Xiang Yi had a bad feeling in her heart. She knew her husband’s character all too well—he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, not even sparing his own nephew.
But Xiang Yi had never had a say in the household. After leaving Shouchuntang, she remained restless and uneasy.
Yu Wanyun tugged at her sleeve and asked, “Mother, what’s wrong?”
Xiang Yi took Yu Wanyun back to their courtyard, dismissed all the servants, and tightly shut the door.
A look of struggle appeared on Xiang Yi’s face. After marrying into Yu Fu, even though her family continuously sent money to support the household’s expenses, she still lived like an invisible person.
In Da Yin Chao, merchants held a lowly status. Even though her father was the wealthiest man in Jiangnan, he could not escape this fate. As the daughter of a merchant, it was only after marrying into Yu Fu that she gained the privilege of wearing silk and riding in carriages.
Moreover, she was unloved by her husband. For over a decade, she had lived alone with her daughter in a small courtyard.
But now, knowing that Yu Ying intended to use despicable means against Eldest Young Master Yu, she could not pretend to be unaware.
Xiang Yi looked at fifteen-year-old Yu Wanyun and said, “Wan Yun, do you still remember your second elder sister, Ange?”
Yu Wanyun replied, “I have a vague impression.”
Xiang Yi held Yu Wanyun’s hand and said, “When you were four years old, you were tricked by two cousins onto a rockery and nearly fell. It was your sister Ange who caught you in time. The elder brother you saw today is your sister Ange’s twin brother. Wan Yun, we must repay kindness.”
Yu Wanyun had sensed the danger hidden beneath the verbal sparring in Shouchuntang and guessed what her mother wanted her to do. Anxiously, she said, “If Father finds out we’re warning Elder Brother, he won’t spare us.”
Although Yu Ying was Yu Wanyun’s biological father, his cruel treatment of women made her deeply afraid of him.
After some thought, Xiang Yi said, “Your elder brother is clever. You don’t need to say much, just find an opportunity to remind him to be careful, especially of those the household assigns to be around him.”
Though uneasy, Yu Wanyun nodded.
Meanwhile, Yu Ange, using the excuse of missing her sister, stayed in Canwei Yuan, where she had lived as a child. The swing in the courtyard was still there, but moss had grown on its ropes.
Yu Ange stood beside it, thinking for a long time, but couldn’t recall why she had built the swing as a child.
However, her brother had once told her that the things she forgot from her childhood fever were unimportant, so she didn’t dwell on it further.
Shortly after settling into Canwei Yuan, Yanbo walked in with a serious expression. “Young Master, a maid from Third Miss’s side just spoke to me, saying you should be careful of those around you recently.”
Yu Ange sneered inwardly. She wasn’t afraid of them making a move—she feared they wouldn’t. Otherwise, how could she retaliate?
The second and third branches of the family were like reeds in the wind, bending toward whoever held power. Though they were now closely connected to the Second Prince, when the Eldest Prince was later named Crown Prince, they betrayed the Second Prince and sided with the Eldest Prince.
In her previous life, her brother died after being beaten to death for “harassing” Song Jin’er. At that time, the second and third branches spared no effort to curry favor with the Crown Prince.
When she cried out for justice for her brother and investigated the truth, the second and third branches openly helped the Crown Prince destroy evidence, even publicly claiming her brother was driven by lust. This left her brother’s name tarnished even after his tragic death, subjected to scorn and condemnation.
Such family members—even a single glance more would sicken her.
Fortunately, in this life, thanks to Shang Qingyan making a mountain out of a molehill, Wei Shuimei had been saddled with the charge of disrespect toward the Empress. The Second Prince was bound to harbor resentment against the third branch.
It was a good start.
Yu Ange thought of Xiang Yi and her daughter. She was someone who drew clear lines between gratitude and grievance. Since Xiang Yi and her daughter had risked warning her, she would do her best to protect them—at the very least, she couldn’t stand by and watch them repeat the tragedy of their previous lives.
Yu Ange said to Yanbo, “Keep a close eye on the movements of the second branch. If Second Uncle shows any intention of marrying off his daughter, inform me promptly.”
Yanbo replied, “Yes. There’s another matter to report, Young Master. Miss Song Jin’er, daughter of the Libu Shilang, will be attending the Kongshan Yaji ten days from now.”
A yaji, as the name implied, was a gathering of literati and scholars who would come together to compose poetry and practice calligraphy.
Yu Ange calculated the timing. In her past life, it was at the Kongshan Yaji that Song Jin’er had truly made her name, earning the title of Shengjing’s top talented woman with a single poem, “Spring River, Flowers, Moonlit Night.”
Yu Ange had read that poem—it was truly exquisite, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips.
Only after her death did she learn from a book that Song Jin’er couldn’t write poetry at all. Those poems were all composed by poets from another world, plagiarized by Song Jin’er.
Yu Ange glanced at the orange tree in the courtyard and said to Yanbo, “Pick some citrus fruits and deliver them privately to Nanchuanwang. Ask him if he can help me obtain an invitation to the Kongshan Yaji.”
The yaji wasn’t open to just anyone. Especially since Yu Anhe had long been absent from the capital and was notorious as a wastrel, no one would invite her.
But Shang Qingyan was a refined scholar, excelling in chess, music, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song. With his help, she was sure to attend the Kongshan Yaji and expose Song Jin’er’s hypocritical mask as a talented woman.
When Shang Qingyan received that basket of oranges, he felt somewhat helpless. He hadn’t yet dispelled his suspicions about Yu Ange, so why did she use him so effortlessly?
Zhu Ying remarked beside him, “A basket of oranges in exchange for an invitation to the Kongshan Yaji—Young Master Yu certainly knows how to drive a bargain.”
The Kongshan Yaji attracted not only literati and refined scholars but also upright officials from the court. Even the Emperor paid some attention to it. Gaining fame at the yaji could be a significant boost to one’s career, which was why invitations were priceless.
Shang Qingyan placed a segment of orange in his mouth. “Some transactions aren’t simple exchanges of goods.”
Zhu Ying asked, “Then will you agree to this transaction, Master?”
Shang Qingyan replied, “Yes, of course I will.”
He wanted to see exactly what this Young Master Yu, who played the fool to catch the tiger, was up to.
Zhu Ying said, “I wonder what a wastrel like him plans to do at the Kongshan Yaji. Could it be he wants to compete in poetry and make a name for himself? Let’s hope he doesn’t become a laughingstock.”
Thinking of Yu Ange’s reactions along the way, Shang Qingyan couldn’t help but smile. “If she’s a wastrel, then there are no clever people left in this world.”
Just as he spoke, an attendant from outside came in and reported, “Your Highness, a messenger from the palace has arrived. Consort Shu is unwell, and His Majesty summons you to the palace.”
The smile vanished instantly from Shang Qingyan’s face, and he set down the orange in his hand.