After the black scab on Lu Ying’s right cheek from cheekbone to ear root fell off, it changed from a black centipede into a white centipede. Having practiced martial arts for years and been exposed to wind and sun, her skin was a healthy wheat color, making this newly grown white centipede quite conspicuous.

Wei Caiwei took out the pigments she used to darken her complexion when disguised as a man, using a fine brush to dye the white centipede into a gray one. She also mixed the lead powder Lu Ying usually used from white to wheat color, applying it layer by layer with a powder puff before handing Lu Ying the mirror. “Take a look.”

Lu Ying took the mirror and looked—if one didn’t examine closely, it could pass.

Wei Caiwei taught her the makeup technique. “Be patient. Apply in multiple thin layers—don’t slather so much on your face at once. Too much powder will make it look like a fake face.”

Lu Ying asked: “If I sweat, won’t I become a painted face?”

Wei Caiwei suddenly remembered it was summer. On the boat it was cool and people had limited movement, so there was little sweating. But once on land, someone like Lu Ying who ran around all day and had to wear high-collared clothes while disguised as a man would probably be exposed the moment she went out.

Wei Caiwei nodded. “This can only fool Li Yiren at home. But if you go out with this scar, someone will surely report it to Li Yiren—you can’t hide it.”

Lu Ying took a handkerchief, dampened it, and wiped off the powder from her face. “Forget it. I’ll have to face it sooner or later.”

Wei Caiwei said: “When we reach the capital, have Wang Daxia escort you home first.”

Lu Ying replied: “I need to report to Commander Zhu at the Embroidered Uniform Guard office first.”

Wei Caiwei clarified: “That’s not what I mean. Wang Daxia will also accompany you to the office. After you both report, he’ll escort you home and confess before Li Yiren, saying the scar on your face is due to his inadequate protection, and he’ll take responsibility for it.”

“This way, Li Yiren will think that since you’re already disfigured, it’s hard to find you another family, but Wang Daxia is so sincere—the matter will be settled, and you can at least have two and a half years of peace.”

At the mention of marriage, Lu Ying frowned. Pressure to marry was more troublesome than the White Lotus Sect or Japanese pirates. The problem was it came from her own mother, and with her father gone, she couldn’t drive her mother to death—she could only resort to this stratagem.

However… Lu Ying looked at Wei Caiwei: “I’m using Wang Daxia as a shield—you don’t mind?”

Wei Caiwei felt guilty. “What would I mind? I’m just his neighbor. This plan was actually his and my idea together. You should be the type who soars like an eagle in the vast sky—how can you be caged by marriage? This time you destroyed the White Lotus Sect and killed Japanese pirates, earning double merit with unlimited prospects. I hope Li Yiren can see your value and gradually change, not threaten you with death anymore.”

Lu Ying’s gaze was penetrating, not allowing Wei Caiwei to escape. “What if—I’m just saying what if—Li Yiren doesn’t change at all in these two and a half years and just waits for my mourning period to end, then prepares a dowry and wants me to marry Wang Daxia?”

If previously there had been some vague ambiguity between Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei, after this Jiangnan trip, even a blind person could see there was something between them.

Lu Ying wouldn’t break up this loving couple for her own future, not even nominally. Moreover, when marriage was mentioned now, her first reaction wasn’t disgust and avoidance—another person’s image would float in her mind, and that person was definitely not Wang Daxia.

Lu Ying discovered she wasn’t afraid of marriage itself, only of spending her life with the wrong person. If it were spending her remaining years with him, marriage would no longer be so repugnant.

Wei Caiwei was stumped by the question. “This… this, many things can happen in two and a half years. Why worry unnecessarily? There will be a solution.”

Seeing Wei Caiwei’s reaction, Lu Ying was more certain of her judgment. “You’re right. I’m overthinking. You and Wang Daxia have shouldered too much for me—I’ll compensate you both in the future.”

Wei Caiwei insisted: “This has nothing to do with me. I just offered suggestions—it’s all Wang Daxia’s contribution.”

Seeing Wei Caiwei’s stubborn denial, Lu Ying didn’t force the issue and smiled. “You’re right. Wang Daxia’s performance on this Jiangnan trip was remarkable. Both General Qi and General Yu praised him extensively. I’ll detail his achievements before Commander Zhu—promoting him to Thousand Household should be no problem.”

At fifteen, to become a fifth-rank military officer through his own abilities—in this life, Wang Daxia could walk a path to success without self-castration. Wei Caiwei was truly happy for him.

While the two discussed how to handle Li Yiren, Li Yiren at the Lu residence was anxiously overwhelmed, with no mood to manage her fourth daughter’s affairs: her second daughter had returned to her maternal home with her child, and her son-in-law Yan Shaoting had sent his wife’s dowry chests and belongings to his in-laws’ home—clearly intending an extended stay.

After settling his wife and child, Yan Shaoting knelt before Li Yiren and kowtowed. “Recently there have been some matters in your son-in-law’s family. I entrust everything to Li Yiren’s care. I must return first.”

Li Yiren knew exactly what had happened to the Yan family: her third son-in-law Xu Ying’s father, Xu Jie, had mobilized court censors to impeach Yan Shifan, listing three charges:

First was collaboration with Japanese pirates. Yan Shifan had colluded with Japanese pirates, funding them with five thousand taels of gold.

Second was maintaining private troops.

Third was insubordination. Building a house on land with imperial qi, harboring treacherous intentions.

These three charges seemed somewhat ridiculous. Yan Shifan’s real crimes—accepting bribes and openly selling offices, framing loyal officials and forcing loyal ministers to death—were not mentioned at all. Yet Emperor Jiajing had handed this matter to the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard for thorough investigation.

This was significant. Previously, when the Yan father and son were impeached, matters always ended inconclusively, shelved indefinitely. Especially in the thirty-first year of Jiajing’s reign, when Ministry of Justice Vice Director Yang Jisheng listed Yan Song’s ten major crimes—”demanding bribes and selling offices, currying favor and building factions, envying the worthy and jealous of the able, secretly controlling censoring officials, abusing imperial favor and harming governance”—all with evidence. Yet Yan Song had bitten back, emerging unscathed while Emperor Jiajing had Yang Jisheng executed.

But this time, with just three charges, Emperor Jiajing was furious. He first forced the grand secretary minister to request resignation on grounds of lax family discipline and poor son management.

Then he assigned the case to the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard for joint investigation. These two decisions already revealed Emperor Jiajing’s attitude toward the Yan family.

Yan Shifan never expected that the five thousand taels of gold he gave Luo Longwen to create an escape route for the Yan family would become his death warrant, personally delivering evidence to his opponents’ hands—destroying his own fortress.

Yan Shifan regretted deeply and had grown thin. The Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard came to search the study today, the garden tomorrow. The Yan household was in chaos, everyone in danger, with a sense of impending collapse. So Yan Shaoting had sent his wife and child to his in-laws’ home to avoid disaster.

After Yan Song was forced to resign, according to cabinet succession order, Li Yiren’s third daughter’s father-in-law Xu Jie became the new cabinet grand secretary.

In-laws fighting in-laws, and mercilessly, fighting to the death. Li Yiren knew this but was powerless. When her husband Lu Bing had chosen families for their daughters, he had said that marrying the second and third daughters into the Yan and Xu families respectively was actually to protect the Lu family.

Don’t worry about how the in-laws fight each other—in the end, whoever wins, the Lu family will be fine, and the Lu daughters will all be preserved.

Li Yiren helped up her son-in-law Yan Shaoting, saying: “You go back. I’ll take good care of our daughter and grandson. Whatever happens in the future, our Lu family will always welcome you.”

Li Yiren spoke very clearly: the son-in-law could seek refuge with the Lu family, and their power could protect one son-in-law without problem. But except for the daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, the Lu family couldn’t manage the rest of the Yan family.

Yan Shaoting also knew that after his father-in-law’s death, the Lu residence was declining. When he sent his wife and child to his in-laws this time, he had some expectations, but Li Yiren’s seemingly consoling words completely shattered his illusions.

Yan Shaoting forcibly suppressed his disappointment and bid farewell to his mother-in-law.

“Shaoting!” Second Miss Lu caught up, holding her child. Her son had just learned to walk and, like his grandfather, was plump and white, very adorable.

As a husband, Yan Shaoting was quite good. Second Miss Lu had married from one wealthy family into another. Before marriage, she obeyed her father; after marriage, she obeyed her husband. Father Lu Bing used his children’s political marriages to protect the family, but for Second Miss Lu, marriage wasn’t a means—it was her everything.

Others considered Yan Shaoting the son of a treacherous minister; she only saw him as her husband.

Yan Shaoting said: “The summer heat is intense outside. Quickly take the child back inside. When family matters settle, I’ll come fetch you both.”

After speaking, Yan Shaoting fled. He bore the Yan surname—at this time, he couldn’t hide in his in-laws’ home but had to face things together with his father and grandfather.

Second Miss Lu tried to chase him, but holding a child, how could she catch up? Stopped by Li Yiren and unwed Fifth Miss Lu, Second Miss Lu finally couldn’t hold back and collapsed into Li Yiren’s arms, weeping.

Her son, sensing the tense atmosphere, also wailed loudly. Fifth Miss Lu carried her little nephew to the garden to comfort him.

Second Miss Lu cried: “Mother, could we… could we… help the Yan family?”

Li Yiren was, after all, a household manager’s wife who knew some matters absolutely couldn’t be touched. Seeing the emperor’s attitude toward the Yan family now, she feared dragging the Lu family in too, so she steeled her heart and said: “Court affairs—how dare women interfere? Rest assured, as long as the Lu family has food to eat, we won’t let your little family go hungry.”

Second Miss Lu cried: “If so, why marry me into the Yan family in the first place? If I had known today would bring such separation pain, I’d rather have remained unmarried for life, cut my hair and become a nun—at least finding peace.”

Li Yiren held her daughter, painful and bewildered. Don’t all women have to marry? Since they all must marry, the Yan family was at its zenith then—everyone called it a good match. Did we parents do wrong?

Looking at her suffering daughter, Li Yiren was powerless.

Second Miss Lu grasped Li Yiren’s hand like a drowning person clutching a lifeline. “Mother, go ask Third Sister. Third Sister is an Xu family daughter-in-law—have her plead with her father-in-law, Minister Xu. My father-in-law’s three charges were all due to Minister Xu’s instigation. Ask Minister Xu to show mercy and spare my father-in-law.”

Both being biological daughters, Li Yiren was torn. “No, your sister is an Xu family daughter-in-law—how can she influence her father-in-law’s political views? I can’t put her in a difficult position.”

Second Miss Lu said: “How will Mother know without trying? Consider it as me owing her. Even Fourth Sister (Lu Ying), such a strong-willed person, was persuaded by Mother to agree to marriage. Mother, go talk to Third Sister. The palm and back of the hand are both flesh—I beg Mother to pity your daughter.”

Now Li Yiren experienced firsthand what Lu Ying felt when threatened with death—truly like being in a steamer, with raging fire below and steam above, no escape, no alternative, no solution.

Author’s Note: The risk hedging effect has arrived.