Once everything was settled, Madam Jiang cheerfully took Yanyu’s hand to talk about the Wei family.
“This injury was worth it!” Madam Jiang laughed with delight. “Wei Hao has been demoted to Vice Minister of Rites and forced out of the cabinet. He’ll never rise again in his lifetime!”
Her intention had been to teach Madam Liu a lesson. That woman had lived so long, raising such a disgraceful daughter—it was time she tasted hardship.
But Wei Hao valued his marriage too much. The Emperor had wanted to execute Madam Liu, ordering Wei Hao to divorce her first. Instead, Wei Hao chose demotion rather than abandoning his wife.
It was clear the Emperor admired Wei Hao’s talent and wanted him separated from his wife and daughter. Once the daughter married out and the wife was gone, he could remarry and still serve as the Emperor’s trusted aide.
After all, the world was full of talented men—many spent their lives buried without ever being promoted.
Since Wei Hao refused to give the Emperor face, the Emperor would not insist on keeping him. Demoted and removed from the inner circle of power, someone else would soon take his place—it was only a matter of who.
Now, Wei Ruxuan had lost her powerful father, her mother had been stripped of her noble title, and she herself was reduced to a concubine. Let her live her “good life” in the Fifth Prince’s household.
Yanyu gently touched Madam Jiang’s face, still pained by her aunt’s injuries.
Madam Jiang, knowing Yanyu’s filial heart, quickly patted her hand: “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore. The night market in the capital is lively—shall I take you out to see it?”
Back in the Shao household, Yanyu had never stepped beyond the gates. With two elders overseeing everything, Madam Jiang, bold as she was, never dared take her out.
But now in the capital, Madam Jiang had become the highest-ranking elder present. Naturally, her word was law.
The capital’s customs were far more open than Ling City’s.
After all these years, Madam Jiang was astonished to discover that people even sold things at night!
Yanyu’s eyes lit up instantly: “Aunt, we can really go out?”
Madam Jiang smiled: “Don’t worry, I’ve brought plenty of attendants.”
She prepared carriages and horses, and once dusk fell, took Yanyu out.
As Yanyu stepped down from the carriage, Madam Jiang placed a rabbit mask on her face: “I bought this at a roadside stall a few days ago—quite novel! I bought several for your sisters, too, to take back to Ling City.”
Yanyu adjusted the mask on her face: “Aunt, wouldn’t it look strange if I wore a mask alone?”
“It won’t,” Madam Jiang reassured her, taking her hand as they stepped down. “Masks are fashionable in the capital right now. I’ve even seen people wearing masks made of gold on the streets.”
Hearing this, Yanyu felt relieved. Looking around, she indeed saw several young women wearing similar masks.
The entire street was bustling, shops open everywhere, lanterns strung up—it looked almost like New Year’s.
Yanyu remembered when she was very young, her father had taken her out. She had sat on the Duke Zhen’s shoulders, reaching up to touch the colorful lanterns hanging above.
Her maids, Bichun and Ruidong, had also not been out for years. Their eyes darted around curiously, unable to stop themselves from taking in the sights.
Madam Jiang smiled: “Lively, isn’t it?”
Yanyu was delighted. She picked up a pair of clay tiger figurines from a stall, and Bichun quickly paid for them with coins from her purse.
Madam Jiang continued browsing for rare trinkets, intending to bring them back to share with her sisters, so they could see the little novelties from the capital.
Yanyu noticed a painting stall nearby, where a vendor painted fans to sell.
With the weather growing hotter by the day, Yanyu wasn’t interested in the paintings, but the fans themselves caught her eye. She went over with her maid.
When she had first come to the capital, Yanyu had wondered what kind of man the Fifth Prince might be. Having spent years secluded in the women’s quarters, she had met few people. Returning now to the empty halls of Duke Zhen’s residence, she recalled faint memories of her parents when they were alive and felt a pang of melancholy. She had never imagined the Fifth Prince would do something so disgraceful.
Tonight, most likely, the Wei girl had already entered the Fifth Prince’s household, and the two were celebrating together with wine.
As for Prince Qin—what kind of man was he really? People said he was cruel and merciless, but whether that was true remained to be seen.
Lost in thought, Yanyu was suddenly startled by the sound of horse hooves—someone was riding through the busy street. Caught off guard, she nearly got trampled.
As the rider passed, something fell from him.
Curious, Yanyu picked it up—it was a document.
The rider turned back: “Give it back.”
Yanyu slowly raised her eyes: “Riding a horse through a crowded market—you’re not afraid of injuring women and children? According to Article 72, Volume Three of the *Wei Code*, ‘Horses are forbidden among crowds.’ You’ve broken the law. And if you want me to hand this over, you must first apologize for nearly running me down.”
These past two days, Madam Jiang had been beaten, proof that people in the capital were unreasonable, each relying on their status to act arrogantly.
Behind Yanyu, her maid Ruidong noticed the man’s noble bearing: dressed in fine brocade, astride a glossy steed, clearly not someone from an ordinary household. With his purple-gold crown and white jade belt, even if he wasn’t a prince or minister, he was certainly a noble son.
Ruidong, worried her mistress might be beaten like Madam Jiang, quickly spoke up: “Sir, my lady is the eldest daughter of Duke Zhen’s household. You nearly struck her with your horse. If you sincerely apologize, my lady will surely return what you dropped.”
Xiao Chengji’s gaze shifted from the document in Yanyu’s hand to her face— or rather, to the comical rabbit mask covering it. With a flick of his whip, the document flew back into his hand.
Before Yanyu could react, a black-gold token replaced the papers, landing in her palm.
The whip cracked sharply, and the man vanished on horseback into the street.
Ruidong quickly steadied Yanyu: “Miss, that man is clearly dangerous. Weren’t you afraid he’d strike you with his whip? Third Madam was beaten! People in the capital aren’t as gentle as those in Ling City!”
Yanyu lowered her gaze to the token in her hand. “Order of Prince Qin, Xiao Chengji.”
This was a troublesome thing to be holding. Its owner seemed even more difficult to deal with.
Yanyu tucked the token into her sleeve, thinking she could return it on her wedding night. Without it, he might find it inconvenient to enter palace gates—but that was no concern of hers. After all, he had given it to her himself.