Yunzhi was holding a cup of tea when she heard about Zhou Yu being beaten. She froze at first, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and quickly nodded. As she turned around, she secretly smiled.
How satisfying.
She ought to thank the brave soul who delivered the beating, helping the young lady vent her anger thoroughly.
Inside the room, Ye Wanning and her sisters heard the servant woman’s words. Before Yunzhi could speak, Ye Wanhua was frightened to tears. “How could such a thing happen right under the Emperor’s nose?”
Ye Wanyu was equally furious. Unaware of Zhou Yu’s relationship with Xu Zhuling, they still regarded him as their future brother-in-law. “Report it to the authorities! We must report it!”
“Don’t get worked up, sisters. Zhou Lang is an official of the court. Since he’s been assaulted, the authorities are surely investigating,” Ye Wanning said. Though she couldn’t guess who was behind it—such an incident hadn’t occurred in her previous life—she felt equally exhilarated inside. “I’ll go to the Zhou family to check on him. Make sure to keep this from Grandmother; she can’t handle such a shock. After I confirm Zhou Lang’s condition at the Zhou residence, I’ll report back myself.”
“Eldest Sister, don’t worry. We know what’s important,” Ye Wanyu said, handing a handkerchief to her younger sister. “Wipe your tears quickly. If you cry so easily, what will you do when you marry into a strict household? Will you be wiping tears every day?”
“Ah?” Ye Wanhua’s round eyes widened in bewilderment. Ye Wanning told her second sister not to frighten the girl and left for the Zhou family with Yunzhi.
Meanwhile, at the Zhou residence, Xu Zhuling, unable to rest easy after hearing the news, had sneaked over to see Zhou Yu.
Looking at Zhou Yu lying in bed with his face swollen like a pig’s head, Xu Zhuling tearfully wiped her eyes. “Have they found out who did it?”
Zhou Yu’s face was numb with pain. The previous night, after dining with colleagues, his carriage had suddenly broken down. Thinking the distance wasn’t far, he decided to walk back. Out of nowhere, someone had thrown a sack over him and started beating him.
The assailants had stolen his money and stripped him of his clothes. If the night watchman hadn’t found him and Feng Ran, they would have been exposed to the cold wind all night, risking death or brain damage from fever.
While the rest of his body was relatively fine, his face had taken several punches, and he didn’t feel like talking. He shook his head at Xu Zhuling.
“This is outrageous! Beating a court official right in the imperial city—there’s no respect for law or order!” Xu Zhuling called for someone to bring medicine. When Feng Ran entered, he whispered that the physician was still waiting for payment.
Resettling Xu Zhuling required money, and Zhou Yu’s daily expenses for food and clothing were also considerable. He had been counting on the Ye Family’s monthly allowance, but the Ye Family had stopped providing it. With this sudden incident, Zhou Yu’s facial injuries demanded high-quality medicine to prevent scarring.
Suddenly, Zhou Yu found himself unable to cover the medical fees.
Feng Ran had also been beaten, though he was in better shape than Zhou Yu. He looked at his master with embarrassment.
Xu Zhuling glanced at Zhou Yu, then at Feng Ran, and took out her purse. “I have some silver here. Cousin’s injuries are urgent—take it quickly to pay the physician.” After Feng Ran left, she reassured Zhou Yu, “Cousin, you may not have heard, but Ye Wanning got lucky. The wasteland she bought caught Princess Longyu’s eye, and she made a fortune. Once she marries you next month, she’ll surely bring it with her.”
Mentioning this, Xu Zhuling felt a pang of bitterness. She didn’t believe she was inferior to Ye Wanning in any way—only that her birth wasn’t as fortunate. Otherwise, with her looks and temperament, she would surely have more admirers than Ye Wanning.
Once Ye Wanning married into the family, Xu Zhuling resolved to personally administer an infertility drug to her, so she could finally rest easy.
Zhou Yu, embarrassed by his financial straits—even needing Xu Zhuling to cover his medical fees—waved his hand, signaling for her to leave first.
“I’d rather stay here to attend to you, cousin. Feng Ran is clumsy with her hands, nowhere near as careful as I am.” As she spoke, Xu Zhuling tucked Zhou Yu’s quilt tighter. “Aunt will arrive in the capital soon. If she sees you like this, she’ll be terribly worried.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yu didn’t object further. “Where’s Feng Ge’er?”
“I’ve asked the wet nurse to watch him. He’ll be fine.” Xu Zhuling glanced around the room. She rarely came here. The thought of Ye Wanning soon becoming the mistress of the Zhou family filled her with jealousy and resentment, though she maintained a composed facade. “I’ve heard that when noble families marry off their daughters, they send the dowry to the groom’s family in advance. When will the Ye family send the dowry over?”
Zhou Yu had been pondering the same matter. The Zhou family had no substantial wealth. Never mind future official networking and social expenses—he couldn’t even afford the wedding next month. As the newly crowned Zhuangyuan, he was under many people’s scrutiny. If the wedding banquet appeared too shabby, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock?
The guests he wished to befriend were all capital dignitaries. Having sent out wedding invitations, he needed to host them comfortably.
He had hinted at this to Ye Jia Dalang, who, doting on his sister, immediately offered to provide funds for the banquet. With barely over twenty days until the wedding, however, the money still hadn’t arrived.
What was going on?
“It should be soon,” Zhou Yu mused. Ye Jia Dalang was a steady and reliable man, not one to go back on his word.
“It’s a shame I won’t be able to attend your wedding, cousin,” Xu Zhuling choked out.
Zhou Yu took her hand, comforting her. “I have no feelings for Ye Wanning. I’m only relying on her and the Ye family to establish myself in the capital. Once I’m firmly settled and she’s no longer useful, I’ll surely find a way to divorce her. I’ve already obtained the infertility medicine. The physician said to administer it gradually, ensuring no one will noti—”
Before he could finish, Feng Ran rushed in. “Sir, Miss Ye is here.”
At this, Xu Zhuling sprang to her feet, intending to leave, but hearing Ye Wanning approach the door, she hastily hid behind the bed.
As soon as Ye Wanning entered, she noticed Feng Ran’s flustered expression. Normally, Feng Ran should have escorted her in, yet she had rushed to Zhou Yu first.
Scanning the room, nothing seemed particularly amiss.
Except for the faint scent of perfumed powder lingering in the air. She immediately understood what was happening.
“Wan Ning, you… why are you here?” Zhou Yu stammered guiltily.
“I heard you were beaten and came as soon as I could to check on you.” Seeing Zhou Yu’s face swollen beyond recognition, Ye Wanning felt a surge of satisfaction. “Have you found out who did it?” This person was her benefactor, after all.
Zhou Yu said no. “The authorities are investigating. Probably just some ruffians who ran out of money from gambling and drinking, acting on impulse. Don’t worry about me, or I’ll feel heartache.”
Ye Wanning: …How nauseating.
But her mind was on where Xu Zhuling could be hiding. She perfunctorily replied, “It’s only right.””
Preoccupied, Zhou Yu didn’t pay close attention to her expression. “By the way, your elder brother mentioned he’d help with the wedding banquet. Has he told you when he’ll send someone?”
Ye Wanning sneered inwardly. Zhou Yu had no money of his own and was counting on the Ye family. Her family, fearing she’d be criticized after marriage, had scraped together funds for the banquet from various sources. Yet Zhou Yu insisted on the best. In her previous life, her brother had even borrowed money just to uphold her dignity.
She turned calmly. “Elder Brother has been busy lately. He hasn’t discussed such matters with me.”
Zhou Yu wanted to frown in displeasure, but his brow hurt too badly. Seeing Ye Wanning moving about, his heart tightened with anxiety. Fearing she might notice something amiss, he quickly insisted he was fine and needed rest.
But Ye Wanning had already spotted Xu Zhuling. No amount of scheming could compare to an opportunity delivered by fate itself.
Just as she was about to cry out, someone arrived in the courtyard. Moments later, Xie Bohuai entered the room with Qingshan.
“Recent unrest in the city has reached our ears. We heard Zhou Hanlin was robbed at night, so I’ve come personally to inquire about the incident,” Xie Bohuai stated solemnly while looking at Zhou Yu.
Whenever major incidents occurred in Jingcheng, officials from Zhenfu Si would appear. With the recent increase in spies throughout the city, Xie Bohuai’s visit for questioning was hardly surprising.
Yet this placed Ye Wanning in a difficult position. As a woman, she shouldn’t remain in the same room with Xie Bohuai and his men. Would exposing Xu Zhuling now be advantageous or not?
Her thoughts raced through the possibilities. Although Xie Bohuai was not someone to provoke, without outsiders present, the affair between Zhou Yu and Xu Zhuling wouldn’t cause much commotion.
But without a public scandal, how could she tarnish Zhou Yu’s reputation?
Now that the courtyard was filled with Zhenfu Si personnel, if the matter came to light, these men certainly wouldn’t cover for Zhou Yu—after all, he wasn’t important enough to command their deference.
Taking a silent deep breath, just as Ye Wanning resolved to act, Xie Bohuai suddenly drew his sword and hurled it.
The sharp blade sliced through the curtain. Following a sharp scream, the sword thudded into a wooden beam.
Xu Zhuling trembled violently, too terrified to hide any longer. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor in a heap.