Another half-hour passed before Yan Changfeng spotted Yaoniang’s figure. She glanced around cautiously before entering the Jade Pot Spring, as if afraid of being seen.
Shortly after Yaoniang went inside, one of the two brothers who had entered earlier sent out a message.
“Second Miss, Master Zhang has entered the rear courtyard, while Yaoniang went into a private room. We’re not sure if there’s a hidden door inside, so we didn’t dare barge into the rear courtyard recklessly.”
Yan Changfeng pointed at Master Zhang’s attendants and said, “You lot, keep an eye on them. No matter what, don’t let them alert Zhang Mingshun. I’ll climb over the wall into the rear courtyard myself.”
Given her status as the Second Miss of the Yan Family, Yan Changfeng could have walked openly into the rear courtyard, even though Zhang Mingshun must have already arranged things with the shopkeeper. However, that would inevitably involve a lot of talking, and she didn’t want to waste time.
Leaving the tavern, she took a detour to the alley behind the Jade Pot Spring’s rear courtyard. With a few swift moves, she scaled the wall and entered the courtyard, her movements so practiced she seemed like a seasoned troublemaker.
The courtyard was empty—likely because Master Zhang, guilty about secretly meeting another family’s concubine, had forbidden anyone from approaching. This made it easier for Yan Changfeng to eavesdrop after climbing over the wall.
She didn’t have much trouble finding the room they were in, as she heard Yaoniang let out an unrestrained, wanton cry.
They were actually quite intimate, prioritizing romance over business as soon as they met.
Enduring the cringe-inducing sounds of “passionate entanglement,” she finally heard them get down to business.
“Yan Chuanxing can’t possibly return alive. With over a hundred bandits trapping him in the mountains like a turtle in a jar, and no reinforcements, even if he had three heads and six arms, he wouldn’t make it out,” Master Zhang panted heavily. “That second daughter of yours is probably bluffing you. Did you come carefully today?”
Yan Changfeng’s heart tightened. Over a hundred bandits? Even with reinforcements, it would be nearly impossible to survive!
Suppressing her unease, she continued listening as Yaoniang said, “I don’t think it’s possible. I’m confident I’ve never slipped up at home. I’ve even kept this from Third Sister. No matter how clever Second Miss is, there’s no way she could have known in advance. I think it might be a letter Yan Chuanxing sent before encountering the bandits.”
“That’s impossible too,” Zhang Mingshun said. “I arranged people in the Yan Family’s secret outposts in Yizhou Prefecture and Qingzhou Prefecture beforehand to cut off his reinforcements. But to avoid alerting that girl, I intercepted the letter he sent earlier from Wuzhou Prefecture to divert her attention to the secret outpost there.”
“Then… could that girl really be bluffing me?” Yaoniang couldn’t believe it. “Then my coming here today…”
“Don’t panic,” Zhang Mingshun comforted her, his hands roaming freely. “I’ve stationed people outside. No one can enter this courtyard. Who could see you coming from the private room? Even if she saw, it wouldn’t matter. Yan Chuanxing won’t return alive anyway. By then, where would she find the energy to confront you?”
Yaoniang gasped under his teasing. “Mmm… But I’m still uneasy. Could Shopkeeper Chen cause any more trouble? And what about Fengyang Prefecture… Mmm, be gentler…”
Why was Shopkeeper Chen involved?
Yan Changfeng wanted to hear more, but the two became fully absorbed in their romance and stopped talking.
Heavy-hearted, she climbed back over the wall and returned to the tavern across the street. Preparing for the worst, she instructed her attendant, “Send people to keep an eye on the shops. Also, assign more people to follow Shopkeeper Chen and monitor the area around his home.”
“Shopkeeper Chen?” the attendant asked, puzzled. “What could possibly happen to him?”
Shopkeeper Chen was the head shopkeeper of Yangzhou Fu, a trusted confidant of the Family Head. If anyone else could be at fault, it certainly couldn't be him.
Yan Changfeng couldn't think of any reason either, but with everything shrouded in mystery now, it was never wrong to take precautions.
"Don't speculate blindly. Just keep an eye on him, and if anything unusual happens, report it to me first."
"Yes!"
About two ke later, Zhang Mingshun emerged from Yu Hu Chun with a look of satisfaction. After he had gone far enough, Yan Changfeng left the tavern and swaggered into the private room where Yaoniang was.
She arrived just as Yaoniang returned from the backyard through a hidden door, her clothes disheveled and her hair in disarray. Startled to find someone in the private room, Yaoniang nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Sec… Second Miss?"
Even though Yaoniang was usually composed, her heart raced with panic. She bit her lip, forcing herself to stay calm. "Why are you here? Has something happened at home?"
Instead of answering, Yan Changfeng asked, "Yaoniang said you were coming to invite a Daoist priest. Did you succeed?"
With this question, Yaoniang was completely certain that Second Miss no longer trusted her.
That meant she could be sure everything before had been Second Miss testing her. It also meant Second Miss had no evidence—she had followed her but hadn't caught her in the act. So, there was nothing Second Miss could do to her. As long as she held out for these few days, the Yan Family would soon be under her control, and Second Miss's opinion of her would no longer matter.
Thinking this, Yaoniang's panic subsided. She even calmly tidied her disheveled hair. "That's exactly why I came today. Of course, I succeeded. I told them a maid in the mansion was possessed, and the Mistress of the Household was worried the house wasn't clean, so she urgently needed a Daoist priest. Concubine Zhang was also very helpful and said she'd make sure the priest visited the mansion today no matter what."
Yan Changfeng didn't bother hiding her delight. "That's wonderful!"
She hadn't expected Yaoniang to remember this even while sneaking around for an affair.
Yaoniang smiled. "Eldest Sister is a fortunate person and will surely overcome this misfortune. Second Miss need not worry too much."
"Thank you for your kind words, Yaoniang."
Yan Changfeng showed no signs of anger, further convincing Yaoniang that her tracking today had yielded nothing. Otherwise, a teenage girl wouldn't be so composed—she'd likely have already exposed her.
The two pretended to return home together. In less than an hour, a blind Daoist priest indeed arrived at the door.
Yan Changfeng personally led him to Eldest Sister's courtyard, with Yaoniang and Lady Yao following.
As soon as the blind Daoist priest stepped into the courtyard, he declared with great seriousness that evil spirits were at work here. He then waved his horsetail whisk wildly, creating a dazzling but utterly meaningless spectacle.
Yan Changfeng endured it with gritted teeth for a quarter of an hour before her patience ran out. She interrupted him, "Daoist Priest, have you driven away the evil spirit?"
The priest put away his whisk, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "The evil spirit is quite powerful. I've only temporarily dispersed it." He then took out a small porcelain bottle from his robe. "These are pills I personally refined. Please have the possessed person take one daily. This medicine strengthens the body and enhances the vital essence, spirit, and energy. As they say, when the vital essence, spirit, and energy are insufficient, all evils can invade. As long as she takes this medicine for seven consecutive days, evil spirits will no longer dare approach. Additionally, she must wear some protective talismans. Only with both measures can she be kept safe."
"So miraculous?" Yan Changfeng looked at the bottle with disbelief. "Daoist Priest, you haven't even seen the person, yet you're certain this medicine will work for her?"
The Taoist replied unhurriedly, "This humble priest has been in the Taoist practice for many years. Based solely on the intense evil aura in this courtyard, I can determine that your household must be plagued by malevolent spirits. This medicine is only meant to strengthen the body; even ordinary people can take it. Consuming it brings a hundred benefits and no harm. As for other ailments, they are not within my expertise, so examining them would be useless."
Yan Changfeng let out a meaningful "Oh." "In that case, why not stay, Priest, and take this medicine yourself for seven days to show me? If there are no issues, I will naturally reward you handsomely. But if anything goes wrong…"
The Taoist had not expected the family to question him so much and was somewhat displeased. "What does the young lady mean by this? Many people have taken this medicine, and none have had any issues. If the young lady does not trust this humble priest, I must ask you to seek help elsewhere."
"Priest, please do not be angry. It is truly unavoidable," Yan Changfeng sighed with apparent difficulty. "Do you know that the person inside is a member of the imperial family? Their meals and medicines must always be tested by others first. Even prescriptions from imperial physicians in the palace cannot be taken directly. Although you are an accomplished master, you cannot be an exception."
The Taoist clearly had not anticipated this layer and was momentarily speechless. "This…"
"I understand that you, as a master of noble stature, may not wish to test it yourself," Yan Changfeng offered him a way out. "How about this: I will take this medicine to have it inspected. If there are no issues, then there will be no need for anyone to test it. But if there are problems, then I am afraid you, Priest, will have to take a seat in the Dali Temple of Beidu—though of course, I believe there will certainly be no issues, right, Priest?"
Though her tone carried no pressure, the Taoist’s face instantly turned pale. His blind eyes, with their upturned whites, trembled uneasily, and the sweat he had just wiped from his forehead inexplicably reappeared.
"What, is this not acceptable either?" Seeing his reaction, Yan Changfeng knew there was a problem. She sneered, "Then forgive me for suspecting that you, Priest, have a guilty conscience. Guards, tie him up! What kind of charlatan dares to swindle the Yan Family!"
"Young lady, please don’t tie me up!" The enigmatic Taoist immediately turned into a coward. "This medicine isn’t mine! If anything goes wrong, please don’t blame me!"
"It came from your robes—if it’s not yours, whose is it?" Yan Changfeng’s tone grew imposing. "Tie him up!"
"It was given to me by the Concubine of your household!" The blind Taoist blurted out in fright.
Yaoniang’s expression changed abruptly. "Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never seen you before!"
"What… what is going on?" Lady Yao was bewildered by the sudden turn of events, looking at Yaoniang in astonishment.