Following behind Tie Ci, he asked, “Then why did Your Highness destroy the walls of my prince’s manor? Could it be that the manor’s hospitality was inadequate somewhere, or something displeased Your Highness?”
Tie Ci smiled slightly. “Not at all. I was just afraid you wouldn’t let me go to Wanqing Garden.”
You Jun said in surprise, “Where does Your Highness get such an idea? All lands under heaven belong to the king—there’s nowhere in Yannan Prince’s manor that Your Highness cannot go. If Your Highness wanted to visit Wanqing Garden, this humble official would only advise that the eldest young master isn’t there, so there’s no need to make the trip in vain, but I would never dare obstruct Your Highness.”
Seeing his frank expression, the common people found his words quite reasonable. Someone called out from afar, “Your Highness! What’s so interesting about a madman’s quarters? Why don’t you take us to see the bride instead?”
“I want to see the prince’s Silver Peace Hall.”
“I want to see the princess consort’s back garden.”
The people chattered away, casually picking up stones and plucking flowers as “souvenirs.” The manor officials and servants who had hurried over upon hearing the news looked ashen-faced, clearly angry but not daring to speak.
Tie Ci didn’t answer You Jun’s words and simply continued walking forward.
But You Jun wouldn’t let it go, asking again, “Why is Your Highness so familiar with the route to Wanqing Garden?”
Tie Ci narrowed her eyes. “Probably because I often come here in dreams.”
This response was so shameless that You Weinan laughed out loud, quickly covering his face with his fan. His eyes, visible above the fan, also narrowed as he stared at Tie Ci.
You Jun let out a silent cold laugh, then said gently, “It’s just that Your Highness’s manner of coming here—first destroying the courtyard walls, then heading straight for Wanqing Garden with such aggressive momentum—could it be that Your Highness has some misunderstanding about Yannan Prince’s manor?”
Tie Ci finally turned to look at him, saying slowly, “Views, perhaps some. Misunderstandings, not necessarily.”
You Jun immediately bowed deeply to the ground. “Please enlighten me, Your Highness.”
The common people also quieted down, looking over curiously. Tie Ci looked at You Jun with a half-smile for a long moment before saying, “Before coming to Yannan, I heard that Minister You controls Yannan Prince’s manor with an iron fist, covering the sky with one hand, bullying that pair of orphaned siblings. Weixuan was forced by you to marry Chang Yuan of Huichuan, whose character is questionable, and even her beloved jewelry was snatched away by your daughter. Weixing lives in the remote and dilapidated Wanqing Garden, often going without proper meals or adequate clothing, and is even beaten and humiliated by the servants.”
The people were in an uproar.
When Prince Yannan was alive, he was quite virtuous, caring for his land and people with kind tolerance, earning great love from the Yannan people. As for his children, the Kunzhou people had practically watched them grow up and felt affection for them as if they were family. Even though You Weixing was a fool and hadn’t received much attention, that didn’t mean they could accept him being bullied.
But they had never heard before that the old prince’s children suffered injustice. After the old prince died, You Weixuan, being a woman, became the female heir apparent, which was enough to prove that the manor’s ministers and You clan members remained loyal. The people had never imagined that those two precious nobles lived worse than they themselves did.
Earlier, during the incident with You Weiqing, everyone had felt some pity and dissatisfaction, thinking that cousins sharing hairpins was normal—why had the Crown Princess been so harsh?
Now hearing this, they finally understood that the Crown Princess had come to support the You siblings after hearing that her classmate was being bullied!
A flash of amusement crossed You Jun’s eyes, but his face showed shock mixed with several parts indignation as he said loudly, “Where did Your Highness hear such absurd and baseless words!”
Tie Ci said meaningfully, “Who said it—does that matter? The key is your hearts, isn’t it?”
“This humble official’s heart can withstand the scrutiny of heaven and earth!” You Jun’s tone grew heavier. “Chang Yuan, the third young master of the Huichuan Chang family, is already famous throughout Yannan, known as the ‘Jade Tree of the Chang Family.’ He’s talented in poetry and literature, with outstanding bearing. Last winter, the heir apparent met him at the Liaohuo Festival and fell in love at first sight, specifically asking me, her uncle, to act as matchmaker. This was mutual affection—how can you speak of coercion? As for the hairpin matter, young ladies in their chambers exchanging jewelry is common. Your Highness immediately accused Qing’er of theft and, with your noble status as heir apparent, made arbitrary judgments that damaged someone’s reputation. How can Your Highness be so partial! As for Weixing being bullied, that’s pure fabrication—absolutely untrue!”
He turned to look at the people behind him. “The female heir apparent has spent considerable time touring with Young Master Chang, often riding together through Kunzhou. Have any of you elders witnessed this?”
Someone immediately nodded. “Indeed, I’ve seen them—a well-matched pair, and they seemed to get along well.”
Tie Ci said coolly, “Chang Yuan’s character is questionable. In the capital, he deceived the world and stole fame, and has already been dismissed and permanently barred from office.”
You Jun said, “This humble official knows of this matter and had advised the heir apparent, but she said that women should also keep their word and maintain trust. If she abandoned Chang Yuan just because of his temporary setback, what kind of person would she become? Therefore, she insisted on marrying him as scheduled.”
You Jun pointed toward Wanqing Garden. “Now this humble official understands why Your Highness tore down the wall and headed straight for Wanqing Garden—it was based on hearsay, and you suspected this humble official and everyone in Yannan Prince’s manor. Since that’s the case, Wanqing Garden is just ahead. How Weixing lives day to day—please let Your Highness and all the elders see for yourselves!”
Tie Ci nodded. “It should have been this way from the start.” Just as she was about to step forward, You Jun said solemnly behind her, “But if what Your Highness heard is untrue, and this humble official has not mistreated my elder brother’s orphans, what kind of explanation does Your Highness intend to give to this humble official, to the ministers of Yannan Prince’s manor, to the You clan members, and to the people of Yannan?”
Tie Ci stopped and turned to look at him.
You Jun wore a slight smile, but his eyes were cold as ice.
He said, “This is originally a family matter of our Yannan Prince’s manor. Even though Your Highness is noble as the heir apparent of the nation, you shouldn’t rashly interfere. It’s only because we respect Your Highness that we allow you to destroy our courtyard walls, injure our children, and insult our reputation. But a scholar can be killed but not humiliated. Even if Your Highness is the heir apparent, your actions should follow proper rules and principles. How can you arbitrarily despise and trample upon important ministers and feudal vassals, making the scholars and people of the world lose heart?”
He pressed one sentence after another, finally bowing deeply to the ground and remaining down for a long time. Behind him, the Yannan officials and the manor officials who had arrived with angry expressions also stepped forward in unison and bowed deeply. “Please, Your Highness, cherish your subjects and show love for Yannan!”
All around fell silent. Even the people who had been clamoring and making noise quieted down, all looking at Tie Ci with complex expressions.
In everyone’s view, since the Crown Princess had arrived at Yannan Prince’s manor, her actions had become increasingly aggressive. Now she was trampling the dignity of the You father and son underfoot. If Minister You had been wronged, asking for an explanation was perfectly justified.
The Yannan officials bowed deeply, their lowered faces showing sinister expressions.
Minister You had cornered her step by step to this point—the Crown Princess would have to agree whether she wanted to or not. Otherwise, she would lose both her position and the people’s hearts.
As for whether the Crown Princess would actually catch them in wrongdoing afterward, the officials had confidence in Minister You.
Extreme silence always creates pressure, and when there are many people, that pressure becomes even heavier. Tie Ci seemed to finally feel this pressure, turned to glance around, and said quietly, “Threatening me?”
You Jun replied succinctly, “I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that while the ruler has authority, subjects also have principles.”
Tie Ci turned to look toward Wanqing Garden. “If I wronged you, then as you wish, I’ll withdraw from Kunzhou.”
You Jun’s eyes flashed, but he didn’t fall into this verbal trap, smiling slightly. “Your Highness speaks too seriously. If Your Highness wronged this subject, the gates of Yannan Prince’s manor will still be open to Your Highness. It’s just that these three thousand guards would have nowhere to be housed—please allow this subject to arrange accommodation outside the city. Rest assured, Your Highness, the manor will certainly do everything possible to host and protect Your Highness.”
Tie Ci said indifferently, “Fine.”
You Jun rose, and everyone else rose as well. You Jun didn’t rush ahead but invited Tie Ci to go first.
Tie Ci stopped at the entrance to Wanqing Garden. Several gatekeeping women came forward from a distance, and Tie Ci squinted slightly.
Everything was different from what she had seen that night.
The small courtyard that had been unmanaged now had gatekeeping women.
The originally dilapidated moon gate, missing pieces on the east and west sides, had now been carefully repaired with colored stones. Not only did it not look shabby, but it was quite tastefully arranged, without appearing hastily constructed.
It seemed You Jun’s subordinates weren’t lacking in talent—this kind of ingenuity was quite remarkable.
The women smiled warmly, looking clean and fresh, but didn’t voluntarily step aside to open the gate. Nor were they disrespectful—they respectfully asked who the visitors were, saying the young master wasn’t currently in Wanqing Garden.
Just like well-trained servants in any noble family.
You Jun, who had caught up, ordered the women to lead the way and didn’t prevent the people from following.
After entering, Tie Ci looked at the ground and pressed down slightly with her boot. There was no sound at all.
The underground trap was gone.
You Weinan suddenly ran over, jumped twice on the ground, and smiled at Tie Ci. “Your Highness, is my younger brother’s courtyard ground solid enough?”
Tie Ci smiled and nodded, looking around.
Before her was a rather clean small garden. The ground was paved with blue stone, spotless. Medicinal herbs were planted in flower beds on both sides. The corridor pillars weren’t new but had been polished until the red lacquer gleamed warmly. There were no weeds in the gaps between stone slabs, and lime had been carefully scattered to prevent insects.
A steward from the prince’s manor explained to the curious people: “…There are no flowers or grass in those flower beds because the eldest young master would pull up and trample whatever was planted. Since he and the people in his courtyard often get injured, it’s better to plant medicinal herbs for convenience.”
Everyone nodded frequently.
The steward pointed to a row of young male servants standing under the corridor. “Don’t say there are no maids here—there used to be, but an incident nearly occurred last year… so now they’ve all been replaced with strong young men. Nothing else to say about them—they can take a beating.”
He spoke evasively, making it sound as if something unspeakable had happened. The people always loved gossip, and the men especially liked to think in crude directions, so many immediately wore expressions of wild speculation. The steward pointed behind himself again, sighing, “Look, this Miss Yousi was the eldest young master’s first-class maid, serving him for over ten years. She was driven out last year but still doesn’t forget her old master. When she heard someone was coming to Wanqing Garden, she insisted on following…”
From among the servants, a clean-featured maid stepped forward, covering her face with a handkerchief as she cried, “This servant truly misses the eldest young master… He used to drink the barley porridge I cooked every morning…”
Tie Ci looked at this maid who was putting on quite a performance.
Yousi, indeed.
Nanny He had mentioned her.
She had entered the manor at age five, a thin, yellow-haired girl who wasn’t chosen by the stewards and was about to be sent back to the human traffickers. This girl had previously offended the traffickers, so her fate afterward would likely be miserable. Being clever, as she was leaving, she used her clothing to wipe the nose of the eldest young master who was sitting nearby with a runny nose. You Weixuan saw this and immediately requested her for her younger brother.
She and You Weixing had grown up together like childhood sweethearts. You Weixing gradually developed feelings for her. Once, Yousi was caught stealing with unclean hands. According to manor rules, such servants of poor character would be beaten to death or at least beaten and driven out, but You Weixing desperately protected her. Yousi received no punishment at all—she only returned what she had stolen and continued as his head maid.
The barley porridge matter was real, but it was Nanny He who cooked it. Yousi would take it over and claim she had made it. You Weixing still doesn’t know the truth to this day.
When he had his major outburst last year, he didn’t hurt Yousi either. It was Yousi who ran out first, called You Jun, and deployed over ten guards to pin You Weixing down in the dust, bruised and battered.
Then she switched masters.
Now she was here crying, her sobs heart-wrenching, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.
Tie Ci walked over to her, smiling gently. “Good servant girl, I know you’re loyal. Stop crying now.”
She raised her hand as if to help wipe away her tears, saying, “I most appreciate loyal servants. You’ve had a hard time.”
Yousi was flattered beyond measure. She hadn’t come forward earlier and hadn’t seen the scene where You Weiqing was injured. At this moment, thinking she had gained the Crown Princess’s favor, even though she knew they were adversaries, she felt quite pleased inside.
But Tie Ci’s hand suddenly fell on her sleeve. With two fingers pressed together like a blade, a section of sleeve fell away, and some red powder also fell into Tie Ci’s palm. Yousi’s face changed dramatically.
Tie Ci had already walked away, flinging the powder toward the crowd with her palm as she laughed. “Such a loyal servant! Moved to tears by the scene, yet these tears require chili powder to induce them. How strange and curious!”
The people smelled a pungent, spicy odor and immediately began sneezing and tearing up.
The people looked at Yousi with strange expressions.
Yousi could no longer shed any tears.
Tie Ci turned around, pointing at the steward who had been talking nonstop earlier, smiling meaningfully. “Such painstaking efforts!”
The man’s face alternated between red and white, but worthy of being a steward in the prince’s manor, after a moment he regained his composure and said respectfully, “Thanks to Your Highness’s keen perception in seeing through this girl’s false loyalty and true treachery. We were foolish to be deceived by her for so long. This humble one will immediately expel her from the manor.” He called for people to drag her away.
Before Yousi could plead, Tie Ci had already said, “Don’t.”
She said, “I arrived, and you immediately drive away an old servant who cared for the eldest young master—what kind of thing is that? If anyone’s to be driven away, it should be the old master doing it personally.”
Yousi’s face changed slightly, then she calmed down somewhat. If that was the case, she would probably be safe.
After all, the eldest young master couldn’t just appear out of thin air.