Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 385 True love and falsehood
Xue Sui raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

"What are they doing here?"

Princess Wenjia frowned, her displeasure undisguised. "The Xue family hasn't given a proper explanation for the poisoning, not even a scapegoat. And they still dare to come here?"

Ruyi pouted: "Isn't that right? They're so shameless! They said the old lady misses the young lady and wants to take her back to the mansion to live, which is good... so she can take care of her nearby."

Jinshu looked at Xue Sui and asked, "Should I go and send her away? Just say that the young lady has gone to rest."

"No need. Hiding from you would only make me look guilty." Xue Sui put down his teacup, his expression calm.

"Invite them in."

Wen Jia sat to the side holding Niu Niu. Upon hearing this, she frowned slightly, showing that she didn't have a good impression of the Xue family.

"If Ping An doesn't want to see you, I'll block it for you."

Xue Sui smiled reassuringly at her: "It's alright."

A moment later, a deliberately light footstep approached from afar.

Granny Wei had a loud and clear voice. As soon as she entered, she curtsied and greeted everyone warmly.

"Oh, my good girl! I'm so glad to finally see you..."

She had a forced smile on her face, but behind her followed a meek and submissive Mrs. Li and several maids carrying gift boxes, all looking rather uncomfortable.

"Greetings to Your Highness!"

"Greetings to the Sixth Miss!"

Xue Sui remained seated, only raising her hand slightly. "No need for formalities. Did Grandmother give any instructions for your special visit, Granny?"

Granny Wei curtsied again and hurriedly said with a smile, "The weather is getting colder, and the wind is blowing like knives. The old lady was worried that the young lady wouldn't eat or sleep well here, so she specially sent this old servant and Granny Li to bring the young lady back to the manor..."

As she spoke, she turned to Wenjia, her smile widening, all ingratiating.

"The old lady also said that she felt really bad that Your Highness had taken such good care of our young lady these past few days. So, she specially prepared some top-quality ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms, saying that they were to help Your Highness to nourish her body and to express her gratitude. She begs Your Highness not to find them offensive."

His words were impeccable, and he adopted the perfect posture.

Wen Jia gave a faint "hmm" and didn't say anything more, only glancing at Xue Sui.

"I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip, please thank Grandmother for me when you get back." Xue Sui leaned back in her chair, her tone indifferent, revealing no emotion. "I'm quite comfortable staying here. With Her Highness the Princess looking after me and the imperial physicians checking on me regularly, it's perfect for quiet recuperation. I won't go back to the manor to cause trouble."

Granny Wei's smile froze for a moment, then she forced a smile again: "What are you saying, young lady? What do you mean by causing trouble! In the past, it was...it was the servants who didn't serve you well enough, and you suffered grievances. The old lady has now issued a stern warning: anyone who dares to neglect you in the slightest will be beaten to death! You should just go back and enjoy your retirement..."

She clapped her hands, and the maid immediately stepped forward.

Inside the red lacquered box were bright brocades and several exquisite pieces of jewelry.

"The Third Madam just gave birth to a son, and the mansion is bustling with joy and celebration. This is a lucky charm that the Old Madam sent over... The Old Madam said that the young lady should go back to stay here and share in the joy, and also take care of her health. Isn't it better to be surrounded by family and liveliness than to be out in the cold and quiet?"

Ruyi, who was listening nearby, couldn't stand it any longer and let out a cold laugh.

“Granny Wei, our young lady is kind and benevolent, but I’m not as easy to talk to as she is. Who handled that deadly soup last time? You can’t even get to the bottom of this poisoning scandal, yet you dare to come here to pick her up? Our young lady is lucky to have escaped this ordeal, does she really want to jump into that fire pit again? Bah! Our young lady’s life is precious, it’s not worth wasting it on you black-hearted bastards… If you have any conscience at all, Granny, stop pretending to be a good person…”

Granny Wei's expression changed, and she pointed at Ruyi.

"You! Ruyi, you little brat, you've broken my heart... Do you still remember that I, your humble servant, personally picked you out of the slave traders and brought you into this manor? You've only been with the young lady for a few days, and you dare to speak to me like that? Your mouth..."

“Granny Wei—” Xue Sui picked up the teacup and gently stirred the foam.

"Ruyi is my maid. She's blunt and outspoken, and I'm in charge of disciplining her. It's no one else's place to lecture her..."

The steam blurred her features as she put down her teacup, her voice falling coldly.

"You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you? But these days, I'm very afraid of losing my life..."

Granny Wei felt a chill run down her spine from her gaze, and her forced smile began to falter.

“Miss, what happened last time… was an accident. The entire household has been investigated, and it must have been those heartless and despicable people who caused this. The old lady was furious and has already punished them once, expelling many people. You are a member of the Xue family, the old lady's own granddaughter. She cares about you and wants to take you back; it's her good intention.”

Seeing that she didn't answer, he thought she had softened his stance and said earnestly, "Aunt Xue... oh no, Her Highness the Princess is recuperating in the East Palace. The old lady is worried about her day and night. Today, she specially sent two capable nannies to deliver some tonics, hoping that she can recover soon..."

Xue Sui looked up at her and smiled coldly.

"The Eastern Palace has its own rules, and His Highness the Crown Prince has also arranged for someone to take care of him. Why would we need the Xue family's nannies to go to such lengths? Let's skip all those formalities and customs."

Granny Wei gave an awkward laugh and said sheepishly, "That's true... Your status is different from Her Highness the Princess's now; you're noble ladies..."

"Different status?" Xue Sui raised an eyebrow. "I wonder, in your eyes, what is my status now, and what was my status before?"

Granny Wei choked and couldn't speak.

Seeing the situation turning sour, Madam Li quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, "Please calm down, young lady. You are the daughter of Grand Princess Xizi, a woman of noble birth, destined to be the Crown Princess. If word gets out that you are staying in Princess Wenjia's villa... those who know will say you are recuperating in peace, but those who don't will likely spread rumors... which won't be good for your reputation..."

As she spoke, she leaned forward, her face creased with even deeper wrinkles.

"The old lady said that from now on, she will personally oversee all affairs of the manor, so there won't be any more problems. Miss, please rest assured..."

Xue Sui slowly stood up, his face turning completely cold.

“Grandmother is old and should be enjoying her retirement. She doesn’t need to worry about such a small matter. Once the culprit who poisoned her is found, I will return to the manor to pay my respects to her.” The words were polite, but each one was distant, blocking any room for maneuver.

As soon as the young lady spoke, she immediately stood in front of Xue Sui, raised her chin at Granny Wei, and rudely chased her away.

"Did you hear that? The young lady told you to get out... Take all your things with you right now, our young lady can't afford to accept this."

Xiao Zhao simply made a curt gesture of invitation, quick and decisive.

"Please go ahead—no need to see me out."

The order to leave was given decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

Granny Wei and Granny Li's faces turned pale and then red, and under Ruyi's undisguised contempt, they slunk out of the courtyard.

No sooner had they left than the gatekeeper came to report.

"Miss, someone from the Lu residence has come. They say the Prime Minister has important matters to discuss and requests that you come to the residence."

Xue Sui's heart tightened slightly.

Lu Jing's summons at this time was by no means ordinary.

She subconsciously touched the jade pendant at her waist, and remained silent for a moment.

"Prepare the car."

Wenjia looked at her with concern: "Ping'an, would you like me to go with you?"

She frequently visited the Lu residence and was quite familiar with it.

Xue Sui nodded: "Very well, thank you for your trouble, Princess."

The two quickly packed up and set off. Before long, the carriage stopped outside the Lu residence.

The gatekeeper, seeing them, dared not neglect them and led them inside.

As soon as they arrived at the hanging flower gate, they saw Guan Chen and Tong Tong running over in a hurry, their little faces showing a worry that was beyond their years as they looked at Xue Sui.

"Auntie, Grandpa is waiting for you in the study. He said it's something very urgent."

Wen Jia glanced at Xue Sui and said knowingly, "You go first, I'll take the children to play in the garden for a while."

Xue Sui nodded.

Watching Wen Jia lead Niu Niu and Lu You'an's two children through the covered corridor, she slightly composed herself and, led by a servant, quickly walked towards Lu Jing's study.

The atmosphere in the study was solemn.

The old Prime Minister Lu, dressed in a slightly worn dark blue robe, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at the large map hanging on the wall. On the map, the banks of the Wei River were densely covered with small flags, the foremost of which were almost reaching the location of Yongding City.

"Old Prime Minister." Xue Sui curtsied, his gaze calm.

"Why did you summon me here so urgently?"

Lu Jing looked up, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"This is for the war in the western frontier."

She then politely stepped aside and gestured, "Please sit down, Miss Xue. Someone, bring tea."

A teacup is served, steaming hot.

Xue Sui sat down respectfully, picked up her teacup and took a sip, pondering the true purpose of Old Master Lu's invitation to come, before slowly speaking.

"Old Prime Minister, is Ma Kun still unwilling to make a move?"

Lu Jing shook his head.

"He did make a move, but once he led his troops out of the capital region, he became increasingly slow and hesitant... The soldiers are exhausted, and the march is sluggish. When will reinforcements arrive? To tell you the truth, I just received an urgent report that Xiao Yan has dispatched an elite force to launch a surprise attack on Heishi Ferry, upstream of the Wei River... The defending troops were caught off guard and suffered heavy losses..."

Xue Sui's pupils contracted slightly as his gaze swept rapidly across the map.

"Once the Weichuan defense line is breached, the gates to the capital will be wide open..."

Lu Jing frowned and nodded heavily.

Xue Sui looked at his solemn expression, her eyes flickered slightly, and the corners of her lips suddenly curled up.

"Actually, there's another person who can restrain Xiao Yan and relieve the pressure on Yongding..."

She stood up and took a few steps forward, her finger pointing towards the mountains west of the Wei River, and then gently gliding across them.

"Prince Li Shao, stationed in Dianzhou, guards the vital southwestern pass. If we can persuade him to send troops, it will surely relieve our immediate crisis..."

"Young lady, you have a good eye!" Lu Jing's eyes flashed with approval, and he stroked his beard and smiled. "Beyond the Yunling Mountains lies Dianzhou. The Wise Prince has been stationed in Dianzhou for many years and commands an elite army..."

　Xue Sui: It's almost the end of July, sisters! If you have any votes, don't forget to vote for "Asking the Nine Ministers"! After you vote, find Li Zhao to collect your return gift, mwah!
　　Li Zhao: I want a kiss...

　　(End of this chapter)