Wei Yanjun stood on tiptoes at Zhuiyue Pavilion watching Song Chuyi storm off angrily before clicking his tongue and coming down to drape his arm over Han Zhi’s shoulder. “Can’t you go a single day without frightening people? No wonder everyone says that offending you is truly offending a little devil. Isn’t it just that the King of Hell is easy to send off, but little devils are hard to deal with?”
Han Zhi reached out to push away his hand and glanced back toward the covered walkway, warning him in a low voice, “There are many people here. Be more careful! In a bit, go out and check whether my dear cousin is being well cared for. Don’t let him be spoiled, otherwise how will we control Sixth Miss Song later?”
Wei Yanjun was unwilling to do this task. Frowning, he was about to act coquettish when he turned his head and caught sight of Yingchun beside young Madam Fan. He immediately shut his mouth and stood properly beside Han Zhi without moving, looking completely obedient.
Yingchun’s voice always arrived before she did. Even now, she first called out with a laugh, “Heir Apparent.” Seeing Wei Yanjun standing beside him like a post, she simply acted as if she hadn’t seen him. She caught up and curtsied to Han Zhi. “Madam requests that you come over… Miss is not having an easy time right now.”
The gloom between Han Zhi’s brows deepened even more. He turned his head to instruct Wei Yanjun, “You go out first.”
He himself stepped toward Chufeng Pavilion, the main residence where young Madam Fan was staying. Upon entering, he immediately saw Han Yueheng kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down. He said nothing, raised his eyebrows, sat down on the rose-wood chair to the side, and watched young Madam Fan discipline her.
“With your appearance, you dare say you want to sit in that position in the future?” Young Madam Fan knew Han Zhi had entered, but didn’t even lift her head. Without taking her eyes off her vividly red-dyed fingernails, she spoke in a voice both delicate and alluring, completely unlike a woman whose children had already reached marriageable age. “Others are now pointing at your nose and cursing you for having no manners, yet your father and I aren’t dead—we clearly raised you with proper education. Is it that you’re too stupid, or that you never listened to what I taught you? If you want others to respect you, you must first be worthy of it yourself. You wanted to hold a flower festival—your aunt even gave you palace attendants, and flowers have long been tended by the palace’s flower master. But look at what you’ve accomplished now?”
Han Yueheng’s tears fell to the ground with a pitter-patter. Stiffening her neck, she was quite unconvinced. “You’ve always only known to scold me without distinguishing right from wrong. When have you ever truly discerned who was right and who was wrong? Today it was clearly Sixth Miss Song who used me to vent her anger, yet not only do you not protect me, you make me lose face!”
When Song Chuyi left, young Madam Fan had specially ordered people to give her a pot of green plum, a West Palace crabapple, and corn poppies. In outsiders’ eyes, wasn’t this patching things up on her behalf?
Young Madam Fan was too lazy to say more to her, not even glancing at her properly. “I’d like to protect you, but I have to see whether you can rise to the occasion! Today, if you had no selfish motives, if you truly wanted to host the flower festival well and win others’ favor, you should have found a way to stop Second Miss Shen’s words and separate her from Sixth Miss Song. But think about what foolish thing you did? That petty scheming of yours—are you afraid others won’t see it? Others didn’t erupt at you out of respect for your father and mother, but Sixth Miss Song had no need to give you face. What face do you think you have?”
She let out a cold laugh and looked at Yingchun with emphasis. “Take her away. Don’t let her leave the house these next few days, lest people think all the young ladies of Marquis Jinxiang’s manor lack proper upbringing.”
Han Yueheng felt both wronged and indignant, but facing young Madam Fan’s cold and distant gaze, she dared not argue. Shrinking her head and sobbing, she threw down her handkerchief and left.
Young Madam Fan began dyeing the fingernails of her other hand. From beginning to end, she hadn’t heard Han Zhi make a sound, nor did she find it strange. Suddenly she spoke. “Since you told His Highness you would strive for the Song family’s support, why are you indulging that girl in offending them?”
She had always valued Zhou Weiqi more than her own children.
Han Zhi didn’t take it seriously either. He was far more composed facing young Madam Fan than Han Yueheng had been. “Although we have this intention, we can’t make it too obvious. In any case, I already have a plan—I won’t be controlled by a little girl.”
Young Madam Fan hummed without speaking for a long time, looking like a clay bodhisattva statue. After a considerable while, she coolly spoke again. “Your marriage must also be hastened. In the capital, those of your age have long since settled on matches. If you want to marry someone of suitable status, you must temporarily cast aside all those young actors and entertainers.”
This time, Han Zhi didn’t immediately respond.
If things truly developed according to his expectations, why would he need to cast aside these young actors and entertainers? He might even be able to openly be with the person he yearned for day and night.
Even after getting on the carriage, Qing Tao was still somewhat uneasy. Pouring a cup of tea for Song Chuyi, she said anxiously, “Miss has always been able to keep her composure. How did you end up quarreling with a little girl today? After all, this is the first time you’ve gone out alone to socialize with other young ladies…”
Although by age, Song Chuyi should be that little girl, Qing Tao subconsciously felt Song Chuyi should be the one who considered the bigger picture.
Qing Yīng laughed and pushed Qing Tao. “In others’ eyes, our miss is the young one who should be indulged. Moreover, Miss Han didn’t fulfill her proper duties to begin with, so she can’t blame others for being angry with her.”
Qing Tao had always been tactful and easy to get along with. Previously, she had gotten along well with Hong Yu and Luyi. Now, although Qing Yīng had suddenly arrived and, despite being a latecomer, occupied a first-rank position like Ziyun, because Qing Tao knew she was sent by the Cui family and had martial skills, she not only didn’t feel slighted at being ranked lower but even respected her three parts. Hearing Qing Yīng’s words now, she nodded and sighed. “We can only think of it that way, but ultimately we’ve thoroughly offended people.”
Han Yueheng had clearly acted as Chen Mingyu’s weapon along with Shen Huiyi. Song Chuyi had never taken those two seriously, so naturally she cared even less whether she had thoroughly offended them.
What she cared about was Han Zhi.
This person was sinister and vicious, and had the perverse pleasure of enjoying watching people become flustered and unable to find their bearings. Her losing her composure out of anger at Han Yueheng—in Han Zhi’s eyes, this was truly taking the bait. Only then might he make further moves.
And someone like Han Zhi, who enjoyed playing with mice after catching them, would only unscrupulously reveal his true nature when the mouse was completely powerless to resist.
Since that was the case, she wouldn’t be so stingy as to begrudge performing a scene of losing her composure in anger for him to watch.
In the previous life, he had managed to maintain his genteel appearance until the very end. In this life, she would coldly watch how he would be stripped bare and reviled by all. Didn’t he enjoy the cat-and-mouse game of not killing immediately after catching prey, first exhausting the quarry through play? Then she would let him also experience this feeling of thinking he’d caught his prey, only to ultimately be caught and killed by that very prey.