The fifth sister-in-law, Lady Yao, the second daughter of the Tiger-Wielding General, had fainted from grief in the mourning hall after the incident and was taken back to her maternal family.
Chu Ruoyan asked in surprise, "It's been almost ten days, hasn't it? Has she still not returned?"
Madam Li shook her head awkwardly.
Chu Ruoyan understood.
Lady Yao had only been married to Yan Fifth Young Master for two months—how deep could their affection be?
Her fainting in the mourning hall was likely just an act, an excuse to hide at her parents' home. She probably had no intention of ever coming back.
"Does the Old Dowager know?"
Madam Li smiled bitterly. "With Grandmother in her current state, how could I dare tell her? But if the fifth sister-in-law isn’t present for the funeral procession, what are we to do?"
Chu Ruoyan grasped her concern. "Then let’s do this—if everything remains calm later, I’ll go to the Yao family myself and—"
Before she could finish the word "go," a thunderous boom shook the earth.
Meanwhile, at the Directorate of Astronomy...
The Emperor, Prince Qin, Prince Yu, along with Chancellor Gu, the Duke of Chu, and other high-ranking officials, had all been gathered in the open courtyard before the grand hall.
Since the announcement was issued the previous night, they had been summoned here and forced to wait through the night.
An earthquake—such a calamity was seen as an ominous sign from heaven, so none wished for it to happen.
Fortunately, there had been no movement so far...
"Supervisor Jiang, it seems I was right—you must have made a mistake," Chancellor Gu stroked his beard. "Our dynasty enjoys peace and prosperity, and His Majesty governs with diligence. How could such a disaster possibly occur?"
Jiang Buyi remained silent.
Someone sneered. "This matter can hardly be blamed on Supervisor Jiang. The announcement made it clear—it was General Yan who delivered the warning in a dream. If Chancellor Gu has questions, he should direct them to the Marquis of Anning instead."
As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Zheng appeared beyond the vermilion gates.
Clad in deep crimson court robes, his expression was calm, yet an inexplicable pressure radiated from him, silencing even the sarcastic official.
"Greetings to Your Majesty."
The Emperor coughed uncomfortably. "The Marquis of Anning has arrived. Grant him a seat."
Prince Yu, however, interjected, "Is that necessary, Imperial Brother? Isn’t the Marquis already 'seated' as it is?"
This was practically a direct insult!
The courtyard fell into dead silence.
Everyone knew that Prince Yu’s beloved daughter, County Princess Kanghe, had lost her title and been confined to her residence—all because of the actions of the Marquis of Anning’s wife.
Yan Zheng replied calmly, "If Prince Yu envies my condition, I can arrange the same for you."
"What did you say, you crippled—"
"Prince Yu!" The Emperor raised his voice sharply. "Mind your words!"
Prince Yu shot to his feet. "Imperial Brother, it’s not that I wish to cause trouble, but because of some baseless dream his father had, we’ve all been forced to waste an entire night here! The rest of us can endure it, but Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven—how could you—"
Before he could finish, the earth trembled violently beneath them.
BOOM!!
Prince Yu’s eyes widened as he watched the eight dragon heads on the seismograph, each holding a golden pearl, begin to sway wildly.
A thunderous roar rose from the depths, followed by a sharp clang—the golden pearl from the southwestern dragon’s mouth fell straight into the waiting jaws of the bronze toad below.
"The earth dragon stirs—the earth dragon awakens!"
Someone screamed as the once-stable ground convulsed violently.
Jiang Buyi stared fixedly at the fallen pearl and shouted hoarsely, "The southwest—the southwest! It’s coming from the Mang Mountains!"
His cry seemed to snap everyone to attention.
Some, recalling that the earthquake had been foretold by Yan Xu’s dream, immediately dropped to their knees in Yan Zheng’s direction.
"General Yan, save us!"
"May the General protect us..."
The Emperor’s face darkened.
Such prayers should have been directed at him, the Son of Heaven...
But who could have predicted the earthquake would truly strike the Mang Mountains? Lady Xie of the Yan Family had somehow guessed correctly, forcing him to hand over this divine credit to a dead man!
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Yin Shun reacted swiftly, steadying the Emperor before he could be thrown to the ground.
Just as the Emperor was about to speak, a piercing shriek cut through the chaos.
Prince Yu had tumbled down the steps again, his head now bleeding profusely...
The quake lasted half a day.
Fortunately, precautions had been taken in advance, and most of the residents near the Mang Mountains had already evacuated, minimizing casualties.
But Prince Yu’s household suffered worse luck.
Not only had he cracked his skull at the Directorate of Astronomy, but his brother-in-law, disbelieving the warnings, had gone to his villa in the Mang Mountains for leisure—only to have a falling beam crush his spine...
Others who had scoffed at the prophecy included Censor Shi and Vice Censor-in-Chief Wang, both of whom had always looked down on General Yan as a mere military man. Dismissing the dream as superstition, they had taken their families to offer incense at Mang Mountain Temple. The temple was deserted, and they were nearly buried alive—several remain missing to this day...
In contrast, the common folk who had trusted the Yan family’s warning emerged mostly unscathed, even managing to preserve their meager savings.
"Young Mistress, come quickly! The estate gates are surrounded by kneeling villagers—they’ve all come to thank General Yan!"
Yulu rushed into the courtyard excitedly, only to find Uncle Liu deep in conversation with Chu Ruoyan.
"Young Mistress, what’s the good news?"
Chu Ruoyan smiled. "Uncle Liu brought word—just yesterday, Lady Jiang the Younger spent five million taels of silver to purchase over eighty properties in the Mang Mountains in one go."
"What?" Yulu’s eyes widened. "Then with today’s earthquake—"
"Indeed. Word is she’s already vomited blood twice. Father sent a summons for Chief Physician Zhang."
Five million taels—even with the Jiang family’s wealth, it would take two years to earn that much!
To lose it all overnight—wouldn’t that drive anyone mad?
Yulu covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. "What wonderful news! Oh, Young Mistress, the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion also sent word, asking you to visit when convenient. They mentioned the information we purchased last time..."
Chu Ruoyan cut her off. "I understand. Inform them I’ll go with Uncle Liu shortly."
"So soon? Isn’t it too chaotic outside right now...?"
Before Yulu could finish, Chu Ruoyan interrupted again, "Precisely why no one will notice. Do as I say."
Heaven’s End Tavern.
This time, the portly proprietor himself waited at the entrance. Spotting Chu Ruoyan, he hurried forward. "Marquise of Anning, our Pavilion Master awaits you upstairs."
Chu Ruoyan paused in surprise.
The master of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion was a phantom, his whereabouts shrouded in mystery.
Many powerful figures in the capital would give anything for an audience—yet he had sought her out?
Ascending to the top floor, the proprietor bowed. "Our master is inside. Please enter, My Lady."
Chu Ruoyan nodded, signaling for Uncle Liu to remain outside.
Pushing the door open, she was met with a vision of crimson—a man draped in flamboyant scarlet robes leaned against the window, his snow-white hair cascading wildly.
"So you’re the little blind girl who fancies Yan the Third?"
Chu Ruoyan arched a brow.
Fancies Yan the Third?
She fired back, "And you must be the prematurely white-haired master of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion?"
The man froze, then burst into laughter. "Sharp tongue for a blind girl! Excellent—I’ve always liked those who don’t take insults lying down!"
Turning fully, his features came into view—narrow brows, peach-blossom eyes—a face far too youthful for his reputation.
Chu Ruoyan took a slow breath, suppressing her shock.
The man continued, "My name is Lang. You may call me Young Master Lang..."
Young Master Lang?!
Chu Ruoyan’s pupils constricted.
Wasn’t this the man from her dreams—the one who had bankrupted himself to help Yan Zheng rebel?
After accomplishing his goal, Yan Zheng slaughtered the entire imperial family, yet he asked for nothing in return. He simply handed over the conquered empire and vanished without a trace, like a carefree wanderer playing with the world!
"Young Master Lang, the reason for Ruoyan's visit today is—"
Before she could finish, the man raised his hand to stop her. "Rest assured, the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion never leaves debts unpaid. The one who sent merchants to demand payment from the Yan family was the useless son of the Earl of Yongding. However, the one who gave him the idea was Imperial Son-in-law Cao."
Imperial Son-in-law Cao?
Chu Ruoyan couldn’t recall at first, but Young Master Lang rested his chin on his hand and added, "Do you know Princess Ansheng?"
"!!!"
Her fingers clenched instantly. Cao Dong, the husband of Princess Ansheng—how could it be him?
When her mother-in-law was alive, she had been closest to the princess!
