Chapter 91: The Lurking One
Three years ago, the person whom everyone firmly believed to be dead suddenly came back to life, and had already begun a frenzied revenge right under their noses, which truly caught the Chu Family off guard from top to bottom.
Even when suspicions were rife earlier, no one dared to confirm that the mastermind behind it all was Yue Tang herself.
It was only after Chu Xin got into trouble and the Chu Family took such a hard fall that they could no longer avoid facing this fact despite their swollen faces.
That was that she had really returned, and her goal was to kill them all.
Currently, whether Xu He was suing Chu Xin or Chu Yan was suing Chu Ying, none of it was as fatal as the single fact that “Yue Tang has returned.”
Because Xu He and Chu Yan were merely suing, while Yue Tang was truly killing, and she had already secured the Du Family in advance; no matter if she came at the Chu Family openly or covertly, she could accomplish it.
“I bet she doesn’t believe it.” Chu Ying shifted his gaze from the almanac, his eyes as deep as an abyss. “Her survival made me realize that back then, we understood far too little about this princess raised in the depths of the inner chambers.
“If we still judge her by ordinary standards now, we will inevitably soon face a situation of no return.
“So you and I must firmly remember that she is the root of all the difficulties we are currently facing.”
After Chu Xuan heard this, his expression grew even more grave.
……
Yue Tang’s willingness to stay at Prince Jingyang’s Mansion was a major event for everyone from top to bottom.
Her residence was selected by Yan Bei in A Li’s name; it was Hua Qing Garden, the closest to A Li, with only a single vase gate connecting the two courtyards.
This place was also very spacious, more than twice the size of Qingyun Pavilion at the Xu Family. It was just a pity that it lacked a garden, making the front and back barren and revealing that their prince’s mansion lacked elegance.
However, as soon as Yan Bei frowned earlier, Jin Yi immediately arranged for craftsmen to carry hoes and build flower beds.
Yan Bei then led Yue Tang on a stroll around, pointing out the four directions, and told her about the most convenient south side gate of Hua Qing Garden that allowed entry and exit without going through the front gate. By the time they returned to the main hall, Gao An and Chief Clerk Jin Yu had arrived with the others.
Everyone came forward to pay respects in order.
Yue Tang had naturally prepared meeting gifts in advance.
She said to everyone: “Thanks to the prince’s care, from today onward, I will be staying here to impose on you all for a while, inevitably causing you trouble. If I offend in any way, feel free to come tell me at any time.”
Jin Yu smiled and said: “What an esteemed person the princess is? If not for the extraordinary circumstances, even our prince would not have been able to invite you. We have all long been looking forward to your arrival, and now having the honor to serve you is our privilege.”
Yue Tang said “You’re too kind,” took a set of thin-bodied white porcelain tea set from Huo Yun’s hands, and personally presented it to Jin Yu.
Everyone knew she and Yan Bei were A Li’s birth parents, but they also knew the two had already divorced. Now that she was treating them with guest etiquette, how could Jin Yi dare not comply? He naturally thanked her and accepted it.
As the chief clerk, he took the lead, and the rest followed suit with the proper etiquette.
Yue Tang gave Gao An and Cui Xun each a painting or antique of equal value to Jin Yi’s.
Jiang Shao received an unsharpened precious dagger.
Then came the guards and eunuchs who attended A Li closely, each receiving a certain amount of silver.
Finally, it was Yun Niang.
Yun Niang had personally cared for A Li since he was young, devoting herself wholeheartedly; she cared for this poor little master even more than her own child. When she first heard that A Li’s birth mother had returned, she felt some trepidation.
She was happy that A Li now had such a noble and capable mother, giving him another layer of support from now on, but at the same time worried that with Yue Tang’s high status and trusted people around her, she might not continue to allow Yun Niang to care for A Li.
Unexpectedly, when she came forward to pay respects, Yue Tang specially thanked her for her meticulous care of A Li, hoped she would continue to be so devoted in the future, and personally bestowed upon her a hundred taels of silver and a pair of jade bracelets.
Yun Niang’s tears welled up; as long as she could continue serving the little master, she was content, not to mention Yue Tang’s understanding nature? She kowtowed several times before standing up.
Yan Bei sat to the side, watching the mother of his child sitting in the host position receiving his people one by one, a strange feeling rising in his heart. At first glance
His child’s mother handled things impeccably, attending to every detail. She might kill without batting an eye, but for her own people, she was willing to give her all.
But as he watched, he felt heartbroken, thinking that although Yue Tang was not short of money, giving it out to so many people was no small sum. And he could not find any reason to compensate her.
He then said: “That’s enough. With this silver, you could buy a house outside.”
In the future, wouldn’t this Prince Jingyang’s Mansion be A Li’s anyway?
His son’s subordinates and servants were his subordinates and servants; being so polite was too distant.
Yue Tang took the last box from Huo Yun’s hands: “This is for you.”
Yan Bei’s back, which had been leaning against the chair, straightened up immediately: “There’s one for me too?”
Yue Tang opened the box: “How could I forget you, the host, when borrowing your noble land to stay? But your Prince Jingyang family has immense wealth, so I won’t give you silver.
“This is a life-saving pill personally made by Hua Lin’s grandfather. Back then, I survived thanks to this. Hua Lin has very few left; this was given to me by him, but now that I’m fine, I’ll give it to you.”
Though Yan Bei was flattered, upon hearing how precious it was, he dared not accept: “Why would I need to accept anything? Something left by the Hua Family should be kept by you.”
Yue Tang said: “Take it. It’s been almost three months since I fed you that poison pill last time; who knows when it might act up.”
Upon hearing this mentioned, Yan Bei swiftly withdrew the hand he had extended.
The great humiliation of being divorced after marrying in had not yet been washed away; he could not die yet.
Yue Tang saw him stuff the box into his bosom, curled her lips in a smile, and lowered her head to drink tea.
Back then, if not for him, how could A Li have been saved?
And if not for his meticulous care, how could A Li have waited until mother and son reunited?
His doting was boundless, but his merit was indeed great.
It was worth her life-saving pill.
Everyone sat and chatted for a while, getting more acquainted; Jin Yi and Jiang Shao withdrew first, followed by Gao An taking his leave with the others.
Yan Bei, knowing he would be spending day and night with Yue Tang from now on, felt inexhaustible energy even after a sleepless night.
Thinking of the confession Du Minghuan had personally written earlier, which he still held, and seeing Gao An still standing outside the courtyard gate, he took him to the yamen.
Yue Tang saw that under the door was empty, recalled that Wei Zhang had gone to check on the progress with Chu Yan, and that Xiao Huo and Hua Lin had gone to accompany A Li, so she stood up intending to tidy up herself.
Just as she passed through the curtain, a maidservant on duty in the outer room came in to report: “Report to the princess, Lan Qin has arrived.”
As Yue Tang paused, Lan Qin had already entered from outside.
“Princess, this servant just met Lady He and helped her calculate clearly the family fortune the Xu Family should divide to him, and asked her what her plans were next, but she had no ideas.
“However, she asked if the princess would return to Prince Duan’s Mansion in the future?
“I saw that she wanted to follow us, so I brought her over; please instruct, princess.”
Yue Tang said: “The Xu Family clansmen in her native Luoyang have already grown powerful; if she, a lone woman, goes back, her days won’t be good.
“Forget it; isn’t that house of ours still empty?
“Let her stay there at ease; she has money in hand, and if she wants to do some business to make a living, that’s up to her.
“Once I finish the matters at hand and return to the prince’s mansion, I’ll find a way out for her then.”
Lan Qin smiled: “Got it.”
“Come back.” Yue Tang called her back. “A few days ago, I asked you to inquire about the Dou Family and Guo Family; how did it go?”
Lan Qin walked back to her side and said: “I went through to the heir apparent’s tomb guardians in the outskirts of the capital and confirmed that every year on the heir apparent’s death anniversary, people from the Dou Family and Guo Family always go.
“Moreover, over these years, the Dou Family and Guo Family have had no private dealings with the Du Family; since the incident at Prince Duan’s Mansion, the two families have kept a low profile, hardly associating with anyone outside their own families and close relatives.”
Yue Tang looked at the horizon under the setting sun: “In two days, it will be brother’s death anniversary; go prepare the sacrificial items. This year, we’ll go to brother’s tomb to pay respects.”
……
Overnight, the father and children of the Chu Family trio became the talk of the capital inside and out.
With Chu Yan’s appearance, the old matter of Prince Duan’s Mansion, silent for three years, was brought up again. Insiders with sources took the opportunity to mention that Prince Jingyang had recently linked the He Family blood case with the death of Princess Yongjia at the imperial court.
That very afternoon, storytellers in teahouses and taverns vividly recounted the whole story of Princess Yongjia’s murder.
In the packed Zui Xian Ju, someone finally raised a question: “Speaking of which, were those refugees who surrounded and killed the princess really refugees?”
With this question, the discussions in streets and alleys reached a new height.
In a corner outside the crowd, a woman in her thirties gripped her cup, her knuckles turning slightly white. She turned to glance at the nanny beside her, stood up, took the stack of incense candles placed nearby, and silently walked out.
The horse carriage shook unsteadily, weaving through the city along the uneven stone-paved roads, and soon arrived at the Guo Family in the east of the city. The maidservant who came to greet at the door called “Madam” while taking the sacrificial items from her hands.
“Is the master home?”
“He just returned and is in the study checking the second young master’s homework.”
The woman glanced toward the inner residence, then lifted her skirt to step over the threshold and headed inside the room.
In the study, a lean man was listening to a ten-year-old child recite from a book, his brows furrowing and relaxing, completely unaware of the arrival in the courtyard.
“Master.” The woman entered, first met the man’s gaze, then turned and gently pushed the child out: “Recite the book fluently before coming back.”
She closed the door, walked to the man’s side: “Have you heard today’s news outside? The matter of the prince’s mansion is spreading like wildfire.”
“What did you hear?” The man put down the book.
The woman bit her lower lip and told him everything she had heard in the teahouse. Then she said: “That storyteller spoke with such detail, as if he had experienced it personally.
“Master, I think you and old Dou were right back then; the people who surrounded and killed the princess probably weren’t really refugees.”
The man stood up: “What else did you hear?”
“I also heard them say there’s probably something fishy between the Chu Family and the Du Family! But no one has evidence; it’s still just speculation.”
The man paced tightly in the room a few steps: “If there’s no trace to follow, how could there be speculation? Around the time of the incident, the Du Family already had suspicions, but they were suppressed.
“Now it seems that they could be suppressed precisely because the person behind had vast power. Doesn’t the Chu Family fit that perfectly?”
The woman stood up: “Then do you think the princess is still alive?”
The man gazed at her flashing eyes in the twilight, silent for a moment before shaking his head: “I don’t know. But behind the He Family blood case, there are definitely the princess’s people.”
“Old Dou is now called by Prince Jingyang to the Three Judicial Offices to supervise the case; he must know more than you! Why don’t you go ask him?” Waves surged in the woman’s eyes. “Emotionally, Prince Duan was your benefactor and promoted you all!
“Logically, until the prince’s mansion case is solved, we followers of the prince will never have a chance to rise!
“We’ve lain low for three years; this is an opportunity now!”
The man’s chest heaved: “But Prince Jingyang was associating with Du Minghuan as a cousin earlier, and now suddenly like this—I really don’t understand what medicine he’s selling in his gourd!
“What if the mastermind behind it is him, and this is just a trap for them to catch everyone in one net? Then wouldn’t we be completely wiped out? In the future, there wouldn’t even be anyone left to burn incense for the prince’s family?”
The woman took a deep breath too: “But if we don’t act now, there might not be a chance in the future.”
The man clenched his fist, then suddenly grabbed the sword from the wall: “I’ll go find old Dou!”
……
Yan Bei entered the Supreme Court, and the on-duty officials all came out to greet him.
Last night, Chu Xin had been imprisoned, and the entire yamen had been busy, accompanying Yan Bei until morning. Everyone was puzzled why he had returned so soon, feeling somewhat uneasy.
But as soon as Yan Bei entered, he asked about the He Family blood case, and everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The He Family blood case was almost openly linked to the death of Princess Yongjia back then, and with the Du Family having been sued into prison by the Chu Family a few days ago and only bailed out yesterday, trouble had arisen again!
The officials who had previously been somewhat wary of Du Minghuan now all became impartial and stern; if not for another case happening last night, they would probably have summoned Du Minghuan first thing this morning.
At this moment, someone boldly proposed: “Now we’re just one step away; why not strike while the iron is hot, interrogate Du Minghuan, and uncover the mystery of Princess Yongjia’s death back then!”
Yan Bei swept his gaze over the crowd in the hall, seeing a group shouting, another group exchanging glances, and Dou Yun standing at the very end—usually silent and only speaking when asked—now standing straight with his gaze occasionally turning toward him. He thought for a moment and waved his hand: “Withdraw first.”
Everyone fell silent and filed out.
Dou Yun turned back under the door, just catching Yan Bei looking at him; he paused, then lowered his head and walked back.
“Does Lord Dou have something to say?”
Dou Yun cupped his hands: “This official went to inspect the prison cells earlier and, passing the cell holding Chu Xin, heard the jailers say that Chu Xin’s capture was greatly related to Du Yu. Given the Du Family’s major suspicion in the case of Princess Yongjia’s murder, this official ventures to ask the prince: is the Chu Family also connected to Princess Yongjia’s death?”
Yan Bei’s gaze shifted slightly, propping one elbow on his knee as he looked at him: “Do you have evidence?”
Dou Yun froze. He bowed his head deeply: “This official merely ventures a guess and has no evidence.”
With that, he cupped his hands, retreated under the door, stepped over the threshold, and left.
Yan Bei’s gaze followed him until he was out of sight, then slowly picked up the file beside him.
