The two of them returned to the Lin manor. They crossed over the fire pit and swept themselves with pomelo-leaves[1] before sitting down to talk.
“Tell me honestly, did that man ask you to put those incriminating documents? Do you know what you are doing? Your surname is Yu, and if the Yu manor falls, you will be the daughter of a criminal. An ordinary man would not even marry you, let alone one from the imperial family! How can you frame your elder brother?” This was the first time Lin Shi had spoken so harshly to her daughter.
Yu Miao Qi refused to admit it, saying only that she had asked the man to find Sun Ming Jie to marry Yu Xiang, but knew nothing else.
Lin Shi repeatedly pressed her for information several times, but when she saw that she looked determined and full of grievances, she unexpectedly became convinced. Then, she returned to her usual gentle demeanour and sent her back to her room to rest. As a mother, who would want to think badly of her own child?
Yu Miao Qi bowed and took her leave. When she returned to her room, she lay on her bed and smiled coldly. So what if she was a criminal? She did not tell Lin Shi that when Yu Si Yu had pushed her into the water with the intention of drowning, she had seen many incredulous scenes.
She saw herself become the Fourth Prince’s Consort and the Fourth Prince’s affection for her and his exclusive favour in the ‘pepper room’[2]. She even saw herself bribing a spy to assassinate Yu Pin Yan on the battlefield, and then placing him under the charge of collaborating with the enemy and bringing down the Crown Prince. Ultimately, the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, and she became the empress. With great powers in her hands, she turned to vindicate the Yu manor by planting false criminal charges against the Fifth Prince, who was at the Prince of Xian at the time, and defeated him.
The Fifth Prince was sentenced to be beheaded at the Noon Gate, Marquis Yongle manor was able to clear their name, and the deceased Yu Pin Yan was posthumously granted the title of Duke Yu. However, as Yu Pin Yan was not married and had no heirs, she chose a young child from a collateral branch of the family[3] relative and gave him to the Old Madam to raise in order to inherit the title and continue the Yu manor’s immense glory.
With scenes after scenes appearing one after another, she toyed with the huge Marquis Yongle manor in the palm of her hand. With a mere touch of her lips, what she said “extinguish” would be extinguished, and what she said “stand” would stand. And everyone, including the Old Madam, worshipped her like a god, not daring to show any disrespect.
Controlling clouds and rain with just a flip of her hand[4]. That was the taste of power, so real and close at hand. She believed, almost instantly, that it was her future destiny. The Fourth Prince had looked at her with such tender and affectionate gaze, just like when Yu Pin Yan whenever he looked at Yu Xiang. Therefore, she was in no hurry at all, even after she had already committed the crime.
She believed that the Fourth Prince would not abandon her.
While she was daydreaming, Lin Shi came in with a brocade box and whispered, “This is what that man sent to me just now, and he also brought you a message, telling you to bear with it for now. He will find a way to get you a new identity.”
Lin Shi had always thought that the other person had befriended her daughter because of the power in Yu Pin Yan’s hands. However, now seeing that he was unfailing in his loyalty, she was completely assured.
Yu Miao Qi smiled sweetly as she held the brocade box.
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Shen Yuan Qi settled the Old Madam and the others in a manor in the countryside. Everything was arranged properly, and even the servants of the Yu manor were also taken in. His younger sister had already gone to the Western Frontier. When she returned, she could only marry Yu Pin Yan ‒ there was no other way. For the sake of his younger sister’s future comfort in her in-law’s home, he could only try his best to please the Old Madam.
The Old Madam swept the hem of her dress with a grapefruit leaf. Before she sat down, she asked anxiously, “Where is Xiang’er? Why isn’t she here? Is she still blaming me?”
Shen Yuan would not hide the fact that his younger sister had even put her life at stake for Yu Pin Yan. It was the right time to show the Old Madam what a loving and righteous granddaughter-in-law she had found.
With this in mind, Shen Yuan Qi told her candidly, “One night, Xiang’er dreamt that the Marquis had fallen into the Wu River with a stray arrow. After that, she had ran away to the Western Frontier to look for him without bidding goodbye. I don’t know where she is now, I haven’t heard from her for almost two months.” In fact, Yu Pin Yan had already sent a letter by pigeon to report her safety. He was only saying this to make the Old Madam realise how valuable his younger sister was.
The tears she had just wiped away began to fall again. She called out her precious granddaughter’s name, hitting her chest and cursing herself, saying how wrong she was.
When Shen Yuan Qi saw how agitated she had become, he had to comfort her with soothing words and hurriedly ordered someone to boil ginseng tea.
The Old Madam drank the ginseng tea, wiped her tears and slowly said, “Lord Shen, it was this old body[5] who was narrow-minded. If they are in love with each other, they should be together. How can what others say affect them? If they can return safe and sound, this old body will definitely organise a grand, magnificient, and lively wedding for them. The dowry and the bride price will all be paid by me. Xiang’er is a good child and there is no better child than her.” Another sob escaped her lips.
Yu Si Yu scrambled to wipe her tears. But as she did so, she also burst into tears.
Shen Yuan Qi wanted to break the news that the two of them were safe, but he was afraid that there were too many eyes here, and would spoil the Emperor’s plan. Thus, he had to restrain himself.
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[Western Frontier] ‒ Yu Pin Yan dispatched Fang Da’s fifty-thousand strong army and raced through the night from Xingluo Road to Zhabu City.[6] The fifty thousand men and horses moved neck-and-neck. The smoke billowing behind them as the soldiers held up their glistening sword and roared as they charged forward. The sound was so powerful as if there were thousand troops advancing, or as if a tidal wave was trying to devour them.
The siege of Wulan Province by the Second Prince of Western Barbarians had been an act. He only sent a platoon of cavalrymen to yell at the city gates every day. While the rest of the men stayed in the camp, eating wine and teasing the military prostitutes. Therefore, when Yu Pin Yan attacked, he was not even wearing trousers but only a battle robe, and climbed onto his horse in a hurry with his bare hairy legs.
When he saw the smoke and dust in the sky, he was intimidated. Once he saw the huge group of men quickly merging into one and charging towards the centre of the army, he turned his horse and fled. The commander was confused, and the soldiers were in a panic. So they were trampled to death by tens of thousands of their own men without the need for the Han army to do anything.
The generals in the city opened the gates to help them. With the help of both inside and outside the city, they killed the two hundred thousand-strong armies, then chased the Second Prince on to Wulan Province and Feng Xiang, intending to reclaim the two cities in one go.
Xu Mao, the vanguard general, had to follow the army. When he galloped up to the dead and resurrected commander’s side, his bones were chilled by his murderous gaze. Yu Pin Yan had returned, and he probably would not survive. But what should he do if his opponent was vigilant? When he suddenly thought of 50,000 troops the other side had privately deployed, his mind quickly calmed down and he smiled grimly.
[1] Crossing over a fire pit and sweeping with pomelo-leaf are customs believed to ‘wash off’ or ‘ward off’ the ‘bad luck’ of an event. Crossing over a fire pit is usually done after attending a funeral and pomelo leaves are usually used to take a bath to ward off bad luck before Lunar New Year and before a hair combining ceremony in weddings.
[2] Pepper room generally refers to where the Consorts live.
[3] 旁支- side branch/a collateral relative. A collateral relative is any blood relative who is not your direct ancestor. So your ancestors are your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., and your collateral relatives are cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, siblings, etc.
[4] 翻手为云覆手为雨[fān shǒu wéi yún fù shǒu wéi yǔ]- Turning the hand is the cloud and covering the hand is the rain, pinyin fān shǒu wéi yún, fù shǒu wéi yǔ, describes people’s capriciousness or habit of playing power.
[5] 老身(lǎo shēn)- this old body/I, me. It is used by a female elderly.
[6] 乌兰察布(Wūlánchábù)- Wulan Province also known as Ulanqab/Ulan Chabu City is a region administered as a prefecture-level city in south central Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China.