Song Yue compromised and agreed to attend the banquet at the Shen family. The following day passed much more peacefully, with no one bothering her. After spending a short while in front of the Grand Madam, she was sent away.
She was quite content with the freedom, strolling leisurely around the Duke of Jing’s Mansion.
In her previous life, she had been confined and never realized just how vast the Duke of Jing’s Mansion was. Nanny Zhang whispered beside her, “The Duke has two illegitimate sons, the Fourth and Fifth Young Masters, and two illegitimate daughters, the Sixth and Seventh Young Ladies. Both young masters are motherless, the elder being ten and the younger nine. They study at the outer courtyard school. The two young ladies are both eight years old, born to maidservants serving the Madam, and are raised to be very obedient.”
Obedient…
That meant timid, raised to be useless.
Yuan Fuling did this precisely to avoid gaining a reputation for jealousy.
The birth mothers of the two boys were both gone, having died of serious illnesses.
Song Yue didn’t believe it. Concubines with sons by their side were a threat to Yuan Fuling—how could she tolerate them?
“What about Concubine Han?”
She remembered that when her mother was still alive, there were two concubines: Yuan Fuling and Concubine Han. Concubine Han came from a respectable family and was a Noble Concubine, her status even higher than Yuan Fuling’s at the time.
Why was it Yuan Fuling who rose to power after her mother passed away?
Nanny Zhang’s expression stiffened. She hadn’t expected anyone to still remember Concubine Han. She quickly glanced around and lowered her voice, saying, “Young Lady, the Grand Madam has forbidden anyone in the mansion from mentioning Concubine Han. Back then, Concubine Han… was caught in adultery by the Duke and was drowned.”
Song Yue stopped in her tracks, curious and pressing further, “What exactly happened?”
Seeing Song Yue’s insistence, Nanny Zhang had no choice but to brace herself and explain, “Nine years ago, during the Grand Madam’s birthday banquet, Concubine Han was caught in bed with a man. The paramour was also one of the guests—the Second Young Master Han Feng, a profligate from the Han Family. That day, the Duke’s Mansion was utterly humiliated. Concubine Han claimed she was wronged, but her undergarment was still hanging around Second Young Master Han’s neck, and the room reeked of the foul stench of pleasure. Second Young Master Han couldn’t explain himself, so it was concluded that Concubine Han, unable to bear loneliness, had seduced him.”
“That’s too hasty. It’s also very possible that Concubine Han was framed,” Yundong whispered softly.
Song Yue nodded in agreement. If Concubine Han had any sense at all, she wouldn’t have engaged in such acts on such an occasion, let alone been caught.
It was too foolish.
The only possibility was that she had been schemed against by Yuan Fuling.
After all, Yuan Fuling was the one who truly benefited from it.
“What happened to Second Young Master Han afterward?” Song Yue asked.
Nanny Zhang sighed, “He was beaten thirty times by the Han Family’s master and taken back to their mansion. He’s been burdened with infamy ever since, still unmarried and utterly disgraced.”
As she listened, Song Yue’s eyes gleamed brightly, but it sent a chill down Nanny Zhang’s spine, an ominous premonition lingering in her heart.
“Yundong, accompany me out. I haven’t explored Jingdu City since arriving.” Yundong nodded.
“Young Lady, without a pass, you might not be able to leave,” Nanny Zhang said.
Song Yue thought for a moment and realized it was true. She headed straight for Qiangwei Courtyard, where she met Yuan Fuling and proposed going out. Seeing Yuan Fuling about to refuse, Song Yue quickly said, “I’m feeling stifled staying in the mansion. If I don’t go out soon, I’ll fall ill.”
Yuan Fuling, thinking of the banquet in two days and fearing that Song Yue might actually fall ill and ruin her plans, generously ordered someone to give her a hundred taels of silver. “You must return in two hours.”
“Thank you, Madam.” Song Yue took the silver and token and left.
Yundong gave Song Yue a thumbs-up, looking at her with admiration: “Miss, I admire you more and more.”
Song Yue smiled.
The two walked along the bustling streets of the imperial capital, passing by numerous vendors. When they passed a stall selling small accessories, she picked up a pair of earrings and held them up to Yundong’s ears. Generously taking out some silver, she said, “These are for you.”
Yundong was overwhelmed: “Miss!”
The two continued walking, intentionally or unintentionally heading toward the Han Family’s direction. Glancing at Ling behind her, she said, “I want to meet Second Young Master Han.”
Ling frowned: “Now?”
“Yes.”
Ling nodded and turned to leave.
Song Yue and Yundong simply sat down at a vendor’s stall and ordered two bowls of wontons. The flavor was extremely delicious. Song Yue smacked her lips and rubbed her stomach.
This meal was the most satisfying one she had eaten in a long time.
“Miss, Second Young Master Han is currently at Chunfeng Pavilion,” Ling’s voice came from behind.
Chunfeng Pavilion—just hearing the name, it was clearly a brothel.
Without another word, Song Yue changed into men’s clothing and headed straight for Chunfeng Pavilion. Upon entering, she generously gave several ingots of silver as a tip, raising her hand to keep a few approaching courtesans at a distance. Following Ling’s directions, she spotted a man lying in a courtesan’s arms, drinking.
The man was rather thin, unkempt, with a dark, sallow complexion, looking utterly decadent, though his features were handsome.
Song Yue walked toward the man: “Han Feng!”
Han Feng looked up at Song Yue, drunkenly rubbing his head: “Who are you?”
At Song Yue’s signal, Ling drove away the people around him. Han Feng frowned, half-propping himself up to sit, one hand casually resting on his knee, sneering as he looked at her.
“I came to talk to you about what happened nine years ago at the Duke of Jing’s Mansion banquet. Are you interested?” Song Yue asked.
Han Feng’s expression changed slightly.
“Half an hour later, in the teahouse next door, I’ll wait for you in the private room on the second floor.”
“Why should I trust you?” Han Feng called out from behind.
Song Yue didn’t look back: “You’re already disgraced and abandoned by your family, with no value left to exploit. Why not listen to me? Perhaps you can still turn things around.”
With that, she strode away.
She went directly to the second floor. Shortly after sitting down, she heard footsteps coming from downstairs. Han Feng pushed open the door, his eyes showing no trace of drunkenness.
“You look no more than a teenager. How could you know about something that happened nine years ago?” Han Feng stared intently at Song Yue: “Who exactly are you?”
“Who I am isn’t important. What matters is that I can help you get revenge. Nine years ago, you were framed and slandered, your career ruined, and you’ve been vilified ever since, unable to turn your life around.” With each word Song Yue spoke, Han Feng’s expression grew darker.
He simply bent down and sat.
“The one who harmed you is the Jingguo Duchess, Lady Yuan.” As Song Yue spoke, she observed Han Feng’s expression. When she mentioned Lady Yuan, the hatred in his eyes deepened.
Her guess was indeed correct.
The person behind it was definitely Yuan Fuling.
“In two days, there will be a banquet at Minister Shen’s residence. Lady Yuan will also attend.”
“You want me to ruin Lady Yuan’s reputation?” Han Feng sneered: “Lady Yuan is the Duchess of Jing. If her reputation is tarnished, my life wouldn’t be enough to atone.”
Song Yue shook her head: “Lady Yuan is old and faded, and she’s another man’s wife. What good would it do you to get involved with her?”
Changing the subject, she continued, “The Yuan family has a daughter, Song Yao, who is fourteen this year. Talented and beautiful, she is also the beloved daughter of the Duke of Jing. If you marry her, you can not only satisfy your desire for revenge but also completely turn the tables in the Han Family.”
Hearing this, Han Feng showed a hint of amusement on his face. “Someone like me, how would the Shen family ever send me an invitation?”
Song Yue placed the invitation on the table. The invitation bore no name, and even if she didn’t have one, Song Hengchuan would do everything in his power to bring her along.
Looking at the invitation, Han Feng took it and sized Song Yue up. “Why are you helping me?”
“It’s not exactly helping you. We just happen to share a common enemy.”
Han Feng smiled, grabbed the invitation, and left.
After he was gone, Yundong asked, “Miss, will Second Young Master Han really attend the Shen family’s banquet?”
Song Yue nodded with certainty. “He definitely will!”