jdhmnovel Chapter 232 Extra 8
Chapter 232 Extra 8
Mo Liuli's expression softened a little: "Okay, I understand, thank you, Grandpa! I will stay indoors for the next few days, and I won't let anyone in the manor go out except for those who go out to buy groceries!"
Grandpa Mo was a little relieved: "It's good that you think this way. Now that you're pregnant, we can't be careless at all. Spies and assassins are everywhere, and now that you're the Marshal's wife, you mustn't be soft-hearted and let strangers into the mansion! That woman who claims to be the Marshal's mother is very strange. In my opinion, she's probably a fraud."
"Think about it," she said, "the Marshal's mother lives in the capital, thousands of miles away. Even if she wanted to come to the Northwest, she would definitely write to the Marshal beforehand. Or she would be accompanied by maids, servants, a coachman, and guards. How could she possibly come here alone? Her claim that the maids and servants have all gotten separated is completely unrealistic. Even if something unexpected happened and they got separated, she couldn't possibly come here without a single servant by her side!"
Mo Liuli nodded: "Grandpa, I understand. If that woman comes, I won't believe her no matter what she says. We'll wait for the Marshal or Jiang Yong to arrive before making any decisions. Until we're certain, I will resolutely not let that woman set foot in the manor!"
Old Master Mo was relieved: "Alright, I'll head back now! If anything happens, remember to send someone to the manor to ask for help!"
After seeing the old man off, Mo Liuli's heart pounded with anxiety. She pondered to herself, what was the deal with that woman? In truth, she didn't necessarily think she was a fraud. However, the whole affair was indeed very strange. If that person really was Jiang Chun's biological mother, why would she have come to the Northwest so quietly?
Does her father-in-law know she's come all the way to the Northwest? Does her sister-in-law know? If neither of them knows, her sister-in-law would be frantic with worry if she disappeared.
If this woman really is Jiang Chun's mother, Mo Liuli doesn't like her either. What respect is there in a woman who acts so recklessly? She's probably here to cause trouble. Besides, this woman was divorced by her father-in-law; logically, she shouldn't be coming here.
This woman was divorced by her father-in-law, which means she must have done something unforgivable. Otherwise, why would Jiang Chun and his siblings stand by and watch their father divorce their mother? Mo Liuli really doesn't want to acknowledge such a mother-in-law!
Forget it, let's not worry about it anymore. Let's just listen to Grandpa and wait for Jiang Chun or Jiang Yong to come back so they can handle it!
To be fair, Old Master Mo's worries were not unfounded.
After staying in the inn for two days, Murong finally grew impatient and suggested going out for a walk.
The maidservant objected: "Madam, this is the border region, very close to the frontier. It's only a six or seven-hour ride on horseback. There might be many spies in this city. If they find out you are the Marshal's mother, they might kidnap you and take you to the land of the barbarians to blackmail the Marshal!"
Murong was not illiterate, so she wouldn't be so easily frightened. She snorted coldly, "If anyone's going to kidnap someone, it's not my turn. They should have kidnapped the marshal's wife long ago. I've only been here a short time. Apart from a few people from the Mo family, who knows that I'm the marshal's mother? Going out on the street is so boring. If you're afraid, you can stay at the inn. I'll go out for a walk by myself!"
Hmph! How dare they scare her like that? Do they think she's some ignorant country bumpkin? Do they think they can stop her from going out just by saying that? It's not that scary. This is Green Leaf City, the most prosperous city in the Northwest. The number one family in the Northwest is based here. The security here is nowhere near as bad as the maid said.
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
The maid had no choice but to follow closely behind.
As Murong strolled through the streets, she kept an eye on her surroundings and finally caught up with a seemingly honest shopkeeper, asking him, "Excuse me, sir, do you know where Marshal Jiang Chun's residence is?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper couldn't help but look at her suspiciously: "Madam, why are you asking about the Marshal's Mansion?"
Murong smiled and said, "I am a distant relative of the Marshal. I have come from a very far place to seek refuge with him. If you know me, please give me directions. My silver has been stolen, and if I can't find the Marshal's mansion soon, I will be left to wander the streets!"
The shopkeeper was an honest, kind, and simple man who couldn't bear to see people in distress. So he kindly answered her questions and told Murong the exact location of the Jiang residence.
Murong was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you so much for your kindness. I wish you a prosperous business and a long and healthy life!"
The shopkeeper waved his hand: "You're welcome, it was just a small favor. However, the Marshal is probably not at home; he should be in the military camp at this time."
Murong said, "It's alright. I'm just going to familiarize myself with the place first. If the Marshal isn't here, I'll pawn the bracelet and stay at the inn for a few more days."
The two maids tried several times to interrupt and pull Murong away, but the shopkeeper was too enthusiastic and Murong was also quite strong, so the two thin maids couldn't pull her away.
The maid had no choice but to glare fiercely at the shopkeeper.
Murong Shi had already started walking forward, heading straight for the Jiang residence.
"Madam, where are you going? Hurry back to the inn!" The maidservant, seeing this, rushed after her, her heart pounding with anxiety. Now, both of them were sure to get a beating from their mistress!
Good heavens! That damned old woman, she's always up to something, and she's got so many tricks up her sleeve. She doesn't speak the same language as the shopkeeper, yet she managed to find out the exact location of the Jiang residence. And what's more, this old woman walks incredibly fast; the two maids are having a hard time keeping up.
The mother and daughter knew that, regardless of anything else, Murong had been exiled before. Her ability to walk quickly was a result of that experience. On the road to exile, if one walked even slightly slower, the escorting officials would whip them.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the Jiang residence.
The gatekeeper has been on high alert these past few days. As soon as he sees a stranger, he immediately shouts, "Who are you? This is not a place you can come here. Get out of here right now!"
Murong said to the gatekeeper, "I am the Marshal's mother. Please inform him!"
Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper panicked and immediately scolded, "Where did this crazy woman come from? The Marshal's mother is thousands of miles away. Why would she come to this northwest border? You're obviously a fraud!"
The gatekeepers of the Jiang residence had been repeatedly instructed that if any strangers came looking for them, they should be driven away immediately. In particular, if an elderly woman came looking for them, claiming to be the marshal's mother, she should absolutely not be allowed to enter the residence.
Since the master had given such instructions, the gatekeeper naturally had to obey.
Murong was furious: "Are you blind? I am the Marshal's mother! Go ahead and inform him! Otherwise, once I see my son, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"
The gatekeeper remained unmoved, forcefully brandishing the feather duster in his hand: "Get out of here, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
As he spoke, he swung the weapon at Murong.
Murong was so angry she was practically spitting fire. She took a few steps back and shouted, "Chun'er, I'm your mother! I'm here! You unfilial brat, your mother's here and you won't even let me in! May you be struck by lightning!"
The gatekeeper and the maid were stunned by these words.
The maidservant quickly stepped forward to stop her, advising, "Madam, the Marshal is not in the manor right now. The messenger who went to the military camp said that the Marshal and his second brother have both gone to the battlefield and will not be back for another two days! Don't worry, the Marshal is a filial son. If he returns, he will definitely come to the inn to see you! If you make such a fuss and damage the Marshal's reputation, what if you anger him and he really disowns you? What will you do then?"
As the son of a divorced woman, Jiang Chun could actually ignore her. Even if she took it to the authorities, the government would side with Jiang Chun. This was the law of the Western Liang Kingdom, and also a customary practice. Although it seemed somewhat unreasonable, that was how things were, both the custom and the law dictated it, and if Jiang Chun truly ignored her, she could do nothing about it.
Upon hearing this, Murong was immediately alarmed, and her shouts abruptly ceased.
The gatekeeper waved his feather duster angrily and said, "If you know what's good for you, leave now. The Marshal is indeed not in the manor, and your fuss won't do you any good. My lady is pregnant and will not allow a stranger into the manor! So, whether you are the real Marshal's mother or not, you will have to wait for the Marshal to return and see you before we talk!"
The maidservant quickly chimed in, "Yes, you're right. Madam, let's hurry back to the inn! If you're feeling bored, I can accompany you to buy some jewelry. We can just wait a couple more days!"
The two maids tried to persuade him while pulling him toward the street.
Murong left, half-heartedly.
The gatekeeper of the Jiang residence refused to announce her arrival or let her in, leaving her with no other option. If she were to make a scene at the Jiang residence's gate and embarrass her son and daughter-in-law, even if her son returned, her daughter-in-law would likely not give her a friendly look.
Sigh, there's nothing she can do. She's fallen on hard times. Circumstances dictate her actions. She'll wait patiently for a few more days. She refuses to believe that her two sons won't come to see her. She knows her own sons very well; they're definitely not the kind of heartless people.
Seeing that she had finally left, the gatekeeper breathed a huge sigh of relief.
To be honest, if she didn't leave and insisted on barging into the mansion, he couldn't really hit her. Because he still didn't know if she was truly the Marshal's mother. If she was, he wouldn't be able to explain himself to the Marshal if he hit her. He also wouldn't be able to stay in this mansion any longer.
The gatekeeper was also one of Jiang Chun's former subordinates. He knew a little about Jiang Chun's family affairs, but he had never met Jiang Chun's mother. He was extremely surprised that Jiang Chun's mother had become so unruly.
When Mo Liuli heard that someone claiming to be Jiang Chun's mother had come to her door, she was extremely troubled. Letting her in seemed too hasty; but if she didn't let her in, and the woman continued to cause trouble, wouldn't that embarrass the Marshal?
Just as she was feeling troubled, a maid came to report: "Madam, that person has already left. She probably won't come back until the Marshal returns! Please don't worry too much!"
Mo Liuli reached out and touched her stomach: "Okay, I understand. You all need to be vigilant and not sleep too soundly when you're on night duty."
Her heart could never find peace.
If that woman is indeed the husband's mother, then things will be very troublesome. Even if the husband doesn't blame her, the mother-in-law will definitely blame her, or even resent her.
Sigh, why is she so unlucky to have such a troublesome mother-in-law? No matter who the woman who comes to her door is, whether she is her mother-in-law or not, she can't help but be annoyed.
Because Jiang Chun's birth mother was indeed an unreliable person. Jiang Chun had briefly mentioned to her mother-in-law that her father-in-law had divorced her. She was then settled in a three-courtyard house in the capital, where maids and servants were assigned to take care of her. Her younger sister-in-law, Hua'er, would visit her mother-in-law every few days.
However, that was all; she didn't know much. She only knew that her husband wasn't very satisfied with his mother, and that her mother seemed to have done many unreliable things.
Two days later, Jiang Chun and Jiang Yong returned from the battlefield and learned that the Mo family had sent people to summon them to Green Leaf City. One of them had to return, no matter what. It seemed that something important awaited their decision.
With the great battle just over and the enemy still uncertain whether they would attack again, Jiang Chun, as marshal, naturally couldn't leave. Left with no other option, Jiang Yong volunteered: "Brother, let me go back!" After all, he was just a common soldier; one more or one less wouldn't make much difference.