Chang Sui witnessed this scene and quietly slipped away.
He was heading to the Prison Warden Office to report to the Marquis about the effects of the paintings the Madam had mentioned. He needed to make the Marquis clearly understand just how much he had lost last night!!!
The consequence of underestimating the Madam was:
…When fortune came knocking, he failed to catch it!!
Chang Sui followed the Madam every day, and watching her carefree, lively antics was truly healing. Coupled with the strange abilities she had recently displayed, he felt the Marquis should adjust his attitude properly.
Even if it meant being punished by the Marquis, some things just had to be said.
Earlier, due to the steward’s request for paintings, the other Shadow Guards had withdrawn to report to their respective masters about the events in Crabapple Courtyard.
Now Chang Sui had left too.
Only Qingjue remained, looking tense. He patrolled around Crabapple Courtyard and, confirming he was truly alone, took out a finger-length bamboo flute and blew into it.
Not long after,
Xue Yanzhou stood beneath the side wall of the alley.
“General, they’ve all left. This is a perfect opportunity to get close to the Madam!”
Xue Yanzhou nodded without wasting words. Holding a pile of gift boxes, he leaped and landed inside the wall.
…
Meanwhile, after listening to Lin Yu’er’s explanation, Xie Xinyue went through a rollercoaster of emotions—lingering fear, shock, confusion, and finally a brilliant spark of understanding in her eyes.
“Madam! This humble concubine has something to say!”
Lin Yu’er looked at her curiously, pulling a cucumber from her sleeve and taking a bite.
“Just say it then.”
Xie Xinyue: “The nobles in Shengjing City are experts at flattering the powerful and trampling the weak. Since the main and second branches of my maternal family have fallen into misfortune, my parents’ business might also be affected. Over the years, almost all the silver our third branch earned was taken by the main and second branches. My parents have little savings left and basically can’t switch to another trade.”
“This humble concubine hopes Madam will entrust these paintings to my parents for them to sell!”
Zhang Momo frowned, thinking these ancient concubines were always scheming for favor. Was she planning to take the Madam’s paintings to gain merit with the Marquis?
Lin Yu’er finished half the cucumber before casually wiping her mouth.
“You want to sell my paintings?”
“Yes! I hope Madam will agree…”
Xie Xinyue saw this as her parents’ chance to break free from the main and second branches.
After all, she didn’t know if Xie Ji and Xie Tianhai still had connections with higher-ups who might speak for them.
If her parents could make these talismans famous and secure a more powerful backer than her uncles, then their third branch would truly be living for themselves!
“Can this one sell for fifty?” Lin Yu’er picked up the painting filled with pockmarks in the circle and asked.
Xie Xinyue nodded repeatedly, then shook her head: “Having followed my parents in business, I know a little about management. One of the paintings Madam provides must be given away free—it won’t earn money! It’s just to build reputation! But if Madam trusts me, the others will definitely sell! And they’ll sell for a lot!”
Lin Yu’er grimaced in pain at hearing one would be given away free.
Why give things to others for free?
Even if they were just her casual doodles, that wasn’t acceptable!
The paper was good quality too—better kept for wiping bottoms.
But hearing Xie Xinyue’s following words, she couldn’t help asking: “A lot how much? As much as you gave me today?”
This time Xie Xinyue nodded firmly.
“Yes! Absolutely!”
“Madam, this painting rivals the works of a grandmaster, absolutely crushing those impostors from the Yin-Yang Division! It could fetch a high price!”
“Rest assured, Madam, it will definitely multiply today’s silver notes several times over, or even more than tenfold!!”
Lin Yu’er’s eyes instantly lit up.
Yueyue said her painting was a grandmaster’s work.
Then she was a grandmaster!
With immense pride, she pushed the pile of paintings in front of her toward the other woman.
“Then take them all!”
Xie Xinyue was deeply moved and hurriedly expressed her gratitude.
At that moment, Lin Yu’er finished the cucumber she was carrying and, finding nothing more to eat in her sleeves, turned and dashed toward the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Zhang Momo stepped forward to stop Cuihu, who was about to gather the paintings.
“Wait a moment!”
Yue Yiniang looked at Zhang Momo. “Madam has already agreed to let me take the paintings for sale. Does Momma intend to snatch them back?”
Zhang Momo shook her head.
“I merely wish to count the number of paintings, so this old servant can keep track. I would never oppose Madam’s decision, but I also don’t want her to suffer any loss!”
Cuihu cautiously observed their expressions and, noticing the concubine give a slight nod, proceeded to count the paintings in front of Momma.
“There are 22 in total!”
Upon hearing the number, Zhang Momo stood properly to the side.
Du Du’s eyes darted around, and she went inside to fetch a small notebook. “I’ll record this for Madam first.”
Xie Xinyue wasn’t the least bit angry. Instead, she smiled and said,
“It should be recorded.”
Having decided to stand by Madam’s side, she had no intention of scheming or using tricks—nor did she dare.
…
When Lin Yu’er emerged from the kitchen, she encountered a handsome man dressed in a black robe embroidered with silver thread patterns.
The man had thick, sharp brows like swords, eyes like hooks, and an imposing, mountain-like sternness about him, as if his very stance warned others that he was not to be trifled with.
“Madam.”
He stood beneath a three-meter-high pieris tree, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.
Lin Yu’er clutched her sleeve tightly, feeling the weight of the fruits stuffed inside pulling her arm down, and regarded him warily.
After several seconds passed without him making any fuss, she thought:
…Perhaps he isn’t from the kitchen, so her taking food from there was none of his concern.
Reassured, Lin Yu’er glanced at the man.
He was good-looking, so she glanced again.
After that, she prepared to leave.
Xue Yanzhou stepped forward. “Has Madam grown so cold toward me after just over twenty days in the Marquis’s residence? This husband is truly heartbroken.”
Lin Yu’er, who had already reached the pieris tree, suddenly halted.
“This husband?”
She remembered Zhang Momo saying that anyone who referred to themselves that way was her husband.
Though she was extremely reluctant to admit she had a husband—He Jiulin was at best a male consort—Zhang Momo had insisted that a woman only had one husband.
How strange. Why was there another one here?
“Are you addressing this grandmaster?”
Grandmaster? Qingjue had said Madam referred to herself as “this madam” or “this venerable one”—since when did she become a grandmaster?
But that wasn’t important.
Xue Yanzhou lifted the large and small gifts in his hands. “Yes, I’m addressing you, Grandmaster! These are things I brought for you—food, clothing, everything you might need!”
Lin Yu’er glanced at them; there was quite a lot.
But her sleeves were already full.
“This grandmaster can’t carry any more. Follow me!”
Xue Yanzhou immediately responded with an “Aye!” and followed behind her, carrying the gifts.
When Yue Yiniang and the others saw Lin Yu’er run off for a moment and return with a grown man, they were utterly astonished.
Du Du watched as Xue Yanzhou rolled his eyes.
Yue Yiniang’s expression turned peculiar at the sight of the man.
Zhang Momo, having only transmigrated a little over half a month ago, had no idea who he was.
Yue Yiniang’s intuition told her that those scrolls needed to be put away quickly.
As they watched the man set down a pile of things on the stone table and settle into the pavilion with no intention of leaving, all of them frowned.
Du Du spoke up, “Madam, who is this man? How did he get in?”
Zhang Momo adopted a tone that was three parts polite and three parts threatening.
“Sir, you appear to be a man of respectable bearing, yet you resort to scaling walls and trespassing into others’ courtyards. The Marquis will soon return from his duties. I must ask you to leave at once!”
Yue Yiniang, mindful of her role within the Marquis’s household, cleared her throat and chimed in accordingly.
“If you are here to see the Marquis, sir, you may wait in the main hall. It is improper for us women of the inner quarters to remain in your company for long. Please leave!”
Xue Yanzhou let out a derisive laugh.
“What do you mean, scaling walls? What’s improper about my presence? Why should I wait in the main hall?”
“And you dare threaten me with He Jiulin? What’s wrong with me visiting my wife? Even He Jiulin has no right to keep me from seeing my wife!”
Zhang Momo was dumbfounded. “!!!!”
What ghost?
Your wife?
Cuihu and Wanqing remained silent, but their faces showed just the right amount of shock.
Had their madam cuckolded the Marquis?
“My wife and I were wed by the Empress’s decree. How could you be so cruel as to try and tear a married couple apart!” Xue Yanzhou turned to Lin Yu’er. “My dear, the Marquis’s estate is full of wicked people. If you stay here, you’ll be bullied.”
Lin Yu’er, happily examining the gifts, replied good-naturedly, “That won’t happen.”
Seizing the opportunity, Xue Yanzhou pressed, “How can you be sure? Just look at them—all harsh words and fierce glares. Why not come back to the General’s Manor with me? I’ve already made the bed for you today, my dear, come away with me”