Heroic Wife Reborn

“What can you do to me if I didn’t know?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked Junior Master Fenglin. So what if I had no idea State Preceptor Cheng Guan was part of Eternal Life Temple? Is this Emperor Consort gonna bite me to death?

Junior Master Fenglin saw Yu Xiaoxiao seemingly throwing a temper tantrum like a small child and felt helpless at the sight.

“Princess Linglong, don’t reach for a yard after getting an inch,” a monk spoke up.

“Let’s go,” Junior Master Fenglin instructed as he turned back.

Xiao Zhuang said, “Princess, it’s not good to anger the Junior Master away, is it?”

Yu Xiaoxiao pursed her lips. “What ‘Junior Master?’ Isn’t his name Wen Fenglin?”

Junior Master Fenglin’s steps ground to a halt before he slowly turned around to stare at her. Yu Xiaoxiao stood unmoving. It sounded stupid that she hadn’t heard of Eternal Life Temple or Cheng Guan’s relation with the monastery, but she did know Wen Fenglin.

“You,” Junior Master Fenglin began, but stopped.

“Amitabha,” another monk spoke up in a cold voice. “What surnames exist for those who’ve joined Eternal Life Temple?”

“Wh, what does that mean?” Yu Xiaoxiao turned towards Gu Xinglang.

Before he could speak, Xiao Zhuang offered, “Princess, those Eternal Life Temple monks all get names from their masters. They don’t have any surnames, ah.”

So where did the name ‘Wen Fenglin’ come from? Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes bulged out as she stared at the monk before her. In other words, this guy not only helped Yu Ziyi kill his own wife in the previous timeline, but was lying to the cruel female emperor from the start? Even his last name’s a sham. So much for his feelings! Once again, Yu Xiaoxiao mentally lit a candle in the female emperor’s memory. Her life was nothing short of a fiasco.

Junior Master Fenglin’s heart was raging with storms as he looked at Yu Xiaoxiao. Wen was his father’s surname, but after his parents died, nobody else in the world knew his full name was Wen Fenglin besides his master and martial brother. How did Princess Linglong find out? Has someone from Fengtian’s royal court slipped into our Eternal Life Temple? A country as tiny as theirs? That’s impossible. He had a rare moment of fluster.

“Junior Master?” the monks saw their leader staring at Yu Xiaoxiao before they asked.

“Let’s go,” Junior Master Fenglin replaced his hat and turned his steps towards Fengtian’s royal palace.

“We’re going too,” Yu Xiaoxiao told Gu Xinglang. “We haven’t finished eating yet.”

Gu Xinglang watched the monks walk off before he asked haplessly, “You still want to eat?”

Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “The money’s been spent, so why not?”

Zuo You rubbed his nose. Wasn’t I the one who paid for it?

“I’ll bring you upstairs,” Yu Xiaoxiao felt bad that Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei had to carry Gu Xinglang every time, so she moved to pick him up.

Third Young Master Gu quickly held onto the armrests of his chair as if his life depended on it. If my wife picks me up in public like this, I can forget about walking around the capital for the rest of my life. “No need,” he said hastily.

“I can support your weight,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, still trying to bring him into a princess carry.

Gu Xinglang shook his head. Even if she could, he wouldn’t let her.

Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei ran up and lifted the chair themselves. Xiao Zhuang added, “Princess, let’s go back and keep eating.”

Yu Xiaoxiao withdrew her hands and gave up. Then she too, turned towards the doors of Big Bowl Restaurant, the two guards following behind her.

His Excellency Zhang looked at the scene and thought, this isn’t right. If you all leave, what about these Zhuri merchants? “Royal Son-in-Law, please wait!” he cried and ran in front of the three men.

Gu Xinglang asked, “What is it, Your Excellency Zhang?”

His Excellency Zhang replied, “What do we do about the Zhuri men?”

Gu Xinglang knitted his brows. Why are you asking me?

His Excellency Zhang blocked the way to the steps of Big Bowl Restaurant. Whatever the case, he had no authority to call the shots.

Gu Xinglang said, “Just deliver them to Complacent Winery.”

His Excellency Zhang shivered. Deliver these half-dead men to Complacent Winery? Will Jing Mo allow me to leave alive?

“They were at fault,” Gu Xinglang said at the sight of His Excellency Zhang’s shaking legs and ghastly expression. Their Fengtian officials were like startled birds whenever they heard the name “Zhuri.” If this went on, their nation would be swallowed up by Zhuri sooner or later.

His Excellency Zhang lowered his voice and asked, “Royal Son-in-Law, will Eldest Prince Jing listen to this official’s explanations?”

“He wouldn’t kill you outright in Fengtian’s capital city,” Gu Xinglang said coldly. “I was the one who did it. If Jing Mo wants to fault anymore, have him find me. Xiao Zhuang, Xiao Wei, let’s go in.”

At this, Xiao Zhuang reached out to push His Excellency Zhang, the governor of the capital, out of the way before entering Big Bowl Restaurant. The Gu Clan’s retainers followed after their master. Their two tables of food were still full of leftovers.

Grand Marshal Zuo stood with an intense expression on the streets. His looks matched that of his face right before a battle against his enemies. One of his retainers carefully drew near and asked, “Master, shall we leave?”

Zuo You glanced at him and said, “Is there something wrong?”

Nothing’s gone right with us since we’ve met Princess Linglong, the retainer thought silently.

Zuo You said, “If I don’t go in, who’s going to pay for the food?”

His three retainers didn’t even want to look at him anymore. Can’t you preserve some dignity in front of a girl, ah. Is there anyone who rushes to pay the restaurant bill? It’s even obvious she’s not interested in you.

“I’ll go in and take a look,” Zuo You decided as he walked forward. In order to save face, he added, “I’m just worried they won’t be able to afford the bill.”

What else could they say? That their own master became an idiot whenever he saw Princess Linglong? If news of that spread, they’d lost all pride as his subordinates too. In a flash, the streets had cleared out of everyone except His Excellency Zhang and his attendants.

The yamen attendants looked at the Zhuri men stuck in the ground and asked, “Your Excellency, how do we get them out?”

“Plucking?” His Excellency Zhang wasn’t sure, either.

A few attendants went forward to pull at the men, but the force caused so much pain that they woke up and screamed in agony. The attendants ran back to His Excellency Zhang and asked, “Should we ask Her Royal Highness for help?”

His Excellency Zhang looked askance at his subordinates. Their leader replied, “This subordinate asked around and heard it was Her Royal Highness who left them in the ground.”

So you know the princess is violent, but you still want me to ask her for help? You think I’ve lived too long or something? “Pry open the ground,” His Excellency Zhang ordered. “Be careful not to hurt them.”

The yamen attendants all looked at the Zhuri men as the corners of their mouths twitched. Thank goodness all of them had been planted in the same place. Otherwise, they’d have to dig up an entire street to get them out. Who would believe we yaman attendants ended up working as hard laborers instead?