The following afternoon, Yin Zhuli was still occupied with Manager Hao, calculating the first half-year’s profits and the fluctuating costs of their various storefronts. Lord Fu-lu was not one to sit idle; he soon began clamoring to go out for a stroll. Yin Zhuli indulged him, merely instructing his personal attendant, Xiao He, to keep a close eye on the Ninth Highness. She gave two specific orders: first, he was not to provoke any trouble, and second, he was not to overindulge in wine.
Xiao He naturally agreed with a string of affirmations before following Shen Tingjiao out the door.
Once they had departed, Yin Zhuli stood up. "Manager Hao, continue these calculations with the other accountants. I am returning to the Yin estate."
Hao Jian was a man of keen wit; he understood immediately that she intended to visit Tang Yin. He hurried to see her off. Yin Zhuli required no preparation; she simply led Lao San out and galloped back to the Yin family residence.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Palace was far from peaceful. First, Consort Zhuang had gone missing. After a frantic search by the palace servants, her corpse was discovered by the Penglai Pond. She had been dead for some time.
Shen Tingyao was naturally incensed and immediately ordered a rigorous investigation. However, on the day of the incident, only Lord Fu-lu and his consort had entered the palace to offer their thanks. Shen Tingyao knew the timeline; Yin Zhuli simply had no time to strike. Furthermore, Consort Zhuang had no long-standing grievances or recent enmity with her; there was no motive for murder.
As for Lord Fu-lu, he could be disregarded entirely. Shen Tingyao’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the imperial desk. This younger brother of his had always been frail and soft-hearted. Forget killing a person—he would likely struggle to slaughter a chicken. Moreover, he had no reason to harm a consort of the inner palace. Thus, the Emperor issued his decree: "There is no need to investigate Lord Fu-lu or his consort. Focus the search on those within the palace."
With that, the trail went cold. A dark secret of the inner court was turned over again and again, yet the blame could be pinned on no one.
Before Yin Zhuli even reached the Guilai Residence, she encountered Ke Tingfeng walking out with a stony expression. Upon seeing her, he let out a sigh of relief. "It is good that you are back. He still refuses to take his midday medicine."
Yin Zhuli frowned at his words. Indeed, behind the doctor stood a young page holding a medicinal bowl, its dark contents untouched. She took the tray and said softly, "I will handle it."
The Guilai Residence remained desolate. It was only when Yin Zhuli entered that Nuanyu lit the lamps. Yin Zhuli had never understood why Tang Yin preferred to linger in the darkness.
Pushing open the door, she found Tang Yin still lying on the couch. This time, his injuries were severe; he likely wouldn't be able to move for quite a while. Seeing the medicinal bowl in her hand, he let out a light cough and spoke unhurriedly, "Why have you come?"
Yin Zhuli sat by the couch. Seeing his upright and self-contained manner, she recalled the deep kiss from the other night. Her face flushed slightly, and she cleared her throat. "Master, you are of a certain age now. How can you act like my family’s Ninth Highness? Hurry and drink your medicine."
Tang Yin looked at the dark brown liquid in the bowl, the veins on his forehead throbbing slightly. Thinking of how this assassination attempt had once again ended in failure, he fell into self-loathing. "A useless husk is not worth healing."
"You mustn't say that," Yin Zhuli said, stirring the medicine with a spoon as a heavy, bitter scent wafted through the air. "If this injury doesn't heal completely, how will Master go back next year?" At that, she suddenly grew animated. "Speaking of which, Master, this truly is a case of 'may every year be like today, and every day like this morning'!"
Tang Yin’s temper flared at her teasing. He shot her a furious glare, but she merely scooped up a spoonful of medicine and held it to his lips. "Drink up, Master. Once you've nursed your body back to health, we’ll go again next year!"
Tang Yin, mindful of his dignity as a master, could not lose his composure too much. He gave a cold snort and took a mouthful of the medicine, his brow furrowing deeply from the bitterness. Yin Zhuli ended up holding the entire bowl to his lips. He took a long breath and downed the medicine in one go.
Yin Zhuli pulled a piece of sugar from a paper packet at her waist and popped it into his mouth before he could speak. Tang Yin felt a sudden sweetness bloom, slowly dispelling the bitterness. However, the dejection in his heart could not be so easily chased away.
Nineteen years. For nineteen years, he had attempted to assassinate Qu Tianji once every year, and every time he had been defeated. In this latest clash, he realized that Qu Tianji’s skills had improved even further, leaving him feeling hopeless.
Could the grudge for Biwu truly never be avenged in this lifetime?
Yin Zhuli saw his expression, a smile reaching her eyes. "Master, how does it taste?"
Tang Yin forced himself to rally, not wanting his emotions to affect her. "Passable."
Yin Zhuli nodded knowingly. "If even Master praises it, it must be excellent." She popped another piece into Tang Yin’s mouth before continuing, "No wonder Lao San likes it so much."
Tang Yin spat the sugar into his hand with a "peh." He grabbed the short flute from the table, looking as if he wanted to thrash her. The last embers of his dejection were incinerated by his rage. "You dare feed your Master the same sugar you give to Lao San? You rebellious disciple!"
Yin Zhuli had already leaped out of his reach, her face full of its usual mischievous, irreverent grin. "Master, your words are incorrect. Laozi said that all things between heaven and earth are but straw dogs. Since all are straw dogs, if Lao San can eat it, why can't Master?"
Tang Yin grew even angrier. "Presumptuous!"
Yin Zhuli immediately lowered her head and stood submissively. "Zhuli was wrong. Even if all things are straw dogs, Master is certainly not one."
Tang Yin tapped his flute against the edge of the bed, producing a hollow sound. Ultimately, he was powerless against her. He couldn't help but laugh and curse, "You absolute scoundrel!"
Outside the door, Nuanyu couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. Mr. Tang’s personality was usually so stiff and traditional; it seemed the Head was truly his natural counter.
***
Over at the Thousand-Acre Prosperity Hall, things were not going well for the Ninth Lord. He had come here to gamble a few small coins. The manager here was Gou Qian, who naturally didn't dare cheat him. If the Prince lost money, he would be unhappy; if he was unhappy, the Head would be unhappy; and if the Head was unhappy, no one would be happy.
Thus, whenever the Ninth Lord was short on silver, he would come to the Prosperity Hall to take some... well, to "win" some.
Most officials in the capital who enjoyed gambling knew the unwritten rules: if you want a free meal, follow the Ninth Lord. If you want to gamble without losing, follow the Ninth Lord. If you want to visit a brothel for free, follow the Ninth Lord.
Consequently, the moment he entered the Prosperity Hall, people flocked to welcome him. One was Gou Qian, and the other was Qu Huaishang, the second son of Qu Tianji. He greeted the Ninth Lord warmly. "Ninth Highness, it has been a long time."
Shen Tingjiao and the Qu brothers had been childhood playmates, so he walked arm-in-arm with him. "I heard a while ago that you lost the official silver you were escorting in Wannian County. Is everything settled now?"
Qu Huaishang grew gloomy at the mention of it. "Wannian County has always been peaceful. I’ve traveled back and forth no less than forty or fifty times. This was the first time I encountered someone bold enough to stage a highway robbery in broad daylight. Fortunately, my father intervened."
Mentioning Qu Tianji brought a mix of respect and fear to his face, so he immediately changed the subject. "Let’s not speak of such disappointing things. Come, place your bets!"
The Ninth Lord bet on "Small." Everyone at the table followed suit. The dealer wiped cold sweat from his brow and, in the end, opened the dice to reveal a "Small."
***
Back at the Guilai Residence.
Yin Zhuli had Nuanyu bring in dinner. Because Tang Yin was injured, the meal consisted mostly of light, bland dishes.
Tang Yin could not get up, so Yin Zhuli had the table pulled closer. she served a bowl of lotus leaf green rice porridge and fed it to him with a spoon. Tang Yin found the posture awkward and reached out to take the bowl, but she pulled her hand back, her voice turning solemn. "Master is injured; it is better not to be constrained by trivial etiquette."
Tang Yin had no choice but to let her feed him mouthful by mouthful. She picked up a crystal winter melon dumpling and fed it to him, her movements remarkably tender. "If one day Zhuli dies, and Master chases the enemy every year to avenge me like this, how wonderful that would be."
"Do not speak such nonsense!" Tang Yin looked up. Seeing her merely inspecting his bandaged wounds, his heart softened, and his tone relaxed. "The Head has already brought the Ninth Lord home; is that not a case of lovers finally uniting? There is no need to speak so sourly."
Yin Zhuli looked back at him deeply. After a long silence, she fed him another spoonful of porridge, her smile easy and composed. "True. Though asking our Ninth Highness to avenge me... cough, that might be asking a bit too much of him."
Tang Yin thought about it and couldn't help but reveal a faint smile. "The Ninth Lord’s temperament is a perfect match for yours. Aside from him, no matter who you were with, you would find it difficult to get along."
Yin Zhuli didn't want to continue the topic, but she couldn't control her tongue. "If I had someone with a gentle temperament like Master’s, I would naturally be humble and yielding."
Tang Yin’s face instantly darkened. "Nonsense!"
His voice was a bit too loud, seemingly jarring his wound. He took a sharp breath. Yin Zhuli quickly set down the bowl and chopsticks, pulling back the thin quilt to check the injury on his chest. Seeing no blood seeping through, she relaxed slightly, her hand lightly probing the area. "Does it hurt? I’ll go call Ke Tingfeng."
Tang Yin had recovered by then, though he still didn't dare move. Seeing her concerned expression, he said softly, "No need, I am fine. Do not make such jokes in the future. You are a married woman now and should be mindful of your words and deeds. If such talk were overheard by others, what would become of propriety!"
*Actually... not all of those words were jokes, Master. But they are merely superfluous words, nothing more than idle delusions; there is no use in mentioning them.* Yin Zhuli lowered her eyes, not daring to provoke his anger further, and merely complied submissively.
In the evening, Yin Zhuli returned to the Lord Fu-lu’s estate. Shen Tingjiao was brought back supported by Qu Huaishang. Seeing him reeking of alcohol and clearly quite drunk, the Head was somewhat displeased.
The second young master of the Qu family gave a somewhat apologetic smile. "We ran into some old friends, and the Ninth Highness couldn't refuse them. He had a few too many. I hope the Consort will not take offense."
Yin Zhuli took Shen Tingjiao from his arms, pulling him into her own embrace. She ordered the servants to prepare a sobering soup before turning back to look at Qu Huaishang. Her voice seemed to carry a deeper meaning. "We are family after all; you should have advised him better."
The words were so solemn that Qu Huaishang was stunned. Yin Zhuli, however, had already carried the Ninth Lord back to their room.
The second Qu son was a clever man, but no matter how he puzzled over it, he couldn't grasp the meaning behind that sentence.
When he returned to his own estate that night, he didn't dare ask the Great General. Instead, he tried to ask his mother, Lady Wei, in a roundabout way. To his surprise, the moment Lady Wei heard the name Yin Zhuli, she flew into a towering rage and nearly threw him out of the room.
Being a young man, he was intensely curious about these old stories. The more he was rebuffed, the more he wanted to uncover the truth. As he walked along the garden path, he soon saw a figure standing as straight as a spear in front of the Listening Rain Tower. The lights inside the tower were burning brightly.
His father was likely discussing important matters with high-ranking officials again. Looking at the man standing guard at the door, his eyes suddenly lit up—Qu Fu. He had followed his father for so many years; what could there be about his father’s past that Qu Fu didn't know?
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
蓬莱池 | Penglai Pond | A pond within the imperial palace grounds.
归来居 | Guilai Residence | Tang Yin's living quarters within the Yin estate.
千倾富贵坊 | Thousand-Acre Prosperity Hall | A prominent gambling establishment.
曲怀觞 | Qu Huaishang | The second son of Great General Qu Tianji.
勾钱 | Gou Qian | The manager of the Prosperity Hall gambling den.
碧梧 | Biwu | A person from Tang Yin's past, the motivation for his revenge.
荷叶碧粳粥 | Lotus leaf green rice porridge | A light, fragrant medicinal porridge.
水晶冬瓜饺 | Crystal winter melon dumplings | A delicate, translucent dumpling.
魏氏 | Lady Wei | Qu Tianji’s wife and Qu Huaishang’s mother.
曲福 | Qu Fu | A long-time loyal servant or guard of Qu Tianji.
听雨楼 | Listening Rain Tower | A building within the Qu estate.
