Chapter 4: The Cheng Family’s Second Young Mistress
“I said, I am the Cheng Family’s Second Young Mistress. My husband’s family are officials. If you harm me, you will surely face dire consequences!”
I wanted to scare him a little, to make him stop.
The man laughed in extreme anger, “Nonsense! The Cheng Family’s Second Young Master is not married, so how can there be a Second Young Mistress?”
The coachman ran over with food. Upon seeing someone holding a knife to my neck, he panicked. The food fell to the ground, and his body trembled like a sieve, “Second Young Mistress! What happened to you? What should we do…”
I shouted, “Hurry back to the residence and bring people to save me!”
“Yes…”
The coachman agreed, his spirit all but gone. He got into the horse carriage and sped away.
The masked man seemed to freeze after seeing the coachman.
The knife was slowly lowered.
The eyes behind the mask kept scrutinizing me.
I thought, he was indeed scared.
“Are you truly the Cheng Family’s Second Young Mistress?”
“Absolutely true.”
“When did you get married?”
“Yesterday.”
He took two steps back and mused, “Everyone says the Cheng Family’s Second Young Master is dead. Why would you marry a dead man?”
“A marriage contract from childhood, a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold. A person without trust cannot stand; a person who breaks trust will not achieve fame. Never mind that he is dead; even if he were currently a wanted criminal, I would still have to marry him,” I said through gritted teeth.
He laughed.
“In that case, Cheng’s Second Child is indeed fortunate.”
After laughing, he seemed to recall something and said, “You are from Dongchang Prefecture, aren’t you?”
“So what if I am?”
Having just arrived in Yangzhou, my accent had not changed. He must have recognized it.
He planted his long saber on the ground and said, “Shandong, a place that produces heroes! I never expected women to be so righteous!”
His accomplices, several men who had jumped into the Grand Canal to chase Feng Gao but failed, returned and angrily surrounded me.
Just as he was about to say something, a horse galloped out from the east side.
Before I could see clearly, the person on the horse pulled me onto the horse and sped away.
“Hey, you–”
The masked man wanted to shout something but stopped himself. Although I couldn’t see his expression, I could sense his shock.
My heart was pounding.
Had I escaped one wolf’s den only to fall into a tiger’s lair?
Just as I was about to cry out, the person on the horse said urgently, “Miss, don’t you recognize me?”
Such a familiar voice.
It was Qin Mingxu, who had treated my foot.
The horse galloped to a narrow alley before he finally pulled back on the reins with a “Hoo,” and stopped.
I dismounted and saw Qin Mingxu, dressed in a white robe, smiling at me.
“How did you get to Yangzhou?”
“I was already on my way back to Yangzhou by boat. However, something happened halfway, so I detoured north, and today, I’ve returned. Back then, at the silk shop, I saw you, but the accountant was settling accounts with me, so I didn’t have time to call out to you. By the time I finished, you were already gone. The young boy said you were heading towards the ferry terminal. So I rushed over. Seeing you surrounded by several men, it seemed like trouble, so I–”
He said, fearing I wouldn’t understand, “That ‘Tiansheng Tower’ is the Qin family’s ancestral property.”
I had heard of it when I was in Dongchang Prefecture. The Grand Canal, the Wan family’s Tiansheng Tower, and Tiansheng Silk Shops were spread across various prefectures. Wherever there was a market town, there was a Tiansheng Tower branch. It was one of the top businesses in Yangzhou Prefecture.
“Such a coincidence…” I murmured.
He patted the horse’s back and said, “Isn’t it? I truly have a connection with Miss.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
This lecher, he really loses all pretense in just a few words.
“Miss, those men at the ferry terminal just now, they seemed to be from the ‘Green Robe Sect,’ the foremost gang in the martial world…”
“Stop calling me Miss. I am already a married woman. Young Master Qin, please be respectful,” I reminded him.
Only then did he notice that I had already tied my hair up and was no longer dressed as a maiden.
“So quickly,” he sighed.
The mischievous glint in his eyes dimmed.
The joy of reunion and the sudden unexpected events crashed against the rocks, scattering nameless disappointment.
He put away his playful expression and said softly, “Have you been well these past few days?”
Hearing this, I felt a pang of sadness.
My father and stepmother’s rejection. The hardships of traveling south by boat. Being looked down upon by the Cheng Residence’s doorkeeper and being led through a side entrance. The Old Madam’s furious outburst, ordering the house guards to beat me to death. A shocking declaration in the hall, deciding to marry the deceased Second Young Master. The confrontation with robbers on my wedding night. Today’s various twists and turns.
In just a few days, it felt like half a lifetime had passed.
Crossing mountains and traversing waters.
All I relied on was my own courage.
“I am doing quite well. My husband’s family treats me well.”
I turned around, “It’s getting late, I should go back.”
“A major case occurred in Yangzhou Prefecture a month ago, are you aware of it?” he asked.
I stopped in my tracks.
He continued, “Lord Xun, the Supervisor of Grain Transport, embezzled official grain destined for the Imperial Court and was beheaded.”
The Supervisor of Grain Transport held a rank of Fourth Grade, one level higher than the Prefect of Yangzhou. Such a high-ranking court official being executed was naturally a sensational event locally. However, why was Qin Mingxu telling me this?
He said, “Cheng’s Second Child had dealings with people from the ‘Green Robe Sect’ before. A few days ago, I heard he was drinking with Lord Xun’s orphan on a boat. Miss, I want to say… you…”
He fell silent, realizing he had said too much. After a pause, he bowed and said, “Take care.”
I understood Qin Mingxu’s meaning.
He wanted to tell me that my husband, Cheng Huaishi, was entangled in trouble. Although he was now dead, the disaster was not over, and there might be many future repercussions. The Green Robe Sect members who surrounded me at the dock might have been provoked by Cheng Huaishi.
I walked forward with my head down.
No matter what lay ahead, the path I chose, I would bear its joys and sorrows myself.
When I reached the main road, the coachman, driving the carriage with over a dozen house guards, arrived.
The coachman saw me and nervously asked, “Second Young Mistress, are you alright?”
I shook my head, “I’m fine.”
I suddenly remembered Qin Mingxu saying, “Cheng’s Second Child had dealings with people from the ‘Green Robe Sect’ before,” and “Those men at the ferry terminal just now, they seemed to be from the ‘Green Robe Sect,’ the foremost gang in the martial world…”
The shock of that masked man…
A spark ignited in my mind.
I instructed the coachman, “Return to the ferry terminal!”
However, by the time the horse carriage reached the ferry terminal, those men in green robes had vanished without a trace.
I looked at the Grand Canal, with boats coming and going, and lost myself in thought for a moment.
Could that masked man be Cheng Huaishi?
Why did he have to hide and claim to be dead? Did he have some unspeakable hardship?
Could this disaster be related to the beheaded Supervisor of Grain Transport, Lord Xun?
The Grand Canal, like a drifting jade belt, flowed from the depths of the sky’s white clouds. Its clear waves rippled, flowing towards the boundless wilderness. The willows on the embankments on both sides swayed bleakly in the deep winter of October.
The soft glow of dusk gilded the Grand Canal, gilding the magnificent Yangzhou.
With a heart full of thoughts, I returned to the residence.
The steward was waiting for me at the entrance.
So, he had returned before me.
Just as I was about to ask him about the child’s condition.
He said urgently, “Second Young Mistress, you’re finally back.”
“What is it?”
“Just now, a group of people from a money house came to the residence, saying that Second Master had borrowed usurious loans from them during his lifetime and they are here to collect.”
“What did the Old Madam say?”
“After noon, colleagues from the Canal Troops invited her to their residence. The Old Madam, Eldest Young Master, and Eldest Young Mistress all went to the banquet. They won’t be back for a while. I was planning to send a servant boy to inform them…” the steward said.
“Wait!”
I quickly said, “Don’t inform them. At the banquet, there are likely many people. If others find out, where will Second Master’s reputation go? Where will the Old Madam’s reputation go? Where will the Cheng Family’s reputation go?”
The steward was enlightened and said, “Yes, yes, yes, Second Young Mistress is right. I was thoughtless.”
I walked inside.
In the main hall, a group of men were sitting.
A man with a full beard saw me arrive and loudly demanded the money back.
I extended my hand, “Since you are here to collect a debt, bring the IOU.”
The bearded man took out a piece of paper from his sleeve.
I took it and looked at the words on it.
The handwriting I saw in the study last night intertwined with the IOU before me.
After a moment, I said, “This is not Second Master’s handwriting.”
The bearded man calmly said, “What? The person is dead, and you want to renege on the debt?”
I smiled and said to the bearded man, “A person’s handwriting has a spirit. You can imitate the form, but not the spirit. I think you are trying to take advantage of Second Master’s death to extort money.”
“You!” The bearded man pointed at me.
I said, “If you are unconvinced, let’s go to the government office together. Compare Second Master’s usual handwriting with the handwriting on this IOU. Don’t just imitate it seven or eight parts and try to fool people. I need to remind you, under the Great Ming Law, what is the penalty for groundless extortion and blackmail…”
My certainty stunned him.
The bearded man thought for a moment and left with his band of ruffians.
Before leaving, he said resentfully, “You wait!”
They left.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
When the Old Madam returned in the evening, the steward reported this matter.
The Old Madam looked at me and said, “Sang Yu, where did you see Second Child’s handwriting?”
This was the first time she had called me by my name.
“Replying to Mother, last night, in the study, your daughter-in-law glanced at it a few times.”
“You only glanced at it a few times, yet you remember it so well… You are a good child.”
The Old Madam’s eyes welled up with tears, remembering her youngest son.
“If it were me or your elder sister-in-law, we would be too embarrassed to confront these ruffians. Giving them money is a small matter; I fear it would only embolden these scoundrels. Sang Yu, you are bold and meticulous, a good hand at managing household affairs. The fields and businesses that Huai’er used to manage, perhaps they should be handed over to…”
As the Old Madam spoke, the Eldest Young Mistress cast a sinister glance at me.
