Chapter 11 The Person in the Illusion is Third Young Master!

Chapter 11: The Man in the Vision Was Third Young Master!...

Yin Rou’s hand ached from Master Chen’s tight grip, his unpredictable expression twisting further in the flickering candlelight.

She sat on pins and needles, her unease growing. What if Master Chen truly believed Chu Yan’s accusations and took his anger out on Third Young Master?

She clenched her fingers. No—she couldn’t let Third Young Master be dragged into this.

"Master," Yin Rou called softly.

When Master Chen looked at her, she lowered her head deeply. "You came tonight... to accuse me, didn’t you?"

Her voice quivered with hurt, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. Her reddened nose gave a slight sniff, and Master Chen’s heart ached.

"What nonsense is this?"

"It is," Yin Rou lifted her damp, reddened eyes, tears clinging to her eyelashes as she accused softly, "You believed Ninth Yiniang’s words."

"I didn’t believe her. I knew you were wronged and wanted to stand up for you in front of you," Master Chen said dismissively, his hungry gaze fixated on the tear hanging beneath Yin Rou’s eye. His throat dried, and he leaned in to kiss her.

Yin Rou’s pupils shrank. She quickly turned away, resting her forehead against Master Chen’s shoulder, her heart racing as she struggled to get the words out. "You... you..."

Master Chen wasn’t angered. Instead, he chuckled, patting her back gently. "Are you angry with me?"

"I didn't know you could be so fragile."

His voice carried a sigh, his eyes crinkling with delight as if rejuvenated.

His precious one had been in his household for months now. He pitied her past, which was why he had indulged her. Today must have frightened her, making her depend on him so sweetly.

Yin Rou kept her head lowered. Master Chen’s words made her shudder, and his breath against her ear only intensified the nausea rising in her throat. She dug her fingernails into her palms, the pain the only thing stopping her from vomiting.

She trembled in Master Chen’s arms. "I know I’ve been spoiled, always taking advantage of your kindness. But Ninth Yiniang can’t accuse me like that. You saved my life—I remember, I know... I would never..."

She didn’t outright accuse but instead stammered like a child, voicing her complaints. How could Master Chen not feel for her? It was her innocence and delicacy he adored.

"That's enough, I understand."

Master Chen tried to pull her closer, but Yin Rou pulled away and retreated.

"You don’t," Yin Rou turned her head, her red-rimmed eyes looking away. "Where were you when I was being punished by Third Young Master?"

Master Chen studied her aggrieved little face. Yin Rou’s heart raced—she had to show dislike and anger toward Third Young Master to dispel Master Chen’s suspicions.

She tapped her foot lightly under her skirt, like a kitten showing defiance, before quickly withdrawing. She mumbled, "You punished Ninth Yiniang, but not him. He made me stand facing the wall for two hours for no reason."

Outside, Shu Yan, who had just reached the corridor, nearly burst with anger. This girl was truly ungrateful—if not for the young master’s intervention, her face might have been ruined.

What an ungrateful wretch.

He knocked loudly on the door.

Yin Rou startled, turning toward the sound. Who would come knocking now?

"Miss Yin Rou, it’s Shu Yan, Third Young Master’s attendant."

Her heart skipped a beat. She should have been calm, but Ninth Yiniang’s implications had already displeased Master Chen. And now Shu Yan arrived at this moment.

She glanced furtively at Master Chen, whose eyes narrowed dangerously.

Fortunately, Shu Yan continued, "Is Master Chen here? I went to Huai’an Hall, but the servants said he came to your quarters."

"Enter," Master Chen said darkly.

Shu Yan pushed the door open and bowed. "Greetings, Master."

"What is it?"

Shu Yan shot Yin Rou a cold look. "Today, my master witnessed Miss Yin Rou and Ninth Yiniang causing trouble and administered punishment. Yet not only did Miss Yin Rou refuse to accept it, she also damaged the late madam’s handwritten scriptures."

When Yin Rou looked at him, confusion in her eyes, Shu Yan’s gaze turned icy.

Still acting innocent? He'd nearly been taken in.

He continued to Master Chen, "My master sent me to ask for your decision."

"What judgment does he want?" Master Chen’s face darkened at being questioned by his son.

"My master said that the household has its rules. Since Miss Yin Rou damaged the scriptures, she must copy all the scriptures in the Shifang Hall."

Perhaps the young master had seen through her character long ago, which is why he ordered him to fetch her. Shu Yan had even tried to defend her earlier—how foolish of him.

He glared at Yin Rou again, only to catch a flicker of joy in her eyes.

Had he imagined it? Shouldn’t this news have upset her?

He stared harder.

Noticing his gaze, Yin Rou quickly composed herself and pleaded with Master Chen, "Master, I don’t want to."

Master Chen’s eyebrows drew together, his expression dark.

His son interfering in his household matters was already an insult. Now he dared to push further—had he lost all respect for his father?

With his eldest son, Master Chen was both proud of his abilities and wary. He knew Third Young Master resented him. Once, his paternal authority had been enough to suppress him, but now, his control was slipping. Worse, half the Chen family’s fortunes were already in Third Young Master’s hands—precisely why he had allowed Fifth Young Master to join the merchant guild.

Shu Yan watched Master Chen’s face darken further. Even he, usually carefree, felt a chill. Steeling himself, he added, "My master said... consider it the late madam’s spirit watching over the household, helping you manage the rear courtyard. He also said..."

"Said what?!"

"That... that you shouldn’t forget the promise you made to the late madam."

From this brief exchange, Yin Rou couldn’t decipher the history between the late madam and Master Chen, but she sensed it was the root of the rift between Third Young Master and his father.

"Master, please don’t quarrel with Third Young Master over me."

Yin Rou stepped forward, her voice gentle. "I was at fault. I’ll copy the scriptures."

Copying scriptures in Shifang Hall was the best outcome she could hope for. But why had Third Young Master changed his mind? Earlier, he had refused.

Had she stained the scriptures? Yin Rou frowned, recalling—had it been her tears?

Her heart clenched inexplicably.

Master Chen took her hand. Yin Rou looked up as his furrowed brow smoothed.

"It’s good that you understand," he said soothingly. "You did offend the late madam. Copying the scriptures is only right."

Yin Rou nodded slightly, relieved. Now, Master Chen would surely no longer suspect her, and she had a temporary refuge.

After seeing Master Chen off, only she and Yu He remained in the room.

Yu He's face remained pale, and she pressed a hand to her chest, still shaken. Yin Rou quickly asked her, "Where did you hide it?"

Yu He pointed to the potted plant on the high table. "I buried it in the soil."

Yin Rou looked over and saw that the soil in the pot was indeed loose. Fortunately, the spot was inconspicuous enough to go unnoticed.

She instructed, "Tomorrow, when no one's around, scatter it bit by bit."

Yu He nodded vigorously.

...

In Ruxin Residence, Nanny Lu dismissed the maid who had come to deliver a message and returned inside.

Wu Shi, reclining on the *luohan* bed with her eyes closed, asked lazily, "Well?"

Nanny Lu looked uneasy as she hesitated before replying, "We didn’t find it. Chu Yan was also punished by the master and confined to her quarters, with no release date given."

Wu Shi's eyes flew open as she sat bolt upright, and fixed Nanny Lu with a long stare before slowly leaning back again with a long sigh.

"Useless," Wu Shi said disdainfully. "We shouldn't have tipped her off."

Nanny Lu's face mirrored her mistress's scorn but then thought of something and said excitedly, "But this matter seems to have angered the Third Young Master."

"Oh?" Wu Shi glanced at her sideways.

Nanny Lu leaned in and whispered into her ear. Wu Shi curled her lips in a mocking smile. "How amusing—father and son at odds."

"Good. The more displeased the master is with him, the more opportunity Fifth Young Master will have to take power."

*

At dawn the next day, Shu Yan was already waiting in Shifang Hall.

When he saw Yin Rou’s figure appear on the stone path, he glanced at the sun and thought to himself that she'd come on time.

Leading her into the main hall, Shu Yan pointed at the scriptures covering the walls and said, "Don't skip a single one. I'll take each scroll as you finish it."

Yin Rou listened attentively beside him when his voice suddenly paused. She turned her head to look at Shu Yan.

Shu Yan coughed pointedly. "The young master will personally inspect each one. No half-hearted attempts."

Though he intended to make things difficult, Yin Rou responded with utmost sincerity, "I will copy each one carefully."

Shu Yan studied her earnest face, momentarily baffled. She's probably faking it—he refused to believe she wouldn’t slip up eventually.

After giving further instructions, Shu Yan said to Yin Rou, "Stay put and work carefully. I’ll come back later to collect them."

Yin Rou nodded lightly and saw him to the door, biting her lip before saying, "Please also convey my thanks to the Third Young Master for me."

Shu Yan shot her a wary glance. He suspected her real intention was to beg the young master for leniency.

So he nodded dismissively and left.

Yin Rou returned to the desk, carefully unrolled the scriptures, and began copying with focus.

...

Shu Yan returned to Xiaohuang Residence and saw that Chen Yanqing was already in his study. He took his post under the corridor but had barely settled when a clear voice called from inside, "Come in."

Shu Yan immediately looked toward the study. The young master was reviewing accounts—how could he still notice him?

Typical of him.

Chen Yanqing tapped the desk lightly with his fingers. "Deliver these letters for me."

Shu Yan took the letters from the table and remembered to report, "The person from Wantang Courtyard has already gone to Shifang Hall."

Chen Yanqing didn’t look up, just grunted in reply.

Shu Yan added, "No need to worry, young master. I’ll keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn’t slack off."

Chen Yanqing finally lifted his gaze slightly.

Shu Yan slapped his own forehead and explained, "Last night when I returned, your quarters were dark, so I didn’t get a chance to report."

"That Song Yinrou actually complained to the master, egging him on to challenge your punishment of her confinement. And just now, she even pretended to ask me to thank you on her behalf. Really, who does she think she's fooling, pretending to be so pitiful?"

Chen Yanqing's eyebrows twitched—not out of anger at Shu Yan’s words, but because it was clear Song Yinrou hadn’t taken his warning from the previous night to heart. Can't even protect herself, yet still finding time to worry about others. How laughable.

He could already picture the young girl lowering her head, revealing only a fragile, slender neck—seemingly timid yet stubborn, her eyes red from crying, lips bitten raw, blinking up at him through tears.

Chen Yanqing's stern expression thawed slightly.

Still so young—rash but genuine.

"In my opinion, young master, your punishment was too light," Shu Yan said indignantly.

Chen Yanqing gave him a thoughtful look. "In my opinion, you and Qing Feng could swap duties."

Shu Yan's spine straightened in alarm. "Is my service unsatisfactory, young master?"

Chen Yanqing exhaled through his nose. "Rather than wasting time chattering, you’d do better to focus on your tasks."

"Yes!" Terrified of being reassigned, Shu Yan hastily gathered the letters and left.

*

For several days in a row, Yin Rou went to Shifang Hall on time. One day, as she was walking there, Liu Zhiyi emerged from a side path.

"Sister Liu," Yin Rou stopped and looked at her.

"There you are at last," Liu Zhiyi took her hand, her eyes filled with concern. "Once my foot was better, I wanted to visit you, only to learn you were copying scriptures in Shifang Hall—I couldn't get near you."

Yin Rou smiled weakly. "I know Sister Liu cares for me."

Liu Zhiyi probed further, "Has the Third Young Master given you any trouble?"

"Not at all," Yin Rou quickly shook her head. Truth be told, she hadn’t laid eyes on the Third Young Master at all these past few days.

And in Shifang Hall, undisturbed as she copied the scriptures, she felt an unexpected tranquility, even wishing the days wouldn’t pass so quickly.

"That’s good."

Liu Zhiyi let out a relieved breath and walked with Yin Rou toward Shifang Hall.

"The Third Young Master is naturally kind. His harshness must have stemmed only because it involved the late madam."

Yin Rou knew perfectly well. In fact, the Third Young Master had been helping her behind the scenes. She kept telling herself that his aid stemmed from pity and kindness.

Yet she couldn't stop associating him with the man in her fantasies—a comparison she knew was wrong.

"Plus the previous incident with the merchant guild." Liu Zhiyi hesitated and didn’t elaborate further, only saying, "Though Third Young Master didn’t say anything at the time, he even took off his signet ring. That clearly showed he was upset. And then your matter came up—I think it was just bad luck."

Yin Rou didn’t hear a single word of what Liu Zhiyi said afterward. She lifted her gaze and stared straight at her.

"Sister Liu, what did you say?"

"I said it was an undeserved misfortune for you."

"No, not that." Yin Rou’s eyes darted nervously, her voice tight with tension. "You said... a signet ring?"

Third Young Master’s finger... really had worn a signet ring before...

Liu Zhiyi hesitated momentarily before explaining, "You came to the estate later, so you wouldn’t know. That signet ring was a symbol of the merchant guild."

Yin Rou was too stunned to speak, only hearing the pounding of her own heartbeat. If the signet ring belonged to Third Young Master, then the person in the illusion...

Her pupils trembled. Could it... actually be Third Young Master?

Her first thought was disbelief.

How could that be? Third Young Master was as steadfast and upright as a pine—how could he wallow in such depravity?

But after being trapped in darkness for so long, the deep, penetrating cold made her desperate to cling to the smallest shred of hope. "So that means... the signet ring Fifth Young Master was wearing... was actually Third Young Master’s?"