Shou Fu Yang Cheng Shou Ce – Chapter 87

Zhao Mingzhu had always been cherished by Old Lady Wei, and she had never heard a harsh word from her.

After listening, she pursed her lips and remained silent. Old Lady Wei beckoned her to sit beside her and sighed, “I’m not blaming you, but you’re too stubborn, child. Yining has been here for so long, yet you’ve never tried to get close to her. You know your uncle values her, so why not try to improve your relationship with her?”

Zhao Mingzhu’s eyes reddened as she said, “I… I’m just like this. I can’t pretend. I can’t control who I like or dislike. I love you and only want to be close to you. I don’t want to bother with anyone else.”

Old Lady Wei held her hand and said thoughtfully, “Yining had a difficult time outside. Now that she’s finally back, it’s natural for your uncle to dote on her.” Seeing Mingzhu crying, she remembered how this child had been raised under her care. She would worry excessively even if Mingzhu had a slight headache. Her current willful nature was largely due to her indulgence. Old Lady Wei hugged her and said, “You foolish child, don’t you realize I won’t be around forever? When I’m gone, who will protect you?”

Zhao Mingzhu looked up at Old Lady Wei and asked softly, “Do you not like me anymore?”

She suddenly realized she couldn’t continue as before. Even if she disliked Luo Yining, she shouldn’t show it and give others a reason to gossip.

“How could I not like you?” Old Lady Wei looked at her tear-stained face, her heart aching. She remembered how Mingzhu had kept her company during Wei Ling’s years away, how she had clung to her as a child, refusing to move out. Even after moving out, she was always the first to visit every day. She also thought of how Mingzhu was distant from her parents and only close to her…

She said this because she feared Mingzhu couldn’t properly understand her position. She naturally loved Mingzhu and wouldn’t let others bully her. But for Wei Ling, Yining was the only young lady in the Ying Guogong household, a fact she couldn’t change. Although both children were equal in her heart, and she even favored Mingzhu more, the reality was different.

Old Lady Wei slowly said, “Don’t cry anymore. Tomorrow, your cousin Cheng Lang will come to tutor Ting’er. He’ll visit me then, and I’ll bring up your marriage to him.” It would be good to settle Mingzhu’s marriage early, lest her unstable nature make her disliked by others.

Zhao Mingzhu was surprised to hear Old Lady Wei’s plan was so soon.

Old Lady Wei continued, “Cheng Lang has grown up with you since childhood, so you should have a deep bond. If he agrees, we’ll consider it settled.”

Families wanting to marry into Cheng Lang’s household could line up from the west to the east of the city. If not for being raised by Old Lady Wei’s side, Mingzhu wouldn’t even qualify to be mentioned alongside Cheng Lang.

After returning to Fangshan, Zhao Mingzhu’s maid Suxi brought her some soup. Seeing her mistress still lying on the table silently, Suxi said, “My lady, please don’t be upset. I think Old Lady Wei’s words make sense. She’s considering your best interests…”

“How can I not be upset?” Zhao Mingzhu’s slender fingers clutched at the Lu silk cushion. In her anger, she burst out, “I’m the one who was raised by her side, in this household! So what if she’s the biological daughter? She was raised in a poor family outside. Now she’s suddenly a phoenix perched on a high branch? She still comes from a fallen background.”

Hearing this, Suxi felt a pang in her heart. Her young miss was being unreasonable, saying such things. Yining was a legitimate young lady, something Mingzhu could never compare to. But as servants, their fates were tied to their mistresses. They couldn’t speak plainly for fear of angering her and instead had to help strategize.

“In my opinion, you’d be better off being nice to Miss Yining. Others will see you as understanding,” Suxi advised. “As long as Old Lady Wei can help you marry Lord Cheng, you’ll be the rightful mistress in his household. It won’t matter then whether you’re a legitimate young lady or not. You just need to win Lord Cheng’s favor.”

Zhao Mingzhu took a deep breath and said, “The Ying Guogong mansion will be her territory in the future. If I want to visit Grandmother, I might have to consider her mood… Moreover, I’m not entirely confident about Cheng Lang.”

“That’s simple enough,” Suxi said, realizing Mingzhu’s meaning and finally relaxing with a smile. “As long as Miss Yining gets engaged and marries out, why worry? You’ll be living separate lives then.”

Hearing this, Zhao Mingzhu sat up and looked at Suxi.

She felt Suxi had a point. If Yining were engaged, she wouldn’t think about Cheng Lang anymore. But was she truly sincere about marrying Cheng Lang?

Zhao Mingzhu gazed at the lamp on the table, recalling the first time she saw that man when she was very young.

She had taken him as her godfather and served him tea. He accepted it without a word and gave her a bracelet.

The bracelet looked unremarkable, but Zhao Mingzhu later learned it was priceless, made of a very rare jade. As long as she wore it, no one would dare harm her outside.

Every time she tried to please him with her words, he would just smile casually. Even as she grew up, he still treated her like a child.

From a young age, she had looked up to Lu Jiaxue’s brilliance, her heart full of expectation whenever she saw him. But she never dared tell anyone.

Thinking of him calmed Zhao Mingzhu. At least she had the powerful Governor Lu as her godfather, something Luo Yining didn’t have. Even if she were to face off against Luo Yining one day, Lu Jiaxue would surely help her for old times’ sake.

Suddenly, Zhao Mingzhu felt an urgent desire to see Lu Jiaxue. It had been a long time since she last saw him.

The Zuixian Tower in the western part of the capital was a place frequented by officials and nobles.

Their pastries were especially good. As the year-end approached, it became quieter, with few people on the first floor.

The windows on the second floor of Zuixian Tower were open. Outside, a light snow was falling, making the streets wet. Cheng Lang leaned against the window frame, watching the street. Peddlers and passersby wearing bamboo hats hurried back and forth. He held a wine cup in one hand, his jade-like, handsome profile reflecting a faint glow in the gray, snowy day. He had been silently watching for half an hour.

The sound of the pipa finally stopped, and the female musician sighed, “If the young master finds my music boring, why ask me to play?”

Cheng Lang, successful at a young age and handsome as jade, was naturally romantic and unrestrained. He liked proud women, and those proud women were always conquered by him. When Cheng Lang took notice of her, Lianfu didn’t quite understand. She had a gentle nature and didn’t like to compete with others, usually not standing out in the entertainment quarters. Over the years, she had seen people come and go from his side like flowing water, but Cheng Lang had never touched her.

Cheng Lang turned his head, his cold expression surprising Lianfu.

As she was about to speak, Cheng Lang said coolly, “Don’t talk too much.”

Cheng Lang was usually easy to get along with, and Lianfu had never angered him before. She didn’t know he could be so cold.

Cheng Lang looked at her face. Lianfu’s features were delicate and gentle, somewhat resembling her… He closed his eyes. After so many years of restraint and self-cultivation, why was he still so base?

Sometimes he thought perhaps he should be grateful she was gone. If she were still here and knew of his thoughts… such shamelessness, she would surely wish she had never taught him.

Cheng Lang’s fingers relaxed slightly as he turned back to continue watching outside the window.

Lianfu didn’t dare say anything more. She lowered her head and continued plucking the pipa, changing to the tune of “Zhaojun Chu Sai.”

Suddenly, a guard came to report from outside, “Lord Cheng, someone from the Governor’s office has just arrived with a confidential message for you.”

Cheng Lang waved for Lianfu and the others to leave. The letter was delivered to his hand. It was sealed inside with beeswax. Cheng Lang crushed the wax to retrieve the letter inside.

The content was brief. This was a plan that had been designed long ago. Lu Jiaxue intended to eliminate the eldest prince tomorrow at the hunting grounds. Fearing that someone in the capital might take advantage of this, he wanted Cheng Lang to be extra vigilant.

After reading the secret message, a cold smile slowly appeared on Cheng Lang’s lips.

He called someone in and told them to send a message to the Ying Guogong mansion, saying he couldn’t tutor Ting’er tomorrow.

The next day, Yining took Ting’er early in the morning to greet Old Lady Wei.

Old Lady Wei hugged her grandson affectionately, taking pine nut candies from a box for him. Seeing him plump and rosy, she knew Yining was taking good care of him. She pinched his cheek and asked, “Do you like having Sister Yining take care of you?”

Ting’er remembered Yining hitting him with the ruler and pouted without speaking. But then he recalled how she lulled him to sleep every day, how he would cling to her and refuse to let go. When he woke up, he found her lying beside him, his head pillowed on her arm… He reluctantly said, “It’s alright.”

Then he divided some of his pine nut candies and gave them to Yining, like a little tyrant: “Here, eat some.”

Old Lady Wei doted most on this only grandson, after all, he was the one to inherit the legitimate line. If not for fear she couldn’t manage, Ting’er would have been raised by her side.

She saw his mischievousness as playfulness, a child’s nature. Everyone indulged him.

Yining held a few pine nut candies and, although not particularly wanting to eat them, put one in her mouth to taste.

At this moment, a maid announced Zhao Mingzhu’s arrival from outside. Soon after, Zhao Mingzhu entered, surrounded by her maids like the moon among stars. Though she had fewer maids now, Old Lady Wei’s maids immediately helped her remove her cloak and handed her a hand warmer. Zhao Mingzhu had carefully dressed up today, looking radiant. Her gold earrings swayed against her snow-white cheeks, enchantingly beautiful.

Zhao Mingzhu had thought Cheng Lang would come today and had dressed up for the occasion but learned he couldn’t come to tutor due to other matters. She didn’t say anything about it, just smiled and sat beside Yining, having her maid bring two boxes forward: “These are dragon’s beard candies that Cousin Cheng Lang brought back from Sichuan last time. I haven’t had a chance to eat them, so I brought them for you to try, sister.”

Yining glanced at Zhao Mingzhu, surprised to see her genuinely smiling.

Adversity does foster growth.

She reached out to accept the dragon’s beard candy Zhao Mingzhu offered. Zhao Mingzhu then gave a piece to Old Lady Wei, who smiled and said, “This girl… When she first got them, I told her to bring them out to eat, but she refused. Today, I get to taste her treats thanks to you.”

Zhao Mingzhu affectionately said to Old Lady Wei, “What are you saying? Of course, I should be polite to my sister! With you, I can be stingy.”

Old Lady Wei hugged her and patted her back, giving one of the boxes to Yining and saying gently, “Take this and enjoy it slowly.”

Yining lowered her head and tasted a dragon’s beard candy, finding it a bit too sweet. Wei Ling had given her many fine pastries, and she lacked nothing, but she couldn’t reject Old Lady Wei’s kindness. When she looked up, she noticed Ting’er watching her, but he quickly turned away.

Zhao Mingzhu shared some amusing stories with Old Lady Wei: “Shen Jiarou told me her mother wants to arrange a marriage for her brother with the daughter of a deputy prefect. But her brother refuses, saying he wants to find someone he likes. Now he’s at odds with Lady Zhongqin Marquis! Lady Zhongqin Marquis is so angry she wants to beat him, and Shen Jiarou is troubled by this.”

Yining took another bite of the dragon’s beard candy, remembering the sachet the blue-robed young man had given her.

“Yining, you met Shen Yu last time, didn’t you? You even exchanged a few words,” Zhao Mingzhu suddenly said to her. “What do you think of Shen Yu?”

Yining had been eating her pastry mindfully, suddenly hearing her name called. She looked up. Old Lady Wei noticed some dragon’s beard candy crumbs at the corner of her mouth and found it amusing, thinking this little girl must not have been listening carefully to Zhao Mingzhu…

Yining put down the candy and said, “Hmm… he seems fine.” What could she say? She didn’t know much about Shen Yu.

Zhao Mingzhu chuckled, “Shen Yu is indeed quite handsome. I’ve noticed that Sister Yining is quite polite to him.”

Upon hearing Zhao Mingzhu’s words, Old Madam Wei took note. Yining had reached the age for marriage discussions, and it was time to start looking for potential matches. Shen Yu… he too was of marriageable age, a handsome young man with a clean reputation. His status might be slightly inadequate for Yining, and his scholarly achievements were somewhat inferior to Cheng Lang’s. However, he was set to inherit the title of Earl Zhongqin, which Cheng Lang couldn’t match. No matter how high an official position Cheng Lang might attain, he couldn’t be granted a noble title. If Shen Yu’s character was good enough, he could be a suitable match.

Old Madam Wei, having this thought, decided to quietly evaluate the situation.

Yining noticed Old Madam Wei’s pensive look and frowned. Surely the old lady hadn’t taken Zhao Mingzhu’s words to heart and started imagining something between her and Shen Yu?

She said, “I think Brother Shen Yu is fine, he’d be suitable for the daughter of a Tongpan.”

She hoped this would dispel any notions Old Madam Wei might have. Shen Yu was just a young lad; she had no feelings for him.

Old Madam Wei smiled upon hearing this. It seemed Yining had no such intentions. It was best not to force her then.

Yining felt that Zhao Mingzhu had suddenly become much cleverer. It couldn’t be just her… Yining glanced at the maids and servants around Zhao Mingzhu. Surely someone must be advising her? Those who could become headmaids in Duke Ying’s household were no ordinary people.

That evening, as she was returning from Old Madam Wei’s quarters with young Master Ting, the boy noticed her silence and asked, “Are you unhappy?”

Yining looked at him. He barely reached her waist, yet he acted so mature. She smiled and said, “How did you know I was unhappy?”

“Sister Mingzhu has Grandmother’s affection—” Ting said, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you when I grow up.” He spoke nonchalantly, “After all, you’re my only sister. I don’t have another one, so you don’t need to care about Grandmother.”

Yining was surprised; she didn’t know the little rascal was thinking about such things.

But the boy continued, “But could you stop hitting my palms? I am the Young Master, after all.”

Yining burst into laughter, tugging his ear, saying, “So if I hit your palms now, you won’t protect me in the future?”

Ting thought her laugh was particularly beautiful; he rarely saw her laugh like this. But soon his ear started to hurt from her tugging, and he wailed for Yining to let go.

The siblings returned to Yining’s courtyard. Ting huffed and puffed as he ran back to his room, bringing out a small basket. He picked out a few toys from it. “These are for you to play with.”

Yining glanced at them briefly; he had given her tangram puzzles, nine linked rings, and even some dice—all boys’ toys.

Ting felt he was expressing his formal intention to join her team. He climbed onto the couch, sat opposite her, and said, “I’ll call you Sister from now on. Do you like having a brother?”

Yining looked at his pure, childish expression and nodded with a smile. Ting, satisfied, grunted in approval and asked, “Am I your only brother?”

Yining said, “I used to have another brother…”

Ting frowned, “That’s not fair. I only have you as a sister. You’re not allowed to have other brothers.”

“Isn’t Sister Mingzhu your sister too?”

Ting blinked and said, “She’s not. She’s a cousin, and I don’t like her much anyway.”

Yining was amused by his childish words, and the maids and servants in the room all laughed. Ting was puzzled, not understanding what was so funny…

Yining noticed it was getting dark outside and called for a maid to bring hot water to wash Ting’s feet.

Ting squirmed uncomfortably as she wiped his face, but eventually let her clean him up. As she watched a servant wash his feet, Yining looked up and asked Pearl, “Why is it so quiet outside today? Has Father returned?”

Pearl replied, “The Duke hasn’t returned yet. He might still be at the military camp.”

When Wei Ling wasn’t at court, he was either at home or at the military camp. But since Yining’s return, he usually came back to the mansion early. It was rare for him to be this late.

“Young Master Ting’s chapped feet haven’t healed yet,” Madam Tong said as she washed Ting’s feet. “The ointment the Duke gave last time might not be enough.”

Ting’s feet always chapped in winter.

Yining was about to go check why Wei Ling hadn’t returned yet, as it was so late, and she could also get some more ointment while she was at it. She instructed Madam Tong, “…You put Young Master Ting to bed first. I’ll go to Father’s place to look.”

Yining had Pearl support her as she went to Wei Ling’s courtyard. The mansion seemed strange; usually, there were guards around her father’s place, but today she didn’t see any. It had been snowing for several days and had finally stopped. The bright moonlight shone on the snow-covered ground, creating a faint glow. Everything around was eerily quiet.

Just as Yining reached the outside of Wei Ling’s courtyard, she saw that although candles were lit inside the room, no one was there. As she was puzzling over this, she suddenly heard footsteps. There seemed to be a sound of metal objects clinking as they walked. Feeling that something was amiss, she immediately pulled Pearl into Wei Ling’s study. Pearl, not understanding what was happening, looked at Yining in shock. Yining gestured for her to be quiet.

Nothing major should happen in Duke Ying’s mansion; there should be guards on duty. But she still felt something was off. Especially after experiencing the bloody upheaval in the Lu family, she was particularly sensitive to such disturbances.

Yining focused her hearing and caught a man’s low voice saying, “The news of the Crown Prince’s death should have reached the capital by now. Has the Marquis’s mansion been surrounded?”

Someone replied, “As you predicted, Commander. The Marquis’s mansion has been surrounded…”

The man laughed coldly, “Cheng Lang is too cunning. We must be wary of him.”

Yining froze. How could it be Lu Jiaxue? She knew his voice very well and couldn’t possibly mistake it. But how could he be in Duke Ying’s mansion?

And what they were discussing… the Crown Prince’s death!

Yining recalled that in the winter of the 13th year of Chengping, Lu Jiaxue had shot and killed the Crown Prince during a hunt, and the Emperor in the palace had mysteriously died shortly after the Crown Prince’s death. Soon after, Lu Jiaxue supported the Prince to ascend the throne, and the new Emperor bestowed upon Lu Jiaxue the title of General Xuanwei, of the first rank.

Lu Jiaxue must have just returned from the hunting grounds.

She had stumbled upon this crucial moment!

Even though Pearl was worldly-wise, she was still just a maid from the inner quarters. Hearing the content of this conversation, she was already sweating profusely. She looked at Yining, anxious but not daring to speak. Yining, however, was calmer than Pearl had expected. She shook her head at Pearl, signaling her not to panic. She was Wei Ling’s daughter, and Lu Jiaxue had a close relationship with Wei Ling. He wouldn’t harm Wei Ling’s only daughter.

Although she could reason this way, when Yining thought about how ruthless Lu Jiaxue could be—even willing to kill her—she felt her palms grow cold.

She heard the voice getting closer, and the follower spoke again: “Commander, you’re injured after all. Shouldn’t we bandage it…”

“No need,” Lu Jiaxue said in a deep voice. “Come with me to the warm chamber.”

The warm chamber was on the opposite side of the study, one to the south and one to the north, so they should be moving away. Pearl heard this and breathed a sigh of relief, but as she relaxed her hand, she accidentally knocked over the pen holder on the long table. With a clatter, the pen holder fell.

Yining’s heart skipped a beat, and Pearl, realizing her mistake, froze, not knowing what to do! Lu Jiaxue seemed to have heard the sound too. Yining heard his footsteps pause, then approached their direction. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she even heard Lu Jiaxue’s breathing. Then the curtain of the study was suddenly pulled aside. Yining looked up to see Lu Jiaxue wearing a dark Xuanzi robe with qilin patterns embroidered on the cuffs, holding a sword. His tall figure appeared cold and merciless. This scene was all too familiar.

This was exactly how he had entered the Lu family home, holding a blood-dripping sword, when he killed Lu Jiaran.

Lu Jiaxue instantly spotted Yining, this young girl leaning against the long table, barely reaching his shoulder. Her cyan satin jacket made her look very slender.

Before Yining could say anything, he suddenly grabbed her, this time mercilessly gripping her neck, and asked in a low voice, “What—did you hear?”

Yining was tightly held by his arm, even feeling the heat from his chest.

She grabbed his sleeve, trying to pull it away, looking at him angrily. Remembering the events of her past life—the love and hatred. How he had cherished and pleased her, and how he had killed her. It all overlapped with this moment. She said coldly, “What are you doing? I am the young lady of Duke Ying’s household… If you dare do anything, I’m afraid today’s events won’t remain hidden!”

“It’s always you, time and again…” Lu Jiaxue looked at her and smiled, saying, “If it weren’t for the fact that you’re Wei Ling’s daughter, I would have killed you long ago.”

She still wasn’t clever enough. If he intended to kill her, he wouldn’t have said a word to her.

“It seems you’ve heard everything now.” Lu Jiaxue leaned closer to her and said, his tone still icy, “You don’t happen to have a grudge against me, do you? Always managing to overhear things.”

Yining, seeing him like this, almost blurted out “Lu Jiaxue!” just to see his reaction.

Seeing Yining’s defiant gaze, he sneered and slightly tightened his grip, just intending to scare her. But he saw Yining frown tightly, her fingers clutching his sleeve, looking extremely vulnerable. Due to the difficulty in breathing, she became slightly disoriented and said brokenly, “Lu Jiaxue… it hurts…”

Lu Jiaxue, hearing this, paused for a moment and slightly loosened his grip. Just then, he heard Wei Ling’s urgent voice from behind: “Lu Jiaxue, what are you doing!”