“Miss, there’s a carriage following us. It seems to be Xie Jinyao’s.”
Inside the carriage, Wan Xing lowered the curtain and reported to Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen remained calm with her eyes closed, unsurprised. “What shops are the noble ladies of Jingcheng frequenting lately?”
Xie Jinyao had long regarded her as a thorn in her side. Now that Marquis Zhongyong had become more amiable toward Ye Zhen, Xie Jinyao felt threatened and naturally sought to catch her in a misstep.
It was no surprise that Xie Jinyao would follow upon learning of her outing—she had never been one to tolerate frustration well.
Wan Xing replied, “Jinlu Zhai recently expanded its store and added hair accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, and such. I heard business is booming, with distinguished guests gathering there daily.”
Ye Zhen smiled. “Then let’s join the excitement.”
Xie Jinyao was extremely concerned about face. Before the matter with Xie Yunzhou settled, she wouldn’t show herself easily.
Even if she couldn’t resist following them inside, she wouldn’t dare make a scene, giving them an opportunity to slip away.
In the trailing carriage, Xie Jinyao watched as Ye Zhen and her maid entered Jinlu Zhai, fury burning between her brows.
“Truly someone who’s never seen better things. The moment Father gave her silver, she’s already chasing vanity. With her rustic background, how could she be worthy of fine silks and brocades? Even clad in golden robes, she couldn’t conceal her poor, wretched bones…”
Jinlu Zhai had become exceptionally popular recently, and there were bound to be many acquaintances inside. She wasn’t willing to encounter them just yet.
She had no choice but to wait in the carriage, yet the more she thought, the angrier she became, unable to resist venting her bitterness.
From the window on the second floor, Ye Zhen glanced at the carriage below before leading Wan Xing out through Jinlu Zhai’s back door.
Back when her adoptive parents had forced her into marriage with the Marquis Estate under threat of death, on the day she donned the wedding dress, she had thought: if Xie Yunzhou proved to be a good man, she would settle into the inner quarters like countless women, content to support her husband and raise children.
If the Marquis Estate wasn’t a place to stay long-term, she would devote herself to being the Shaofuren for five years to repay her parents’ nurturing grace.
After that, the Ye family would no longer have Ye Zhen.
After marriage, when Xie Yunzhou found various excuses to avoid consummating their union, and the Marquise proved to be honey-mouthed but dagger-hearted, she knew her future didn’t lie in the Marquis Estate.
To ensure a smooth departure, she paid close attention to the people and affairs around the Marquise.
Thus, she learned that the Marquise’s coachman was named Wu Da, who had once pretended to be an orphan and sold himself into the Marquis Estate to survive, while in reality, he had younger siblings living in the commoners’ district of the West City.
After leaving Jinlu Zhai, the two used Qinggong to head straight for Wu Da’s home.
It was a very small courtyard, yet tidy and clean, with white cloth hanging on the door inside the yard—a sign of mourning.
After scouting the area, Wan Xing knocked.
A girl of about eleven or twelve opened the door a crack, eyeing them warily. “Who are you looking for?”
“We once received help from Wu Da. Learning of his passing, we wished to pay our respects,” Wan Xing explained.
The girl hesitated, then decided to close the door. “We appreciate the sentiment, but our elder brother has already been buried. Please leave.”
Ye Zhen pressed against the door, pushed it open, and slipped inside with Wan Xing before closing it behind them. “We heard from Wu Da that you siblings were very close. His death was suspicious—don’t you intend to seek justice for him?”
She and Wan Xing, feeling stifled in the estate, occasionally went out for fresh air at night. One evening, they happened to see Wu Da washing his younger siblings’ hair under the moonlight, the three of them chatting and laughing together in warm harmony.
The girl was startled by their actions and quickly grabbed a broom from behind the door. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Ye Zhen spoke gently, “Although we are also from the Marquis Estate, we are not bad people. Your elder brother’s matter involves the young lady. With just you siblings alone, it will be difficult to obtain justice for your brother.”
The girl’s eyes grew even more guarded. “My eldest brother said Marquis Zhongyong is a good man.”
If he knew her brother was innocent, he would surely give him justice.
Ye Zhen’s eyes flickered slightly. Though her suspicion about the young lady was merely conjecture, the girl hadn’t denied it.
She had guessed correctly.
“But he’s also the young lady’s father. Your brother must have told you how dearly Marquis Zhongyong cherishes his daughter. Moreover, when the Marquise dealt with your brother, she surely found legitimate excuses. Without solid evidence, pleading before the Marquis would be useless. The Marquis Estate has deep courtyards—you might not even get to see Marquis Zhongyong.”
In her previous life, not long after her own misfortune, a boy had been confined at the estate. He managed to escape, and the matrons guarding her were summoned to join the search. Ye Zhen vaguely overheard them saying that if the boy escaped and compromised the young lady’s reputation, the Marquise would never forgive them.
She remembered the boy being recaptured in the end, along with a young girl. Both were buried alive by the Marquise’s order.
After returning to the estate and learning of Wu Da’s death, Ye Zhen surmised that the two children buried alive must have been Wu Da’s younger siblings.
“I can help you. Could you bring your second brother here?”
The girl was too young; the household was likely being managed by that boy from her past life.
Xie Jinyao was still watching at the entrance of Jinlu Zhai—Ye Zhen couldn’t afford to linger indefinitely.
The girl gripped her broom tightly, unmoving.
Though their home held nothing of value, she dared not leave two strangers unattended. With their eldest brother gone, she and her second brother struggled to survive. Losing even the smallest item would be a significant blow to them.
Guessing the girl’s concerns, Ye Zhen took out a silver ingot and handed it to her. “I’ll wait in your courtyard and won’t enter the house.”
After a moment’s consideration, the girl accepted the silver, opened the gate, and dashed outside.
This was ten taels of silver—more than the combined value of everything in their home—so she no longer feared theft.
Ye Zhen waited for about the time it takes a stick of incense to burn before the girl returned with a boy of fourteen or fifteen.
Having likely heard the situation from his sister on the way, the boy, Wu Er, asked Ye Zhen directly, “Why do you want to help us?”
Ye Zhen didn’t conceal her motives. “Because I, too, despise the Marquise and the young lady.”
“You’re not a servant of the Marquis Estate?”
His brother had mentioned that the Marquise ruled with an iron fist—servants never dared complain. If this person were a servant, how could she oppose the estate and target the young lady? Moreover, though Ye Zhen dressed plainly, her bearing reminded him of the nobles he’d seen on the streets.
Ye Zhen nodded. “Indeed, I’m not a servant. I’m the Shaofuren of the Marquis Estate.”
Wu Er’s expression shifted immediately. “Please leave, Shaofuren. Our lives are humble—we dare not involve ourselves in the estate’s internal conflicts.”
The nobility had always treated them as worthless weeds. Now the Shaofuren wanted to use them against the young lady—who knew what fate awaited them after they’d served their purpose?
“You’ve likely been gathering information about the Marquis Estate these days. Then you must know the Marquise has been confined to the estate under the guise of recuperation, but in truth, it’s a punishment ordered by Marquis Zhongyong. I was the one who made that happen. Also, starting tomorrow, I’ll be taking charge of the estate’s management, with the young lady assisting. But she won’t accept this willingly. If I lose power, she’ll take control. Then your hopes for revenge will vanish—you might even be secretly disposed of by the young lady before ever reaching Marquis Zhongyong.”
In her past life, the two siblings had probably been sent to the estate by the Marquise upon arrival and later eliminated in secret.
Ye Zhen continued, “If I reveal matters concerning Wu Da and your younger sister to the young mistress, you certainly won’t live to see tomorrow either.”
The boy flared with anger, “Are you threatening me?”
Back then, his eldest brother had sold himself into servitude to support him and his younger sister.
But his elder brother had heard that nobles often used family members to coerce servants, forcing their loyalty through such means.
Fearing for their safety, his elder brother had concealed their existence, visiting them secretly all these years.
Now that his elder brother had been silenced by the Marquise for learning the young mistress’s secret, he and his sister absolutely couldn’t be exposed.
Ye Zhen nodded, “You may take it as a threat.”
But it was also saving the siblings’ lives.
Although the Marquise wasn’t currently at the estate in this lifetime, the Marquis Estate was still filled with her trusted followers. If these siblings caused a scene, it would be difficult for them to escape their previous fate.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll stop Marquis Zhongyong in the street and expose your actions today?”
The boy was clever, turning the threat back on Ye Zhen.
Looking at him, Ye Zhen seemed to see the children she had raised in the south. A hint of smile appeared in her eyes, “I am afraid, which is why your sister Wu Youmi must come with me.”
“As I’ve just taken charge of the household, I need some people of my own. If you cooperate, after the young mistress and Marquise are completely overthrown, should your sister wish to leave the Marquis Estate, I can release her.”
The boy quickly shielded his sister behind him, “Don’t even think about it.”
He was terrified to the core. This person even knew his sister’s name, showing she was quite familiar with their family affairs.
Ye Zhen maintained her calm expression, “You have no choice.”
Meanwhile, Xie Jinyao, having waited endlessly without anyone emerging, could wait no longer.
Ordering her maid to prepare a veil, she stormed into Jinlu Zhai with imposing manner.