Nanny Li, acting on behalf of the Grand Princess and wielding the authority to carry out her orders, issued the command, and no one dared to intervene.
Two servants from the marquis’s estate fetched the punishment boards from the disciplinary hall. Taking turns from left and right, they struck Yaoniang until she collapsed to the ground within just a few blows. She was a woman of grit, not uttering a single cry. Instead, she lifted her head, her bloodshot eyes fixed unwaveringly on Yan Changqing, as if determined to sear this most wretched image of herself into his memory.
Yan Changfeng could do nothing more. She walked over to Third Sister and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, hoping to offer some solace. Yet the young man, who had wept so vulnerably before her just days earlier, now clenched his jaw and stood firm, refusing to show any trace of weakness in her presence.
Even the most resilient person could not withstand such brutal punishment. Before long, Yaoniang ceased moving. A servant checked her breath—she had already passed away.
Expressionless, Nanny Li ordered the servants to wrap Yaoniang’s body in a mat and carry it away. She calmly directed the cleanup of the courtyard, and soon, the area was restored to its former state, leaving only a faint trace of blood in the air and the young man who remained standing with his hands at his sides.
As for the maid Hongliu, she had been forced to confess after Yaoniang refused to admit her guilt. Initially, she had tried to protect Third Young Master’s dignity, hoping to earn his gratitude and pity. But she could not withstand Nanny Li’s severity and ultimately revealed Yaoniang’s affair.
In the end, though their motives differed, everyone had tacitly agreed to conceal Yaoniang’s plot to harm the Family Head and seize the family’s wealth. Yet fate had its own plans, and things had still come to this.
That afternoon, Yan Changfeng stayed with Third Sister in the courtyard for a long time, standing there until nightfall.
“Third Sister, I’m sorry. Your second sister couldn’t protect your mother,” Yan Changfeng said, rubbing his cold hands between hers. “But you still have us—Father, Mother, our whole family. None of us look down on you; we’re all on your side.”
“Second Sister, thank you,” Yan Changqing finally spoke, his voice dry and strained, like a string that had not been plucked in a long time. “But I don’t want to stay at home anymore. I can’t breathe here. I want to go out into the world, to learn some skills.”
Yan Changfeng was taken aback. “Where will you go if not at home? You’ve just started handling the family business—this is the time to learn. What kind of sense does it make to give up halfway and pursue something else?”
“Second Sister, I might not be cut out for business. I’ve been working at the shop for so long, but I still can’t grasp the essentials. I don’t have Father’s strategic mind, his sharp calculations, his ability to socialize, or your talent for winning people over. I feel the shop managers will never obey me in the future. Why take on porcelain work without the diamond to cut it…”
Slap!
Yan Changfeng cut him off with a sharp slap. “Is this all the self-deprecating ambition you have?” she shouted angrily. “Are you going to let that woman’s words dictate the rest of your life?”
Yan Changqing turned his head away, dejected and defeated.
“Let me tell you, Yan Changqing, if you keep this mindset, you’ll never amount to anything, no matter where you go!” Yan Changfeng had never been truly angry before, but today, this boy had pushed her to her limit. “Stop dwelling on these pointless thoughts. Father and Mother may not have the heart to scold or beat you, but I won’t indulge you. Go back and think hard about what you should really do!”
Yan Changfeng was so furious her head ached. She returned to her room without eating, having originally planned to secretly take Third Sister after the meal to bury Yaoniang, but now she was too angry to move. It wasn’t until nearly midnight that she went alone to the front courtyard to find Old Wu.
Old Wu seemed to know what she intended to do. “Second Miss, several of the brothers are still awake.”
Yan Changfeng managed a faint smile. “Would you all have stayed up if I hadn’t come?”
“We’d have taken turns sleeping,” Old Wu said. “I thought either you or the master might come, so I had the brothers ready. When Nanny Li’s people carried Yaoniang out, I had someone follow them. I know where she was dumped.”
“You’ve been thoughtful.” Yan Changfeng nodded, saying no more. She trusted Old Wu to handle things properly.
Back in her room, she sent Rulan to the kitchen to cook a bowl of noodles. She had just taken a few bites when Old Wu returned.
“Second Miss!” Old Wu couldn’t enter the room and spoke in a hushed voice outside. “There’s been an unexpected problem.”
Yan Changfeng immediately set down her chopsticks and went out. “What happened?”
Old Wu sighed. “Yaoniang’s body has been gnawed by wild dogs!”
“What?” Yan Changfeng was shocked. “Where was she dumped? How could it happen in just a few hours…”
“Just in the woods outside the city. I remember that place having no wild beasts and no visitors, so it seemed safe. I didn’t have anyone keep watch. Who would have thought… Ah!” Old Wu looked deeply regretful. “It’s been torn apart beyond recognition. If we’d gone tomorrow, the bones would probably have been scattered.”
Yan Changfeng pressed a hand to her throbbing head. What kind of mess was this!
“Are you sure it’s her?” she asked, still uneasy.
Old Wu had clearly confirmed it and replied firmly, “Yes, the clothes are the same, and the build is similar. That place is usually deserted—it’s unlikely another body just happened to be there.”
Yan Changfeng also thought it couldn’t be such a coincidence but couldn’t help hoping otherwise. “Forget it. Bury her properly. Tell the brothers to keep their mouths shut. If word gets out, I’ll hold you responsible.”
“Don’t worry, Second Miss!”
The next day, the lights in the Yan residence were lit nearly half an hour earlier than usual because Nanny Li wanted to audit the accounts.
After yesterday’s incident with Yaoniang, Nanny Li felt the Yan family was even more disorderly. She believed the young mistress, her husband, and the young lady were untrustworthy—such a major incident had been concealed from her, and who knew how many other secrets were being hidden!
When Yan Changfeng arrived at the dining hall, Third Sister hadn’t come yet, claiming to be ill. Nanny Li was discussing Third Sister with Lady Yao.
“Her mother had ambitions to seize the family fortune—she may not be innocent either. Young Mistress, it would be wise to investigate the mother and daughter thoroughly. Who knows how much they’ve embezzled? The accounts should also be audited. What gives them the confidence to manage the household? Perhaps some shopkeepers have been bribed by them. In the future, don’t give them too large a share of the family property. To speak bluntly, if she resents this now, once she takes charge of the household, she may not treat you and your husband well.”
Lady Yao thought to herself that nothing would be found anyway. With Second Miss overseeing the accounts daily, there couldn’t be the slightest error. She simply agreed, “You’re right, Nanny. Since you’re here, please help me investigate thoroughly.”
Nanny Li hadn’t expected much from her to begin with and didn’t press further. Instead, she said, “After the meal, I’d like to have the imperial physician perform a pulse diagnosis for Miss Changying using the suspended silk method. The Grand Princess instructed me to send her the pulse record as soon as I arrived. Two days have already passed—we can’t delay any longer.”
Because of the matter with the concubine, Nanny Li grew increasingly uneasy, suspecting that Miss Changying might have other issues—such as having secretly pledged herself to another man and become pregnant, which was why she dared not show her face.
The more she thought about it, the more restless she became. After the meal, she led two imperial physicians to Yan Changying’s courtyard.
Yan Changfeng and Lady Yao went together. On the way, Lady Yao quietly asked her daughter, “What should we do? Can we stop them?”
Yan Changfeng shook her head. “We won’t stop them. Sooner or later, this was bound to happen. Don’t worry, I’m here.”