Chapter 026
Chapter 26: Where Exactly Did It Go Wrong
After Xia Meng Yan learned that the Imperial Palace would repair Marquis Ping An’s manor for free, and that Grand Madam Lin’s family had even moved into Marquis Xuan Ping’s separate residence, a bad feeling rose in her chest.
Last night, after making sure no one was hurt, the Shadow Guards walked through every part of the Marquis Manor. By chance, they saw the nanny who served Grand Madam Lin rush straight to the next courtyard the moment the fire broke out.
The Shadow Guard found it odd and followed in secret. He watched the nanny slip into a room, twist an ornament on the desk, and reveal a hidden chamber behind it. She did a quick count, covered the ornament with a wet handkerchief, and then left.
The Shadow Guard went in to check. Inside the hidden chamber were gold, silver, and jewels, along with gold bars and banknotes. A rough estimate came to more than a hundred thousand taels.
Most important of all, the banknotes and the gold bars carried the Lin Family emblem.
When Xia Meng Yan heard the news, she remembered that her father had given Lin Ye Lan two hundred thousand taels.
If it were only the banknotes with the emblem, she could claim she had given them to Grand Madam Lin while she was still at the Marquis Manor. But the gold bars…
Xia Meng Yan narrowed her eyes. Back then, the matter came out of nowhere, and Father could not gather two hundred thousand taels in a short time. Mother had used gold bars from her dowry to make up the difference, and those bars were stamped with the Lin Family emblem.
So the two hundred thousand taels taken from the Xia Family had not been sent to the Northern Fortress Pass. Lin Ye Lan had pocketed them.
She had planned to wait until Lin Ye Lan returned to the Capital, rip the truth open, and drive him out of the Capital, but she did not expect His Majesty to step in so suddenly.
She looked toward Marquis Xuan Ping’s residence. The matter of the hidden silver in the Ping An Marquis Manor was known only to the Shadow Guards, herself, and Duan Yi Chen.
The Shadow Guards were bound to the Xia Family by a death contract and would not betray them. That left only Duan Yi Chen.
She had considered another possibility: perhaps Marquis Xuan Ping had secretly sent people to protect Duan Yi Chen, and they found last night’s secret by accident. Not wanting Duan Yi Chen to shoulder blame, Marquis Xuan Ping might have quietly told His Majesty.
She twisted the handkerchief in her hands. Duan Yi Chen was her friend and knew better than anyone how much she hated Lin Ye Lan. If the charge of embezzling military pay stuck, Lin Ye Lan would surely die.
[It cannot be Duan Yi Chen.]
The thought kept knocking in her head, yet her heart grew more and more panicked.
She gave an order: “Chun Yue, go to Marquis Xuan Ping’s residence and tell Heir Apparent Duan to meet at the old place.”
Chun Yue nodded and left.
Xia Meng Yan picked up yesterday’s account book and kept reading. She did not want to lose her best friend because of her own suspicion.
Half a stick of incense later, Chun Yue returned.
Xia Meng Yan tossed aside the account book and stood up, asking in a rush: “Well, did you see Heir Apparent Duan?”
Chun Yue shook her head in frustration: “Not only did I not see Heir Apparent Duan, I did not even see Jian Ping or a single maid. I stood at the gate for a long time. Later the steward of Marquis Xuan Ping’s household came out and said the marquis had confined Heir Apparent Duan to the ancestral hall, and he will not come out for half a month. He also said, he also said…”
Xia Meng Yan pressed her: “Said what?”
Chun Yue stamped her foot, angry for her master: “Eldest Miss, they are so bullying. The House of Marquis Xuan Ping is not even a princely household, so how can they call you delusional?”
When Xia Meng Yan heard the word “delusional,” the hope in her heart died completely.
What in the world had happened? Who could tell her?
She linked together everything that had happened since she returned to the Capital, yet she still found no clues.
The Eldest Princess, His Majesty’s own sister, had looked down on her since they were young. The steward’s words must have come from the Eldest Princess. If Duan Yi Chen was locked in the ancestral hall, how could he know what was happening outside?
If Duan Yi Chen had wanted to distance himself, he would not have chased her all the way to the Northern Fortress Pass, and he would not have helped her deal with the Ping An Marquis Manor.
Xia Meng Yan hurried toward her father’s study. Since the Ping An Marquis Manor had caught fire, His Majesty would surely bring it up at court today. Perhaps Father knew the reason behind it.
Losing one chance did not matter. She could find another.
But she had to understand how this started.
She asked her father: “Father, did His Majesty say anything at morning court?”
Xia Ping Yuan was in high spirits. Seeing his daughter come in, he knew she wanted to ask about the fire at the Ping An Marquis Manor and said: “Someone brought up the fire at the Ping An Marquis Manor at court. His Majesty remembered that Marquis Ping An is out of the Capital and has rendered great service to the country, so he ordered the Ministry of Works to repair the Ping An Marquis Manor, with Marquis Xuan Ping to oversee it.”
Xia Meng Yan clenched her handkerchief and did not notice her voice trembling as she said: “A dignified Marquis Xuan Ping is sent to fix someone else’s house. I do not know what His Majesty is thinking.”
Xia Ping Yuan nodded and added as he rose to stand by her: “I also find it strange. A task like this could be given to anyone. Marquis Xuan Ping is not idle. It wastes his talent.” He saw her pale face and grew concerned, speaking gently: “From now on, whatever you want to do, send the Shadow Guards. What happened yesterday must not happen again. You are two people now, so be careful.”
Xia Meng Yan’s nails dug into her palm as she stood frozen, then she answered softly: “Your daughter will listen to Father.”
Xia Ping Yuan tried to soothe her mood: “The Ping An Marquis Manor has learned its lesson. Let us live quietly from now on. If you do not want to stay in the Capital, then go to your maternal grandfather’s house for a few days, or go to our secondary residence in the capital suburbs to rest and raise the baby…”
Xia Meng Yan only heard the first few lines. After that her head buzzed.
[His Majesty knows Lin Ye Lan embezzled military pay, yet he is secretly helping him destroy the evidence? Why? That makes no sense.]
[Could it be the Huo Family?]
Her face went pale as she thought of the Huo Family’s years of service.
[No, that does not fit either. The Huo Family is full of talent. If they wanted to support someone, they could raise one of their own, which is better than pushing an outsider.]
Xia Meng Yan could not figure it out. [Where exactly did I go wrong?] At this point, only Duan Yi Chen could clear it up.
“Daughter, daughter,” Xia Ping Yuan said as he caught his daughter swaying in a daze. He held her in worry and called out, “Are you unwell? Someone, summon the resident physician.”
Xia Meng Yan waved her hand: “Father, I am fine. I was probably too tired last night. I will go back to rest.”
Xia Ping Yuan said kindly: “Good, go rest at once.”
Xia Meng Yan did not know how she got back to Autumn Lotus Court. When she entered her room, a heavy helplessness washed over her.
Her advantage from rebirth vanished in that moment.
When the Royal Family was involved, all her effort felt like a joke.
Chun Yue saw her master in low spirits and wanted to comfort her, but Nanny Song called her out.
Chun Yue whispered anxiously to the nanny: “Let me go in and cheer up Eldest Miss. The people in Marquis Xuan Ping’s household were blind. That was not Heir Apparent Duan’s fault. The heir apparent is good.”
Nanny Song scolded in a low, sharp voice: “Be quiet. Trouble comes from the mouth. Do you want to bring disaster down on Eldest Miss?” She shot a glance toward the room and lowered her voice further: “The steward must have repeated street gossip. Eldest Miss and Heir Apparent Duan have known each other for many years. If they truly wanted something, why would they wait until now?”
Chun Yue found that somewhat reasonable, yet she still felt wronged for her master and muttered: “Eldest Miss has offended no one. She just divorced, and now the House of Marquis Xuan Ping says such things. If people hear it, how can she stand in the Capital?”
Xia Meng Yan lay with her eyes closed, listening to their talk.
At last she understood. What hurt her was not that she could not drive Lin Ye Lan out of the Capital, nor the loss of two hundred thousand taels, but the part Duan Yi Chen had played in this. Was he innocent, unaware, or the one who leaked it?
[Maybe I cannot see reality. Even if Duan Yi Chen does not mind that I am a divorced woman, would the other people in Marquis Xuan Ping’s household not mind?]
A faint, almost invisible smile touched her lips. [This is fine. The Eldest Princess made the decision for me. It saves me from saying it.]
In Xia Meng Yan’s memory, Duan Yi Chen had always been her little tail. Unless there was a very special reason, he would not hurt her. As for Marquis Xuan Ping, since she returned to the Capital, he had not stopped the two of them from meeting, which showed he did not despise her.
Since neither of them would say the words “delusional,” that left only the Eldest Princess.
So the Eldest Princess learned about the hidden silver in the Ping An Marquis Manor and secretly told His Majesty. His Majesty ordered Marquis Xuan Ping to take the silver out. The Eldest Princess feared she would drag Duan Yi Chen down, so she said those humiliating words.
This was the only reason Xia Meng Yan could think of, and it also explained why Chun Yue could not even see Jian Ping.