LF Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Investigating the Details

That evening in Drunken Fragrance Alley, when the moon hung over the willow branches, the young girl did not appear, and naturally, Yan Wanzhi was not there either.

However, in addition to the Prince’s guards, several fierce-looking house servants wielding clubs patrolled for a full hour.

That same evening, Yan Wanzhi returned home from court, and the old steward looked at her with a bewildered and embarrassed expression.

“What’s wrong? Are you ill?” Yan Wanzhi asked, feeling inexplicably alarmed.

“Scholar Yan, why did you have to provoke the Lou family’s young lady?” The steward said with a troubled expression, handing her a brocade box.

Yan Wanzhi casually took it, frowning. “The Lou family? Which Lou family? I haven’t provoked anyone.”

“The Imperial Censor’s family, of course. That Lou Censor is notoriously rigid and difficult. Alas… take a look for yourself, and be careful,” the old servant said, waving his hand.

Opening the brocade box, Yan Wanzhi glanced at the explicit love poems and then remembered that at yesterday’s poetry gathering, she had indeed idly agreed to a young lady’s request to write a poem for her.

A day at court had already exhausted all of Yan Wanzhi’s patience. She didn’t even want to say a word of complaint. She tossed the brocade box back to the steward and walked away.

“Scholar Yan, what should I do with this? At least give me some instructions!” the old servant called urgently from behind.

“Throw it away,” Yan Wanzhi said casually, leaving those words behind.

The steward helplessly spread his hands.

That night, the Prince’s personal guard returned and reported the scene in the alley. Jiang Yinghua couldn’t help but chuckle.

Her mind had already conjured up an image of the Lou Censor, his face red with anger, wishing he could immediately find someone to settle the score. She figured that he was probably already writing a memorial to impeach Yan Wanzhi.

Lou Wanwan was uneducated and spoiled beyond measure, and she definitely needed some proper guidance. The Lou family regarded her as the apple of their eye, so how could they allow her to secretly give her heart away? Naturally, they would be even more opposed to the frivolous advances of a flirtatious scholar and arranging secret meetings with their daughter; that was simply courting death.

Thinking this, Jiang Yinghua suddenly recalled that the poem had captured the feelings of a young lady in her chambers with such delicate precision. Even she, a woman, was left in awe.

If a man understood a woman’s heart too well, if he grasped the nuances of a young lady’s behavior so perfectly, then either he had been a girl before, or he frequented brothels and spent his days in the red-light district.

But neither of those was possible. How could someone so young who was already firmly established in the court, someone whose strategies must have been behind many of the things since her older sister acceded to the throne, have time for such hedonistic pursuits?

Losing her desire to tease, Jiang Yinghua’s face turned cold, and she summoned her trusted guard.

“Secretly investigate Yan Wanzhi’s background. Be discreet and thorough.”

The next morning’s court session was uneventful. The Imperial Censor did not submit a memorial.

Jiang Yinghua thought: This uncle-in-law actually changed his tune and swallowed his anger? Your Majesty’s confidants really do carry weight; no one dares to offend them.

Yan Wanzhi was as proper and reserved as ever. Today, she was even more well-behaved, not even once looking in Jiang Yinghua’s direction.

Jiang Yinghua felt that maintaining this state of affairs was not bad. Sooner or later, she would mention the matter of joining the army to her older sister again and leave the capital far behind. She and Yan Wanzhi would settle their grudges, and there would be no more entanglement.

The afternoon was no different from usual. Jiang Yinghua lazily returned to her manor to rest.

Drowsiness crept over her face after her nap, and her expression was unfocused.

Suddenly, someone from the palace arrived to deliver an imperial decree, ordering Jiang Yinghua to appear before Your Majesty immediately.

Your Majesty’s sudden summons at this time was rather unusual. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yinghua immediately woke up.

Sitting up and letting the palace attendant dress her, Jiang Yinghua asked sternly, “Do you know what happened?”

The palace attendant replied timidly, “This servant doesn’t know. The Grand Princess came out of Your Majesty’s hall in a fit of anger, and then this servant was sent to your manor.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yinghua’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected that the Lou Censor had come up with a grand idea and actually incited her aunt to lodge a complaint before Your Majesty.

This had become a big deal, a big deal. Jiang Yinghua’s heart was pounding, and she prayed that the stupid little ancestor wouldn’t sell her out.

Forcing herself to suppress the panic in her heart, Jiang Yinghua closed her eyes and said softly, “I understand. Go and receive your reward. I will go at once.”

As she entered the palace gate, she saw a small eunuch clutching a brocade box, hurrying towards Your Majesty’s palace.

Reaching the front of her older sister’s palace, Jiang Yinghua was shocked by what she saw. She even hesitated as she stepped onto the jade steps leading to the hall.

Under the corridor, four or five enforcers surrounded a person, and the sound of the beating sticks whooshing through the air was accompanied by heavy thuds.

The white undergarments on the person on the bench were already stained with streaks of blood, a shocking sight. Fortunately, Your Majesty had shown some consideration and had not actually stripped off the person’s clothes.

The person being punished was none other than Yan Wanzhi.

Seeing this, Jiang Yinghua felt a pang of sympathy. She had not anticipated that Your Majesty would order the court beating. Just as she was hesitating whether to go in and plead for mercy, she met the person’s resentful and hateful gaze.

Yan Wanzhi’s face was as pale as paper from the pain, and even her lips had lost their color. Beads of sweat the size of tears rolled down, and her nose and eyes all showed her nervousness and suffering. Even in this state, she still had the strength to glare at her. Jiang Yinghua thought that this person was truly stubborn.

At this moment, her own heart was also filled with panic. She forced herself to remain calm and diverted her attention. Walking closer to Yan Wanzhi, she looked at her contorted features and asked the guards, “What crime did Imperial Scribe Yan commit to offend Your Majesty and warrant this punishment?”

The enforcers looked troubled and remained silent. Seeing who had come, they cupped their fists and retreated.

Seeing them leave, Jiang Yinghua bent down to look at her injuries. There wasn’t much blood, so the force must have been restrained.

“Prince Zhao should take care of herself. In Your Majesty’s rage, you’d better be careful,” the person lying there said in a strange, hoarse voice.

“Scholar Yan’s appearance is truly pitiful. You should worry about yourself. I wouldn’t dare trouble Imperial Scribe Yan to worry about me,” Jiang Yinghua said, disgusted by her stubbornness. She looked weak and frail, but her bones were hard.

“Get in here!” Before she could finish speaking, Your Majesty’s angry voice came from the inner hall.

Jiang Yinghua knew that she was being summoned. But the tone was very ominous. Could it be that that girl had been gossiping?

Without thinking too much, Jiang Yinghua hurried into the hall. From afar, she caught a glimpse of Your Majesty sitting on the chair, her expression beyond terrible; it seemed to carry a murderous intent.

“This subject…”

Jiang Yinghua opened her mouth timidly, but before she could utter two words, Your Majesty threw a brocade box at her, and a piece of paper with writing rolled out of the box.

Jiang Yinghua glanced at it. Why did the paper look so familiar? It looked like the pearlescent paper she used.

In an instant, Jiang Yinghua felt as if she had been struck by lightning. That Lou Wanwan, who had promised to make a copy, had actually sent the original!

“Look at the good deed you’ve done! You’ve learned to flirt and make love!”

Your Majesty’s voice, filled with rage, was cold and low, as if ten thousand years of ice had cracked open, and the cold pierced straight into people’s bones.

Yan Wanzhi should thank her steward, who had been thoughtful enough to keep this “evidence.”

Jiang Yinghua remembered the poems she had dashed off so casually that day. The wording was truly unspeakable. Now that her older sister had discovered it, she didn’t even dare to argue. Her legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground.

“What? Aren’t you eloquent? You write good love poems.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yinghua’s face turned crimson, more beautiful than the maple leaves in late autumn.

“Answer me! Explain to me clearly, what good things have you and the Lou family’s girl done?”

Lou girl? Jiang Yinghua’s mind raced, considering how much she should reveal. Considering that the brocade box had been sent into the palace with her, and that Your Majesty had summoned her beforehand, then Your Majesty was blaming her not because she had recognized the handwriting, but because someone had already revealed her when the Grand Princess left. Thinking this, Jiang Yinghua said:

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This subject was momentarily confused and couldn’t resist my cousin’s coaxing, so, so I wrote that poem for her. This subject should have stopped her; it’s all this subject’s fault.”

Hearing this, Your Majesty snorted coldly, “One helps to connect them and write poems, and the other gets hot-blooded and sends invitations. You two are really diligent. Did she give you some kind of enchantment?”

Jiang Yinghua was stunned for a moment after hearing this. So, Yan Wanzhi had admitted to the note herself? Facing the framing, she didn’t even defend herself?

With a face that was three parts confused, five parts frightened, and two parts at a loss, Jiang Yinghua was lost in her thoughts. Unexpectedly, Your Majesty suddenly reached out and grabbed her chin, lifting her face up.

Jiang Yinghua was startled, and her eyes were filled with fear and evasion as she looked at Your Majesty.

Your Majesty pinched Jiang Yinghua’s cheek with two fingers and said:

“Hua’er, your face looks just like mine. I hate the cowardly appearance of compromising, and I’m not happy to see it on your face. Do you understand?”

Jiang Yinghua was confused, so Your Majesty didn’t intend to investigate the matter further today? She looked at her suspiciously, not knowing how to respond.

Your Majesty stared at her for a long time, sighed, and let go of her hand. “Rotten wood cannot be carved. Remember, stay as far away from the Lou family and the Grand Princess as possible in the future. Don’t provoke them and cause me trouble.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yinghua understood that today’s fiery performance was for her aunt and the censors to see. She immediately replied obediently, “This subject will respectfully obey Your Majesty’s instructions.”

After returning to the manor, in the evening, the personal guard returned and reported that Yan Wanzhi was an orphan whom Your Majesty had rescued by the Wan River that year. As for her background, there were no clues to be found. The records stated that she had come to the Central Plains from the Western Regions with her father, a foreigner, when she was young, but had lost her father in her childhood and was alone. There were no other clues to be found.

Hearing this, Jiang Yinghua was even more puzzled. How could an orphan with foreign blood have obtained such vast knowledge and become such a talented advisor who could govern the country?

That night, Jiang Yinghua tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She got up, found some medicine, and took it with her. She summoned the personal guard, and the two of them secretly entered Yan’s residence.

Yan Wanzhi was alone, huddled on the bed in her bedroom. Hearing the noise outside the window, she thought that her house had been burgled. She held a candlestick in her hand, on guard as if facing a great enemy, holding her breath.

Jiang Yinghua climbed in through the window and said softly, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”

Yan Wanzhi recognized the familiar voice and was somewhat surprised that the dignified Prince Zhao would climb through a window for a late-night visit.

The person in the darkness groped in the moonlight to find the table, put down a few small porcelain bottles, and said, “I brought you some medicine. Thank you for actively blocking the matter of me forging the handwriting in the palace today.”

Yan Wanzhi sneered and said, “Why does Your Highness have to be hypocritical? What harmful tricks are you plotting this time?”

Jiang Yinghua sighed at the night sky: “You misunderstood. I came here to make peace. With our identities, we shouldn’t have personal grudges.”

Yan Wanzhi smiled bitterly, “This subject can’t trust Your Highness’s words.”

“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. I was narrow-minded before. Actually, it has nothing to do with you. I have troubles and no way to vent them, so I used you as a target…” Jiang Yinghua found a chair and sat down, sighed, and added:

“I want to ask you something. If it works out, it will be good for both of us. In the future, we will not interfere with each other. You take your broad road, and I’ll take my narrow path. You are Your Majesty’s favorite courtier. Find an opportunity to let her allow me to join the army.”

For a long time, the dark room was silent.

After another moment, Yan Wanzhi finally moved her body and took a deep breath, “Don’t… Your Highness’s destination is up to Your Majesty to decide, not something this subject should comment on. You can use whatever schemes you have, but this subject will not give in again.”

“Forget it, you rest. I went too far before. It won’t happen again in the future.”

As soon as the words fell, the window was lifted, and the person had already climbed out.

Yan Wanzhi on the bed held the fire starter tightly in her hand. After hearing the person walk away, she struck the tinder to light the candle and focused her gaze on the various porcelain bottles on the table.