Сокровищница Цзянху

Глава 17

Huiying was worried that she might be upset about what happened during the day, so she waited outside and checked on her every now and then. Seeing this, Youtong simply let her in to make the bed, blew out the lamp, and prepared to sleep.

She had just lain down when she heard the wind rattling the windows again. She already had something on her mind, and the noise made it even harder for her to fall asleep, so she got up to close the windows.

As he reached the window and leaned out, he noticed a figure standing vaguely in the courtyard. Looking closer, he saw Cui Weiyuan standing silently in the center of the courtyard. The pale moonlight cast a long shadow of him, and the evening breeze occasionally blew by, sometimes lifting his hair and clothes, which fluttered in the wind. Under the quiet moonlight, he appeared utterly lonely.

You Tong stopped what she was doing and stared at it for a while before silently closing the window and going back to bed.

I slept without any dreams.

When I woke up, I heard Huiying and Huiqiao whispering, "Fifth Young Master got up really early. I just saw him in the courtyard."

You Tong sat on the bed, her eyes lowered, and unconsciously responded with an "Oh".

35. Meeting on a narrow path

News of what happened at the banquet that day inevitably spread, and soon the entire capital was abuzz with discussion again. Although the Cui family and Madam Xu confirmed Cui Jiu's identity, some doubts still lingered.

The most anxious one was the second young lady of the Cui family, who rushed over to the mansion the following afternoon to question her about the matter. But the second mistress was not someone she could easily manipulate; she dismissed her with a few words and then subtly reminded her that the Cui family's affairs were none of the business of outsiders, which made the second young lady so angry that she vomited blood.

To the Second Madam's surprise, Prince Zhuang did not send anyone. Instead, Madam Xu personally paid a visit, solemnly inviting an official matchmaker to discuss the marriage. The Xu family's match was so exceptional that it was hard to find a suitable marriage, so the Second Madam naturally had no reason to refuse. Moreover, the Ninth Miss had just broken off her engagement, which, in the eyes of others, had already damaged her reputation. The Xu family's proposal at this time was a significant gesture of respect to the Cui family.

The news of the engagement stirred up the bored people of the capital once again. Some talked about how deeply General Xu loved Miss Yu, while others said that Miss Cui had turned her fortunes around and unexpectedly found a good marriage. Naturally, some also brought up the previous rumors that Miss Cui was actually Miss Yu in disguise...

But You Tong could no longer hear about these things. On the afternoon of the second day after the banquet, before Madam Xu came to the mansion to propose marriage, the Second Madam sent the Ninth Miss to a villa outside the capital to recuperate, citing her "ill health".

You Tong guessed that it must have been the performance at the banquet that day that made the Second Madam hesitant, and that's why Gu specially sent her away. Little did she know that the Second Madam had only one reason for sending her away: Cui Weiyuan.

Ever since she vaguely noticed something amiss with Cui Weiyuan's expression that day, the Second Madam grew increasingly alarmed. She knew her son; if he didn't have feelings for her, why would he be so concerned about a woman with whom he had no blood relation? She was both anxious and angry, wishing she could immediately drive Youtong out of the manor. But Youtong wasn't someone she could simply dispose of with a word. Not only would Cui Weiyuan not allow it, but even the Second Master Cui would absolutely not permit it. After much deliberation, she decided that the only solution was to send her out of the manor first, to temporarily extinguish Cui Weiyuan's hopes.

Without even asking Cui Weiyuan's opinion, as soon as he went to the palace to take up his post, she immediately had Youtong pack her things and set off.

The Cui family owns several estates outside the city. The one that You Tong went to was the farthest and smallest from the capital, but it had a hot spring. Every year during the summer vacation, the Cui family patriarch and his sons would come to stay at the estate, so it was the most exquisitely built.

Because they had only set off in the afternoon, the journey was a bit rushed, and everyone in the manor was extremely busy with You Tong's departure. Apart from four maids, You Tong did not bring any other servants, but the Second Madam still ordered the servants to move most of You Tong's daily belongings onto the carriage. Judging from this, it seemed that she would not be summoned back until You Tong got married.

You Tong was still somewhat displeased. The Second Madam's actions were tantamount to crossing the river and burning the bridge. The debt of having been abducted to Longxi by Cui Weiyuan hadn't been settled yet, and now that he'd used her, he was starting to be wary of her. Did he really think she was a pushover, someone he could manipulate at will? Thinking of this, she suddenly turned back and gave the Second Madam a deep, cold, and sharp look.

The weather was already starting to get warm at the end of May, but the second wife couldn't help but shiver.

Because she left in such a hurry, she couldn't even notify Xu Wei. You Tong originally planned to leave a letter in the room so that Xu Wei could see it when he came over in the evening, but then she thought that the Second Madam would definitely send someone to clean the room, so she gave up on that idea.

After bidding a soft farewell to Wen Yan, You Tong and her four maids boarded the carriage and traveled eastward along the official road for nearly a hundred li to reach the Cui family's villa. It was unlikely they could arrive before dark.

Although Youtong only brought four maids with her, the Second Madam still sent four servants to escort her all the way. Even if Youtong is not the legitimate ninth young lady of the Cui family, judging from the way Madam Xu and Xu Wei acted yesterday, Youtong might very well become the Xu family's daughter-in-law in the future. If anything goes wrong, not only will Prince Zhuang not let it go, but the Xu family will probably not let it go either.

After a long and bumpy carriage ride of over an hour, everyone was exhausted. You Tong, having some martial arts skills, fared relatively better, but the maids, who hadn't suffered much hardship since entering the manor, were pale and bloodless from the jolting. Seeing this, You Tong instructed the driver to find a teahouse by the roadside to rest.

The coachman hesitated, "Ninth Miss, the Second Madam said—" Before he could finish speaking, he saw You Tong looking at him with a deep expression and a chilling gaze. A cold sweat broke out on his back, and he replied in a low voice, "Yes, yes, there is a teahouse not far ahead. Shall we rest here?"

You Tong coldly lowered the curtain, slowly leaned against the carriage wall, and half-closed her eyes as if asleep or awake, not knowing what she was thinking.

After a while, the carriage stopped. The coachman greeted her solicitously from outside, "Miss Jiu, we've arrived. Please get out and have some hot tea to relieve your fatigue."

You Tong nodded to the maids, and Hong Ye and Hong Yun got out of the carriage. Hui Ying took out a veiled hat from the drawer behind the seat and put it on You Tong, saying, "This is a remote mountain area, where people are not well-educated. Don't let anyone offend you."

You Tong paused, then immediately understood her meaning. This place wasn't far from the capital; it wasn't some remote, desolate area. Hui Ying was worried about encountering some shady men and being taken advantage of. Although they were being escorted by four servants, so safety wasn't a concern, it wouldn't be good if they were verbally assaulted.

It was called a teahouse, but it was really just a small tea stall with only three tables and an old man and a young boy serving guests. When the carriage stopped, the old man quickly came forward, his face beaming with smiles, and said, "Please sit down, esteemed guests." As he spoke, he picked up a rag and wiped the tables and chairs again, then quickly turned to the boy and said, "Erbao, what are you standing there for? Come and help us."

The boy named Erbao was about seven or eight years old, with a simple and honest appearance. The old man called him several times before he sheepishly took a few steps forward, but didn't come over, instead hiding behind a pillar to peek from afar. Seeing that he couldn't plaster the wall properly, the old man simply ignored him, only showing great enthusiasm to Youtong and her group. But what good stuff could there be at this desolate tea stall? They were only after a pot of hot water. Huiqiao took tea leaves and teaware from the cart and, using the hot water the old man had boiled, brewed a pot of Longjing tea for Youtong, filling the air with its fragrance.

"Hey girl, what kind of tea are you brewing? It smells amazing! Old man, hurry up and have someone brew us a pot!" A loud shout suddenly came from outside. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and their expressions changed slightly. A large group of soldiers had appeared outside. They were dressed neatly, but each of them looked fierce and didn't seem like a good person.

The old man quickly stepped forward and cautiously replied, "Sir, it's not that I don't want to make you tea, it's just that this tea isn't from the shop. As you know, we usually brew our own coarse tea, which is bitter and astringent, nothing like this fragrant tea."

Hongye chuckled, a hint of mockery in her voice. "A few taels of silver per pound? Are you dreaming? This top-quality pre-Qingming Longjing tea can't be bought for less than a hundred or eighty taels of silver? What a bumpkin!"

You Tong frowned slightly, a sense of displeasure rising in her heart. This Hongye was far less sensible than Huiying and Huiqiao, and even Hongyun was more mature than her. Aside from acting as the Second Madam's spy all day, she only knew how to cause trouble. Rather than keeping her by her side, she'd better find an opportunity to send her back to the manor, so at least she could give the Second Madam some trouble.

A thought crossed her mind, and she refrained from intervening. She picked up her teacup, half-lifted the veil beneath her hat, took a couple of sips, and waited to see how things would unfold. Sure enough, the old man just smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to respond. The soldiers, however, couldn't stand her arrogance and said sarcastically, "Oh, where did this young lady come from? She's really beautiful. It must be because she drinks hundreds of taels of Longjing tea every day."

Hongye's face hardened, and she was about to lash out when Hongyun quickly pulled her back and whispered, "Miss is still here, why are you making trouble?"

Hongye looked slightly displeased, glanced back at Youtong, and seeing that she didn't react, she felt more confident and muttered softly, "Are we just going to let them tease us like this?"

But the soldiers didn't give up. They continued to laugh and joke, harassing the group from time to time. You Tong remained silent, Hui Ying and Hui Qiao looked completely unconcerned, and Hong Yun kept her head down, making it impossible to discern her expression. Only Hong Ye's face was flushed red, and her fists were clenched tightly, as if she were about to rush over and start a fight with those people at any moment.

You Tong waited for a while, but Hong Ye didn't make any move. She knew that this matter couldn't be rushed, and now that they were in the middle of nowhere, if something really happened, it would be difficult to handle. Although she could protect herself, she would inevitably reveal her secrets, which was not worth it. After thinking for a moment, she got up and said, "Let's continue on our way."

The four maids quickly packed their belongings. Huiying stepped forward to lift the carriage curtain, while Huiqiao helped her walk back. They had only taken two steps when the soldier suddenly remembered something and called out, "Wait a moment?"

Soon a tall soldier rushed forward and shouted at You Tong and the others with a stern face, "Where did you come from? Where are you going?"

Everyone was taken aback. The servants who had already surrounded them quickly shielded You Tong and the others behind them and said first, "Sir, we are from the capital. Our head of the family is the Cui family of Longxi. This is the young lady of the manor. We are on our way to stay at the villa outside the city for a while."

"Are you from the Cui family?" The soldier's face showed interest as he sized up You Tong with a grin. Even through the gauze, it was still possible to vaguely see that she was a rare beauty. "Don't you have a Ninth Miss in your household? Isn't she pretty?"

"Bullshit—" His accomplice laughed loudly, "If Miss Ninth were pretty, would our lord have broken off the engagement? She must look like a shrew!"

"Nonsense, she's a lady from a respectable family, and she's still prettier than you. Besides, the adults have already said that he wanted to break off the engagement because he only has his sister-in-law in his heart, and it has nothing to do with that Ninth Miss. Don't talk nonsense and ruin that girl's reputation."

"That's right..."

"What are you all doing here!" A dignified voice suddenly rang out, and everyone immediately fell silent. Even the tall soldier who had just been questioning You Tong immediately stood up straight with his head held high.

Several maids looked in the direction of the sound, and Huiying and Huiqiao both let out a low gasp. Huiqiao's hand, which was supporting Youtong, tightened slightly.

Only You Tong remained motionless, neither stepping onto the bus nor turning around. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and exhaled deeply.

36. Refusing to meet

Others didn't recognize him, but Huiying and Huiqiao had seen Shen San once before when they accompanied Youtong to the street. Now that they suddenly saw him, their first reaction was to stand in front of Youtong and block Shen San's view.

Separated by two maids, Shen San couldn't see You Tong's figure behind them at all, especially since she was wearing a veil, with a thin layer of gauze obscuring her view. Therefore, he merely glanced coldly at them before walking up to the group of soldiers and whispering a reprimand: "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because this isn't the capital. If I see such poor discipline again, you'll be punished with a beating."

The soldiers' faces changed color in unison, and they shouted, "Yes, sir!" Their military bearing immediately straightened, and they were no longer the scoundrels they had been before.

You Tong sneered inwardly, took Hui Ying's hand, and boarded the carriage without looking back. Hui Ying and Hui Qiao followed behind, while Hong Yun and Hong Ye boarded the smaller carriage behind. The group quickly left the teahouse, leaving only a trail of yellow dust.

After they had gone some distance, Shen Sancai told everyone to rest for a while and instructed the old man to brew several pots of hot tea. He had a very high reputation among the soldiers. Although he could be a bit intimidating when he had a stern face, once he relaxed, the soldiers liked to gather around him and joke. A few of the bolder ones came over with smiles, and one tall, thin soldier teased, "Boss, your standards are a bit too high. Everyone just saw it. Although Miss Cui was wearing a veil and we couldn't see her face, her figure and features were absolutely gorgeous. In ordinary families, they would beg for a marriage like that. But you just canceled the engagement like that, hurting that beauty's heart so much."

Upon hearing him mention the Ninth Miss Cui, a slight unease flickered across Shen San's face, his expression darkening, but he remained silent. He had left the city several days ago, and had been too busy to return to the capital, so he was completely unaware of the rumors circulating there, and thus knew nothing of the "mystery of the Ninth Miss Cui's identity."

"Seventh Brother, how do you know that was Miss Cui the Ninth? Have you met her before?" someone asked loudly. "She's a pampered young lady from a wealthy and noble family; she shouldn't be showing herself, should she?"

The tall, thin soldier chuckled and replied, "You country bumpkins, always stuck outside the city, how could you be as well-informed as me, the seventh brother? You don't know, do you? Yesterday, something terrible happened to the Cui family. Some madman popped up out of nowhere, insisting that the Ninth Miss is an imposter, naming her and making it sound so convincing. It's all over the capital. The Cui family only has two young ladies in the capital. At this time, who else but the Ninth Miss would leave the city to avoid trouble?"

Shen San frowned slightly, a sense of unease flashing through his mind for no apparent reason. He picked up his teacup and gulped down two mouthfuls, but instead of feeling better, he became even more irritable. This damn weather—it's only May, why is it already so hot and humid?

"Such a thing is true?" Everyone was astonished and asked in unison, "What did the Cui family say?" "Could it really be fake?" "They said it was someone from somewhere impersonating someone?"

It was rare for everyone to be so accommodating, so the tall, thin man was quite pleased with himself. He waved his hand and said, "What's the rush? What's the rush? Let me tell you all about it." With that, he vividly recounted the events of yesterday's banquet to everyone.

When he mentioned the imposter's name, something like "Yu Youtong," everyone's vision blurred. Looking up, they saw that Shen San, who had been sitting and drinking tea just moments before, was nowhere to be seen. On the table, only an empty teacup lay tilted and spinning...

After getting into the car, Youtong remained silent. Huiying and Huiqiao assumed that seeing Shen San reminded her of the broken engagement, causing her sadness and disappointment, and they couldn't help but sigh along with her. Because of Youtong's pale face, they dared not speak up to comfort her. Little did they know, while Youtong was indeed silent because of Shen San, it wasn't out of sadness for him, but rather because she was plotting how to cleverly lure Shen San into a trap.

The carriage hadn't gone far when they suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats not far behind them. The group assumed it was just someone passing by and paid no attention. Unexpectedly, the person suddenly rushed forward, blocking the carriage's path, and shouted, "Wait!"

The coachman was startled and jerked the reins, bringing the carriage to a near stop. The passengers were so shocked they nearly fell out. Huiying and Huiqiao turned pale and clung to the carriage wall for a long time, unable to recover. Youtong, however, recognized Shen San's voice outside. Her brows furrowed, and a mocking smile appeared on her face.

"How did you manage to catch the train?" Huiqiao finally came to her senses and shouted angrily at the outside.

The coachman, frantically trying to steer the carriage, replied aggrievedly, "Miss Huiqiao, this young master suddenly blocked the road ahead; I had no choice."

Huiqiao angrily flung open the curtain and shouted outside, "Who's being so unreasonable? Why are you all like this—" She stopped mid-sentence when she caught sight of Shen San's face, choked back abruptly, quickly lowered the curtain, and turned to Youtong in a panic, saying, "Miss, that Shen… Shen's third young master is here."

You Tong sneered, "I know." She paused, then said to her, "Go down and ask him what he wants. He's no longer the son-in-law of the Cui family; there's no need to give him a warm welcome."

Huiqiao clenched her fist excitedly, her face flushed, and said, "Don't worry, Miss, I will definitely make him pay." After saying that, she gritted her teeth and excitedly got off the carriage.

You Tong smiled encouragingly at her, then yawned and leaned against the carriage wall to doze off. Seeing her like this, Hui Ying really couldn't guess what she was thinking, and didn't dare to ask. She just held her breath and waited on the side, but her ears were perked up, carefully listening to how Hui Qiao was dealing with Shen San outside.

Their voices weren't loud, and with the wind blowing outside, Huiying listened for a while but couldn't make heads or tails of it. Just as she was about to peek through the curtain, she suddenly saw it move, and Huiqiao poked her head out angrily. She said to Youtong, "Miss, that Third Young Master Shen won't talk to me. He insists on seeing you. I told him I wouldn't see him, but he won't leave. Now he's blocking the carriage. What should we do?"

You Tong squinted as if she had fallen asleep. Hui Qiao waited for a while, and seeing that she didn't speak, she almost thought that she wouldn't respond. Just as she was about to turn around and argue with Shen San again, she suddenly heard You Tong's lazy voice: "It's alright, you can get in the carriage and rest. You must be tired after sitting in the carriage for so long. As for Young Master Shen, let him guard if he wants to. We'll talk about it after I've had enough sleep. Hmm, you can tell Old Li and the others to rest under the shade of the trees by the roadside. It's not too late to continue our journey when the sun isn't so strong."

Wouldn't that mean we'd have to wait until late at night to get to the estate? Huiqiao thought to herself, but she didn't dare to voice her advice. For some reason, even though this Ninth Miss was usually very amiable, they still felt a sense of awe towards her, as if her eyes were unfathomable and could see through everything, making them afraid to act recklessly in her presence.

Huiqiao carefully instructed the coachman and four servants outside. They seemed to have received prior instructions from the Second Madam, and had no objection to Youtong's decision. Without even asking a question, they bowed their heads in agreement and found a shady spot to rest. Except for Hongye occasionally peeking at Shen San through the curtain, the others ignored him.

They waited for nearly two hours. Shen San remained seated on his horse, enduring the scorching sun, unmoved, yet his expression remained unchanged.

Inside the carriage, Youtong finally woke up with a yawn, her eyes still sleepy, and asked, "Is he still outside?"

Huiqiao quickly replied, "That's right, we've been waiting for ages." Then, she said angrily, "Miss, do you think this Third Young Master Shen has lost his mind? The engagement has already been broken off, why is he still coming to see you? Does he think he hasn't humiliated us enough?"

You Tong smiled faintly: "Just reply to him like this."

Huiqiao hesitated for a moment, then reached to lift the curtain and get out of the carriage, but Youtong stopped her with a smile, "Say it in the carriage, speak louder."

Huiqiao nodded, cleared her throat, and shouted, "Third Young Master, you've already broken off the engagement, so why did you come all this way to see our young lady? Haven't you humiliated her enough? Being jilted was already shameful enough; our young lady couldn't even stay in the capital and had to hide in an estate outside. And you still think that's not enough? Our young lady is a very proper person; how could she speak so casually with a strange man? If word gets out, how will she ever be able to face anyone again?"

Shen San looked utterly defeated. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only said, "Miss Jiu, could you please let me explain?"

Huiqiao paused, turned to look at Youtong, and saw her shaking her head and smiling at her. She quickly added, "Third Young Master, please speak frankly. My young lady can hear you."

Shen San's face showed a helpless and frustrated expression. He wished he could rush forward immediately to lift the carriage curtain and pull You Tong out, but in the end he restrained himself and said in a low voice, "I have something I would like to say to Miss Jiu in private."

Huiqiao laughed and said, "Third Young Master, you are joking. Our Cui family's young lady is not the kind of unruly person like Miss Bai. It is already inappropriate for men and women to have physical contact. How can you, a young master from a noble family, make such an absurd and rude request? Do you really think our Cui family has no one to rely on?"

When Shen San heard him mention Bai Ling, a look of helplessness and resentment immediately appeared on his face. He knew that his request was extremely rude, but he had been thrown off balance by the sudden revelation of the truth and had only thought to chase after her without thinking. Now, after being ridiculed by Hui Qiao, he gradually calmed down and bowed to the people in the carriage to apologize, saying, "Indeed, I was rude and disturbed Miss Jiu. I will come to apologize again in the future. I hope Miss Jiu will forgive me." When he said the last two words, his voice suddenly became very low, and his tone carried a hint of pleading. Even Hui Ying and Hui Qiao noticed something was wrong and couldn't help but turn around to look at You Tong.

You Tong didn't instruct them to speak, and the two of them didn't dare to utter a sound, simply sitting quietly in the carriage. After a long while, You Tong suddenly spoke: "Young Master Shen, you flatter me."

Her voice was very soft, and there was no trace of joy or sorrow in her tone, but this one sentence suddenly calmed Shen San, who had been restless on horseback, and a look of relief finally appeared on his face.

Shen San rode his horse to the side of the road, where the grooms and servants who had been resting for a while got into the carriage. With a flick of the whip, the group quickly disappeared down the distant official road.

Inside the carriage, Youtong rubbed her face and said to Huiying, "Why didn't you wake me up? My face is sore from sleeping so long."

Huiying was both amused and exasperated. She had initially thought Youtong was just being mysterious, but she hadn't expected that Youtong would actually be able to sleep.

"Well, when Shen San comes to visit later—" You Tong smiled faintly, "you can make things difficult for him, then let him into the manor."

"Miss," Huiqiao said in surprise, "You didn't forgive him so easily, did you? This... after all, the engagement was called off, and it seems improper to continue seeing him. Although you're not in the capital now, it's still... better to be careful..." He was flustered by Youtong's gaze, and his words became hesitant, but he still managed to get them out.

You Tong smiled and said, "Why are you making such a fuss? He is, after all, the eldest son of the Shen family, and the entire Shen family stands behind him. Even if we dislike him, we can't go too far. Don't worry, the Third Young Master is a smart man and won't do anything as impulsive as he did today."

Besides, if he didn't come, how could she have set him up step by step...?

37-Villa Life

Just as Huiying had said, the carriage didn't arrive at the villa until late at night. Everyone was exhausted and just wanted to rest as soon as possible. However, the villa's headwoman was rather rude. Thinking that the Ninth Miss was an orphan with no one to rely on, she assumed she had been sent away by the manor and spoke to her rather impolitely, constantly muttering complaints about how they had troubled the villagers...

You Tong, with a sullen face, ignored her. Hui Ying and Hui Qiao were also tired and didn't want to argue with her. But Hong Ye was so angry that she jumped up and started cursing at the village head's wife. The village head's wife, taking advantage of their youth, immediately started crying and making a scene, causing chaos throughout the village.

You Tong wasn't in a hurry. She had Hui Ying bring over a chair and ordered a servant to make tea. As she sat and sipped her tea, she leisurely watched the village head's wife perform. The stewards of the manor were also summoned by Hui Qiao and formed a circle around her. Everyone stared at the village head's wife in the center of the circle with strange expressions.