Seeing Sheng Fengze sitting on the windowsill, Zhao Xiuyuan panicked. What if someone saw and recognized him? He called out urgently, “Your Highness!”
Sheng Fengze turned his head, giving him an ambiguous smile. “Scared?”
“This humble one is merely concerned for Your Highness’s safety.” Who wouldn’t be afraid? This was a crime punishable by the execution of the entire clan! Zhao Xiuyuan cursed internally while maintaining a calm facade.
“Ji Yingying has returned to her maiden home. Don’t you want to see her? Such opportunities are rare.”
Like dangling a meat bone in front of him, tempting Zhao Xiuyuan. His wide sleeves concealed his tightly clenched fists as he replied almost fawningly, “Your Highness’s great matters take precedence. Personal feelings are insignificant.”
“Haha!” Sheng Fengze laughed loudly.
His white teeth dazzled Zhao Xiuyuan’s eyes. Sheng Fengze was a tiger, so he must be a fox. Better to borrow the tiger’s authority than be a weak rabbit. He lowered his gaze respectfully and said, “If Your Highness is interested in Ji Yingying, this humble one can make a different request.”
A different request? Wasn’t Ji Yingying still his most desired trophy? Or was he testing me? Sheng Fengze jumped down from the windowsill and walked to Zhao Xiuyuan. With gentle features, he looked every bit like a harmless scholar. How well he hid his fangs. Sheng Fengze smiled and patted Zhao Xiuyuan’s shoulder. “This prince won’t go back on his promise.”
He glanced back out the window. Ji Yingying, if you’re clever enough to recognize me, you should leave Yizhou Prefecture and find Yang Jingyuan.
Sheng Fengze passed by Zhao Xiuyuan and left the room, heading straight downstairs.
Hearing the footsteps fade away, Zhao Xiuyuan let out a long breath. He walked to the window and gazed at the lush yellow kapok tree in the Ji family’s small courtyard across the street, muttering, “Huanhua Brocade, what kind of brocade are you weaving for the Yang family? I’m truly curious.”
Ji Yingying watched Sheng Fengze leave, then saw Zhao Xiuyuan in his cyan-blue robe standing by the window. Sheng Fengze had secretly returned to Yizhou Prefecture and become an honored guest of the Zhao family. Her heart sank, and she felt an urge to leave Three Dykes immediately.
“My lady, you should freshen up and see the Madam,” Xiang’er reminded her with a smile.
“No need. I’ll go to the main hall now.”
With this weighing on her mind, Ji Yingying didn’t want to delay. She turned and headed straight to the main courtyard.
Seeing the maid in the corridor announcing her arrival loudly, Ji Yingying quickened her pace. Entering the main hall and seeing Madam Ji and Zhang Fourth Lady, Ji Yingying curtsied gracefully. “Mother, Sister-in-law. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Yingying, come sit.” Madam Ji’s voice lacked strength, and she seemed to have lost more weight in the past few months.
Ji Yingying sat down beside her and was delighted to discover Zhang Fourth Lady was showing signs of pregnancy. She called two maids over to present the gifts she had brought: “These are the ginseng roots Madam asked me to bring you. And these are belly wraps and baby clothes that my maids and I made for my nephew in our spare time.”
The two ginseng roots were as thick as fingers, with complete rootlets—aged pieces. Madam Ji’s gaze passed over the ginseng, reminded of last year when Ji Yingying had signed an IOU with Sheng Fengze for a single root. She instructed Old Madam Li to put them away, and seeing the high stack of baby clothes, she complained, “Children grow so fast, why make so many?”
“Just thinking about my little nephew makes me happy. I have nothing else to do anyway, might as well keep busy.” Ji Yingying answered with a smile but sighed inwardly. Mother’s health seemed to worsen by the day. Sister-in-law was several months pregnant. How could she tell them now that Sheng Fengze had returned? The shock could harm them.
Ji Yaoting didn’t join them for lunch, staying in the front hall with Yang Jingyan. After the meal, Zhang’s Fourth Lady went to rest. Madam Ji dropped her smile and scolded, “Last time you came home, you encountered bandits on the way and nearly scared me to death. Only when Ji Fu returned with news that you were safe did I finally relax? If you’re fine, why think of returning home again?”
Ji Yingying didn’t want to mention First Madam Yang’s pointed words, so she took the opportunity to say, “Mother, I want to discuss moving house with you.”
“What? Moving where?” Madam Ji was particularly surprised.
“You know that our family has become enemies with the Zhao family. With our houses so close, I’m really worried. We can open a dye house in the city too, so I wanted to discuss moving into the city with you. Being closer would make it easier to look after each other, wouldn’t it?”
Moving into the city meant being farther from the Zhao family. It would be safer, at least.
“This is our ancestral home. The Huanhua Dye House has been here for a hundred years—how can we just move? Even rabbits don’t eat grass near their burrow. The Zhao family wouldn’t dare go too far. As long as we don’t provoke them, we’ll be fine.” Madam Ji smiled and refused.
“Mother, what if Sheng Fengze comes again? I can’t feel at ease with you all still living here.”
“He’s the Nanzhao Prince. Now that his identity is exposed, he won’t easily trouble the Ji family again. If he comes, I’ve thought it through—giving up the secret formula to keep the family safe isn’t such a big deal. Right now, the most important thing is for your sister-in-law to safely deliver the child, to give the Ji family an heir…”
Mentioning her grandson brought a glow to Madam Ji’s face, and she refused to discuss other topics, rambling on about drawing an excellent fortune slip at the Bamboo Grove Temple and receiving blessings from the master there. As she spoke, she completely forgot Ji Yingying’s earlier suggestion about moving, instead urging her to embroider a sutra book for the temple monks in her spare time.
Ji Yingying sighed helplessly inside. It seemed she could only discuss moving with her brother Ji Yaoting. She patiently listened to her mother’s chatter until Ji Yaoting finally accompanied Yang Jingyan to pay respects to Madam Ji and bid farewell. Ji Yingying took the opportunity to excuse herself and saw them out.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll come to pick you up in five days,” Yang Jingyan said at the second gate.
Ji Yingying smiled and said, “I was just going to ask Second Brother if you could wait in the front hall. I’d like to return with you.”
Planning to stay for five days, why the sudden change? Both Ji Yaoting and Yang Jingyan were greatly surprised.
Ji Yingying apologetically said, “I only remembered an urgent matter related to the competition brocade after I left. I must return.”
This was an excellent excuse, and both men relaxed. Ji Yaoting smiled wryly, “I thought something had happened.”
“Sorry to trouble Second Brother to wait. I’ll just speak with my brother and bid Mother farewell, then we can leave.”
After arranging for Yang Jingyan to rest in the front hall, Ji Yingying turned toward her courtyard. “Brother, I need to speak with you.”
Entering the small side courtyard, Ji Yingying directly ordered Old Madam Ji to pack the luggage and send it to the carriage. She noticed the smiles freeze on the faces of Old Madam Ji, Ying’er, and Xiang’er. She could only sigh as she led her brother into the bedroom.
After hearing her explanation, Ji Yaoting also grew tense: “How did I not hear any news of this? From such a distance, are you sure you didn’t mistake him?”
Ji Yingying nodded firmly, “Though I was too far away to see his face clearly, I’m certain it was Sheng Fengze.”
Some people, no matter how long you haven’t seen them, can recognize them without seeing their faces.
The Yang family’s large contingent of guards escorting her home had drawn attention to Three Dykes. With Sheng Fengze at the Zhao residence, he must have known about her return home. He seemed to deliberately let her see him, wearing his usual black brocade robes, sitting brazenly on the suspended windowsill of Vine Garden.
If she didn’t leave, was she supposed to wait for him to sneak into her room at night again? Ji Yingying’s throat tightened at the thought as if she could feel Sheng Fengze’s hands around her neck once more.
“You should return to the Yang family first. Write a letter to the Third Young Master about this. Sheng Fengze’s intentions are unclear. Given his status, the Ji family is merely an ant to him. If he truly wants to deal with our family, moving to the city won’t help us escape. Besides, moving isn’t a small matter—it needs careful consideration.”
His wife was due to give birth in a few months. The dye house had good business this year, with many orders they could barely handle. If they wanted to move from Three Dykes, it would be better to wait until winter when the dye house was less busy. By then, the Fourth Lady would have given birth, making things more convenient. A suitable residence couldn’t be found quickly either. Mother might not even agree to abandon the Ji family’s ancestral home. After careful consideration, Ji Yaoting chose to wait and observe.
“Brother, what if I ask Madam to help find a residence?” Ji Yingying had a very bad feeling.
Ji Yaoting refused: “We haven’t even repaid the Yang family’s bride price yet—how can we trouble Madam Yang again? I’ll have Ji Gui look for property agents in the city. We can discuss it when we find a suitable residence.”
Perhaps she was being overly fearful? Ji Yingying knew moving wasn’t a small matter, so she could only urge her brother to convince their mother quickly and arrange the move. She used the Yang family’s competition brocade as an excuse with Madam Ji, then hurriedly returned to the city with Yang Jingyan.