As Yuniang sat in the teahouse, she was furious to discover how useless the thugs she had hired turned out to be. Her attendant Yanchi wore a shamefaced expression and whispered, “Miss, I failed in my task. I never expected these men to be such useless fools!”
“Silence!” Yuniang snapped, her face ashen with anger.
From her seat in the teahouse, partially obscured by the crowd of onlookers, she could only make out vague shapes. As the crowd dispersed, she saw several large men dragging away the bound thugs.
Yuniang gritted her teeth in silent rage. When had Lingquan Town become such a den of hidden talents? Why were there so many busybodies interfering in others’ affairs?
With her men captured, there was no point in lingering. She needed to use her connections to bribe local officials and investigate the background of that fake Cui Jiu…
At least the marriage certificate was genuine and registered with the local records office. There was no need to fear an investigation on that front.
Having made up her mind, Yuniang saw no reason to stay and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, Liu Meintang, who had been watching from across the street, suddenly turned her gaze back and, after a moment’s observation, angrily gathered up her skirts and strode over.
Though Meintang’s leg injury had mostly healed, she usually walked slowly. Today, however, perhaps driven by anger, she moved much faster than usual. In just a few steps, she reached the veiled woman and yanked off her headscarf.
Instantly, she recognized the woman as the “old acquaintance from the capital” she had seen at the iron shop some days ago.
Meintang’s ability to identify Yuniang wasn’t due to any premonition. Earlier, when her husband had dislocated the jaw of that greasy young master, the man had repeatedly glanced toward the teahouse across the street. And when those righteous men dragged away the thugs, the desperate ruffians had also looked towards the teahouse more than once.
Meintang had noticed this and grown suspicious – not doubting her husband’s identity, but feeling that the truth of the matter was not as simple as the fat man’s claim of a chance encounter with an eloping wife. Someone must have instructed them to cause trouble!
So Liu Meintang had come straight over, somehow sensing that the veiled woman’s figure looked familiar. She approached and immediately pulled off the woman’s hat.
Recognizing Yuniang, Meintang’s anger flared. She had openly admitted to losing her memories of married life due to illness. She never imagined this woman would use that information to hire thugs to tarnish her reputation.
What grudge could warrant such despicable, vicious behavior?
Meintang glared at her and demanded, “Did you instruct those ruffians to wreck my shop?”
Yuniang hadn’t expected Liu Meintang to confront her so quickly. Struggling to maintain her composure, she replied, “Sister, what are you talking about? How would I know those men? Didn’t that man say you were his runaway wife? This is your private dispute. What does it have to do with me?”
Meintang almost laughed at the absurdity. She swiftly slapped Yuniang across the face, causing her head to jerk sideways. “You’re spouting nonsense! When that fat oaf entered the shop earlier, he shouted once at us, then spent the rest of the time smashing things. Even the villagers watching outside my shop were confused, whispering to each other about what was happening. You were drinking tea far from my shop, so how could you know he called me his runaway wife?”
In the past, when Yuniang associated with Liu Meintang, she always acted like a gentle, caring friend from next door. As a result, Liu Meintang had been very protective of her.
Later, even when Liu Meintang grew suspicious of her, she still maintained a facade of civility out of respect for Yuniang’s father, a veteran official of the Eastern Palace. She simply distanced herself without openly confronting Yuniang.
But now, with her memories gone, Liu Meintang had no such reservations. Spotting the flaw in Yuniang’s words, she didn’t hesitate to deliver a stinging slap!
Yuniang’s servants, Yanchi and Huaping, were caught off guard and failed to shield their mistress from the sudden attack.
However, once Huaping recovered, she immediately turned to the guards behind her and said, “Are you all stupid? Quickly pull Liu Meintang away!”
The guards all recognized Liu Meintang. Her imposing presence on the mountain had left a deep impression, and even though she had been away for over a year, in their minds she was still the formidable Miss Liu whose word was law. They were momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Moreover, some time ago, Young Master Ziyu had gathered these Dragon Guards and sternly instructed them never to mistreat Miss Liu. Anyone who dared to act against her without authorization would face execution!
With such an order from the young master, how could they dare to intervene rashly? They could only watch helplessly as Liu Meintang grabbed Yuniang by the hair and started slamming her head against the wall.
Seeing this, Huaping and Yanchi rushed to pull Meintang away. However, Meintang’s maids Fangxie and Bicao, who had caught up, were no pushovers!
When Cui Xingzhou had instructed the slave trader to select servants, he had considered that Meintang was beautiful but physically weak. In case her guards couldn’t react in time during an emergency, her maids needed to be able to hold their own. So strength and some knowledge of martial arts were the primary requirements!
The prince’s foresight was now proving its worth. Seeing their mistress in a fight and the opponent’s servants unfairly intervening, the two maids immediately pounced. They each tackled one of Yuniang’s servants, pulling hair and biting ears, using every dirty trick they knew!
These country girls fought viciously! Huaping and Yanchi soon forgot about loyally protecting their mistress, focusing solely on fending off the two wild women clawing at them.
Though Meintang lacked physical strength, her martial arts training remained. Using leverage and skill, she easily overpowered the frail Yuniang, repeatedly slamming her face against the wall until it was bruised and swollen. Yuniang swayed unsteadily as Meintang yanked her hair and pinched her cheeks.
However, hampered by her injury, Meintang quickly tired after a few moves. Bicao, having dunked Huaping in a nearby water trough, thoughtfully came to support her mistress: “Madam, please rest. I’ll take over!” She then proceeded to grab Yuniang by the collar.
Meintang was now swaying with exhaustion, but before she could fall, Cui Xingzhou appeared behind her to steady her.
To be honest, Cui Xingzhou had never witnessed women fighting like this before. Though his father’s mansion housed many female attendants, they typically employed subtle methods to harm each other. This kind of open brawl with fists flying was truly eye-opening for him.
Earlier, seeing that Meintang and her two country maids didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage, he had simply watched expressionlessly with his hands behind his back.
Since Meintang had identified Yuniang as the culprit, it was preferable to uncover his machinations.
Now, supporting his hot-tempered wife and noticing her sweat-covered brow, he mildly admonished, “Fighting in the street like this – what will people think?”
The Dragon Guards, unable to stand by any longer and seeing Meintang step back, prepared to intervene and separate the maids. However, Cui Xingzhou moved first, approaching the disheveled Yuniang and saying, “You have baselessly slandered my wife’s reputation. Please come to the magistrate’s office to settle this matter properly!”
Yuniang’s plans had all come to naught today. Though she had initially fled the capital with her father and experienced some hardships, her life has been one of privilege ever since. On the mountain, who would dare disrespect her? Even Ziyu had always treated her with courtesy.
But today, in the middle of the street, she had been beaten like a dog by Meintang and her servants. It was an utterly humiliating blow to her pride!
When the Dragon Guards finally pulled away the two maids and came to help her up, she viciously shoved their hands away. Too angry to waste words on this impostor Cui Jiu, she simply let her equally disheveled maid Huaping support her as she stormed out without a word.
Outside the teahouse, another crowd of spectators had gathered. Protected by her guards, she forcefully pushed her way through the throng of onlookers blocking the exit.
Cui Xingzhou made no move to pursue them. During the commotion in the teahouse, he had already ordered his secret agents to seize the opportunity to close in. Tonight, they would capture Yuniang for questioning.
As he pondered this, the woman in his arms let out a soft moan.
The fierce fight had drained Meintang’s strength, and her old wrist injury had been aggravated.
She hadn’t noticed during the heat of battle, but now that things had calmed down, she could only lean weakly against Cui Xingzhou. Watching Yuniang and her group flee, she urgently said, “Husband, don’t let her escape! We must question her about her schemes!”
Mo Ru, always quick-witted and aware of his lord’s intentions, didn’t want Liu Meintang interrogating Yuniang lest the truth be revealed. He interjected, “Madam, she has so many servants. If they all joined the fight, our master wouldn’t stand a chance! Besides, the thugs she hired have been taken into custody. The officials will surely get to the bottom of this. The shop is in shambles with all the broken porcelain, and we can’t receive customers like this. We should hurry back and clean up the store!”
This struck a chord with Meintang. Those ruffians had smashed many of the shop’s finest pieces, and she didn’t know the full extent of the damages. They needed to take inventory, report to the authorities, and ensure those thugs paid compensation.
Ignoring her aching wrists, she hurried back to assess the damages.
Among the onlookers were many of Meintang’s neighbors from North Street. They had heard rumors of her fiery temper, and today they witnessed her ferocity firsthand! Eager to show their neighborly spirit, they helped Meintang clean up the shop while cursing those good-for-nothing thugs.
After this commotion, Cui Xingzhou couldn’t very well leave. He instructed Mo Ru to stay behind and help the staff clean up, while he escorted Meintang and her maid Fangxie back to North Street.
Meintang had pulled so hard during the fight that one of her long fingernails had split, cutting the skin between her fingers and drawing blood.
Mama Li, who hadn’t gone to the shop earlier, was puzzled to see the young mistress leave in good spirits but return supported by the master, looking weak and sore. After hearing Fangxie’s account of what transpired, she couldn’t help but mutter “What a disaster!” under her breath.
Cui Xingzhou asked Mama Li to prepare hot water for Meintang to soothe her hands and feet. He also had her warm up the medicinal salve he had prepared for pain relief, melting it over a hot pot lid before applying it to Meintang’s injuries.
Perhaps due to overexertion, both of Meintang’s wrists were slightly swollen. Her usually fair, slender wrists were now puffy and inflamed.
Seeing this, Cui Xingzhou frowned deeply and finally scolded her in earnest: “Fighting someone in the street – what were you thinking? Don’t you know your hands are delicate and can’t handle such strain?”
Having calmed down, Meintang now felt somewhat guilty. She couldn’t quite explain why, but when she saw that woman earlier, an uncontrollable anger had surged within her, making her want to tear the woman to pieces… As a result, she had forgotten about her physical limitations.
When she had first recovered from her serious illness, she had asked Doctor Zhao about the condition of her hands and feet. The doctor had been vague, only saying that she had been hit by a speeding carriage while out shopping, leaving her with lingering effects on both her body and mind.
Meintang had been distressed about her physical weakness for a long time, but considering that surviving being run over by a carriage was already a blessing from heaven, she tried not to complain too much. She rarely dwelled on her physical limitations.
Now, hearing the concern in her husband’s voice, she felt a warmth in her heart and said, “I was so angry at the moment, how could I think of such things? Who would have thought that woman would take my casual mention of memory loss so seriously and scheme against me like this? I wonder what her motives were?”
Cui Xingzhou was quite puzzled as to why this shrewd woman had never suspected him. He decided to use this opportunity to probe further.
Cui Xingzhou asked, “That young man today also claimed to be Cui Jiu, saying he was your husband…”
Before he could finish, Meintang’s brows furrowed in disgust. “Please don’t speak of such filthy things, husband. What kind of gentleman was he? Nothing but a fattened pig! If I had truly married someone like that, I’d rather jump off a cliff than go through with the wedding!”
Amused by her reaction, Cui Xingzhou continued massaging her wrists as he casually inquired, “Then what kind of man would you marry?”
Meintang tilted her head to look at her husband. His features were deep and refined, with a straight nose and thin lips – the epitome of elegant, aristocratic handsomeness that grew more captivating the longer one gazed upon him.
“Naturally, a cultured and talented gentleman like you, husband!” Meintang said sincerely.
Unexpectedly, Cui Xingzhou’s expression darkened at her words.
There were far too many cultured gentlemen in the world!
Come to think of it, Young Master Ziyu was quite handsome, carried himself with dignity, and was skilled at chess – truly a talented scholar.
Cui Xingzhou had never given much thought to the depth of Meintang’s relationship with the man calling himself Ziyu. But hearing her words today, he suddenly wondered – if she had truly married an obese man back then, would she have genuinely fallen in love with the cultured bandit leader who rescued her?
A sour feeling he’d never experienced before spread through his heart – this Liu girl had a weakness for handsome men!
Shallow women who judged men solely on looks without considering character truly lacked insight! Had she been just as sweet and affectionate with Lu Wen back then?
With medicine applied to her hands and feet, Meintang could only lie still on the bed.
Perhaps due to her earlier anger, she felt a headache coming on. She nuzzled against her husband’s hand, encouraging him to massage her temples.
Cui Xingzhou’s hands, calloused from martial arts practice, felt wonderfully soothing as they kneaded her pressure points.
Having experienced his massages before, Meintang had grown quite fond of them.
The Prince of Huaiyang had been brooding silently. Seeing her stretch out her head like a cat, he hesitated before lightly pressing her temples with his long fingers. As he massaged, he probed further: “Do you remember anything about that woman? Why would she want to harm you like this?”
Resting her head on Cui Jiu’s leg, Meintang closed her eyes in comfort and murmured, “I don’t remember. I hate being deceived most of all. It’s just as well I’ve forgotten someone like her…”
Cui Xingzhou’s fingers paused again. He suddenly stood up, coldly saying he needed to check on the situation at the magistrate’s office and left.
Meintang’s head fell onto the soft blanket as he abruptly rose. She propped herself up on one arm, bewildered – her husband’s mood had been so unpredictable lately, always seeming to harbor some unspoken frustration with her… Could it be… that men also had a few uncomfortable days each month? Was he in a foul mood due to physical discomfort?
As the Prince of Huaiyang left their North Street residence, the evening breeze did little to dispel the gloom in his heart.
That young woman’s words were irritating. If she learned the truth later, would she change her tune and abandon him?
Cui Xingzhou felt that if that were to happen, he’d be better off without the hassle. Why bother trying to keep her around or caring about her fate?
Just then, the carriage driver arrived to pick him up. He boarded without a backward glance.
The thugs had already been taken to the military camp for questioning by his secret agents, so Cui Xingzhou headed straight back to his camp.
These ruffians weren’t as tough as the ones who had kidnapped Liu Meintang before. After a few lashes of the whip, before the branding irons were even heated, they quickly confessed.
Although they didn’t know Yuniang’s name, they revealed that the young man who had paid them silver was in the teahouse, following a veiled woman.
The marriage certificate found on the fat man was presented to the Prince of Huaiyang intact.
Cui Xingzhou examined the certificate closely – it was an old, yellowed document, but well-preserved. The writing and the Great Yan household seal were visible.
The marriage certificate was genuine, but the man claiming to be Cui Jiu, son of a Capital merchant, was an impostor.
Cui Xingzhou was now very curious as to why Yuniang had kept Liu Meintang’s marriage certificate for so long. It seemed she had been deliberately looking to cause trouble for Meintang.
Out of boredom, Cui Xingzhou ordered his men to bring him the dossiers on Liu Meintang and her acquaintances from when he had thoroughly investigated her background.
At the time, although the dossiers had been presented to him, he had only skimmed through the one on Meintang’s paternal family, not bothering to examine the others closely.
After all, he hadn’t put much thought into it back then. He was merely using her as bait – a disposable pawn to be discarded after use. Why would the prince need to concern himself?
Now, he deliberately chose to look at the dossier on the Cui merchant family that Meintang was originally supposed to marry. It stated that after Meintang had been kidnapped by bandits, the Cui family, fearing embarrassment and ridicule from friends and relatives, had hurriedly found a matchmaker and selected another merchant’s daughter in Capital to replace Meintang. This girl had ridden the bridal sedan chair and hastily married the merchant Cui Jiu.
Now, the Cui family’s ninth son already had one wife and two concubines, with several children. He had long forgotten about the kidnapped Liu Meintang.
Cui Xingzhou coldly tossed the dossier aside, genuinely feeling that it was for the best that Meintang hadn’t married into such a fickle family. If that Cui Jiu was anything like today’s impersonator – fat and greasy – it would have been nauseating just to look at him.
With this thought, he casually picked up the dossier on Meintang’s maternal grandfather’s family.
The long-unopened dossier was covered in a layer of dust. As Cui Xingzhou shook it off and began reading, his eyes suddenly fixed on a name, staring at it intently.
Liu Meintang’s maternal grandfather was the leader of the once-renowned Shenwei Escort Agency, which had operated throughout the southern and northern regions. His surname was Lu, given the name Wu!
For a moment, Cui Xingzhou’s mind raced, wondering about the relationship between Lu Wen and Lu Wu.
He quickly leafed through the Lu family dossier but couldn’t find any mention of a person named Lu Wen.
“Mo Ru!” he suddenly called out.
Mo Ru, who had been waiting outside the tent, hurried in upon hearing the prince’s summons.
“Go and have someone find the Lu family genealogy from the Shenwei Escort Agency. Also, compile a dossier on their relatives up to five generations removed!”
Mo Ru didn’t dare look at Cui Xingzhou’s fierce expression and quickly left to carry out the order.
As Cui Xingzhou stared at the characters in the dossier, a vague idea formed in his mind – could it be true, as the fake Cui Jiu had claimed, that Liu Meintang had eloped to Resting Mountain with someone she knew?
What was Lu Wen’s connection to her maternal grandfather’s family? Could it be a case of cousin romance, like in those theatrical plays?
A thousand thoughts raced through Cui Xingzhou’s mind. The idea that Meintang and cousin Lu Wen might have been childhood sweethearts left a bitter taste in his mouth as if he’d swallowed a fly.
Once they captured and interrogated Yuniang, Lu Wen’s background would be revealed. He was determined to find out just how deep Meintang and Lu Wen’s love had been!
Tonight, he had already dispatched his secret agents to surround the inn where Yuniang was staying. They were waiting for nightfall to launch a surprise attack and capture the entire group.
He was usually able to control his emotions. Realizing he had become somewhat agitated, he lay down on the bed fully clothed, calmly awaiting news of his agents’ success.
As his mind settled, Cui Xingzhou felt he was overthinking things when it came to Liu Meintang.
After all, the name Lu Wen was quite common – there were countless people with that name throughout the land. It was likely just an alias, chosen at random.
Judging by Ziyu’s demeanor, he didn’t seem to be from the jianghu world. His every movement revealed a refined upbringing, quite different from Liu Meintang’s deliberately affected manners and etiquette.
Most importantly, this Ziyu had failed to protect Liu Meintang, allowing his new love to bully her so badly. Even the most beautiful sentiments would wither like yesterday’s flowers after such treatment.
The Prince of Huaiyang rarely dwelt on trivial matters, but his mind kept circling back to these thoughts until nightfall when the lead secret agent arrived with a grave expression. “Your Highness, Yuniang has escaped. I have failed in my duty and await your punishment!”
Cui Xingzhou narrowed his eyes and asked, “How did she escape?”
“My subordinates and I had already bound Yuniang and put her in a sack on the carriage. But as we were leaving the inn, we encountered General Gong Sun Ye, one of Prince Sui’s men. He surrounded us with his troops and declared that Miss Sun was Prince Sui’s adopted daughter. He threatened to rain arrows upon us if we didn’t release her…”
After the agent finished his shamefaced report, Cui Xingzhou fell silent. He hadn’t expected Prince Sui of Huizhou, neighboring Qingzhou, to be involved in this matter.
The subordinate thought Cui Xingzhou would fly into a rage, but instead, the prince paced back and forth before ordering someone to bring him the recently copied dossiers on Qingzhou officials.
There, it was written: “Shi Yikuan served as Prince Sui’s guard commander in the sixth year of Yonghe, later transferred to Qingzhou as Commander-in-Chief.”
Cui Xingzhou had originally intended to merely capture and interrogate Yuniang, but he had unexpectedly hooked a much bigger fish – Prince Sui!
Realizing this, Cui Xingzhou waved his hand, dismissing the agent without rebuke.
After all, Prince Sui Liu Pei, as the late emperor’s beloved younger brother, had always been exceptionally domineering. Even when the previous emperor was alive, he had to show some leniency towards him.
Unfortunately, since the previous emperor’s death and Consort Xi’s faction taking power, once-glorious royal relatives like Prince Sui had fallen from grace.
Among the non-imperial princes being suppressed by the court, there were also descendants of the Great Yan imperial family.
Just as he, the Prince of Huaiyang, was having his wings clipped by the court through troop reductions and streamlined administration, Prince Sui’s day of reckoning was not far off.
Now it seemed that Shi Yikuan’s negotiations with the Resting Mountain rebels were not only in line with the court’s wishes to strengthen his power, but Prince Sui had also played a significant role behind the scenes!