Chapter 1: Old Tales

Chapter 1: Old Tales

This winter is unusually harsh. Just after the winter solstice, thick snow has already blanketed the ground, turning the world into a pristine white landscape.

In the courtyard of the Lu residence, maids dressed in pea-green vests are sweeping the snow, their steps light and graceful. Against the backdrop of the blooming plum blossoms, the scene is quite picturesque.

Sitting in the inner hall, Lady Cui averts her gaze and puts down her teacup, unable to hide her impatience. "Has Madam Jiang Wanrou risen yet?" she asks.

She arrived at the residence at seven in the morning, and after three cups of hot tea, her belt feels tight from the tea. Yet, the hostess she came to visit has yet to appear. In the past, as the legitimate wife of the Minister of Personnel, she would never have tolerated such cold treatment. But times have changed, and the person she is visiting is no ordinary woman—she is Jiang Wanrou, the wife of Lu Feng, the Commander of the Forbidden Dragon Bureau.

The dynasty has only been established for just over twenty years. The previous emperor was debauched and indulged in pleasures, neglecting state affairs. Following his example, officials became corrupt and fattened themselves at the expense of the people. Learning from history, the current emperor, upon ascending the throne, put an end to the extravagance of the previous dynasty and established the Forbidden Dragon Bureau above all officials. This bureau, directly under the emperor's command, serves as his eyes and ears, monitoring all officials and granted the authority to act first and report later.

The position of Commander is of paramount importance. After much deliberation, the emperor finally chose Lu Feng, the eldest son of Duke Lu.

Duke Lu is one of the founding heroes of the dynasty and shares a brotherly bond with the emperor. Lu Feng, benefiting from his father's influence, grew up in the emperor's court. The emperor even once drunkenly called him "half my son," a testament to the emperor's trust and favor.

The former Chief Grand Secretary, Hu Liangyu, harbored a deep-seated hatred for Lu Feng and repeatedly submitted memorials to impeach him as a "treacherous minister," hoping to "purge the emperor's side." However, in the autumn of this year, Lu Feng instead accused Hu of "colluding with the enemy," resulting in the execution of Hu's entire family of over three hundred people by the Forbidden Dragon Guards. The blood at the execution ground seeped into the earth, and the stench of blood lingers to this day.

Since then, all officials in the court have been submissive, and no one dares to oppose him.

With such a powerful husband, Jiang Wanrou, even if she were to put on airs, no one would dare to utter a word. After all, a wife's status is elevated by her husband's position. The once lowly concubine who was ordered around by the main wife is now someone who must be invited with great effort, and even then, she might not deign to meet.

A maid glances at Lady Cui and replies sweetly, "Madam is of such high status, how could a lowly servant like me dare to rush her? Please be patient."

The words are quite impolite, almost directly implying that Lady Cui's status is not high enough and that the Lu residence's threshold is too high for her. Lady Cui's face darkens, but after years of navigating the inner chambers, she suppresses her displeasure and forces a smile. "You're right, you're right."

She lowers her head and takes a small sip of tea. Beneath her wide sleeves, her fingertips turn white from gripping too tightly.

As if on cue, just as the maid finishes speaking, the sound of jade beads clinking echoes as a stunningly beautiful woman, accompanied by five or six maids, gracefully walks in.

This beautiful woman has skin as white and smooth as if it could be squeezed to produce creamy milk. Her voluptuous figure is wrapped in a crimson cloud-patterned, gold-threaded soft silk robe, the luxurious fabric stretched taut over her full bosom. She exudes the allure of a ripe lychee, dripping with sweet juice, radiating the decadent charm of a mature beauty.

"I'm late, my apologies," Jiang Wanrou says with a gentle smile. She is nearly a decade younger than Lady Cui and should, by custom, offer a junior's greeting. However, due to Lu Feng's special position, even members of the royal family dare not accept her full courtesy. Thus, she merely nods with a smile and gracefully takes her seat.

Lady Cui snaps out of her daze. Although it's not her first time seeing Jiang Wanrou, she is still dazzled by the woman's snow-white skin.

In this era, "slenderness" is considered beautiful, and Jiang Wanrou clearly does not fit the mainstream aesthetic, even being described as "plump." Yet, no one who sees her can honestly say she is not beautiful. Her towering black hair is as dense as lacquer, her lips naturally red without the need for rouge, and her eyes, like spring water, shimmer with amorous charm.

Beautiful as she is, she exudes a worldly, sensual aura, more like a concubine who relies on her looks to please rather than a dignified and virtuous main wife.

Lady Cui hides the disdain in her eyes and quickly rises to greet her.

"Not at all, not at all. It's my bad timing, disturbing your rest, Madam. Please don't blame me."

Under someone else's roof, one must bow their head. Today, Lady Cui has a favor to ask, so naturally, she maintains a cordial demeanor. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jiang Wanrou turns to a maid and instructs, "The peach blossom pastries from the small kitchen are still warm. Bring some for Lady Cui to try."

"Yes," the maid replies, bowing her head and retreating, showing none of the earlier arrogance.

Lady Cui's mind stirs. Having spent over a decade in the inner chambers, she is all too familiar with the intricacies of such environments. Managing servants is both easy and difficult. To put it bluntly, even animals have their moments of frolic, let alone living people. The inner courtyard is filled with girls in their late teens, and the monotonous task of sweeping can easily lead to playful banter.

Yet, as she walked through the Lu residence earlier, she observed that all the servants moved with precision, and the only sound was the soft rustling of brooms sweeping snow. The snow has been falling for several days, and the maids have had to rise an hour earlier to clear it. Naturally, they would feel resentful. In her own residence, she turns a blind eye to the laziness and slacking off, but the maids in the Lu residence are all diligently working, well-versed in propriety.

The only one who had been slightly out of line earlier now behaves like a docile kitten in front of Jiang Wanrou.

It seems this Commander's wife has some tricks up her sleeve.

Lady Cui steadies her mind, her eyes flickering slightly, and says, "How is the young master? I heard he often suffers from convulsions and excessive sweating. My residence happens to have a renowned pediatrician who specializes in such conditions. If Madam doesn't mind, could he take a look?"

Lu Feng's only legitimate son is frail and sickly, which is no secret in the capital. Others say his violent ways have brought retribution upon his offspring.

Those trying to curry favor with Lu Feng are as numerous as fish in a river, but unfortunately, Commander Lu is hard to get an audience with. Thus, some have turned their attention to the inner chambers. Jiang Wanrou has already received dozens of prescriptions and seven or eight so-called "medical sages" this month. Therefore, she just smiled politely at Lady Cui's overtures, saying, "That would be wonderful, thank you, Lady Cui."

She did not continue the conversation, instead picking up the tea lid to skim the foam on the surface, leaning back lazily on the brocade-covered pearwood chair.

Jiang Wanrou had made her wait through three cups of tea, not because she had just woken up. Lu Feng had to attend to his duties at the emperor's side at dawn, so she had, as usual, risen early to help him dress and freshen up, then went to pay her respects to the family matriarch at Chunhui Hall, before returning to take care of Huai Yi's breakfast. After such a hectic hour, she hadn't even had a sip of water before meeting her guest.

She wasn't well acquainted with Lady Cui, and seeing her ramble without getting to the point, Jiang Wanrou took a sip of hot tea to moisten her throat and directly asked, "What brings Lady Cui here today?"

"..."

Lady Cui then let out a bitter laugh, her face filled with sorrow.

"To my shame, today I'm throwing away all pride to beg Madam... to put in a good word for my husband!"

She prided herself on her dignity, but today she was willing to lower herself to seek help from a younger acquaintance, truly at her wit's end, treating a dead horse as if it could still run.

Due to the case of Prince Gong, the capital has been on edge recently, with everyone fearing for their safety.

Prince Gong is the current emperor's fourth son, whose mother had been with the emperor since his days in the palace and was later ennobled as a consort, enjoying continuous imperial favor. The emperor has reigned for over twenty years, and since the death of the former empress, the position of empress has been vacant, and the crown prince has not been decided. Prince Gong, known for his gentleness and frugality, has handled several cases that pleased the emperor, showing potential to ascend to the position of crown prince. Who would have thought that earlier this winter, a case of illegal iron casting in the south would implicate Prince Gong.

Illegal iron casting has always been a serious crime, especially for someone of Prince Gong's status. Now that the emperor is in his prime years, with the youngest prince just a month old, how could he tolerate others sleeping soundly under his watch? The emperor was instantly enraged and, bypassing the Grand Court of Judicial Review, handed the case directly to the Forbidden Dragon Bureau. The members of the Forbidden Dragon Bureau are ruthless, especially since Lu Feng took power, becoming even more brutal. He has reinstated ancient tortures such as flaying, boiling, combing, and dismemberment, his methods so cruel that they strike fear into everyone.

Prince Gong is of royal lineage, and even the arrogant Lu Feng wouldn't dare to subject him to severe torture, but the officials beneath him are a different story. As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. In recent months, countless officials have been taken away for questioning because of this case. In the morning, they might be wearing their official hats with dignity, but by evening, they could be disheveled and imprisoned.

Seeing that the investigation was about to reach the Ministry of Personnel, the Minister of Personnel tried every trick in the book but couldn't even get a meeting with Lu Feng. In desperation, he thought of taking the "backdoor" route through the inner chambers.

Lady Cui was also desperate, and at the height of her sorrow, she actually broke down in tears in front of Jiang Wanrou, a younger woman, making the situation awkward.

But since Lu Feng came to power, Lady Cui was not the first to come begging to her, nor would she be the last. Jiang Wanrou had seen such scenes many times and was now adept at handling them. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she leaned quietly against the back of the chair, her right hand subtly massaging her aching waist.

Her personal maid, Cuizhu, seeing this, quietly stepped out and placed a golden silk cushion behind her. Jiang Wanrou leaned back on it, comfortably closing her eyes.

Since Lu Feng fell from his horse and broke his leg five years ago, the once steady and reserved young master Lu had become unpredictable. Later, when he took charge of the Forbidden Dragon Bureau and employed harsh punishments, his temperament became even more sinister and ruthless. Outside, he was the tyrannical Commander Lu, but inside... he was also indiscriminate. Her skin was fair and delicate, and when he was in the mood, the bed curtains often bore traces of blood. Even though she had borne him Huai Yi, she had never received his tenderness.

At night, she tirelessly attended to his rest, and in the morning, she rose early to help him dress and freshen up. After taking care of the elder, there was the younger; Huai Yi was frail from birth and now at a mischievous age, he wouldn't eat properly unless she watched him. After finally settling both father and son, at this hour, she should have been having a snack and taking a nap, not listening to Lady Cui's ramblings.

As Lady Cui wept and complained, she secretly observed Jiang Wanrou's expression, seeing her comfortably leaning on the cushion and picking up a piece of cheese from the plate, appearing completely at ease. In contrast, she herself was in disarray, feeling both ashamed and angry.

She hastily wiped away her tears and said through gritted teeth, "I must be a joke to Madam. But today, I have come with all sincerity."

"Oh?"

Jiang Wanrou shifted her position, massaging her waist. She had heard such lines so many times that they no longer fazed her. She slowly swallowed the cheese and took the damp cloth handed by Cuizhu, meticulously wiping her slender fingers.

"What do you mean by that?"

Lady Cui glanced around and lowered her voice, "Madam, do you remember the spring of the fifteenth year of Tianhua?"

The smile on Jiang Wanrou's lips froze.

Of course, she remembered. In the fifteenth year of Tianhua, the spring was unusually cold, the chill seeming to seep into the very bones. In the midst of a dreary rain, she had worn an ill-fitting wedding dress, standing in for her elder sister, and was carried into the Duke's mansion.

That same year, her elder sister Jiang Wanxue entered the residence of Prince Gong, was ennobled as a first-rank princess, and was recorded in the royal jade register.

...

Jiang Wanrou lowered her gaze, staring at her long nails painted with vibrant balsam juice. After a long while, she softly said, "Why bring up such old matters?"