“Go send word to Mother Consort,” he said. “We can make our move now.”

Meanwhile, Wei Rufeng came drunkenly to the back courtyard, kicking open the door with one foot. All the etiquette and rules he had learned in daily life were cast aside. He only felt that this kick was extremely satisfying, and the more intoxicated he became, the more lawless he grew. He dismissed all the maids and walked alone into the bedchamber.

Sitting properly in the room was a bride wearing wedding attire, her figure graceful and slender. The wedding dress was brightly colored, embroidered with patterns of mandarin ducks playing in water. Looking at her, he felt only mockery in his heart, so he strode over and roughly lifted the bride’s veil with one pull. The bride cried out in surprise and lowered her head bashfully.

Wei Rufeng reached out to lift the bride’s chin, examining her carefully. He saw her eyebrows like a new moon, eyes like autumn waves, red lips delicate and tender, skin like congealed fat. Usually, all his attention had been drawn to Han Yan, and he had never noticed that this concubine-born daughter of the Zhuang family was also such a stunning beauty. He had always prided himself on being a gentleman, not particularly interested in beauty, but now with drunkenness surging through him, seeing the beauty gentle and compliant before him, he couldn’t help but feel a twisted impulse and immediately pulled her toward him.

Zhuang Yushan had carefully applied makeup today to please Wei Rufeng, and had eagerly awaited his entrance to the room. Seeing his drunken appearance, though she felt displeased, she didn’t show it. She hadn’t expected this seemingly gentlemanly heir to be so rough, and she couldn’t help crying out in pain. Unexpectedly, her cry of pain seemed to stimulate Wei Rufeng, and his movements became even more violent. With a sweep of his hand, he tore Zhuang Yushan’s brand-new wedding dress in half.

In his drunken haze, Wei Rufeng looked down and saw that the body before him was indeed beautifully tight, that skin so smooth it was like jade, so he reached out to touch her face. This woman was a natural beauty. But when he looked again at that seductive and gorgeous face, it gradually transformed into another face. That face was not as beautiful but was delicate, with an obedient and gentle expression, yet eyes that were proud and untamed. At this moment, she was looking at him with disdain, as if she had never regarded him as worthy of notice. That gaze was arrogant and contemptuous, immediately arousing Wei Rufeng’s desire to conquer. He pounced like an enraged beast, violently tearing at the other person, his eyes fierce and his expression terrifying.

Just as Zhuang Yushan was about to tenderly express her love to Wei Rufeng, she saw his gaze toward her suddenly change, his movements becoming terrifyingly rough, as if he wanted to tear her apart and devour her. She shrank back uneasily, but he pounced on her, pulling her beneath him and kissing her lips. Zhuang Yushan felt overjoyed, thinking this was a display of Wei Rufeng’s affection for her, so she tried to make her movements more accommodating to him. But she saw Wei Rufeng in his frenzy, looking at her with infatuated eyes, murmuring: “Yan’er…”

Like a bolt from the blue, Zhuang Yushan froze, afraid she had misheard. But Wei Rufeng leaned against her ear, calling over and over: “Yan’er… Yan’er…” He said: “Why won’t you be the heir’s consort… but must be Princess Xuanqing. Yan’er. You never deign to look at me properly…”

Zhuang Yushan felt his ravaging movements instantly become disgusting and humiliating. She lay beneath Wei Rufeng, letting him act as he pleased, but had never felt such humiliation.

The name Zhuang Hanyan was like a nightmare of her entire life. She could always easily take away the things she wanted. But except for status, she was inferior to herself in everything. Now, she was already Princess Xuanqing, yet still wanted to dominate her own man. How could she swallow this insult!

Perhaps before she had only wanted to usurp her legitimate daughter’s position, perhaps she found that air of not caring about anything unpleasant to look at, but from their confrontations until now, she had never once won against Zhuang Hanyan!

Thinking of this, she suddenly stretched out both arms to embrace Wei Rufeng tightly, her body coiling around him like a snake, her charming eyes like silk: “My lord, be gentler…”

This man was her only bargaining chip. By capturing him, she could have a place in this mansion, and could strike down Zhuang Hanyan so she could never rise again.

Sounds of entangled bodies came from the room, a scene of spring passion. In the garden of the Wei Prince’s mansion, the Seventh Prince finished his last pot of wine and departed with a flourish of his sleeves.

Now, as for Han Yan arriving at the Ruyi Building, she had come in haste today, not having anticipated this turn of events. It was still the same old shopkeeper as last time. When Han Yan saw him, she said: “I trouble the shopkeeper—I need to see your master.”

The old shopkeeper, seeing it was her again, knew she might have good items in her possession, but the master couldn’t be disturbed without reason. He was somewhat displeased: “Miss, if you have something, you might as well let this old servant take a look. If this old servant cannot discern it, then we’ll invite the master—it won’t be too late.”

When Han Yan had come last time, she had been smiling and very amiable in her attitude toward him. But this time, her pretty face was slightly cold: “I’m sorry, we’re not here to pawn anything. We just want to ask your master to look at something. This item—you cannot appraise it.”

The old shopkeeper usually had some face before distinguished people. Apart from his master, when had anyone ever spoken to him this way? His expression immediately changed: “Miss, you’re not here to cause trouble, are you?”

Han Yan was too lazy to say more to him and directly pulled out the azure jade fish-tail hairpin from her hair, placing it on the table with a “bang,” her tone pressing: “I want to see your master!”

When Han Yan pulled out the hairpin from her hair, she was acting on a hopeful guess. She had examined that hairpin carefully in the mansion before, seeing that it didn’t seem ordinary—it would emit brilliant light even at night and had a faint fragrance. Fu Yunxi held a high position, and it was rare for him to give her something. Perhaps it was some kind of token.

When the shopkeeper saw the hairpin, he immediately froze in place, looking at her with some disbelief: “This…”

“So it’s the Princess,” came a laughing voice from behind. Han Yan turned around to see Jiang Yulou in splendid robes and gold ornaments, fanning himself as he walked over, cupping his hands toward her: “We meet again, Princess.” After speaking, he nodded to the shopkeeper, who understood and withdrew. Only Han Yan’s three people and Jiang Yulou remained in the room.

Han Yan didn’t waste words with him, directly throwing the handkerchief in her hand to him: “Can Young Master Jiang recognize this item?”

Jiang Yulou caught the handkerchief, felt it with his fingers, then carefully examined the contents on the handkerchief, frowning: “This is Shu brocade.”

Shu brocade? Han Yan was startled: “This seems somewhat different from ordinary Shu brocade.”

“Exactly,” Jiang Yulou looked at her thoughtfully: “This is special Shu brocade soaked in medicinal water by the Tang Sect, also called Tianguang brocade.”

Even though Han Yan had much more knowledge than other boudoir daughters, Jiang Yulou’s words truly puzzled her. Tang Sect, Tianguang brocade—she had never heard of these in her life. She had known that Jiang Yulou was well-informed, so seeking him out today was indeed the right choice.

Seeing her expression, Jiang Yulou understood. He gestured for her to sit down, personally poured her a cup of tea, then waved the fan in his hand, unhurriedly beginning to explain.

The Tang Sect of Sichuan was known throughout the world for its use of poison. The Tang Sect was a family-style martial arts sect, a hidden weapon family renowned in the martial world, dominating Sichuan with hidden weapons and poisons, walking the jianghu for hundreds of years. Tang Sect members were skilled at designing, inventing, and using various hidden weapons and poisons of amazing power. Tang Sect disciples rarely moved about in the jianghu, and Tang Family Fortress was surrounded by layers of mechanisms filled with hidden weapons, making entry extremely difficult. So although the Tang Sect was famous far and wide, it was always shrouded in a mysterious veil. Tang Sect people rarely moved about in the jianghu, acting mysteriously and not following conventional patterns.

Tang Sect disciples acted mysteriously, their behavior elusive, giving people a feeling of being both righteous and evil, impossible to fathom. Martial arts orthodoxy and national righteousness had no meaning to Tang Sect members—they only lived in their own world. They neither wished to associate with famous righteous sects nor deigned to ally with evil demons and crooked ways. But many martial artists in the jianghu feared the Tang Sect’s unparalleled hidden weapons and poisons, yet were unable to glimpse even a fraction of the true face of the Sichuan Tang Sect. So most martial artists considered the Tang Sect an evil sect of the jianghu, keeping respectful distance. Tang Sect disciples paid no attention to worldly opinions, continuing to come and go alone, walking the jianghu.

Tang Sect members were skilled at designing, inventing, and using various hidden weapons, and were expert at using poisons. The Tang Sect founder left behind the “Poison Classic,” with the teaching “Command all poisons to relieve people’s suffering.” It was stipulated that the Tang Sect leader must be held by direct descendants of the Tang surname, and the four treasures of the Tang Sect—the Classic, Robe, Pearl, and Staff—were kept by the sect leader to avoid harming the martial world and damaging the Tang Sect’s reputation.