Chapter 27 - The Cannon Fodder Little Fulang [Quick Transmigration]

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

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The three members of the Wu family discussed their plans. Given that Second Brother's fulang was pregnant, the trip back would be difficult and potentially harmful to the child. However, leaving him alone in the capital was unthinkable, so Wu Bai decided to stay behind with him. Only one of them would return home this time, and that was Wu Kang'an.

 

After making this decision, Wu Kang'an gathered most of his money and purchased a small house on Yongning Street. He chose this location partly due to his limited funds and partly because it was close to the Patrol Office, making it a relatively safer place for two gers living alone.

 

Even so, he couldn't rest easy and entrusted Xiao Zimo to look after them both.

 

Xiao Zimo had actually offered to lend him money to purchase a larger house and hire a few servants to care for the two gers, but Wu Kang'an declined his offer. He could not allow himself to owe Xiao Zimo too many favors; otherwise, if a conflict were to ever arise between Xiao Zimo and Wu Bai in the future, whose side would he stand on?

 

After securing the house, Xiao Zimo kindly helped them move.

 

Finally, Wu Kang'an packed his belongings and travel funds, joining a merchant caravan to journey home.

 

Xiao Zimo had arranged the caravan, so Wu Kang'an felt assured of its reliability. He followed the caravan's schedule without complaint, resting and traveling with them. The merchants were quite impressed, not expecting a scholar like Wu Kang'an to endure hardship so well.

 

Merchant caravans usually traveled quickly to deliver their goods on time and make a profit. Thus, it only took them half a month to reach Lizhou Prefecture.

 

Once there, Wu Kang'an parted ways with the caravan after arranging a time and place to meet for the return journey, as they would continue southward while he would not.

 

Driven by the desire to reach home as soon as possible, Wu Kang'an managed in three days what should have taken four, finally arriving at Nanping Town.

 

His first stop was the family shop, where he was pleased to find their business booming—perhaps even better than before he left.

 

It was no wonder; the whole town knew that the shop owner's son had gone to the capital for the imperial exams. If he succeeded, he would become an official, and no one would dare to interfere with their business.

 

Some had even given up trying to steal the family's braised meat recipe, fearing that, if the second son of the Wu family became an official, he might return and seek revenge.

 

When Wu Kang'an arrived, the shop had just closed, and his father was about to lock the door when he noticed someone standing outside.

 

Father Wu was startled. He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve then shouted uncertainly, "Second Son?"

 

"Father, I'm home!" Wu Kang'an exclaimed excitedly, moving forward to embrace his father, only to be pushed away.

 

"Father? What are you doing? What are you looking for?"

 

"Where's your younger brother, and your fulang?" Father Wu glanced around but saw no one else with him.

 

"They're both still in the capital. I came home alone," Wu Kang'an replied.

 

"What? You left those two gers in an unfamiliar city and came back alone?" Wu Fu bellowed in anger, pushing his foolish son out the shop and made to shut the door.

 

"It's not like that, Father, please let me explain!" Wu Kang'an quickly wedged himself in the doorway, blocking it.

 

Father Wu paused his closing motion and gave him a hard look. "You'd better have a good reason."

 

"My fulang is expecting, so he couldn't endure the long journey. That's why I left them in the capital," Wu Kang'an explained.

 

"Did you at least find someone to look after them?" Father Wu's expression softened slightly.

 

Wu Kang'an nodded at once. "Of course, I definitely arranged for someone to take care of them. I wouldn't have returned otherwise!" He decided not to mention Xiao Zimo's involvement; otherwise, he doubted he would be allowed back inside that night.

 

With Wu Kang'an's assurance, Wu Fu finally stepped aside, finally letting him into the shop.

 

Xingfeng Village

 

News of Wu Kang'an's success in the imperial exams and his appointment as an official in the capital spread rapidly through the village. Neighbors flocked to the Wu family's home with their congratulations.

 

Naturally, his fulang's family heard as well and arrived to celebrate. But when they learned their ger son had remained in the capital due to his pregnancy, they were overjoyed. It seemed unbelievable that their own ger had risen to such fortune, becoming the spouse of an official and now even expecting a child. For the family, his happiness was complete, and their pride now eclipsed any hint of envy.

 

Other villagers were not so gracious. Many families were left wondering why they hadn't managed to claim a promising son-in-law like Wu Kang'an for one of their own gers.

 

Because the Wu family had no other relatives, they lacked an ancestral hall. They had never paid much attention to such matters in the past. However, now that Wu Kang'an had passed the imperial examination and achieved the prestigious rank of jinshi, his status was no longer the same as before. Thus, the village head, Father Wu, closed the family's shop in town and returned home. He gathered the villagers to help rebuild an ancestral hall, which would henceforth serve as the Wu clan's ancestral shrine.

 

With everyone pitching in, along with the Wu family providing food, refreshments, and generous wages, the hall was completed in mere days.

 

Though Wu Kang'an now held an official rank, filial piety remained paramount. Thus, Village Head Wu led the family in solemn worship before the ancestral hall.

 

Once the ceremony was complete, Village Head Wu produced a blank genealogical register, inscribing the names of the Wu parents first, followed by the rest of the family members in proper order. From that day forth, they were a clan, with all Wu descendants' names to be recorded here.

 

Afterwards, he wrapped the register in oiled paper and hung it in the shrine's rafters before leeving the ancestral hall with his family.

 

...

 

As the time arranged with the merchant caravan to depart drew near, and concerned about the two gers left alone at the capital, Wu Kang'an set off for Lizhou Prefecture alone.

 

He left the rest of the family behind, as his eldest brother's fulang was nearing the end of his pregnancy, just two months shy of delivery. Such a journey would be out of the question for him, especially as this was the first grandchild of the Wu family—a matter of utmost importance to all, with no room for error.

 

For the first son of the Wu family and his fulang, this was their first child, and with so much they didn't yet know, the Wu parents naturally would stay behind to help. Thus, the entire Wu family chose to stay behind rather than accompany Wu Kang'an to the capital.

 

They had agreed to reconsider the idea in the second month, after the child was born, hoping for an opportunity to travel to the capital, though they all knew the chances were slim.

 

After all, Nanping Town was their true home. None of them, save Father Wu, who had once accompanied Wu Kang'an to a neighboring county for the exams, had ever ventured beyond. To them, the capital was neither mystery nor attraction; a life of simple, familiar comforts was more than satisfying.

 

Meanwhile, in the capital, Xiao Zimo was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Father Wu and the others, ready to formally propose marriage: "…" No one needed to ask; his despair would be evident.

 

Wu Kang'an rejoined the merchant caravan and made a smooth journey back to the capital. However, upon reaching his small residence, he found no one at home, and he wasn't acquainted with any of his neighbors. Left with no other option, he headed to the Xiao estate, hoping to glean some explanation from Xiao Zimo.

 

When he arrived, the gatekeeper informed him that Xiao Zimo was out.

 

Only then did Wu Kang'an realize why his house was empty. Clearly, Xiao Zimo wanted to take Bai ger out, but since he didn't feel right about leaving his fulang alone, he likely decided to bring both his fulang and Bai ger with him.

 

But this time, Wu Kang'an's guess wasn't totally correct.

 

Within the Seven Treasures Duck Pavilion of the capital, Xiao Zimo, Wu Bai, and Wu Kang'an's fulang were accompanied by another individual: Zhao Chengnan.

 

It turned out that Zhao Chengnan was preparing for his departure to the borderlands, and the three friends were seeing him off.

 

In Wu Kang'an's absence, Xiao Zimo, worried about the two gers, frequently visited to check on them. Naturally, Zhao Chengnan, who had always followed Xiao Zimo around, joined him. Over time, Wu Kang'an's fulang also learned, through their conversations, that Zhao Chengnan—the young man their family had once saved—was none other than the Fifth Prince.

 

The revelation left him thoroughly unnerved. Every time he saw Zhao Chengnan in the following days, he was trembling in fear, unaccustomed as he was to interacting with such exalted figures. Thankfully, Wu Bai was there to calm him, and Zhao Chengnan's own lighthearted nature eventually put him at ease. Zhao Chengnan would often playfully joke and act out of character, gradually helping Wu Kang'an's fulang see him as less intimidating.

 

Over time, as they grew more familiar, Wu Erfulang even managed to speak with Zhao Chengnan openly, smiling as he did so.

 

This time, because, Yu Hongyi, the general appointed by the Emperor at the border, had gone missing, the morale of the troops at the frontier had begun to falter. As a result, the court ministers petitioned the Emperor to send a high-ranking noble figure to accompany another powerful general to the border.

 

The high-ranking official would be sent to stabilize the hearts of the troops, while the general was to take Yu Hongyi's place and continue resisting the enemy forces.

 

The court was in uproar for several days before a candidate was finally chosen—Zhao Chengnan.

 

This trip to the border was unlike previous ceremonial visits to reward soldiers. This time, Zhao Chengnan would face genuine danger, with war ever-looming and lives hanging in the balance. Unlike his brothers, Zhao Chengnan had no powerful maternal family to protect him in court. In the end, the officials united in recommending the Fifth Prince to the emperor.

 

Though the Emperor was reluctant to send his beloved son to such a perilous place, the ministers' unanimous request left him little choice, and he reluctantly agreed.

 

Within the palace, Consort Xiao tried his best to intervene, but his influence was limited. The court's decision was ultimately beyond his reach.

 

For both Xiao Zimo and Zhao Chengnan, this was a risk, yet a promising one. If Zhao Chengnan were to successfully gain control over the military forces during this journey, with the financial backing of the Xiao family, their future ambitions would know no bounds.

 

The Emperor was deeply moved by Zhao Chengnan's willingness to bear this burden, seeing it as a true sign of his filial loyalty, and rewarded him with generous gifts in recognition.

 

As for Zhao Chengnan's brothers, though they were jealous of his rewards, they felt no envy for the mission itself. Such honors were not something they were willing, nor perhaps even fated, to claim.

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