Chapter 400: Accusing Him of Treason
Concubine Lan hesitated, struggling to come up with an excuse to explain her miserable state to the Zhang family men.
Just as the silence became unbearably awkward, Zhang Xi suddenly spoke up, breaking the tension.
“Ah, it’s clear that Concubine Lan has suffered, but it’s probably something she can’t talk about. Big Brother, don’t ask too much. It’s late, and the city gates are already closed. Why don’t we prepare a room for her to stay the night? Tomorrow morning, when the gates reopen, she can take the coal transport back to Stone Mountain.”
At this suggestion, Zhang Yuan’s brows immediately furrowed.
“Our home is full of men. It’s not proper for her to stay here. It would be better to send her to the Yu family’s second or third branch for the night.”
“You’re right, Big Brother. That was thoughtless of me,” Zhang Xi admitted.
Concubine Lan quickly nodded in agreement. “Then… please send me to the second branch.”
The third branch had always been distant from them, and she had little connection with them. The second branch was at least somewhat familiar.
Zhang Yuan arranged for Zhang Xi to escort Concubine Lan to the second branch’s tea shop.
As they were leaving, Concubine Lan’s gaze was drawn to an open storeroom.
Inside, stacks of weapons were neatly arranged—swords, spears, bows, and armor.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“So many weapons?!”
For a moment, she was frozen in place, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Before she could dwell on it further, Zhang Xi’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“Concubine Lan, your family is still on Stone Mountain. I don’t know why you and Second Master Yu have such a strained relationship, but as an outsider, I just want to give you some advice.”
Concubine Lan turned to him, forcing a grateful smile. “Please, tell me. I know you mean well.”
“Ah, well… family is family. No matter what happened in the past, your husband and Second Master Yu are still blood brothers. Why not swallow your pride, admit your mistakes, and end this grudge? Then you wouldn’t have to suffer in exile anymore.”
Concubine Lan’s smile stiffened.
“As if it were that easy…”
Yu Zhengqing had swallowed his pride many times, but Yu Haojie refused to forgive. If reconciliation were possible, she wouldn’t have had to endure months of torment.
“They’re so petty.”
“Why can’t they just let the past go?”
Still, she pretended to agree, nodding as if considering his words.
“Hmm… I’ll talk to my husband about it.”
By then, they had arrived at the second branch’s tea shop.
Through the open doors, she saw customers still seated inside, chatting over warm tea.
Concubine Lan felt a wave of bitterness wash over her.
Even Liu Lan, whom Yu Luo detested, had managed to build a peaceful life in Luo City.
Yet here she was—cold, starving, and miserable.
“How is this fair?”
Zhang Xi broke her thoughts again.
“Well, I shouldn’t go in. It’s not appropriate for me to escort a woman into another family’s home. But you should be fine—they won’t turn you away.”
Concubine Lan quickly masked her emotions and smiled warmly at him.
“Thank you, Brother Zhang, for your trouble.”
Zhang Xi gave her one last concerned look, then sighed and left.
Concubine Lan hugged herself tightly, summoning the courage to step inside.
Just as she took a step forward, two men suddenly blocked her path.
“Well, well,” one sneered. “What’s a little lady doing wandering the streets alone at night?”
“And wearing so little, too?” the other added. “Aren’t you cold?”
Their leering expressions sent a chill down Concubine Lan’s spine.
She instinctively stepped back, her heart pounding.
“You—what do you want?!” she stammered. “My family is right here in this tea shop! If you—”
Before she could finish, a sharp pain struck the back of her neck.
Her vision went black.
The last thing she felt was her body being lifted into a moving carriage.
Meanwhile, in the mountain hideout, Yu Xiaoxuan returned with Old Madam Chen and Yu Meiyao.
When Chang Huilan and Yu Yingying saw them, their eyes widened in shock.
“Mother, where have you been?!” Chang Huilan gasped, feigning concern.
Though she didn’t want Old Madam Chen back, she knew she had to act like a dutiful daughter-in-law.
Old Madam Chen, however, saw through the act immediately.
Looking at Chang Huilan’s well-fed face and warm clothing, while remembering her own months of suffering, her blood boiled with rage.
“Hmph! You must be so happy I was gone, huh?!” she snapped. “Look at you—fatter than before! You didn’t suffer at all while I was out there being tortured!”
Chang Huilan quickly put on a guilty expression, stepping forward to help her mother-in-law.
“Mother, please don’t be angry. We didn’t know where you were! We were worried sick!”
Yu Yingying also played along, pretending to be furious on Old Madam Chen’s behalf.
“So it was Yu Luo who did this to you?! That wretched girl! She’s gone too far!”
Old Madam Chen snorted, swallowing another spoonful of warm stew.
“Forget about her! The real problem is that scheming wench, Concubine Lan! She’s still there, enjoying the benefits of our suffering!”
Yu Meiyao, finally remembering her own mother, spoke up.
“Mother, what about my birth mother? She’s still in Luo City! What if she’s being mistreated?!”
“Forget about her!” Old Madam Chen snapped.
“She’s fine. The one suffering was me! And now that I’m back, we need to focus on the future.”
Yu Meiyao hesitated but didn’t argue.
Chang Huilan sighed.
“I just wish Father would come back soon…”
“He’ll be back,” Old Madam Chen said confidently.
“With good news.”
Her eyes gleamed with sinister delight.
“When my son reaches the Crown Prince, we’ll be free. And once I’m back in the capital…”
Her lips curled into a vicious smirk.
“The first thing I’ll do… is go straight to the Emperor.”
“I’ll tell him Yu Haojie has been secretly building an army.”
“And then…”
“I’ll have him executed for treason!”
