Chapter Twelve: The Return Journey

  "Old master, old master!" Xiu Yu saw Cao Gong sitting dazed on the edge of the bed and anxiously called out.

  "Oh no, what's going on? What's wrong with you, old man?" Sun Baozi said tearfully.

  "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go inform the mistress! If something happens to Master, it will be on your head!" Cao Fang scolded with a hint of annoyance.

  Cao Kun heard it vaguely, turned his head and said: "Don't go, nothing's wrong!" After finishing speaking, he looked at the bed. Wan Yunlong was like a deflated bag, his body shrunk a lot, his face was full of wrinkles. His mouth had a hint of a smile, his face was calm, as if he was asleep, only the stiff arm hanging off the side of the bed indicated that he had been gone for some time.

  Cao Kun only felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, raised his hand to pat his chest, and found that there was an object in the palm of his hand. He suddenly remembered the dripping sound just now, feeling very unreal. This is the plum blossom buckle ring, the token of the Hongmen organization's helm mentioned by Wan Yunlong.

  Being able to meet the legendary martial arts figure, Cao Yun had a hint of expectation. Not to mention that every man has a martial dream, being able to train his body well and avoid a premature death is what he was expecting. What's with the martial secret book, passing on internal energy, even if it's just sending something through someone, shouldn't you give some thanks? How can this old man be so impolite? Forget it, the dead are more important, no need to argue with him. Cao Yun comforted himself like this.

  "Don't scare Mother, let's buy a coffin and bury her when it gets light!" Cao Guang suppressed his own anxiety and disappointment, instructing Cao Fang beside him. After finishing speaking, he himself was stunned. He touched his throat, which still felt a bit sore and itchy, but not as swollen and painful as before. His voice was still hoarse, but he could speak complete sentences.

  "Mount Da Hong, Wu Tiancheng!" Cao Yun looked at Wan Yunlong's remains, secretly memorizing the address and name he mentioned, silently saying to himself: "You can rest assured, although we were strangers in life, I will definitely not betray your trust!"

  The distant sound of the night watchman's rattle had already reached the fourth watch. Cao Gong, although not sleepy, saw that everyone else in the house was struggling to stay awake, and Cao Fang repeatedly mentioned that it was unlucky to have a dead person in the house, asking Master to return to the inner courtyard. Cao Gong took one last look at Wan Yunlong, nodded, and allowed two maidservants to carry him away.

  Jiangning, Weaving and Dyeing Office.

  The sky outside the window was gradually brightening, and Cao Yin reached out from under his pillow to take out his pocket watch and took a look. It was already one o'clock, time to get up. He had just returned to Jiangning two days ago, and yesterday he was busy welcoming the imperial envoy who came from Beijing to bestow medicine. Today, there were many things to do: handling government affairs, sending someone to Hangzhou to deliver the tributes of snow lotus, xuan paper, and "Tiger Bone Mending Ointment" and other medicines. He didn't know how his wife and children were doing in Hangzhou, and it was too quiet for mother and son to spend Mid-Autumn Festival together. Thinking of this, Cao Yin turned his head to look at the strand of black hair on his pillow, and a few points of guilt rose up in his heart.

  The day before yesterday, I returned to the mansion and saw Old Madame. I made an excuse that Li's body was not feeling well, so she would spend a few days with her mother and then return. Old Madame did not get to see her grandson, and she was unhappy in her heart, so she couldn't help but vent her anger on Li. It just so happened that the crystal had not yet been given a house, so she took advantage of the holiday to give her a hard time.

  "Master, you're awake!" Luli's face was flushed with shame, her eyes cast down as she put on her clothes and got out of bed: "Your servant will help you get up!"

  As a new bride, last night Cao Yin was drunk and wanted to be fierce, Liu Li walked with some difficulty, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, looking particularly pitiful.

  Cao Yin couldn't bear it in her heart, and while allowing Liu Li to dress her up, she said: "Wait until dawn, after paying respects to the old lady and your sisters, take a rest. Tell the kitchen to simmer a bowl of black chicken soup."

  Luli responded in a low voice, unable to express her joy. In the entire household, which maid had as much good fortune as she did? The master was dignified and imposing, the mistress was a kind-hearted person like a Bodhisattva, both aunts were honest and decent, and she herself was raised by the old lady. From now on, her brothers from her maternal family would also be considered uncles, who would dare to look down on her? If she herself had children, a boy and a girl, the advantages that would bring in the future couldn't be overstated.

  Li, who was far away in Hangzhou, did not know that her husband had already taken a new concubine. Even if she knew, she probably wouldn't think it strange. Since it was the old lady's early order, whether it was early or late, they would all have to enter the house.

  On August 16th, Mrs. Li heard from Old Lady Sun that a thief had entered the front courtyard the previous night and died in the yard, and she kept reciting "Amitabha Buddha". Originally, she wanted to order her servants to report to the authorities, but when she heard that her son had spoken out to bury the man, she agreed.

  Cao Bo turned and tossed for half the night, and only fell asleep at dawn. As a result, he didn't wake up until noon. Mrs. Li pitied her son and didn't urge him to get up. She just ordered someone to prepare food in the kitchen.

  Cao Gong had lunch and thought of Wan Yunlong's funeral, so he called someone to summon Cao Fang over. He found out that the burial was already done, asked clearly about the burial location, and secretly remembered it in his heart.

  On August 17, the doctor in charge of Cao Yu's illness returned from Zhuangzi outside the city and changed the dressing for Cao Yu's wound. After carefully examining Cao Yu's wound, the doctor smiled and said that the healing condition of the broken bone was better, and he should be able to walk on the ground in a few days. Li Shi was overjoyed and ordered someone to pack 20 taels of silver as a reward.

  Cao Guang knew that his injury was getting better, and he was very happy. His legs had been inconvenient for nearly a month, but now he felt an inexplicable energy throughout his body. In the past, he could sit calmly in a chair reading books and writing words, but now he especially wanted to run and jump.

  Cao Gong's leg injury recovered faster than the doctor expected, and by the time the imperial medicine arrived from Jiangning, he was able to take two steps with the support of his bed. Due to his throat condition, Cao Gong had been using snow lotus for these days, but it couldn't compare to the royal tribute goods sold outside. Following the doctor's orders, after eating for a few days, Cao Gong's voice recovered completely. With the addition of the tiger bone paste applied externally, he was almost fully recovered.

  On August 26, Li brought Cao Gong and Liu Ping away from Hangzhou and returned to Jiangning. Two houses of honest family members were left in the Hangzhou villa to watch over it, and Zhang Genjia's family was tasked with taking care of Liu Ping, so they were ordered to bring several people along. Although Li repeatedly emphasized not to make a big show, five or six horse-drawn carriages were still used. What Cao Gong regretted most about leaving Hangzhou was parting with Song Fuzi, whom he had sincerely asked to come along, but Song Fuzi wanted to take care of his elderly father and did not want to travel far, so the teacher and student could only reluctantly bid each other farewell.

  The weather is getting cooler, and we've been traveling on the official road, which has been quite peaceful. Last time I came to Hangzhou, Cao Fang took the water route, but this time he's taking the land route, and he's very curious about the outside world. When he gets bored with the horse-drawn carriage, he starts asking to ride a horse. Li can't resist him, so she instructs Cao Fang to take him. Little Liu Ping sees her brother outside and keeps lifting the curtain to look out. Li was originally worried about her son's legs and throat, but now they're all much better, and she feels more at ease, so she indulges him even more.

  On August 30, Li's group arrived in Suzhou. Li Xue, the Suzhou weaving official and Li's cousin, had already received the news and called his two sons, Li Tai and Li Ding, to lead a team to welcome them outside the city. Li was originally Li Xue's cousin, but since her father passed away early, she didn't have any brothers or sisters, so she grew up in Li Xue's mansion from a young age. The brother and sister were seventeen years apart, and Li Xue treated his younger sister like a daughter. Li's widowed mother, Gao Shi, accompanied her sister-in-law, Wen Shi, to eat vegetarian food and recite Buddhist scriptures in the inner courtyard.

  Li Tai is the eldest son of Li Xue, and was only seven or eight years old when he married into the Li family. He is now a young man of twenty. Li Ding, who is eleven years old, although born out of wedlock, is very lively and lovable due to his father's and brothers' doting.

  After Cao Guang was kidnapped, the Li family had sent people to search for him inside and outside Suzhou Prefecture, so Li Tai knew about his cousin's abduction. But when relatives meet again after a long separation, who would mention those unpleasant things?

  When Li and others entered the city to Li's mansion, Wen Shi, Li Xue's mother, Gao Shi, Li's mother, and Li Xue's wives were all waiting. Li had been married for twelve years and was visiting her parents' home for the first time, with tears in her eyes. She brought her son to pay respects to her aunt Wen Shi first, then to her mother Gao Shi and sisters-in-law. Wen Shi and Gao Shi saw Cao Guang for the first time and heard that he had suffered greatly recently. They were hugging and holding him, calling him "heart's treasure" and feeling heartbroken. After a while of commotion, they finally calmed down to chat. Upon learning that their grandson was unharmed, the two elderly ladies thanked heaven and earth. Only then did they notice the little girl with apricot kernel eyes and a clever face following behind Li. Due to concerns about the Cao family's reputation, Li found it inconvenient to reveal Liu Ping's true identity and concealed her identity as Cao Zhuang's daughter, only mentioning the part where she helped Cao Guang in Hangzhou.

  The two elderly ladies originally saw that the little girl was clever and lovely, so they had a few points of liking her. After hearing that she was the benefactor of their grandson, and her life experience was pitiful, they were even more loving and kind to her, and ordered people to prepare big and small gifts for her.

  On the same day, Li Xue set up a family banquet to entertain Li's mother and son. He was a few years older than Cao Yin, slightly fat, and had more official air than Cao Yin. In previous years, when Emperor Kangxi made a southern tour, Li Xue had accompanied him to Jiangning and met his nephew Cao Guang. Now, seeing that he had recovered from his illness and was acting with great ease and propriety, he felt very fortunate in his heart.

  When the news of Cao Kun's kidnapping reached the capital, the emperor was furious and dismissed the governor of Zhejiang and the magistrate of Hangzhou. He also issued a decree to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to crack down on local ruffians and maintain law and order. The dismissal of the governor and magistrate was just a case of misplaced anger, but it also had the effect of comforting Cao Yin. The Cao family had been stationed in Jiangnan for 40 years, and Cao Yin was still only a fifth-grade official. Among Kangxi's companions, Cao Yin was famous for his literary and military talents, and if he had stayed in Beijing to serve as an official, he might have become a grand councilor by now. However, Cao Yin worked diligently and conscientiously as the emperor's eyes and ears in Jiangnan, without any complaints. Despite his considerable power and influence, what was most valuable about him was that he remembered his duty as a subject and had never overstepped his bounds in all these years, not even when his only son was kidnapped, and he did not use the power of the Ministry of Justice to rescue him.

  If Cao Guang knew about this matter, he would definitely think it's strange. Isn't this the ancient "severe strike"?

  Cao Gong followed his mother and stayed in Suzhou for three days. Cao Fu, the steward of the Cao family, brought people to Suzhou to pick up Madame and Young Master to return to the mansion. It was actually Old Lady who missed her grandson and urged Cao Fu to go to Suzhou to pick them up. Cao Yin delayed for a few days, fearing that Old Lady would be suspicious, and ordered Cao Fu to travel slowly along the way and wait for Madame in Suzhou. Because Cao Gong's injury recovered faster than Cao Yin expected, he left Hangzhou ahead of schedule and arrived in Suzhou several days earlier than Cao Fu.

  Li left home for over a month and missed it very much. He mentioned this to the two elderly ladies and his elder brother, and returned to Jiangning the next day.

  Due to the relationship with Old Lady Sun, Li Xue couldn't stay any longer and borrowed two official boats from Suzhou Prefecture to send Li's mother and son back by water. In addition to preparing various gifts for Cao Gong and Liu Ping, there was also one for Cao Yan, and all the gifts for the Cao family were ready. Wen Shi and Gao Shi also sent two dignified women with Li Shi to pay respects to Old Lady Sun in Jiangning and help Li Shi make amends.

  Perhaps following Li's gradual understanding of the rules, Little Liu Ping no longer stuck to Cao Yun like in the past. On the boat these few days, she started learning embroidery from Xiang Cao. Xiang Cao was the second daughter of the Zhang family, ten years old, originally named Er Xiang. Li saw that she was gentle and honest, so she let her be Liu Ping's personal maid, and gave her a new name called Xiang Cao.