Shao Mingyuan commanded with a calm expression: “Arrange the shift changes properly. Don’t exhaust yourselves. Remember, if you encounter this kind of situation again in the future, just kick them out directly!”
“Yes.”
Shao Mingyuan said nothing more and turned back to his room.
The room was completely quiet. The candles had long since burned out, leaving only a pile of candle drippings. Fortunately, moonlight poured in through the window, coating the room’s furnishings with a hazy luminous glow that allowed one to see clearly without lighting a lamp.
The food on the table had long gone cold, giving off a heavy, greasy smell that would make even someone with an appetite too lazy to touch their chopsticks.
Shao Mingyuan didn’t want to call anyone to clean up, so he pushed open the door and went to his study.
The study was brighter than the living quarters, with the longbow hanging on the wall reflecting cold light.
Shao Mingyuan lay down on the bed fully clothed. Thinking of the scene at the mourning hall where Shao Xiyuan had reached out to stroke the coffin lid made his heart feel stifled.
That little bastard—did he know what he was doing?
Shao Mingyuan turned over, his heart feeling as if it had fallen into a frying pan, suffering bit by bit.
The mourning hall had been too bright, and his eyesight too good—he had seen his younger brother’s expression.
Shao Mingyuan closed his eyes and sighed softly.
Third Brother was still just a half-grown youth—how could he develop such inappropriate thoughts?
Shao Mingyuan didn’t want to think deeper.
He preferred to believe he was overthinking.
The person on the bed tossed and turned, causing the cold poison in his body to rampage even more wildly. Under the moonlight, fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
Shao Mingyuan simply sat up, put on his shoes, and walked outside.
Without realizing it, he found himself in the courtyard where they had lived as newlyweds.
The courtyard remained peaceful. The mint fragrance from the corner wall had grown even more intense, and the honeysuckle flowers on the flower trellis still bloomed vigorously.
Shao Mingyuan stood before the flower trellis, silently watching.
What kind of person had Lady Qiao been?
He thought she was resilient, brave, and perhaps even gentle.
Right, he already knew her given name was “Zhào”—the “zhào” from “the wise use their clarity to enlighten others.”
Shao Mingyuan reached out to brush the golden-yellow and pale white honeysuckle flowers, smiling self-mockingly: How ridiculous. When she was alive, she kept alone to this small courtyard while he was busy fighting the Tartars. Now that she was gone, he was finally beginning to understand her, to draw close to her.
Shao Xiyuan limped back to his room and saw Marquis Jing’an’s wife, Lady Shen, sitting in the main hall waiting for him.
“Mother, why are you here?”
The young servant beside him frantically made eye signals at him.
“Sanlang, what’s wrong with your foot? Why are you walking with a limp?”
“I—” Shao Xiyuan opened his mouth wanting to complain, but remembering how Second Brother had mocked him about nursing, he swallowed those words and smiled: “I accidentally took a fall.”
Lady Shen hurriedly stood up and walked over, supporting Shao Xiyuan’s arm as she looked him up and down: “Where did you fall? Was it serious? Sudie, quickly go fetch a doctor.”
“No need, Mother. I’m fine—it was just a small fall.” Shao Xiyuan quickly stopped her.
“We still need to check if you scraped any skin—”
“No, no need. If there are any scrapes, I’ll just apply some ointment later.” To prove he was fine, Shao Xiyuan endured the pain in his buttocks and jumped a bit. Who knew he had overestimated himself—he couldn’t help but grimace, cursing silently: Damn Second Brother, he didn’t hold back!
Lady Shen saw everything but didn’t expose her son’s pretense. She asked: “It’s so late—why weren’t you in your room?”
“Oh, I ate too much at dinner and went out for a walk. Why did Mother come?”
Lady Shen frowned and scolded: “Didn’t you say you were dizzy and needed to sleep early? Why did you go out for a walk again? Though it’s summer now, the nights are still cool. What if you catch a cold?”
Seeing her son’s nonchalant attitude, Lady Shen glanced at him: “You just worry me to death. If I hadn’t been concerned about you sleeping poorly and come to check, I wouldn’t have known you were being so inconsiderate!”
“Mother, I promise to be obedient from now on. Please go back quickly.” Shao Xiyuan couldn’t stand Lady Shen’s nagging and urged her to leave.
“Alright then. Have your servant check where you got hurt and apply medicine early before resting.”
After seeing Lady Shen off, Shao Xiyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and called to his servant: “Laifu, quickly check Young Master’s buttocks—it’s killing me!”
Two quarters of an hour later, a servant woman from Shao Xiyuan’s courtyard went to the main courtyard and was quietly led into Lady Shen’s room.
“What exactly happened to Third Young Master?”
The woman stood respectfully and reported: “This old servant quietly overheard that Third Young Master seems to have been kicked in the buttocks by Second Young Master—”
Upon hearing this, Lady Shen’s face was suddenly covered with a layer of frost. She reached out and heavily slapped the chair’s armrest: “That beast!”
“What was it about?”
The woman lowered her head in fear: “This old servant doesn’t know. I only heard Third Young Master curse once. Third Young Master seems unwilling to let others know and even instructed Laifu not to tell anyone.”
The more Lady Shen listened, the angrier she became, her hands trembling with rage: “He even dares to threaten Sanlang now! That beast—I should have drowned him in a chamber pot when he was born!”
The woman buried her head even lower, not daring to respond.
“Alright, go back. If Third Young Master approaches Second Young Master again in the future, report it immediately.” Noticing her loss of composure, Lady Shen restrained her emotions and dismissed the woman.
Once the woman left, she immediately said to the servant woman standing beside her: “Mama Hua, how is the matter I asked your husband to handle?”
Mama Hua immediately replied: “I was just about to tell Madam—my husband has returned and just arrived home today.”
“How did it go?”
“Madam can rest assured. He bought genuine Yangzhou courtesans, and picked the very best among them.”
“Good.” Lady Shen nodded. “Your husband worked hard. Tomorrow, go to the accounting office for a reward. Once the purchased goods truly prove useful, there will be a generous reward.”
“Thank you, Madam. Madam can rest completely assured. This old servant personally saw that pair of courtesans—any normal man wouldn’t be able to resist them.”
Lady Shen glanced at Mama Hua: “Keep them well guarded. Don’t let any messy incidents occur.”
“Yes.”
Only then did Lady Shen pick up her teacup for a sip, a cold smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
That wretch spent years away from home in military camps where there wasn’t even a female fly. She didn’t believe he could remain unmoved by the famous Yangzhou courtesans.
Hehe, as long as he was compromised, his so-called mourning period for his wife would be a joke. Let’s see how he would handle himself then!
This night passed peacefully, though no one knew how many people lay sleepless on solitary pillows while others slept soundly.
Qiao Zhào had a good night’s sleep. After waking early and paying respects to her elders, she had just returned to Yahe Courtyard when Binglu came over with an invitation, saying excitedly: “Miss, it’s an invitation from the Minister’s residence!”
Receiving the expected invitation, Qiao Zhào calmly took it without any surprise.
The envelope was plain with ink-colored crabapple flowers painted on it. Opening it revealed Chengxin’s paper written in delicate small regular script. Everything showed that the sender was someone of elegant taste and intelligence, perfectly befitting the identity of the granddaughter of the Minister of Rites and Hanlin Academy Director.
After Qiao Zhào read it, her previously calm expression changed.