59 My Lord

Biwei, you should head back first. She walked over earnestly to persuade Shen Biwei, and seeing that Shen Biwei was about to retort, she smiled and said, Rest assured, I know what I am doing.

Shen Biwei looked at her and shook her head repeatedly.

I feel that our household is handling this all wrong... she said.

Although Master Shen claimed that Shen Yunze had been punished, the matter was let off so lightly, and that courtesan, Yanyuliu, was still locked up in the woodshed. The intention of the Shen family was already crystal clear: they simply expected Han Yueqi to act like any other mistress of a household and vent her frustrations on a concubine. As for holding Shen Yunze accountable, that was a matter for the elders.

However, Han Yueqi had anticipated this long ago.

There is no right or wrong here, and this is my home as well, she said in a gentle tone. Even if something is amiss, I will make it right.

Having persuaded Shen Biwei to leave, Han Yueqi sat back down in the warm chamber and watched as Shen Yunze entered, supported by a maidservant. Without Shen Biwei present, the pressure on him was evidently much lighter, though he still looked somewhat sheepish.

He was well aware of how humiliating the entire ordeal at the Spring Welcoming Banquet had been for Han Yueqi. Furthermore, seeing that Han Yueqi currently seemed unconcerned, he motioned for Luegao to pour him a cup of hot tea. Add some ginger slices, she instructed, to ward off the cold.

It was my fault. He felt that this admission was already soft enough, and he picked up his tea to drink. Taking a concubine should not have been done without informing you. The matter arose so suddenly that I had not yet figured out how to broach it with you, and Yanyuliu grew impatient and sought me out...

Han Yueqi did not look at him; she was engrossed in her embroidery, keeping her head lowered. Nor was she listening to his words, otherwise she would not have interrupted him so abruptly.

Does my lord truly believe that having a wife and concubines is such a blessing? she asked calmly, her eyes lowered toward the embroidery frame. Her face was a gentle, oval shape, and without heavy makeup, she appeared all the more amiable.

Shen Yunze inexplicably felt a dryness in his throat.

Yet even Master Shen had not forced him to acknowledge his wrongdoing, and naturally, his wife could not do so either. They had been married for only four years, yet she already exercised such strict control. The mocking remarks of his colleagues at the Academy floated back into his mind, especially since he was the celebrated top scholar of the imperial examinations.

To have red sleeves adding fragrance, a virtuous wife and beautiful concubines, and to enjoy the greatest blessings—that was his prerogative. Even if he exercised that right, there was nothing for anyone to reproach him for. Besides, he had married early and had never had the opportunity to engage in any scandalous behavior.

Though Miss Yanyuliu was met at a banquet, she is a cultured courtesan and a kindred spirit with whom I share mutual interests. It is a meeting of soaring mountains and flowing streams, a true resonance of souls, not what you imagine. He felt his explanation was watertight. Her background is pitiable, and placing her in Little Flowery Twig Alley was merely to rescue her from the abyss of fire. You have always possessed a magnanimous heart...

My lord has already tainted this courtyard of mine; do spare Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi from your defilement, Han Yueqi said calmly.

For a split second, Shen Yunze thought he had misheard.

What did you say?

Han Yueqi did not even raise her head to look at him. She simply continued embroidering the flowers on her frame at a leisurely pace, which seemed to be a small qilin.

I said, Mother Han, take a few matrons and clear all of my lord's belongings out of my chamber. Clean up the Clear Dawn Pavilion and prepare it for Miss Yanyuliu and my lord to reside in. By the way, ask Han the Sixth whether Miss Yanyuliu's belongings have been moved back from Little Flowery Twig Alley. Just bring me her deed of servitude, and burn everything else. Mother is currently unwell, and miscellaneous items from the outside should not be brought into the estate.

She instructed calmly, and Mother Han hurriedly added, Then the clothes on that Miss Yanyuliu should be entirely stripped off and burned as well. We must also have her step over a brazier of fire to dispel any bad luck.

After all, belonging to the older generation, her focus remained solely on Yanyuliu.

Han Yueqi smiled.

As for my lord's belongings, if they cannot be moved, burn them as well. Taking advantage of today's clear weather, wash the floors of the Aloeswood Pavilion too. I have arranged to drink tea with my maternal aunt from the Yang family this afternoon, and I will be leaving shortly.

Only then did Shen Yunze react.

Yueqi, what do you mean? His eyes widened in shock, and he grabbed the sleeve of Han Yueqi's dress. Are you driving me away?

Han Yueqi did not speak, merely casting a light glance at the hand Shen Yunze had used to grab her. Mother Han immediately stepped forward to separate them, and the maidservant also persuaded, Young Master, please do not act like this. How unseemly it would be if others were to see! The servants in the Aloeswood Pavilion were all people from the Han family; though they appeared respectful to Shen Yunze on the surface, they took their orders entirely from Han Yueqi, and they promptly pulled him away.

This is my home. You are driving me away? Shen Yunze still looked at her in sheer disbelief.

Han Yueqi sneered inwardly.

Yet on the surface, she retained the gentle demeanor of a noble matriarch, speaking with the utmost tender tact: This is my home as well. I am now the young mistress in charge of household affairs, and Mother has assigned the Aloeswood Pavilion to me for my residence. All household arrangements are entirely at my discretion. I wish to live in the Aloeswood Pavilion, so the Aloeswood Pavilion is naturally mine. My lord is better suited for the Clear Dawn Pavilion, so the Clear Dawn Pavilion is naturally my lord's. With the new year approaching and numerous affairs to attend to, not to mention the upcoming Flower Festival Banquet, I have no leisure to care for my lord. Entrusting him to Miss Yanyuliu is only natural. Since my lord understands the ways of having multiple wives and concubines, how could he fail to understand this reasoning? Mother Yang, escort my lord over there.

The maidservants in the Aloeswood Pavilion were fiercely loyal, and they immediately seized Shen Yunze with practiced coordination. Shen Yunze had always prided himself on being a scholar and a top imperial scholar; how could he possibly engage in a physical struggle with domestic matrons? He was left completely powerless.

How dare you! Shen Yunze rebuked angrily, but his words carried no force whatsoever. Having placed as a top scholar, he was in truth exceedingly handsome, and all members of the Shen family were blessed with striking appearances—just as the theatrical tunes proclaimed, a talented scholar and an immortal maiden matched for eternity.

Yet the day had finally come.

Han Yueqi stood in the warm chamber, her lips curving in what seemed like a smile, while her eyes grew progressively colder.

Hold on. At her single word, the matrons immediately halted and waited. Shen Yunze looked at her in shock as he heard her say unhurriedly, Right, I almost forgot to give this to my lord.

At a glance from her, Tongyun stepped forward and handed a stack of documents to Shen Yunze.

These are Miss Yanyuliu's travel permit upon entering the capital and the confession of the brothel procuress. Once slightly frightened, she confessed to everything, Han Yueqi said calmly, looking at Shen Yunze. She is no native of Yangzhou; she is one of dozens of young girls purchased in Jizhou by the young master and mistress of the Chen family. She was kept in the Spring Breeze Brothel for half a year, trained in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—the title of a cultured courtesan was merely a pretext. Before my lord, she spent entire nights discussing poetry with two other imperial scholars; it is only my lord who wished to rescue her from the abyss of fire. Perhaps that is what true soulmates are.

She looked at Shen Yunze, whose face was flushed crimson, and gave a light, airy smile.

Rest assured, I have no intention of breaking up my lord and Miss Yanyuliu; the Clear Dawn Pavilion has already been prepared for you. She spoke as if it were a trivial matter. I merely wish for my lord to advise Miss Yanyuliu that regardless of whose household she belonged to in the past, she is now a person of our household. Henceforth, she must conduct herself with propriety. An incident like yesterday's, which brought such utter disgrace to both myself and Mother, must never happen again. Otherwise, the next punishment will not be mere confinement in the woodshed.

Very well, the hour is growing late. Escort my lord back.

At Han Yueqi's command, the matrons escorted Shen Yunze out of the Aloeswood Pavilion, swiftly transporting his belongings to the Clear Dawn Pavilion with decisive efficiency. They even prepared the place thoroughly, soon having the Clear Dawn Pavilion fully furnished. Su Yanyuliu, who had fainted from confinement in the woodshed, was carried out and laid inside the room, leaving two maidservants to wait upon her before they all went off to claim their rewards from Han Yueqi.

Shen Yunze's pageboy, Wucheng, did come looking for him. Having studied diligently since childhood, the personal attendants assigned to him were the very best, and once they became pageboys, every single one of them was sharp-witted. Yet no matter how sharp he was, he could not make sense of the current situation. Seeing Shen Yunze standing there in a daze, holding a stack of documents, he found it quite strange—after all, Shen Yunze usually read ten lines at a glance—and could not help asking, Young Master? I just went to the Aloeswood Pavilion to look for you, and the young mistress's maidservant told me to come here. Will the young master be living here from now on?

Whether it was those words or something else that struck a nerve in Shen Yunze, the usually mild and refined scholar suddenly hurled the documents in his hand straight at him and snapped, Get out!

Seeing this, Wucheng had no choice but to offer repeated apologies and back out of the room. In truth, he had a vague inkling that the trouble stemmed from that so-called Miss Yanyuliu. Come to think of it, it truly was his own young master's fault; many young masters in the capital had concubines and maidservants in their chambers, but a concubine was a concubine—who would ever let their own concubine so publicly trample upon the dignity of the legitimate wife?

How could his own young master, usually so brilliant when he wanted to be, become even more foolish than anyone else when muddled?

Shen Yunze was exceedingly proud by nature. Since Han Yueqi had cleared him out of the Aloeswood Pavilion, he stubbornly refused to return there, choosing instead to make his quarters in the Clear Dawn Pavilion. Although they lived under different roofs, outsiders simply assumed he had taken a new concubine. Wucheng grew anxious at the sight and advised Shen Yunze, Young Master, you are losing out so much by this, and the young mistress will surely feel displeased upon hearing of it. This so-called Miss Yanyuliu did not come by legitimate means; why not simply send her away? Wouldn't it be better to return to the young mistress, offer a humble apology, and make amends?

Shen Yunze merely accused him of talking too much. Hearing this, Yanyuliu secretly attempted to take her own life. Naturally, she could not actually die; she was discovered by a maidservant and saved in time, whereupon she merely wept mournfully: I am but a humble willow catkin, unworthy of soiling my lord. It is better for me to die and be done with it, sparing myself from becoming the subject of malicious gossip.

Shen Yunze, with his head throbbing from her endless noise, scolded Wucheng severely and forbade him from entering the Clear Dawn Pavilion to serve. From then on, Wucheng's heart grew cold as well, and he requested leave to depart, declaring that he would rather go serve the new scholars at the clan academy than stay here listening to slanderous gossip.

With fires burning in his inner courtyard and his head spinning with chaos, Han Yueqi on her part remained completely unconcerned. Under the pretext that one of his writing brushes had gone missing, Shen Yunze went over to the Aloeswood Pavilion to look for it. Just then, he happened to encounter Han Yueqi listening to the matrons report on the year-end accounts, with Luegao and Bairui attending to her side, listening and recording simultaneously. Seeing Han Yueqi draped in a light cloak as she listened, he said, Let me write them down. My handwriting is clearer than theirs.

It reminded him of when Han Yueqi had first married into the family. Because Madam Shen's health was truly poor, the new bride had been forced to learn how to manage the household. At that time, she had still been extremely shy whenever she saw Shen Yunze, and Shen Yunze had intentionally teased her, taking the brush to help her keep accounts while stealing glances at her flushed cheeks under the lamplight. Yet later on, as she grew increasingly proficient, that girlish side of her rarely surfaced again.

This time, however, she immediately distanced herself, gathering her cloak tighter around her as she said, There is no need to trouble my lord.

Her ice-cold attitude was one thing, but that casual gesture of pulling her cloak together truly wounded him. Shen Yunze had long grown accustomed to Han Yueqi's gentle, quiet submissiveness where she was at his beck and call; when had he ever witnessed such a side of her?

Even his excuse was thoroughly dismantled. Han Yueqi merely stated that the affairs were trivial and unsuited for a gentleman's ears, fearing it would disturb his studies, and had him half-escorted, half-pushed back to the Clear Dawn Pavilion. Half an hour later, she sent a maidservant over with a purse of silver, her tone rigid and formal: The young mistress said she could not find any writing brush, so she is giving the young master some silver instead. My lord can send Wucheng out to buy one himself.

Furious, Shen Yunze spent yet another day cooped up by himself. Seizing the opportunity, Yanyuliu tried playing the zither to divert his spirits and composed poetic riddles for him, none of which managed to cheer him up. Instead, she leaned against him and whispered soft words of persuasion. Yet just at that moment, Tongyun happened to come by to deliver some items. Lifting the door curtain, she caught sight of this scene. Being of a gentle disposition, she said nothing, merely letting the curtain fall and walking out with lowered eyes.

Shen Yunze hurriedly chased after her, calling out to Tongyun. But when he grabbed hold of her, he found himself at a loss for words, managing only to say, It is not what you think.

Tongyun merely lowered her eyes and said, The young master does not need to explain to me. It is not me whom the young master has wronged.

In truth, Shen Yunze did not feel that he had wronged her; he knew that Tongyun was Han Yueqi's person.

Seeing this, Tongyun would certainly report it back to her.

Tongyun was also a sharp-witted person; catching sight of his expression, she realized the truth and offered a bitter smile. Shen Yunze also realized it and said, I am not afraid of her.

Tongyun simply shook her head.

When my parents were alive, their relationship was exceptionally close. My father was the gatekeeper for the young mistress's family, and all the other gatekeepers used to mock him for being afraid of his wife. My father replied, 'Being afraid of your wife is nothing shameful; you live your life for your own household.'

She asked Shen Yunze, The young master used to tell me that his colleagues at the Academy would tease him, saying the young master was afraid of the young mistress, which was why the young master always returned home so late on his days off. I never understood—were those colleagues really more important than the young mistress? Was the young master spending his life with them? Now that things have come to this, the young mistress no longer bothers with the young master at all. Is the young master truly happy?

Having asked this, she did not wait for Shen Yunze's answer, but simply set down the items and left, leaving Shen Yunze struck dumb and perpetually haunted by those words.