Chapter 15

Aunt Zhou, being somewhat of an elder, spoke first: “In all my years in Qingzhou, I’ve only heard that Prince Yi is devoted to Taoism, with no other notable activities. Who would have thought his actions could be so terrifying when stirred?”

Consort Jiang, who had come from elsewhere and hadn’t been in Qingzhou long, knew nothing of Prince Yi. But having spent a few years in the capital with Yang Wen Xu, she had some insight. She chimed in, “Descendants of the dragon and phoenix must have their temperaments. They may overlook things ordinarily, but when they truly take issue, no matter the background of the family involved, they must yield—only an Imperial Edict can restrain them.”

“Then who would dare provoke Prince Yi so boldly?” Aunt Zhou questioned, then added indignantly, “And they’ve even implicated our mistress.”

This was a question Consort Jiang couldn’t answer, but unwilling to be outdone, she straightened her posture and said coolly, “Let’s wait and see. The master said Prince Yi’s Residence has notified all the relevant offices, and so many were arrested last night. Surely they’ll interrogate the culprit, and once the truth comes out, the mistress will be cleared.”

Aunt Zhou lowered her gaze, masking her expression, her tone feigning the same urgency: “If only they could arrest everyone involved. There might be accomplices among them. Assassinating a prince is a capital offense, isn’t it?”

“More than just a capital offense,” Consort Jiang lowered her voice slightly. “If by any chance—it would mean confiscation of property and extermination of the family.”

Everyone in the room wore expressions of tension, fear, and yet anticipation.

Cui Cui spat fiercely, “Serves them right!”

This shared enemy eased the atmosphere somewhat. Consort Jiang turned to Lan Yi: “Mistress, ease your mind and take care of your health. Pay no heed to those gossips.” Then she addressed Cui Cui, “If you hear anyone in the household spreading rumors, come tell me. I won’t let them off lightly.”

Cui Cui retorted bluntly, “What about Master Yang? Can you handle him too?”

Consort Jiang: “…”

Aunt Zhou shot her a faintly mocking glance. As the fragile peace teetered on the brink, she interjected, “I’ll speak to the master. But he’s in a rage right now. In a few days, once things settle outside, he’ll be more reasonable.”

Cui Cui eyed Consort Jiang and Aunt Zhou suspiciously, torn between hoping for their help and doubting their sincerity.

Lan Yi understood—there was no true alliance here, only interests. Though her situation seemed more desperate than in her past life, it oddly appeared as if she now had “many helpers.”

Ancient poetry used the Netherworld to describe the unfathomable malice of people—but who outdid whom in the end?

*”To be a ghost or a specter, then none can grasp thee.”*

This verse had been taught to her by Yang Wen Xu. Before her marriage, she had picked up some elementary education phrases from listening idly at the neighboring community school. When Yang Wen Xu discovered this, he was delighted. While composing poetry or essays, he would occasionally recite a few lines to her, even guiding her wrist to practice calligraphy—

Lan Yi blinked.

The scenes of the past shattered like mist.

Just as fleeting as those days had been.

“I understand. Let’s leave it at that for now.” Lan Yi used these words to signal the end of the visit.

Consort Jiang had household matters to attend to, and Aunt Zhou dared not openly oppose Master Yang’s stance. The two took their leave accordingly.

By afternoon, Consort Jiang sent a maid again to update Lan Yi: the outside world had quieted significantly, with most of the gossipers silenced. She urged Lan Yi to rest easy.

As if in a contest of wills, after some time, Aunt Zhou also sent someone over, saying Master Yang was in a much better mood today. Master Zhao of the Zhao family had personally visited with generous gifts. Master Yang entertained him, and they spoke for a long while—  

“It’s the same Zhao family whose mistress was also trapped overnight at Reverence Heaven Temple. They had previously come to seek help from our master,” Qiu Yue explained carefully. “Prince Yi’s Residence spent the whole night arresting people but didn’t catch anyone from their family. Master Zhao probably thought the danger had passed, so he came to thank our master.”  

Cui Cui listened enviously. “Their family is so lucky.”  

Though their mistress was also trapped, they emerged unscathed, with their reputation intact.  

Qiu Yue comforted her, “Our mistress will be fine too. Master Zhao was extremely generous. His family is a well-known wealthy household in the city, though none of their descendants are as scholarly as our master. Since our master accepted their gifts and is in better spirits, he likely won’t give you too much trouble.”  

Whether her words were sincere or not, the news was solid, and her tone was pleasant. After some thought, Cui Cui decided to return the favor. “Thank you. Please relay to your mistress that we won’t speak carelessly about her affairs—we’ll act as if we know nothing.”  

Then she seemed to remember something, hesitating before turning to Lan Yi.  

Years of companionship had attuned them to each other’s thoughts. Lan Yi understood her meaning and spoke softly, “Also tell your mistress that her relative has already been arrested.”  

Qiu Yue paled, blurting out, “By whom?”  

Lan Yi held her gaze but said nothing.  

Without concrete evidence, she wouldn’t voice her suspicions.  

Qiu Yue quickly composed herself, assuming she had grasped the implication, and curtsied deeply. “Thank you, Mistress. I’ll deliver the message at once.”  

She left.  

Cui Cui fidgeted nervously. “Mistress, was it wise to tell her? This whole matter is so confusing—I still don’t understand it.”  

“They’ll find out sooner or later,” Lan Yi replied.  

Cui Cui realized she was right. A living person had been arrested, and if Aunt Zhou couldn’t reach them, she would eventually draw her own conclusions. By telling her now, they were doing her a favor—one that might yield more useful information in return.  

**  

In the rear courtyard where Aunt Zhou resided, mistress and maid were also deep in conversation.  

“She really said that?”  

Aunt Zhou couldn’t stay seated, rising to press for details.  

Qiu Yue nodded. “The mistress said it herself, but she refused to elaborate. I didn’t dare push further for fear of angering her, so I hurried back.”  

“You were right not to ask,” Aunt Zhou muttered, pacing restlessly before nodding. “Just getting that one sentence is more than enough—my efforts these past two days weren’t wasted.”  

Qiu Yue reached out to steady her. “Auntie, you should sit. Even though it’s been three months, you haven’t been sleeping well lately. You ought to take better care of yourself.”  

“It’s fine.” Aunt Zhou brushed her off. “With this news, I’ll sleep soundly tonight.”  

“At least this weight is off your mind,” Qiu Yue murmured.  

“I was too softhearted,” Aunt Zhou admitted quietly. “Once I left that life, I should’ve cut all ties. But I couldn’t resist meeting him twice—”  

She let out a cold laugh. “Nearly ruined myself because of it. They say women of the night are heartless, but compared to those men, we’re far from it.”

“Auntie, don’t say that,” Qiu Yue consoled her. “You cherish old sentiments, but who knew he had no conscience and ill intentions? Now that he’s been seized by Prince Yi’s Residence, it’s his just retribution. He won’t be able to extort you anymore.”

Aunt Zhou sighed in relief, nodded, and finally sat down in the chair before her.

“The people in the mistress’s courtyard aren’t allowed to leave. How did she manage to send out the news and receive word back?” Qiu Yue then asked curiously. “She ignored you, Auntie. Did she seek help from Consort Jiang instead?”

Aunt Zhou chuckled. “Wouldn’t that be like feeding meat to a tiger’s mouth?”

Qiu Yue realized her mistake and laughed too. “This servant was mistaken. Then—?”

“Perhaps there was no need to send word. Someone was already keeping an eye on things here,” Aunt Zhou said meaningfully.

Qiu Yue, having followed her out from the House of Pleasure, quickly grasped her implication. With a mix of surprise and inexplicable excitement, she asked, “Auntie, are you saying that Prince Yi and the mistress—”

“Don’t meddle in such idle gossip,” Aunt Zhou warned her. “Just keep it in mind. That’s not something we should interfere with.”

Qiu Yue hastily nodded.

Their conversation halted as they noticed Master Yang entering the courtyard.

“The master has arrived,” Aunt Zhou said gracefully, rising to greet him.

Master Yang stepped inside. “Hmm.”

Aunt Zhou probed subtly, “Has Master Zhao left? What urgent matter did he discuss with you for so long, even dismissing all the servants? I sent someone to fetch you for dinner, but they weren’t allowed in.”

Earlier, when Master Zhao had visited, servants were present for the first quarter of an hour, but afterward, the two men spoke alone. Aunt Zhou’s messenger could only see the pile of gifts and gauge Master Yang’s mood from his expression.

Master Yang took his seat at the head of the room, accepting the tea Qiu Yue handed him. His lips curled, and a hint of joy lingered between his brows. “Good news.”

Aunt Zhou leaned closer, her voice soft. “What good news? Share it with me, so I can rejoice too.”

Master Yang was easily swayed by his beloved concubine’s coquetry. He took a satisfied sip of tea and said, “It’s not the right time to tell you yet. You’ll know soon enough.”

“Master—” Aunt Zhou tugged at his sleeve. “Do you not even trust me? I promise not to tell a soul.”

“Alright, alright,” Master Yang surrendered under her affectionate pleading. Setting down his teacup, he added, “But you mustn’t breathe a word of this now. It wouldn’t be good for Wen Xu’s reputation.”

Something to do with Yang Wen Xu?

Aunt Zhou was taken aback and pressed further. With a glance, she dismissed Qiu Yue from the room.

Once they were alone, Aunt Zhou wheedled a little more, and Master Yang finally revealed, “The Zhao family has a young daughter, just fifteen this year. Tell me, wouldn’t she be a good match for Wen Xu?”

Aunt Zhou: “…”

Even with her worldly experience, she was stunned.

She swallowed hard and asked, “They’re willing to give their daughter to the young master as a concubine? But he’s still in mourning.”

“They’re willing to wait three years until the mourning period ends,” Master Yang said smugly, then corrected her. “Not as a concubine.”

If it were just a concubine, they wouldn’t invest so much—making the girl wait years would be too great a risk and too costly.

Aunt Zhou thought for a moment, then gasped. “Do you mean… as his principal wife?”

Master Yang nodded, his eyes narrowing as he extended a palm: “Her family is willing to provide this much dowry.”

Aunt Zhou: “…”

Her mind buzzed, not with numbers like five hundred, five thousand, or even fifty thousand, but with the thought: “What about the first wife? She—”

She was still alive.

She was Yang Wen Xu’s lawful wedded wife.

Master Yang snorted, his lips curling downward: “She won’t live that long.”

Aunt Zhou stared at him blankly, speechless.

Master Yang cleared his throat and tried to explain: “You’ve seen Lu Shi’s condition yourself. Does she look like someone with a long life? I’m just thinking ahead for Xu’er—that’s a father’s duty. Besides, in all these years at the Yang family, Lu Shi hasn’t even laid an egg. I haven’t made Xu’er divorce her yet—that’s already being more than fair to her.”

Aunt Zhou opened her mouth, wanting to say the accounts didn’t add up that way. But then it occurred to her—wasn’t this exactly how Master Yang kept his books? Marry off a daughter-in-law, squeeze her dry, then marry a new one to start the cycle anew. Master Yang might be a failure at other businesses, but this kind of transaction was second nature to him.

“Don’t go spreading this,” Master Yang shrewdly reminded her again. “This is a private agreement between me and the Zhao family.”

A cold dread crept into Aunt Zhou’s heart as she forced a smile: “Don’t worry, Master, I know what’s important. But… won’t the young master object?”

“Marriages are decided by parents—he has no say in the matter,” Master Yang said confidently. “Besides, Master Zhao has assured me his youngest daughter is exceptionally beautiful. When I find the right moment to tell Xu’er, he’ll agree.”

With that, he urged Aunt Zhou: “Didn’t you call me back for dinner? Why haven’t you had the meal served yet? All this talking has made me hungry.”

Aunt Zhou murmured an “Oh,” then stumbled out the door to instruct Qiu Yue.