Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 249 Returning Home
News of Su Rende regaining his memory spread, and the first thing he did after regaining his memory was to recognize his wife and daughter, and to obtain an imperial edict to confer the title of Lady of the First Rank on his wife.

When the old eunuch from the palace went to Taoyaofang to read the imperial edict, there were many outsiders present. As a result, the news about who Su Rende's wife and daughters were spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

Originally, Peach Blossom Pavilion was a den of debauchery for women, but now, men, women, and children all come to join in the fun.

Taoyaofang is now closed to visitors.

Jia Chunni peered through the crack in the door and said to Jiang Jing beside her, "What should we do? None of our staff dare to go out, for fear that people outside will find out."

"They're just curious about Yaoguang and her godmother right now. Once the novelty wears off, they won't be as crazy as they are now."

"Then why don't you go out and try?"

Jiang Jing shook her head vigorously: "No, I don't want to."

A commotion arose outside, including the chatter of the people and the sounds of gongs and drums.

The two sisters exchanged a glance, but ultimately couldn't resist opening the door. They walked to the entrance, craned their necks to look, and saw a long and impressive procession.

Su Rende rode a tall horse, dressed in red. If there were a bridal sedan chair and some festive music, people who didn't know better would think he was coming to fetch a bride.

"Godfather, what are you doing?" Jiang Jing asked.

Su Rende dismounted from his horse and said with a smile, "I've come to take you to the General's Mansion!"

“My godmother hasn’t agreed yet. Should we wait for her to think about it before we talk about it?” Jiang Jing asked.

“Your godmother and Yaoguang’s identities have been exposed, so it’s not safe for them to stay here any longer. After all, I have quite a few enemies. I’m going to talk to them now.”

Just as Su Rende was about to go in, he saw Zhang Zhaodi and Su Yaoguang come out from inside.

"Dad, no need to say anything more, we'll go with you. We just won't pack our bags, we can come back and stay for a few days whenever we want."

“Alright.” Su Rende reached out his hand, took Zhang Zhaodi’s hand, and led her out. “This is the sedan chair I prepared. When I married you, everything was simple. Now let’s treat it as a second wedding.”

Su Yaoguang: "..."

She felt superfluous; should she stay?
"Yaoguang, I have already sent someone to inform Wangshu that he will go directly to the General's Mansion when he returns from the Ministry of Personnel," Su Rende said.

"it is good."

Su Rende led Zhang Zhaodi into the bridal sedan chair.

Among the crowd, people were discussing how lucky the owner of Taoyaofang was, as her husband was actually a great general who protected the country.

"Everyone, you only see her glamorous moments, but you don't see the time when that woman raised her daughter from infancy, changing her diapers and feeding her. I heard from people that..."

Su Rende was very flamboyant, as if he was afraid others wouldn't know he had found his wife and daughter.

They returned to the General's Mansion with great fanfare, and after all this commotion, even the most oblivious people knew who the wife and eldest daughter of the Protector General's Mansion were.

Xiao Yanci stood at the door, seeing off the craftsmen responsible for repairing the house. Just as he was about to return to his room, he heard such joyous music and, thinking it was a wedding, couldn't help but stop and take a look.

When the procession with gongs and drums stopped at the gate of the Protector General's Mansion, he felt even more puzzled.

Su Rende dismounted, lifted the curtain, and led the person out of the sedan chair.

When Zhang Zhaodi came out, Xiao Yanci's eyes were filled with shock.

He stared blankly at Zhang Zhaodi and Su Yaoguang, who emerged from another sedan chair. The question in his heart was answered, but it was not the answer he wanted to see.

Su Rende's surname is Su, and Su Yaoguang's surname is also Su, so Su Rende's wife and daughter are Zhang Zhaodi and Su Yaoguang.

In her previous life, Su Yaoguang married him, but he rarely allowed her to go out, so she naturally had no chance to meet Su Rende, let alone know that Su Rende was her biological father.

As for Zhang Zhaodi, he later passed the imperial examinations and obtained an official position. Although he did not divorce his wife and remarry, he did not want his shrewish mother-in-law, Zhang Zhaodi, to come to the capital and ruin his plans. Zhang Zhaodi was not as easily fooled as Su Yaoguang; once she stepped into the capital and lived under the same roof as them, she would likely discover his affair with Jiang Yihuan.

After being instigated by Jiang Yihuan, he ordered his men who were going to pick up Zhang Zhaodi to kill her on the way and make it look like she was killed by bandits.

If he hadn't assassinated Zhang Zhaodi, but instead sent her to the capital, she might have met Su Rende. Once she met Su Rende, the latter might regain her memories, and he would then have a father-in-law who was the Grand General Who Protects the Nation.

Although Su Rende was a military general and he was merely a civil official, the emperor trusted him, and he had influence with the emperor. In other words, even if he didn't go to the palace to speak well of himself to the emperor, the emperor would still give him an important position because of his father-in-law.

What happened to Su Rende in his previous life?

It seems... someone poisoned him, and he died in his own courtyard.

The one who poisoned him was a woman, a woman from his own household. Then, that woman was sentenced to death by hanging. From that time on, there was no more Great General Protector of the Nation.

Xiao Yanci's eyes turned red.

He had been wondering who the Great General's daughter was, whether she was pretty, and whether she was married. Now that he knew that she was the person he hated the most, he felt worse than if he had swallowed a cockroach.

And Zhou Wangshu...

All of this clearly belonged to him, but now it's benefited Zhou Wangshu.

Su Yaoguang noticed a strange gaze in the crowd. Following the gaze, she saw Xiao Yanci with a ferocious expression.

"Why won't he leave us?" Su Yaoguang muttered to herself.

"Miss, please come in," the butler said solicitously.

"Butler, whose house is across the street?" Su Yaoguang asked.

The butler followed her gaze and saw Xiao Yanci standing there, as well as the obviously dilapidated mansion.

"I haven't paid attention to that either. No one lived across the street before, but it seems like they're planning to move in now. I'll go and find out more later."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work," Su Yaoguang said.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all, Miss, please come inside."

The General's Mansion has never been as lively as it is today. The steward is an old man who retired from the battlefield with Su Rende. He had always been worried about Su Rende and advised him to find a mistress and have a son to inherit the mansion while he was still relatively young. Now, the mistress has arrived, and she has brought the General's offspring with her. The mansion is finally bustling with life again.

"I really want to go back and ask my mother if my father didn't die young, but is out there earning fame and fortune for me!" A middle-aged man carrying a load looked enviously at the General's Mansion.

The people next to him laughed.

"No, I have to go back and ask too. Maybe I have a father who's an official?" "Haha..."

"Forget about it. The owner of Taoyaofang is never short of money. Even if they can't acknowledge this father, they'll still live a good life. Let's stop daydreaming and work hard for ourselves! You may not have a rich and powerful father, but you have to make sure your son and daughter do! Let's start working hard from our generation, so our sons and daughters won't have to envy others."

After Su Yaoguang and Zhang Zhaodi entered the General's Mansion, they liked the simple yet grand courtyard more and more.

Owning such a large mansion in the capital city isn't just about having money; it requires real power.

“Everything here was earned by my husband with his life on the line,” Zhang Zhaodi said. “The better you are doing now, the more suffering you must have endured on the battlefield.”

Zhang Zhaodi's eyes reddened, filled with heartache.

She had initially harbored resentment, even finding it hard to forgive him for his amnesia and subsequent loss of memory, which had left her a widow for over a decade. But now, she was completely at peace with him.

Su Rende had wanted to make his wife and daughter happy, but to his surprise, his wife's first thought was to feel sorry for him. It felt so good to have someone care about him, and even after more than ten years apart, their feelings for each other were still as genuine as ever.

This is true love.

"It's alright, I'm back safe and sound, aren't I?" Su Rende hugged Zhang Zhaodi. "Alright, Chaochao, don't be sad."

Su Yaoguang shivered.

Her mother, who used to chase thugs all over the village with a kitchen knife, has now become so timid and dependent; it's really a bit scary.

Let's leave this space for them!
When she saw the butler approaching, she went to greet him and asked, "Have you found out?"

"I've found out," the butler said in a low voice. "The house across the street used to be the Wang family's villa, which has been vacant for seven or eight years. It's currently being renovated, and it looks like they're going to move in soon. The person in charge of the renovation is the Wang family's newly engaged son-in-law, who seems to be a newly appointed third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations, the same year as our son-in-law."

“I know him,” Su Yaoguang said.

"Are the young lady and that prospective son-in-law across the street friends?"

“On the contrary, they are the enemy,” Su Yaoguang said. “I don’t want to see them. Try to do something to cause trouble and prevent them from moving in.”

Home is a place that should bring joy. If you keep running into people who make you feel nauseous, it will really ruin your mood.

The butler understood and said, "Don't worry, Miss. This is the first task you've given me, and I certainly won't let you down."

Su Rende was discussing with Zhang Zhaodi the arrangements for his wife's younger sister and her family.

“I asked them, and they don’t want to come to the Protector General’s Mansion. They want to stay in Taoyao Lane and look after the shops,” Zhang Zhaodi said. “My brother-in-law is also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and he did quite well. I’m sure he’ll be given an official position, and then they’ll have their own little family. Jing’er is my goddaughter. We’ll prepare a room for her. She can come and stay whenever she wants, and she can stay in Taoyao Lane whenever she wants. Home is a place where you can feel at ease and relax, so there’s no need to force her. Not to mention them, Yaoguang and I also often stay in Taoyao Lane, since business is sometimes too busy.”

"I plan to host a banquet for you and introduce you to all your colleagues and the ladies of the official family."

"You can arrange it," Zhang Zhaodi said.

After leaving the Ministry of Personnel, Zhou Wangshu was taken directly to the residence of the Protector-General.

He should be the fastest newly appointed top scholar in history to receive an official position.

"What official position has the Ministry of Personnel assigned to you?" Su Yaoguang asked curiously as she greeted him upon his return.

"you guess."

“My dad told me that in previous years, the top scholars in the imperial examinations were directly admitted to the Hanlin Academy or something similar.”

“But I’m different,” Zhou Wangshu said. “I entered…the Ministry of Personnel.”

Generally, newly appointed officials are not assigned to such important positions. Zhou Wangshu's rapid appointment was already unusual, but to be given such a crucial position directly is practically a blatant admission that he has powerful backers. What's most infuriating is that this appointment was arranged by the emperor, meaning his biggest backer is the emperor himself.

“Then our family is doubly happy,” Su Yaoguang said. “Come on, let’s go see our new room.”

The general's mansion was so large, but there were not many owners, so the courtyards of the two pairs of owners were very far apart.

Xiao Yanci was exhausted and extremely sleepy. He had originally planned to take a nap and then continue planning which areas to renovate after waking up.

In a daze, he smelled a strange odor. He sat up and looked ahead in confusion, only to see thick smoke.

He rushed out, only to find the entire mansion engulfed in flames.

At this moment, someone was banging on a basin around, shouting, "Help! There's a fire! There's a fire!"

Xiao Yanci wanted to find water to put out the fire, but this was an abandoned courtyard that had not yet been officially occupied. The well in the courtyard was also abandoned and had no water at all.

He ran out and shouted to the people around him, "My house is on fire! Help me put it out! I'll give ten taels of silver to anyone who helps me put it out."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers immediately ran back to their homes to fetch water to put out the fire.

However, this was an official road, and the nearby houses were all official residences. The common people's homes were not here. By the time they returned with buckets to put out the fire, the fire was already out of control and was getting bigger and bigger. The fire snakes had engulfed the entire house.

Fortunately, the two neighboring houses had taken precautions in advance, cutting a partition when they discovered the fire was starting, preventing it from spreading to the neighboring houses.

Xiao Yanci's face turned pale and then red, his eyes filled with anger.

Is God playing a joke on him?

Why is everything going wrong for him in this life?

Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu watched the commotion from the crowd.

Zhou Wangshu's voice reached Xiao Yanci's ears: "Yaoguang, do you think this family did something bad? Otherwise, why would disaster befall them?"

“Some people do all sorts of bad things and think that they can’t be caught without evidence, but heaven is watching what people do,” Su Yaoguang said. “You must never learn from those who have no conscience. Sooner or later, God will take back those who have done all sorts of bad things.”

Xiao Yanci clenched his fists.

Let them laugh! Let them laugh for now. Once he climbs to a high position, he'll crush them in the mud.

Wang Ruyan stepped down from the carriage, her face grim as she looked at the raging fire.

"How did it come to this?"

Xiao Yanci said, "It's too hot. I'm sorry for what happened, but I'll try to make amends."

"How can we fix this? My father said this was the wedding house he arranged for us. Now the house is gone, reduced to ruins. Are we supposed to rebuild it on these ruins?" Wang Ruyan looked at Xiao Yanci. "Do you have that much money?"

She was already surprised that he could afford to repair the old house. Rebuilding such a large house was no small feat, and she was amazed that he had the ability to do so.