Chapter 215: The Second Choice

Chapter 215: The Second Choice

From that point onward, Minglan seemed to have gathered her resolve. She paid no attention to the vividly spreading rumors about Zhang Gu's defeat and death, instead ensuring she slept well, ate heartily, and persisted in her daily walks and activities. After three or four days, the Tu brothers returned, bringing along a dust-covered mother and child in their carriage.

Tu Long stood under the corridor, cupping his hands in salute. "Reporting to Madam, we've returned from Master Liu's place. As per your instructions, the brothers who captured the individuals each received twenty taels. The people have now been brought back and handed over to Mama Cui."

Minglan stood straight in the inner hall, one hand supporting her lower back. "Thank you for your trouble, Master Tu."

The Tu brothers kept their eyes forward, clasped their hands, and bowed in unison, taking their leave.

Xiaotao helped Minglan step out slowly, with Lüzhi and the others following behind. The group walked along the long covered corridor and passed through the side hanging-flower gate. Instantly, everything around them fell silent. No laughter or chatter could be heard, only the rustling sounds of insects and birdsong.

They arrived at a secluded room. Minglan stepped inside to find it bare, with only a grand armchair at the head of the room and a small table beside it. There was no other furniture. Mama Cui stood with several sturdy servant women stationed around the room, glaring hatefully at the mother and son standing inside.

Minglan sat down steadily, resting her arms lightly on the armrests, and smiled faintly. "I was going to say, 'It's been a while, and I hope you've been well,' but seeing you today, you've aged more than ten years since last we met. They say the waters of Mianzhou nourish people, but you seem to have gone downhill."

Manniang slowly lifted her head. Her hair was disheveled, her face haggard, and despite her intentionally rough and shabby attire, her aging appearance couldn't be hidden. She spoke in a low voice, "We're lowly people, not like the Madam—noble, youthful, and more beautiful than ever."

Minglan raised an eyebrow and turned her head toward the boy standing beside her. "Chang'er, do you recognize me?"

The boy appeared to be about seven or eight years old. His features were fair, but his frame was thin and frail. He clung tightly to his mother's sleeve, his head hanging low. At Minglan's words, he quickly raised his head, his face filled with wariness and hostility. The moment his eyes met Minglan's calm gaze, he hastily lowered his head again.

Minglan didn't miss the expression in his eyes. She sighed softly and said, "Mama Cui, have someone take Chang'er to the west wing to enjoy some snacks. Also, send Rong'er over. It's been years since the siblings have seen each other."

Before the boy could struggle or resist, four strong servant women sprang forward. Two restrained Manniang, preventing her from moving, while the other two grabbed Chang'er, lifted him up, and carried him out of the room.

Minglan smiled gently at Manniang. "Don't worry. For my own sake, I won't let anything happen to Chang'er in this household. Sending the child away is just so you and I can have a proper conversation."

Manniang felt unwilling, but she knew Minglan was telling the truth, so she stopped struggling. At that moment, two punishment matrons entered the room—one carrying a tall-backed chair and the other holding a bundle of cloth strips.

Minglan clapped her hands three times, and two servant women immediately moved to action. With the help of a few strong maids, they swiftly restrained Manniang—some held her legs and arms, others pressed her head and torso. In just moments, she was securely tied to the chair. Her arms, back, and even legs were firmly fixed as though welded with iron. Her toes dangled three inches off the ground, leaving her completely immobile.

Manniang screamed and cried, "We were searched thoroughly when we came in! My son and I have nothing on us. What more does Madam want?"

Minglan replied indifferently, "Nothing much. I was just worried you might've mastered some 'Iron Head' technique and would start smashing your head on the ground, ruining the tiles in my house."

Manniang realized Minglan was referring to that incident from years ago. She froze for a moment, then began to weep pitifully. "Madam, it was my fault last time. I was foolish and naïve, believing the Old Madam's sweet words and daring to offend you. Looking back now, you were pregnant at the time—if anything had happened to you, I would've been beyond redemption…"

She cried so sorrowfully, her tears and snot streaming down her face, as if she wished she could bow her head forcefully enough to draw blood.

Minglan, however, remained expressionless and interrupted her, "Save your energy. No matter how pitiful you make yourself look, do you think I'll fall for it? You and I both know the truth of what happened back then. The servant women outside are stationed ten steps away from this room, and inside, it's just the four of us."

She pointed at Mama Cui and the others, teasing, "Even if I told them to say you were dancing naked in this room, they would back me up. So…" She smiled. "Let's be straightforward and have a proper talk. Once you leave this room, you can deny everything to your heart's content."

Manniang wiped away her tears and gradually let the moisture in her eyes dry up. Her tone turned cold and hard. "Fine. Let's speak plainly. As soon as my son and I entered the Qilin Gate of the capital, we were apprehended. Madam, you truly have great means, even able to command the constables at will."

Minglan smiled faintly. "You've misunderstood two things. First, those weren't ordinary constables but the city garrison soldiers. Second, how could I possibly command them? It was the Marquis who, before leaving, gave specific instructions to Master Liu Zhengjie."

Manniang's expression changed drastically. She trembled as she asked, "You're saying… Erlang… he ordered me to be captured?"

"The Marquis told you back then that if you dared to stir up trouble again, he wouldn't be polite about it. But you refused to believe him," Minglan said, looking at Manniang's incredulous and heartbroken face with evident distaste.

"Still, you are resourceful. News from the frontlines had barely reached the capital a few days ago, yet you managed to catch wind of it and hurried to the capital day and night. When the Marquis sent you back to Mianzhou, you must have left someone in the capital to report back to you." Minglan's tone carried a hint of reluctant admiration. "To weep and wail as you were escorted away, all while leaving spies behind—it takes a certain amount of skill and daring. I'll give you that."

Manniang said coldly, "Madam, don't be so quick to praise me. Surely, the countryside isn't without your spies either."

Minglan chuckled. "Wrong again. Indeed, someone has been reporting on you and your son's situation from time to time, but it wasn't on my orders. It was the Marquis's. The informant arrived a few days before you, after which I followed the Marquis's instructions and informed Master Liu. Then…"

"Then there were soldiers waiting for us at the city gates," Manniang interrupted with a cold smile. She quickly followed up, "So what does Madam plan to do with us now?"

Minglan raised an eyebrow. "Wrong again. Shouldn't I be asking you why you came to the capital?"

Manniang threw her head back and laughed, the veins in her neck bulging. When she finally stopped, her tone turned icy. "You're still husband and wife, aren't you? Erlang's life hangs by a thread on the battlefield, yet you sit here calmly! He's treated you so well—do you even have a heart?"

Minglan thought carefully for a moment and then asked, "Then what do you think I should do?"

Manniang shouted, "Do I even need to say it? You should hurry to pull some strings in the official circles, see if there's anyone who can save Erlang's life. Or find out if there's someone familiar with the situation in the northwest! Better yet, go to the palace and plead with the Emperor. Let down your hair, go barefoot, and beg His Majesty to spare Erlang's life for the sake of his past achievements!"

Minglan could no longer hold back and burst into laughter, covering her mouth as she bent over, unable to straighten her back. "You actually believe what's taught in operas?! Letting down my hair and going barefoot like Lady Wenji saving her husband?!"

It took her a while to catch her breath. Still chuckling, she said, "First, the entire army has been deployed. Where would we find additional troops? Do you expect Master Liu to take the city garrison protecting the capital and send them to the northwest? Second, the northwest is a critical military region, and matters of national defense are top secret. Even civilian officials can't inquire freely, let alone me, a mere woman. If I try, I'll cause more trouble than help! Third, up until now, His Majesty hasn't issued any decrees, nor have the censors said a word. What would I even be begging for?"

Manniang's face turned dark with fury as she bit down hard, her teeth grinding. She hissed sharply, "Madam, you may have a heart of crystal and a mind of brilliance, but you'll never match my devotion to Erlang, which has left me utterly frantic!"

"Devotion?" Minglan sneered. "Don't kid yourself. What do you think the Marquis plans to do with you?"

Manniang's expression instantly shifted, panic flashing across her face. "He… he…"

Minglan said calmly, "The Marquis said before: if you dare to come stirring trouble again, he will ensure that you never see Chang'er for the rest of your life."

Manniang screamed, "Don't you dare separate me from my son!"

"It's not me," Minglan said, shaking her head slowly. "The Marquis doesn't even want me to dirty my hands. According to his plan, as soon as Master Liu apprehended you, Chang'er would be sent away immediately to be raised by a respectable and virtuous family. I was the one who asked Master Liu to send you both here first, so Rong'er could see her younger brother one last time."

"And… what about me?" Manniang asked, stunned.

Minglan replied coldly, "Can't you see it yet? If the Marquis truly cared, would you and your son have ever been allowed to leave Mianzhou? The Marquis only ordered people to ensure Chang'er's safety. As for you, he hasn't lifted a finger to stop you. Why is that? Because he doesn't care what you do. Once Chang'er is sent away, you can go die wherever you please!" She paused, her tone tinged with mockery. "Hmm, does this count as entrapment?"

Manniang shook her head desperately, wailing, "Erlang would never treat me like this! He wouldn't! He wouldn't!" It wasn't until this moment that true fear took hold of her. After crying bitterly for a long time, she suddenly raised her head and stared intently at Minglan, her voice filled with pleading. "Madam, it's all my fault—I was foolish and ignorant. Please, I beg you, take Chang'er into the household! You treat Rong'er so well, surely you could raise him too!"

"There's no need for me to raise him. Didn't you once say that if you lost your son, you'd go and die? And now you're willing to give him up." Minglan looked at her with an indifferent gaze, her lips curling into a faint sneer. "It seems you've done an excellent job raising Chang'er these past few years."

"Teaching him hatred, teaching him revenge, teaching him to constantly remind Gu Tingye of his birth mother, teaching him how to 'get along' with his legitimate brothers."

Manniang's eyes flickered with guilt, but she quickly put on a face of grief. "Without his mother by his side, at least he should be near his father! He's a good and obedient boy—he'll honor you in the future…"

"Chang'er absolutely cannot enter the household or be recognized as part of the family," Minglan replied calmly. "Those are the Marquis's exact words."

Manniang's eyes filled with venomous hatred as she hissed in a low growl, "You wicked and malicious woman, you're lying! It must be you stirring up trouble, manipulating him! Erlang could never be so cruel to us!"

Minglan gazed at her for a moment before speaking slowly. "Do you really think the Marquis wanted to bring Chang'er into the household back then purely for sentiment? It was because, at the time, no one knew who the Marquis would marry, and Chang'er was still young. Perhaps he thought you hadn't had enough time to poison your son's mind yet. Once the boy was brought into the household, there might still have been hope to guide him properly. But you were the one who adamantly refused, weren't you?"

Minglan continued, her tone growing colder. "Later, the Marquis told me that with a mother like you raising him, he couldn't trust Chang'er to live alongside the children I might bear. As the saying goes, no one can guard against every danger forever—there's no thief who steals for a thousand years, but there's also no one who can guard against theft for that long either."

Manniang seemed as though she had been stabbed in the heart, her face turning as pale as death. She mumbled, "I don't believe it, I don't believe it. You're just trying to anger me. Erlang will surely still care about us, mother and son…"

Minglan didn't mock her. She simply watched as Manniang deluded herself, and after a long silence, she spoke softly. "Today, I'm being meddlesome. I want to give you one last chance to choose a path for Chang'er." She sighed. "As long as you agree to stay in Mianzhou for the rest of your life and never cause trouble again, I'll go to the Marquis and ask him to send Chang'er to the Chang family for proper upbringing."

Manniang froze and looked up in disbelief. "…Mama Chang?"

Minglan nodded. "A few days ago, I spoke with Mama Chang. She said that rather than letting strangers raise Chang'er, it would be better for her to take him in. After all, Yan'er is married, and Nian'er is busy studying day and night. She is old now and has some free time—what could be more fitting?"

Such a kind-hearted elder, unwilling to see a child suffer. Minglan sighed inwardly and continued, "You know well the kind of person Mama Chang is—there's no one more upright than her. Just look at how well her grandchildren have turned out. With her guidance, Chang'er will definitely have a bright future."

After a long pause, Manniang finally spoke, her voice trembling. "What if I go back on my word?"

Minglan blinked and smiled. "Heaven is my witness. As long as you agree, I won't allow you to break your word."

Manniang's heart tightened. Looking at Minglan's gentle smile, an inexplicable chill ran through her. She understood the implication of those words—once she agreed, she would be immediately escorted back to Mianzhou. With the power of the Ningyuan Marquis' household, a few words with the local officials would ensure that she was trapped there, unable to leave the mountain valley for the rest of her life.

Minglan noticed the fluctuating expression on Manniang's face, as if she were struggling with an internal battle, and smiled. "So, have you made up your mind?"

Manniang spat disdainfully and sneered. "You speak with such sweet words, but I don't trust you! I want to see Erlang. He will never abandon us!"

Minglan's expression showed a hint of disappointment as she sighed. "Chang'er… sigh, well, he's your son. It's still up to the Marquis."

She slowly stood up, supporting Xiaotao as she left, unwilling to look at this selfish and cold-hearted woman any longer.

Back in her room, Minglan saw Tuan'er sitting cross-legged with his chubby little legs, desperately tugging at a shiny brass nine-linked ring. When he saw his mother return, he immediately dropped the ring, swayed as he stood up from the bed, and, in a childish voice, opened his arms—"…Mother…"

This time, he didn't call her wrong. Minglan's heart melted with warmth, and she embraced her son, holding him for a long while. Just as the little chubby one seemed to want to climb onto her, Mama Cui quickly stepped forward to gently lift him away.

Minglan sat on the bed, smiling as she watched her son tumble and roll on the soft mat. When he grew tired from his playful antics, he sprawled out, his little belly sticking up as he fell asleep, breathing deeply.

Minglan looked at her son's sweet sleeping face, a wave of inexplicable sorrow washing over her. In fact, sending Chang'er to that undisclosed place to be raised by a reliable family might be safer. Moreover, raising a child required so much energy and effort. It would truly be better for Mama Chang to clean up this mess for the Gu family, but Minglan felt reluctant. Sigh, why go through all this trouble and make things harder for herself?

However… not all women in this world are lucky enough to have the privilege of being a mother.

After a brief rest, Lvzhi hurried in and reported in a low voice, "Madam, Chang'er… and his mother have been handed over to Lord Liu." Cui Mama, who was listening nearby, sighed, "Lord Liu really went to a lot of trouble, but… it's a family scandal being aired out."

Minglan couldn't help but chuckle quietly, thinking to herself that in Liu Zhengjie's line of work, which official family's private matters didn't he know?

"What about Rong'er?"

Lvzhi struggled to hide her excitement. Fearing Minglan might scold her, she tried hard to maintain a composed demeanor. "Chang'er no longer recognizes Miss Rong. Our eldest miss tried for a long time, but it didn't work. The two siblings sat there without saying a word, then… that woman arrived. The mother and daughter shut the door to talk, and later… they got into an argument. Miss Rong ran back to her room crying, and I heard she's still crying now."

Minglan was silent.

Lvzhi continued talking, trying to fill the silence. "According to the Marquis' orders, Chang'er was sent off in one direction, and that woman was sent off in another, expelled from the capital. The personal soldier that Lord Liu sent told Manager Hao while drinking that if they see that woman again, she will be immediately sent to the northern frontier as a servant."

Minglan remained silent. Gu Tingye had once said that the brothers who were privy to the matter were all quite magnanimous, except for Liu Zhengjie, who often mocked his wife's benevolence, saying that indecisiveness would cause endless troubles in the future. Others might show mercy to Man Niang, but Liu Zhengjie would not be so lenient—he had entrusted this matter to him.

As she was feeling increasingly upset, someone suddenly reported that Tu Long was asking to see her. Minglan paused for a moment, then quickly said, "Please let him speak outside." A heavy set of footsteps approached, and Tu Long stood in the outer room, speaking in a low voice, "I apologize for disturbing your rest, Madam, but there is something I need to report."

Minglan waved her hand gently, and Cui Mama carefully picked up the little chubby boy and moved him into the inner room. Lvzhi stood by the door, her clear voice calling out through the curtain, "Lord Tu, please speak. The Madam is listening."

Tu Long said, "I've been in the market lately, and I feel something's amiss. There are major military matters ahead, yet there is no official decree or dispatch. How did the news spread so quickly? The person who was supposed to report to Mianzhou, I don't think is particularly well-informed, so how… could they have passed this along so fast?"

He spoke tactfully, but Minglan immediately understood, and a jolt of realization hit her. She gasped, and involuntarily said, "Lord Tu is absolutely right! I've been so focused on the immediate situation that I didn't consider this aspect!"

She had indeed wondered about the source of the defeat news, but never had she thought to consider it from this angle.

In ancient times, news traveled slowly, and the fear of rumors spreading unchecked could easily stir up instability. Even if there had been a major defeat on the battlefield, the authorities would typically try to cover it up to avoid panic. But this time, how could a mere hint of rumor spread so widely and quickly?

"Lord Tu, are you suggesting…?" Minglan hesitated, asking cautiously.

Tu Long replied, "I can't make heads or tails of it either. However, there has been unrest in the capital recently. This morning, Liu Daren mentioned that a number of refugees have arrived, most of them with unknown identities. I thought, given the importance of your safety, it might be better to call some strong men from the village who are skilled in fighting to watch over the house and guard the estate…"

Minglan pondered for a moment and then slowly nodded.