Chapter 36: The Prodigal Attacker Reborn 6

Chapter 36: The Reborn Rake's Counterattack 6

After a night of feasting and finally drifting off, Yan Wuyou’s sleep was restless, filled with a jumble of dreams. Waking up to his father’s insistent calls left his head feeling foggy and disoriented.

Still in a daze, Yan Wuyou was swiftly dressed, his hair styled, and makeup applied by a few nimble maids. By the time he fully regained his senses, he found himself staring at a face in the mirror that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar...

Yan Wuyou: "Father, has Second Sister still not been found? Where could the two of them possibly have run off to? Are the people you sent out truly so useless?"

The Virtuous Prince, equally anxious, replied: "At such a critical juncture, how dare I launch a large-scale search? Besides, we’ve practically turned the entire capital upside down and still found nothing... What am I to do...?"

Yan Wuyou fell silent.

Unlike his Second Sister, who carried herself with grace, he found all the jingling ornaments unbearably heavy. With the slightest movement, the earrings dangling from his earlobes swayed restlessly... He felt an overwhelming urge to just yank them off.

Yan Wuyou: "What time is it now?"

Qiu Yu: "Around *mao* hour (just before dawn)."

Wasn't that just daybreak? Why had he come so early? Had he lost his mind? Since only their own people were in the room, Yan Wuyou spoke without restraint, almost blurting out: "Why so early?! Is he in such a hurry to die?!"

"Hey, hey, shh, lower your voice..." The Virtuous Prince quickly covered Yan Wuyou’s mouth. "They say martial artists have exceptional hearing. He’s right outside..."

Yan Wuyou irritably shook the hair ornaments on his head, acknowledging the truth in his father’s words, and lowered his voice: "Why did he come so early?"

The Virtuous Prince also whispered: "I don’t know."

Yan Wuyou: "So annoying... Will this ever end?"

Unbeknownst to the father and son, their supposed whispers were, to the person outside, almost as loud as if they were speaking directly into his ear...

Yan Wuyou: "So frustrating... Second Sister still hasn’t been found? What if I can’t keep this charade going any longer?"

The Virtuous Prince: "Didn’t I give you the medicine? Use it when the time comes. It has no major side effects, just might make your face look a little unsightly..."

Yan Wuyou hesitated: "...Let’s wait a bit longer."

He had always been vain—not only appreciating beauty in others but also greatly satisfied with his own looks, often checking himself out in the mirror. If he used that medicine, how could he ever face his reflection again?!

Unless absolutely necessary,

he had no intention of taking that step.

*

Yu Chuan had changed into a new outfit, no longer clad in somber black but instead wearing a plain, light-colored robe, a sword at his waist, his face still hidden behind a mask, revealing no expression.

"Is Madam feeling better now?"

Leaning on Qiu Yu, Yan Wuyou had to slightly hunch his back to avoid appearing too tall: "Better... *cough*... much better."

Yu Chuan frowned: "You still seem to be coughing. Fortunately, Doctor Xue has recently arrived in the capital. I specially invited him over to examine Madam... If it’s an old ailment, it’s best to get rid of it for good to avoid recurring episodes..."

"*Cough*... *cough*..." This time, Yan Wuyou genuinely coughed, "*Cough*... *cough*... This minor illness isn’t worth troubling the divine doctor... I... I suddenly feel much better."

Yu Chuan: "Oh, that’s good then. Today, I’ve come to take Madam back to the manor..."

His reasoning was sound. After all, a married daughter had no business staying too long at her parental home. Lingering too long would inevitably invite gossip, suggesting she was unwelcome in her husband’s household.

As he listened, Yan Wuyou seethed inwardly: "My husband is so considerate..."

*

The General’s manor looked no different from when Yan Wuyou had left. The large red lanterns outside the walls and all the wedding decorations everywhere... were still up, surprisingly.

Were the servants in this manor somewhat too negligent? Yan Wuyou wondered, glancing at Yu Chuan. Perhaps he was often absent from the manor, inexperienced in management, and thus taken advantage of by unruly servants?

Yan Wuyou casually brought up the issue, even attempting to offer advice: "When dealing with household servants, it’s best to balance kindness with authority..."

Yu Chuan, however, paused mid-step: "It’s fine. I instructed them not to remove anything. I like them that way—just leave them be."

Yan Wuyou: "..."

Walking one behind the other, the overwhelmingly wedding-like atmosphere around them gave Yan Wuyou the illusion that they were still newlyweds...

Yan Wuyou: "Yu... my husband."

Yu Chuan: "Hmm?"

Yan Wuyou: "...Why did you bother to come get me yourself today? Trivial matters like this could easily be handled by sending a servant. If this delayed your important affairs, I’d feel terrible..."

Yan Wuyou was probing Yu Chuan, hoping to find out what he had been busy with these past few days. It would be even better if he voluntarily explained why he had entered the palace yesterday.

Yu Chuan: "It’s not trivial."

Yan Wuyou: "Huh?"

Yu Chuan: "Fetching you is not trivial."

Yan Wuyou: "..."

He hadn’t managed to get anything useful out of him.

*

The General’s manor was nothing like the Prince’s mansion. Surrounded by unfamiliar servants, Yan Wuyou didn’t dare boss them around too much, fearing they might report to Yu Chuan or secretly bad-mouth him.

It was then that he began to understand why women cried at weddings. How could they not? Leaving behind a familiar home for an unfamiliar household—of course, it felt uncomfortable.

Yan Wuyou: "Qiu Yu, did you go ask? Isn’t the sliced fish congee I wanted ready yet?"

Qiu Yu: "I did. The kitchen staff said the sliced fish congee Madam requested needs to cook low and slow to get the flavor right. They also said... there are too many demands..."

Yan Wuyou frowned: "Too many?"

This was how he usually instructed the servants at the Prince’s mansion. He loved eating fish but couldn’t stand the smell, so his sliced fish congee had to be free of any fishy odor while still retaining the fish slices.

That was what he had said, but the kitchen staff claimed it was impossible, that they had never made such a dish. Yan Wuyou had even specifically sent Qiu Yu to explain how to prepare it!

Now, after all this dragging their feet, there was still no sign of the sliced fish congee.

"I’ll go talk to them—" Yan Wuyou started to rise but then sat back down. "Forget it. Guess I’m under his roof now... Besides, I’ve already eaten with Yu Chuan earlier. I’m not that hungry anyway..."

Although Qiu Yu was a maid from his Second Sister’s quarters, she was still from the Prince’s mansion. She knew how Yan Wuyou usually acted...

Since childhood, Yan Wuyou had always been this way—whatever he wanted, he wanted immediately, or else he wouldn’t let the matter rest. He would throw a fit and keep nagging endlessly. For him to be this... understanding now was truly rare.

Qiu Yu: "I’ll go hurry them along again..."

Yan Wuyou waved his hand: "Go ahead."

*

Not long after, Qiu Yu returned carrying the sliced fish congee, a slight smile on her face as she handed him the steaming bowl, urging him to taste it quickly.

Yan Wuyou picked up a spoon, scooped a mouthful, and his eyes widened in surprise: "Hey! This tastes really good!"

He hadn’t held much hope, but this congee truly suited his taste—the rice perfectly cooked to a soft and mushy consistency...

Yan Wuyou loved to give rewards when he was happy. He took out his money pouch, fished out a handful of gold ingots, but just as he was about to hand them over, he remembered the kitchen staff's earlier attitude and put most of them back, keeping only two to give to Qiu Yu.

"Here, take these two to that cook," Yan Wuyou said, recalling how his eldest sister used to manage the household servants, putting on a stern face. "You can also tell him that if he had been more polite today, I might have given him more…"

"No, it's not that, the porridge was actually…"

Qiu Yu seemed hesitant, stammering and stumbling over her words as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to bring it up.

Yan Wuyou grew impatient and slapped the table. "What’s wrong with the porridge? Out with it!"

Qiu Yu: "The porridge wasn’t made by the kitchen cook. It was… it was made by General Yu. It was made by the General."

Yan Wuyou was stunned: "？？？？"

*

It seemed Qiu Yu had gotten a little too into her role during their time at the General’s residence, momentarily treating Yan Wuyou as her lady and Yu Chuan as her General.

After the first sentence came out, the rest of Qiu Yu’s words flowed more smoothly. She giggled and came over to massage Yan Wuyou’s shoulders:

"To be honest, the General is so good to you, let me tell you. Earlier, when I went to hurry the kitchen, I ran into the General on the way… He asked me what I was doing and why I wasn’t by your side. I said my lady wanted fish slice congee, but the kitchen staff kept making excuses, so I was going to go hurry them along again. Then he fell silent for a moment and said he would go take a look."

Yan Wuyou: "……And then?"

Qiu Yu recounted everything vividly—how she had run into Yu Chuan, how she had spoken with him, how Yu Chuan had gone to the kitchen, how he had reprimanded the lazy servants, and then entered the kitchen himself to skillfully cook the congee…

Yan Wuyou: "……He cooked it?"

Qiu Yu nodded: "Yes, this servant saw it clearly with her own eyes. I was originally worried he wouldn’t know your preferences, so I specifically mentioned that you don’t like the smell of fish. Then he said… he knew."

Yan Wuyou: "……"

Qiu Yu continued chattering, her smile growing brighter and brighter. Seeing how genuinely happy she seemed for him, Yan Wuyou couldn’t help but tap her on the head:

"Do you really think I’ll keep putting on this act with him? What ‘future’ are you talking about? What future could he and I possibly have…"

*

Yan Wuyou put the two gold ingots back into his pouch. It wasn’t that he was particularly stingy, but…

Since the congee wasn’t made by a servant but by Yu Chuan himself, given his current status and power, he likely had no use for two gold ingots.

Speaking of which, that pouch of golden ingots was something he had gotten from his imperial uncle, the Emperor. Next time he went to the palace, he’d ask for more! He hefted the pouch in his hand—it felt heavy, and he was quite pleased.

But…

As another thought crossed his mind, Yan Wuyou’s heart sank little by little. It made sense that Yu Chuan would know his preferences—after all, he had once worked as a servant by his side…

The problem was,

he was currently posing as the second young lady!

If Yu Chuan already knew he was Yan Wuyou, then everything he had done so far would instantly become a colossal joke.

But if he didn’t know he was Yan Wuyou, then this would practically be giving himself away.

Yan Wuyou rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. This kind of thought-intensive work really wasn’t for him. Suddenly, he found himself missing the wine from Zuiyan Tower.

*

With a heavy heart, Yan Wuyou was escorted to lunch. Along the way, he imagined countless possible scenarios, only to be told by a servant that the General had gone out.

"Yes, General Yu specifically instructed this servant to make sure you have a proper lunch. He also said that from now on, you are free to manage the household staff in the residence as you see fit, and he will not interfere. Oh, and…"

The servant speaking was unfamiliar, a face Yan Wuyou hadn’t seen before. The servant seemed to respect Yan Wuyou greatly and respectfully handed him a box with both hands.

"General Yu also said that this box contains all his assets—some shops, property deeds, land deeds, and the keys to the treasury… He said you can take a look in the treasury if you ever feel bored…"

Yan Wuyou: "……"

"My lady…" The new servant eagerly served him dishes. "Please taste them and see how they are. If anything isn’t to your liking, just say so!"

Yan Wuyou’s heart sank even deeper.

*

Yu Chuan returned to the residence very late, the night already deep. The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he stopped in his tracks. With the alertness of a martial artist, he quickly detected someone hiding behind the door.

In fact, his reaction was so swift that when Yan Wuyou tried to approach him, he instinctively restrained him with lightning speed.

It was all a reflexive action, so by the time Yu Chuan realized what had happened, he had already pinned Yan Wuyou to the ground.

"Ouch… that hurts, it hurts…!!!"

Yan Wuyou was genuinely in pain, even forgetting to disguise his voice and using his real voice.

Yu Chuan was also startled and quickly released him, reaching out to check if he was injured, but Yan Wuyou dodged his hand. Yu Chuan’s hand hung in the air for a moment before dropping. "You… shouldn’t hide in the dark."

After getting up and dusting himself off, Yan Wuyou immediately defended himself upon hearing this: "What do you mean, ‘hide in the dark’? I wasn’t hiding! I was just waiting for you at the door, and then I waited and waited until I fell asleep!!"

Yu Chuan seemed to want to say something but hesitated. "Sorry, I didn't see it was you."

Hmph, Yan Wuyou didn’t believe him at the time. Seeing how easily Yu Chuan had subdued him without him even having time to react, he felt a bit indignant.

One day, he would be able to do the same!

*

Yan Wuyou: "……You’re back so late today? Did you just return from the palace?"

It was quite obvious because Yu Chuan carried a scent unique to the palace’s special incense. Yan Wuyou had a good nose, so he noticed it immediately.

Yu Chuan: "Yes, just returned."

Yan Wuyou: "Oh…"

It was only then that Yan Wuyou finally realized he had been using his natural voice since they met, and Yu Chuan didn’t seem surprised at all.

Even someone as slow as he is should have realized what this meant by now—it meant Yu Chuan had known all along that he was male, meant that…

*

Yan Wuyou hadn’t come to wait for Yu Chuan for any particular reason. He had been unable to sleep, tossing and turning over the events of the day, and had come to sound him out. But now… it seemed unnecessary.

Since he had already been found out, Yan Wuyou decided to throw caution to the wind and gave up pretending to be a proper young lady. He plopped down casually on the ground: "When exactly did you find out?"

Yu Chuan: "When you alighted from the wedding sedan."

"Sheesh…"

That early?

The thought of all the exaggerated acts he had put on over the past few days made Yan Wuyou so ashamed he wished he could burrow into a hole.

Covering his face and avoiding Yu Chuan’s gaze, he mumbled: "Was it… that obvious?"

Yu Chuan seriously recalled the scene at the time. The wedding robes had almost completely covered Yan Wuyou.

"Well, it was alright. Although you’re taller than the average woman, you were wearing makeup, so it wasn't too obvious. Besides, no one had ever actually met your second sister before, so they would have assumed the second young lady of the Virtuous Prince’s manor looked just like that…"

Yan Wuyou: "……"

*

A short while later,

Yu Chuan appeared on the roof…

It was truly hard to believe that one day, Yan Wuyou would be drinking on a rooftop with Yu Chuan.

Seven years ago, Yu Chuan was still a nobody, merely called over by Yan Wuyou on a whim, and that was how their paths crossed.

They had only spent a little over a month together before that incident occurred… Back then, the young Yan Wuyou chose to save himself in a life-or-death moment. Unable to face Yu Chuan, he sent him away.

Seven years later, that disfigured servant had made a name for himself and became a general. Through a twist of fate, they were brought together again through an arranged marriage.

Not long ago, Yan Wuyou disguised himself as his sister and married him. During the day, he even put on a falsetto and called him “husband”… They went back to her family together, shared breakfast together…

And now, Yan Wuyou was still wearing that women’s gown but sitting casually on the rooftop. He took a sip of the liquor from Yu Chuan and exclaimed, “Whoa… that’s strong…”

He had never drunk anything so potent and, after one taste, handed it back to Yu Chuan. Yu Chuan took the flask without any sign of distaste and drank from the same spot.

Yu Chuan: “The nights on the borderlands are bitterly cold. You need something this strong to ward off the cold.”

Yan Wuyou gazed at the moon above, feeling more and more as if Chang’e really was up there. As he thought about Chang’e, he also wondered—had things gone a little too smoothly?

His father had no idea how fiercely he imagined Yu Chuan. And it wasn’t just his father—his older sister felt the same. They seemed to share an agreement that once the truth was discovered, General Yu would be furious and so on. His sister even worried that Yan Wuyou might lose his head…

At the time, Yan Wuyou didn’t dare mention that they had a past connection. Besides, he never really understood Yu Chuan. Back when Yu Chuan was by his side, he wasn’t this quiet. After that great fire, he became even more withdrawn… Thinking of this, Yan Wuyou felt a little guilty.

Yan Wuyou: “Hey, you knew it was me all along? Why didn’t you say anything? Why act like you didn’t know?”

Yu Chuan: “Why would I say anything?”

Yan Wuyou: “Weren’t you supposed to marry my second sister? Look, instead of a beautiful bride, you got a grown man. Don’t you feel like you’ve been tricked?”

Yu Chuan paused to think: “No.”

*

Yu Chuan was just as taciturn as he’d been in the past. Yan Wuyou found it hard to read his expression, so he had to ask directly.

Awkwardly trying to make conversation, he said, “So, you’ve become quite impressive now, a great general and all…”

Yu Chuan grunted in acknowledgment: “I originally came to the capital to look for family. After something happened to them, I found my current master. Went through some things, joined the army, and that’s how it turned out.”

Such a cursory explanation…

Perhaps because Yu Chuan’s expression was so calm, Yan Wuyou gradually relaxed as well. He asked casually, “Seems like you’ve been really busy lately? What’s kept you so busy?”

*

Yan Wuyou swore he was just making small talk—asking what kept him so busy lately. He didn’t even directly bring up palace matters, afraid they might be confidential.

But after a moment of silence, Yu Chuan laid it all out.

He said he had indeed been busy investigating a theft case. According to Yu Chuan, it was quite troublesome and had led to uncovering other issues—underhanded dealings, collusion between the former court and the inner palace…

Yan Wuyou clicked his tongue: “Tsk… I knew it. None of them are clean. Who was involved in the underhanded dealings? It wasn’t Consort Hui, was it?”

Yu Chuan glanced at him: “So it really was you today.”

Yan Wuyou: “Man, you’re sharp—you could even tell that… So, was it her?”

Yu Chuan: “No. Consort Hui was involved in something else… She tried to frame someone for certain reasons, but the person she sent was replaced midway, and she ended up becoming the scapegoat…”

Hearing a name related to his own family, Yan Wuyou was stunned.

“Also…” Yu Chuan turned to Yan Wuyou and reached out a hand, “The Virtuous Prince’s residence has an extra imperial jade seal, right? Bring it to me tomorrow. It’s the real one…”

Yan Wuyou felt his mind go blank. How could Yu Chuan mention something so serious so casually? “…Huh? What did you say?”

Ignoring his reaction, Yu Chuan continued, “The jade seal has been missing for years. It’s a persistent thorn in His Majesty’s heart. He’s been searching for it all these years and only recently picked up some leads.”

The jade seal has been missing for that long?! Then what has the emperor been using? A fake? Yan Wuyou felt his head swimming: “…”

Yu Chuan: “Another close friend of mine was originally in charge of this matter. Even I didn’t know about it. Later, he accidentally mentioned it to me, and I also overheard your father and eldest sister talking. So I learned a bit…”

Accidentally? Really, just accidentally?

Yan Wuyou suddenly remembered his father saying that martial artists usually have exceptional hearing and warned him to speak softly. Now it seemed he still hadn’t been quiet enough.

Yu Chuan casually removed his mask. Under the moonlight, his expression was calm, his tone even:

“This has always been a secret. The emperor’s imperial guards have been searching, but given how much time has passed, they had no leads. Coincidentally, the imperial guards searched all the suspicious residences but never thought to check the Virtuous Prince’s estate…”

Yan Wuyou: “…”

Yu Chuan: “After learning about it from you, I recently took the initiative to coordinate clues with the friend investigating this. Of course, I didn’t say you knew—just that I accidentally discovered it myself… The imperial guards conducted a thorough investigation a few days ago, keeping watch near your residence day and night. They made significant progress… His Majesty hasn’t been informed yet.”

Yan Wuyou: “…”

Imperial guards keeping watch day and night? The thought of countless eyes closely watching his home made Yan Wuyou’s skin crawl.

And he had been completely in the dark about all this.

Yu Chuan: “Oh, right. That jade seal at your place—does it look rough on the surface? With some cracks? If so, that’s the one. It may look fake, but that’s just a disguise. Remove the outer layer, and the real one is inside.”

Yan Wuyou nodded, numb.

Now that he thought about it, because the jade seal looked so rough, his first reaction upon seeing it was that it must be fake.

Yu Chuan: “The previous emperor was kind-hearted. Among all the princes, he was most dissatisfied with the current emperor, considering him too ruthless and cruel, lacking any brotherly love for his siblings. He feared that once the current emperor ascended the throne, he would harm his brothers. That’s why he secretly hid the jade seal. Probably to avoid detection, he used this method to conceal it…”

Yan Wuyou: “…”

Yu Chuan: “Of course, in the end, the current emperor still successfully took the throne. The reason he let the Virtuous Prince live was not only because the prince was too young to pose a threat but also because the previous emperor insisted. He made the current emperor swear not to harm his youngest brother and to ensure his lifelong wealth and honor…”

Yan Wuyou had no memory of the previous emperor. By the time he was born, his current imperial uncle was already on the throne. He truly didn’t know what the previous emperor was like.

Although he occasionally heard mentions in literary works, those poems and verses were too obscure for a ne’er-do-well like him to understand.

Yan Wuyou: “…”

Yu Chuan: “Oh, I almost forgot. Besides searching for the jade seal and investigating the mastermind behind the scenes, I also found out about your second sister. My men located her with another man a few days ago. I’ve placed both of them in my estate outside the city…”

Yu Chuan looked at Yan Wuyou:

“What should we do with them?”

Yan Wuyou: “…”