“We both know exactly what they’re asking you to do. Take this money. When the time comes, you don’t need to do anything—just tell them the matter has been settled.”
Nanny Jing still had her doubts: “Madam, I really haven’t…”
“Your youngest son works as a carpenter at Futian Manor in the southern part of the city, doesn’t he?”
Only then did she panic: “Madam, this matter has nothing to do with my son!”
Hai Yunshu leaned leisurely against the pearwood couch, exuding authority without showing anger. “That manor is my eldest brother’s private property. If you handle this well, I’ll have my brother appoint him as a steward. Naturally, he’ll never have to worry about food or clothing again.
“If you refuse, or if you step outside and start spouting nonsense, leaking even a single word, I can’t guarantee that your son won’t suddenly meet with misfortune one day—break a leg or a foot, or something like that. That would hardly be worth it.”
The plump woman was stunned into silence.
Yingge scolded her loudly: “You foolish woman! The Marquis is already gone. No matter who you think is backing you, can they possibly be greater than our mistress, the head of this household? Watch out—you might take the money, but you might not live to spend it!”
The woman was so frightened that she immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy: “Spare me, Madam! Spare me! This humble woman will obey Madam in everything.”
Hai Yunshu closed her eyes, already forming a plan in her heart.
Just after sending Nanny Jing away, Xiaochan rushed into the room, panting heavily.
“Madam, there’s finally movement next door at Bai Cangzhai.”
Hai Yunshu first had her drink some water to calm down: “Don’t panic. Speak slowly.”
Xiaochan said: “Madam guessed correctly. Concubine Bai did indeed head toward West Mountain outside the city. I’ve already had someone prepare a carriage—it’s waiting outside the gate.”
Hai Yunshu rose, supporting her abdomen: “Let’s go take a look.”
Under the moonlight, the mountain path wound and twisted.
West Liang Mountain was a desolate hill on the outskirts of the capital, remote and sparsely populated, with few farmsteads.
After traveling for about an hour, they followed the path to a residence beside a clear spring halfway up the mountain.
Building such a three-courtyard mansion in the mountains was no easy feat. Green vines covered the courtyard walls, and a few branches of crabapple leaves peeked out, rustling softly in the moonlight, adding an antique charm. It was a rare paradise away from the world.
A horizontal plaque above the gate was inscribed with the words: Phoenix Grove Manor.
Hai Yunshu sneered.
Indeed, this place had long become their secret meeting spot.
Entering through a side gate, the faint sound of a woman weeping came from deep within the bamboo grove.
“It’s all your fault. You only know how to hide. Now that I’m about to give birth, I still don’t see you worried.”
“How could I not be worried? You’re carrying the Cheng family’s flesh and blood. But now is not the time to return to the manor.”
Xiaochan recognized the voice from a distance and covered her mouth in shock: “Isn’t that… the Marquis?”
Hai Yunshu placed a finger to her lips, signaling her to be silent.
Xiaochan dared not make another sound, mouthing to Yingge, “How is he still alive?”
They heard Bai Shishi complain resentfully: “So what if you lost a battle? Since ancient times, there has never been a general who won every battle. Could the emperor possibly have our family executed and our property confiscated?”
“Shishi, there are some things you don’t understand.”
It wasn’t just that he had lost a battle—he had defected to the enemy on the battlefield.
It was said that someone had already written a secret letter reporting this matter.
The Prince Regent, acting on behalf of the emperor, had issued a vermilion edict ordering a thorough investigation.
The situation was still unclear. Cheng Zifeng had barely escaped from the enemy forces and returned with his life. Naturally, he didn’t dare to draw too much attention.
Bai Shishi turned away: “Yes, I come from the countryside. I can’t compare to your principal wife, who is knowledgeable and experienced, skilled at managing affairs and running the household. Then why do you still come to see me? Go find her instead.”
He quickly soothed her, “She’s a blockhead with no sense of romance—how could she ever compare to you?”
Bai Shishi then asked, “You’re not just seeing how powerful the Hai family has become and using this as an excuse to take my child to win Hai Yunshu’s favor, are you?”
“Nonsense again. She was married off to fill the financial gaps in the marquis’s estate. There was never any affection between us, unlike you, who holds the dearest place in my heart.
“If you’re not foolish, think back—every step I’ve taken has been for you and our child. Just give birth peacefully, send the child to be raised in Guanju Ge, and once he’s named heir, won’t you have a life of comfort to look forward to?”
Only then did Bai Shishi show a smile. “Stop with the sweet talk. How much longer do you plan to hide?”
Cheng Zifeng held her close. “Soon, soon. I miss you terribly. I only hope you give birth to a son, so our family of three can be reunited.”
Bai Shishi suggested, “Why not have Hai Yunshu pull some strings? It’s just a matter of spending a little silver, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about that. If the court really comes after me, Mother will naturally have her seek out connections.”
“Will she listen to your mother?”
Cheng Zifeng immediately assumed the authoritative air of a master. “How dare she not. Even if she were a princess married into the Cheng family, she’d still be a Cheng daughter-in-law and must obey the Cheng family’s orders.”
He added smugly, “When she found out I was still alive, she was happier than anyone. She even told Mother herself that she’d seek help to get me out.”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true,” Cheng Zifeng affirmed. “She’s utterly devoted to me. Back then, to marry into the marquis’s estate, she even broke off her engagement with the Jiang family.”
“The Jiang family? You mean… Jiang Chengjing? That rising star in the court, the Prince Regent?”
“Exactly.”
That woman—she actually dared to break off an engagement with the Prince Regent?
Cheng Zifeng explained, “Their Hai family and the Jiang family were old friends, and they had a marriage alliance. Back then, the Jiang family hadn’t risen to prominence yet. It was Hai Yunshu who looked down on their humble status and broke off the engagement to marry into the marquis’s estate.
“Who could have known that later, the Jiang family would back the young emperor and now hold all the power, with their word as law?
“The two families have deep ties. Even after the broken engagement, they still interact. If things really go south, having Hai Yunshu plead for mercy, Jiang Chengjing might just agree.”
“Does your mother know about this?”
“Of course she does. Back then, she was the one who persuaded my father-in-law to break off the engagement with the Jiang family.”
Seeing that mother and son already had a plan in place, Bai Shishi felt somewhat reassured. Nestling in Cheng Zifeng’s arms, she cooed, “Fenglang, I only have you. Don’t ever betray me.”
He responded with equally tender words of comfort.
On the way back from the estate, Hai Yunshu didn’t say a word.
Xiaochan, however, was thoroughly disgusted.
“Some people really have no shame, each in their own way. For a family of such high status and prestige, to stoop to such despicable acts!”
Hai Yunshu, on the other hand, was resigned. “Virtue and vice have little to do with social standing.”
“Not only did they swindle the Hai family’s money, but they also mocked the failed marriage alliance between the Hai and Jiang families.
“If it weren’t for the master back then, coveting the prestige of the marquis’s estate and forcibly severing the young lady’s ties with the Jiang family, she would be the Prince Regent’s consort now. She wouldn’t be stuck in this pit of a marquis’s estate, enduring such petty grievances!”
Back then, the Jiang family was still an obscure, humble household.
Hai Yunshu’s father had spent his entire life trying to lift his children out of their merchant status.
It just so happened that the Dongchang Marquis Manor came to propose marriage at that time. The Cheng family sweet-talked her father, convincing him that even if it meant breaking the engagement and offending the Jiang family, or paying a dowry worth millions, he had to send Hai Yunshu into the marquis manor.
Later, the incident of Cheng Zifeng’s death in battle occurred.