Chapter 47: The One Who Occupied Another’s Body
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By custom, two-thirds of the gifts were to be stored in the Chancellor’s Mansion warehouse, to be used for future occasions. The remaining third was sent to Du Zi Heng’s private storage as his personal property.
The list of gifts already exceeded twenty thousand taels in value. A third of that, roughly six thousand seven hundred taels, belonged to Du Zi Heng.
Yu Zhi Yi, being a kind-hearted person, agreed. “Alright.”
However, she added a disclaimer, “I’ll persuade my father and mother, but if Miss You holds a grudge because of past events and refuses to enter the mansion, that won’t be my responsibility.”
“She won’t,” Du Zi Heng reassured her. “When Bing Yue learns about my injury, she’ll definitely want to come.”
“Hmm… Fine, I’ll try,” Yu Zhi Yi relented.
She made her way to Madam Yao’s quarters.
Convincing Madam Yao wasn’t too difficult. Though she was upset with her son, she cared deeply for him. With the imperial exams just around the corner and her son injured, she was more worried about his performance being affected.
As long as Yu Zhi Yi leveraged this concern, Madam Yao was easy to persuade.
The real challenge lay with Chancellor Du. He had already declared in front of Yu Zhi Yi that Miss You wouldn’t be allowed into the mansion. To go back on his word would mean losing face.
Fortunately, he respected his wife. When Yu Zhi Yi expressed her worries that her father might not agree, Madam Yao confidently reassured her, “Don’t worry. He’ll agree.”
That very evening, the servants cleaned up Moon Gazing Pavilion in preparation.
When Du Zi Heng heard the news, he gave Yu Zhi Yi a thumbs-up. True to his word, he allowed her to select anything she fancied from the list of gifts, which would be moved to her Breeze Pavilion.
The gift list included rare medicinal herbs, pearls, coral, jade, and other treasures. Yu Zhi Yi chose a few high-quality pieces of jade and the only two-hundred-year-old ginseng on the list.
She left behind the fabrics and clearly male-oriented accessories, opting to have them placed in the main storage for use as future gifts to others.
With this batch of jade, her Small Spirit-Gathering Formation was nearly complete, needing only twenty more formation flags. The day when it would be fully functional was close. Once finished, the merit and spiritual energy tempering would ensure her immortality, even if she couldn’t achieve Ascension.
That night, Du Zi Heng, anxious about Miss You, sent Du Lin and two maids to fetch her. However, they returned empty-handed.
Du Zi Heng grew increasingly worried, insisting on going out to search for her.
Du Lin was near tears trying to stop him. “Young Master, your injuries haven’t healed yet! If the Chancellor and Madam find out, they’ll skin me alive!”
“Get out of my way!” Du Zi Heng attempted to kick Du Lin aside, but in his weakened state, he couldn’t even budge him.
As Du Zi Heng’s wound threatened to reopen, Yu Zhi Yi intervened. “Why trouble a servant? If something truly happens, you’ll be fine as the young master of the Chancellor’s Mansion, but the servants will bear the brunt of your recklessness.”
Du Zi Heng froze mid-action.
“Can you calculate her location?” he asked, pulling out a stack of silver notes.
“I only accept gold, silver, or valuable items like jade,” Yu Zhi Yi replied coolly.
Du Zi Heng didn’t believe her, knowing that Red Luan had paid her in silver notes before.
Reading his thoughts, Yu Zhi Yi clarified, “The silver notes from Red Luan were my earnings from selling clothes, unrelated to divination.”
“… I only have fifty taels of silver left,” he muttered.
“That’s enough,” she said nonchalantly, though her usual rate for commoners was just two taels per reading. She had no qualms charging high-ranking officials more.
“Give me her birth details.”
Du Zi Heng quickly recited You Bing Yue’s birthdate, which he had memorized shortly after they met. He’d been curious about hers after she celebrated his eighteenth birthday.
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t care for the details of their relationship and began calculating. Her previously indifferent expression suddenly changed to one of puzzlement, then gravity. Sitting up straight, she recalculated.
This was the first time Du Zi Heng had seen her look so serious. His heart sank. “Is something wrong?”
Instead of answering, Yu Zhi Yi asked, “Do you have the birth details of someone close to her?”
Fearing for You Bing Yue’s safety, Du Zi Heng provided another date. “This is her brother’s. His birthday is soon after mine.”
Yu Zhi Yi calculated again. Moments later, she relaxed, her demeanor returning to calm. “Do you wish to know her location or her life story?”
Du Zi Heng hesitated. “What’s wrong with her life story?”
Before Yu Zhi Yi could reply, he raised his hand. “Never mind. Just tell me where she is and if she’s safe.”
“As you wish,” Yu Zhi Yi said. “She’s in the Carefree Prince’s Mansion, very safe. You’ll likely see her tomorrow.”
Du Zi Heng froze, his expression dimming.
After a moment, he said, “I understand.”
He had no doubt in Yu Zhi Yi’s calculations. After all, few people knew of You Bing Yue’s connection to the Carefree Prince, not even his parents. The fact that Yu Zhi Yi deduced this proved her honesty.
Night deepened, and Yu Zhi Yi’s duty of tending to Du Zi Heng ended. Unconcerned with his forlorn state, she instructed Du Lin to watch over him carefully before returning to Breeze Pavilion.
Once there, her maid, Zi Yuan, voiced her displeasure. “Didn’t that woman vow never to step foot in the mansion again? She’s slapping herself in the face!”
Zi Yuan had absolute faith in her mistress’s calculations.
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t mind. “Du Zi Heng was injured. It’s understandable for her to visit.”
The young maid remained indignant, convinced that You Bing Yue would soon move into Moon Gazing Pavilion and disrupt their lives. Yu Zhi Yi chuckled. “Relax. She won’t move in.”
She’d only agreed to persuade Madam Yao because the servants’ appearances suggested that the pavilion would remain unoccupied. But her calculations of the birth details revealed something else.
You Bing Yue had been reborn.
Or rather, her body had been overtaken by a soul from another world. The real You Bing Yue had died a month before meeting Du Zi Heng.
The otherworldly soul, evidently powerful in her original world, had since expanded her network of allies, including the Carefree Prince. She wouldn’t stay in the Chancellor’s Mansion because she was destined to live in the Prince’s Mansion.