Chapter 009

Chapter 9: Even if I touch her, she can only endure it

Yu Zhi Yi felt that as long as Du Zi Heng did not come and bother her, living in Du Manor would be just fine.

Soon she could save up enough rare jade to carve formations.

A spirit-gathering array big enough to wrap around her Windward Pavilion would need top-grade jade worth at least one hundred thousand taels of silver.

If she also wanted other functional arrays, like a defense array, she would need even more jade.

In her last life, even as she rose in rank with Zhang Tian Shun, she never managed to set both the spirit-gathering and the defense arrays with jade.

War ate money, and political enemies kept skimming supplies. She could not let the soldiers starve, so she had to pour out her savings.

Chancellor’s Manor was wealthy and did not do anything that burned money.

Most important of all, Du Zi Heng’s attitude made her feel at ease. She could relax, lie flat, and let her private stash only grow, not shrink.

As for the formations, even if she could not use jade yet, she could use paper talismans for now.

Paper talismans were weaker and easy to damage for many reasons. Once a talisman was ruined, it failed.

But for now, some protection was better than none.

Yu Zhi Yi began to draw talismans.

She worked for half the night and finally finished all the talisman paper needed for the defense array.

The next morning after breakfast, she wandered the estate under the excuse of touring the grounds.

On the surface she was strolling. In truth she was placing talisman paper at key points to stand in for formation flags.

Zi Yuan chirped in her ear the whole time.

Since her lady was now the official young madam, Zi Yuan had dug up plenty about Moon-Viewing Pavilion: “After the son-in-law came back yesterday, he went straight to Moon-Viewing Pavilion, and that lady there wouldn’t let him in,” she said, half amused. “Tsk tsk. The son-in-law has no spine. She kept him outside, so he really waited there half the night. Only late at night did she let him in.”

Zi Yuan snorted and added: “I heard he slept until the hour of the Rabbit. By then the academy had already finished morning class.”

Zi Yuan knew her miss cared only about money and not about favor. She still felt sorry for her miss, but she no longer tried to make the son-in-law see her miss’s good points. The affairs of Moon-Viewing Pavilion were just jokes to amuse her miss.

If this kind of thing happened in someone else’s back courtyard, the mistress would explode. But she knew that when miss said she did not care, she really didn’t, and would enjoy the show.

Yu Zhi Yi truly found it fresh and funny and said with a light laugh: “No wonder Du Zi Heng will only win top scholar in the next round of exams.”

With such a little demon wearing him down, it was hard to stay diligent.

But he was clever and talented. He could have won this round of the Imperial Examinations.

As they walked, Yu Zhi Yi’s steps paused.

Up ahead on a stone bridge stood a woman with her hands behind her back.

She wore a tight black dress that showed a fiery figure, but her face was cool and distant.

Cold as she looked, she was truly a rare beauty.

Zi Yuan leaned close and reminded her: “Miss, that’s the lady from Moon-Viewing Pavilion.”

This was Yu Zhi Yi’s first time meeting her husband’s paramour.

In her last life, if Zhang Tian Shun had dared keep pretty birds, she would have made him kneel on a washboard and would have tamed those women.

But now she was very calm. She gently waved her silk fan and waited for the woman to come over.

You Bing Yue waited for a while, but when Yu Zhi Yi did not walk over, the chill around her grew stronger.

Soon she stepped forward, her face cold.

Closer now, her beauty was even clearer.

She looked like a high mountain flower growing on the Tianshan, lovely and proud.

She opened her mouth, her voice chill: “Zi Heng already told me you were forced into this marriage. I don’t blame you,” she said, chin raised. “But the only thing you can have is the ridiculous title of young madam. Do not try to touch anything else, or the result will not be something you can bear.”

Yu Zhi Yi raised an eyebrow.

She had not gone to bother this woman, yet the woman came to provoke her?

She tilted her head and asked with calm curiosity: “What do you mean by ‘anything else’?”

You Bing Yue’s pale swan neck lifted higher. She said with open pride: “Zi Heng’s love.”

Yu Zhi Yi chuckled.

You Bing Yue snapped at once: “What are you laughing at?”

Yu Zhi Yi quickly put away her smile and nodded in a serious tone: “Don’t worry. I won’t touch him.”

[Isn’t the real gold and silver in Chancellor’s Manor’s treasury sweet enough?]

[Why would I want Du Zi Heng, who still eats and drinks off Chancellor’s Manor? Even if he later becomes top scholar and starts his official career, he will still be short of money for more than ten years. I’d be a fool to drop a pearl to grab a piece of glass.]

At that moment, somewhere else, Du Zi Heng sneezed and muttered: “Achoo!”

Servant Du Lin grumbled as he walked beside him and said: “Miss You went too far. It’s already autumn and cold at night, but she made master wait outside for half the night.”

Du Zi Heng frowned and said sharply: “Be quiet. Do not speak recklessly about Bing Yue.”

[This is just a little game between us. What would he know?]

Thinking of the servant’s message, he quickened his pace.

Meanwhile, You Bing Yue lifted her chin and said, cold and smug: “Good that you understand. I hope you keep your word. If not, I’ll make you kneel and sing Conquer.”

Zi Yuan exploded and said, face flushed: “How dare you! What are you to speak to the young madam like that?”

You Bing Yue’s eyes turned icy. She said in a cutting voice: “A foolish servant dares shout at me? Seeking death.”

She stepped forward and reached for Zi Yuan’s neck.

Yu Zhi Yi’s smile disappeared. She pulled Zi Yuan back two steps, putting distance between them, and snapped her fingers.

Plop.

You Bing Yue fell into the water.

“Bing Yue!” Du Zi Heng arrived just in time to see this scene.

He shot Yu Zhi Yi a furious glare and jumped into the water.

In a short while, both were back on shore. Du Zi Heng ordered Du Lin to take off his outer robe and cover You Bing Yue, then he strode up to Yu Zhi Yi, eyes blazing, and said: “Who allowed you to touch her!”

Yu Zhi Yi met his glare and asked in a steady voice: “Which eye of yours saw me touch her?”

Du Zi Heng froze.

Thinking it over, he realized he hadn’t seen that.

From where he stood, he had only seen Yu Zhi Yi pull her maid two steps back, while You Bing Yue had reached out as if to strike them.

He had been too anxious and angry and had ignored the details.

Yu Zhi Yi flicked her wide sleeve as if to brush off dust that did not know its place and said with cool clarity: “Before, I didn’t understand how the young master of Marquis Wu’an Manor could almost be beaten to death for saying one drunken line. Now I do.”

She added without heat: “If I had known the price of lending a hand was like this, I would not have wasted a favor.”

Her face showed no anger, but her eyes were very cold, different from the lively light and the pretend meekness of the last two days. She said clearly: “She blocked my path first, then spewed wild words, then tried to harm my person. For someone so reckless and lacking in virtue, even if I really laid a hand on her, she could only endure it.”

She turned away and said in an even tone: “Zi Yuan, we’re leaving.”