Auntie Qiao’s trip took over half an hour. By the time she returned, her face was completely drained of color.
Noticing that something was amiss, Han Shengyu glanced at Yanfei.
Yanfei shook her head and whispered, “When Madam spoke with Auntie, she dismissed everyone from the room.”
Han Shengyu gave a meaningful look to Yanfei and Shannai, and the two quietly withdrew.
“Auntie, please say something. What on earth happened?”
Auntie Qiao grabbed her daughter’s hand tightly, her body trembling violently. “Madam said that when Eldest Young Lady Tang attended the palace banquet, she was somehow pushed into the water by the Second Prince. The very next day, an Imperial Censor impeached the Second Prince, citing that he was cruel by nature and held human life in contempt.”
Han Shengyu’s heart skipped a beat.
“After being sent home, Eldest Young Lady Tang fell ill. Consort Little Yang resented Eldest Young Lady Tang for causing the Second Prince to be impeached and reprimanded by the Emperor. Before she could even recover, Consort Little Yang summoned her to the palace and left her standing there for nearly half a day. In the end, she had to be carried out of the palace. After all this ordeal… terrified, shaken, and sick, she is now on the brink of death.”
Han Shengyu turned pale, fury surging within her heart. Consort Little Yang and her son were treating human lives like disposable grass.
“With her in such a state, no one knows how long she can survive. The family wanted to break off the engagement, fearing that if the Second Prince were labeled as someone whose jinx brings death to his betrothed, the entire Han family would suffer. But who could have guessed…”
“Consort Little Yang refused?”
“You… you guessed it again?”
“Isn’t it quite simple?” Han Shengyu said with a cold face. “If the engagement were dissolved at a juncture like this, people would only denounce the Second Prince for being heartless, selfish, and shameless. Right now, in Jincheng, rumors are likely spreading that Eldest Sister Tang is gravely ill, while the Second Prince stays devoted, keeping his promise, and demonstrating deep affection and righteousness, isn’t that right?”
Auntie Qiao was stunned.
Her daughter had hit the mark once again!
“Yes,” Auntie Qiao said with red-rimmed eyes. “The letter from the First Madam asking the young ladies of the family to go to Jincheng was also at Consort Little Yang’s behest.”
As she spoke, Auntie Qiao gripped her daughter’s hand tightly, tears flowing involuntarily down her face.
It was impossible for Madam to send both of her own daughters; gritting her teeth, she could only send one, leaving the other spot to her Yu’er.
But… she was only twelve years old.
Han Shengyu, however, was mulling over Auntie Qiao’s words. Sending the young ladies of the Han family from Yongding City to Jincheng was Consort Little Yang’s intention. Why would Consort Little Yang do such a thing?
The one betrothed to the Second Prince was Han Jintang. If Han Jintang truly passed away, the marriage between the two families would naturally come to an end.
Judging from how Consort Little Yang and the Second Prince detested Han Jintang, if she really died, shouldn’t the mother and son have taken the opportunity to end the engagement smoothly?
“Since our household has to send two young ladies, does Second Uncle’s household have to send theirs as well?” Han Shengyu asked as she looked at Auntie Qiao, who was weeping incessantly.
“Second Madam only has one daughter, so she has to go as well,” Auntie Qiao nodded.
“Did Madam mention why Consort Little Yang wants the daughters of the Han family to go to Jincheng?”
“How could Madam tell a concubine like me about such matters?” Auntie Qiao’s face was as white as paper, her mind in total disarray. For a moment, she had no idea what she should or could do.
“We will wait until Father returns before deciding,” Han Shengyu said. As a young lady confined to the inner chambers, no matter how clever she was, it was difficult to gather news from Jincheng.
Even if she felt anxious, she could only patiently wait.
Third Master Han Yingyuan returned to the manor in a hurry. He had rushed so fast along the way that his official hat was slightly askew.
Just as First Madam had sent a letter to Lady Guo, Han Yingyuan had also received a letter from his eldest brother, Han Yingquan. The contents of Han Yingquan’s letter were far more detailed than those in First Madam’s.
“Master…” The moment Lady Guo saw her husband, the composure she had maintained in front of Auntie Qiao completely dissolved, and she threw herself into her husband’s arms, weeping.
Han Yingyuan patted his wife’s shoulder and helped her sit down. “I rushed back as soon as I read Eldest Brother’s letter. Don’t be afraid.”
“How can I not be afraid?” Lady Guo’s eyes were swollen from crying. “Consort Little Yang and the Second Prince don’t even care about Jintang’s life. If our children go…”
Her eldest brother-in-law was a Fourth-Rank Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, while her husband was merely an Eighth-Rank Instructor.
“Huiyu is currently discussing marriage with Young Master Zhan. This marriage was already an upward match for us. If I break off the engagement now, how will my sister-in-law view me? But if I let Shuyu go to Jincheng, with that fiery temper of hers, how could I ever rest easy?” Lady Guo was truly anxious and terrified. Always strong-willed, she could not hold back her tears in front of her husband.
Seeing his wife in this state, Han Yingyuan remained silent for a moment before speaking, “What Consort Little Yang and the Second Prince have their eyes on is likely the things left behind by Old Master.”
Lady Guo was so shocked that she forgot to cry. Her face turned pale as death, and only after a long silence did she speak, “Second Brother has been content staying in Yining as a county magistrate for so many years without seeking promotion, and Master remains a mere Eighth-Rank Instructor. Is that still not enough? Are these people trying to drive us to absolute ruin?”
“There is no hiding from this,” Han Yingyuan looked at Lady Guo. “Huiyu is composed and steady; this time, let Huiyu and Shengyu go to Jincheng together. As for Huiyu’s marriage with Young Master Zhan, I will write a letter to Eldest Brother-in-law myself to explain. Perhaps it is just a formality, and once they return, we can resume discussing the marriage.”
Lady Guo knew that once her husband spoke these words, there would be no changing his mind. A mere formality? With how proud her sister-in-law was, the marriage was as good as gone. After a long silence, she said, “I have already informed Auntie Qiao’s side. Master should go over in person and speak to them again.”
Looking at his wife’s sallow face, Han Yingyuan said in a deep voice, “Shengyu is clever and quick-witted, while Huiyu is calm and steady. If the two sisters stand united, they might be able to escape safely.”
Hearing this, Lady Guo’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but sneer mocking, “What is the point of Master telling me all this? It would be better to explain the stakes clearly to Auntie Qiao and her daughter.”
Was her Huiyu supposed to defer to this concubine-born younger sister, Han Shengyu?
Han Yingyuan fell silent for a moment, feeling a trace of guilt and lack of confidence. In the matter regarding Auntie Qiao years ago, he had indeed handled things poorly.
“Huiyu is my eldest daughter. As her father, I naturally hope she remains safe and sound.” Han Yingyuan left these words behind, stood up, and added, “I will go over there to take a look. Think it over carefully.”
While Auntie Qiao was certainly arrogant when favored, Lady Guo was not entirely faultless either. Had she not used rules and etiquette back then to deliberately mistreat Auntie Qiao, Auntie Qiao would not have turned against her completely later on.
One was his legal wife, the other his beloved concubine. Back then, Han Yingyuan was young and hot-tempered; he already had to suppress and aggrieve himself in his official career, so he naturally refused to suffer further grievances in other matters.
Indulging the person he loved—what was wrong with that?
It was only after the incident with Shuyu that he felt a shred of regret.
When Han Yingyuan arrived at Auntie Qiao’s courtyard, Auntie Qiao and Han Shengyu had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing him, Auntie Qiao wept before even speaking, just as Lady Guo had done. “Master…”
Han Yingyuan supported Auntie Qiao and let out a sigh.
Han Shengyu stepped forward to pay her respects to her father. Knowing that talking to Auntie Qiao would be futile, Han Yingyuan looked at Han Shengyu and asked, “Yu’er, you know everything now? What are your thoughts?”
Han Shengyu lowered her head slightly and whispered, “Father, your daughter only knows that we must go to Jindu, and that Consort Little Yang and the Second Prince are driving Eldest Sister Tang to her death. I know nothing else, so I truly have no thoughts on the matter.”
Han Yingyuan turned to Auntie Qiao and said, “Rushing all the way back, my throat feels like it’s on fire. I am terribly thirsty.”
Auntie Qiao knew that Master wanted to speak with her daughter in private. She immediately said, “I will go brew tea for Master right away.”
After Auntie Qiao stepped outside, Han Yingyuan looked at Han Shengyu. “Yu’er, Father asks only one thing of you. When you sisters go to Jindu this time, both you and your elder sister must come back alive.”
Han Shengyu caught her father’s underlying meaning—he wanted her to protect her eldest sister. She let out a soft chuckle. “Father, does Madam share the same thought?”
How could Lady Guo ever allow her own daughter to take cues from a concubine-born sister?
If the two of them were not of one mind, the outcome would be hard to predict. If something happened to Han Huiyu in Jindu, Lady Guo would surely swallow her alive. She had to set the ground rules first.