Chapter 79

Chapter 79: The Showdown

Han Yan realized her slip of the tongue, her face flushing with embarrassment. Her already slightly rosy cheeks turned as crimson as a pomegranate-red cloth pillow. She said awkwardly, "My mind is muddled by illness, Madam. Please pay it no mind."

As she spoke, Qiu He walked to the side of the room and closed the doors and windows.

"Mother and my brother's wife went to Baoguang Temple today and will be returning to the Zeng family. It’s uncertain when they’ll be back. The Old Lady said that since you are carrying a child for the Li family, nothing must happen to you. When they return, I will inform the Old Lady about this matter. After you take your medicine, rest well. When one is ill, they shouldn’t overexert themselves. Duo Er, take good care of Concubine Han. You personally go and prepare the medicine," Dong Yuting reminded her, then stood up to leave.

Han Yan hesitated for a moment before instructing Duo Er to retrieve two embroidered hand warmers from the cabinet and present them to Dong Yuting, saying, "Thank you, Madam."

Judging by Han Yan’s expression, she seemed to understand Dong Yuting’s implication. Speaking with clever people was like this—no need to be explicit; a hint was enough. It wasn’t that the Old Lady was necessarily the one harming her, but rather a reminder that the Old Lady wasn’t entirely trustworthy. After all, the two of them were closer relatives. As a concubine, if Han Yan could already contend evenly with Ceng Huiyan without being pregnant, what would happen if she gave birth to a son? Wouldn’t she overshadow Ceng Huiyan? It was entirely possible that the Old Lady might eliminate a rival for her own niece.

Moreover, it wasn’t direct harm—just making childbirth difficult. If she succeeded in giving birth, the Li family would have another heir. If she failed, there was always the option of a C-section. Even the tyrannical Emperor Shi Hu of Later Zhao once cut open a pregnant woman’s belly to bet on the fetus’s gender. Regardless, the one suffering would be Concubine Han. Dong Yuting’s meaning was that one shouldn’t trust those around them completely.

The so-called hand warmers functioned similarly to gloves but were less convenient. Made of brocade in a cylindrical shape, both hands could be inserted into them. During autumn and winter, hands wrapped inside would stay as warm as in early summer.

One hand warmer featured an auspicious floral pattern, while the other had an intertwining lotus vine pattern. Duo Er handed both to Qiu He.

"Didn’t I tell you to stop embroidering these things?" Dong Yuting frowned.

Han Yan curved her lips into a faint smile. "There’s nothing to do in the room, so I sewed two hand warmers for the Eldest Young Lady and the Third Young Lady in my spare time. The materials were bestowed upon me by Lord Li. As the weather grows colder, they’ll be perfect for keeping the young ladies’ hands warm. A girl’s hands must be cared for meticulously. The one with the auspicious floral pattern is for the Eldest Young Lady, and the one with the intertwining lotus vine pattern is for the Third Young Lady."

The last time she went to deliver something to Dong Yuting, she happened to run into Concubine Wang with Li Nianwei. They chatted for a while, and it seemed they got along well enough for Han Yan to specially make one for Li Nianwei as well.

Since they weren’t for her, Dong Yuting couldn’t refuse on her daughters’ behalf. Still, she said with a displeased expression, "This is the last time. Don’t make any more in the future. Even if you do, I won’t accept them."

Concubine Han nodded and tried to get out of bed to see her off, but Dong Yuting quickly instructed Duo Er to stop her and left briskly. Concubine Han’s excessive warmth made her somewhat overwhelmed.

On the way back to Breeze Court, Qiu He and Chun Yue each carried a hand warmer.

Chun Yue, holding the one with the intertwining lotus vine pattern, felt inside it, then reached into the one Qiu He was carrying. Having served the Madam for so many years, she had seen many fine things and immediately noticed the difference. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled and said, "Concubine Han lined the hand warmer for our Eldest Young Lady with sable fur, while the one for the Third Young Lady is lined with rabbit fur."

Though they looked equally exquisite on the outside, the difference was evident inside. Sable fur was ultimately more luxurious than rabbit fur. Dong Yuting wondered whether it was because the materials given by the Second Master weren’t enough for two pieces or if Han Yan had done it intentionally. She suspected it might be a bit of both.

The weather grew colder. Dong Yuting returned to her room and instructed Chun Yue to deliver the two hand warmers to the young ladies. Dong Zhi brought Qiu Xiaoshi, who had been waiting in the side room for some time, to report on what had happened the previous night.

"How many people died?"

Qiu Xiaoshi said, "It’s unclear, but I estimate no fewer than ten. Prince Xiankang was injured while rescuing people and remains unconscious. Prince Pingning is currently handling the matter outside the city. This is all I’ve managed to find out."

"Weren’t the houses just built? How could they collapse? Was the wind and rain last night that severe?" Could it have been a typhoon?

Qiu He said, "It was quite heavy, but for it to collapse houses—that’s impossible. Unless they were poorly constructed from the beginning."

Qiu Xiaoshi nodded in agreement. "Madam, you could ask the Master. He should know about these things."

Qiu He gave Qiu Xiaoshi an appreciative glance, then looked expectantly at Dong Yuting.

"Thank you for your efforts. Qiu He, give him a handful of silver pellets." Dong Yuting touched her elegant nose bridge, avoiding Qiu He’s gaze. She intended to ask Li Lingchuan about it later, but Qiu He’s behavior made her feel somewhat embarrassed. In the eyes of outsiders, their relationship had "eased," but Qiu He and the others hoped they could grow closer. A harmonious family prospers in everything.

Qiu He picked up a box on the table and handed it to Qiu Xiaoshi. It was filled with silver pieces, each about the size of a broad bean, though of mediocre quality, somewhat dull in color, and kept specifically for rewards.

"Help yourself," Qiu He said with a smile.

Qiu Xiaoshi scratched his cheek, not daring to take too much, and loosely grabbed a handful—roughly equivalent to three qian in weight (about half an ounce).

After Qiu Xiaoshi left, Dong Yuting went to the study to find Li Lingchuan. He had two studies—one in Breeze Court, in the western side room, and another in Chongli Court, in a room in the western wing. During the day, household servants and stewards usually reported to Dong Yuting in Breeze Court. Li Lingchuan found it too noisy and preferred to use the outer study, where he could also tutor Li Bohan.

Dong Yuting had been to the study before, but this time she was there specifically to see Li Lingchuan, which made her somewhat uneasy. When she entered, Li Lingchuan was reading. Qiu He skillfully prepared tea for them, leaving the maids assigned to the study with nothing to do.

"All of you, leave," Dong Yuting said.

Qiu He led the maids from the outer study away. Although they belonged to different departments, since becoming the Madam’s personal maid, Qiu He’s authority had grown steadily. The two young maids from the study were somewhat intimidated by her and obediently followed her out.

Li Lingchuan looked up at her, his expression attentive.

"You’ve heard about last night’s incident, haven’t you?"

Li Lingchuan nodded. "I have."

"Was it your doing?" The moment the probing question left her lips, Dong Yuting felt a twinge of regret, afraid the answer might not align with her expectations. Perhaps she should have pretended not to know or deliberately avoided learning about it to maintain peace of mind.

"What are you accusing me of?" Li Lingchuan paused, then smiled faintly. He was a man of few emotions; even his smiles were subtle and carried a hint of aloofness, except for that one time he was drunk.

"These houses were just built. How could they collapse from a single night of wind and rain? What was the Ministry of Works doing?" Dong Yuting observed his expression. "I heard many people died. With such a major incident, Prince Xiankang has no way out now. You’re the Minister of Works, yet you conveniently fell ill at this time and came out untouched. If someone told me this had nothing to do with you, I wouldn’t believe it."

Her tone grew more certain as she spoke. "You’re the Minister of Works. It must have been easy to tamper with the construction, right? You planned this from the start, which is why you pushed the responsibility onto someone else, letting Prince Xiankang lower his guard. You let my brother become a laughingstock, then used illness as an excuse. Even if others suspect you weren’t really sick, they’ll follow your setup and assume you fell ill from anger after I used the Li family’s funds to cover the two thousand taels (a large sum of silver) he lost gambling."

"I knew it. Just because Prince Yongming went to the Jianghuai region, does that mean he’s ignoring matters in the capital entirely?" Dong Yuting noticed his expression and knew she had hit the mark—or at least partly. She couldn’t help feeling annoyed. She had actually believed his excuse about fearing a lack of support in the capital and worrying about Prince Xiankang’s schemes, leading him to feign illness for a while.

"What if I said it wasn’t me? Would you believe it?" Li Lingchuan countered.

Dong Yuting wanted to retort sharply for his deception. "Does it matter whether I believe you or not? I’m just a pawn anyway." As the words left her mouth, her face burned with embarrassment. She had no grounds to say such a thing. She had treated Princess Yongtai as a pawn, unaware that she herself had become someone else’s pawn.

Li Lingchuan pressed his lips together. "I didn’t do it. My role was merely to avoid taking charge of the matter, allowing Prince Xiankang to lower his guard. The rest was handled by my Teacher and Prince Yongming’s advisors. But I can roughly guess what they did. They used construction wood that couldn’t withstand moisture. Their success, however, is thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?"

"Princess Xiankang wanted to make a hefty profit during the period of rising rice prices. She bought back rice from some people at high prices, intending to sell it to your people at an even higher price. Little did she know she was falling into your trap. On top of that, Princess Yongtai took over the affairs of Compassion Hall. Prince Wulie brought back grain, lowering rice prices in the capital. The rice Princess Xiankang bought back would either rot in her hands or have to be sold at a loss. With this incident involving the Princess Consort and the Emperor finding out, Prince Xiankang wanted to quickly accomplish something to please the Emperor. That’s why my Teacher and the others succeeded so swiftly."

The Teacher he referred to was the former Minister of Works.

"You knew all along?"

Li Lingchuan said, "Otherwise, why do you think Wang Li is still safe and sound now?"

Dong Yuting drew a sharp breath. "Are you saying Princess Xiankang sent people to eliminate him?"

"You instructed Wang Li to reclaim the deposit. The Princess Consort, fearing the matter would escalate further, had no choice but to give it to him. But the moment he left, assassins were sent after him. If not for Prince Yongming’s guards following him, Wang Li would likely be dead by now."

Dong Yuting was seized with dread. "After all, it was no small sum. I knew she wouldn’t let the matter escalate at this time, which is why I sent Wang Li to reclaim it. I never thought... I still underestimated her recklessness. Even under the watch of the Imperial Guard, she dared to do such a thing."

Li Lingchuan said, "Perhaps because she thought Wang Li was just a rice merchant from the Jianghuai region."