The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 799 Rescue
Tong Huaqiong looked at Lu Yin'er and thought to herself that Lu Yin'er was too perceptive.

We can deduce that something happened to Gao Ming from the fact that the emperor bestowed melons upon him.

Gao Ming was one of the most ordinary members of the Imperial Guard.

Unlike Su Chengmin, he rarely had contact with the Emperor, and even if he did, it would be difficult for the Emperor to remember him given his talent. Yet today, the Emperor bestowed upon him a precious honeydew melon.

The whole thing is unusual.

Lu Yin'er did not see the emperor's favor in this, but she did see the danger Gao Ming was in.

He must have shielded the emperor from extreme danger, otherwise he would never have caught the emperor's eye, let alone received any reward from him.

That's why Lu Yin'er asked that question.

At first, Lu Yin'er fantasized that Gao Ming would achieve great things in the future, and she followed suit.

After living with Gao Ming for a while, she changed her mind.

Gao Ming is not very talented, so forcing him to make achievements would backfire.

Compared to her father-in-law's sacrifice and her mother-in-law's widowhood, she preferred to live a simple life with Gao Ming.

Anyway, Gao Ming treated her well, and her salary was good. Although being the wife of a member of the Imperial Guard meant she couldn't enter the circle of wealthy women, she wasn't someone who could be bullied at will.

Upon hearing that Gao Ming had been injured while saving the emperor, Lu Yin'er burst into tears, put on her fur coat, and prepared to go home.

Gu Taohua then sent her maid to help Lu Yin'er hitch up the carriage.

Tong Huaqiong stood up, telling Lu Yin'er not to rush, and asked Su Chengmin, "Where is Gao Ming injured? How serious is it?"

If it's serious, Su Chengmin can even come and bring her melons.

Su Chengmin said, "It's not serious. My arm was scratched, but the imperial physician checked it and it's fine. If it's bandaged up tightly and doesn't get wet, it will heal after a while."

Tong Huaqiong asked, "Scratches? What scratched you?"

Although asking this question might seem like inquiring about the Emperor's perilous situation, the question had already been asked, and whether or not to answer was up to Su Chengmin.

There's no point in hiding the fact that His Majesty is in danger this time.

It wasn't a man-made danger, but rather the emperor going to the Imperial Animal Garden to admire two wild wolves presented as tribute from the Western Regions. One of the wolves broke open its cage and pounced straight at the emperor.

He was rescued by Gao Ming, a member of the Imperial Guard who was nearby.

During the fight with the wolf, Gao Ming's arm was torn off. Fortunately, Su Chengmin had tamed wild wolves on the border. He subdued the wolf and rescued Gao Ming from its jaws.

Hearing that Gao Ming was out of danger, Lu Yin'er breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Chengmin said, "After this incident, Gao Ming has been remembered by His Majesty."

Lu Yin'er shook her head. Compared to being remembered by the emperor, she only hoped that Gao Ming would be alright.

Su Qing came in and said that the carriage was ready. Tong Huaqiong gave Lu Yin'er a packet of medicine and sent someone to take Lu Yin'er home.

On the evening of the 28th of the lunar year, Gu Dashu, Gu Xiaoxue, and their entourage were welcomed back home by Nie Xiaofeng.

"mother."

"aunt."

Gu Dashu and Gu Xiaoxue were very happy.

The roads were difficult to travel due to the strong winds and snow in winter, and we arrived half a month later than expected, but we still managed to reach Shengjing before the New Year.

"father."

Man'er excitedly jumped into Gu Dashu's arms.

The youngest daughter, Ying'er, also wobbled and wanted Gu Dashu to hold her. Gu Dashu's biggest motivation for coming to Shengjing was to see his wife and daughters. Now, seeing his two adorable daughters rushing towards him, he stretched out his arms and hugged one in each arm, chuckling to himself.

Chen Su-fen stood to the side, her eyes reddening.

The reunion of relatives was especially lively.

Not only did Gu Dashu and Gu Xiaoxue come to Shengjing, but Liu Yue'e's father and elder brother also came along.

"Father and elder brother are here too, why didn't you tell me beforehand?" Liu Yue'e was overjoyed to see her father and elder brother.

Zhao was very happy to see that both her husband and son were equally happy.

She always felt that if she stayed in Shengjing with her daughter and didn't go back for the New Year, the villagers would gossip. Now that her husband and son have come, she doesn't feel any guilt.

"Boss, I've already settled the managers of all the shops in Ningcheng. They'll tell you about the shops' operations when you have time," He Chao said.

Tong Huaqiong nodded and said, "Okay. Arrange for them to be entertained in the best hotels and restaurants in Shengjing."

Several shopkeepers, instead of going home for the New Year, traveled from Ningcheng to Shengjing to report to her, and she had to be treated with the highest level of hospitality.

"You must be hungry after your journey. We'll eat right away," Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Dashu, Gu Xiaoxue, and the others.

At this moment, Nie Xiaofeng said to Tong Huaqiong, "Grandma, after sending Uncle and Aunt Xiaoxue home, my mother and I won't stay for dinner. My father and my two older brothers and their wives have already arrived home, so we'll head back first."

When Nie Mingyuan and his two stepsons returned to Yanguan Town from selling silk in Jiangnan in late autumn, they discovered that Gu Baishuang had gone to Shengjing with Tong Huaqiong.

The three, along with their families, headed north, deciding to move their entire family to Shengjing to seek refuge with Nie Xiaofeng. When they were almost in Shengjing, they encountered Gu Dahan and his group, who were also heading north.

Taking advantage of his status as brother-in-law, Nie Mingyuan took the initiative to greet him and offered to accompany him to Beijing.

Although Gu Dahan didn't like his brother-in-law, he couldn't refuse him when they met on the street.

After welcoming Gu Dahan and the others outside the city, Nie Xiaofeng first had someone send Nie Mingyuan and his two brothers and sisters-in-law to his residence. Then, he escorted Gu Dahan and Gu Xiaoxue to Tong Huaqiong's house and took Gu Baishuang back to her residence.

Gu Baishuang did not get up, and her expression remained indifferent upon hearing that Nie Mingyuan and other members of the Nie family had entered the capital.

"Mom, let's go back. Dad's waiting at home." Nie Xiaofeng said excitedly.

Gu Baishuang said calmly, "They have people to serve them when they go back to your residence, so you don't need me. If you can't let go of your father, you should go back first. Your eldest uncle and I haven't seen each other for a long time and need to have a good chat."

Gu Baishuang's reaction left Nie Xiaofeng somewhat bewildered.

Four years ago, because her two older brothers wanted to divide the family property, they forced their mother to hand over the shop. The father sided with the two older brothers, and the mother and father had a big fight because of this. The two of them did not speak to each other for the entire first month of the lunar calendar.

Back then, Nie Xiaofeng sided with Gu Baishuang and overturned the table against Nie Mingyuan and his two older brothers.

Later, when her father stopped mentioning making her hand over the shop's management rights, their relationship began to improve.

After arriving in Shengjing, Gu Baishuang never mentioned to Nie Xiaofeng the matter of bringing Nie Mingyuan to the capital.

During his three years on the border, Nie Xiaofeng was unaware of what had happened between his father and mother. He inquired indirectly through the old woman next to Gu Baishuang and learned that the two had no quarrels or conflicts, but their relationship remained lukewarm. His father no longer interfered with his mother's shop, while his two older brothers and their wives treated his mother with great respect.

He hopes that the family relationship can return to its former harmony.

Judging from Gu Baishuang's reaction, it seems that her mother is not welcoming of her father and her two older brothers and sisters-in-law's arrival.

But Nie Mingyuan is his biological father, and he is a member of the Nie family. As a son, he can stand on his mother's side, but he cannot completely sever ties with his biological father.

He was outside the city when Nie Mingyuan, whom he hadn't seen for three years, saw him. Nie Mingyuan jumped off the carriage and hugged him in the wind and snow, weeping bitterly. Looking at Nie Mingyuan's graying temples, Nie Xiaofeng was deeply moved.

“Mom, on the way here, my eldest uncle said he’s going to stay in Shengjing for a long time. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to have meals with him. Dad, my eldest brother, and my second brother are all waiting for you at home,” Nie Xiaofeng said.

If Mother doesn't go back to the mansion on the first day Father and Elder Brother arrive, won't the conflict escalate?

The conflict between Mom and Dad needs to be resolved.

The sooner it is resolved, the better.