Yunzhi had gone to sleep, leaving Ye Wanning alone in the room.
Since her rebirth, she had developed the habit of carrying a dagger with her at all times. Anyone who would break into the Ye Family in the middle of the night was certainly no good. She moved behind the door and slowly drew the bolt when a blood-soaked man staggered out from behind the screen.
Click.
The door opened. Without a second thought, Ye Wanning turned to run but collided with a firm chest. “Xie…”
Before she could finish, Xie Bohuai pulled her behind him, drew his sword to block the spy’s attack, and casually closed the door.
The spy, already severely wounded and at the end of his strength, continued to resist stubbornly.
Xie Bohuai had originally intended to capture him alive, but upon seeing the spy lunging toward Ye Wanning, he thrust his sword into the spy’s chest.
In an instant, blood splattered across the floor, staining the hem of Ye Wanning’s white dress with crimson spots. Shocked, she leaned against the door, forgetting even to breathe.
Someone had died—and by Xie Bohuai’s hand.
This wasn’t the first time Ye Wanning had witnessed a killing, but no amount of experience could calm her in that moment.
“Lord… Lord Xie, what… what is this?”
She forced herself to appear composed, her chest rising and falling with each deep breath, forgetting that she was only in her undergarments.
Xie Bohuai frowned slightly. “I was capturing a spy. I didn’t expect to end up in Miss Ye’s chambers.” He hoisted the corpse over his shoulder and moved toward the window, then paused. “I’ve disturbed you tonight. I’ll repay the favor another day.”
Ye Wanning wanted to say it wasn’t necessary. She wished no one would ever know about this incident. The spy Xie Bohuai had captured surely involved matters of great importance. As a young woman, having two men burst into her bedchamber in the middle of the night would ruin her reputation if word got out.
But Xie Bohuai came and went just as quickly.
It took a long while for Ye Wanning to calm down before she called Yunzhi to help clean the floor.
When Yunzhi learned that Lord Xie had just killed someone in her mistress’s room, she was filled with dread. “That Lord Xie is too terrifying. Truly worthy of being called the Living Yama. Thank goodness you’re safe, Miss. But will he help keep this quiet?”
Recalling Xie Bohuai’s parting words, Ye Wanning sighed deeply. “He probably will.”
“From now on, I’ll sleep in the outer room to guard you. That spy deserved to die—why did he have to hide in your bedchamber of all places?” The more Yunzhi spoke, the angrier she became. Noticing that her mistress’s undergarments were stained, she silently prayed that Lord Xie wouldn’t speak of this to anyone.
That night, Ye Wanning slept restlessly.
She dreamed of Xie Bohuai leading troops into battle, finally standing atop a mountain of corpses. Though drenched in blood, he refused to let go of his sword. Above him, a flock of vultures circled eagerly, waiting to feast on the bodies. The overwhelming oppression made her wake up gasping for air.
Yunzhi entered with a cup of tea. “Did you have a nightmare, Miss?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after catching my breath.” After drinking half a cup of tea, Ye Wanning’s breathing finally steadied.
The household affairs of the Ye Family were managed by Ye Wanning’s elder sister-in-law, Lin Shi. Though Lin Shi had a gentle disposition, the Ye Family was not large, making management relatively straightforward.
While paying her respects to her grandmother, Ye Wanning happened to meet Lin Shi, who had brought her daughter, Xuan Jie’er, along. Xuan Jie’er, a delicate three-year-old child, smiled upon seeing Ye Wanning.
“Come, let your auntie hold you. Let me see if Xuan Jie’er has lost any weight.” Ye Wanning picked up her niece, and they entered her grandmother’s main room together.
Her grandmother was still freshening up. Ye Wanning sat with Lin Shi, who smiled and began discussing Ye Wanning’s dowry preparations.
“Although Mother has already arranged everything for you, sister, Zhou Yu’s circumstances are different now. After discussing with your eldest brother, we’ve decided to contribute eight hundred taels from our household as additional dowry.” Lin Shi spoke gently with a warm smile, these eight hundred taels coming from her own dowry funds. The younger sisters in the family were all wonderful, especially Wanning, who had been tremendously helpful when she managed the household. She wanted to assist this sister-in-law.
Ye Wanning immediately understood the situation. Her eldest brother was merely a sixth-rank official who had already contributed much to the family over the years – how could she possibly use her sister-in-law’s personal dowry money? “I deeply appreciate Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law’s kindness, but the dowry Mother has given me is more than sufficient. Zhou Lang isn’t the type to care about worldly possessions – I cannot accept these eight hundred taels.”
“Your eldest brother and I have already agreed…”
“I know you care for me, but one must build their own life. We’re family, so let’s speak frankly – we all understand the family’s financial situation. If you give me eight hundred taels for my marriage, will you have enough when Second Brother and the other sisters marry later?” Ye Wanning put down Xuan Jie’er and took her sister-in-law’s hand. “Moreover, you’re aware of the Zhou family’s circumstances. Bringing too large a dowry would only invite gossip about Zhou Lang living off his wife’s wealth.”
With many siblings in the family, Lin Shi could barely scrape together this eight hundred taels and wouldn’t be able to provide more.
She had thought that since her husband only had one full sister, it would be reasonable to give more.
Hearing Wanning consider her situation, Lin Shi felt distressed. The Ye Family had known better days – ultimately, it was her lack of financial acumen, her inability to make money grow, that had led to their increasingly difficult circumstances.
As they spoke, Ye Wanyu and her sisters arrived. Lin Shi couldn’t continue the dowry discussion, so they all shared breakfast together. Afterwards, Ye Mingyue mysteriously pulled Ye Wanning out of the house.
“I’ve gathered some friends to spread word about Zhou Yu receiving monthly allowances from the Lin family. Since he prides himself on being so noble – going to the bookstore every month to copy calligraphy for gifts – today I’ve specially arranged for someone. Just wait and watch the show, sister.” Ye Mingyue grinned, raising his eyebrows in anticipation.
Wearing a veil, Ye Wanning followed her brother to a private room in the bookstore. Before long, laughter erupted from downstairs.
Peering through the wooden window slats, she saw Zhou Yu had just sat down when several people surrounded him. Two of them Ye Wanning recognized – both good friends of her second brother, the wastrels her eldest brother often mentioned.
“Academician Zhou has such refined tastes, coming monthly to copy calligraphy for gifts. How fortunate you are to have in-laws like the Lin family.”
Zhou Yu looked up, confused.
“Hey, I heard the Lin family has been giving you monthly allowances since you arrived in Jingcheng. No wonder you never lack for silver. I truly envy you – Miss Lin is beautiful as a flower and can subsidize the Zhou family with money. Such a fiancée is truly hard to find even with a lantern.”
Their loud conversation attracted other curious onlookers.
Everyone knew Zhou Yu had once stayed with the Lin family and that the Lins had supported him, but no one knew the specifics or how much money was involved.
Now that Zhou Yu had become the Zhuangyuan Lang, a celebrated figure in Jingcheng, people were eager to hear about his private dealings with the Lin family for entertainment.
Zhou Yu’s cheeks immediately flushed crimson. He had always tried to maintain the dignified image of a scholar, publicly presenting himself as someone too principled to accept unearned benefits. Now, being openly accused of living on Lin family allowances was essentially calling him a kept man.
“Brother Jin, where did you hear such nonsense? The Ye Family has indeed shown me kindness, but achieving scholarly honors through imperial examinations requires one’s own efforts.” This statement implied that his current success was primarily due to his own hard work.
Jin Ziguan and his companions were seen by society as idle good-for-nothings who often shirked their duties, frequently compared unfavorably to Zhou Yu. Today, having found an opportunity to embarrass Zhou Yu, none were willing to let it slip by. Especially Jin Ziguan—his father served as a colleague to Zhou Yu and would often shake his head and sigh in disappointment when facing him, using Zhou Yu as a benchmark to belittle him.
“Academician Zhou speaks true. However, you eat from the Lin Family’s table and live under the Lin Family’s roof. Without the Lin Family, you wouldn’t have been able to study under renowned teachers and would have had to worry about making a living, surely diverting much of your focus. Don’t take offense—I say this out of envy, wishing I too had the chance to live off a woman’s wealth.” Jin Ziguan chuckled lightly.
Some matters were understood by everyone but never spoken aloud, as doing so would strip others of dignity. For Jin Ziguan to speak so bluntly was clearly an attempt to pick a fight.
Yet the crowd, driven by gossipy curiosity, wanted to hear more from Jin Ziguan while simultaneously judging him for his lack of decorum, confirming his reputation as a profligate.
Zhou Yu’s expression darkened. “Jin Ziguan, what do you mean by this?”
“Compose yourself. I’m just a worthless good-for-nothing without any official rank—merely a bit loose-tongued. What could I possibly mean?” Having achieved his goal, Jin Ziguan turned to leave. “Everyone, disperse. We lack Academician Zhou’s talents—crowding around him won’t teach us his skills. My father has made it clear: even if I starve to death, I’m not to covet a woman’s money.”
“Jin Ziguan!” Zhou Yu flushed from his cheeks down to his neck. Though the shop assistant tried to smooth things over by urging him not to take it seriously, with so many people having heard about him accepting the Lin Family’s monthly allowance, how could he possibly silence their gossip?
Seeing no point in staying, Zhou Yu could only cling to the pride of a scholar. Gritting his teeth, he left behind the words, “Enough. I won’t stoop to argue with such a wastrel.”
Up on the second floor, Ye Mingyue watched with great satisfaction, cheerfully boasting to his younger sister, “My friend here knows how to talk, doesn’t he? Look at Zhou Yu’s face—redder than a monkey’s backside! I guarantee this will spread throughout Jingcheng within two days!”