Chapter 13

“Madam, what should we do now…” Cui Cui couldn’t stop her tears from flowing.

Lan Yi sat back down: “It’s alright. If Yang Wen Xu questions you, just say you know nothing. You might suffer some hardships, but he won’t be too hard on you. Ling Zi is even younger, so she’ll be fine—”

“Madam, I’m not worried about us!” Cui Cui was so anxious she didn’t even notice Lan Yi had addressed Yang Wen Xu by his full name. “What explanation will we give when the master returns? Will he believe us? Even if he does, Consort Jiang will surely stir up trouble beside him. Whom will the master listen to? Consort Jiang won’t let you off—she’s always wanted to suppress you, wishing nothing more than to see you never recover!”

Lan Yi gazed out the window, slightly lost in thought: “No explanation is needed.”

“Huh?” Cui Cui was taken aback, grasping at a sliver of hope amid her distress. “Madam means the master will believe us?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Cui Cui didn’t understand and wanted to press further, but a small head slowly rose outside the window, whispering through the haphazardly nailed wooden slats: “Madam, Sister Cui Cui…”

Lan Yi straightened up and turned to look.

Hearing the voice, Cui Cui walked over and saw: “Ling Zi? Where have you been, you silly girl? Don’t you know what time it is? Always running off to play—” Her frustration spilled out in scolding, but when she saw Ling Zi’s eyes blinking through the window crack, her heart softened, and her voice lowered: “Never mind, it’s good you weren’t here. Otherwise, we’d all be locked up together, with no one outside to pass messages.”

Ling Zi grinned sheepishly and said, “Madam, Sister Cui Cui, I just saw Aunt Zhou.”

Cui Cui wasn’t particularly interested: “Oh.”

“She was talking to someone by the back corner gate.”

Cui Cui froze.

Lan Yi asked, “When?”

“About the time it takes an incense stick to burn.” Ling Zi replied. “I was playing behind the house when I heard commotion here. I wanted to come back but saw Aunt Zhou walking very quickly with her maid, looking around as if she didn’t want to be noticed. I hid, and then I saw Aunt Zhou have her maid Qiu Yue open the corner gate to talk to a man outside.”

“A man?” Cui Cui’s mouth fell open. She quickly connected the dots and eagerly asked Lan Yi, “Madam, is it the rogue Aunt Zhou mentioned?”

Lan Yi nodded.

At this time, it was almost certainly him. Aunt Zhou had said she sent her maid to inquire, but it turned out she went to meet him personally. Was it necessary for a maid’s rogue relative? Especially when she was pregnant.

“What did they say?” Cui Cui pressed Ling Zi.

“Sister Qiu Yue was standing guard nearby, so I didn’t dare get close. I only know they spoke—” Ling Zi’s head retreated slightly as she counted on her fingers, then squeezed back to the window. “About twenty sentences. The man seemed very happy and proud, but Aunt Zhou didn’t look pleased. When she walked back, her face was dark, and her brows were furrowed.”

Cui Cui refused to give up: “You didn’t hear a single word?”

Ling Zi shook her head.

Cui Cui was deeply disappointed.

Lan Yi asked, “What did the man look like?”

“Very handsome.” Ling Zi nodded emphatically, then thought for a moment and added, “But not quite as good-looking as the master.”

Yet the fact that he could even be compared to Yang Wen Xu was proof enough that he was indeed quite attractive.

Cui Cui let her imagination run wild: “What relative of Qiu Yue? Could it be Aunt Zhou’s secret lover? Otherwise, why would she sneak around to meet him, afraid of being seen, and not tell the truth to the mistress?”

This wasn’t an outrageous guess. A concubine nearly twenty years younger than the master meeting an outsider in private was bound to raise eyebrows.

“But then why would Aunt Zhou suggest the mistress start with him?” Cui Cui suddenly found another inconsistency.

From this perspective, the secret lover theory didn’t seem to hold water.

“If only we could catch him,” Cui Cui clenched her fists, vaguely sensing this person was crucial, though she couldn’t quite grasp why. “Aunt Zhou is ridiculous—asking us to come up with ideas when we can’t even leave the house. What ideas can we have?”

Actually, there was a way.

Lan Yi understood.

Aunt Zhou’s implied suggestion wasn’t overt but neither was it well hidden. She had first inquired about Lan Yi’s relationship with Prince Yi, then mentioned that man, subtly connecting the three.

She wanted Lan Yi to pass a message to Prince Yi.

If Lan Yi spoke up, perhaps Aunt Zhou would even be willing to provide assistance.

“Ling Zi—” Cui Cui turned to speak to Ling Zi again, only to find the window empty. “Where did that girl run off to now?” she grumbled.

Just then, a voice came from the doorway: “Mistress, the concubine sent me to inform you that the master has reached the alley entrance and will be home shortly. The concubine can’t come herself, but if you have any messages for her, you can tell me now.”

Cui Cui started, then had an idea. She leaned close to Lan Yi and whispered, “Mistress, let’s threaten Aunt Zhou into helping us.”

Aunt Zhou already wanted to “help” her. The question was whether Lan Yi would accept.

Forget it.

Lan Yi reached her conclusion without much hesitation.

She didn’t want to follow the path Aunt Zhou had laid out. Her relationship with Prince Yi wasn’t what Aunt Zhou imagined—they had gone their separate ways after descending the mountain. There was no way she would seek his help.

“No messages. You may go,” Lan Yi said.

The maid outside seemed taken aback, making a slight noise at the door before falling silent.

Before Cui Cui could express her disappointment, Ling Zi’s small head reappeared at the window. “Mistress, I hadn’t finished speaking earlier. When I saw Sister Qiu Yue coming, I hid first.”

Lan Yi nodded. “What else?”

Ling Zi continued, “After Aunt Zhou left, I was curious about that man outside. There was a tree nearby, so I climbed it and saw him humming a tune as he walked toward the back alley. Suddenly, another man appeared out of nowhere, struck him, and he collapsed. Then that man dragged him away—”

Cui Cui gaped. “What?! Dragged away?”

Ling Zi nodded emphatically, in case they couldn’t see her. “It’s true! The man who hit him even glanced toward the courtyard. I was afraid he’d see me, so I climbed down quickly. Then I came back to tell you, but Aunt Zhou was here, so I had to hide again until she left before sneaking in.”

Her account was clear and detailed. However shocked Cui Cui was, she couldn’t disbelieve it. At a loss for words, she turned to Lan Yi in bewilderment.

This turn of events was too sudden and brazen—how could someone just drag a person away in broad daylight without fear of being seen?

Lan Yi was equally surprised, then thoughtful.

She had her suspicions but lacked evidence, so it wasn’t appropriate to voice them.

Such swift and decisive methods were familiar to her—she’d seen them before.

With this turn of events, she wondered if it was what Aunt Zhou had hoped for—

“Ah, the master has returned.”

Ling Zi’s small exclamation came from outside.

This time, she couldn’t hide in time. Yang Wen Xu had already spotted her. She tried to shrink into the corner, but his furious gaze swept over her thin frame without lingering.

Bang.

Yang Wen Xu strode to the door and pushed, only to find it locked with a heavy padlock.

He closed his eyes briefly before turning around.

“Where’s the key?”

Ling Zi didn’t dare speak.

A maid from the side courtyard cautiously stepped forward. “Master, the lord ordered it locked—”

Yang Wen Xu’s eyes snapped open. “If there’s no key, bring an axe!”

The maid trembled in fear.

“Don’t be hasty, Master. Let me inquire.”

Consort Jiang emerged from behind the maid and hurried away.

Yang Wen Xu stood with his hands behind his back before the locked door, silent, but the few curious heads peeking from the main courtyard quickly withdrew.

Now was not the time to draw attention.

Eventually, Manager Yang arrived somewhat reluctantly with Consort Jiang, hesitating as he spoke. “Master, the lord entrusted the key to me before he left, instructing me to keep it safe. If you wish to use it, perhaps wait until the lord returns—”

Yang Wen Xu fixed him with a stare. “Either unlock it now, or take the key and leave the Yang family.”

“…”

Manager Yang fell silent, quickly stepping forward to fish the key from his pocket and insert it into the lock.

With a twist and a turn, the lock came off, and he retreated with bowed head.

Yang Wen Xu pushed the door again—this time, it creaked open smoothly.

Lan Yi sat at the table, her posture unchanged, merely lifting her head to meet his gaze.

She was perfectly calm.

Yang Wen Xu was not. The moment his eyes met her deep, still ones, his pupils involuntarily contracted before sharply scanning her from head to toe.

Lan Yi let him look while she turned her attention to Consort Jiang standing beyond the threshold.

Consort Jiang was also unsettled, her shimmering eyes filled with worry, unease, and a hint of reproach.

After a prolonged silence, Consort Jiang finally spoke. “Madam, don’t worry. We all know you couldn’t possibly be that kind of person. But if you encountered trouble outside or suffered any grievances, you should have told the master sooner so he could handle it properly—”

Under Cui Cui’s furious glare, she softened her tone but continued, “To avoid stirring up unnecessary trouble.”

“Stop pretending to be kind! You’re the one who told the lord—!”

Lan Yi raised a hand, stopping Cui Cui’s outburst. Yang Wen Xu’s lips twitched as if he meant to speak, but she ignored him, addressing Consort Jiang instead. “There’s no need to handle anything. I’ve been ill for so long—I shouldn’t have remained a Yang family wife any longer.”

Consort Jiang’s expression shifted. “Madam, that’s not what I meant—”

“But it’s what I mean.” Lan Yi claimed the words with a sense of relief. She’d wanted to say this for a long time.

Yang family wife, Hanlin Scholar’s spouse—whoever wanted the title could have it. She’d yield it without regret.

She even smiled slightly, “After I’m gone, the master will naturally find a good match. You can rest assured—the new mistress will come from a noble family, with excellent character and appearance, in good health, fully capable of continuing the Yang family’s lineage.”

Consort Jiang’s expression truly changed this time: “…”

For a moment, regret and terror nearly overtook the corners of her eyes and brows, only to be abruptly reined back in an instant as Yang Wen Xu turned his head and glared coldly at her.

“Did you ask Father to seal the door?”

“No, how could I!” Consort Jiang’s face twisted awkwardly before she regained her composure. “The servants who went out for supplies heard those rumors and had to report them to the master, so the family could clarify things sooner. Who knew the master would handle it this way? As a lowly concubine, I didn’t dare stop him—I could only wait for you to return.”

She quickly added, “The mistress is absolutely not that kind of person. I’d stake my life on it. Those vile-tongued people outside—who knows where they came from—their words aren’t worth a single bit of trust. You mustn’t believe them.”

Consort Jiang’s words were indeed heartfelt, spoken with great sincerity. Everyone serving under Yang Wen Xu’s household shared the same thought. Even if they speculated the worst about Lan Yi, the frail health of the mistress—who could barely take a few steps without collapsing—made any impropriety impossible.

Yang Wen Xu’s expression finally softened slightly as he turned to Lan Yi. “Don’t overthink it. I believe you.”

Cui Cui immediately let out a huge sigh of relief.

Lan Yi looked at him and smiled faintly.

Did he?

But she didn’t believe him.

Author’s Note:

Rubbing hands—the Yang family arc will wrap up in about eighteen chapters, after which we’ll move on to the Prince Yi’s Residence arc. Lan Yi suffers quite a bit early on, which is why she’s so resentful. For now, I see my dear readers are handling it calmly and kindly. If anyone feels frustrated, you can take a short break and just bookmark this story. Thanks~