The sky was gloomy, and the white plum blossoms on the windowsill looked like they were draped in a misty veil. Wang Zhi opened the newly delivered documents and showed some interest in the news reported by his personal guard, “Zhifang Building, huh.”
Not far away, on a low table, there were three items: a furnace, a vase, and a brush pot. The incense burning was called “Spring News,” with common ingredients like clove, lingling incense, and sweet pine, but the method was unique, requiring low-temperature storage for half a month before use. Although it was a seasonal plum fragrance, Wang Zhi used it all year round. Mu Zhan, who had been with him since the seventeenth year of Cheng An, had never seen him change it.
“Exactly,” Mu Zhan said, “I saw it with my own eyes, it was indeed Song Fengmian.”
“This He Du,” Wang Zhi recalled, “wasn’t he the one who beat up Li Shuguang on the street last year and was later saved by Little Lord Yan?”
“That’s him, so later there were rumors that he climbed up to Little Lord Yan,” Mu Zhan said. “Do you think the person helping Song Fengmian might be related to the Yan family?”
“Saving He Du was just Little Lord Yan’s clear distinction between likes and dislikes, a child’s temperament,” Wang Zhi said. “As for Song Fengmian, if the one hiding him is really the Yan heir, then the heir is just looking for trouble. Although the Yan heir is not afraid of trouble, he wouldn’t bring trouble to his brother, so at least Song Fengmian choosing He Du as a bridge was probably just a coincidence. He saw that He Du was not very scheming and easy to fool.”
Footsteps approached from outside, and the doorman came to report, “Sir, someone from the Anxin Marquis Residence has come again, asking how the investigation of the villain is going.”
“Still investigating, don’t rush,” Wang Zhi said calmly. “Polish your words and send them back.”
The doorman responded and left, while Mu Zhan smirked, saying, “Anxin Marquis might go to the palace to complain again.”
“Just following procedure, as long as His Majesty doesn’t rush, this matter isn’t urgent,” Wang Zhi said. “Continuing from before, what else?”
Mu Zhan straightened up and continued, “A few days ago, Little Lord Yan and He Du were having a great time talking at Zhifang Building. Many people present wanted to curry favor, but Little Lord Yan refused them all, only giving He Du some face. Later, Little Lord Yan even visited the He family’s tea stall, accompanied by the Yan heir.”
Wang Zhi paused his writing and said, “Zhifang Building is suspicious, investigate.”
*
“Investigate?” The Third Prince continued to write without looking up, “Where to investigate?”
He Shen leaned on his cane in front of the desk, speaking confidently, “Last year, Yan Dong offended the Anxin Marquis Residence and the Second Prince to help He Du, and this year he’s openly favoring him at Zhifang Building—they must have an unspeakable relationship!”
“Helping He Du was a personal grudge, not involving official matters, because He Du beat up Li Shuguang, your crony. As for their relationship,” the Third Prince was indifferent, “you said Yan Dong openly favored He Du, what unspeakable relationship could they have?”
“But, this matter really seems off!” He Shen said, flustered, “Yan Dong never used to go to places like Zhifang Building, which is just a more refined and subtle version of a brothel. The Yan family is very aloof about such matters!”
The Third Prince remained unmoved, and He Shen anxiously stomped his good foot, but he understood that Zhifang Building wasn’t a proper brothel, filled with famous performers and literati, and it was common for wealthy young men to frequent it. Even if one is upright, they’re still men; even Yan Song visited flower houses in Qianzhou, so what does it matter if Yan Dong goes to Zhifang Building to listen to music?
But he was eager to catch Yan Dong’s little tail and teach him a lesson, unwilling to let go of any suspicious point. How could he persuade the Third Prince?
He Shen gripped his cane tightly, suddenly having a flash of inspiration, “Cousin, the Yan heir is like an iron bucket, impervious to water and fire, but if we can get a hold of Yan Dong, at least we’ll have a bargaining chip!”
The Third Prince looked up at He Shen, his peach blossom eyes misty and unreadable.
He Shen’s heart pounded, just as he was about to speak, the Third Prince had already looked away, calling out, “Dong Liu.”
The personal guard stood by the window.
“Keep an eye on Little Lord Yan,” the Third Prince paused, somewhat helpless, “Be careful, if you provoke him, I’ll be the one in trouble.”
Dong Liu responded and went to give orders, while He Shen glanced at the Third Prince, unable to resist asking, “Cousin, if there were no one else, just the three of us, and Yan Dong and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save?”
The Third Prince found He Shen’s question inexplicable, “Yan Dong is good at swimming, it wouldn’t be my turn to save him.”
He Shen sighed in relief, only to realize a moment later that the Third Prince hadn’t even considered whether to save him!
“What about me?” he asked.
The Third Prince said, “You can leave now.”
He Shen left, feeling aggrieved and resentful, limping away, secretly cursing: Yan Dong, that fox spirit!
*
“Achoo!”
Yan Dong turned his head and sneezed, startling He Bao, who almost jumped up in fright. He quickly reached out to pinch He Bao’s ear, chanting like a mantra, “Touch your ear, don’t be scared, don’t be scared… Why did your little courage suddenly shrink?”
“Don’t mention it, I shouldn’t have been so curious to flip through that ‘Twelve Ghost Stories’! Now, I feel like there’s something behind me when I walk at night, and when the lights go out, I think there’s a ghost under the bed, and when I turn over, my back feels chilly!” He Bao said regretfully.
The book sounded familiar; it was one of Chang Qingqing’s recent favorites.
Yan Dong said sympathetically, “You let Qingqing dig up corpses at night without batting an eye, why are you getting involved with him? Spring pictures are more suitable for you.”
Yan Dong never interfered with his subordinates’ private lives, even if He Bao bought a stack of indecent spring pictures, he wouldn’t say anything, just thinking that this hobby wasn’t good, watching too much could be harmful.
He Bao wasn’t embarrassed at all, watching spring pictures was human nature. He explained, “I saw him engrossed, so I got curious, but who knew once you enter the ghost gate, it’s as deep as the sea, and good sleep becomes a stranger!”
Yan Dong thought of a solution, “For the next few days, let Snowball and Grape protect you, let’s see what demons and ghosts dare to come near!”
With that, he summoned the dog guards, and from the grass, a little white dog strutted out proudly, followed by a newly subdued little brother.
He Bao’s expression changed instantly, hugging them left and right, feeling blissful.
While they were talking, the doorman brought a plain food box to the warm pavilion, “Little Lord, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, He Du, sent this.”
Yan Dong nodded, and the attendant on the porch took the food box to check it.
“Is Master He still here?” he asked.
“He left after delivering the item, didn’t stay,” the doorman replied.
Yan Dong nodded, and the doorman withdrew.
“Personally delivering something to our residence’s gate, yet not thinking of coming in, both lacking and having propriety, truly strange,” He Bao released his grip, and the dizzy Snowball spun on the ground, nudging Grape before slipping away.
Yan Dong had a good impression of He Du, saying, “Personally delivering shows sincerity, not coming in shows honesty.”
After confirming there was no poison, the people on the porch brought a plate of pastries from the food box to the table. He Bao looked at it and said, “These tea flower pastries are exquisite, the size is just right, but I wonder how they taste?”
There were six pieces on the plate, and Yan Dong gestured for the two to try as well. He picked up a piece, took a small bite, tasted it, and his eyes lit up slightly, “This filling isn’t sweet at all, the tea fragrance is subtle—better than the pastry shop’s.”
The other two agreed, and He Bao said, “I didn’t expect Commander Liang, a martial man, to make such delicate pastries. If he opened a shop, he’d probably steal a lot of business from pastry shops.”
*
“Open a shop? You’re joking, Yuechen. Kneading dough occasionally can relieve fatigue and boredom, but if I had to knead from morning till night, I’d rather take those brats from the department to the martial stage for a day of training. Come,” Liang Muzhi opened the courtyard door, “please come in.”
The Department of Military Affairs was in charge of the capital’s defense. Liang Muzhi often returned late at night when it was cold, and it was inconvenient to go home. Fortunately, there was an empty courtyard here, and he gritted his teeth and took it, rarely returning home these days.
He Du entered and pointed to the corner on the left, “This magnolia is robust, when it blooms, it’ll be covered in white, contrasting with the cypress, it must be elegantly beautiful.”
“When I hurried to buy this place, it was because of this good magnolia. Unfortunately,” Liang Muzhi looked at the bare tree, his gaze dimming, “it’s winter now, not the right time.”
He Du felt Liang Muzhi’s gaze was a bit strange, as if using the scenery to express emotions, but he didn’t ask further, only comforting, “At the earliest, it can bloom in two months, brother, be patient, the beautiful scene will come.”
“Alright, when the time comes, you can help me paint an early spring scene, and I’ll pair it with seasonal offerings in the hall, so I can pretend to be a cultured person,” Liang Muzhi patted He Du’s shoulder, smiling, “It’s cold, let’s sit inside, I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
He Du followed him to the hall, saying, “Brother, no need to trouble yourself, I haven’t had a chance to say, I came to deliver something today. Yesterday, I sent Yunhua cakes to Little Lord Yan, and today, Chunshun Courtyard returned two gifts, one is a duck incense beast, the other is a flute.”
He placed the box he was holding on the table, “Brother, you like playing the flute, it’s no secret in the capital, I think this one is from Little Lord Yan for you.”
“Ah, it’s just a plate of pastries, how dare I accept a return gift from Little Lord Yan?” That little ancestor’s gifts must be precious, Liang Muzhi didn’t dare touch the wooden box, laughing, “Yuechen, please return it for me.”
“This…” He Du considered, “Brother, reciprocating shows Little Lord Yan didn’t look down on us, if you refuse, it would be impolite.”
“I was careless,” Liang Muzhi gently opened the box, inside lay a purple bamboo flute, with yellow tassels and red tassels, elegant in style, clearly a treasure at first glance.
“Oh my!” Liang Muzhi exclaimed, “This, this is the flute the Third Prince brought back from Jiangnan last year, I saw it in the ‘Hundred Flutes Collection’!”
Now he dared not accept it even more!
He Du was curious, “How did the Third Prince’s item end up with Little Lord Yan?”
“Little Lord Yan grew up with the princes, they used to call each other cousins, and the princes all doted on Little Lord Yan, knowing he liked pretty things, they sent countless treasures every year,” Liang Muzhi explained.
Liang Muzhi was immediately taken with the flute, but was apprehensive about its origins. Two days later, he happened to run into Yan Dong on Qinglong Street and immediately approached him.
“Little Lord Yan, please wait!”
Yan Dong stood with his hands on his hips under the eaves, waiting for Chang Qingqing, who had gone to buy chestnuts. Hearing the call, he turned to see a tall, burly man in his thirties with a heroic face approaching.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, “Commander Liang.”
Liang Muzhi stood at the steps, hands cupped, “A few days ago, I received the flute from Yuechen, and I was really apprehensive, but didn’t dare to disturb you by visiting. Today, I’m fortunate to meet you, so I came to thank you.”
“That flute was a gift from the Third Prince, but I don’t often play the flute. When preparing gifts, I heard from my subordinates that you’re also a music lover, especially fond of playing the flute, so I thought of finding it a better owner,” Yan Dong understood Liang Muzhi’s concerns, “Rest assured, since the Third Prince gave it to me, it’s mine, and I can decide what to do with it.”
Liang Muzhi said sheepishly, “Exchanging a plate of pastries for a ‘golden’ flute, it’s really taking advantage.”
“What I like is worth a thousand gold,” Yan Dong said, “Next time, you make me more, and I’ll give you more, we’ll trade goods, Boss Liang.”
Hearing this, Liang Muzhi felt unburdened and cheerfully said, “Alright! Thank you, Little Lord, for not minding, you’re welcome anytime.”
Seeing Liang Muzhi in casual clothes, Yan Dong asked, “Commander Liang, where are you planning to go?”
“Yuechen’s zither is broken, he asked me to help him pick out a new one,” Liang Muzhi said.
“Then you should go to Zhifang Building, there’s a zither appreciation event today, with over ten good zithers on display, and two are said to be made by the famous zither maker, Mr. Le. I’m just about to go take a look,” Yan Dong looked at Liang Muzhi, “Commander Liang, join us.”
Liang Muzhi politely declined, “Little Lord, don’t joke, the zithers in Zhifang Building are sky-high priced, Yuechen can’t afford them. If he likes one but can’t get it, he’ll be itching to death!”
“What’s the big deal, people have been saying he’s mine these days, since they’re saying it, I don’t mind making it true. It’s just a zither, if he likes it, I’ll buy it for him,” Yan Dong took the chestnut bag from Chang Qingqing, seeing Liang Muzhi’s troubled expression, he said, “What, does Master He dislike me?”
He raised an eyebrow, and that arrogant air almost instantly emerged, after all, he was of noble birth, saying one thing and meaning it.
Liang Muzhi dared not offend a noble on behalf of He Du, quickly apologizing, and helplessly followed Yan Dong to Zhifang Building.
At noon, he glanced across the street, at the end of his sight, Chang Chun Chun nodded slightly, raising his hand to close the window.
Amidst the tea fragrance, Yan Song sat behind the table, wiping a black lacquer plain-faced pipa. Chang Chun Chun knelt beside him, saying, “Little Lord took Liang Muzhi to Zhifang Building. Little Lord has taken a liking to the He family’s craftsmanship, recently having much contact with He Du, causing some rumors, and now with this Liang Muzhi…”
“He took a liking to the He family’s craftsmanship, and even more so to He Du as a stepping stone,” Yan Song said.
“You mean, Little Lord is deliberately using He Du to get close to Liang Muzhi?” Chang Chun Chun realized, puzzled, “Why is Little Lord suddenly getting involved in these matters?”
Yan Song said, “The child has grown up, his heart has wandered, and his eyes are no longer just on play.”
Chang Chun Chun teased, “You can’t bear to let go?”
“I won’t let go,” Yan Song said, “but since he has the heart, let him be.”
Chang Chun Chun was a bit worried, “That day, Song Fengmian happened to choose He Du, now both the Prefect of the Capital and the Third Prince are watching closely, will Little Lord get into trouble afterward?”
“No worries, biting randomly, it hurts oneself,” Yan Song put down the cloth, gently plucking the strings, his gaze deep.
Chang Chun Chun didn’t know what big matter his master was pondering, quietly sitting by, waiting. After a while, with his excellent hearing, he finally heard Yan Song murmur, “The pipa isn’t as good as me, as for pastries, I can learn.”
Chang Chun Chun: “…”
So that’s what he was pondering!
No wonder he suddenly brought out the pipa!
He really wanted to say, why “debase yourself” and compete with those outsiders for favor, but feared saying it would displease his master, so he pretended not to hear anything. But realistically, Little Lord likes many pastries, how long will it take to learn them all?
“Master,” Nong Sheng pushed open the window and jumped in, walking to Chang Chun Chun’s side, saying, “News from the palace, today His Majesty dined with the Empress and Consort De, during which Consort De mentioned your marriage, wanting to match you with the second young lady of Lin Shilang’s residence. His Majesty didn’t directly express his opinion, saying he wanted to ask for your wishes.”
Lin Shilang was from the neutral party, this red line seemed like a genuine matchmaking, but Chang Chun Chun didn’t quite believe it, “What does Consort De mean by this?”
“Afraid the master will ally with the Empress, so she throws out the master’s marriage, so it doesn’t benefit any prince?” Nong Sheng speculated.
Both looked at Yan Song, who was looking at the pipa in his arms, absent-mindedly saying, “Lin Shilang is the Deputy Minister of War, I’m the Chief of the Judicial Office.”
The Judicial Office already held the power of life and death, feared by many, if Yan Song became the son-in-law of the Deputy Minister of War, it would be quite something. Consort De was putting Yan Song on the spot, also testing Emperor Cheng An’s thoughts on the Yan heir and the Yan State Duke’s Mansion. If Yan Song were Zhao Song, her probing intentions would be even clearer.
“Consort De is anxious, she’s afraid of me,” Yan Song wasn’t too concerned, turning to say, “But Dong Dong, he’s eighteen now. Tell the people in the palace, if anyone mentions his marriage, report to me immediately.”
Nong Sheng responded and left, while Chang Chun Chun, fearing Yan Song’s displeasure, said, “Rest assured, heir, Little Lord’s marriage is in your hands. No matter who it is, as long as you don’t agree, the marriage won’t happen.”
“I used to think so too,” Yan Song said calmly, “but if he learns to starve himself to death, what can I do?”
Chang Chun Chun was speechless, after all, Little Lord had always been determined to get what he wanted, stubborn as he was, he might really do it.
Yan Song could suppress and control Yan Dong, but that kid had a bit of madness in his bones, if he really acted up, he wouldn’t care about anything, like when he ran away from home and deliberately got kidnapped. Now that he’s grown up, his wings are stronger, who knows what he might do. Yan Song could be ruthless and uncompromising with enemies and criminals, but with Yan Dong, he was at a loss.
Yan Song gently plucked the strings, closing his eyes to calm his mind, but in his mind, those misty eyes appeared again, fatally beautiful, fatally dangerous.
“Brother, don’t abandon me.”
Pitiful and domineering, Yan Dong’s usual tactic, he respected and feared Yan Song, obedient when he wanted to be, but occasionally would climb onto Yan Song’s head to give orders. But this wasn’t fair, not fair at all, Yan Song thought seriously, you can’t abandon me either.
Yan Song’s fingers moved, and the pipa’s melancholy sound flowed out. Chang Chun Chun found it strangely familiar, listening for a while, he finally remembered, it was a song of longing, called “Parting with You,” about a husband’s heart turning away, cruelly abandoned, full of sorrow and bitterness. The composer was the once-famous singer Liu Pianpian, who, during her debut performance of this song, wore a red dress that stunned the audience, and after the mournful song, she dramatically ended her life on stage, leaving the song filled with resentment.
Chang Chun Chun glanced at his master, suddenly getting goosebumps all over.