HomeA Cup of LoveYi Ou Chun - Chapter 62

Yi Ou Chun – Chapter 62

His tall frame bent down, and a gentle weight settled against her crown—his cheek. “Fourth Miss, are you perhaps growing somewhat attached to me now?” His voice carried a hint of smugness, like sunlight filtered through gossamer silk—bright and soft, yet not blinding. He held her lightly, afraid of startling her, his arms hovering in a half-embrace. Yet his desire for closeness hadn’t diminished in the slightest, and as he tilted his head slightly, he could feel the softness of her hair.

He was always so sure of himself, and it seemed he had guessed correctly again. However, she dared not respond. After hesitating, she gently pulled away, stepping back half a pace to say, “Commander, I cannot make any promises to you now. You’ve invested too much effort in me, and I fear I may disappoint you in the future.”

He understood her meaning—because she had previously agreed to Li Congxin’s proposal, she had to prioritize that commitment now, even if she regretted it.

Shen Run nodded slowly. “Even now, marrying the Danyang Marquis’s eldest son would be better than marrying me. Though the Dianqian Command appears prestigious, we have too many enemies. No Commander has ever met a good end. Any young lady who marries me would inevitably live in fear. You’re afraid too, aren’t you, Fourth Miss?”

Qingyuan remained silent for a long while before finally murmuring an agreement. “I remember when our entire family moved from Hengtang to Youzhou. We rushed along the road for over half a month, and when we finally arrived, there were many guards at the manor gate, counting heads one by one… My heart was in constant suspense then, not knowing when an imperial decree might come down and send us all to prison. I am afraid, but…”

But it depended on whether this person was worth her taking such risks and living in fear. In truth, she didn’t consider herself afraid of challenges—like how she had prepared to counter Madam Hu’s repeated attempts to harm her. Now that Qingru had ended up in such a state, though it indirectly served as revenge against Madam Hu, sacrificing a young lady’s reputation was too high a price to pay. She too had developed thoughts of retreat. As he said, she could no longer stay with the Xie family, nor could she return to the Chen family. Her only path forward was marriage. Unfortunately, she had made promises too hastily, and now she had lost the qualification to discuss marriage with anyone else. She could only wait for the Danyang Marquis’s household’s response.

Shen Run didn’t pressure her, having agreed to wait for Li Congxin’s return before further discussion. Between his various methods and working both angles with Li Congxin and the Xie family, it would be enough.

He looked up at the sky—tonight’s moon was half-full, with the fifteenth day approaching in two more days. The moonlight cast a misty glow throughout the garden, and against this hazy backdrop, the person before him appeared even more delicate. He said, “I can’t stay here much longer. Too many eyes are watching, and a lengthy stay would cause gossip.” As he spoke, he looked around, “Where is your courtyard? Let me escort you back.”

Qingyuan silently turned and walked forward, but after a few steps said, “I can return by myself. Today’s commotion was enough to intimidate the Madam.”

But Shen Run merely smiled, “This level of intimidation is hardly enough. Keeping her around serves my purposes well.”

The Danyue Pavilion was not far ahead, and maids were already waiting with lanterns by the door. He escorted her to the entrance, finally fixing his gaze on her face as he took a small bottle from his sleeve pocket. “This is the bruise-healing medicine from the office. Apply it, and you’ll be better tomorrow. I must return to the capital, but if anything happens, send someone directly to the Commander’s mansion. There are guards on duty, and they will come immediately at your command.”

Qingyuan nodded, “Thank you, Commander, for taking care of everything.” She called a young maid to come hold a lantern and light the Commander’s way out of the garden.

He laughed, “Does Fourth Miss worry I won’t find my way home?”

She smiled with narrowed eyes, remembering how he had wandered through the garden earlier. If left to find his way back alone, he might well end up walking into someone else’s courtyard.

He naturally didn’t object to her arrangement, raising his arm to wave goodbye. The aqua-blue pipa sleeves with their gold thread trim, in such subtle colors, gave him a uniquely scholarly air.

Qingyuan watched until he disappeared into the distance. Baoxian, who had returned first, softly called out, “Miss, shall we go back?”

Only then did she withdraw her gaze, giving an embarrassed smile before turning to enter the courtyard.

Too much had happened today, and upon returning, she felt utterly exhausted. After washing up, she lay down, staring blankly at the canopy above her bed. The light, soft gauze billowed slightly in the breeze, and she watched as the canopy moved slowly, rippling like waves on water.

Her mind was in a haze, many thoughts flowing past, but what finally settled in her heart was Shen Run’s gaze. Though he hadn’t said it, Qingyuan knew he must have been at the Huguo Temple today, watching everything that happened. If she had fallen into the bandits’ hands, he would have appeared immediately.

She suddenly felt secure—the kind of security that comes from having someone supporting you from behind, even in the most dangerous situations. Because he too had no one to rely on, it created an illusion of mutual dependence.

Yet he was hardly so pitiful, she thought with a self-mocking smile. High office and generous salary sustained him; she was always the one indebted to his kindness. But speaking of this man, he was quite strange—at their first meeting, he maintained his official dignity and spoke formally; at their second meeting, when he came to the Xie family banquet, he not only swindled the family out of a large sum of silver but also gave her a jade pendant. That pendant was practically like a betrothal gift, and later he insisted she keep it, as if accepting it made her one of his household…

Somewhat reluctantly, she reached under her pillow and pulled out a small pouch. The jade pendant was still inside. She took it out and dangled it by its cord, examining the grimacing taotie design that had initially seemed so ugly and off-putting. But now it gave her a different feeling—beneath its fierce appearance lay a kind of foolish charm that could make one smile after looking at it long enough.

The light from the eaves lantern filtered through the window gauze, and the young lady’s slender arm holding the jade pendant cast a clear shadow through the bed curtains, like a shadow puppet show. Baoxian, on night duty, propped herself up and gave a light cough. The person behind the curtain hurriedly put away the item and casually turned over.

Baoxian couldn’t help but sigh. Third Young Master had lost focus—spending a month busy returning to Hengtang to seek his parents’ blessing, unaware of how much had happened in that month. As for Commander Shen, he had approached Fourth Miss flawlessly. How could a young gentleman possibly match such an old fox?

Of course, the old fox’s methods weren’t limited to simply winning over the young lady. Two days later, the Commander’s Liaison Officer arrived at the Xie family gate, presented his credentials, and directly requested to see the Envoy’s wife. Madam Hu anxiously paced in her courtyard for quite some time before finally gritting her teeth and instructing Granny Sun to lead the visitor to the reception hall.

The Liaison Officer was named Yan Fu, with an eternally serious face and thick sideburns covering his cheeks, looking almost like Judge Zhong Kui incarnate. Upon seeing Madam Hu, he clasped his hands in greeting, and his first words were a request for her to dismiss all attendants.

Madam Hu knew she couldn’t escape this predicament, but had no choice but to endure. She gave Granny Sun a meaningful look, having her send everyone away.

As the maids standing in the corridor retreated to the back hall in single file, Madam Hu forced a smile and said, “To what do I owe the honor of your visit, Captain?”

Yan Fu replied, “I come on the Commander’s orders to ask Madam if you are acquainted with Liang Yi, the Xilong Guard’s Zhenwei Lieutenant.”

Madam Hu was startled. Previously, she had entrusted Liang Yi to hire assassins in an attempt to eliminate Qingyuan. She had thought that since Liang Yi held an official position, he would be even more eager than her to distance himself from the matter. Even if those men were caught by the Dianqian Command, they could never trace it back to him. But this useless man had failed in his task and even managed to implicate himself. She suddenly became flustered and didn’t know how to respond.

The armored official cast a sidelong glance at her, not waiting for her answer before continuing, “I recently visited Lieutenant Liang on orders. Yesterday, he came to the Dianqian Command office and had an earnest discussion with the Commander. Lieutenant Liang mentioned the Envoy’s wife, showing your relationship is quite close. Madam, though every household has its internal conflicts, and occasional friction is common—when children misbehave, beating or scolding is permissible—but attempting to take someone’s life as you did is truly rare. Lieutenant Liang wrote his confession yesterday, stating everything was done under your instruction. The Commander, considering the Envoy’s face, has suppressed this matter and sent me to inform you first, to hear your thoughts. Moreover, the bandits who disrespected your Second Miss at Huguo Temple have also confessed truthfully, and unexpectedly, they too were connected to you…”

Madam Hu’s complexion had become terrible to behold, a grayish-blue that made one fear she might drop dead from fright at any moment. Yan Fu observed this, a smile spreading across his rough features. “As I understand it, Second Miss is your daughter. What could drive you to treat your flesh and blood this way? Do you hate the Envoy so much that you wish to eliminate all his daughters? Your equal treatment of both close and distant relations is truly admirable to me.”

Madam Hu heard these piercing words but couldn’t refute a single one. The Dianqian Command was indeed formidable—they could unearth an entire root from the tiniest thread of evidence. Now that Shen Run had caught her weakness, she had known this day would come. Previously, just submitting a memorial to her husband had extorted ten thousand taels from the Xie family. Now with such leverage, who knew how they planned to bleed her dry?

This dog-eat-dog world was just like this. These past two days, appeasing Qingru had already exhausted all her energy. Looking back now, reaching this point was the most ironic thing under heaven—she had to spend vast amounts of silver to conceal the truth of her daughter’s violation. Sometimes when self-reproach struck, she wished to end it all, but upon careful thought, she couldn’t. With Qingru in this state, if she lost her mother’s protection, how would she survive in the future?

So she had to endure. She let out a long breath, “Since the Commander sent you today, he must already have plans. Why bother asking me?”

Yan Fu clicked his tongue, “From Madam’s tone, you seem resigned to fate? I came to see you before going to the Old Madam—surely you understand the Commander’s consideration? If that’s the case, no need for further discussion. I’ll go see the Old Madam now and handle this officially, clean and simple, yes?” As he spoke, he clasped his hands and turned to leave.

It was Granny Sun who hurriedly stepped forward to block him, saying, “Please calm your anger, Captain. Our Madam has been unwell these past few days and didn’t quite catch your meaning… Everything can be discussed. Please cool your temper, Captain. Our Old Madam is advanced in years, there’s no need to trouble her with these matters…” Seeing Madam Hu still stunned, she called “Madam” twice, making meaningful expressions suggesting she should yield and treat this as paying money to avoid disaster.

Madam Hu was, after all, a noble family’s matron, though now being led by the nose gave her the feeling of a tiger fallen to the plains. Despite her resentment, she had no choice. She forced herself to lower her voice, “Since you’ve come today on the Commander’s orders, let’s speak plainly. What price does the Commander name?”

But Yan Fu gave her a mocking smile, “I came on the Commander’s orders to inform you of the investigation’s results, but he never instructed me to accept any hush money from you. Please don’t implicate the Commander. This is merely my suggestion for your benefit. Madam understands well—after all, the Envoy’s household’s reputation is at stake. If people learned that Second Miss’s mother was behind her harm, it wouldn’t sound good if word got out.”

This was wanting to act as both prostitutes and uphold moral standards—who didn’t understand these ways of officialdom? Madam Hu said, “Very well, please guide me then, Captain.”

Yan Fu thought for a moment, then raised one hand and waggled it, “Madam can pay this amount. I’ll handle everything else afterward, you can rest assured.”

“Fifty thousand taels?” Madam Hu stared at that hand, feeling dizzy from its movement, both angry and helpless. She lowered her voice, “Fifty thousand taels is no small sum. How could I gather such an amount!”

Yan Fu smiled without warmth, “The Xie family is a centuries-old noble house, and Madam’s maiden family has held high office for generations. A mere fifty thousand taels is but pocket money for you, how could you not produce it? I came today to inform you, not to negotiate. The choice is entirely yours.”

Fifty thousand taels… fifty thousand taels… The annual income from several estates barely reached seven or eight thousand taels. Shen Run’s extortion demanded several years’ worth of estate earnings in one stroke, yet he called it “mere”—showing just how great his appetite was.

But the price had been named, and there was likely no room for negotiation now. At this point, better to buy peace with money. So she gritted her teeth and nodded, “I’ll find a way to gather the fifty thousand taels, but how can I be assured this will settle the matter? Won’t there be demands for a hundred thousand or hundred fifty thousand later?”

“Madam is being overly cautious. Once those two fake monks are dealt with and Lieutenant Liang’s confession is handed to you, that will be that. However, before then, we need Madam to help our Commander with something.” Yan Fu said, “The Commander has taken a fancy to your Fourth Miss, as you know, but now the Danyang Marquis’s son has become involved. The Commander wishes for you to somehow block this marriage. Think about it, Madam—if the Commander marries your Fourth Miss, you’ll be the Commander’s proper mother-in-law. For the sake of the Commander’s household’s dignity, we couldn’t let the Commander’s mother-in-law’s family become a laughingstock. Such a connection would be far more useful than silver. Consider it carefully, Madam—am I not right?”

Madam Hu gave a cold laugh. Shen Run was truly calculating—this way he would gain both person and wealth. After such a huge roundabout, in the end, it was all to benefit him.

Yan Fu was still waiting for Madam Hu’s answer. He knew this titled lady was probably disgusted beyond measure at this moment, but if not for needing to disgust her, this trip wouldn’t have been necessary. Things in the world tend toward fairness—she harmed others, and in turn, fell into another’s trap. This was karma. However, the Dianqian Command’s people weren’t known for patience. Seeing her delayed response, he frowned, “If Madam finds this difficult, we can drop the matter. Farewell.”

Of course, it had to be discussed, even though Madam Hu later smashed things in her room in anger—the situation at hand left no room for ambiguity.

Whatever happened, she had to get past this hurdle first; future matters could be dealt with later. Though she wished she could devour that fourth girl alive, with things as they were now, continuing to cause trouble would harm not only Qingru but also Zhengze. Nothing could be allowed to happen to Zhengze—he was the Xie family’s eldest legitimate son. If he were shamed because of his mother, his entire future career and prospects would be ruined.

Over the next few days, she exhausted every means to gather the fifty thousand taels. Taking out all her private funds wasn’t enough; she had to secretly sell jewelry as well. Even after patching holes by making new ones, and gathering everything she could, she still came up five thousand taels short. She couldn’t face going back to her maiden family to beg, so she had no choice but to sell off two shops in Huifeng to barely scrape together the amount.

With the money problem solved, what remained was Li Congxin’s marriage proposal. This wasn’t so urgent—nine out of ten in the Xie household believed the Danyang Marquis couple would never agree to this marriage. They were imperial relatives after all, and particularly given the previous friction between the families, if this marriage went through, future interactions between in-laws would be awkward. How could someone as shrewd as the Marquis’s wife want such a daughter-in-law, bringing herself such discomfort?

So when a maid came to report that the Danyang Marquis’s third son had arrived, she felt not a ripple in her heart.

Qingru heard this as she lay in bed, not moving, but tears rolled from the corners of her eyes. She knew this girl was still unwilling, but this feeling could only end here. She lowered the bed curtains for her and said softly, “If you can’t marry the young lord, Qingyuan won’t marry him either. It’s better this way… for both to let go…”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Chapters