◎Setting the Trap◎

The two of them had arrived at the main hall where meals were served a step ahead of the women. Since the hall was full of men at the moment, they didn’t go in.

Qu You stood beneath the corridor eaves, watching the fine rain that was just about to stop. Before long, sunlight was already filtering faintly through the clouds. She reached out a hand to catch it, but no raindrops fell. “The western frontier really does get little rain—that patch of dark cloud didn’t last long at all.”

She sat down hugging one of the pillars and idly touched a violet beside her that had been soaked by the rain. “I guessed right after all. Wang Yiran was none too pleased with my birthday gift—she must still harbor resentment over her son’s death, one that hasn’t faded even now. I noticed her complexion wasn’t good either; I’d guess she isn’t in a happy mood today at all. Wu Fang clearly knows his wife is displeased, and yet he still insisted on holding a birthday banquet for her. This isn’t really about her birthday at all—if you ask me, he’s just using it as an excuse to curry favor with the people of Ruozhou.”

“Indeed,” Zhou Tan said, shaking out the oil-paper umbrella in his hand. “I saw Wang Juqian in the hall just now. That man has a booming voice and doesn’t stand on ceremony. From the way he talked, he’s still worried about the movements of the Xishao people this spring—just as Xiaoyan said, he doesn’t seem like a man full of scheming calculations.”

Qu You nodded. “Wang Juqian is willing to work for Wu Fang partly for his sister’s sake. But this birthday celebration was entirely arranged by the concubines in Wu Fang’s household. I tried probing a little just now, about the relationship between the two of them as husband and wife…”

She didn’t continue, only shook her head, laughing a little bashfully. “Just now I put on quite an awkward, coy performance in front of the hall, but Wang Yiran didn’t seem to mind at all—in fact, she was already very warm toward me even before I’d brought out the birthday gift. I think there’s a good eighty percent chance… it’s just as we suspected.”

Zhou Tan’s eyelids flickered. “Mm. That’s high enough odds. This makes things easier to handle. Even if we’re wrong, there will still be other ways.”

The two of them chatted a little longer, and then the women on the other side began making their way over as well. Qu You took her leave of Zhou Tan and was about to head back to the women’s side when she heard Zhou Tan ask from behind her, “This coy performance of yours… what did it look like?”

Qu You froze, turned back to glare at him. Zhou Tan lowered his eyes and let out a soft, quiet laugh, then tossed aside the oil-paper umbrella and went into the hall.

She had only just reached Wang Yiran’s side when the general’s wife—who moments ago had been playing dumb and looking for a chance to needle her—rushed over with great warmth, saying, “Oh my, Master Zhou really is quite the handsome talent! Such a fine husband—did the young lady find him herself?”

Qu You looped her arm through Wang Yiran’s, seeming a touch bashful as she leaned back behind her shoulder, and answered, “Oh, not at all. Though my husband and I fell for each other at first sight, this marriage was granted by His Majesty at my husband’s own request. He used to be… quite favored and trusted. His demotion this time is merely a temporary arrangement by the Crown Prince’s faction. His Highness the Crown Prince still thinks of us—even though we’ve come to Ruozhou for now, we’re bound to return to court eventually.”

A group of the ladies put their heads together and whispered among themselves, and by the time they turned back to her, they were considerably warmer than before. Wang Yiran looked at her with something unspoken in her eyes, and even had her seated right beside herself at the banquet table.

Qu You spent the meal covering her face with one hand, shyly answering the questions posed by people from all directions, while quietly gathering information on the side.

Back at the academy, she had been one of the rare gossip experts in the history department. Now, in no time at all, she had roughly memorized everyone’s identities and background, and had even coaxed out of Wang Yiran the important piece of news that two of the concubines in the Wu household showed her little respect, and that Wu Fang himself left too many household matters unattended.

Zhou Tan’s appearance earlier had served two purposes. First, it was meant to pique everyone’s curiosity so she’d have the opening to mention that he was “once quite favored and trusted”—even his marriage had been granted by the Emperor himself, and his demotion was only due to factional strife around the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince succeeded in ascending the throne, why would there be any worry about him having no future?

As for his idle, carefree existence for now, it was also meant to suggest he believed he’d surely return to court sooner or later, and so had nothing to fear.

This story was half true and half false. Her pretense of feigned reserve was meant to make everyone believe it a little more—after all, once these women believed it, they would surely go home and embellish the tale even further when telling their families.

Among the people of Ruozhou there were bound to be some who had grown estranged from Wu Fang. Hearing this account, the sharper-minded among them would likely reconsider the situation in Ruozhou all over again.

As for the second purpose… women are naturally drawn to good looks, and after he’d made his rounds through the hall, he was bound to have left a favorable impression on quite a few of them.

Sure enough, the two schemes worked wonderfully. After Wang Yiran’s birthday banquet, Qu You suddenly became the toast of Ruozhou—whichever household was hosting a banquet, they always made sure to send a few invitations her way.

She, too, acted completely out of character, accepting every invitation that came, and each time bringing along some fashionable fabrics or jewelry as gifts. Even those women who had once harbored ill will toward her became her good friends within a matter of days.

The one who invited her most often was still Wang Yiran.

Though Wang Yiran had only just turned thirty, she already had premature gray hair and an obvious look of weariness. Seeing that Qu You had considerable skill with clothing and makeup, she often came to seek her advice.

Qu You was thoroughly practiced at handling women of her teacher’s or mother’s generation, and every time, she managed to coax Wang Yiran into beaming with delight.

Wang Yiran would often return home from her, dressed and made up to perfection, full of hope—only to come back a few days later looking dejected again, inviting her over to drink some of the fine western-frontier grape wine.

Once their relationship had reached this point, Qu You finally pieced together the full picture of the relationship between Wang Yiran and Wu Fang.

The marriage had originally been sought after wholeheartedly by Wu Fang himself. Ever since Wang Juqian had rescued him, Wu Fang had showered Wang Yiran with sweet words and granted her every wish. Though he was unremarkable in looks, Wang Juqian, seeing how deeply devoted he seemed, had decided on his own authority to marry his sister to him.

Wang Yiran had been moved by his devotion, and for a long stretch after their marriage the two of them lived in blissful sweetness. With Wang Juqian’s help, Wu Fang also rose steadily through the ranks in Ruozhou, eventually reaching the position of prefect.

Until their son died unexpectedly.

Wang Yiran had never told her the details, only repeating, over and over while drunk, “It was all my fault.” Qu You guessed that since Wang Yiran’s child had drowned on her own birthday, Wu Fang had very likely blamed her for negligence, venting his anger on her—leaving her wracked with guilt all these years later.

Whatever the true cause, Wang Yiran had grown estranged from Wu Fang ever since, and Wu Fang had begun taking in bedchamber concubines, neglecting her for years on end.

But he also well understood the principle of following a slap with a sweet date—every so often he would send Wang Yiran some memento from their earlier years to express his lingering affection, all while essentially repeating, “I still love you, but seeing you reminds me of the grief of losing our son.” Wang Yiran was tormented almost beyond endurance by these mixed feelings. And it was precisely because of this that Wang Juqian kept helping and indulging Wu Fang without ever questioning his reasons, unable to do anything even as the man grew more and more out of line.

Qu You recalled Wu Fang’s appearance and gave an involuntary shudder.

Love truly does make fools of people.

Besides, from what she was hearing, it seemed as though brother and sister alike had been deceived by this scheming, treacherous Wu Fang. How had that happened?

Suspicious, she secretly sent someone to look into the matter. The investigation turned up more than she expected—they actually managed to find a maidservant who had waited on Wang Yiran years ago. At first Qu You had been only half convinced by what the woman said, but the moment she arranged for the two women to meet, Wang Yiran recognized her at once, startled.

The maidservant threw herself at Wang Yiran’s feet in tears, sobbing out the story of how she had nearly lost her life back then—that on the day Wang Yiran’s son had drowned, it was in fact because Wu Fang had been carrying on an affair with another maidservant, one who had since been elevated to a bedchamber concubine.

Afterward, Wu Fang had not only pinned the blame for it entirely on Wang Yiran, but had also had every servant who knew the truth beaten to death. She had watched from behind a rockery garden and escaped with her life only by sheer luck, after which she had resigned from the Wu household. All these years later, she simply could not bear to see Wang Yiran suffer any longer, and so she had risked her life to come and tell her the truth.

She told the story in vivid, convincing detail, leaving no room for doubt. Wang Yiran fainted on the spot, and upon waking, returned home in a towering rage.

As it happened, Zhou Tan was due to go to the government office the very next day to complete the handover of various affairs, and he used this as an excuse to throw a grand banquet at his residence.

Thanks to Qu You’s recent popularity, the scale of this banquet turned out to be no less grand than Wang Yiran’s own birthday celebration.

As expected, Wang Yiran sent a maid over with earnest words, saying she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t attend today. Wu Fang likewise claimed urgent business and sent only that clean-featured aide who was always at his side.

It was early in the fourth month, the weather mild and pleasant. The former prefect’s residence had no shortage of trees, so Zhou Tan had the banquet set up in the open courtyard, still with men and women seated at separate tables though not in separate areas, facing each other across the courtyard from a distance.

Qu You arranged some of the entertainments favored by the literati of the capital, diverting two streams of water into the garden for a floating-cup wine game. Such refined amusements were a rare sight in Ruozhou, and even the military men like Wang Juqian took quite an interest. Zhou Tan, looking utterly composed, exchanged cups with them, and for a while host and guests alike were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

As dusk began to fall, just as the first guest was about to rise and take his leave, a group of stern-faced men in tight-fitted clothing came rushing in from nowhere with a great clatter, sealing off the courtyard where the banquet was held without a single gap.

Everyone was stunned. Wang Juqian still had in his hand the cup of wine Zhou Tan had just handed him. Being a blunt, straightforward man who wore his emotions openly, he immediately set the cup down hard and demanded sharply, “Young Master Zhou, what is the meaning of this?”

The women, though alarmed, had after all grown up within the walls of Ruozhou and were used to the sight of soldiers; they merely sat back down where they were, casting puzzled looks toward Zhou Tan at the head of the table.

Zhou Tan lowered his eyes, turned his emptied wine cup upside down on the table, and suddenly dropping his earlier expression, said in a tone neither warm nor cold, “Tomorrow I take up my new post. Before that, I’d like to give all of you a gift.”

Before anyone could respond, three or four guards each carrying two sacks of white rice walked up to the table. Zhou Tan looked up and turned to Wang Juqian. “Does the General recognize what this is?”

Wang Juqian said angrily, “It’s grain, obviously. Is there anyone here who wouldn’t recognize it?”

Zhou Tan replied, “Good. Heiyi, take some men and boil these sacks of grain into rice porridge, and give everyone in the courtyard a bowl each. Watch closely—no one is to be shorted.”

Heiyi immediately accepted the order and led men off toward the back garden, carrying the rice sacks.

No one else had any idea what Zhou Tan was up to. A few of the more hot-tempered ones stood up and, cursing under their breath, walked toward the guards surrounding them, apparently intending to force their way out.

Most of the guards Zhou Tan had brought to Ruozhou were men bound by contracts of service to the Bai Family of Jinling—many of them skilled fighters the Bai Family had once taken in and supported when they had nowhere else to turn, along with some veterans retired from the army.

Qu You heard one of the women beside her cry out in alarm, and looking up, saw that the official—whose rank in the military she didn’t even know—had already had his sword taken from him by the guard in front of him within three moves. The guard, expressionless, struck him once each at the elbow, the side of the waist, and the leg, and the man’s strength suddenly gave out, nearly sending him toppling forward.

But the guard caught him by the arm and respectfully returned the sword to him with both hands.

This display was tremendously intimidating. The few who had been heading for the exit immediately stopped in their tracks. Wang Juqian, with his years of military experience, could tell at a glance that this man was the kind of skilled fighter rarely seen even within the army. “Young Master Zhou, you…”

Watching his expression, Qu You thought to herself that the trick had indeed worked. Though the guards they’d brought weren’t actually many in number—right now half the people in the courtyard were household servants dressed up to look the part—as long as it was enough to frighten people, that was all that mattered.

Zhou Tan paid him no mind, calmly adding more tea and rinsing his mouth with it, and only after a long pause did he turn, unhurried, to meet Wang Juqian’s gaze, saying with what seemed like great sincerity, “As I said, please have everyone drink the porridge before leaving. General, do not refuse my good will.”