The evening banquet lasted from the hour of You until the beginning of Xu. Yang Jingyuan heard from Xiangyou’s report that both hosts and guests were delighted, and his eldest brother had personally seen Sheng Fengze to his carriage. Nothing untoward had happened; Sheng Fengze had merely honored the Yang family with his presence at dinner. Relieved, he recalculated the silver needed for repairing the city walls one more time before extinguishing the lamp and going to bed.

Yang Jingyuan retired at the hour of Hai. He was still drifting off when his door was suddenly thrust open. Yang Jingyuan reflexively leaped from his bed, all traces of sleepiness vanishing from his eyes. Seeing it was Xiangyou who had stumbled in, Yang Jingyuan froze: “What happened?”

Xiangyou’s face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead, his mouth working but no words coming out.

The sound of crying could be heard from outside. Yang Jingyuan grabbed an outer robe from the screen and threw it on as he ran out.

The sounds came from the direction of the main courtyard. Across the lake from Mingyue Residence was the main courtyard’s Bailu Hall. As if the banquet hadn’t ended, Bailu Hall was brilliantly lit, rows of lanterns snaking out from the courtyard.

Just as Yang Jingyuan was about to run over to investigate, Xiangyou’s anguished cry suddenly rang out behind him: “Third Young Master, First Master has passed away!”

A chill swept through Yang Jingyuan’s heart, like that day when Sheng Fengze had forced him to jump into the lake—a bone-deep cold. He flashed to Xiangyou’s side and yanked him up from the ground: “Say that again.”

Xiangyou, his collar gripped so tight he could barely breathe, tears streaming down his face struggled to speak: “Little Xiang from Concubine’s household… brought the news.”

Little Xiang had served Concubine Liu for ten years and was her most trusted maid. Yang Jingyuan’s hand loosened, and Xiangyou fell to the ground, kneeling and crying: “Young Master, hurry! Sister Xiang says the Concubine is terrified!”

The shadow before him wavered, and Yang Jingyuan had vanished.

Concubine Liu had sent Little Xiang to inform Yang Jingyuan. The news from Lefeng Court couldn’t be contained and reached the main courtyard in an instant. When Yang Jingyuan arrived at Lefeng Court, he looked back to see the lanterns from the main courtyard and his brothers’ residences already brightening the night.

“Third Young Master, you’re too late! First Master has passed!” The matron waiting at the courtyard gate came forward weeping, her eyes looking past him. She and the Lefeng Court servants deliberately blocked the entrance.

Without a word, Yang Jingyuan pushed past her and flashed into the courtyard.

“Third Young Master! First Master is in the inner chamber, you should wait for Madam…” The matron urgently pushed a maid beside her, sending her after Yang Jingyuan.

Yang Jingyuan had never run so fast; in a few breaths, he reached the main house. The east wing’s door was closed, with two maids standing guard. Seeing Yang Jingyuan approach, they bowed but before they could speak, he pushed the door open with one palm.

“Third Young Master, you cannot enter!”

Yang Jingyuan had already reached the bed.

Concubine Liu sat numbly on the bed. Her hair was loose, wearing only a bright red embroidered lotus undergarment with a casual outer robe thrown over. Yang Jingyuan quickly averted his eyes, seeing a withered arm exposed beneath the half-raised bed curtain.

His heart pounded wildly twice as he stepped forward and lifted the curtain. One glance, and his face instantly flushed red, then turned deathly pale. He quickly pulled the blanket up to cover his father’s body and dropped the curtain.

The movement on the bed startled Concubine Liu from her daze. She let out a short, sharp cry and threw herself forward: “Master! Master!”

“Third Young Master, perhaps… you should wait for Madam in the hall.” The two-door guards had followed him in.

Yang Jingyuan turned mechanically, his ears filled with Concubine Liu’s crying. He opened his mouth and heard his voice: “Madam will have questions for Concubine. Help her tidy up and dress properly.”

The two maids hesitated, and Yang Jingyuan thundered: “Now!”

His voice crashed like thunder, frightening the two maids into rushing forward.

Yang Jingyuan strode out the door, flashes of what he’d just seen of his father and Concubine Liu running through his mind. He closed his eyes.

“Master!” Another cry of grief rang out.

Yang Jingyuan opened his eyes as Madam Yang’s figure flashed past him. First Brother, Second Brother, their wives, nephews and nieces, and crowds of servants seemed to materialize before his eyes, filling the hall to capacity in the blink of an eye.

Madam Yang’s cry of shock came from the east wing. Before Brothers Jingshan and Jingyan could enter, Matron Chen quickly retreated and stood at the door: “Young Masters, First Young Madam, Second Young Madam, please wait in the hall.”

Yang Jingshan and Yang Jingyan, red-eyed, knew Concubine Liu was still inside and forcibly stopped. Yang Jingshan saw Yang Jingyuan standing numbly at the door and gripped his shoulder, shaking it: “Third Brother, you arrived first—how is Father?”

How is he? Yang Jingyuan kept his mouth tightly shut.

“Third Brother, what exactly happened?” Yang Jingyan also asked urgently.

What happened? He had been fine during the banquet, fine when he retired to his chambers. Yang Jingyuan suddenly thought of Sheng Fengze: “It was him, it was him!”

“Who?” the brothers asked in unison.

Yang Jingyuan muttered: “He killed Father, I’ll kill him!” His mind was filled only with Sheng Fengze’s face and overwhelming hatred. He violently shook off his elder brother and ran out like the wind.

“Third Brother!” Yang Jingshan chased after him, watching Yang Jingyuan’s figure vanish in an instant.

“Elder Brother, what did Third Brother mean? Where did he go?” Yang Jingyan was completely confused.

Yang Jingshan stamped his foot hard and shouted: “Someone come! Find a way to stop Third Young Master! Break his legs if you must, but don’t let him leave the estate!”

He didn’t understand Yang Jingyuan’s words either, but his declaration about killing someone made Yang Jingshan worry that Yang Jingyuan’s rage would cause an even greater disaster.

The east wing’s door opened, and Xueting supported the grief-stricken Madam Yang as she walked out.

She looked woodenly at the two brothers: “Seal off Lefeng Court, all servants return to their rooms and are not to move without permission. Matron Chen, see to it. Anyone who leaves without permission can be beaten to death without reporting it. First Son, Second Son, your wives should take the children back first.”

Yang Jingshan’s heart lurched. He glanced at the still-closed east wing door and quickly gave the orders.

Under Madam Yang’s command, Lefeng Court quieted for moments. She collapsed into an armchair and ordered Xueting: “Ask Concubine Liu to come out.”

The east wing door finally opened. Concubine Liu still had loose hair but was properly dressed, a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth as two maids supported her out. She desperately tried to look back, making muffled crying sounds.

Xueting stepped forward and pulled out the handkerchief, and wailing immediately filled the hall: “Master!”

Madam Yang had reached her limit of patience. She grabbed the incense burner from the table and threw it at Concubine Liu: “Silence!”

The incense burner missed Concubine Liu and crashed onto the floor.

“Mother, what exactly happened to Father?” Before Yang Jingyan could finish asking, Yang Jingshan had already walked into the east wing. He quickly followed.

The sound of the falling incense burner shocked Concubine Liu to some clarity. She looked at Madam Yang, collapsed to her knees, covered her mouth with her hands, her shoulders violently shaking.

“How did the Master pass?” Madam Yang coldly watched Concubine Liu. With her long hair in disarray, she looked like a reed flower in the autumn wind, fragile and tragic.

Remembering her husband’s unclothed body on the bed, Concubine Liu in only her red undergarment—Madam Yang couldn’t sort out her feelings.

Concubine Liu’s hands still covered her mouth as tears gushed forth.

“Help the Concubine to rest in the west wing, attend to her carefully.” Madam Yang didn’t want to ask anymore. She watched silently as Concubine Liu was supported away, then looked up to see the two brothers emerging with pale faces.

“Go summon Imperial Physician Gu.”