Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Yun Wan turned at the sound, her gaze falling upon a group of approaching figures.

At their center was the Marquess’s wife, clad in dark brown robes, a wooden hairpin adorning her hair. Her fingers gently circled a string of jade Buddhist beads, and her compassionate face radiated a divine serenity.

A maid quickly bowed and greeted her, "Reporting to the Marquess’s wife, this young lady was caught pawning the estate seal. The young lord met with her and instructed us to send her home."

"Since she is an honored guest, how can we simply let her depart? The young lord’s handling of this matter is improper. Young lady, come with me," the Marquess’s wife said gently.

Yun Wan, unfamiliar with the terms "Marquess’s wife" or "young lord," stood frozen, clutching Xiao Bao.

Noticing her hesitation, the Marquess’s wife smiled softly. "I am the young lord’s mother. Do not be afraid. You are the esteemed guest who recovered our estate seal."

Back in the main hall, Yun Wan stood awkwardly, still holding her child. The Marquess’s wife, seated regally at the head, gently waved her hand. "Young lady, please come and sit beside me," she said kindly.

A maid promptly placed a cup of clear tea on the small table next to the Marquess’s wife’s seat, respectfully ushering Yun Wan to sit.

Dressed in coarse cloth, Yun Wan sat timidly on the rosewood armchair. "Thank you, Marquess’s wife," she murmured. No sooner had the words left her lips than a sharp female voice echoed from outside the hall.

"Sister, weren’t you supposed to return tomorrow from praying at the Guardian Temple? Why are you back early today?"

The Marquess’s Concubine, resplendent in a peach-red dress and fanning herself with a jade-handled fan, strode in boldly, followed by her niece, Shen Ruohan.

"Greetings, Concubine," the maid said.

The Concubine exuded an imposing presence. She walked directly up to Yun Wan and cast a disdainful glance her way.

"Where did this country bumpkin come from, sitting in my seat?"

"Watch your tongue; do not slander others," the Marquess’s wife admonished, her brow furrowed. "Since the Marquess’s passing, this estate relies entirely on the young lord. As a concubine, you should not be so ostentatious."

The Concubine scoffed lightly and took a seat opposite Yun Wan.

Turning to Yun Wan, the Marquess’s wife rotated her Buddhist beads. "Miss Yun, do not be afraid. I see the cinnabar mole between your brows—you must have a connection to the Buddha. Since we are so fated to meet, do not be too reserved. May I ask where your family is from?"

Yun Wan touched the cinnabar mole between her brows and said innocently, "My home is in Yun County in the northwest. This is a scar from when I bumped into a stake by the door as a child, not something I was born with."

The Marquess’s wife was amused by Yun Wan’s naivety. "What comes and goes is all fate. You are a wise young lady."

She continued, "I wonder how Miss Yun came across the estate seal of the Marquess’s household?"

Yun Wan’s fingers, clutching the baby’s blanket, turned white. "This jade pendant was given to me by—"

"Marquess’s wife, the young lord has arrived."

Yun Wan turned to look at Lu Yu as he entered, and in a husky voice, she finished, "It was given to me by my husband."

Crash—

Suddenly, the sound of shattered porcelain rang out, startling Yun Wan into a shiver. She turned to see Shen Ruohan, seated beside the Concubine, staring at her with intense hatred.

Yun Wan instinctively recoiled, pulling her child closer.

The Concubine’s phoenix eyes glinted as she pursed her lips into a smile. "Breaking things brings good luck; it’s all good fortune. Ruohan must have been overwhelmed with emotion seeing Sister return and accidentally dropped the teacup."

She turned and patted Shen Ruohan’s hand, saying with a laugh, "Quickly apologize to the Marquess’s wife."

Shen Ruohan lowered her head and said hoarsely, "I was careless today. I beg your forgiveness, Marquess’s wife."

The Marquess’s wife smiled faintly, rotating her Buddhist beads, and said calmly, "It is of no consequence. Bring Miss Shen another cup of tea."

After this commotion, Lu Yu stood before the Marquess’s wife and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Mother."

The Marquess’s wife nodded slightly, her expression neutral.

She turned to Yun Wan and said, "Miss Yun, pay them no mind. I have a fondness for Buddhist teachings, and seeing the cinnabar mole between your brows, I feel we are fated to meet. Today, the young lord handled matters improperly—how could he let the benefactor who found the estate seal leave so casually?"

"In a few days, the estate will host a Lotus Banquet. For now, I shall be a proper host to you for a few days, though I must ask you to accompany me in copying Buddhist scriptures. A child with such a connection to the Buddha as you surely must be favored by the divine."

The Marquess’s wife spoke slowly and gently, easing the tension in Yun Wan’s heart. Hesitantly, Yun Wan said, "I only know a few basic characters; I haven’t read many books."

Lu Yu frowned slightly.

The Marquess’s wife seemed to notice Lu Yu’s reaction and turned to ask, "What does the young lord think?"

Lu Yu nodded faintly and said, "As Mother wishes."

The Marquess’s wife nodded and continued, "Even accompanying me to offer incense is a joyous matter."

Stealing a glance at Lu Yu, Yun Wan suppressed her delight and clumsily bowed. "Then I will trouble you, Marquess’s wife."

"Nanny Li, prepare a guest room for Miss Yun so she may rest properly."

"Yes, madam."

Yun Wan slowly passed by Lu Yu, holding her child, and cast a sidelong glance his way, but his gaze remained fixed on the main seat.

Her eyes dimmed, and her fingers tightened around the child’s blanket.

It did not matter. As long as she could stay here, there would still be opportunities to ask.

---

Under the Marquess’s wife’s arrangements, the guest room was fully prepared, complete with a small cradle bed.

Yun Wan’s fingers traced the exquisite embroidery on the quilt, and she looked up at the vividly patterned bed curtains. The air was filled with the pleasant scent of mosquito-repelling incense.

Such refined scenes were something she and A Yu had imagined countless times together in Yun County.

The northwest had no such exquisitely carved wooden beds—only earthen *kang* to sleep on. Pampered by her father since childhood, she had never learned to heat the *kang*, and Lu Yu was not skilled at it either.

When the *kang* grew cold, Lu Yu would hold her tightly with his warm body, his fingers gently stroking her rounded belly as they huddled under the same quilt, sharing stories of what he had seen at the bookshop that day.

Those simple, hard times felt richer than today’s luxuries.

Suddenly, a soft voice interrupted Yun Wan’s reminiscence.

"H-hello, I’m Yuan Yuan, sent by Nanny Li to serve... Miss Yun."

True to her name, Yuan Yuan was round like a little dumpling, her hair styled in double buns. She peeked into the room.

Suddenly catching sight of Yun Wan sitting on the bed, her peach-blossom eyes misty and the tip of her nose red like a small cherry, Yuan Yuan instinctively gasped. "You’re so beautiful."

Yun Wan hurried forward to greet her but tripped over an uneven part of the carpet. Shyly, she said, "My apologies for the clumsiness."

Yuan Yuan felt her heart melt at the beauty’s clumsiness, and she became even more convinced that working here was a great job.

Setting down the bucket of water, Yuan Yuan began to work. Yun Wan, however, felt too embarrassed to stand by idly, so she rolled up her sleeves and prepared to help.

"Don't do that! You're a guest—it's not right to have guests do chores," Yuan Yuan objected, her mouth hanging open.

Yun Wan watched as the rag was tugged away. "I'd feel guilty," she said.

Yuan Yuan chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I get paid a monthly salary for this work. If Nanny Li finds out I made a guest help, she'll surely give me a good whipping."

Yun Wan had no choice but to relent.

Yuan Yuan was a chatty young woman. As she worked, she chattered away: "The fish porridge in the kitchen today was the best I've ever had. The fried glutinous rice balls were delicious too. Speaking of rice balls, a few days ago, Xiao Hong secretly brought me some fermented rice balls from a tavern outside the estate. But that annoying Xiao Hua saw it..."

Yun Wan, thinking of the man she had seen earlier, tentatively asked in a soft voice, "A Yu—I mean, the Heir—has he been home this past year?"

"Of course he's been in the capital. The Heir holds the position of Left Chief Censor of the Censorate. If he were to leave the capital, he'd have to report it to His Majesty first," Yuan Yuan explained.

Yun Wan looked puzzled. "Left... Censor? What is that?"

Yuan Yuan leaned in and whispered in Yun Wan's ear, "It's a high-ranking official who oversees the thirteen circuits of censors and serves directly before the emperor. The Heir is often by His Majesty's side. I've heard he's dealt swiftly with many corrupt officials who oppressed the people, and the common folk applaud him for it."

"But here in the estate, whenever we see the Heir, we have to walk on eggshells—not daring to say a word out of turn."

Yun Wan's spirits sank. She murmured softly, "If the Heir never left the capital, maybe I mistook him for someone else. My husband was just an ordinary scholar."

Yuan Yuan didn't know how to respond. Suddenly, Yun Wan perked up, her teary eyes curving into a smile. "It's alright. The Marquess’s wife has allowed me to stay for a few days. I'll have a chance to ask the Heir eventually."

Yuan Yuan couldn't help but whisper a word of caution, "I'm a maid in the Marquess’s estate. Aren't you afraid that if you tell me these things, I might spread this around and others will laugh at you?"

Yun Wan blinked, looking confused. "Would you tell others?"

Yuan Yuan sighed. "I wouldn't, but what if you run into gossipy types?"

"I don't care," Yun Wan replied. "No rumor could be worse than the ones the old women at the village entrance spread. After my mother passed, I've been called 'little vixen' for ten years. A few more rumors won't bother me."

Yun Wan smiled, her eyes curving into smiles, the cinnabar mole between her brows glowing even brighter.

Yuan Yuan suddenly felt that Nanny Li and the others were wrong about Yun Wan.

If Yun Wan could travel alone from the northwest to the capital with a child in her arms, she was no delicate flower. Though she looked as sweet and charming as a peach blossom, her heart was as resilient as wild grass.

---

Later that night, in the Concubine's courtyard.

Since returning to her room, Shen Ruohan had locked herself inside, and the sound of shattering porcelain had not ceased.

Her personal maid said, "Madam, Miss Shen Ruohan is still crying. Should you go check on her?"

The Concubine stroked the long-haired cat in her arms and glanced over. "I have no children and no support in the inner court. So I thought to bring a pretty girl from my natal family to raise by my side, hoping she'd grow up with the young Heir. Even if she became a secondary consort someday, she could be my support. Who knew she'd be so useless?"

The personal maid fanned her gently and advised, "The young lady is still young. She needs your guidance, Madam."

"Guidance? Even dumb wood needs to show some brains," the Concubine retorted.

No sooner had she spoken than a figure in pink rushed in and dropped to her knees with a thud, her voice hoarse. "Aunt, please help me."

"See? The block of wood has gained some sense," the Concubine said with a laugh. "Speak. What do you need me to do?"

Shen Ruohan lifted her head, her dark pupils set in crimson-rimmed eyes. Deep affection and bitter regret swirled within them, and tear tracks like brambles covered her delicate face.

"Aunt, the Lotus Banquet is our last chance. If the Heir takes a liking to a noble young lady there, our plans will be ruined. I beg you."

The Concubine pondered for a moment, then said to the disheveled Shen Ruohan, "Get up. Tell me your plan."