Hearing a stir beside him, Yan Tongshu looked at Qin Yi in confusion. What was wrong?
Why did he look as if he were constipated?
Did he need to use the toilet?
Yan Tongshu pointed toward the southeast. “The privy is over there.”
Qin Yi’s face darkened even further.
Yan Tongshu gave an awkward smile. She had apparently misunderstood him.
“Then… is the food not to your liking?” she asked tentatively.
Qin Yi raised a hand and pinched Yan Tongshu’s cheek. “You’re always pretending to be clueless.”
Yan Tongshu puffed up angrily. “Stop pinching my face all the time.”
Qin Yi said, “Your face feels nice.”
As he spoke, he gave it two more firm squeezes.
Yan Tongshu grew even angrier.
What did he mean, it felt nice?
Was she some kind of stress toy?
She slapped his hand away.
After they finished eating, Yan Tongshu escorted Qin Yi to the door, chatting with him sporadically as they walked.
Qin Yi asked casually, “Who is the person in the painting hanging in your study?”
“What painting?” Yan Tongshu asked, bewildered. She had never hung a painting in her study.
Looking ahead, Qin Yi slowed his steps. “The one behind your desk, facing the window. I caught a glimpse of it when I passed by on the way to the dining hall. It depicts a handsome, refined, tall and slender young man with a carefree air.”
Oh, that one.
Yan Tongshu said excitedly, “He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”
Qin Yi narrowed his eyes. “Is he someone you like?”
Yan Tongshu patted her chest proudly. “It’s a portrait of me.”
In other words, a studio portrait.
She had grown so used to calling it a portrait that she had failed to realize at first that it was actually a painting.
Qin Yi came to an abrupt halt.
Yan Tongshu stopped as well and looked at him in confusion. “Why did you stop?”
Qin Yi’s brows rose high. “Your… portrait?”
His gaze swept over Yan Tongshu from head to toe. Then, from the bottom of his heart, he voiced his profound doubt.
“What painter could possibly have such poor technique that the painting and the person look completely different?”
Yan Tongshu clenched her fists, her eyes wide and round as she trembled with rage.
“Qin! Yi! I’m! Going! To! Fight! You!”
Yan Tongshu rolled up her sleeves and directly swept Qin Yi, Lu Xi, and Snowfluff out of the residence.
Standing at the door, Qin Yi was both irritated and amused. “What a Yan Tongshu!”
She truly was both clever and infuriating.
He had asked her repeatedly to call him by his name, but she refused.
He had dropped hint after hint, but she still would not call him by his name.
Yet now that she was throwing a tantrum, she had actually called him Qin Yi.
By using his name, she had made it clear that this was a personal dispute. She would not allow him to put on the airs of an emperor and pressure her.
Very good.
What a Yan Tongshu!
Truly, what a Yan Tongshu!
Qin Yi swept his sleeve and walked away. Lu Xi followed behind him nervously, carrying Snowfluff.
That night, at Funing Palace.
A peach tree in full bloom leaned over the surface of the water, while the lake reflected the clear blue sky.
Beneath Qin Yi, the grass grew thick and lush.
Above his head, the peach blossoms blazed like clusters of pink clouds.
A gentle breeze stirred them, sending petals drifting lazily through the air.
“Qin Yi…”
Qin Yi’s body suddenly grew heavy. Yan Tongshu, wearing the dress from his previous dream, lay across his chest, smiling like a flower.
She held a peach branch in her hand, brushing the blossoms against his eyes and then tickling his nose. With a laugh, she asked, “How is it? Does it smell nice?”
Qin Yi caught her hand and gazed at her, desire roiling in his eyes.
When he did not move, Yan Tongshu hummed softly. “Why are you always so quiet? Don’t you like me teasing you?”
“I like it.”
Qin Yi’s voice was hoarse and heated.
Yan Tongshu’s cheeks flushed, as though peach blossoms had been spread across them. She pressed her lips together in a smile, set aside the branch, rested her chin on his chest, and hugged him tightly. “It’s so comfortable lying like this.”
Qin Yi raised a hand and seized her shoulder, then rolled over and pressed Yan Tongshu beneath him.
His chest rose and fell uncontrollably. The hand gripping Yan Tongshu’s shoulder tightened slightly.
“Yan Tongshu, are you a man or a woman?”
Yan Tongshu blinked, then smiled sweetly. She raised her arms and looped them around his neck.
“What about you? Do you want me to be a man or a woman?”
Qin Yi froze.
Yan Tongshu smiled, then pushed him away. “Since you can’t figure it out, take your time thinking about it.”
She reached into a basket beside her and grabbed a handful of glistening red cherries, eating them slowly.
After a while, when she saw that Qin Yi was still thinking, she picked up another handful and held it out to him. “Do you want some?”
Qin Yi pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes.
The plump, perfectly rounded cherries lay in her pale palm.
They were fresh and glistening with moisture.
“It doesn’t matter,” Qin Yi murmured to himself.
Yan Tongshu did not hear him clearly. “What? You don’t want any cherries?”
“I do.”
Qin Yi seized Yan Tongshu and pulled her down with him onto the soft grass. Then he lifted his head and kissed her.
She was pressed against him like a cloud.
Soft as a dream.
The wind scattered the clouds.
Qin Yi opened his eyes amid the wavering, dim candlelight.
Funing Palace was silent, without the slightest sound.
He slowly sat up in bed, closed his eyes, and let out a long, long sigh.
“Lu Xi,” he called.
From beyond the door, Lu Xi answered, “This servant is here.”
With a hint of utter resignation, Qin Yi said, “Prepare water.”
Lu Xi’s body stiffened for a moment. Lowering his eyes, he replied, “Yes.”
After washing and bathing, Qin Yi’s hair was still slightly damp. He asked what time it was.
Lu Xi said, “There should be about half an hour left before the morning court.”
Qin Yi hummed in response.
Half an hour. In any case, he could not sleep anymore.
He rose and went to the imperial desk, ordering Lu Xi to grind the ink.
“Yes.”
Lu Xi picked up the ink stick and ground it slowly. Qin Yi lifted his brush and began to paint.
After a while, Lu Xi secretly suppressed a yawn and glanced at the painting.
There was a blue sky, a peach tree, green grass, and… Lord Yan?
Lu Xi shuddered, instantly becoming fully awake.
The emperor was painting Lord Yan.
And he was painting Lord Yan after bathing.
Her brows, her figure, her features, the contours of her face—Lord Yan was rendered vividly and lifelike.
He stared at Qin Yi, suddenly realizing that he might have discovered an enormous secret.
After finishing the painting, Qin Yi studied it carefully before looking at Lu Xi, whose entire body had gone rigid.
“Does it look like her?”
Lu Xi hurriedly lowered his head. “It does. It looks exactly like Lord Yan.”
Qin Yi asked, “How does it compare to the one in her study?”
Lu Xi replied, “Naturally, Your Majesty’s painting is far superior.”
Only then did Qin Yi withdraw his gaze in satisfaction. He said softly, “Once the ink dries, have it mounted and send it to Lord Yan’s residence.”
Lu Xi said, “Yes.”
…
The following evening, Yan Tongshu returned from the Kaifeng Prefecture. Lu Xi, who had been waiting at the entrance, stepped forward and presented the painting with both hands.
“Lord Yan, His Majesty ordered this servant to deliver it to you.”
Yan Tongshu accepted the painting and opened it.
It was a portrait.
And it was quite a good likeness.
She asked, “Who painted it?”
Lu Xi replied, “His Majesty painted it himself.”
Yan Tongshu took the painting with her after dinner and went to the study, where she placed it beside Lord Qu’s painting for comparison.
The brows, nose, and mouth.
The contours of the face, the shape of the body…
Yan Tongshu asked Pearl, “Which of the two paintings do you think is better?”
Pearl looked at the one on the left, then the one on the right. Afterward, she stole a glance at Yan Tongshu’s expression.
Young Master Yan hated it most when people said that Lord Qu’s self-portrait did not resemble her.
Pearl chose her words carefully. “Young Master, this servant thinks… His Majesty’s painting seems to be better.”
Yan Tongshu asked, “Why?”
Pearl replied, “Look at it. His Majesty’s painting is so much more vivid, especially the eyes. They’re just like yours, Young Master—handsome and full of spirit. Those eyes look as though they can speak.”
“Is that so?”
Yan Tongshu looked at Qin Yi’s painting, then at Lord Qu’s.
Yan Tongshu shook her head firmly. “No.”
Whether she viewed them from above or below, from left or right, Lord Qu’s painting was still the one she liked best.
Besides, Lord Qu’s paintings had gone up in value again this year. A single painting could now sell for more than thirty taels of silver.
At that rate, she was certain that in another ten or twenty years, one of Lord Qu’s paintings would sell for a thousand taels without a problem. By then, she could sell the painting and make a fortune.
Yan Tongshu nodded. She rolled up Qin Yi’s painting, placed it solemnly in a drawer, and went back to her bedroom to wash up and sleep.
Tomorrow, Yan Qichu and the other nine criminals would be executed. Since this case was unusual, she had to oversee the execution.
On the day of the execution, both Yan Tongshu and Qin Yi arrived.
The Divine Strategy Army and the Divine Guard Army were fully armed and on alert, making the court’s position clear. No one would be permitted to substitute another prisoner, deceive the court, or attempt a jailbreak.
Yan Tongshu sat in the presiding seat, clad in a red official robe and radiating authority.
Yan Qichu and the other nine men were all dressed in prison garb and kneeling on the execution platform.
Each of them had a placard hanging from his back, bearing his name, crimes, and sentence.
The nineteen young women had come as well.
Over the past two days, the two families of the Court Academician and the Instructor Director had entertained malicious thoughts and attempted to take revenge on them. The Divine Guard Army, which had been protecting the women in secret, intercepted them all, while Qin Yi dismissed them from office and ordered an investigation.
Noon was approaching.
Yan Tongshu’s voice rang out. “Verify their identities!”
Li Fulin and Zhang Jiu examined the prisoners one by one.
Li Fulin and Zhang Jiu reported, “Your Majesty, Lord Yan, the identities of all ten criminals have been verified and confirmed.”
Yan Tongshu nodded.
The two men withdrew.
The sun blazed overhead, and the air was stifling.
Yan Qichu raised his head and looked toward the second floor across from him.
It was a long distance away.
But his instincts told him that his father was standing there.
Facing Prince Ming’s direction, he opened and closed his mouth. His lips formed the words: “Look, Father. I told you—has anything changed? From then until now, year after year, nothing ever has.”
Noon arrived.
Yan Tongshu drew the execution tablet and threw it down. “Execute them!”
The ten executioners picked up the wine jars beside them and poured wine over their sharp blades. Then the herald shouted, “Raise!”
The ten executioners lifted their swords high into the air.
The herald shouted, “Strike!”
With years of training, the executioners brought their blades down at the same time.
Clang!
Thud, thud, thud.
The heads rolled across the ground.
Blood splashed across the execution platform.
Among the crowd, the nineteen young women wept tears of joy.
High above them, Prince Ming clutched his chest and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Your Highness.” His trusted guard, Wu Jue, hurriedly helped him sit down. “Please restrain your grief.”
Prince Ming’s hand, resting on the table, slowly tightened into a fist. When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Yan Tongshu. Qin Yi.
Very well. Very good.
He would never let this grudge go.
Prince Ming took out a plain white handkerchief and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “How is your investigation into Yan Tongshu?”
Wu Jue knelt on the ground. “Your Highness, we are still investigating. So far, Yan Tongshu appears to have no problems. First, she has not formed factions for personal gain. Second, she has not accepted bribes. Third, she has not been visiting brothels. This woman is simply too upright. Other than her fondness for food, there is nothing questionable about her. And even the things she likes to eat are nothing expensive—just street snacks.”
Prince Ming asked, “Doesn’t she have any secrets?”
There was no one in this world without secrets.
No one!
Wu Jue said, “Your subordinate is incompetent. We have not uncovered anything yet.”
“What about the people around her?”
“Her mother is dignified and refined, spends her days praying and observing a vegetarian diet, and rarely leaves the house. Her maternal family serves as officials in another region. Their positions are not high, and they are also very incorruptible. As for Yan Tongshu’s elder and younger sisters—the elder sister is already divorced and has custody of only her seven-year-old son, while the younger sister is currently being considered for marriage. The original match was Zhou Zhengxun, a seventh-rank Xuande Lang, but the two families have since fallen out. At present, both sisters work in the Bureau of Justice. The Yan family is also extremely close-knit. We truly cannot find a point of entry.”
“Useless!”
Prince Ming had always treated everyone with warmth and rarely lost his temper. But now that his son had died—carrying with him a heart full of disappointment toward his own father—he was so devastated that he had nearly lost his reason.
Prince Ming roared furiously, “Is Yan Tongshu some kind of saint? Is there no one around her with anything strange about them?”
Under Prince Ming’s fury, Wu Jue trembled with fear. “There is!”
As if he had suddenly remembered something, he said, “Your Highness, Yan Tongshu is twenty-three and has neither married nor even entered into marriage negotiations. She has a maid and a page who have stayed by her side for years. One is seventeen, the other fourteen. There is nothing particularly strange about Yan Tongshu herself, but her maid is very strange.”
Prince Ming’s anger eased slightly. “Explain.”
Wu Jue said, “Her maid apparently began menstruating when she was only nine. That is far too early. She was taken to doctors for treatment and spent four or five years being nursed back to health. It was not until she was fourteen and a half that her condition finally stabilized. However, according to what we have learned, her health is still poor. Her periods remain irregular—sometimes lasting as long as half a month, and sometimes occurring twice in a single month. Even stranger, that page also began following Yan Tongshu when he was eleven.”
Nine years old?
Yan Tongshu had kept the maid, Pearl, at her side every day, playing and bickering with her, eating and drinking together.
People who seemed to have no desires often had some hidden, unspeakable proclivity.
And Yan Tongshu, at the “ripe old age” of twenty-three, had neither entered into marriage negotiations nor become engaged or married.
After reaching adulthood, she had chosen an eleven-year-old page and kept him by her side all day long.
Could she have a penchant for boys?
Had she subjected the maid to sexual activity at the age of nine, causing her to begin menstruating? Nine was far too young for such things, which was why the maid’s health had remained poor and her periods had become irregular.
Later, when the maid grew older and Yan Tongshu lost interest in her, had she raised an even younger page instead?
Prince Ming’s gaze sharpened. “What did the doctor who treated the maid say?”
Wu Jue replied, “At first, he said that the maid was in poor health and needed nourishment and long-term treatment. After four or five years of treatment, he said there was no longer anything seriously wrong with her, and she never consulted a doctor again. I bribed a servant who delivered vegetables to the Yan residence. He pretended to have taken a liking to Pearl and wanted to ask for her hand in marriage. That was how we learned these details.”
Prince Ming thought for a moment before saying, “Find someone now and have them examine that maid’s pulse. Determine what is truly wrong with her health.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Wu Jue withdrew, leaving Prince Ming alone in the room.
His body instantly seemed to hunch in on itself. Grief filled his eyes, and tears streamed endlessly down the furrows of his face.
He drew a deep breath and wiped away his tears with his sleeve. Then he rose and straightened his robes.
Son, Father will take you home now.
The criminals had received their punishment, and the nineteen young women gradually obtained new household registrations. In two days, they would leave Bianjing and begin new lives elsewhere.
Ding Xin’s divorce had been extremely difficult to secure, but in the end, she had succeeded. She left with her mother.
Tao Yang’s physician had been changed from a female doctor to an imperial physician, and she had also been given better medicine. In addition, Tao Jiang tirelessly told Tao Yang over and over that the bad people were dead and no one would bully her anymore. As a result, Tao Yang’s condition had improved considerably. She was lucid for one or two incense sticks’ worth of time each day.
Overall, Yan Tongshu believed that Tao Yang’s condition would continue to improve. With the girls supporting one another, their lives would only get better from here on out.
Yan Tongshu held a lotus pod in her hand, carefully shelling the seeds.
She had just peeled one when she spotted Yan Liangyu, accompanied by a maid, buying fabric at Qian’s Silk Shop.
Yan Tongshu pulled the bell inside the carriage, and Jinbao brought the carriage to a stop.
She got down with Pearl.
“Liangyu.” Yan Tongshu entered Qian’s Silk Shop. “Are you here to buy fabric?”
“No.” Yan Liangyu smiled and shook her head. “I’m here to take fabric without paying.”
“We’re family. Why bring up money?” Chen Meirong scolded Yan Liangyu lightly. “All right, take a look and see if this is enough.”
Yan Liangyu smiled. “A little more would be even better, Mother.”
“I know, I know.” Chen Meirong cheerfully went into the storeroom to fetch more fabric.
Yan Liangyu smiled as she explained to Yan Tongshu, “In two days, those girls will be leaving. Although the court has given them money to settle down, they’ll still have to leave their homes and start new lives in other places. My sister and I discussed it and decided to provide them with a few more things. She went to buy rice, flour, grain, oil, and other necessities, while I came here to ask Mother for some free fabric. Once they get there, at least for the first three years, they won’t have to worry about clothes for any season.”
“What do you mean, ‘ask for alms’?” Chen Meirong said as she came out carrying the fabric. “This is a good deed that earns blessings. Old Qian and I are more than happy to help.”
Yan Liangyu immediately replied, “Yes, Mother. I misspoke.”
“Hmph. You certainly did.” Chen Meirong happily directed the shop assistants to carry the fabric to the carriage. “Oh, right.”
Chen Meirong took out a bag of silver and placed it in Yan Liangyu’s hands. “Old Qian and I were saying that although we don’t know what those girls went through, with so many sons of noble families recently executed in the capital, they were probably wronged and had no choice but to leave home and go elsewhere. It isn’t easy for a man to travel and make a living away from home, let alone a few thin, delicate girls. Keep this money and distribute it among them. Consider it a little extra settlement money from Old Qian and me.”
Yan Liangyu nodded, deeply moved. “Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Uncle Qian.”
Chen Meirong gently patted Yan Liangyu on the head.
She moved her lips, about to casually ask about Yan Liangyu’s marriage, but swallowed the words before they could leave her mouth.
The girl was seventeen—somewhat older than usual for marriage. But she had only just escaped from a sea of fire, and Chen Meirong was a little afraid. What if Yan Liangyu encountered another family like the Zhou family after marriage?
If she was destined to be so unlucky, then perhaps it would be better for Liangyu never to marry at all. Chen Meirong could raise her for the rest of her life.
While Yan Liangyu was talking, Pearl grew bored and began looking around the shop.
At that moment, an old woman entered, walking with unsteady steps. After giving her name, she had the shop assistant bring out the fabric she had ordered and measure out the proper length with a ruler.
The old woman carefully stroked the soft fabric. “This old woman has been saving her money all her life just for today—to buy this fabric and make a wedding dress for my granddaughter.”
The shop assistant smiled. “Then this is a joyous occasion indeed. How about I give you an extra two feet? Consider it a wedding gift for your granddaughter.”
“Oh, my!” The old woman thanked him profusely. “That would be wonderful. Thank you, thank you.”
The shop assistant cut the fabric, wrapped it up, and handed it to her. The old woman held it carefully in her arms. Her hands and feet were unsteady, and she stumbled on the threshold. Pearl reacted quickly and caught her.
“Grandmother, take it slowly.”
“Oh, child, you’re such a kind girl. It’s a shame this old woman is getting on in years and can barely see anymore.” The old woman clutched Pearl’s wrist with one hand, seemingly trying to steady herself, but her frail body continued to sway. “Child, could I trouble you to help me outside and let me sit on a chair for a while?”
Pearl nodded and helped the old woman outside.
The old woman kept hold of Pearl’s wrist.
Once the old woman was seated, Pearl saw that they were already outside, while Yan Tongshu and the others had nearly finished their conversation and would be coming out soon. So she simply stayed by the entrance to wait rather than go back inside.
The old woman pounded her legs and sized Pearl up. “What a pretty little girl. Have you been promised to anyone?”
Pearl blushed. “Oh, Grandmother.”
“Look at that shy face. I suppose you haven’t.” The old woman teased her. “Do you have someone you like, then? My granddaughter is sixteen this year. She’ll be married after the Mid-Autumn Festival. You look about her age, so you must have someone in your heart, surely?”
Pearl grew even more embarrassed. “No, I don’t. Grandmother, please stop asking.”
The old woman furrowed her brow in confusion. “How can you not? A kind and beautiful girl like you ought to have matchmakers lined up at the door.”
Pearl lowered her head, two bright blushes blooming on her cheeks. “I’m not that good.”
“You’re just shy, child. Unlike us old women—we’re almost in our coffins, so what is there left to be coy about?” The old woman smiled and stood up. “Oh, my legs feel much better now. I’ll be going, child.”
Pearl smiled sweetly. “Take care, Grandmother.”
The old woman made her slow way toward the bustling street.
A short while later, she turned a corner. After confirming that Pearl could no longer see her, she quickened her pace and hurried away, eventually arriving on the second floor of a teahouse.
Wu Jue asked anxiously, “Well?”
The old woman shook her head. “Commander, I checked that maid’s pulse. It was deep, steady, and strong, with a calm, even rhythm. She’s perfectly healthy—not at all like someone with a weak constitution.”
Wu Jue was perplexed. “Her menstrual cycle isn’t irregular?”
“With a pulse that healthy?” the old woman replied. “Not only is it regular, I’d say it’s exceptionally regular.”
Wu Jue frowned. “Is that girl still a maiden?”
“That’s difficult to determine,” the old woman said. “But in my years of experience, her shy manner didn’t seem feigned. She should still be an unmarried young woman.”
Wu Jue was even more confused.
If the maid was a young woman, then Yan Tongshu presumably did not have a penchant for male youths.
And the maid was healthy, with a regular menstrual cycle. Then why was there a rumor that Yan Tongshu’s menstruation was irregular?
Could she be concealing the truth for someone else?
Wu Jue pondered it from every angle before looking at the disguised guard. “Do you think Yan Tongshu might be a woman disguised as a man?”
Even Wu Jue found the thought astonishing, but operas had featured female champions disguised as men before.
The old woman shook her head firmly. “No.”
“How can you be sure?” Wu Jue asked.
“Before entering the cloth shop, I observed her carefully,” the old woman explained. “When Lord Yan got down from the carriage, she collided chest-to-chest with a passerby. The weather is hot, and everyone is wearing thin clothing. If she were a woman, she would certainly have been binding her chest to prevent herself from being exposed. Even undercover guards like me have to wear tight chest bindings for ease of movement, so that we can move as lightly as men. But Lord Yan wasn’t wearing one. I’m certain of it—there was absolutely nothing.”
This only left Wu Jue even more baffled. In the end, he had no choice but to report the matter to Prince Ming exactly as it was.
