyan's slightly rough cheek with her hand, and teased him that he should take good care of himself; he was no longer a green youth in his twenties, and his face could no longer be recklessly ruined.

Shen Yao's blatant disdain for her own wife was too direct, and Liu Jingyan resignedly began his daily upkeep routine; fortunately, he was not particular when going out, but once back at the estate he was once again a gentleman as gentle and warm as jade.

After a few days, Liu Jingyan's complexion visibly improved; dressed in light, precious silk fabrics, no one could associate him with the brawny thugs who shouted for violence and killing.

This time, Liu Xiuwen and Liu Mingxuan had been away for quite a while.

Shen Yao had stayed at the estate for nearly a month before Liu Xiuwen and Liu Mingxuan returned home.

Grandfather and grandson were dusty and travel-worn all the way; not only were their clothes smeared with dirt, but even their exposed skin had darkened by several degrees compared to before.

Shen Yao cared about what exactly had happened to Liu Mingxuan, but Liu Mingxuan said the situation was hard to explain in detail.

The passage to Changsheng Town had not been closed in time; they went in and made a trip, fortunately with Liu Xiuwen holding the line, otherwise the time they emerged would have been delayed even further.

"It's that dangerous? How did you get out, and is Changsheng Town resolved?"

Shen Yao looked him up and down thoroughly, and, not reassured, she even reached out to pinch and touch him everywhere, making Liu Mingxuan blush and feel extremely embarrassed.

"Mother, the passage to Changsheng Town has already been resolved; it's just that this strange phenomenon is somewhat strange," unlike other strange phenomena that Liu Xiuwen could send back, Changsheng Town had vanished without a trace, and even Liu Xiuwen could not sense its whereabouts.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yao hurriedly asked the system whether it knew the whereabouts of Changsheng Town.

The system lived up to Shen Yao's expectations and reported a place name, unrelated to Qingping, and not within Lin Family territory; presumably it was a random teleportation.

"As long as they're gone," as long as they did not stay around Yingchuan, going anywhere was no problem.

Liu Mingxuan made an affirmative sound, "Mother, you and Father"

"Rest assured, Mother has been staying at the estate recently," and would not go out for the time being.

As for the reason, it still had to do with that rejected marriage alliance with the Lin Family.

Although the letter had been returned, the Lin Family insisted, and the Liu Family was thus placed in a passive position.

Liu Jingsheng had not yet returned, and there was no news of Liu Mingfei and Liu Mingchen either.

What could Liu Jingyan do? He could only wait for Liu Xiuwen to return and explain the ins and outs of this matter, and then wait for his own grandfather's arrangements.

Liu Xiuwen fiddled with the returned letter; because it was marked urgent, there were traces on the letter paper where the ink had not yet dried.

"The Lin Family's marriage alliance candidate has changed; it is the Fifth Daughter born of the main line."

The Lin Family had more offspring than the Liu Family, but there were only so many of purely main-line descent.

Now suddenly leaping from a branch family to the main line, Liu Xiuwen could only suspect that the Lin Family had encountered difficulties and needed a marriage alliance with the Liu Family to maintain clan stability.

This is somewhat interesting.

Liu Xiuwen moved the letter before him, but did not clearly say anything in front of Liu Jingyan.

Quite right; Liu Jingyan had long since withdrawn from the Liu Family's core position in these years, and generally matters were discussed by Liu Xiuwen and Liu Jingsheng or Father Liu together.

Now that Liu Mingxuan had grown up, he also slowly came into contact with these things under Liu Xiuwen's indication.

"Then what does Grandfather mean, waiting for Eldest Young Master to return?" Shen Yao thought Liu Jingsheng might nod in agreement, while simultaneously preparing for the possibility of losing this wife.

Liu Jingyan shook his head, "I don't know; even if the Lin Family encounters trouble, they won't collapse immediately; Grandfather perhaps still wants to observe and wait," at least they needed to find out exactly what had happened to the Lin Family, and the Liu Family also needed to make preparations.

"Let's not talk about these; we still need to stay at the estate for a period of time."

Recently, spend more time with Mingxuan and Mingjin; when we go out again, who knows what will happen."

Liu Jingyan lifted his teacup and took a sip of water, then ate several pieces of pastry into his belly.

His withered belly, with the addition of food, was no longer unbearable.

Stretching out his hand to rub his waist and abdomen, Liu Jingyan pulled Shen Yao to the bedchamber.

Seeing this person, one could tell he had not eaten dinner; she hurriedly had Qing Shui go to the kitchen to bring a bowl of noodles for her. Shen Yao glanced at the man who did not care for his own body, and lightly patted his chest with her hand, "Do you think you're still young? If there's a next time, go sleep in the study."

Liu Jingyan smiled especially tolerantly; he explained that today's matters had been too busy.

"Even when busy, you must look after your body," you are no longer at an age where you can act recklessly; this person still had no awareness, which truly made her displeased.

"Isn't there still Yao Yao," Liu Jingyan spoke without restraint, showing how much Shen Yao indulged him.

Shen Yao:...

The two being lovey-dovey was a daily operation; the system had long been used to it.

Knowing she would not go out for the time being, Shen Yao once again became a good-for-nothing in the small courtyard.

Now she did not even need to handle the affairs of the small courtyard; Shen Yao could truly be said to be carefree and lighthearted.

Liu Xiuwen was still handling the matter of the marriage alliance with the Lin Family, and along with it Liu Jingyan and Liu Mingxuan were both busy; Shen Yao usually only saw Liu Mingjin and Lady Liu.

Fortunately, not much time had passed; Liu Jingsheng, who had gone out on business, returned safely with Liu Mingfei and Liu Mingchen, and Shen Yao finally met her other two children.

Liu Mingfei's appearance was very similar to Liu Mingxuan's, only her facial lines were softer; Liu Mingchen was the most handsome of the four children, and even with a shaved head he could not hide his peerless beauty.

For this reason, Liu Xiuwen had privately advised Liu Mingchen not a little, wanting Liu Mingchen to give up the idea of universal love and honestly serve the clan.

It was not forcing Liu Mingchen to risk life and death for the clan as an old yellow ox; Liu Xiuwen's meaning was to let Liu Mingchen accept the education of the future Family Head and be able to take over Liu Jingsheng's squad.

In all past selections of Family Heads, the capable occupied the position; Liu Mingchen excelled in every way and was the candidate Liu Xiuwen first favored.

Unfortunately, Liu Mingchen refused to change his faith no matter what, nor did he give up the belief in universal love; now that his martial prowess had improved, Liu Xiuwen was even more helpless, left only to mutter a few words in private, which was already considered a rare improvement.

Shen Yao also felt it was a waste; such fine looks, yet he insisted on becoming a Buddhist Gate disciple.

Fortunately, the turmoil outside had not yet ended; Liu Mingchen wanted to become a monk but had no conditions, otherwise not to mention daily meetings between mother and son, even letter exchanges would be inconvenient.

The rules of the Buddhist Gate in this era were not a whit fewer than those of great clans, and there was even a hidden meaning of pressing down on them.

Shen Yao did not want her own son to go to the Buddhist Gate; staying outside, there were family members to help take care of him, but once in the Buddhist Gate, he would have to rely on himself for everything.

"... You don't have to insist on running outside; Mother knows your thoughts, but you must also consider your own physical capabilities," you can't work as if you don't care about your life; even if Liu Mingchen had a healthy body, he could not recklessly abuse it.

"Mother, you should speak well of Mingchen; this time going out, if it hadn't been for Eldest Uncle helping to cover the battle array, Mingchen and I would have suffered a great loss."

Liu Mingfei told their birth mother everything they had experienced along the way in a frank and straightforward manner; unless it was truly dangerous, Liu Mingfei would not kindly conceal anything.

Shen Yao thus learned just how much fiery skill her two little ones actually had.

Good grief; those who knew thought they were going out on business, but those who didn't would think they were going out to pick a fight.

Shen Yao stretched out her hand and pointed at Liu Mingchen, who was lowering his head in shame, not knowing what to say.

Liu Mingfei was still laughing and joking; she also helped Shen Yao sit down to rest.

"Mother, Eldest Uncle has already lectured us," so don't be too strict; they can't endure it.

Shen Yao glared at Liu Mingfei. "How old are you children? Going out without keeping an eye out—what if your Eldest Uncle isn't with you next time?"

Liu Mingfei spoke truthfully, "They can't fight us at all."

Even if they're fooled at first, later they will kill/slaughter the other side.

Liu Mingchen turned his head. "Mother, Elder Sister and I already know the error; next time we go out we'll keep this task in mind."

Young people will always encounter society's beatings; it's not that they aren't smart enough, but limited by experience, they can only learn from a fall.