Chapter 46: Scheming
Yao Wei took some time in the afternoon to visit the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Previously, when he met up with his dissolute friends, they always went to the Qiong Tower.
Ever since You Zhimu got into trouble, they switched to this place.
Guo Zhaohuai, with his sharp eyes, spotted Yao Wei entering the establishment and called him over.
“Isn’t your father-in-law hosting a celebration banquet today? As the son-in-law, why are you here at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion instead of accompanying the distinguished guests?”
Guo Zhaohuai was the eldest grandson of Duke Guo Pi of Zheng, highly favored within his family. He spent his days indulging in food, drink, and leisure, acting with utter impunity and disregarding everyone else.
However, in the past two years, the political landscape had shifted, and new powers had risen. The Duke of Zheng’s Mansion was no longer as prominent as it once was. He gradually reined in his behavior, took up a post at the Court of Diplomatic Relations as a “Clerk of the Attendant Officials,” and became more composed.
Yao Wei sat down dejectedly and poured himself a cup of hot tea.
Several courtesans, seeing him, approached with sweet, chirping voices to tease him.
Yao Wei, feeling agitated, waved them away impatiently, dismissing them. He then took a sip of hot tea to calm his nerves and said with a cold laugh:
“Did you hear? Xue Liu, that wretched girl, is back.”
Guo Zhaohuai scoffed upon hearing this.
“What’s the big deal? If she’s back, she’s back. Are you going to throw a welcoming party for her?”
Seated beside them was Lu Sheng, the son of Lu Yunzhong, a Clerk of the Ministry of Works of the sixth rank.
His family’s official position was slightly lower, and their lineage was not particularly distinguished. He usually fawned over Guo and Yao, adept at pleasing them.
Hearing this, he glanced at Guo Zhaohuai and chuckled maliciously.
“Xue Liu has grown up, is she good-looking?”
Yao Wei shot him a look and remained silent.
Lu Sheng then said, “It does bring back memories of childhood fun. Others are never as interesting as Xue Liu. She’s as weak as a chick, yet her eyes seem to want to kill. The impotent rage of the weak is what I enjoy watching the most.”
Seeing their nonchalant demeanor, Yao Wei’s mind conjured Xue Sui’s sharp, cold eyes once more. His heart tightened inexplicably, and he leaned forward, lowering his voice, saying:
“I’m telling you, this Xue Liu is incredibly strange now. Could she have stayed in the Old Mausoleum Swamp and picked up some ghostly aura?”
Lu Sheng and Guo Zhaohuai exchanged glances.
They froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Lu Sheng poured Yao Wei some wine and teased, “How did a lowly concubine’s daughter scare Third Master Yao so badly? I don’t believe it, after ten years, Xue Liu can really turn the world upside down? How about this, let’s find an excuse to invite Miss Xue Liu out, reminisce about old times, and help Third Master Yao suppress this evil spirit!”
Among them, Guo Zhaohuai was the most composed.
Seeing their teasing, he shook his head.
“It would be best to have Princess Ping Le make an appearance. Without Princess Ping Le, it would be less entertaining.”
It wasn’t just less entertaining.
It was less of a reliance.
They all knew this in their hearts.
On the day of Old Duke Xue’s birthday, they had gone too far, nearly costing Xue Liu her life.
If Princess Ping Le hadn’t stepped in that time, they would have been in serious trouble. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten off so easily, and the Xue family wouldn’t have caused trouble afterward…
Yao Wei, understanding but not saying it aloud, pondered and nodded.
“I suspect she’s become arrogant because she’s going to Prince Duan’s Mansion and has gained confidence. However… if this girl truly gains Prince Duan’s favor, it won’t be good for us in the future…”
Guo Zhaohuai glanced at him dismissively.
“If you ask me, it’s better if she marries into Prince Duan’s Mansion. It’s always inconvenient for her at the Xue family. Once she’s at Prince Duan’s Mansion, if Princess Ping Le wants to cause trouble for her, won’t it be easy?”
Ping Le was Prince Duan’s own sister, and their relationship was close.
The men spoke one after another, their eyes meeting with a hint of ambiguity.
In their eyes, Xue Sui was merely a lowly concubine’s daughter, not to be feared. The one to guard against was Prince Duan.
As long as she didn’t gain Prince Duan’s favor, Xue Liu would never be able to rise in status…
After several rounds of drinks, everyone was somewhat intoxicated, and their words became even more unrestrained.
The air was once again filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Bang! Something darted past the curtain…
Yao Wei asked in a low voice, “Who?”
He quickly ordered a servant to check.
The servant returned and reported, “Third Master Yao, it was a leopard cat that ran past…”
Yao Wei nodded, thinking he was being overly cautious. He shook his sleeves, fueled by alcohol, and got up to go to the latrine.
Lost in thought, he entered slowly, his eyes half-closed.
Who would have thought that just as he lifted his robe and lowered his pants, before he could relieve himself, he felt something heavy pounce on him from behind…
“Meow!”
A sharp cat’s meow pierced the silence.
Yao Wei felt a sharp pain in his back and instinctively stumbled forward a couple of steps…
The latrine at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion usually had a lid that led directly to the cesspool. For some reason, the lid was missing today, and the opening was empty. He fell straight in and rolled into the cesspool. After a few splashes, before he could cry for help, he was submerged in the cold, foul water. His nose and mouth were blocked, and his flailing hands, trying to climb out, only sank him deeper…
The people outside were still eating and drinking, none of them noticing what had happened in the latrine.
After a long while, the attendant servant, not seeing anyone emerge, went to investigate.
Upon seeing the scene, he was utterly terrified, his soul nearly flying out of his body.
“This is bad, Third Master Yao has fallen into the cesspool!”
–
Xue Sui, accompanied by Xue Yue Lou, was in a private room on the second floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
The private room was elegantly decorated, and through the hazy, carved window screens, one could see outside.
As the commotion arose, they went out to watch the spectacle.
Xue Sui stood by the railing, looking down at the servants frantically hauling Yao Wei out of the filthy place, dripping wet. She couldn’t help but smile knowingly and glanced at Xue Yue Lou beside her.
Xue Yue Lou’s face was pale, clearly quite shaken by the scene before her.
Xue Sui held her stiff shoulders and said gently:
“Don’t be afraid, he can’t hurt you. Look, he’s actually very weak. Just a wine-guzzling good-for-nothing who only bullies women and children…”
Xue Yue Lou wrung her handkerchief in her hands, trying to calm herself, but her lips trembled more violently.
The neglect and humiliation she had suffered at the Yao Mansion over the years had instilled in her a deep-seated fear of Yao Wei. Even in his current disheveled state, she instinctively felt afraid, her entire body tensing up nervously.
Xue Sui looked at her with determined eyes and said again, “Trust me. He won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”
Xue Yue Lou bit her lip, staring intently at her husband being carried into the hall like a corpse, laid on the ground, exuding a nauseating stench. He didn’t move at all, all his ferocity replaced by abject misery. Everyone who saw him recoiled in disgust.
He couldn’t hurt her anymore…
He truly couldn’t hurt her.
“Laugh,” Xue Sui said softly again, her tone carrying an undeniable certainty.
“Look at his pathetic state, laugh out loud.”
Xue Yue Lou slowly looked at her, her lips pulling into a smile that was more painful than crying.
Xue Sui looked at her moist eyes and smiled.
“Second Sister, look, Third Master Yao is truly pitiful, so smelly, so embarrassing. Even if he survives this ordeal, he’ll have no face to be arrogant again… Even the girls in the pavilion will have to call him ‘Feces Third Master’?”
Xue Yue Lou let out a snort and finally couldn’t help but laugh.
Xue Sui said softly, “See, isn’t it much better to laugh? It’s not that difficult.”
Xue Yue Lou softly hummed and held her hand, “Sixth Sister, thank you.”
Xue Sui smiled slightly, shook her head, and said nothing.
This punishment was certainly not enough; Yao Wei’s real retribution was yet to come.
However, she was afraid of frightening Xue Yue Lou too much to tell her more. The two returned to the private room, sat for a while longer, and had a cup of hot tea before casually heading home…
The street was as lively as ever, bustling with crowds.
Xue Sui suddenly stopped and turned around abruptly.
Xiao Zhao and Ru Yi followed behind her, “Young Lady, what is it?”
Xue Sui smiled slightly, “It feels like I’m being watched by something.”
