The Laid-back Life of a Stepmother

In sum, Wen Ye stayed behind.

The remaining rebels of the former King of the Opposite faction were all captured.

Xu Yuejia handed over the task of escorting the rebels to Magistrate Wang, who had rushed over, while he himself remained to assist Prefect Zhuo in handling the remaining matters.

The leader of the rebels captured in Orchid City was one of the former King of the Opposite's guards who had escaped years ago.

All these years, the survivors of the former King of the Opposite's faction had been following his secret orders, lying low and waiting for the right moment.

When the wind seemed to ease, he dispatched Manager Zou to establish Caiyun Pastry Shop in Sheng Jing, putting in considerable effort to make the current princess fall in love with the shop's pastries.

The rare addictive drug was difficult to come by. He had planned to use the drug to control some officials, but before the plan could even begin, a sudden murder case disrupted everything.

Forced by circumstances, Manager Zou had to sacrifice himself, and the mastermind of the incident was only sentenced to exile.

To placate Manager Zou's subordinates, a convict who had been exiled, Xu Muzhi, unexpectedly died in the exile region of Minzhou.

Orchid City was their last stronghold. After they re-opened Cloud Pavilion, their actions had been cautious, but this time their target was the students of the Pine Mountain Academy.

With the academy's canteen as a comparison, they only needed to add a small amount of the addictive drug to specific dishes. The food's taste, though not exceptional, was decent enough to attract a large number of students.

This approach saved them a lot of trouble compared to when they had opened a pastry shop.

The abduction of Prince Wen was a last-minute decision, and it was an unforeseen accident that they were seen by someone from the Duke's residence.

They had initially intended to capture them all but didn't expect Wen Ye to decisively take a whole courtyard of people into the government office.

They missed their target and, in their frustration, took out their anger on Prince Wen.

According to one of the smaller leaders' confessions, Prince Wen would cry and howl in pain when kicked and beaten but remained silent at other times, looking like a coward yet stubborn.

Given Prince Wen's current condition, it was not advisable to move him. Prefect Zhuo had prepared a quiet courtyard for him to recuperate, and Prince Wen's guard, who had also sustained serious injuries, stayed there as well.

Magistrate Wang came to visit before leaving, asking about the injuries in particular, as the Emperor and Consort Shu were still awaiting definitive news about Prince Wen.

After seeing Prince Wen, Xu Yuejia handed over his report to Magistrate Wang and said, "My nephew, I ask that you take extra care of him."

Magistrate Wang quickly replied, "Of course, I will ensure the young noble is safely escorted back to the Duke's residence."

Not far away, Xu Jingrong was reluctant to get into the sedan chair and asked, "Second Aunt, why aren't you coming back with me?"

Wen Ye replied seriously, "It's because your Second Uncle still has official duties. I stay here, at least, to take care of him a little."

"Aunt Madam Lu worries the most about you."

After the incident at Cloud Pavilion, the news had already spread to Sheng Jing, and Madam Lu must have been eating and sleeping less. Only by sending Xu Jingrong back could she ease most of her anxiety.

Xu Jingrong understood that he had to return home, though he always felt he was being sent away by his Second Uncle and Second Aunt together.

No matter what Xu Jingrong thought inside, Wen Ye eventually pushed him into the entourage transporting the prisoners, led by Magistrate Wang.

As the escort team gradually disappeared into the distance, Wen Ye turned her gaze to Xu Yuejia and noticed a faint mark under his collar, stifling a laugh and saying, "Did Prince Wen pour tea all over your robe again?"

Xu Yuejia looked at her, silent.

Wen Ye knew when to stop and said, "Alright, since he's a prince, your husband has to endure it for now."

Such a young man in his adolescence, especially being a royal prince, would obviously feel humiliated when seen wailing.

*

Magistrate Wang, the Prefect of the Capital, escorted the prisoners with all haste and finally entered Sheng Jing at 3:15 PM.

After locking the prisoners in the Tianjin Prison, Magistrate Wang had time to gulp down some cold tea before rushing to the palace.

The Emperor had already been waiting for quite some time, and even the Empress Dowager, who usually stayed in Shoukang Palace, praying and uninvolved in worldly affairs, and Consort Shu were also present.

Several imperial physicians stood nearby.

The Emperor waved away his formalities and asked, "Why isn't Prince Wen returning to the capital with you?"

Magistrate Wang replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Wen needs a few more days of rest to recover his condition before he can travel."

Consort Shu, hearing this, hurriedly asked, "Can't move? Has his hand been broken, or his leg, or something else?"

Magistrate Wang: "...Reporting to Consort Shu, it's not that serious. Prince Wen's injuries are mostly superficial, his limbs are intact."

Consort Shu still wasn't entirely reassured and asked again, "Magistrate Wang, did you personally check Prince Wen's injuries yourself, really not serious?"

She had a bunch of daughters-in-law but no grandchildren yet.

Magistrate Wang considered for a moment, then cautiously replied, "This subject did see, and at that time, I just saw Prince Wen offering tea to Xu Yuejia to express his gratitude."@@novelbin@@

His reply shocked Consort Shu.

Clearly unbelievable, Consort Shu exclaimed, "Are you saying my son thanked Xu Family's Second Master personally with tea?"

Magistrate Wang felt uneasy as he acknowledged.

Upon hearing this, Consort Shu was completely silent.

The Empress Dowager, however, eased her concerns and lightly sighed, "Seems like Chen'er has grown up a lot after this ordeal."

The Emperor considered for a moment and then looked back down at the minister below him, suddenly smiling slightly and said, "I don't believe he offered tea out of gratitude. If you meant he poured tea on someone to 'thank' them, that does sound like something he would do."

Magistrate Wang looked embarrassed; he had tried to cover for Prince Wen a bit.

The Emperor thus assumed he had guessed correctly, at which point Consort Shu realized the Emperor’s description seemed much more like her son’s actions.

Still energetic enough to spill tea on others; she figured he couldn't be that badly injured.

The Emperor and the Empress Dowager thought likewise.

Since Prince Wen was okay, neither the Empress Dowager nor Consort Shu intended to stay any longer, to avoid interfering with the Emperor's governance.

Having clarified Prince Wen's condition, the Emperor turned his attention back to the former rebels.

Magistrate Wang handed over Xu Yuejia's report and meticulously recounted everything that had happened in Orchid City.

The Emperor was slightly surprised, "So, those remnants of the former King of the Opposite faction fell again at the hands of Xu Yuejia's wife."

Magistrate Wang nodded, "If it weren't for Mrs. Xu's discovery, Cloud Pavilion might not have been exposed so easily, nor would we have uncovered Prince Wen's whereabouts so swiftly."

With Xu Yuejia's wife's contribution, rewards couldn’t be denied.

The Emperor suddenly remembered that one of Princess Changle's companions was Xu Yuejia's wife's younger sister.

The younger sibling of such talent, her older sister can't be bad too.

*

Orchid City.

After the former rebels were escorted to the capital, Prefect Zhuo took the initiative to take on the remaining miscellaneous tasks. Having such a group of people hidden in town, yet not being aware, no orders of reprimand from the Emperor were a blessing already.

He now only wanted to make up for his mistakes as quickly as possible.

With Prefect Zhuo taking on the extra burdens, Xu Yuejia was left with oversight of the Pine Mountain Academy canteen's reformation, and two days later, the escort of Prince Wen back to the capital.

Since Prince Wen was still lying in bed, the priority now was to visit Pine Mountain Academy, and meet Principal Xu.

The event at Cloud Pavilion had caused some impact on the academy, schools where children came to study, weren't ordinary folks.

If the Pine Mountain Academy hadn't been founded by the Xu family, these people likely already made a fuss at the academy.

Naturally, Wen Ye came along. Having helped the academy indirectly this time around, getting in to visit was easy, especially with the academy having no more students.

On the way there, without forgetting, she asked, "By the way, husband, have you eaten at Pine Mountain Academy's canteen?"

Xu Yuejia: "I have."

Wen Ye again asked, "How was the taste?"

Xu Yuejia honestly replied, "You wouldn't like it."

...

When Wen Ye and Xu Yuejia arrived at the academy, Principal Xu and the Principal’s Wife were already waiting at the gate.

Also there was Xu Baili, as he smiled at them saying, "My sworn brother and sister-in-law are here."

At Principal Xu's familiar but unreliable tone, he responded helplessly, "Baili's cowboy behavior, I hope you both can forgive."

Xu Yuejia: "No worries."

Wen Ye continued, "We both are accustomed."

Principal Xu worriedly glared at Xu Baili, hinting him to speak less.

Then gesturing for them to follow up.

Built against a mountain, Pine Mountain Academy houses two separate "bibliothecas" from south to north, Principal Xu personally taking the duo to tour the academy.

As Wen Ye walked side by side with the Principal’stone, she heard her saying, "We couldn't thank Mrs. Xu enough this time, otherwise, our students wouldn't keep falling victim to these drugs."

Wen Ye modestly replied, "Just coincidence."

Xu Baili's fanning action paused, and he interjected, "I've long suggested to my cousin that he change the cooks, but he won't listen. He always says, 'When Heaven is about to entrust a great responsibility to someone, it first exercises their mind and body, making them hungry and fasting.'"

Principal Xu, leading the way, responded with silence.

He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‍shouldn't have agreed to let Xu Baili stay here.

Principal's Wife stepped in to mediate, "Don't listen to him, it's not that bad."

Xu Baili snapped his fan shut, "Those cooks haven't been fired yet. You'll see when you try the food later."

Speaking of which, it had been over twenty years since he last ate in Pine Mountain Academy's dining hall. He wondered if there had been any improvement over the years.

Wen Ye smiled as she looked at Principal's Wife, "I'm actually quite looking forward to it."

Principal's Wife sighed, "It's not bad, but I'm afraid you might not be used to it."

Having explored most of Pine Mountain Academy, it was soon time for lunch.

The academy's dining hall practiced a cafeteria system, with diners taking only as much as they could eat to prevent waste.

Principal Xu, frugal all his life, didn't see anything inappropriate in inviting Xu Yuejia and Wen Ye to eat in the dining hall. He was just annoyed by Xu Baili's constant criticism of the academy's food in front of outsiders.

Wen Ye took a bowl of noodles and two dishes, one meat and one vegetarian, which seemed edible enough.

As she looked at the wooden tray on the dining table, she had a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she had returned to the modern era.

Xu Yuejia automatically handed her a spoon and chopsticks. When Wen Ye saw them, her gaze shifted to his tray and noticed only half a bowl of rice and a plate of greens. She asked, "Are you eating just that?"

Xu Yuejia answered with a simple 'Mm' and honestly admitted, "It's enough."

After everyone had taken their seats, Wen Ye received the chopsticks Xu Yuejia had handed her and took a bite of the noodles.

Principal's Wife passed by and commented, "The food here is bland, but the taste isn't bad."

Wen Ye struggled to swallow the noodles, and Xu Yuejia quickly handed her a glass of water.

She drank two glasses' worth.

"It's not bad," she muttered vaguely.

But where was the supposed chicken soup flavor? While it smelled fragrant, it tasted like there was an overpowering, unpleasant fishy smell.

It wasn't the chicken, but something else mixed into the soup.

Discreetly, she took a bite of the meat and chewed for a long time, but it wouldn't soften.

She couldn't taste the meat, only feeling like she was chewing on a piece of wood, bitter and hard.

Wen Ye discreetly spat it out and realized it wasn't meat at all. It was a dried medicinal herb, sliced and cooked together with the chicken.

Now she understood why Principal's Wife had said she might not 'get used to' the food.

Unwilling to give up, Wen Ye turned her chopsticks to the vegetarian dish, a seemingly plain stir-fried green bean.

Nothing could go wrong with just greens.

But at that moment, Xu Yuejia suddenly spoke, "Wait a moment."

Wen Ye paused and looked up, "Wait for what?"

Xu Yuejia gestured toward Xu Baili, who was about to take another serving of the green bean dish, and said, "Today, this dish is passable."

Hearing this, Wen Ye felt relieved that she had also chosen the green bean dish.

She was about to take a bite when suddenly, Xu Baili let out an 'Ow!' and clutched his stomach in pain, groaning, "Did they not cook the beans properly again?"

His outcry startled Principal Xu and Principal's Wife, who quickly called for the doctor and began to help him drink water to induce vomiting.

Watching this unfold, Wen Ye swallowed hard.

This wasn't just about the taste anymore; it was like playing a game of Russian roulette with the food.

Lowering her eyes to Xu Yuejia's tray, she couldn't help but admire, "You really had foresight."

Xu Yuejia glanced at her. "So, can you finish it?"

Wen Ye shook her head honestly.

Xu Yuejia promptly swapped their trays, saying, "I haven't touched the rice, and the stir-fried greens aren't half bad."

Wen Ye: "...."

Now she understood what he meant when he said 'It's enough.'