Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Chong'an had never seen the marquis laugh soundlessly like this, nor for so long. It unnerved him so much that he didn’t dare remain at the marquis’s side. Just then, someone came with a message, and he quickly retreated.

Yet, even after receiving the news, he didn’t dare report it directly to the marquis. Instead, he darted meaningful glances at his elder brother, Chong Ping.

Chong Ping had no choice but to let him speak first. Turning around, he saw that the marquis had already ceased his laughter, standing with hands clasped behind his back beneath the young lady’s window, gazing up at the scattered stars in the sky.

Chong Ping stepped forward and reported in a low voice.

"My lord, at the dowry residence, Master Gu—Gu Yangsi—has just arrived in person."

Master Gu Yangsi, Madam Wan’s only trueborn son.

The man gave a derisive snort.

Somehow, Chong'an beside him felt the very air around them turn icy.

He heard the marquis speak slowly.

"Perfect timing."

Chong'an inexplicably felt a spike of dread for the Gu family.

But then the marquis turned his gaze back to the room.

Inside, Qiu Lin had no choice but to approach the young lady and persuade her, "Even if you’re eager to earn money, you still need your eyes, don’t you?"

The young lady still insisted she was fine. Seeing Qiu Lin about to take the lamp away, she quickly stopped her.

"What if it gets dropped while being moved about? I only brought this single lamp crafted by Third Young Master with me on this trip."

"Young lady," Qiu Lin heaved a deep sigh.

The young lady took the lamp back herself. "Just one more hour of work, then I’ll put out the light and sleep."

"Another hour?" Qiu Lin was at a loss for words.

Outside the window, in the shadows, Chong'an saw the marquis slowly withdraw his gaze.

The next moment, a sudden gust of wind swirled outside.

The half-open window was pushed wide by the wind, the frame creaking sharply as something flew in and struck the lamp stand with a thud.

The angle was impossibly precise—the lamp snuffed out instantly.

Both the young lady and her maid were stunned, unable to fathom where that gust came from, or what had struck the lamp.

Qiu Lin immediately called for Ruan Gong, "Is there anyone outside the young lady’s window?"

Ruan Gong quickly checked the surroundings. "No one! There’s absolutely no one."

"Strange… maybe it was just wind kicking up some grit," Qiu Lin said, closing the window.

But the lamp had gone out, and when Du Lingjing tried to relight it, it wouldn’t ignite.

Qiu Lin saw the young lady sitting by the desk, with downcast eyes as she set down her brush.

"Qiu Lin, do you know how to fix lamps?"

Her voice was no longer as light as before—now it seemed to sink, submerged in deep water.

Qiu Lin hurried over to examine the lamp repeatedly, but she had no idea what was wrong. "Still, the capital has craftsmen for everything. There must be someone who can repair this Xi'an-style lamp. I’ll have Ai Ye take it to be fixed tomorrow."

Du Lingjing stared at this mysteriously unlit lamp, silent for a long time.

But Qiu Lin pulled the young lady up. "Since the lamp is broken, it’s a good chance for you to rest your eyes. Otherwise, you really won’t be able to bear it."

Du Lingjing still didn’t speak. Pursing her lips, she nevertheless stood up.

*

Meanwhile, at the dowry residence on the other side of Chengqing Lane, someone lingered at the alley’s mouth for mere moments before leaving unnoticed by anyone in the courtyard.

Inside, Gu Yangsi barked orders at his men to carry the items back out.

"If anyone damages anything, don’t blame me for having them thrown out!"

His words echoed his mother Madam Wan’s orders, but with one key difference: Madam Wan wanted to provide the most exquisite dowry gifts for her beloved granddaughter, while Gu Yangsi had these very same fine items carted right back out.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to give his niece a proper dowry—it was just that after hearing about the matter yesterday, he came to see for himself and was shocked by his mother’s astonishing generosity.

True, his niece was about to become a marquise, and as a marquise, she would lack no wealth and privilege. Yet his mother still insisted on giving her such a lavish dowry.

Meanwhile, Gu Yangsi had been left in dire financial straits after recent events left him without clients.

Rather than letting these fine things go to his niece, he might as well line his own pockets.

As for his mother—since the dowry was meant to be given away anyway, who cared who received it? It might as well be him.

Gu Yangsi returned that night. He had also rented a temporary courtyard nearby and ordered the items to be moved there, then instructed his men sternly.

"Not a soul is to tell the old madam," he added, "and that means no one—act as if you know nothing. Take it to your graves."

As the eldest master, who would dare disobey him? Thus, the items that had just been brought in were now laboriously carried back out, grunting as they hauled them.

Gu Yangsi was in remarkably good spirits. Asking his mother for money would’ve been humiliating, but pawning or selling these items would be far simpler.

He repeatedly urged them to hurry, lest they be discovered.

But just then, the ink-black alley suddenly blazed with light.

A group of officers, holding torches aloft, jogged straight toward Gu Yangsi and his men.

Gu Yangsi had no idea what was happening, but fearing recognition, he quickly retreated.

The leading officer flashed his badge.

"Shuntian Prefecture on official business. Is this the residence where the Du family’s dowry is stored?"

This was common knowledge, so someone answered.

"Yes, this is the residence the Du family rented."

The officer in charge then demanded,

"Then who are you?"

"We… we’re naturally the Du family’s people."

The officer let out a humorless laugh.

"People of the Du family? Instead of guarding the dowry in the middle of the night, you're moving it out? I think you lot are thieves!"

He suddenly called to the officers behind him, "Arrest them all!"

Gu Yangsi hadn't even had time to react when he was bound and taken to the Shuntian Prefecture Office.

……

The servants who went out last night hadn’t returned, and by morning, Old Madam Wan had already learned.

But the old lady never expected, "You say the Master was there too? Why was he there?"

The servant didn’t dare tell the full truth—he had gone out to relieve himself last night and accidentally avoided being caught. Now he only said, "The Master went to oversee things personally, afraid they wouldn’t do it properly. Who knew he’d be mistaken for a thief and arrested!"

The servant still tried to cover for Gu Yangsi, but Old Madam Wan hurled her teacup down in front of him.

"Still not telling the truth?!"

The scalding tea made the servant’s hands tremble. Under Old Madam Wan’s intimidating presence, he finally broke down and told the truth.

Once the truth was out, Lady Liang beside her covered her mouth in shock.

Her husband had actually tried to embezzle her niece’s dowry.

Her face burned with shame, while Old Madam Wan seemed as if a jujube pit had caught in her throat—she couldn’t speak for a long moment.

"...Utterly shameful... So what’s his situation now?"

The servant, who had just returned from the Shuntian Prefecture prison with a letter from Gu Yangsi, said, "Master asks the Old Lady to quickly prepare some silver taels, claiming it was a misunderstanding, and requests the Shuntian Prefecture to release him promptly."

Gu Yangsi had been too embarrassed to give his real name—after all, he held an inherited official position. If word got out, he’d be a laughingstock.

Old Madam Wan was exasperated and immediately ordered the house steward to get him out as soon as possible.

She also instructed, "Make sure no one finds out."

First, it was utterly humiliating. Second, if the substitution scheme were discovered, it would cause an uproar.

But soon, the house steward returned with an awkward expression and shook his head at the old lady.

"The Shuntian Prefecture said the identity of the arrested person is unclear. Our Master has not acknowledged him as the Gu family head, fearing there might be hidden issues, so they cannot release him."

Old Madam Wan was stunned. She had hoped to secretly secure his release, but it hadn’t worked.

Did she really have to go fetch him in person?

Just as she was thinking this, a message came from outside, "Madam, it's bad news! The Shuntian Prefecture has posted a notice asking the public to identify the person. The notice even includes a portrait of our Master!"

Gu Yangsi refused to admit who he was, but the authorities had gone ahead and posted his portrait publicly.

Old Madam Wan felt darkness cloud her vision. She couldn’t afford any more delays and hoped as few people as possible would see the portrait. She changed into appropriate attire and headed to the Shuntian Prefecture Office in Lingchun Lane.

Yet when she arrived at the yamen gates, she saw crowds gathered around the notice board, pointing at the portrait.

"Hey, doesn’t this look like the Gu family head from Huanghua Lane?"

The likeness was so accurate that anyone could recognize him at a glance.

Old Madam Wan hastily had her attendants move to the back and sent a name card forward, requesting an audience with the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

But it was as if fortune seemed to mock her—the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was not in, having reportedly left the city. Without the magistrate present, the underlings lacked authority, only offering to remove the portrait from the notice out of respect for the old lady.

Though the portrait was taken down, countless people had already seen it. Some keen-eyed onlookers even spotted Old Madam Wan’s carriage.

Instead of retrieving her son, Old Madam Wan returned home only to hear gossip spreading like wildfire through the capital.

At worst, it was just humiliation—but the most critical issue was that suspicions had already arisen.

"That’s the Du family’s dowry property. Why were members of the Gu family going in and out? Could it be they wanted to swap the Du family’s eldest daughter for the second daughter, making the second daughter the Marquis’s wife?"

Once this speculation surfaced, the entire city was in an uproar.

The Du family’s marriage arrangements had already been the subject of scrutiny, and now no one could stop the rumors. Within half a day, it seemed the whole capital knew Old Madam Wan wanted to marry her own granddaughter to Marquis Lu.

Lady Liang was at a loss—on one hand, she couldn’t free her husband from prison, and on the other, the tide of gossip was breaking down on their doorstep.

"Mother, what do we do? It’s obvious to everyone now. The palace and the Marquis’s estate must know too."

At this point, Old Madam Wan composed herself and took a deep breath.

She had Nanny Guan knead her temples, then took a sip of tea before speaking.

"Since everyone already knows, there’s no need to hide it. Let them say what they want—I only care about the palace and the Marquis’s stance."

If the palace didn’t intervene, it meant they implicitly permitted the Du family to marry off whichever daughter they chose. After all, both were granddaughters of Du Yijing—the Imperial decree had only specified that much.

Then it would be up to the Marquis’s estate. If the palace didn’t interfere, either daughter would suffice—it just depended on whom the Marquis wanted to marry.

The Du family’s eldest daughter had a Grand Secretary for a father, but Grand Secretary Du had passed away years ago. The second branch was less distinguished, but the second daughter was Old Madam Wan’s own granddaughter.

Early the next morning, Du Zhiqi brought his daughter Du Runqing to Old Madam Wan’s Rongyu Hall.

Like Lady Liang, both father and daughter were bewildered over the sudden turn of events.

Du Zhiqi worried about the palace. "Will His Majesty be displeased? After all, when the decree was issued, Qing'er hadn’t even had her hair-pinning ceremony yet."

Old Madam Wan shot him a glance. "You’re worrying too much. The palace couldn’t care less about trivial family matters like yours."

She added, "If the palace were unhappy, we’d have seen a palace eunuch delivering a reprimand by now. Have you seen anyone?"

Neither the Du nor the Gu family had received any visitors from the palace.

Du Zhiqi relaxed slightly.

But Du Runqing asked her grandmother in a small voice, "Then... will the Marquis accept me?"

Old Madam Wan gestured for her to come closer and pulled her into an embrace.

"Have you forgotten how the Marquis helped you before? Your bond with him was fated. Would he reject you and insist on marrying your sister instead? She’s just a fatherless girl, resting on her late father’s reputation. Now that she’s insisted on a formal family division, once the separation is done, she’ll have nothing left. But you still have me."

Any sensible person would know which choice was more advantageous.

This finally calmed the young girl’s anxiety.

By midday, there was still no word from the palace.

Du Zhiqi was fully relaxed now, and Old Madam Wan smiled. Du Zhiqi praised her, "Mother-in-law truly is the capital’s foremost matchmaker—you’ve gauged this perfectly."

Old Madam Wan’s features relaxed, and she only instructed her people to maintain close surveillance on the Marquis’s estate.

If the palace doesn't intervene, it all depends on the Marquis's estate's decision.

But the Marquis's estate remained silent, and so it was until the sun began to set that news suddenly came from outside: someone from the Northern Bureau of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had taken Master Gu from Shuntian Prefecture.

Why would the Embroidered Uniform Guard take Gu Yangsi out of nowhere?

Du Zhiqi was puzzled, but Madam Wan, however, kept her cool.

"Commander Wei isn’t even in the capital, so this couldn’t have been his order. The one who took him is the Northern Commissioner—if I recall correctly, the Northern Commissioner was from the Yongding Army, wasn’t he?"

The Northern Commissioner, a Yongding Army veteran—Lu Shenru’s man through and through.

Now, even without Madam Wan’s explanation, every busybody in town had figured it out.

"It seems the Marquis has made up his mind."

"Who did the Marquis choose?"

"Of course, it’s the second Miss Du! Why else would he summon his future brother-in-law-to-be in such a hurry? Directly releasing him from Shuntian Prefecture might have been awkward, so sending him through the Embroidered Uniform Guard under the pretense of assisting in an investigation… sounds much more respectable."

The crowd suddenly understood. "Exactly, who would choose some nobody orphan over Madam Wan’s granddaughter? She’s utterly useless."

By the roadside, Chang Pu, who had been sent to gather information, was seeing red at these words.

"You’re all looking down on people! Put your money where your mouth is—bet at Qianxing Alley and see who the Marquis will choose!"

Some called her a fool, but why refuse a fool’s money? Quite a few followed her to Qianxing Alley, going all in.

When Ruan Gong found Chang Pu, he saw she had even wagered the shirt off her back. Upon hearing she had bet on her mistress marrying the Marquis, he smacked her upside the head.

"The young lady is dead set on going back to Qingzhou—what’s the meaning of this bet? Are you trying to spite her?"

Chang Pu was indignant. "Master Gong, I just couldn’t swallow their crap! Why are they all kissing that old crone Madam Wan’s ass and looking down on our young lady?"

These words struck a chord in Ruan Gong’s heart, and his chest tightened too.

He released Chang Pu. "Forget it. Once this is over, we’ll return to Qingzhou and have nothing more to do with these two-faced social climbers."

The two soon returned to Chengqing Alley to report to Du Lingjing.

Ruan Gong said, "The rumors are all over the place. But since the Marquis had the Northern Commissioner take Master Gu, likely as a gesture of goodwill, it’s almost certain he intends to marry the second young lady."

Du Lingjing nodded at this. "Let’s hope that’s the case."

...

At the Gu residence in Huanghua Alley.

Madam Wan sent someone to camp outside the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s HQ, expecting her son to be released by evening and brought home immediately.

Yet, as they waited and waited, night fell completely, and still no one returned.

Madam Wan’s eyelid started twitching.

Du Zhiqi also sensed something was off. If the Marquis had truly summoned the "future brother-in-law," why wouldn’t he let him return home by nightfall? Was he keeping him overnight, for heaven’s sake?

He decided to stay with his daughter—there would surely be news by tonight.

Everyone waited in Rongyu Hall.

From nightfall till the dead of night, no news came. Only when the eastern sky began to lighten did a steward from the Gu family burst in, reeking of blood.

All eyes turned to him. Madam Wan urgently asked, "What’s the situation?"

"Reporting to the Madam, the Northern Commissioner is still holding our master and hasn’t released him. But word has come out—they say our master is accused of treason!"

"What?!" Madam Wan nearly buckled at the knees. "What’s happened to him?!"

Du Zhiqi was equally shocked, and Du Runqing went sheet-white.

Liang Shi urged the steward, "Speak quickly!"

Instead of answering immediately, the steward pulled out a blood-crusted shirt that stank of iron from his robes.

With trembling hands, he placed it on the ground.

"The Northern Commissioner’s men said..."

"Said what?!"

"They said... the Marquis himself gave the order. Our master is in the imperial dungeon... half-dead from the beating!"

As the words fell, Madam Wan collapsed into the armchair behind her with a thud.

Du Zhiqi stared at the stinking, blood-soaked garment, his vision swam.

Du Runqing stood frozen. The young girl had never imagined things would turn out like this. Her voice trembled.

"How could this be? How could the Marquis do this?!"