Chapter 039
Chapter 39: When Did the Heir Apparent Become So Kind?
He lowered his gaze and unfastened a jade pendant from his waist. Holding it out, he said with calm gentleness: “If you ever find yourself in trouble, bring this to Duke Ning’s manor and ask for me. No one will dare stop you.”
What.
Su Qian Yue looked up in shock at the crescent-shaped jade. Slowly she raised her eyes to the refined young master. In the soft candlelight, his face seemed carved from fine jade. His uncharacteristic gentleness stole her breath.
[Am I dreaming.]
Her heart pounded. She stood frozen and did not know what to do.
“Cang Yan,” Yun Wan Chen called.
The black-robed youth stepped forward, took the pendant, and offered it with both hands: “Miss Su, this is our heir apparent’s goodwill. Please accept it.”
He did not know why his master would shelter this pitiful sprout, but there must be a reason.
Su Qian Yue took the pendant with trembling fingers and whispered, careful and shy: “Heir Apparent Yun, does this mean I may come find you again.”
“Mm,” Yun Wan Chen replied.
She pinched the inside of her thigh. [Ow, it hurts.] It was not a dream. He had truly given her a keepsake and told her she could seek him.
“Cang Yan, escort Miss Su home. Be careful not to alert the Su family,” Yun Wan Chen said.
“Yes,” Cang Yan answered. He bowed and said to her: “Miss Su, this way please.”
Su Qian Yue looked back once. She gave Yun Wan Chen a long, lingering glance, then turned to leave, steps heavy and slow.
When her footfalls faded, Yun Wan Chen lowered his eyes and turned the jade thumb ring on his finger. A soft, cold laugh left his lips. The legitimate daughter had met mishap, and the Su family rushed home without leaving even a servant behind, abandoning the concubine-born girl they brought. Duke Ning’s manor stood in the west. The Grand Commandant’s house lay far to the east, forty li apart. To expect such a fragile girl to walk alone across the city, her legs would break before half the way.
He thought of her paper-thin frame and threadbare clothes and sighed at the Su family’s heartlessness.
An hour later, Cang Yan returned on horseback.
“How did it go. Did anyone notice,” Yun Wan Chen asked.
Cang Yan shook his head: “Rest easy, Young Master. Miss Su lives in a secluded courtyard. There were only two gatekeepers and not a single guard. I came and went unseen.”
The yard was not only remote; her room was worse than a servant’s. The window paper was torn and never replaced. The wind passed through without mercy. With winter near, how could she survive.
If he had not seen it, Cang Yan would never believe a concubine-born daughter of Haojing’s great house could be left in such hardship. He spoke all he saw.
“Tsk, Young Master, that Grand Commandant is shameless. Even concubine-born, she is still his daughter. The Su family is not short of coin. How can they treat her like this,” he said.
Yun Wan Chen had already guessed as much. “I heard Madam Su is jealous by nature. She forbids Su Jian to take concubines. Su Qian Yue must be the result of a brief mistake. The only reason she lives is that Madam Su did not smother her at birth. This treatment is not surprising. Su Jian will not defend her,” he said evenly.
“Tomorrow night, bring her food and silver. Tell her to hide it and let no one find it,” he added.
He had planned to send warm clothes and bedding, but stopped. Those things were hard to hide. With Madam Su’s nature, if the girl suddenly ate better and dressed warm, she would be accused of theft and punished.
Cang Yan stroked his chin and tilted his head with a glint of mischief: “Tsk. Since when has our heir apparent become so generous.”
To the world, Yun Wan Chen was clear wind and bright moon. Cang Yan knew the steel beneath. Falling for that skinny sprout was nonsense. Status aside, one look told you she was not his master’s type. He had seen all kinds of beauties. Why would he like such a pitiful bean.
Yun Wan Chen only smiled and did not answer. [Kindness.] More like paying an old debt.
In the Grand Commandant’s manor, after settling Su Qian Xue, Su Jian frowned: “Madam, I think we left Qian Yue behind at Duke Ning’s.”
At once, Madam Su’s face turned uglier. She snorted: “So what. What is there to fear. Will the Yun family eat her. I told you not to bring that disgrace, yet you insisted. Look at her now, gone the moment trouble came. Even when Xue’er suffered, she never showed her face.”
She blamed even this on Su Qian Yue. Su Jian’s face darkened, but he swallowed his anger: “Even so, she is still a Su daughter. Leaving her behind looks shameful. Yun Zheng may not be pleased.”
“What shame. Xue’er was harmed at their manor. I have not made them pay yet. They owe us. By night, they will surely send that useless thing back. If you have time to worry, worry for Xue’er. It is freezing. Falling in the lake must have frightened her. She has not spoken a word. My poor daughter,” Madam Su cried. Her weeping made Su Jian’s head pound.
That night, Su Qian Xue burned with fever. For three days she lay unconscious before it broke. Madam Su kept watch and grew thin and haggard. When Su Qian Xue finally stirred, her eyes lit with joy.
“Xue’er, you are awake. Are you in pain. Are you hungry. I will send for food,” she said.
Su Qian Xue stared blankly. Her mind was slow and muddy. “Mother,” she said. Her throat seared with pain, raw and rasping as if scraped by blades. The sound was hoarse beyond knowing. It hurt. Tears gathered and fell. Her lashes trembled as she wept.
“Do not cry. Mother is here. Does it hurt. I will call the physician,” Madam Su said. “Chun Lan, go, summon the physician.”
The room burst into motion. Maids ran for doctors. Servants rushed with food and medicine. It took half an hour before Su Qian Xue’s mind cleared. Lying under the lavender canopy, she stared at the silk folds and thought back to the night.
By the plot, the princess should have pushed the original host into the lake at the full-moon feast. She had planned it all. She came early. She prepared the scene and waited. She even saw Mo Zhao Zhao walking toward her. Then, at the rockery, the princess vanished.
Who took her. Who disrupted the story.
Who knew Mo Zhao Zhao’s move and also knew her trap. Who intervened and aimed at her so cleanly.
How did they know. Could there be another transmigrator. No, even if someone came from beyond, they might guess the princess’s actions, but how could they know her secret plan.
Where did it go wrong.
A cold chill crept down her spine. She trembled. A terrible thought rose: [Am I being watched.] Every move, every plan, exposed beneath an unseen gaze. Terrifying.
“Xue’er, how did you fall in the lake. Do not fear. Tell Mother. Whatever it was, I will win justice for you,” Madam Su said, clutching her hand.
“Mother,” Su Qian Xue cried as she threw herself into her arms. “I was standing by the lake, admiring the view. I saw the princess coming. I thought she would make trouble. We have quarreled before. But when she passed the rockery, she vanished. Then something struck my knee. It felt like a hidden weapon. The pain was unbearable, like my knee shattered. I could not stand and fell straight into the lake.”
“You are sure you saw the princess,” Madam Su asked, shocked.
“Yes, I saw her,” Su Qian Xue said firmly. She lifted her trouser leg and showed a knee swollen like a steamed bun, dark with bruises. “Look, this is where the weapon hit. I did not see the princess attack me. She likely has no inner power. I suspect it was one of her guards, someone close to her, who hit me into the water.”
At the sight, Madam Su’s blood boiled. She stood with clenched teeth: “Good Princess Hua Yang. How dare she use such cruel tricks on my Xue’er. Vicious girl. Rest well. I will go to your father. We will gather proof. Once we have it, I will win justice for you,” she said, and strode out in wrath.
Watching her leave, Su Qian Xue felt a twist of unease. Had she gone too far dragging the princess in. A dark premonition brushed her heart, and she pushed it away. [Hmph. The princess bullied me first. Even without proof, I know she was involved.]
In the original plot, the princess had pushed the original Su Qian Xue into the lake at this very feast. This accusation could be counted as justice for both her and the original host.
After Madam Su reported, Su Jian sent spies to Duke Ning’s manor. Before they even reached the gate, Lu Wu and Zhong Li had seen them. One followed in the dark. The other flew to report.
“Let them be,” Yun Zheng said with calm ease, lifting a hand. “Let them search.” Three days had passed since the feast. Yun Wan Ye left no traces. Even the hidden window in the Gallery Loft was sealed. There was nothing to find. If they seized spies now, it would make the manor look guilty and give Su Jian cause to press. That would bring trouble. “Keep a close eye. Do not let them plant false evidence,” he added. If one wished to accuse, any excuse would serve. The danger was Su Jian’s impatience.
“Yes, my lord,” came the answer. Duke Ning’s manor had become lively. Prince Qi’s men had barely left before the Grand Commandant’s spies arrived. Quite the spectacle. A sharp glint flashed in Yun Zheng’s eyes, cold as bone.
Within Peace Keeping Courtyard, Madam Yun and Yun Wan Yao recorded the banquet gifts together. One checked the boxes, and one kept the ledger, moving with a grace like a quiet dance.
On the beauty couch by the window, Yun Wan Ning sprawled with puffed cheeks and caressed the treasure pile around her: [So generous, so wonderful. Seventh Uncle and Big Brother are the best in the world. Seventh Uncle gave me a little screen carved from Imperial Green jade. The craft is so fine and flawless that I can hardly believe it. Even in my past life, I never saw such pure Imperial Green. This one screen alone could buy a seaside villa in Haicheng. And Big Brother gave me so many hairpins, bracelets, and pendants of lamb-fat white jade. There is even a giant gold necklace that must weigh half a jin. And look at these golden anklets, and a pure gold pillow that is more than ten jin. Ah, I love it all. Once I can speak, I will insist on sleeping with my gold pillow every night. Just thinking of it makes me laugh.]
[No wonder people say the key to success is being born right. Look at me. I have already won at the start. I am miles ahead. Ah, if only Father, Mother, Seventh Uncle, Elder Brother, and Elder Sister can live happily, peacefully, and healthily forever, then this life will be perfect.]
“Wait a moment, Mother, I made a mistake just now. Do not write that part down, hahaha,” Yun Wan Yao burst out, unable to hold back. Little Sister’s heart voice was too funny. She had tried to keep her composure, but the carefree chatter in her mind made her brush slip. She nearly wrote the wrong amount.
Madam Yun, long used to the lively voice, shook her head with a smile. She set down the ink brush, picked up a cinnabar one, and crossed out the mistake.
[Huh. What is Elder Sister laughing at.]
[She looks so happy.]
[Did she think of something funny. Tell me too, Elder Sister. I am so bored over here.]