Another four or five days passed in this manner.
On this day, Zhao Shiyan was entertaining with several acquaintances from prominent families at Qingchun Tower. During the banquet, a few singing girls were inevitably summoned to accompany them with music.
The room blazed with splendor, the guests all dressed in finery, and the tables were arrayed with delicacies in careful arrangement. Fine dishes and excellent wine filled the view, the aroma of alcohol mingling with the incense in the room, creating a somewhat muddled atmosphere.
Zhao Shiyan had someone open the windows, and as his gaze swept past casually, it halted.
Beneath the southern window sat a woman cradling a pipa, seated askew on a waisted drum stool draped in dark-patterned brocade. Her fingertips plucked and strummed lightly while she sang softly, the lyrics and melody steeped entirely in romantic sentiment.
But it was not this that drew Zhao Shiyan’s attention.
Moments ago, the pipa player had been sitting sideways, eyes lowered and gaze demure. In that fleeting glimpse, he felt her brow and eyes bore a faint resemblance to someone from the Paulownia Flower Courtyard.
But when he looked more carefully, she did not resemble her at all.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, the pipa player raised her eyes, her gaze drifting subtly across the young gentlemen at the table before pausing briefly on the handsome young man seated at the head. She smiled and lowered her head.
Zhao Shiyan shook his head. He must have drunk too much and seen things. They were as different as clouds and mud—there was no reason for such a fanciful association.
His brief lapse of attention was noticed by those at the table, who could not resist teasing him.
“Second Master Yan has finally deigned to leave his beloved wife at home and grace us with his presence—that alone is a rarity. Could it be that the drinker’s heart is not in the cup, and he harbors other intentions?”
The speaker was Liu Xun, son of the Vice Minister of War. His body was round and plump, but his eyes were exceedingly lively, sweeping back and forth between Zhao Shiyan and the pipa player with unmistakable meaning.
“I hadn’t noticed—could the sun be rising from the west today!”
Everyone present was familiar with him, well aware that his wife kept him on a tight leash. He had no concubines, not even a bedchamber maid.
This was extremely rare among their circle.
Those well-versed in romantic affairs and human nature knew such a situation could not last long. Yet three years had passed in the blink of an eye.
But men understood men best. Seeing his expression, they guessed his resolve was wavering. Even if he was not interested in the pipa player, there was surely someone else in his heart.
None of them found this surprising—or rather, this was the norm.
No matter how devoted a husband and wife were, one could not spend one’s entire life with a single person.
Could that really change a man’s nature?
They all chimed in to echo Liu Xun’s words, teasing him endlessly.
“Seems I shouldn’t have left the house today. I’m going.” Zhao Shiyan had little interest in the gathering to begin with. He set down his wine cup and made to leave.
Everyone hastily rose to stop him.
Liu Xun had people block the door while he grabbed Zhao Shiyan’s arm and pressed him back into his seat.
Hu Chuan, son of the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, pointed at Liu Xun and shook his head: “Brother Xu’an is deeply devoted to his wife, their union harmonious as lutes and zithers—who doesn’t know this? Brother Xu’an has been a veritable Liu Xiahui for her sake, yet here you are spouting nonsense with a glib tongue. Mind that your wild talk doesn’t reach sister-in-law’s ears and upset her. If it does, Brother Xu’an might truly become a monk.”
Liu Xun stood to the side, pouring wine and offering repeated apologies: “My fault, all my fault! Second Brother Yan, Second Master Yan! You know me—don’t lower yourself to my level. Forgive me.”
Their back-and-forth drew a helpless laugh and curse from Zhao Shiyan.
He accepted the cup Liu Xun handed him and drained it in one go, and the matter was settled.
Everyone sat back down, continuing their conversation, laughter, and music, chatting about this and that.
“By the way, have you heard about Huo Yanzhao?”
The Huo Yanzhao he spoke of was the grandson of Grand General Huo, the Commander-in-Chief of Zhejiang and Fujian, and also Hu Chuan’s distant cousin. He had played and caroused with them before—not often, but they all knew him.
“Don’t even mention him. He’s come down with the same ailment as our Second Master Yan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lovesickness!”
The details were unclear, but they had vaguely heard he had taken a fancy to someone and was insisting on marrying her.
When his family refused, he threw himself into desperate theatrics.
His mother thought he was possessed. At her wit’s end, she had him bound by force, loaded onto a carriage, and sent to his grandfather’s post, to be disciplined by the old man.
“That lad is in for a rough time.”
Huo Yanzhao came from a military family. His father had died early, and though his mother was strict, the old matriarch doted on her only grandson as if he were the apple of her eye—no hitting, no scolding allowed. As a result, no one in the family could control him, and he had grown into a fearless, heaven-defying character.
The only person who could make him say “fear” was his grandfather.
Liu Xun clapped his hands in delight: “Second Brother Yan, tell me—hasn’t he caught the same ailment as you? I wonder what kind of person has bewitched him so completely.”
Zhao Shiyan smiled faintly and was about to speak when his personal attendant Changrui pushed open the door, approached him, and whispered a few words in his ear.
Zhao Shiyan listened without changing expression, then rose and followed him out to the corridor. “What business does that serving woman have?”
“It concerns Lady Yin.”
It turned out that while Zhao Shiyan was drinking on the second floor, he had noticed his jade pendant was missing midway through.
That pendant had been bestowed by his grandmother at his coming-of-age ceremony. He treasured it and wore it close at all times.
Unsure whether it was lost or left at home, he felt uneasy and had sent Changrui back to the residence to check.
Changrui had found the pendant in the study and hurried back without delay.
As they neared Qingchun Tower, they encountered someone—the cook from the Tonghua Courtyard, Mama Yuan.
Changrui had served Zhao Shiyan since childhood; he was capable and tight-lipped.
Everything concerning the Tonghua Courtyard, from the matchmaker to Mama Yuan, was handled entirely by him.
Every time Zhao Shiyan went to the Tonghua Courtyard, he brought Changrui along.
Naturally, Changrui recognized Mama Yuan.
Seeing her carrying a basket of freshly purchased incense and paper money, he called out to stop her and asked what was going on.
Mama Yuan let out a heavy sigh. “When the master left that day, he gave me private instructions to look after the lady well. But these past two days, the lady seems to have fallen ill—she barely eats or drinks, and I’ve caught her weeping in secret. When I asked, I learned that her father’s death anniversary is approaching. She wanted to burn some paper money in remembrance, but due to the rules set in advance, she cannot leave the Tonghua Courtyard, so she begged me repeatedly. I was inclined to ignore her, but thinking of the master’s instructions, I went out to buy these things.”
The substitution of the surrogate mother midway had initially been kept from Changrui by the matchmaker.
The first to suspect it was Zhao Shiyan, who shared quarters with the surrogate mother.
But at the time, he paid it no mind and, fearing complications, pretended not to notice.
Ever since seeing her true face last time, Zhao Shiyan had been unable to forget her after returning to the residence. He had Changrui confront the matchmaker, and with little effort, they obtained Yin Xuesu’s background and origins.
He was thoroughly familiar with her family situation.
Her father had been bedridden for years, and by the time he passed away a year ago, the family was destitute, with empty pockets.
Her mother, overwhelmed by grief, developed a heart condition and took to her bed, unable to recover.
There was only a younger sister at home, and the burden of supporting the family naturally fell on her, the eldest daughter.
In this world, even ordinary people struggle to make a living, let alone a woman.
With no other way out, it was no wonder she ultimately agreed to the matchmaker’s plan to let the mistake stand.
Changrui initially had his doubts, wondering if Mama Yuan had somehow learned of the Second Master’s identity—how else could their meeting be so coincidental?
But then he thought: the Second Madam disliked the Second Master gathering with his “rogue friends,” which was why he had deliberately chosen Qingchun Tower, far from the Duke’s residence.
Qingchun Tower was located in the western part of the city, not far from Qingfeng Lane…
And so his suspicions were dispelled.
“Mama Yuan, there is one more matter on which she seeks the Second Master’s instruction.”