Looking forward to the spring breeze

Chapter 34

After everyone had left that evening, the Third Madam stayed behind and complained to the Second Madam for a long time. She said, "Second Sister-in-law, you know that our Weiqing is not like Weiyuan. He has been studying for so many years and his head has become dull. He will never be able to practice martial arts. Even if my husband finds him an official position in the future, I am afraid he will not be capable of handling it. But he is too ambitious and always thinks he is very capable. He is eager to make a name for himself and refuses to get married. As he gets older and there are fewer and fewer young ladies of marriageable age, I am really worried sick. I had to ask around a lot of people to find this Miss Zhou. Although she is not very beautiful, she is good at managing a household. Wouldn't she be a perfect match for Weiqing?"

She had one more thing she didn't say: the Zhou family only had this one daughter, so her dowry would surely be substantial when she married into the family. The Second Madam was well aware of this, but she kept it to herself. Just as she was about to offer a few more words of comfort, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind, and she suddenly understood. However, worried that the Third Madam wouldn't agree, she thought for a moment before gently and cautiously bringing it up to the Third Madam. After saying this, she quickly added, "I was just saying. If you feel it's inappropriate, then let it go. Please don't take it to heart."

Upon hearing this, the Third Madam fell into deep thought. After a while, she hesitated and said to the Second Madam, "I can't make the decision on this matter. I'll talk to my husband about it later. If he thinks it's appropriate, we can bring it up again."

Seeing that her expression seemed to soften, the second wife was also delighted and said with a smile, "Of course, this important matter of marriage should be decided by the third master."

That evening, the Third Madam returned to the manor and told the Third Master about the matter. Upon hearing it, the Third Master was immediately annoyed and said angrily, "That's utter nonsense! How could our Weiqing marry a princess?"

The Third Madam said anxiously, "Why not? It's not that I'm trying to belittle my son, but please tell me the truth, does Weiqing really have the abilities of the Fifth Young Master of the Second Branch? The Cui family has produced Cui Weiyuan in this generation; who else among the younger generation can compare to him? Now the court is suppressing aristocratic families, and with Weiyuan holding them back, our Weiqing will never be able to rise above his station. In that case, why not let him marry a princess? At least he can get a title, which is better than being locked up in the mansion for the rest of his life!"

Third Master was speechless for a moment. He thought for a long time but couldn't think of anything to refute it. He just muttered with a straight face, "Anyway, my son can't marry a princess. I can't afford to lose face like that."

The Third Madam roared, "How is it a disgrace to you? How is a princess unworthy of your son? This Fourth Princess is known for her gentleness and virtue, and Consort Sun is easy to talk to. If it weren't for the mourning period for the late Emperor, do you think this matter would have fallen to our Weiqing?" Seeing that the Third Master remained stubborn, the Third Madam was so angry that she wanted to curse. She simply disregarded all sense of propriety, sat down on the ground, and began to wail, crying and cursing the Third Master for being incompetent, and also lamenting her own misfortune...

The Third Master's head was throbbing from her nagging. After rubbing it for a long time, he finally couldn't help but compromise and said, "Let's discuss this matter again. After all, the Fourth Princess is still in mourning, so there's no rush."

Seeing that his tone had softened, the third wife knew there was hope, so she quickly wiped away her tears, wiped her face, and continued to persuade him.

72 Planning

As Youtong reached the courtyard gate, she heard a scream and was immediately startled. Just as she was about to rush into the house, she saw a figure dart out of the courtyard, fleeing in panic as if some demon or monster was following behind. It was none other than Xu Cong. Upon seeing Youtong, Xu Cong's face immediately showed a pleading expression, and he said anxiously, "Sister-in-law, my brother has gone mad! You have to save him!"

As they were talking, Xu Wei had already chased after them. Hearing Xu Cong complaining to You Tong, his originally menacing face immediately broke into a smile. He glared fiercely at Xu Cong while leaning close to You Tong and saying with a grin, "This kid is asking for it. I was just trying to scare him." As he spoke, he glared at Xu Cong again.

Xu Cong was terrified by his tyranny and dared not utter a sound. He pouted and said to You Tong with a wronged expression, "Sister-in-law, I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first." As if afraid that You Tong would ask him questions, he slipped away as fast as he could.

Seeing Xu Wei dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, drenched in sweat, You Tong immediately understood what was happening. She said nothing, but inwardly sighed. Given Xu Wei's personality, it was no wonder he was feeling restless staying cooped up in his residence every day. But there were no suitable vacancies in the court; they couldn't very well send a great general to serve as a mere colonel in the army.

Back inside, the two chatted for a while before Youtong realized that Xu Wei hadn't eaten dinner yet. She quickly went to the kitchen and made two side dishes, coaxing him to eat. After he finished eating, she took him for a few laps around the yard to digest. The conversation inevitably turned to the Cui family's trivial matters, which Xu Wei listened attentively without saying a word.

That very night, the weather in the capital changed dramatically. The next morning, snow began to fall heavily. Master Xu and Xu Cong had to go to the yamen early in the morning, complaining bitterly. Xu Wei, cuddling his wife in the warm quilt, suddenly felt that staying at home like this might not be such a bad thing after all.

A few days later, Chen Taifu's mansion was going to hold a plum blossom appreciation party, and they sent out invitations politely. Xu Wei never liked attending such gatherings, so he was a little lazy and didn't want to go out. However, You Tong was unusual this time. She started dressing up early and had a smile on her face, but the smile looked a little strange.

Xu Wei knew her personality. Apart from being close to Wen Yan, she only occasionally went to the palace to talk to the Grand Princess. Even if other powerful families sent invitations, she would decline them if possible. Today, she was suddenly so interested, and he absolutely refused to believe that she didn't have some ulterior motive. So, he couldn't help but start thinking about it, glancing at her as he pondered, until You Tong, having changed her clothes, glared at him, "Why haven't you changed your clothes yet?"

Xu Wei asked in surprise, "I'm going too?"

You Tong came over with a smile, took his hand, and looked at him with her eyes crinkled, "How could we miss such a good show?"

Xu Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly understood something. He frowned, and after a long while, he asked, "Have you thought it through?"

“Of course.” You Tong turned her face away from him, a faint stern look in her eyes. Xu Wei sighed inwardly, reached out and hugged her, kissed her cheek, and whispered, “Okay, let’s go together.”

Grand Tutor Chen was the tutor of the late emperor. Although the late emperor has passed away, the Grand Princess still treats the Chen family with great respect. Therefore, a large number of people came to support the Plum Blossom Gathering. It was previously rumored that the person who was being discussed for marriage with the Shen family was Grand Tutor Chen's granddaughter, so You Tong guessed that Shen San would definitely be present.

The Third Princess had arrived long ago. When she saw Youtong enter the room, her face lit up with joy. She wanted to come over and greet her, but then she remembered what Youtong had told her beforehand, so she held back and secretly gave her a wink. Youtong remained silent, smiled slightly, and turned to speak quietly to Xu Wei.

Most of the women were in the inner courtyard. Xu Wei chatted with a group of military officers, while You Tong went to the back courtyard to talk with the ladies and young women of the Chen family. As You Tong expected, Shen San arrived shortly afterward. Unexpectedly, in addition to him, the eldest son of the Shen family, who rarely went out for social events, also arrived.

To be honest, Xu Wei had a rather favorable impression of this eldest son. When he visited the Shen residence last time, the two had chatted for a while and found they truly shared similar interests, a feeling that it was rare to find a kindred spirit. The two met again and naturally had a lot to talk about. Shen San listened silently from the side, not saying much.

As they were talking animatedly, Xu Wei suddenly noticed a figure flash past the doorway. His brow furrowed slightly, and Shen San abruptly stood up, his face filled with surprise, his eyes fixed on the courtyard, his mouth slightly agape, seemingly both shocked and terrified. The eldest son also sensed something was amiss, raising an eyebrow and asking in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"

It took Shen San a while to react. He muttered, "It's nothing, I must have misread it." After saying that, he lowered his head and looked around at himself, somewhat at a loss. He whispered, "It's a bit stuffy in this room. I'll go for a walk." With that, he ignored the young master and went straight out the door.

Xu Wei had glanced at You Tong's plan that day and naturally knew what was going on. He watched helplessly as You Tong left and quickly disappeared at the other end of the courtyard. He couldn't help but sigh, then lowered his head, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp. The eldest young master's deep gaze lingered on his face. After thinking for a moment, he ultimately didn't ask anything.

In the inner courtyard, the women were chatting about trivial matters in the capital. You Tong wasn't familiar with them and couldn't join in, so she just listened quietly and dignifiedly with a faint smile. The Third Princess, on the other hand, seemed somewhat restless. Her hands were tightly clenched, and her two thumbs were fidgeting with each other, causing the flower juice on her nail polish to fade, but she didn't notice.

Because the Chen and Shen families were discussing marriage, everyone couldn't help but tease the Chen family's young lady, making her blush bright red. The Third Princess, watching, wasn't angry, but a gloomy, cold smile remained on her face. When a maid came to serve tea and snacks, the Third Princess suddenly stood up, elbowing the tray the maid was carrying, spilling tea all over herself.

The third princess was immediately annoyed. She stood up angrily and shouted, "Are you blind?"

Knowing the princess's temper, Madam Chen was afraid she would throw a tantrum and cause a scene, so she quickly stepped in to smooth things over. She first scolded the maid a few times, then ordered servants to help the Third Princess change her clothes. She had expected the Third Princess to make a huge scene, but to her surprise, she was surprisingly agreeable today. She patted her clothes and said impatiently, "Fine, fine, I'll go change." However, she couldn't help but mutter a few complaints under her breath.

Madam Chen quickly instructed Miss Chen to lead the Third Princess to the backyard, but the Third Princess sneered, "What, are you afraid I'll steal the spotlight by choosing a gorgeous dress?"

Madam Chen looked slightly embarrassed, but forced a smile and said, "Your Highness, you're joking." As she spoke, she winked at Miss Chen, who quickly smiled and said, "The Third Princess is incredibly beautiful; even with messy hair, her beauty cannot be concealed. We dare not compare ourselves to you. Last time, my elder brother brought over a colorful brocade robe with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix from Hangzhou, but I couldn't quite pull off that elegant and noble look. It's still brand new, so why don't you change into that one, Your Highness?"

The Third Princess coldly replied, "I know what I'm doing; you don't need to worry about it." With that, she ignored her and turned to head towards Miss Chen's boudoir. The palace maids who had accompanied her followed her, jogging after her. Miss Chen, taken aback by her sudden rebuke, froze on her smile. She glanced at Madam Chen, unsure whether to continue following her.

Seeing the Third Princess's rudeness towards her daughter, Madam Chen was somewhat annoyed. She simply shook her head at her and called a maid to follow. As You Tong watched their figures disappear at the end of the corridor, a faint smile appeared on her lips. She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and savored the fragrant aroma.

The Third Princess was gone for almost half an hour, and the crowd gradually felt that something was wrong. Some people even started whispering among themselves. Madam Chen looked uneasy, but there were too many guests in the room for her to go and check on things herself. However, she felt a heavy weight in her heart, as if something was amiss.

Just as she was lost in thought, the maid who had gone with the Third Princess to change clothes ran back in a panic. Ignoring what others were thinking, she quickly whispered something in Madam Chen's ear. Upon hearing this, Madam Chen's face turned pale, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes. She clenched her fists tightly and it took her a long time to suppress her anger. Gritting her teeth, she forced a smile and said to everyone, "Please continue your conversation. I'll go check on the kitchen."

Having said that, she nodded stiffly to everyone, got up, and hurried out. Miss Chen saw that her mother's expression was off, and knew that something serious must have happened to the Third Princess. A sense of unease welled up in her heart, and the smile on her face began to become insincere.

Not only Miss Chen, but everyone was a sensible person, and they all guessed that something had happened. As soon as Madam Chen left, everyone started discussing it like a pot boiling over. Some people even asked You Tong to guess what had happened. You Tong just shook her head and chuckled, "Since Madam Chen said she went to the kitchen, then something must have happened in the kitchen. I dare not guess."

Seeing how shrewd she was, the man knew she was not easy to deal with, so he smiled and said nothing more.

Inside the boudoir, the Third Princess was already sobbing uncontrollably, snatching the sword from Shen San's waist and determined to kill him. Shen San remained silent, his head bowed, lost in thought. The palace maids and servants nearby, fearing a fatality, desperately tried to restrain the Third Princess, pleading with her. Madam Chen's face was ashen; she glared fiercely at Shen San, wanting to say something, but her mind was blank, and she didn't know what to say. After a long while, she finally managed to weakly instruct, "Go and fetch the Eldest Young Master. Remember, do not disturb anyone else."

The maid responded softly and hurried off to the front yard.

73. Success

When the maid came to invite the eldest young master, Xu Wei already knew that things had developed perfectly as You Tong had predicted. He thought that Shen San had schemed and plotted all for the sake of getting ahead, but in the end, he still failed. Ironically, he was ruined by his last bit of guilt.

You Tong's plan wasn't particularly ingenious; its brilliance lay in her understanding of Shen San. This man was ruthless yet indecisive. Bai Ling had died because of him, and Shen San inevitably felt guilty and uneasy. So, when someone disguised as Bai Ling flashed past him, Shen San lost his mind and chased after them all the way to the embroidered pavilion, falling into the trap that You Tong had already set.

Xu Wei finished his tea, no longer concerned with how the eldest son would handle the matter, and asked the absent-minded maid beside him, "May I ask you to invite my mistress over? It's getting late, it's time to take my leave."

A short while later, the maidservant brought Youtong over. The two politely bid farewell to Grand Tutor Chen and boarded the carriage to go home.

"Was it enjoyable?" Xu Wei asked, his tone somewhat strange.

You Tong gave a weak "hmm," then suddenly leaned into Xu Wei's arms, frowning and saying sullenly, "Tell me, I've been plotting revenge for so long, and now that I've finally succeeded, why don't I feel any joy at all?"

“Perhaps it’s because—” Xu Wei frowned and thought for a long time before slowly replying, “Perhaps it’s because you don’t hate him as much anymore.” Or perhaps it was because she had used the deceased Bai Ling that she felt uneasy, an unease that even surpassed her excitement at having avenged her great enemy, making it impossible for her to be happy.

Regardless of how the Shen family found out about this matter, the next day, all sorts of rumors began to circulate in the capital, speculating about what had happened in the embroidery pavilion that day. Although the Chen family remained tight-lipped, discerning people could still guess the reasons why the marriage between the Shen and Chen families had fallen through. What no one knew was that You Tong was also behind this affair.

This matter could be kept secret from others, but not from the Grand Princess and the young Emperor. The Grand Princess was one thing, at most she would complain a few words about her audacity, but the young Emperor was not so easily fooled. You Tong deliberately avoided him, but in the end she couldn't escape him. One morning, he actually came to her door.

He claimed he came to spar with Xu Wei, but upon entering, he brazenly approached You Tong, dismissed the servants, and looked at her with a smile, saying, "Madam Shen went to the palace yesterday, apologized to Consort Mi, and made a promise that she would marry the Third Princess once her mourning period was over."

You Tong pretended to be stupid and said with a smile, "The third young master of the Shen family is handsome and elegant. The third princess is very lucky."

Seeing that she was pretending to be stupid, the young emperor was neither anxious nor angry, and said again, "Do you think if I send someone to explain the truth to the Shen family, the third young master of Shen will be so angry that he will come knocking on our door?"

You Tong said, "Your Majesty, you are really joking. What does this have to do with me? Besides, this is a joyous occasion. The Third Young Master is probably too busy trying to please the Princess to be here at our Xu residence."

Seeing that You Tong remained unmoved and wouldn't budge no matter what, the young emperor finally gave up. His eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Fine, if you won't help me, I'll go and kill her myself. She's just an old nanny; surely she can't be stronger than me, can she?" With that, he got up to leave.

Seeing the genuine impulsiveness on his face, You Tong's heart tightened. After a slight hesitation, she finally chased after him, grabbed him, and dragged him into the house. A triumphant smile immediately appeared on the little emperor's lips, but he quickly frowned and put on a sad face.

"Your Majesty—" You Tong thought for a moment, carefully considering how to phrase her words so that he would understand, "That Granny Zhou is the Empress Dowager's confidante. If she really dies under mysterious circumstances, do you think the Empress Dowager will let it go? No matter how discreetly you try to avoid it, you will inevitably leave some clues. What will you do if they find out later?"

The young emperor said angrily, "Am I just supposed to stand by and watch her continue to act arrogantly? She's just a lowly servant. Am I not even able to deal with a servant? If that's the case, what's the point of me being an emperor?"

"Your Majesty!" You Tong's voice suddenly carried a hint of anger as she said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."

The young emperor immediately realized that what he had just said was too absurd, and his face turned somewhat embarrassed. He said in a low voice, "I was just saying."

You Tong glanced at him helplessly, shook her head, and said, "His Majesty's words are law and should not be spoken carelessly. This matter—" She hesitated for a while before continuing softly, "When I was young, I loved reading military books. There was a story in one of them: Duke Huan wanted to attack Kuai, so he had an altar set up and listed the names of Kuai's virtuous ministers below it, promising great rewards for those who spoke of them. The ruler of Kuai was furious and killed all the virtuous ministers. Before long, Kuai was destroyed."

The young emperor stared at her with wide eyes, his expression shifting between light and shadow. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he instantly understood You Tong's meaning. He couldn't help but grin happily, saying, "Then...then the Empress Dowager is essentially the ruler of Kuai Kingdom, and Granny Zhou—haha, I understand. But—how can we make the Empress Dowager believe that Granny Zhou has ulterior motives?"

You Tong thought that since she had already come up with a solution, one or two more words wouldn't make a difference. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Your Majesty, who do you think is the Empress Dowager's greatest enemy in the palace?"

Without hesitation, the young emperor replied, "Of course! I understand!" His eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously, as if suddenly realizing something. "As long as the Empress Dowager mistakenly believes that Granny Zhou has sided with my aunt, she will naturally not tolerate Granny Zhou's life without me having to lift a finger." Over the years, Granny Zhou has done countless despicable things for the Empress Dowager in private. If she knew that Granny Zhou had sided with the Grand Princess, the Empress Dowager would probably be restless and uneasy.

The young emperor suddenly bowed solemnly to You Tong, who was so startled that she quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Your Majesty, what are you doing? You're making me feel terrible."

The young emperor's face was solemn as he solemnly said, "If this matter succeeds, you will have done me a great favor. If you ever ask for anything in the future, I will grant it."

You Tong refused, shaking her head and saying, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? I don't understand. I only told you a story today, how dare I take credit for it?"

The young emperor didn't insist; he just smiled at her, waved goodbye, and returned to the palace contentedly.

As soon as the young emperor left, You Tong's headache returned. Xu Wei had specifically instructed her not to interfere in palace affairs, but now she had broken her promise. How was she going to explain this to him that night? She had considered playing dumb, but once the young emperor succeeded, news of Zhou Mama's affair would inevitably spread beyond the palace. Given Xu Wei's intelligence and his understanding of her, he would surely guess immediately that she was the one who had secretly intervened. Rather than stammering and struggling to explain later, it was better to be honest and straightforward now.

After a agonizing afternoon, You Tong finally decided to confess. As soon as Xu Wei returned, she lowered her head and told him everything that had happened. Xu Wei just smiled wryly, rubbed her head, and said helplessly, "I knew you were going to be deceived by His Majesty. If he were really that impulsive, why would he have dragged it out until now? He's just taking advantage of your soft heart."

You Tong was immediately depressed. She was always the one scheming against others, but now it was her turn to be schemed against. It has to be said that those who can become emperors are extraordinary. The Grand Princess was able to choose the young emperor from among the late emperor's many children to succeed him. How could he be a simple child like a blank sheet of paper?

Seeing Youtong so upset that she was pulling her hair out, Xu Wei, who had originally planned to scold her a bit more, couldn't bring himself to say it. He tenderly pulled her hand into his own and comforted her, "Don't be angry. Being schemed against by His Majesty isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, he owes you a favor, so he'll naturally have to repay it. From now on, you can walk around the palace with your head held high and no one will dare to stop you."

You Tong was amused by him and burst into laughter again. She gently punched his chest and said with a wry smile, "You just know how to joke."

Although Xu Wei didn't blame her, You Tong was determined not to meddle anymore and didn't go to the palace for several days. But news from the palace spread that Granny Zhou had drowned in the lake in the Imperial Garden after getting drunk. After all, she was just a servant, and even though she was the Empress Dowager's confidante, everyone only mentioned it briefly and didn't investigate further. But when You Tong heard this, she secretly marveled at how swift the young emperor was.

On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather finally cleared up, and Madam Xu took Youtong to the temple to burn incense. She said that she had made a vow at the temple before the New Year and now she had to go and fulfill it. She also said that the vegetarian noodles at the temple were extremely delicious, and Xu Wei would eat two large bowls every time he went there. Youtong didn't want to spoil her mood, and besides, she was idle at home anyway. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hit it off immediately and went to the temple to burn incense early in the morning.

With You Tong not at home, Xu Wei was also bored out of his mind. He grabbed a book and flipped through a few pages, but soon began to doze off. In his drowsy state, he heard a servant outside the door say, "Young Master, someone outside is requesting an audience."

"Who is it?" Xu Wei didn't even bother to open his eyes, and asked lazily while lying on the armchair, "It's not someone coming to ask me for a drink again, is it? Just tell them I'm not at home."

“No,” the servant whispered, “it’s a veiled woman who says she’s an old acquaintance of yours, from some Liufang Pavilion. I’ve never heard of her before. I was going to send her away, but she refused to leave and has been waiting at the door for ages.”

Xu Wei was still feeling dizzy. He vaguely felt that the name Liufang Pavilion sounded familiar. After thinking for a while, he suddenly jumped up from his chair and hurriedly said, "Ah, quickly invite her in. Hmm, take her to the flower hall first. I'll be there right away." After saying that, he remembered something else and asked nervously, "Did anyone else see her?"

The servant noticed Xu Wei's unusual reaction and was puzzled, but dared not ask. He quickly replied, "The woman was wearing a veil and had her head down. Although she was guarding the gate, no one else noticed her."

Xu Wei breathed a sigh of relief, waved for him to leave, and then quickly changed his clothes to greet his guest.

74 Misunderstandings

Xu Wei changed his clothes and rushed to the flower hall. Miss Cui Jiu was already sitting in the hall. When she saw him come in, she quickly got up and bowed to him. Before she could speak, tears streamed down her face.

"You—" Xu Wei was about to ask when he suddenly remembered the servants serving him and quickly dismissed them. The two maids exchanged glances, then looked at Xu Wei intently, their eyes revealing undisguised suspicion. Xu Wei was both amused and exasperated, but unable to explain himself, he simply waved his hand forcefully, dismissing them all.

Once only the two of them were left in the flower hall, Xu Wei asked seriously, "Miss Jiu, did you come all this way to see me? Has something happened at home?"

Cui Wenfeng's eyes were red, and she secretly wiped away her tears with her sleeve, saying, "Last night, some thugs came to the shop. They ate the food but refused to pay, and my husband got angry and fought with them, almost smashing the shop up. Unexpectedly, those thugs had connections. This morning, they gathered some constables and arrested my husband and took him to the yamen. I really had nowhere else to turn for help, so I thought of coming to you, General."

Seeing her face streaked with tears, Xu Wei felt a pang of guilt. After all, she was the rightful daughter of the Cui family, and now she was being bullied by thugs. How could he not feel ashamed? So he quickly comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, I'll go to the yamen right away and have them release her."

Seeing that he had spoken, Cui Wenfeng finally felt relieved after a morning of worry and quickly thanked Xu Wei. Afterwards, Xu Wei had a servant prepare a carriage, and the two went together to the Jingzhao government office.

As men and women are supposed to keep to themselves, Xu Wei had Cui Wenfeng ride in the carriage while he rode a horse. When they arrived at the gate of the yamen, just as he was about to lift the curtain to let Cui Wenfeng off the carriage, he suddenly heard someone behind him shout, "Brother Xu!"

Xu Wei was immediately in a bind when he recognized the person's voice.

"I saw you from afar, I thought I was seeing things." Wen Yan ran up to Xu Wei with a smile and asked, "Where's Ninth Sister? Is she in the carriage?" As she spoke, her hand reached for the carriage curtain. Xu Wei's heart tightened, afraid that she would see through his act. He instinctively stepped forward to block her, saying, "Your Ninth Sister isn't here?"

"Ninth Sister isn't here?" Wen Yan looked at him suspiciously, then turned to look at the carriage, her eyes filled with doubt. "Then who's in the carriage?" She was a young lady from a wealthy family and had heard many stories of powerful men taking mistresses. Seeing Xu Wei's panicked expression and his blocking her from seeing the person in the carriage, she immediately became suspicious and showed some displeasure.

Xu Wei dared not say more to her, and pulled her away with a smile, coaxing, "She's just a friend. We have to rush to the yamen for business. You should go back first, okay?" Then, he instructed the two maids behind Wen Yan, "Hurry up and take the tenth young lady back to the mansion. It's cold outside, don't let her catch a cold."

The more he tried to shoo her away, the more suspicious Wen Yan became. However, she was clever enough to know that if she insisted on finding out the truth, Xu Wei would definitely chase her away without a second thought. So, she took a few steps back with an indifferent attitude and muttered, "So stingy! If you don't want to look, then don't look. I'll leave. Be careful, or I'll tell Ninth Sister. See if you're still so rude to me then—" With that, she turned her head and started to walk back.

Xu Wei had just breathed a sigh of relief when, unexpectedly, Wen Yan lifted her foot and suddenly fell forward. Before he could react, Wen Yan had already lifted the curtain.