To save his own skin, the Daoist confessed everything without even being pressed.
"Though we never met face-to-face, the one who hired me did so in your name, and the medicine was also given under your name. I have some knowledge of medicine, and with one sniff, I knew the drug was laced with poison. I never wanted to be part of such a wicked scheme, but they threatened me, forcing me to go against my conscience and come here."
"How could such a thing happen!" Lady Yao had rarely encountered such sinister schemes in her life, trembling with rage. Yet even so, she still refused to believe Yaoniang was truly wicked. "Yaoniang, does this have anything to do with you?"
"Madam, I swear to heaven, I had no part in this!" Yaoniang fell to her knees with a thud, swearing solemnly. "I have been in this household for so many years. Don't you know what kind of person I am?"
"One's heart is hidden behind layers of flesh, Yaoniang. You were so intimate with Zhang Mingshun, yet you never expected he would sell you out in the blink of an eye, did you?" Yan Changfeng ordered the Daoist taken away and called for two guards. "Tie Yaoniang up for me."
Back at Yuhuchun, she could have had Yaoniang bound directly, but out of consideration for her being Changqing's birth mother, she had allowed her to retain some dignity.
"What does Second Miss mean by this?"
Yaoniang struggled to maintain a calm facade, though inwardly she was panicking—not because Zhang Mingshun had betrayed her, but because she finally realized that from the moment she suggested inviting the Daoist, she had already fallen into Second Miss's trap.
Why? She simply couldn't fathom it!
"Don't you know what I mean?" Yan Changfeng stepped forward, yanking open Yaoniang's collar to reveal the unsightly marks beneath. She clicked her tongue twice. "Master Zhang certainly has peculiar tastes, even leaving bite marks. Look how he has marred this delicate skin."
The merciless exposure caused Yaoniang's expression to shift several times. Her eyes, usually downcast with a faint, seductive gleam at the corners, momentarily filled with resentment.
But she quickly regained her composure, for deep down she remained confident, believing her grand scheme was nearing success. Even if Second Miss confronted her now, it wouldn't matter—this family's days of glory were numbered anyway.
Lady Yao was left pale and shaken by the unbelievable truth. "Yaoniang and Zhang Mingshun, they…"
"They've been carrying on a secret affair," Yan Changfeng said with biting sarcasm. "I simply don't understand. My father is handsome and elegant, the most celebrated beauty in Yangzhou Fu. How could you betray him for that pot-bellied Master Zhang? Even if you were scheming for the Yan Family's fortune, I still can't comprehend it. How utterly repulsive!"
Yaoniang, now resolved, was unafraid of being accused. With remarkable calm, she put on a tragic air. "Since Second Miss misunderstands me so, I have nothing more to say. Master Zhang defiled me, and my purity is lost. If not for Changqing's sake, I would not have clung to life. Now that I have been discovered, I am too ashamed to face the Family Head. There is no need for Second Miss to fabricate further evidence against me. I shall end my own life!"
With that, she rushed headlong toward the courtyard wall.
Lady Yao cried out in alarm, "Stop her, quickly!"
The elderly maids nearby scrambled to grab Yaoniang just before she could collide with the wall, narrowly pulling her back from the jaws of death.
Yet Yaoniang remained determined, still struggling to dash herself against the wall.
Yan Changfeng chuckled lightly at the sight, seemingly unfazed by the prospect of Yaoniang’s blood staining the ground. “Yaoniang, this is hardly worth it. You gave yourself to Zhang Mingshun merely to exploit him in scheming for the family fortune. But you must understand the risks of bargaining with a tiger. Did you know Third Sister has already met with misfortune?”
Yaoniang, who had been struggling frantically, froze at the last sentence. She snapped her gaze toward Yan Changfeng. “What did you say?!”
But she quickly regained her composure, realizing Second Miss was once again trying to trick her, and regretted her momentary lapse. “Second Miss, please don’t jest. Third Sister went out with the Family Head—how could anything have happened to her?”
“Why couldn’t it?” Yan Changfeng was indeed bluffing, but she did so with such conviction. “Over a hundred bandits ambushed Father’s party of fewer than twenty. Do you think Third Sister could be so fortunate as to escape with her life?”
Her words sent a shock through everyone present, their expressions shifting abruptly.
Yan Changfeng kept her eyes fixed on Yaoniang as she continued, “If I were Zhang Mingshun, I wouldn’t let her return alive. That way, the Yan Family’s fortune would fall right into the Zhang Family’s hands. And as for you, a mere concubine—you’d naturally become the donkey slaughtered after the millstone is done.”
Yaoniang trembled, not because of the metaphor about the donkey, but because of the mention of “over a hundred bandits.”
If Second Miss had no evidence, how could she know such details so precisely? Could it be that Yan Chuanxing truly escaped with his life, while her Changqing…
Yaoniang had schemed and endured for years, believing her plans were flawless. Her calm and composed demeanor in public was built upon layers of confidence. But now, the armor forged from that confidence was crumbling under Second Miss’s repeated probing.
On one hand, her rationality told her that Second Miss was bluffing—otherwise, why waste words on her? On the other hand, she couldn’t help but be led by the nose, for Second Miss’s bluffs were masterful, each one striking precisely where it hurt, making her doubt her own judgment.
If Yan Chuanxing truly wasn’t dead, would she still have a chance to turn the tables once he returned?
Yaoniang couldn’t help but start thinking of an escape route.
But before she could come to any conclusion, Second Miss struck another blow, hitting right at her fears.
“Are you wondering how much of a chance you still have, Yaoniang?” Yan Changfeng paced over to stand before Yaoniang, looking her in the eye. “Let me help you calculate. In your plot with Zhang Mingshun to seize my family’s wealth, there are two major obstacles: my father and Shopkeeper Chen. They are the two with the most say in the Yan Family. Eliminate them, then conveniently frame me, making me an outcast and stripping me of all power in the Yan Family. After that, the only one left capable of holding up the Yan Family would be Third Sister.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Second Miss,” Yaoniang insisted through gritted teeth, still denying everything.
“You don’t understand because you think you still have a way out,” Yan Changfeng replied unhurriedly. “Even if my father returns alive, the bandit attack could still be pinned on me—or even on my mother. You could claim that we, mother and daughter, couldn’t tolerate Third Sister. Then there’s Shopkeeper Chen—kill him or incite him to betray the Family Head, and that too could be blamed on me. Isn’t that right?”
Yaoniang suspected Second Miss was a worm in her belly, having guessed every single one of her thoughts.
“What a pity…” Yan Changfeng drew out the words, filling Yaoniang with a sense of foreboding.
Just as Yaoniang was wondering what other tricks she had up her sleeve, a guard suddenly rushed into the courtyard and urgently reported, “Madam, Second Miss, urgent news to report!”
"What is it?" Yan Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief. She had actually run out of tricks to bluff with; it was just that her eyes were sharp, having spotted a guard approaching from afar. This man was one of those sent to protect Shopkeeper Chen. She deduced that there must be news from Shopkeeper Chen's side, so she deliberately acted mysterious to keep them in suspense.
Sure enough, the guard reported, "Second Miss, a few of us discovered some petty thieves at Shopkeeper Chen's house. When we arrived, they were attempting to kidnap Shopkeeper Chen's wife and daughter. We have already bound them and sent them to the authorities!"
Yan Changfeng nodded. "I understand. You've all worked hard. Keep a close watch for a few more days."
"Rest assured, Second Miss!"
After the guard left, Yan Changfeng looked at Yaoniang with pity. "What now, Yaoniang? Shopkeeper Chen wasn't intimidated by your threats. Your dwindling chips are almost gone. Tell me, if this plan fails, what will happen when my father returns…"
"You heard everything!" Yaoniang finally realized at this moment that Second Miss must have overheard her conversation with Zhang Mingshun today; otherwise, she couldn't possibly know about Shopkeeper Chen.
Yan Changfeng did not deny it, instead turning the accusation back on her. "So you admit it all? Conspiring with Zhang Mingshun in adultery, plotting to harm my father, and scheming to seize our family's assets—is that it?"
"Second Miss, what skillful tactics!" The resentment in Yaoniang's heart could no longer be concealed, bursting forth from her seductive eyes. "But I deny it! I was forced by Zhang Mingshun. I am grateful for the Family Head's life-saving grace, bore him children, and never harbored any disloyalty! If not for fearing that my tainted body would implicate Changqing, I would never have succumbed to his coercion!"
At this point, Yaoniang knew she had no chance of turning the tables. She wasn't defending herself but rather protecting Changqing. No matter what, she could not admit to adultery and plotting against the Family Head; otherwise, Changqing would have no place to stand in the future!
"What a painstakingly devoted Yaoniang," Yan Changfeng pressed on relentlessly. "Speaking of bearing children, I suddenly begin to wonder—is Changqing truly my father's flesh and blood?"