Chapter 541: The Secret About the Past (159)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Okay.”
After hanging up the call, Mrs. Gu immediately started packing up some belongings into a suitcase while calling Mr. Gu. She mentioned only that she would be going to Wei Ni Estate to accompany Xiaoning and did not say anything else so that Mr. Gu would not have a knot in his heart as well.
When she arrived at the entrance of Wei Ni Estate, Fan Shixin welcomed her politely, “Auntie, Young Madam has already called to inform me. Come with me.”
“Alright. Thank you, Chief Fan.”
“No worries, I’m just doing what I should.” Fan Shixin arranged a room for her, then told her, “Auntie, if you need to contact anyone, you can use the phone in the living room. You can rest assured when you call anyone, the phone is very safe to use.”
“Umm. Xiaoning’s too considerate.” Mrs. Gu’s heart was finally more at ease and, after a while, she used the phone in the living room to give Gu Beicheng a call.
Gu Beicheng sounded worried when he picked up. “Mother, I’ve heard from Xiaoning.”
“Then, did you get Xiaoning to read for you and Mingxi?”
“She’s helped us read our fortunes as well. All should be well in a month. Mother, listen to Xiaoning. Don’t go out for one month and stay at Wei Ni Estate. She says it’s rather dangerous.”
“Beicheng, help me to tidy up my clothes at home.”
“Don’t worry, there are surveillance cameras everywhere at home. Anyone who touches them can be easily spotted.” Gu Beicheng tried to soothe her worries. “Mother, did you call Xiaoning first?”
“Umm. I called her first. My heart felt oddly ill at ease and I was rather anxious, so I called her to read my fortune. Xiaoning is busy too and can’t possibly take care of everyone. Her mother-in-law also had a death curse put on her, did you know that?”
Gu Beicheng replied, “Umm, I know about that.”
“If Xiaoning’s mother-in-law had gotten her to read her fortune beforehand, she might have escaped by a close shave. It was probably beyond anyone’s expectations, and that was why the other party could take advantage of the opportunity. I feel like such spiritual things are too scary.” Thinking back to the incident at the ancestral hall, Mrs. Gu was still shuddering with fear.
“It’s just like what you said, Xiaoning’s very busy and can’t possibly take care of everyone. Moreover, reading others’ fortunes harms her body, she can’t possibly read it for everyone. I suddenly understand Grandfather’s words.” Gu Beicheng was suddenly enlightened upon the thought of those words. “‘The Gu family would definitely need Xiaoning’s help in some way or another in the future.’ Grandfather wouldn’t have said this back then. It was Xiaoning’s Master who’d told Grandfather that, it could not have been wrong.”
“I really don’t dare to think anymore. Beicheng, Mother has no other wishes but for you and your father to be well. It’s the biggest wish in my whole life.”
“Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll be fine. Rest assured and stay well there. I’ll make time to visit you.”
“Okay.”
After he hung up the call, a look flashed on Gu Beicheng’s eyes and his expression turned dull.
He felt that the danger that Xiaoning claimed his mother was facing was certainly related to someone.
There were some things that he knew even without saying them out loud, but it did not mean that he would continue bearing with it.
He was only waiting for an opportune moment to show his trump card.
—
As An Xiaoning came down, Tuoba Danxue asked, “Why did you take so long just to use the toilet?”
“I had a stomach upset and I picked up a call from my mother.” An Xiaoning asked politely, “Your Highness, next month, may I take a day off?”
“Why, did something happen to your family?”
“My mother hasn’t been in good health so, since I have a day off next month, I was thinking if I could use it to pay her a visit.”
“We’ll see then. If there’s nothing much happening, I’ll let you take a day off.” Tuoba Danxue asked directly, “You’re very close to your mother, aren’t you?”
“Umm. We’re very close,” An Xiaoning answered frankly.
“That’s nice.” Tuoba Danxue went on, “My mother and I have been distant since I was young. I’ve been living here by myself since I was a few years old.”
“So Your Highness rarely left this place? How about school?”
“There were specialized teachers who came to teach me. My brother was much better than me, I seldom left the Autumn Palace.”
An Xiaoning looked at her with slight pity. Honestly, she would never enjoy a life like hers. Although she lived with her master in the mountains since she was young as well, she was free. And because she was disciplined, she never ran far and only played near the temple. But comparatively, she still had much more freedom than Tuoba Danxue.
“Your Highness!” Zhi Yin came running in while panting profusely as she tried to catch her breath. “Madam’s here.”
“My mother?” Tuoba Danxue asked in astonishment. “What’s she doing here?”
Before Zhi Yin could reply, Shi Xiaoyu came strutting in. “Nothing much, I just decided to check on you as I was nearby.”
An Xiaoning glanced up and was rather stupefied. Prior to this, she had seen Shi Xiaoyu a couple of times with exquisite makeup on her face, which made her look very young. But today, she did not appear to be in a very good state, and her makeup was light as well. She looked much older than she had looked previously.
Thinking of what Tuoba Shuo had said, that she was her mother’s half-sister, An Xiaoning observed her carefully and actually realized that this woman was rather similar to herself in someway.
“What’s there to check? I’m neither dead nor paralyzed.” There was already an invisible obstacle that could not be removed between Tuoba Danxue and Shi Xiaoyu because of Jiang Feng’s matter.
“This child, how can you speak like that?” Shi Xiaoyu was quite infuriated. “If you’re still mad at me over Jiang Feng, then Danxue, you’re really making a huge mistake. Look at Commander-in-chief Jin’s son, in what way is he not comparable to Jiang Feng? Let me tell you, you’re young and ignorant so your judgment is not good. Your second brother is even being introduced to Lin Shishi, these two families are extremely important to us.”
“I don’t want to listen to you say all these. If there’s nothing else, please go back.” Tuoba Danxue was evidently not listening to her and did not take her words to heart at all.
Shi Xiaoyu was successfully left speechless and could only turn to leave haughtily.
Leaving her daughter’s place, Shi Xiaoyu went to Tuoba Shuo’s house, which was not far away.
She had originally intended to come here anyway and only went to see her daughter since it was on the way.
Entering the house, she saw a figure sitting inside with a cup of green tea placed on the table. He was sipping his teacup in a slow, leisurely manner.
“Ah Shuo.”
“Sis-in-law, you’re here,” he said in a plain tone.
“It’s been so many years, you’re finally not hung up over it anymore. Sis-in-law is very happy for you. My sister will be relieved to know it as well. After all, if she knew that you were brooding over it all this while, she would not possibly be at ease.”
He replied without a tinge of change in his voice, “Let all these remain in the past. Who knows how much longer I have to live? I don’t want to live life like that anymore.”
“That’s the right way of thinking. Your brother asked me to come and ask you if you wanted to see your mother, and about getting Father a proper burial ground as well.”
“It’s fine.” Tuoba Shuo was very decisive. “I don’t think there’s any need to. I’ll just live here for some time, then I’ll leave the palace to live my own life in the future.”
“Actually, Mother is in deep regret over this. She’s getting on in years as well, how many more chances do you think you have to see her?”
Tuoba Shuo did not show any sign of hesitation at all. “Sis-in-law, you don’t have to say anything further. Where’s Qingzhou’s grave? I want to go and see it.”
“There isn’t any grave,” Shi Xiaoyu responded in a dejected tone. “Back then, after Sister was cremated, her remains were scattered in the sea, so she doesn’t have a grave.”