Chapter 179
As the prefect of Jiangcheng, Bao Min could not leave his jurisdiction at will.
While submitting a petition to the imperial court requesting a transfer back to the capital, Bao Min arranged all the affairs in Jiangcheng.
Even after the matters in Jiangcheng were settled, there was still no reply to his transfer request.
Unwilling to wait any longer, Bao Min decided to take Cai Damei to the capital first.
"Now you know how to be anxious?" Jiang Mingzhe was very dissatisfied with Bao Min.
Previously, for the sake of profit, he had repeatedly indulged the Xing family, which led to Cai Damei being poisoned.
"Please talk to Lady Ye. The capital is the place of hope for curing my wife." Bao Min didn't want Ye Yunniang to delay Cai Damei's treatment out of hatred for him.
"Bao Min, you are too full of yourself. Mother's decision to separate from you was the right one."
"What do you mean?"
Jiang Mingzhe did not answer Bao Min's question, only telling him to go speak with Ye Yunniang himself.
After hearing Bao Min out, Ye Yunniang did not hesitate for a moment and agreed to let him take Cai Damei to the capital.
Bao Min suddenly somewhat understood the meaning behind Jiang Mingzhe's words.
With the decision made, Bao Min wasted no time.
He spent two days packing their luggage and arranging the carriages and escorts.
Li An accompanied Cai Shuyi, following the convoy to the capital together.
Ye Yunniang also wanted to go, but she had felt unwell yesterday, and the doctor diagnosed her with a pregnancy of a little over a month.
Because she had been overthinking recently, her pregnancy was unstable, and she could not travel far by carriage.
Xiaocaiji and the Baise Embroidery Shop also needed Ye Yunniang to manage them.
Furthermore, in half a month, it would be her wedding with Jiang Mingzhe.
The invitations had already been sent out; it was impossible not to hold the wedding.
No matter how much Ye Yunniang wanted to go along, she could only wait until after the wedding, when the fetus was stable.
"Bao Min, I am entrusting Mother, An'an, and Shushu to you. If any of the three suffers even the slightest harm, I will risk my life to make you pay the price." Ye Yunniang's attitude was firm.
"I will protect them well," Bao Min promised.
Watching the carriage distance itself, Ye Yunniang punched Jiang Mingzhe hard several times.
"This is all your fault."
"It's my fault, I was wrong." Jiang Mingzhe hadn't expected Ye Yunniang to get pregnant either.
Jiang Mingzhe had even prepared himself for the wedding to be canceled.
But Ye Yunniang was pregnant.
March the sixth was the day of Jiang Mingzhe and Ye Yunniang's grand wedding.
Ye Yunniang changed into her wedding dress, with Li Pan and Li Ping keeping her company.
"Mother, why didn't you agree to let Father marry into the Li family?" Li Pan was puzzled.
"Because I..."
"Ye Yunniang, I'm here." Baise strode briskly into the room. "Surprised?"
"Surprised, very surprised." Ye Yunniang looked at the rosy-cheeked Baise. "When did you arrive in Jiangcheng?"
"Just arrived. I didn't even stop by my own house, just came straight to yours. I've finally waited for this day." Baise's voice was full of anticipation.
"Today is my big day, don't cause too much of a ruckus," Ye Yunniang pleaded, holding Baise's hand.
"Don't worry, I won't cause trouble for you." Baise's eyes danced as one idea after another popped into her head.
"Auntie Baise, do you have any good ideas? Let's discuss them." Li Ping walked toward Baise.
"I have plenty of ideas."
Baise and Li Ping went to the side to discuss.
"Mother, shouldn't you do something about them?"
Ye Yunniang sighed.
On one side were her son and good friend; on the other was the man she would share her bed with.
It wasn't good for her to help either side.
She might as well help neither.
Let them have their fun.
"Are you feeling unwell, Mother? Do you want a plum?" Li Pan opened the food box, took out a plum, and brought it to Ye Yunniang's lips.
Ye Yunniang opened her mouth and ate it. "You have some too."
"It's sour, I don't like it." Li Pan didn't like sour food.
"Dried apricots aren't sour, have some of this." Ye Yunniang picked up a dried apricot and handed it to Li Pan.
Li Pan opened his mouth to eat it and nodded.
"Sweet and delicious. You have some too, Mother." Li Pan fed Ye Yunniang a dried apricot.
The mother and son shared the delicacies in the box.
On the other side, Baise and Li Ping had also finished discussing how to make things difficult for Jiang Mingzhe.
Having eaten too many preserved fruits, Li Pan felt thirsty.
"Mother, I'll go pour some water," Li Ping said, picking up the teapot and walking out.
He was stopped at the door.
"Big brother, let Qiushuang do a trivial task like pouring water," Li Ping said, signaling for Qiushuang at the door to pour the water.
Qiushuang took the teapot from Li Pan's hand and left.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Very necessary." Li Ping couldn't let his discussion with Baise leak out and give Jiang Mingzhe a chance to prepare.
Li Pan sighed inwardly, "Stepfather, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's your own son who won't let you off."
Li Pan returned to sit beside Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang comforted Li Pan, "Let them mess around."
"Aren't you worried, Mother?" The ideas Li Ping and Baise came up with were truly terrifying just to hear.
"Worrying is useless."
Baise was determined to exact revenge for the wedding chamber grudge.
Li Ping was definitely going to pay back the scheme of taking over the Yunhua Chamber of Commerce.
"Your father isn't someone who just lets others walk all over him, either."
Li Pan thought about Jiang Mingzhe's skills and abilities.
It really was uncertain who would emerge victorious.
"The two of us will just watch the show and not get involved," Ye Yunniang decided.
"Alright, I'll listen to you, Mother," Li Pan replied. "When you married Father, were you this happy too?"
Ye Yunniang paused. "What made you think to ask this?"
Li Pan's eyes darted around. "I was just asking casually."
"Do you want to know more about your biological father?"
"Yes, I want to understand him. I want to know what kind of person he was, I want..."
"I want to think that if he hadn't died, our family could be together forever."
"I know it's wrong to think this way. But I can't help it." Li Pan lowered his head, feeling that it was very inappropriate and selfish of him to say these things on his mother's big day.
"Pan'er, Mother needs to apologize to you."
"Why are you apologizing, Mother?" Li Pan was confused; he was the one who had spoken out of turn.
"Mother shouldn't have agreed to marry Jiang Mingzhe without asking you first."
Li Pan shook his head. "You can decide for yourself who you want to marry, Mother. You don't need to ask me."
"We are a family and we will be living together. Before making a choice, I should have talked to you."
"I will answer you now, Mother. I really hope he can be my father."
Li Pan's words moved Ye Yunniang to tears.
Wiping away her tears, Ye Yunniang talked about her marriage to Li Jun back in the day.
At that time, Ye Yunniang was seventeen. Originally, her wedding with Li Jun was scheduled for after her eighteenth birthday.
Li Jun, influenced by who knows who, strongly demanded to join the army.
To get Li Min and Cai Damei to agree, Li Jun went on a hunger strike for three days.
He almost starved himself to death.
Unable to dissuade his son, Li Min relented and agreed to let Li Jun join the army, on the condition that he marry first.
Ye Yunniang was not living well with her maiden family, so marrying into the Li family earlier was something she wished for.
And just like that, Ye Yunniang married Li Jun.
"Your father's mind was completely set on joining the army at the time. On our wedding night, he didn't even want to touch me, afraid that he wouldn't return and would ruin my life."
Li Pan was curious. "Did you listen to Father, Mother?"
"If I had listened, how would I have you?"