"Duke Sun, we meet again so soon." Hearing the familiar voice, Sun Guotang lost all hope of luck. It was clear that the other party was indeed who he had imagined – Bao Susu.
His heart trembled. Everyone said that the Third Prince's personal guard held an extraordinary position in his heart, as he was always by his side wherever he went. Moreover, he was rumored to be highly skilled in martial arts, but when had Bao Susu ever learned martial arts?
They had grown up in the same place. In his memory, the Bao family doted on her, making her somewhat naive and willful. If the person before him hadn't greeted him proactively, he would have truly thought the other party was Bao Susu's relative.
It seemed he needed to investigate some matters thoroughly upon his return, but the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him. He could sense last time that the other party held a grudge against him. After all, he had made her suffer greatly in the Sun family. From her previous retaliation, he could tell that she held an unusual position in the Third Prince's heart. No wonder the Third Prince wouldn't listen to him, no matter how he behaved.
It turned out she was the one causing trouble, and he felt incredibly frustrated. In all these years, if there was anyone he had ever truly cared for, it had to be Bao Susu. The reason for those sordid thoughts was his hatred for her betrayal. After all, the depth of love is matched by the depth of hate.
Wu Caiwei understood perfectly how much her words had affected him just now. After she greeted him, Sun Guotang was absent-minded in everything he did, his expression somber. Her mood began to lift; as long as he was unhappy, her goal was achieved.
Gradually, Wu Caiwei also began to drift. She had seen enough of court affairs and found them exceptionally boring. Her main task was to protect the Third Prince's safety, and she no longer wanted to be involved in those complicated matters. Watching the ministers bicker and the other princes constantly setting traps for the Third Prince, she felt weary. She wanted to live a leisurely and carefree life with Li Shengxu. She had a premonition that her time was short and wanted to seize the day.
Unbeknownst to him, the ministers standing in the imperial court, seeing Wu Caiwei closely following the Third Prince, all wore thoughtful expressions. It was said that she was once a humble merchant's daughter and had an unusual relationship with the man who bore a striking resemblance to the Third Prince. Perhaps they could start with her. If they pleased her, wouldn't the Third Prince's attitude towards them change? Even Sun Guotang was eyeing her, and thus, a few days later, Wu Caiwei met the person Bao Susu had been thinking of before her death.
"Why has Mother come?" Bao Susu looked at her father standing outside her door with a fawning expression and her mother with a joyous one. She calmly invited them in. She had long known that if she dealt with Sun Guotang, he would definitely find ways to relay the news to her father.
However, to be honest, in Bao Susu's memory, her father had indeed doted on her before she married into the Sun family. Later, it was his disappointment that led him to neglect them, her mother and herself. If she said she had feelings for them, it would be a lie, but she still wanted them to live a life of comfort and security in return for the love they had given her childhood.
As Mr. Bao walked into the courtyard, he began to look around. The furnishings in the courtyard were very simple, not comparable to their Bao family's. He seriously suspected whether the information the other party had conveyed to him was true. But no matter what, the fact that his daughter had a courtyard in the capital was undeniable. Although this courtyard was not as large as their Bao family's, it depended on the location. The capital was a place of immense value, far more so than the Bao family's courtyard.
They had arrived yesterday and had come to find her after making some inquiries. Knowing that his daughter owned several shops in the capital and that their business was doing exceptionally well, he had hired someone to manage them. He was filled with desire. This was the capital, where high officials and nobles abounded, and the wealthy spent lavishly. Even though his daughter was dressed exceptionally plainly, she must have had a lot of money.
"Sun Guotang sent you, didn't he? If you are here in the capital to enjoy the good life with me, I welcome it with open arms. I will prepare a courtyard for you, buy servants, and ensure you live a good life. But if you are here to be a mediator for Sun Guotang, then there is no need. I don't believe you haven't heard what kind of life I had in the Sun family. At that time, you neither provided me with assistance nor questioned Sun Guotang. Now, you have no right to meddle in my affairs." Wu Caiwei had anticipated this scene. If Sun Guotang thought that by bringing her parents, he could control her thoughts, he was too naive. She was no longer the Bao Susu of the past. Besides, she wasn't a man who needed to achieve great deeds or worry about his reputation. As long as she didn't betray the Third Prince, she believed the Third Prince would protect her from any trouble.
Mr. Bao immediately showed an embarrassed expression. The news of his daughter's prosperity was indeed told to him by someone from the Sun family, along with several thousand taels of silver. He had never seen so much money in his life. He had worked hard his entire life and only managed to save a few hundred taels. Compared to the thousands of taels that nobles in the capital spent so easily, it was insignificant. He was immediately tempted.
Firstly, it was for the money. Secondly, his daughter had prospered, and he also had a son. Could he not also help him rise? Could the Bao family, like the Sun family, hold their heads high and swagger through the city?
As soon as Mr. Bao told this news to Mrs. Bao, she eagerly began to pack her belongings, wanting to see how her daughter was doing. She had painstakingly married her off to the Xu family. When the letter from the Xu family arrived, she had secretly cursed her daughter for being foolish. The Xu family was considered reputable in the local area. She was to be the main wife, but instead of living well with the second son of the Xu family, she was still thinking of that old man Sun Guotang. Now, she had been divorced by the Xu family. She didn't know how she would live her life from now on.
She thought that before long, her daughter would come crying to her, but she waited and waited and never received any news from her. At this point, she began to panic. She sent people to search for her daughter's whereabouts, but it was like sending a stone into the sea. She thought she would never see her daughter again. Who would have thought that after such a short time, the Sun family would give her father several thousand taels of silver to come to the capital to plead on their behalf? It seemed her daughter must have reached a position that they could only dream of.
The Sun family was a Duke's manor, well-known even in the capital. How high must her daughter's position be? She couldn't help but feel flustered. What means had her daughter used to get there? Was it reliable? She couldn't help but worry.