The ladies present were always fond of novelties. Upon learning about a pavilion with a long corridor, they were filled with wonder and eagerly expressed their desire to visit and admire the scenery. Madam Zhou smiled and said, “In that case, please follow me, ladies.”
Walking at the back of the group, Concubine Mei felt suspicious. Something seemed odd to her. Since her miscarriage, Zhou had been much more subdued, mostly staying in Gong Tong Court to recuperate. Now that Elder Madam Zhou had arrived, she was suddenly busy arranging everything, which aroused suspicion. Currently leading everyone to a rarely visited cottage made her even more suspicious. She turned to Jiao Meng beside her and said, “She’s acting unusually today. Who knows what mischief she’s up to.”
Jiao Meng whispered, “Mistress need not worry. Now that you’re with child, she wouldn’t dare to harm you no matter what. Even if she has something planned today, Mistress can just watch the show unfold.”
Concubine Mei nodded, “That’s precisely right.”
As Madam Zhou led the group forward, after a few steps and turning past a flower path, a delicate black and white pavilion appeared before them, with upturned corners and flying eaves, truly charming. The pavilion connected to a long corridor with carved railings, showing unique craftsmanship. To the right of the pavilion was a small cottage, unremarkable in appearance, with curtains drawn over its windows, concealing the interior.
Seeing the looks of admiration on everyone’s faces, Madam Zhou took the lady who had been splashed with tea earlier toward the cottage, turning back to say as they walked, “Ladies, please enjoy yourselves while I accompany this madam to wait for the servants to bring fresh clothes in the cottage. Later…” Her words stopped abruptly as her expression turned extremely unpleasant.
Seeing her change in expression, everyone was puzzled, but they noticed that the lady she was holding also looked embarrassed, her face alternating between red and pale as if encountering something extremely awkward.
This only made everyone more curious about what was happening, and as they gradually fell silent, they discovered something unusual.
In the silence, strange sounds emerged from the cottage. Listening carefully, one could hear the intermingling of a man’s low pants and a woman’s voice, intensely passionate, making listeners blush.
It was obvious what was happening inside, but who would be so shameless as to engage in such indecent behavior in broad daylight? The ladies’ faces showed contempt, yet they grew more curious about who could be inside.
Just as they were unsure what to do, Zhuang Shi Yang suddenly approached a group of male guests. Seeing them standing silently before the cottage, he was surprised: “What’s happening?”
Madam Zhou replied awkwardly, “My Lord… please listen for yourself.”
When Zhuang Shi Yang approached the cottage and heard the lustful sounds from within, he became furious: “Who’s in there? Such shamelessness! Drag them out, let me see who dares to be so bold!”
Behind Zhuang Shi Yang stood many officials and ministers. Now, various court officials were witnessing this scandalous affair happening in his backyard. One can imagine Zhuang Shi Yang’s anger. Today, regardless of who was inside, he would punish them severely for making him lose face in front of these officials. If a censor were to submit a memorial accusing him of failing to manage his household, his official career would be over.
Just as he was about to cross the threshold, a sharp-eyed maid called out, “Isn’t that Fourth Miss’s hairpin?”
This announcement caused an uproar among those present. Zhuang Shi Yang was stunned and stopped short of pushing open the door. This revelation suggested that the woman inside was none other than the Fourth Miss of the Zhuang family, Zhuang Han Yan. Some ladies’ faces showed contempt – such a loose woman, engaging in improper relations in broad daylight, was truly shameless.
Madam Zhou stepped back, appearing shocked: “How could it be Fourth Miss? She’s always been so well-mannered and proper, how could she do such a thing?”
Elder Madam Zhou patted her shoulder: “Sister, don’t upset yourself. Yan’er has always been such a good girl, to do something like this… she must have been confused momentarily.”
While these sisters appeared to be defending Han Yan, their back-and-forth exchange confirmed that the person inside was Han Yan, even implying that she was typically good at pretending and was two-faced. This sparked more discussion among the crowd, with many criticizing Han Yan while praising Madam Zhou’s magnanimity. Despite rumors of this concubine making life difficult for the Zhuang family’s legitimate daughter, now it seemed different – in such a situation, she still defended her. Who else would do such a thing?
When Li Jia Qi heard the person inside was Han Yan, a flash of joy crossed her eyes before she contemptuously said, “I always knew she wasn’t good. Now it seems she doesn’t even know how to write the words ‘shame’ and ‘dignity’!”
Standing at the back of the female guests, Concubine Mei touched her belly and suddenly understood – this trap had been set for Fourth Miss Zhuang. Looking at the Zhou sisters who couldn’t hide their smugness, she felt doubtful. Although she could now watch this drama unfold with detachment, Han Yan was currently on her side. Attacking Han Yan would only embolden Zhou, making her future position in the household more precarious. Though she currently had temporary peace due to her pregnancy, only she knew whether she was truly with a child.
More importantly, she felt that today’s events wouldn’t unfold according to Zhou’s plan. Han Yan had recently won several impressive victories, showing that the formerly weak girl who could be easily manipulated had changed significantly, developing her strategies and schemes. So, would today’s events proceed as Zhou imagined?
Perhaps not. Thinking this, she leisurely stepped forward with a graceful smile: “We haven’t even seen clearly who’s inside, why is Sister Zhou so quick to conclude it’s Fourth Miss?”
A cool male voice suddenly interrupted their conversation: “Seeing is believing.”
People were surprised that someone would still speak up for Han Yan at this point. Looking back, they saw it was Xuan Qing Wang Fu Yun Xi. They wondered why this typically cold and aloof prince would concern himself with such mundane matters, especially someone else’s family affairs.
Hearing this, Deng Chan gave Fu Yun Xi a grateful look and also spoke up loudly: “That’s right, Han Yan isn’t that kind of person. Why not open the door and look? If the person inside isn’t Han Yan, wouldn’t this be deliberately ruining her reputation?” Though she spoke thus, she was extremely worried. She had seen that hairpin on Han Yan’s head before – it was indeed hers. Although she didn’t believe her good friend would do such a thing, if she had fallen into someone’s trap… she couldn’t be certain.
The Seventh Prince, standing close to Fu Yun Xi, saw him speak up for Han Yan and smiled meaningfully: “Uncle seems quite concerned about Fourth Miss Zhuang’s affairs.” Playing with the jade pendant at his waist, he leaned close to Fu Yun Xi’s ear and whispered, “I recall Uncle left the banquet for a while. If Uncle weren’t standing before me now, I might have thought that the one enjoying himself with Fourth Miss Zhuang inside… was Uncle.”