Chapter 634: Tan'er's Mother
Chapter 634: Tan'er’s Mother
Before they knew it, May had arrived.
Meng Qianqian and her group were ready to set off for the Meng Clan Estate in Youzhou.
For Meng Qianqian, this would be her first visit back home since her grand wedding.
But for Lu Yuan, it was his first time meeting his in-laws as a new son-in-law.
"Supreme Commander, aren't you nervous?"
Shangguan Ling asked him.
Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "Why should I be nervous?"
Shangguan Ling stared at him in disbelief. "You kidnapped the Meng Clan Estate's daughter and even got married without their knowledge. If I were Old Man Meng, I'd beat the living daylights out of you!"
Lu Yuan gave him a chilling glance. "Are you tired of living?"
Shangguan Ling immediately cowered. "My apologies, Commander."
Damn, he had been too relaxed without the Supreme Commander's oppressive presence for too long.
"Who’s the best with knives?"
Tan'er skipped over. "Have you seen Shang Wuyou?"
Shangguan Ling replied irritably, "No, I haven't."
Tan'er pouted. "How could you not see him? He’s right here!"
Shangguan Ling, still fuming from his encounter with Lu Yuan and now being scolded by a little girl, couldn't help but frown. "He’s not a child. Do you expect me to keep an eye on him?"
Tan'er stuck out her tongue. "Hmph! Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you have no observational skills! You’re useless!"
Shangguan Ling was speechless. "What, are you looking down on me, little girl?"
Tan'er placed her hands on her hips. "Exactly, that's what I’m saying!"
Shangguan Ling rubbed his forehead.
He didn't want to argue with a little girl.
"Shang Wuyou! Shang Wuyou—"
Tan'er went off to find Shang Wuyou.
Shangguan Ling wondered, "Why is she looking for Shang Wuyou? Have they been getting too close lately?"
Lu Yuan: "What’s it to you?"
Shangguan Ling: "……"
Indeed, it was none of his business.
Shang Wuyou wasn't at the Crown Prince's Mansion; he had gone to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.
After Gongsun Yanming's death, he, as the young lord, naturally inherited the position of Pavilion Master.
In the past, he might have scorned such a position.
But after experiencing so much, he understood the importance of power.
He didn’t want to hide behind others anymore; he wanted to be the one who could protect his sister.
And he wanted to be ...
Her support.
The Miao King also planned to leave.
He had come to the Southwest to worry about his grandson and his granddaughter-in-law. Now, his vengeance was complete, the rebels were crushed, and he had an unexpected joy.
—His unborn great-grandchild, and the reluctant in-laws who couldn’t stand each other, along with the son-in-law he found intolerable.
"Father-in-law."
Lu Zhaoyan came to the Miao King's courtyard to pay his respects.
The Miao King glared at him. "I haven't given you my daughter yet, so don't call me father-in-law!"
Lu Zhaoyan: "Yes, Father-in-law."
Miao King: "……"
The marriage would happen, and he would make it a grand event. This would be a perfect opportunity to visit the Wushan Mountains and discuss White Xiu Bo's marriage. Surely, Immortal Lady wouldn’t kick him off the mountain.
"Hehehe..."
The Miao King chuckled foolishly.
Before they left, Meng Qianqian met Si She alone.
"I have something to discuss with you."
She said.
The two sat down in a pavilion at the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Bao Zhuzhu was catching butterflies in the small garden below, her sweet, innocent voice mingling with the birdsong and floral fragrance, creating a beautiful scene for early summer.
Si She said, "Actually, I also have something to talk about."
"Let me go first."
Meng Qianqian said.
Si She nodded.
Meng Qianqian spoke frankly, "It’s about Tan'er’s background."
Si She calmly replied, "Yu Zi Chuan mentioned that her mother was the Saintess of Xiyue, and her father is unknown."
Meng Qianqian wasn't surprised by the information Yu Zi Chuan and Qing Shuang had. "Who is this Saintess of Xiyue?"
Meng Qianqian paused. "I heard you are from the Xiyue royal family."
Si She's expression didn't change, as if it didn't matter, or perhaps he saw no need to hide it from her.
Meng Qianqian opened her mouth. "Or did you mention it to me before, and I forgot?"
Her memories from her past life were mostly restored, but some minor details still lay dormant in her subconscious.
"It’s not important."
Si She said, "Xiyue didn’t have a Saintess until one year when a disaster struck. The high priest was praying on an island for the Xiyue people. Suddenly, a woman descended from the sky and landed on the altar. The high priest thought she was an assassin and captured her. However, she cured the island’s disaster and prevented an impending epidemic. From then on, the high priest revered her as the Saintess."
"Descended from the sky?"
Meng Qianqian pondered.
"That’s not the strangest part."
Si She, usually a man of few words, seemed more talkative when it came to the Saintess of Xiyue.
"The high priest built a Saintess Temple for her, but in reality, it was a way to confine her on the island, not allowing her to leave."
Meng Qianqian frowned. "That’s..."
Si She continued, "One day, she vanished from the Saintess Temple. No one saw how she escaped, and no one found her again."
Meng Qianqian asked suspiciously, "Then, Tan'er..."
Si She shook his head. "I never saw Tan'er on the island, and she doesn’t have the blue eyes of the Liuli Island people. So, I never suspected she had any connection to Liuli Island."
Meng Qianqian asked, "Does the Saintess have blue eyes?"
Si She shook his head. "No. She was often in the Saintess Temple, and I rarely saw her. Even when I did, it was from a distance, and she always wore a veil."
Meng Qianqian understood. "No wonder you didn’t think she looked like Tan'er."
Si She asked, "What did Tan'er tell you?"
Meng Qianqian said, "She told me she lived on a small island with her mother, though she wasn’t sure if it was Liuli Island. Her mother always told her that one day, she might disappear and wanted to teach Tan'er all her skills before that happened."
After talking to Duan Mingyue, Meng Qianqian had a heart-to-heart with Tan'er that night. Tan'er no longer kept anything hidden.
However, the information Tan'er had was limited.
Meng Qianqian added, "By the way, the Saintess of Xiyue seemed to know a lot about the Ghost Thirteen Needles, Lady Chu, and the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. She prepared a boat for Tan'er, and once she disappeared, Tan'er was to leave the island for the Great Zhou Dynasty."
"Did she tell Tan'er to come to the Great Zhou Dynasty to find... you?"
Si She could only think of that possibility.
Meng Qianqian shook her head. "The Saintess didn’t specify. She just told Tan'er to go to the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Si She pondered for a moment and speculated, "I think the Saintess escaped from the Saintess Temple and lived on Liuli Island. As for who Tan'er’s father is and where he is now, we don’t know."
He thought perhaps the man had already passed away; otherwise, why wouldn’t he have taken care of Tan'er?
But some things were better left unsaid.
(End of Chapter)
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