The group was still inside the room discussing matters, unaware that Yan Qin was pressed against the window outside, eavesdropping. When she heard that Yan Qi and Old Master Yan intended to marry her off to a widower with three children, she was nearly ready to burst in and argue with them. It was only her maidservant Qing Tian who forcibly dragged her away.
“What are you pulling me for?” Out in the courtyard, Yan Qin shook Qing Tian off irritably. “Do you also want these people to marry me off to some old man so I can go be a stepmother to three children?”
“Miss.” Qing Tian lowered her voice. “What good would it do to burst in there now? Could you change the minds of the eldest young master and the old master? In their eyes, you are a divorced woman who cannot be married off. That someone is willing to look past that and come for you with eight wedding palanquins is your good fortune.”
Yan Qin glared at her. “So you also think I can’t be married off? Hmph — wasn’t it I who discarded the Shi family’s second young master like a worn-out rag, tossing him aside whenever I pleased?”
Qing Tian thought to herself: it was the Shi family who sent you back — not you who discarded them. And is there anyone outside who doesn’t know this? Yet this miss of hers had an inflated sense of herself, still thinking she was a prize catch.
“That’s not what I meant,” Qing Tian said by way of explanation. “What I mean is, what good does it do for Miss to go in and argue now? You’d be better off taking matters into your own hands and finding a good match yourself.”
Yan Qin had been seething, but hearing Qing Tian’s words she found them sensible. “You are right. In this matter, I can only rely on myself. They can’t wait to marry me off and be rid of me, so they won’t spend a moment worrying about who the other party is or whether they’ll treat me well.”
“Miss, how are you ever going to find a good man just staying cooped up at home? You have to go out and look.” Qing Tian thought for a moment. “I’ve heard that the Carnival Garden has many wealthy, unmarried gentlemen. They enjoy going there to listen to music and drink at their leisure. With your looks, Miss, is there any fear of no one taking notice?”
“You, you scheming girl.” Yan Qin studied Qing Tian with a smile. “I just knew you’d have a mind for this sort of thing — how do you even know about such places?”
“I’ve been worrying myself to pieces over Miss’s affairs, so of course I’ve had people ask around on all sides. But there is no shortage of women hunting for a wealthy husband over there, so Miss will need to dress especially beautifully.”
Yan Qin had always been confident in her appearance. Old Master Yan had been considered a strikingly handsome man in his youth, and even now he carried himself with elegance and distinction. As a result, the daughters of the Yan family were all blessed with remarkable looks.
The plans that Yan Qin and Qing Tian were laying were, of course, unknown to those inside the room. While Yan Qin was plotting to go out and find a wealthy suitor, Yan Qi was discussing Yan Qin’s marriage with Old Master Yan — both of them quite satisfied with the arrangement, having reached an agreement without any disagreement.
After settling the matter of Yan Qin, Yan Qi looked toward Yan Qing. “Sixth Sister, are you planning to stay here at home indefinitely?”
Yan Qing had been going to the Military Police Bureau during the day and returning to the Yan family home in the evenings to look after Old Master Yan.
“Elder Brother, is something wrong with that?”
Yan Qi said, “You are, after all, the Shi family’s daughter-in-law. Supporting your husband, raising children, and caring for your in-laws — that is your responsibility. If you stay here indefinitely, the Shi family may take issue with it and blame us Yans for not knowing propriety. And besides, since you are staying here, Xingzhi is staying here as well. What kind of thing is it for a married daughter to bring her husband along and live at her father-in-law’s home for an extended period? It won’t sound well if word gets out.”
Your elder brother is right. Old Master Yan, though loath to see Yan Qing leave, could see day by day that his daughter was growing thinner in her efforts to look after him, and it pained his heart. You are now a member of the Shi family and cannot remain in the Yan family indefinitely. Your filial devotion, Father knows well — but you cannot allow the Shi family to find fault with you on Father’s account.
“My mother-in-law is a reasonable person. She even said she wants to come visit Father — it’s only that her own health has not been good, and she cannot go out.” Yan Qing quickly explained. “As for others — let them say whatever they wish. I’ll treat it as though I didn’t hear it.”
Old Master Yan shook his head. “That won’t do. Even if you don’t think of yourself, you must think of Xingzhi. It is awkward for him to be living at his father-in-law’s home. Over time, your mother-in-law will have opinions too — no mother would want her son living at his wife’s family home indefinitely.”
“Sixth Sister.” Yan Qi chimed in with a well-timed word. “I understand you are concerned about Father. But rest easy — I have already arranged two reliable people to look after Father, and I will come visit whenever I have a moment. As for medical care, the doctor comes around every two days. You may set your mind at ease.”
Seeing both Yan Qi and Old Master Yan looking at her, Yan Qing could only nod. “As it happens, there are also matters to attend to at the Shi family home. I won’t be gone long — I’ll come to see you soon.”
Old Master Yan smiled. “Good. Father knows you are a filial child. Father will wait for you.”
~
After many days of going back and forth, Yan Qing finally returned to the Shi family home.
Upon returning, she did not immediately go to see Luo Huaimeng. Instead, she had Jing Zhi go to Luo Huaimeng’s courtyard to let her know.
Old Master Yan’s illness was contagious, and she still did not know whether she herself might be carrying bacteria. She naturally could not go to see Luo Huaimeng without precaution.
But when Jing Zhi came back, Luo Huaimeng came along with her.
“Mother.” Yan Qing looked in surprise at the person who stepped through the doorway. “Why have you come over?”
Luo Huaimeng said, “Since you won’t come to see me, I’ll come to see you.”
Yan Qing was about to explain, but Luo Huaimeng waved it off. “I know you’re afraid of infecting me. I am someone who has been ill for so long — I’m too used to hardship to be afraid. I’m not worried, so what are you worried about.”
Yan Qing quickly helped Luo Huaimeng to a seat and personally poured her tea.
“Mother, has your health been well these past days?” While she had been away, the one thing she had worried about was Luo Huaimeng’s health. Luo Huaimeng had a heart condition that could not bear agitation or a quick temper.
Luo Huaimeng sighed. “Since you and Xingzhi left, I have not seen the Marshal. Even the New Year family banquet — the Marshal did not attend.”
Yan Qing was startled. “He didn’t even attend the New Year family banquet?”
The family banquet was an absolutely inviolable tradition in the Shi family. No matter how pressing one’s affairs, everyone present in Shun Cheng was expected to attend. This was a rule left by the ancestors, and the Marshal had always observed it faithfully.
“Qian Lan said the Marshal was ill and did not want to move about. When the banquet was held, only she herself came.”
“And what about the Old Madam? Did she say nothing?”
“The Old Madam questioned Qian Lan, but Qian Lan simply said he was ill. The Old Madam’s attitude was not agreeable, but Qian Lan remained completely composed, and a few words from her left the Old Madam speechless.” Luo Huaimeng sighed. “Qian Lan no longer shows any deference even to the Old Madam. That inner courtyard is now entirely under her dominion.”
Qian Lan had originally tried to win over the Old Madam, but after the incident last time, she had lost the Old Madam’s trust. So she swiftly abandoned that line altogether. After all, the Old Madam was just an elderly woman who kept to the South Courtyard and did not involve herself in affairs — she posed no real threat.
“Even when the Old Madam wanted to see the Marshal, Qian Lan refused, claiming the Marshal had caught a cold and it was contagious, and would not let the Old Madam go near.”
Yan Qing said, “What about Officer Liu’s side? Has he not seen the Marshal either?”
“Liu Yin wanted to see the Marshal, but the Marshal now obeys Qian Lan in everything. The Marshal personally issued an order forbidding Liu Yin from setting foot inside Zhuo Xin Garden. How could Liu Yin dare disobey the Marshal’s command? He dutifully withdrew with his men to outside the courtyard.”
“Hold the Emperor hostage to command the lords of the realm.” Yan Qing frowned. “If this goes on much longer, not only will the Shi family home become Qian Lan’s world — this entire Bei Di will change hands.”
“I’d say Qian Lan is aiming to rule from behind a curtain.” Luo Huaimeng laughed coldly. “I heard that Zuo Liang took the Marshal’s seal to the Military Police Bureau to demand the release of people. Is that true?”
“Thank goodness Shi Ting returned in time.” Even now, thinking back on it, Yan Qing felt a chill. “The Marshal’s private seal is in their hands. They’ve already used it to remove quite a number of Shi Ting’s people.”
“This is absolutely outrageous.” Luo Huaimeng slapped the table hard, sending water sloshing from the cup. “I refuse to believe there’s no way to deal with her.”
“Qian Lan controls the Marshal, and the Marshal does everything she says. Even if we forcibly brought the Marshal out, he would likely have us punished. And Qian Lan has Shi Guang assisting her — it would not be easy for us to make a move.”
“Then what can be done? Are we truly going to stand by and watch her do as she pleases? I’m worried that if the Marshal is dragged on like this much longer, I’m afraid…”
Yan Qing said, “Mother, do you know of this Qian Lan’s origins?”
“You said you went to Huxi Quarter precisely to investigate Qian Lan’s origins — have you found anything?”
Yan Qing then told Luo Huaimeng everything she had seen and heard in Huxi Quarter, recounting it all in full. “So her true purpose is revenge. She wants to destroy the Shi family — to leave us with nothing, just as what happened to the Chen family all those years ago.”
Luo Huaimeng was deeply shaken, her face changing color entirely. “She — she came for revenge? She wants to kill the Marshal?”
“If she only wanted to kill the Marshal, she would have done so long ago. She wants the Shi family to be like the Chen family of that year — torn apart, until they have nothing left.” Yan Qing thought of Qian Lan’s heart, twisted by the obsession with revenge, and felt a chill run down her own spine. “In her eyes, human lives are no more than grass. She is willing to sacrifice anyone to have her revenge.”
“And that Shi Guang — knowing her purpose, he still brought a wolf into the fold.” Luo Huaimeng gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly. “He is truly willing to stop at nothing to seize power. He means to have the Marshal destroyed.”
“The Marshal long ago lost all value to him save as a tool. All he wants is the position of lord of Bei Di, and that position can only be given to him by the Marshal.”
“Then what is to be done?”
Yan Qing softened her tone. “Qian Lan’s hold on us is the Marshal. Likewise, if we want to make her show her true colors, we must also rely on the Marshal.”
“The Marshal in his current state — if Qian Lan points at a deer and calls it a horse, he will nod his agreement without hesitation.”
“The Marshal was not always like this. The fact that he has become this way must mean Qian Lan has used some method on him. If we can break that one link, we can restore the Marshal to health and his clear head. He has been the lord of Bei Di for so long — naturally he can discern right from wrong.”
“Do you have a plan?”
~