Qin Muyun understood the implied meaning in Qi Yanzhou's words.
"I know, in this wretched world, running away is useless."
He had always believed that being a dissolute scion was the best way to balance the family's power and protect his family's safety.
Because the emperor did not allow any family to produce too many capable individuals, especially among high-ranking officials.
But the appearance of Ye Chutang made him realize how foolish it was to hide one's brilliance.
Yielding would only make others think you are weak and easy to bully.
While fame and prestige could elevate you above the power itself.
Seeing that Qin Muyun had grasped the point, Qi Yanzhou said with a smile, "With your talent, you will soon make a name for yourself."
After saying that, he asked, "Regarding the matter of Prince An's weapons, will it implicate your master?"
The emperor would surely suspect that the Imperial Astronomer's actions against Zhao Mingxu were due to bribery.
Qin Muyun stated firmly, "My master didn't say anything wrong. Even if the emperor becomes suspicious, he can't do anything about it."
"That's good then."
"Ziqian, let me divine a hexagram for you."
Seeing Qin Muyun reach into his robe for copper coins, Qi Yanzhou grabbed his wrist.
"Your health hasn't fully recovered yet, don't exert yourself."
"Even if you stop me now, I'll still cast the hexagram later. Let go."
Qi Yanzhou knew Qin Muyun meant what he said, so he had no choice but to release him.
Three copper coins were cast six times.
"Water over Heaven, also called the Xu Hexagram. Upholding righteousness while awaiting opportunity. It is a middling-to-upper hexagram."
Qi Yanzhou didn't understand hexagram imagery, but "middling-to-upper" was enough to prove that tomorrow's plan would go smoothly.
"What does it mean?"
Qin Muyun explained, "This hexagram is formed by two different trigrams stacked. The lower trigram is Qian, symbolizing strength and vigor; the upper trigram is Kan, symbolizing danger and peril. Meeting danger with strength calls for steady and proper action, not reckless moves. Observe the timing and await change, and success is certain wherever you go."
[Note: Taken from the complete explanation of the 64 hexagrams of the 'I Ching'.]
After that, he gave a detailed interpretation from six aspects including career, business, and decision-making.
After listening, Qi Yanzhou only said two words.
"A good hexagram!"
Qin Muyun also thought it was a good hexagram. "With this, I am at ease."
The two had a meal together and drank some wine.
When they left Guangjuxuan, they happened to see the Imperial Guards escorting Zhao Mingxu past the entrance.
Zhao Mingxu, his face ashen with despair, looked at Qi Yanzhou, his eyes blazing with intense hatred.
"Qi Yanzhou, may you die a wretched death! I curse you to have no descendants!"
Qi Yanzhou grabbed the jade pendant hanging from his waist and hurled it at Zhao Mingxu's mouth.
Four front teeth were knocked out, his mouth full of blood.
"If you spout any more nonsense, I'll cut out your tongue."
Before his words even faded, a cold, sharp glint of light reflected into Zhao Mingxu's eyes.
Stung, he immediately shut his eyes. Fearful of death, he wanted to curse but dared not.
Qi Yanzhou asked the Imperial Guards, "What crime has County Earl Zhao committed?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, Zhao Mingxu intended to rebel. He is now a convicted criminal, being escorted back to his residence for house confiscation and confinement, awaiting His Majesty's judgment."
After saying this, they escorted Zhao Mingxu away.
Qi Yanzhou had thought the emperor would pass judgment on Zhao Mingxu immediately; he didn't expect him to hold back.
He guessed the emperor was afraid of affecting tomorrow's wedding, hence the postponement.
Qin Muyun clicked his tongue twice.
"Zhao Mingxu fell from the lofty position of Prince An to a prisoner in just over a month. Truly lamentable."
"From the day A-Tang arrived in the capital, the situation in the court and the world changed completely."
After saying this, Qi Yanzhou headed towards Prince Chen's Mansion.
Qin Muyun was shaken by his words.
Recalling recent events, he suddenly remembered something his master had said.
"Muyun, while the fate of a nation cannot be divined, one can 'see the large from the small' to glimpse heavenly secrets. Remember, heavenly secrets are ever-changing. From the moment you know them, they are merely omens, not the final outcome."
He had never quite understood the meaning of the first part, but now he finally did.
Qin Muyun looked towards the direction of the palace and said softly, "Master, your disciple wishes to study the 'Tui Bei Tu'."
The 'Tui Bei Tu' is a book of heavenly principles, capable of predicting the future with relative accuracy.
Only those of utmost wisdom may study it.
Otherwise, it is easy to damage one's innate wisdom and become a fool.
Qin Muyun knew he was not a person of utmost wisdom, but he wanted to do something for the common people of the world!
Not long after Ye Chutang finished her evening meal, she heard the news that Zhao Mingxu's home had been confiscated and he was under house arrest.
Sitting by the stone table, looking at the Ningchu Courtyard filled with joyous decorations, she finally felt the reality of soon becoming a married woman.
"Aunt Jin, accompany me on a trip outside."
Jinzhi looked at the already darkened sky and said disapprovingly, "Miss, you are getting married tomorrow. Going out tonight is not very auspicious."
Ye Chutang said with a smile, "I must let my mother know that the child she struggled so hard to raise has now found a good match and is getting married."
After the wedding, they would have to go into exile, and there would be no time for worship.
And she wanted to go personally to tell the original owner: the vengeance for the mother and her two children has been avenged!
Touched by Ye Chutang's filial piety, Jinzhi's eyes glistened with tears.
"Miss, we can worship at home."
After saying that, she prepared to go out to buy incense and paper money.
Ye Chutang grabbed her arm. "Let's go to the gravesite instead."
When leaving the mansion, she also called Ye Jingchuan.
Ye Jingchuan simply dared not face Tang Wanning and didn't want to go at all.
In the end, Ye Chutang fed him a poison pill, and he instantly became compliant.
On the way out of the city, Jinzhi bought incense, candles, paper money for the worship, as well as the fruits and pastries that Tang Wanning loved.
Ye Chutang asked Ye Jingchuan, "How did you dispose of my brother?"
Since meeting Patriarch Song at Huating Academy, she often recalled their conversation.
She always felt that Song Mingyu repeatedly mentioning the original owner's brother had an ulterior motive.
Especially that unfinished sentence when Song Jingning rushed into the main hall.
"Since ancient times, those who die young are considered inauspicious..."
If she wasn't mistaken, Patriarch Song wanted to use the ancient ways of handling those who died young to fish for information from her.
Now she was beginning to suspect again that Song Jingning might be her real brother!
Ye Jingchuan didn't know what Ye Chutang was thinking, but her cold and stern expression scared him into swallowing hard.
"Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Ye Chutang's gaze suddenly turned murderous.
"My brother died an unnatural death. I want to know the details to perform a ritual for him and set up a cenotaph."
Ye Jingchuan immediately remembered that first-born son, strangled to death by Kong Ru and then discarded by him.
A child the size of a palm, covered in bruises, wrinkled and ugly, terrifying.
As the child's image surfaced in his mind, he couldn't help but shudder.
Ye Chutang wished she could slap Ye Jingchuan flying.
"Speak!"
Ye Jingchuan trembled with fear and quickly said, "Steward Chen knows best."
He considered the prematurely deceased child inauspicious and paid little attention, simply handing it over to Steward Chen to handle.
After Steward Chen finished the task, he wanted to report to him.
He refused, not wanting to hear a single word.
Ye Chutang gave Ye Jingchuan two words: "Beast!"
Ye Jingchuan, being scolded, dared not retort, shrinking into a corner of the carriage to make himself less noticeable.
The carriage rocked and swayed its way to the gravesite.
The moon hung in the sky, casting a layer of silver frost on the ground, making everything appear exceptionally cold and clear.
The night wind rustled the leaves, accompanied by the chirping of insects and birds.
The lanterns on the carriage emitted a dim yellow light, illuminating a small area and attracting moths to the flame.
Ye Chutang alighted from the carriage, helped Jinzhi down, and together they approached Tang Wanning's tombstone.
"Mother, your daughter has come to see you."
Jinzhi had only been here on the day Tang Wanning was buried. Now, fifteen years later, the new grave had aged, the tombstone itself exuding a sense of weathering.
She immediately knelt before the stone, a thousand words in her heart, yet in the end, only choked sobs remained.
Ye Jingchuan, who already felt too ashamed to face Tang Wanning, felt his hair stand on end upon hearing the muffled weeping.
Ye Chutang crooked a finger at the dawdling Ye Jingchuan.
"Come here. Kneel and confess."
"Chu'er, I am your father, how can you..."
Ye Chutang cut off Ye Jingchuan's lecture.
"Don't make me resort to force. I have no filial piety for beasts."
Scolded into shame, Ye Jingchuan reluctantly knelt before the grave.
He hung his head low, not daring to look at the tombstone.
It was as if a pair of eyes had grown upon it, scrutinizing his shamelessness and baseness.
Ye Chutang crouched down, took out incense and candles, and lit them.
As she burned the yellow spirit money, she recounted the process of her revenge.
Finished, she looked at Ye Jingchuan. "Mother, this man will also meet a bad end."
Ye Jingchuan immediately looked up, roaring angrily, "What do you intend to do?"
"You'll know soon enough."
Ye Chutang took out the double-sided embroidered handkerchief sewn by the original host from her space and set it alight over the candle flame.
In her heart, she said, "Ye Chutang, you may rest in peace now."
Although Jinzhi found Ye Chutang's actions somewhat peculiar, she did not inquire further.
For a good while, she spoke to Tang Wanning, sharing only good news and avoiding any troubles.
"Young Mistress, the Little Miss is getting married tomorrow. We must go now. When the Little Miss no longer needs this servant, I will come to keep you company."
Ye Chutang touched the tombstone and suddenly asked, "Mother, is elder brother still alive?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, a strong wind suddenly gusted, as if Tang Wanning was responding.
On the journey back to the city.
Ye Jingchuan asked Ye Chutang, "Chu'er, what did you mean by that last thing you said?"
Ye Chutang leaned against the carriage wall, eyes closed, saying nothing.
"Why do you think your brother isn't dead? Have you received some news?"
"Is your brother truly alive? Where is he? Is he well?"
"Chu'er, speak! Your brother is my son too!"
Ye Chutang suddenly opened her eyes, her cold gaze falling upon the anxious Ye Jingchuan.
The lamplight inside the carriage fell into her pupils, like two burning flames that chilled one to the bone upon seeing them.
Ye Jingchuan felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his neck, leaving him breathless.
"Chu... Chu'er..."
Ye Chutang let out a mocking, light laugh.
"Ye Jingchuan, do you think, given Kong Ru's viciousness, she would have let my brother live?"
The answer was naturally no.
The fear in Ye Jingchuan's eyes turned to disappointment.
"Then why did you ask that?"
Ye Chutang enunciated each word clearly, "Thanks to you, my brother's bones are lost. I would rather believe he is alive than accept that he died without a burial place!"
Each word pierced his heart, causing Ye Jingchuan's face to turn deathly pale.
But he still tried to justify himself, "Water burial for those who die young is an age-old custom."
Jinzhi retorted, "Countless have died from difficult childbirths in infancy, yet few are given water burial. Usually, after a monk's prayers, they are cremated."
Only someone wicked and heartless would let their own child become a wandering ghost!
Ye Jingchuan, shamed beyond words, shrunk back into his corner.
The rest of the journey passed in silence until they reached the Minister's Mansion.
Once inside, Ye Chutang said, "Ye Jingchuan, let's sever our father-daughter relationship."
Ye Jingchuan looked at Ye Chutang incredulously, "Have you gone mad?"
"If you want the antidote, write the severance document. In half an hour, the poison will take effect and you will die."
"Don't try any tricks! Your life is still in the Emperor's hands!"
Ye Chutang curled her lips into a smile, eerie and cold.
"With the Emperor involved, even if my father dies, it won't delay my marriage or obtaining the antidote."
Now that was an effective threat!
"With your natal family's support, you could thrive in the imperial harem."
"I don't need it."
Having said that, Ye Chutang looked at Jinzhi. "Go find Steward Chen and have him come to Ningchu Courtyard."
Ye Jingchuan watched Ye Chutang's retreating figure, a murderous glint in his eyes.
He turned and left the Minister's Mansion, heading to a medical clinic to seek an antidote.
The poison Ye Chutang had fed Ye Jingchuan was a product of advanced science and ruthless methods; she wasn't worried he could cure it.
Back in Ningchu Courtyard, she took a sip of spiritual spring water from her space and waited for Steward Chen.
Steward Chen, busy with the myriad details for the next day's wedding, arrived late.
"Young Miss, what urgent matter do you have for this old servant?"
Ye Chutang came straight to the point. "Tell me how you threw my brother into the river."
Upon hearing this, Steward Chen immediately fell to his knees in fright.
"Young Miss, please calm your anger. This old servant was only following orders."
"No nonsense. Speak!"
Steward Chen promptly recounted in detail what happened after he received the dead infant.
The water burial was Old Madam Ye's suggestion, Ye Jingchuan's order, carried out by Steward Chen.
Steward Chen wrapped the infant in a small cotton quilt, bundling it into a small bundle, and placed it in a wooden washing tub.
Fearing the tub might be too light and could be overturned by the current, preventing the body from drifting far, he deliberately placed two large stones at the bottom.
Then he placed the tub into a large river that flowed through the capital.
Ye Chutang asked, "What is the direction of this river's flow?"
"Within the capital's boundaries, it flows from west to east."
"Did my brother have any birthmarks? Were there any distinguishing features on the quilt or the tub?"
Hearing this, Steward Chen knew Ye Chutang wanted to search for the young master's remains.
In his view, it was sheer fantasy!
But he didn't dare say it aloud. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
"No birthmarks, and no distinguishing features."
Jinzhi said angrily, "You're lying! You didn't even look carefully!"
She turned to Ye Chutang. "Miss, the young master had a birthmark shaped like a gold ingot on his back shoulder. The small cotton quilt that wrapped him also had a rather clumsily embroidered character 'Ning'."
The quilts were personally sewn by Tang Wanning. For comfort, they initially had no embroidery.
Once, while checking accounts at a shop, she encountered troublemakers. Not only was her wrist injured, but she also suffered a threatened miscarriage.
Enduring the pain, she embroidered the character "Ning" on both small quilts.
It was both the "Ning" from Tang Wanning and the "Ning" from the wish for "happiness, longevity, health, and peace."
After listening, Ye Chutang couldn't help but wonder: Could it perhaps be the "Ning" from Song Jingning?
