To Hold One's Joy Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Luo Mansion

"Hongdou, stop being impudent," Luo Sheng admonished her maid, raising her eyebrows. She then turned to Wei Han and smiled lightly. "Wangye, you can send the money whenever it's convenient. No need to rush."

Wei Han nodded slightly, maintaining a cold expression. "Understood. We may meet again someday." He hoped never to cross paths with this blood-sucking Miss Luo again if possible. However, the memory of the supreme delicacies he had savored over the past few days stirred something deep within his heart.

This thought is dangerous!

Wei Han's heart skipped a beat. He shook the reins and headed straight for the city gate. He's not one to compromise for a bite of delicious food.

Upon entering the city, Shiyan remained puzzled. "Master, do we really owe Miss Luo three thousand five hundred taels of silver?"

Wei Han looked at the guard with a sullen face, feeling the urge to kick Shiyan off the horse. "Did we owe? It's clearly me who owes!" he thought irritably.

Shiyan seemed oblivious to the danger and rubbed his face thoughtfully. "Master, something doesn't add up."

"Huh?"

"Think about it. Initially, you obtained Miss Luo's dagger, and she asked for three thousand taels of silver in exchange, right?"

"Yes."

"Later, when Miss Luo asked you to escort her to the Capital, the 3,000 taels of silver should have been deducted from the debt, right?"

"Yes."

"So, now that we have arrived at the Capital, why do we still owe Miss Luo another three thousand five hundred taels?"

Wei Han felt exasperated and had no desire to continue the conversation. He just wanted to kick the guard off his horse.

Still, Shiyan persisted in his thoughts. "If you hadn't made a promise to exchange the dagger for your assistance at the beginning, you would only owe Miss Luo three thousand taels now, and you wouldn't have had to escort her to the Capital—"

Wei Han rode his horse ahead, passing the guard and leaving Shiyan with a final instruction: "Remember to clean the chamber pot later." The young Wangye, burdened with huge debts, became even more wary of Luo Sheng. He had seriously underestimated this girl.

In the beginning, a bowl of saozi noodles had made him careless. Little did he know that it was just the start; there were more dishes to follow—braised pork, gourd chicken, yellow fish rolls, and crispy duck with peach kernels... Unbeknownst to him, the debt had accumulated to 3,500 taels.

As he gazed at the noble and extraordinary gate of Kaiyang Wang's Mansion, Wei Han felt a sense of relief akin to surviving a catastrophe. He realized that he should be grateful that the escorting of Miss Luo to the Capital only took a few days. If it had been any longer, he might have spent the rest of his life trying to pay off his mounting debts.

The streets of the Capital bustled with liveliness, and Sheng Sanlang couldn't help but be captivated by the sights, glancing from left to right.

Hongdou exited the carriage and sat beside Sheng Sanlang, her eyes filled with joy: "Oh, we're almost at Luo Mansion. The Commander will be thrilled to see my Miss back."

"Where is the Luo Mansion?" Sheng Sanlang inquired.

Hongdou pouted: " Just keep going forward until you reach the first fork. Then, turn north, and afterward, turn west, and we'll arrive there."

Sheng Sanlang touched his nose and decided to remain silent as he continued driving the carriage.

The little maid seemed visibly excited, chattering non-stop, "Our mansion is so lively! The carriages and horses in front of the gate are as continuous as running water. You must have never seen anything like it before."

Sheng Sanlang responded perfunctorily: "Yes, I haven't seen it before." Whether it is lively or not has nothing to do with him. His main concern was whether he could still enjoy the dishes cooked by Biaomei once they arrived at Luo Mansion.

Thinking back to the delightful delicacies he had savored in the past few days, Sheng Sanlang leaned in and asked Hongdou in a low voice, "Does your Miss cook at home?"

Hongdou scoffed, "Gongzi, are you joking? This isn't Jinsha County nor on the road. We're in the Capital, filled with countless handsome young men. How can my Miss find time to cook when we've returned here?"

Sheng Sanlang 's mouth twitched. Really sorry. He had forgotten Biaomei's real hobby.

Observing the distressed expression on the young man's face, Hongdou did not forget to add another stab, "Besides, after escorting my Miss to our mansion, you'll be heading back. Even if my Miss does cook, you won't be able to eat her dishes."

The words hit Sheng Sanlang like a bolt of lightning. Can—not—eat!

It would be one thing if Biaomei never cooked again, but the idea of her cooking and him not being able to eat her dishes was unbearable. Sheng Sanlang felt like a thousand arrows were piercing his heart.

No, he had to find a way to stay. He wouldn't go back! Determined, Sheng Sanlang strengthened his resolve and flicked the whip vigorously, urging the horse forward.

"Here we are!" Hongdou cheered and hopped off the carriage. She then turned around to assist Luo Sheng down.

Luo Sheng lifted her gaze and looked at the gate of Luo Mansion. The vermilion lacquered gate was tightly shut, and the lion head knocker on it looked majestic and extraordinary. However, in contrast to Hongdou's description of a bustling place, it appeared oddly deserted.

Remaining composed, Luo Sheng glanced at Hongdou. Hongdou also sensed something was wrong and murmured: "It's strange. Why is there no one?" Without hesitation, she stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker vigorously.

"Who is it?" A doorman poked his head out.

"Open the door quickly! Our Miss is back!" Hongdou roared loudly.

The doorman initially couldn't believe his eyes and rubbed them hard, thinking he was dreaming. But then, he snapped back to reality and shouted through his throat, "Miss is back! Miss is back!"

Instantly, the news of Luo Sheng's return spread throughout the Luo Mansion, eliciting various reactions. Some people rushed out, while others hid, all in response to her presence.

Luo Sheng stepped inside the mansion and turned to address a steward-like middle-aged man, "Where's my father?" She didn't have Miss Luo's memory, but that didn't hinder her ability to pretend.

The steward's eyes welled up with tears, and he responded, "Miss, it's fortunate that you're back, otherwise—"

"Otherwise, what?" Luo Sheng furrowed her brows.

The steward wiped away his tears, looking sorrowful. "The Commander was assassinated and has been in a coma for almost a month!"

Luo Sheng's footsteps halted. "Assassinated?"

"Yes, the Commander was seriously injured. Almost all the imperial doctors from the Imperial Medical Office have been here these days. Still, the Commander has not yet woken up. The doctor said—"

Luo Sheng's face darkened. "Finish your words quickly," she demanded, showing no patience for any hesitation at this moment.

The steward felt a chill down his spine, recalling the Miss's formidable nature, and he dared no longer delay. "The imperial doctor said that if the Commander doesn't wake up in the coming days, he won't be able to survive..."

"Take me to my father."

Luo Sheng's expression turned solemn, and her heart felt heavier than ever. Commander Luo was assassinated, and she was attacked on the road. Was this a mere coincidence, or was there another hidden mystery behind it all?

Returning to the Capital as Miss Luo, Luo Sheng had initially thought that the only problems she would have to deal with were related to Zhennan Wang. However, she didn't expect that the Luo family itself presented its own set of troubles. Nevertheless, regardless of how troublesome it was, she knew she had to face it.

As she was ushered into the main courtyard, Luo Sheng looked at the row of women standing in the corridor and hesitated.

Hongdou mentioned that there were four Misses in the Luo family, and Miss Luo was the third one. However, among the women, except for three or four who appeared older, the rest seemed relatively young and were dressed like married women.

Fortunately, after only a brief moment of hesitation, one of the women waved her handkerchief and exclaimed, "Heaven! Why did Miss come back?"

Miss?[1]

Luo Sheng pursed her lips, knowing how to handle this situation. She approached the women with a composed expression, scanning their faces to remember as many as possible. Then, she raised her chin slightly and inquired, "Is my father inside?"

The oldest-looking woman among them replied, "Master is inside. Miss, why have you come back?" Luo Sheng didn't respond to her question and proceeded to walk inside.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind, "Stop!"

Luo Sheng turned to find a girl in blue clothes, clutching her skirt, rushing towards her. "What's the matter?" Luo Sheng asked.

A flash of fear crossed the girl's eyes, but she gathered her courage and questioned, "You've caused such harm to Father, and yet you still have the audacity to see him?"

[1] Luo Sheng was trying to figure out which were Miss Luo's sisters, but the women addressed her as "Miss" instead of "Meimei" or "Jiejie," so none of them were Miss Luo's sisters.