Doesn't Pei Yu of Changle Ward also go plenty often?!
"Hu Yuanming, you certainly have a way with words! You've even piqued my curiosity!"
Zhao Shuo no longer bothered to hold the beauty, and said directly to Pei Yu, "Ziyan, quick, quick, open the painting and let me see it!"
You must understand that in the past, the only young gentlemen in the capital who could be called "peerlessly brilliant" were Pei Yu and that Ling Heng. Now that he had the chance to see the latter's beloved for the first time, given Zhao Shuo's love of spectacle, he naturally would not pass up this opportunity.
In an instant, the gazes of nearly everyone in the private room converged upon Lady Lin.
The scroll Hu Yuanming had handed over was right within her reach—one stretch of her hand and she could take it.
Lady Lin quickly struck a coquettish pose, swaying her waist gently. With one hand holding the white jade teapot, she reached out with the other to take the painting.
Anyone could see that she intended to use the excuse of unrolling the painting to lean against Pei Yu.
But Pei Yu remained seated as steady as a mountain. It was she who lost her composure—her wrist shook as she raised her hand, and the scalding hot tea splashed out instantly, most of it pouring right onto the scroll.
"Ah—"
The scroll in her hands was quickly soaked through with water stains, and Lady Lin let out a cry of alarm.
Her face full of panic, she paid no heed to the still-scalding tea on her hands, hurriedly lifting the hem of her skirt to wipe the water from the painting.
But in her haste, she made matters worse. The gauze of her skirt was coarse, and instead of absorbing the tea, it tore a gash right through the face of the woman at the very center of the painting.
"Stop!"
Hu Yuanming's face changed drastically, and he immediately snatched the scroll away.
When he spread it out fully and looked, his brows knotted tightly, fury surging in his eyes—
The damaged spot had sliced clean through the face of the woman in the painting; not even the outline remained!
"Ahh, you worthless bitch!"
In his rage, Hu Yuanming flung the scroll from his hand with a violent flick of his wrist, then strode forward, his large hand clamping tightly around Lady Lin's slender neck. With just a bit of force, he lifted her entire body off the ground.
"You ruined my business on purpose, didn't you!"
Suffocation rushed over her. Lady Lin's limbs flailed wildly in the air as tears streamed down her face.
"S-Sir… I didn't…"
The beauty wept, but Hu Yuanming, a man who had fought on battlefields for many years, was never one to spare a woman's feelings.
Before the woman could struggle for more than a moment, he raised his hand and delivered a heavy slap to that face of national beauty.
"Crack!" The crisp, piercing sound of the slap rang through the private room.
The strength of a military man was formidable, and Lady Lin, already struggling to breathe from being choked, trembled violently all over from the blow. Her limbs' thrashing gradually weakened, half her cheek swelled red and high, and a trickle of blood slowly seeped from the corner of her mouth.
"S-Sir…"
Her eyes brimmed with tears of pain. She longed to cry out loud, but could only force a few faint sobs from her throat.
In midair, the scroll with its torn hole spiraled gently down, landing squarely on the table before Pei Yu.
Pei Yu lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon the scroll.
He saw a woman in the painting clad in red that outshone autumn maples, seated upon a chestnut steed, pulling the reins as the horse galloped, her long hair whipped up by the wind, faintly revealing a body of smooth, supple grace.
Even without seeing her face, one could glimpse through these tender, affectionate brushstrokes a vivid, untamed spirit.
It was no wonder that the Heir of Prince Dingbei, a man who had always kept women at arm's length, had locked this portrait away in the hidden compartment of his bedchamber and treasured it for years.
And yet—
Pei Yu rested his fingertips lightly against the edge of the table, pondering inwardly.
And yet, could such a dazzlingly beautiful woman truly be found in Shangjing?
At least he had never seen one.
But if one considered only that voluptuous figure…
Somehow, it seemed inexplicably familiar.
Pei Yu suppressed the thought that flashed through his eyes, reached out and calmly picked up the scroll, rolling it up again—taking care, even, to retie it with that purple silk—before speaking to Hu Yuanming:
"Lady Lin's act was no more than an innocent mistake, Brother Yuanming. Why lose your temper over it? There are precious few women in Shangjing skilled in horsemanship. Even without the face on this portrait, finding her would be no difficult task."
Seeing this, Zhao Shuo, seated nearby, likewise lost interest in the faceless portrait. He put his arm around the courtesan in his embrace and muttered, "That's right. You're a military man, but you have no idea how to treasure a delicate beauty. Lady Lin makes her living off that face of hers. Slapping it that hard—haven't you just destroyed her very means of survival?"
When the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review spoke, there was no problem in all the world that Pei Yu could not resolve. Hu Yuanming believed this without a doubt.
With Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial Zhao Shuo speaking up on her behalf as well, Hu Yuanming finally loosened his grip and flung the woman in his grasp heavily to the floor.
Lady Lin hunched over, head bowed against the ground, clutching her cheeks tightly, her whole body trembling.
Zhao Shuo rose with a string of curses, helped the wretched Lady Lin up from the floor, and escorted her all the way to the door.
"There, there, my pretty one. You're not needed to serve us today. Go tend to that injury on your face at once!"
He had always had a soft heart for women—beautiful women above all. Seeing Lady Lin like this, his heart nearly broke for her.
Clutching her burning, swollen cheeks, Lady Lin looked at the two men who had pleaded on her behalf with both fear and gratitude, hurriedly dropped into a curtsy, and stumbled out of the private room as if fleeing.
The room fell silent at once. The sound of music drifted in faintly from beyond the gauze curtains, only deepening the stillness.
Zhao Shuo returned to his seat and gathered the courtesan back into his arms, breaking the silence carelessly. "Brother Yuanming, you simply place far too much importance on the woman in that portrait."
Hu Yuanming looked at Zhao Shuo, the fury in his eyes undiminished.
But Zhao Shuo met his gaze, brazenly picked up his wine cup, and tipped his head back to swallow a mouthful of fine wine.
He said, "If this Ling Heng were really as you just described—immune to women's charms, a believer in one love for one lifetime—then why would he have married the Princess of Beishuo? Don't make it sound as though the only woman in his heart is that beauty in the painting!"
"Besides, we're all men here—we of all people should know that in this world there is no such thing as a truly faithful and devoted man. Tell me, among the men around us, who doesn't love beauty? Never mind our class—even the poorest farmer at the very bottom, in a good harvest year, will grit his teeth and take a concubine."
"The way I see it, that portrait of yours is useless now. Your Ling Heng probably had a change of heart ages ago!"
Before Hu Yuanming could speak, Zhao Shuo turned his head toward Pei Yu, who had remained quiet throughout, and said teasingly:
"If you don't believe me, look at our Ziyan here—so upright and self-possessed, never touched by romance. Before long, won't he too be marrying that newly widowed cousin of his from the Jingyuan Marquis's household and enjoying the best of both worlds? Heh heh."
Zhao Shuo winked and grinned at Pei Yu, which turned Hu Yuanming's anger into laughter—though he still raised his voice to admonish, "Ai, Brother Zhao, enough of your nonsense."
Hu Yuanming took his seat and poured himself a cup of wine. "The legitimate daughter of the Duke of Jingyuan's household is of noble standing, and her late husband, the Military Governor of Youzhou, was one of His Majesty's most trusted generals. Even as a widow, she could never possibly lower herself to become a concubine. Even if she herself were willing, His Majesty would never permit it."
Everyone in the capital knew that Pei Yu, the legitimate eldest son of the Pei family's main branch—a family of standing for a hundred years—and Liang Luoying, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Jingyuan's household, were cousins who had grown up together, childhood sweethearts.
If that Shen woman hadn't interfered three years ago, the couple sharing a harmonious life today would have been those two, related by blood.
And back then, after that incident, the Emperor, in order to compensate the Duke of Jingyuan's household, had issued an edict commanding a trusted confidant of his, stationed in the fiefdom of Youzhou, to marry Liang Luoying. He even granted the Jingyuan Duke's family a grand five-courtyard residence in Youzhou.
Who could have imagined that the Military Governor of Youzhou would prove so short-lived? Barely two years after Liang Luoying married into his household, she was widowed without even having conceived a child.
At this thought, Hu Yuanming turned to look at Pei Yu, who had remained silent all along, and asked with a smile, "Ziyan, wouldn't you say I'm right?"
Pei Yu seemed not to hear. He slowly raised his hand, picked up the cooled tea on the table, and drank it all in one gulp, as if burdened by some worry.
……
Shen Qingyin regulated her breathing for a long while before the surging blood and qi within her gradually calmed.
Over and over again, she reminded herself: three years ago, even if she had guessed that his defection and betrayal of the country had been driven by hidden hardship, even if she had steadfastly believed he was not that kind of person—
She had already made her choice to protect her family.
The night she burned all their letters to ashes, she ceased to be Shen Qingyin and became instead a daughter-in-law of the Pei family.
If it were only herself, she would have gone calmly to her death as his betrothed wife. She would have been willing.
But for her mother, for her younger brother and sister, for Tang-jie'er, she must not, absolutely must not, sink back into such emotions. Whomever that man married was no concern of hers.
It no longer concerned her at all.
Luo Yu sat down beside Shen Qingyin. Seeing the melancholy her friend could not suppress in her eyes, she was about to offer words of comfort, but Shen Qingyin had already reined in her emotions and gently shook her head.
"Yu-niang, I truly am fine. Don't worry about me."
Three years had passed. She was no longer the innocent young girl who could weep openly in her father's and brothers' arms whenever she pleased, but the eldest daughter-in-law of the Pei family's main branch, her joys and anger never showing on her face.
She said to Luo Yu, "Aside from seeing Qingniang, there is another matter for which I came to your academy today—I'd like to ask for your help."
With that, she told her everything about suspecting that someone in Qingfeng Tower had been secretly reselling ingredients for profit.
The more Luo Yu heard, the darker her face grew. She truly did not know what the Pei household was good for—worms were breeding in the lower ranks, and yet an outside woman had to be the one to deal with it. If it were her—
"Yu-niang, I cannot investigate openly, or I'd be handing people an excuse against me. This matter can only be entrusted to you."
"Rest assured, leave this to me." Luo Yu gently patted Shen Qingyin's hand.
She had managed the academy for years, and through her father, Master Luo the bricklayer, she had connections everywhere. She mingled daily with people from every walk of life, and her informants were spread throughout the capital. Gleaning such petty gossip would be effortless for her.
As a close friend who had grown up alongside her, with Shu-niang fallen into ruin and vanished without a trace, she was determined to protect Yin-niang well.
Luo Yu said, "Within three days, I will deliver the evidence into your hands. There's no need to worry—just wait at home with an easy mind."
With Luo Yu's words, Shen Qingyin thanked him repeatedly. Seeing that it was already time for the midday meal, she feared that if Pei Yu returned to Yuebai Court for lunch and found her absent, he would scold her again, so she dared not linger any longer and hurriedly rose to take her leave.
Luo Yu personally saw her out, and the two walked side by side to the main gate of the academy.
Willow branches swayed gently at the entrance, where Nanny Qing and Zhuling had been waiting for some time. Just as Shen Qingyin was about to step into the carriage, she happened to glance up, and her steps suddenly halted—
There, at the side of the academy gate, a lavishly appointed black-lacquered carriage had slowly pulled to a stop, the palace lantern emblem hanging from its eaves strikingly conspicuous.
Wasn't that… the carriage of the Jingyuan Marquis's residence?
Shen Qingyin stared intently, just in time to see a young girl in yellow lift the carriage curtain and nimbly alight.
The girl's features were bright and lovely, her fingers clenched tightly around something, the corners of her lips still carrying a hint of a smile—clearly in an excellent mood.
But the moment she looked up and met Shen Qingyin standing before the gate, the smile on her face froze instantly. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she instinctively whisked the object in her hand behind her back, freezing in place.
"El… Eldest Sister?"
Shen Qingqing looked at her eldest sister, who had appeared here for who knew what reason, her smile uglier than crying.
"Wh-wh-why are you here today?"
Shen Qingyin did not answer her question. Her gaze turned cold in an instant as she stepped forward and said to Shen Qingqing:
"Hand it over."
She was no innocent young girl; she could naturally tell that her younger sister's expression just now had been no ordinary smile.
That blushing, smiling look—it was plainly the flush of first love.
Shen Qingqing's fingers, hanging at her sides, clenched tightly as she stubbornly turned her head away.
"Eldest Sister, I—I don't have anything. There's nothing to hand over."
The girl was stubborn by nature and unwilling to yield easily.
Just like she herself had once been.
Shen Qingyin simply said nothing more. She strode forward and, with swift efficiency, snatched the thing Shen Qingqing had hidden behind her back.
"Eldest Sister, you—!"
Shen Qingqing made a grab for it, but Shen Qingyin had already seen clearly what was in her hand.
…A red string?
The red string was woven haphazardly, with a crude peachwood love talisman dangling from its end—it looked utterly cheap.
And yet…
Yet she had one just like it.
"Something from the Matchmaker Temple in the south of the city?" Shen Qingyin gripped the red string, her eyes gone utterly cold, her gaze locking directly onto Shen Qingqing.
"Well, well. Shen Qingqing, so your claim of feeling unwell and taking leave today was never about resting at all—you sneaked off to the Matchmaker Temple with someone!"
Shen Qingqing hung her head in silence. Shen Qingyin seized her wrist and pressed on: "Speak! Is the reason you insisted on rejecting the Zhou family's matchmaker because of the person who went with you to the Matchmaker Temple today?!"
No one understood better than Shen Qingqing how sharp her eldest sister was—give her even a single word, and she would follow the thread all the way to the end.
And so, faced with this relentless line of questioning, Shen Qingqing kept her mouth firmly shut.
Seeing the girl dig in to the very end, Shen Qingyin understood in her heart and slowly voiced her suspicion: "It was Wei Chang, wasn't it? You went to the Matchmaker Temple with him. Am I right?"
She watched Shen Qingqing's shoulders give a sudden tremble and knew at once she had guessed correctly, her tone taking on a note of bewilderment.
"…Qingniang, I don't understand. Someone like Wei Chang—loafing about the streets all day, idle and unlearned, without a single dependable bone in his body, a good-for-nothing wastrel—what makes him worthy of your heart? How could you get entangled with him?"
She had been fortunate that day—she'd publicly lost her temper over Madam Wei's scheme to make Qingniang Wei Chang's concubine, which meant she had no idea how much more retaliation from Madam Wei still awaited her.
Charging ahead into the fray was fine by her, but her own sister had proven disappointingly eager to stab her in the back.
Shen Qingyin's heart ached—only to see her sister suddenly lift her head and cry out furiously, "Sister! How can you speak of him like that!"
She wrenched free of Shen Qingyin's hand, neck stiff with defiance as she argued, "He's long since changed from who he used to be! He's opened a restaurant in the East Market now—a steady, respectable livelihood. You can't keep holding his past against him!"
Looking at the sister before her, Shen Qingyin suddenly felt she hardly knew her.
"But Qingniang, if Wei Chang didn't have his two older sisters backing him, where would he get the money and connections to open a restaurant?"
Wei Chang's second sister, Madam Wei, had married Pei Zhan, the legitimate son of the Pei family's second branch, and his eldest sister had become the second wife of the Marquis of Jingyuan's household. It was only through the power of his sisters' husbands' families that Wei Chang had managed to establish himself in the capital.
"Besides, I've long heard that he still frequents the brothels of Changle Ward from time to time. You are an unsullied daughter of the Shen family with a bright future ahead of you—why insist on tying yourself to such a lecherous man of poor character?"
Even without being certain of Lady Lin's identity, Shen Qingyin firmly believed that the woman's claim that day—that Wei Chang was one of her regular customers—was no lie.
Every word came from the depths of her heart. She all but said outright that her own life was already settled as it was, and that now she only wished for her sister to marry into a good family.
But Shen Qingqing was still infatuated with Wei Chang. Having just endured her elder sister's string of insults against her beloved, she was in no state to hear the well-meaning advice within those words.
So Shen Qingqing raised her eyes in a fit of pique and snapped back at Shen Qingyin, "Yes, yes, yes! Wei Chang is lecherous and loves going to Changle Ward! But hasn't brother-in-law gone to that place plenty of times himself?!"
The brother-in-law she spoke of was, of course, Pei Yu.
Meeting Shen Qingyin's nearly shattered gaze, Shen Qingqing shouted, "You don't rein in your own husband, yet you insist on coming here to criticize and control me! Are you my father or my mother? I, Shen Qingqing, don't need you meddling in my affairs!"