Chapter 231: Keeping a Secret
Mei Wanying didn’t tell Pei Yan she was returning to the Capital City, and she made Wei Jue keep it a secret for now.
She wanted to see what Pei Yan’s reaction would be when she and Ling suddenly appeared in the Capital City.
Wei Jue looked conflicted. "The Emperor said that no matter how big or small the matter, I must report back to him."
Miss Mei wanting to take the Little Prince back to the Capital City was a major affair.
It absolutely couldn’t be kept from the Emperor.
Mei Wanying raised an eyebrow. "Did he ever tell you that you were to be at my command?"
"Well... he did say that."
The Emperor had instructed him not only to protect Miss Mei and the Little Prince, but also to obey Miss Mei’s commands.
All the personnel left behind in Jiangnan were at Miss Mei’s disposal.
Miss Mei had a Token. In addition to the guards, she could mobilize other forces as well.
The Emperor held Miss Mei in very high regard.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he treated Miss Mei as his very lifeline.
Mei Wanying said, "Well, there you have it. You listen to me. If he punishes you, I’ll put in a good word for you."
With Mei Wanying’s assurance, what else was there for Wei Jue to agonize over?
Miss Mei was his greatest protection. The Emperor would surely listen to whatever she said.
With Miss Mei looking out for him, he could get away with anything!
He cupped his fists. "I will be sure to keep it a secret."
Miss Mei wanted to give the Emperor a surprise; this was a sign of how much she cared for him.
If the Emperor knew, he would definitely be too excited to sleep!
Wei Jue thought, ’If I tell the Emperor ahead of time, His Majesty might even curse me for being a blabbermouth and ruining Miss Mei’s surprise.’
"I won’t tell the Emperor, but if he finds out on his own, Miss Mei, please don’t suspect me of tattling..."
The Emperor was no ordinary man. He could sense even the slightest change in Miss Mei’s behavior.
Mei Wanying shot him a look. "You really won’t tattle?"
"Truly."
"Then how did he find out that I said he was old?"
Over that, Pei Yan had written a ten-page letter detailing how he practiced his martial arts every day, and how he would go riding and practice archery after finishing his political duties.
He hadn’t let go of the habits he’d developed in the military camps.
He was, in more ways than one, telling her that he was in excellent shape—no different from when he was "young"!
Wei Jue rubbed the back of his head and said sheepishly, "I originally didn’t mean to tattle..."
He smacked his own hand. "This hand... it has a mind of its own..."
Mei Wanying’s gaze turned menacing. "See that you don’t fall into old habits."
Wei Jue: "..."
’I don’t know if it’s just my imagination,’ he thought, ’but the way Miss Mei threatens people is exactly the same as the Emperor’s.’
Ling grinned from ear to ear. "Mama, you’re scaring him!"
Wei Jue nodded silently. ’The Little Prince is the one who sees things clearly.’
Miss Mei and the Emperor were becoming more and more alike!
...
After settling everything at the manor, Mei Wanying set out for the Capital City with her daughter.
In total, they brought five maids and matrons, plenty of guards, and in the shadows, Pei Yan’s men were there as well.
Wei Jue accompanied them on the journey. With him around, Mei Wanying felt much more at ease.
The carriage moved farther and farther from the old residence, and Mrs. Mei, standing at the manor gate, disappeared from view.
Two tear tracks streaked Ling’s fair, tender face as she peered out the window.
"I can’t see Grandma anymore," she said plaintively.
The carriage swayed, and Mei Wanying held her daughter’s small body, afraid she would get bumped or bruised.
She soothed her, "After the New Year, Mama will bring you back. You can move into Grandma’s courtyard then and spend more time with her."
Ling was still heartbroken. "Stinky Daddy, why doesn’t he come home?"
It was because Daddy wouldn’t come home that she and Mama had to travel all this way to see him.
Ling huffed, her lower lip jutting out in a high pout, her face a mask of displeasure.
Just a moment ago, she’d been so excited and eager to see her daddy.
Pei Yan was being unfairly blamed here. Mei Wanying explained to Ling, "It’s not that your daddy won’t come home. He’s just too busy with his duties to get away."
"He wrote in a letter that he wanted to come back for your birthday. But last time he came home, he got hurt. I don’t know if he’s fully recovered, and the journey is so exhausting. Mama was worried he might get hurt again, so I thought it would be just the same if we went to see him instead."
Mei Wanying didn’t want to tell a two-year-old about things like assassination attempts; even if she did, the child likely wouldn’t understand.
But "getting hurt" was something Ling understood instantly.
Mei Wanying took great pains to make her daughter understand that it was dangerous for Pei Yan to travel home.
When Ling was a bit older and could handle more, she would tell her daughter everything, the good and the bad, little by little.
She would do it gradually. There was no rush.
Ling sat back in Mei Wanying’s lap. "Was Daddy hurt badly?"
Her big, bright eyes were filled with worry.
Mei Wanying nodded. "He was badly hurt and lost a lot of blood."
Ling’s eyes welled up with tears again. "Mama, I don’t want Daddy to die."
"If Daddy dies, Ling won’t have a daddy anymore, and no one will send Ling chests and chests of treasures. Ling is so pitiful..."
A child’s train of thought was so unpredictable. Mei Wanying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She wondered what Pei Yan’s reaction would be if he heard this.
’Would he be happy that his daughter was concerned about him?’
’Or would he be sad that she was more concerned about the treasures he sent?’
"Your daddy is alive and well, he’s not dead. He writes you a letter every day."
With tear-filled eyes, Ling whimpered, "But Daddy got hurt... he was bleeding..."
She sounded so pitiful, as if she could actually see her father bleeding before her eyes.
Mei Wanying said, "It was a long time ago. He should be completely better by now."
In truth, Pei Yan hadn’t been injured in that assassination attempt at all.
Mei Wanying had told a lie and now had to find a way to smooth it over.
Ling looked at her skeptically. "Really all better?"
"Really," Mei Wanying nodded.
Ling: "If he’s all better, why doesn’t he come home? Daddy’s bad! Stinky Daddy!"
Mei Wanying: "..."
Ding Xiang, who had been silent the whole time, couldn’t help but let out a laugh. The Little Prince was so quick-witted, just as one would expect from their mistress’s child!
Ever since learning to speak, the Little Prince’s progress had been incredibly fast.
Other children her age were still mumbling indistinctly, only able to speak in short phrases.
But their Little Prince could already chatter on endlessly.
She could even carry on a casual conversation with adults.
The Household Doctor said it was a natural talent.
Ding Xiang felt the Little Prince’s talent came from her mistress; after all, the one in the Capital City was a man who cherished his words like gold.
If it weren’t for their mistress, the Emperor couldn’t have had such an articulate daughter.
Mei Wanying gave Ding Xiang a plaintive look and whispered, "This little smarty-pants is getting harder and harder to fool."
Ding Xiang nodded emphatically.
Her face showed complete agreement.
Not only was the Little Prince hard to fool, but she also liked to play pranks on people.
A very quirky Spirit Monster!
Ling pouted again and said huffily, "Daddy isn’t being good at all. He doesn’t even know to come home. When I see Daddy, I’m going to smack his palm."
When she was being naughty, her mama would threaten to smack her palm.
Although it had never actually happened, the thought still scared her.
’Daddy would probably be scared too, right?’
Ling wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and said triumphantly, "With a stick!"
Mei Wanying: "..."
The saying "a newborn calf does not fear the tiger" was certainly true.
He was the master of the realm. Other than the little child before her, who would dare to even harbor such a thought?
Pulling Ling into her arms, Mei Wanying tapped the tip of her nose. "Your daddy is so lucky to have such a sweet, caring daughter!"