Chapter 109: Riddled with Doubts

"Mother, what are you two talking about?" Anyi asked as she entered the room, having overheard the name "Xi'er."

"We were talking about you digging up medicinal herbs to sell," Lady Luo replied with a smile. Because Bai Wuming was a guest, she hadn't retreated to the inner chambers, choosing instead to sit in the main hall and chat with him. She did the talking, and Bai Wuming did the listening—mostly stories about the An siblings' childhood.

A flicker of melancholy crossed Anyi’s eyes. That simple life was something they could never return to.

Lady Luo, whose vision was blurry, missed that look of sorrow and asked with a smile, "Xi'er, what time is it now?"

Anyi checked the clock. "The end of the Si hour."

"How time flies, it's noon already," Lady Luo chuckled. "I am truly sorry for keeping Young Master Qi here listening to my rambling all morning. Please, stay for lunch."

"Very well," Bai Wuming agreed.

Auntie Hua opened her mouth to speak. With An Qinghe and his son away, it was improper for the ladies to host a strange man. But since Bai Wuming had already accepted, she swallowed her words and smiled. The young master clearly wanted to spend more time with Miss An, and since Lady Luo was happy to have him, why should she play the villain?

Lady Luo was a hospitable woman and, having forgotten they were in the capital rather than the countryside, saw no inconvenience. Anyi, only vaguely familiar with these social protocols, saw nothing wrong with it either.

"Shancha, go to the kitchen and tell them not to prepare too many dishes. Have them serve the standard meal for the Lady, and add one extra dish of sautéed perch fillets," Anyi whispered after leading Shancha outside.

At high noon, five dishes and one soup were brought into Jingli Garden. Seeing that two of the four meat dishes were fish, Auntie Hua frowned slightly.

"My eyes are better now, there's no need to feed me. I can eat by myself," Lady Luo said, picking up her bowl with a smile.

"Alright, you eat, and I’ll serve you," Anyi said, placing some fish cakes fried with mushroom oil into Lady Luo’s bowl.

After Lady Luo finished, Anyi added some duck meat and tofu to her bowl.

"Xi'er, don't just focus on me. Attend to Young Master Qi," Lady Luo reminded her.

Anyi noticed Bai Wuming chewing on greens, never once reaching for the fish. Finding this strange, she followed her mother's advice: "Young Master Qi, my cook’s skills are quite good. This dish of sautéed perch fillets is tender, fresh, and delicious. You should try it."

"Miss An, our Young Master does not eat fish," Auntie Hua said with a sour expression. The Young Master was treating Miss An so well, yet she didn't care enough to notice he didn't eat fish.

"You don't eat fish?" Anyi looked at Bai Wuming, arching an eyebrow. She remembered someone back in Lingnan who ate fish at every meal, making her wonder if he belonged to the zodiac sign of a cat.

"There are too many bones," Bai Wuming replied, his expression rigid. His heart was bleeding; he desperately wanted to eat the exquisitely prepared fish but couldn't. It was agonizing! He couldn't go back to being Han Xuan-Ye; he had to maintain the identity of Bai Wuming. He had to avoid fish! He had to play the part!

"Oh!" Anyi feigned sudden realization, her eyes dancing with amusement. What did they call it when one dug their own grave? This was it.

Lady Luo swallowed her food and said anxiously, "Xi'er, if the young master doesn't eat fish, quickly tell the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes he likes."

"Mother, I just set the rules for the kitchen today. Every meal has a fixed portion and cannot be changed at will. If the young master doesn't eat fish, he can have the duck, the greens, the tofu, and the soup. It’s plenty for him," Anyi winked playfully. "Isn't that right, Young Master?"

"Yes," Bai Wuming replied, picking up a piece of green vegetable and biting down hard.

Anyi bit her lip, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.

After lunch, they sat for a while before Bai Wuming departed with his two servants and Auntie Hua. Shanyao and Xiangqin then brought in the four young maids who had been cleaned up to pay their respects to Lady Luo and Anyi.

"Mother, these four are the new maids. Would you like to name them?" Anyi asked.

Lady Luo squinted at the four blurry figures and smiled, "I wouldn't know what to name them. You do it."

Anyi thought for a moment. "Mother already has Shanyao and Shancha, so you will be Shanzha, and you will be Shanyu."

"Thank you for the names, Miss," the two girls knelt and kowtowed.

Anyi looked at the other two. "You will be Xingren, and you will be Taoren. From now on, you will stay by my side."

"Thank you for the names, Miss."

Just then, Guan Er’s wife entered, paid her respects, and said, "Miss, Concubine Huang requests your presence."

Anyi had expected Huang not to behave. She took Fangrong and Guan Er’s wife with her to Zhuijin Court.

The room was in shambles. Teapots, cups, bowls, rice, and soup were smashed all over the floor. Concubine Huang sat on a chair with a gloomy face. Seeing Anyi enter, she grabbed a jade rabbit ornament from the table and hurled it at her.

Anyi caught the jade rabbit, channeled her internal energy, and snapped its head off.

Concubine Huang’s eyes widened in terror. "You..."

Anyi dropped the broken rabbit to the ground, walked slowly over to Huang, lifted her chin, and smirked. "Concubine Huang, why aren't you eating your lunch properly?"

"An Xi'er, what is your intent?" Huang recovered from her shock and demanded sharply.

Anyi raised an eyebrow. "My intent toward you is exactly the same as your intent toward my mother."

Thinking of the leverage she had handed over to Anyi, Huang grew pale with rage. "Are you trying to starve me to death?"

"Didn't the kitchen send the food on the floor?"

"A maid of the third rank wouldn't even eat food like this!"

"When hungry, chaff tastes like honey; when full, honey tastes like nothing. It seems Concubine Huang isn't hungry yet, so don't eat. Guan Er’s wife, tell the kitchen not to serve dinner to Concubine Huang tonight. Let her cleanse her gut," Anyi released Huang’s chin. "Lüti, you all go eat. Let Concubine Huang rest in her room and do not disturb her."

The four maids, including Lüti, didn't even dare look at Huang as they bowed their heads and retreated. Concubine Huang stared in disbelief at the departing maids. How could this happen?

"Concubine Huang, do not make a scene and do not challenge my tolerance again," Anyi said as she reached the door. "Guan Er’s wife, lock the door for me. Concubine Huang is frail; don't let her come out and tire herself, and don't any of you disturb her, do you understand?"

"An Xi'er, don't go too far! I will go home and tell my grandfather, my father, and my mother. I will make you pay for this!" Huang shouted hatefully.

"Without my permission, you won't even be able to step out of this room."

"What right do you have to keep me in? What right do you have to forbid me from returning to my maiden home?"

Anyi curled her lips into a cold, chilling smile. With a light tap of her foot, she used her lightness skill to glide in front of Huang, grabbing her by the throat. "The right to snap your neck with one hand."

Huang gasped. "You... you are a devil!"

"Stay quietly in Zhuijin Court from now on, and I will see that you are fed. Otherwise, I will make your parents suffer the grief of burying their child," Anyi threatened coldly.

"You wouldn't dare!" Huang glared, though her voice wavered.

"A person only has one life. Do you dare to test me?" Anyi’s face was frost-covered, her eyes filled with murderous intent that pinned Huang down.

Looking into Anyi’s eyes, a chill surged through Huang’s limbs. She was certain Anyi was capable of killing her. She didn't want to die. The words were squeezed from her throat, "You... let me go. I... I won't make a scene anymore."

Watching this, Guan Er’s wife made a silent vow: she could offend anyone in this household, but never the young mistress. She would serve her well and obey her every word.

Anyi had temporarily trapped Huang in Zhuijin Court, but she knew this was not a long-term solution; Huang would find ways to send messages out. The An residence was not an impenetrable fortress, and she couldn't guard against everything. The urgent priority was to find someone more powerful to back her up before the Huang family arrived to demand an explanation.

That evening, An Qinghe declined an invitation from his colleagues and rushed back to have dinner with Lady Luo and Anyi. Since Huang had been locked away by Anyi, she hadn't appeared as usual to serve An Qinghe.

As she ate, Anyi watched An Qinghe’s expression, noticing he didn't seem to notice Huang’s absence, nor did he ask about it.

After dinner, it was Lady Luo who brought it up. "I haven't seen Sister Huang all day. I wonder what she is busy with?"

"Concubine Huang is ill, so I told her to rest in her room," Anyi replied calmly.

"She was fine yesterday, how did she get sick? What is wrong with her? Has a doctor seen her?" Lady Luo asked with concern.

"A doctor has already seen her. Concubine Huang caught a cold; she will be better after resting for a few days," Anyi looked at An Qinghe. Seeing no trace of worry or affection on his face, she curled her lips in satisfaction.

"She has been handling everything inside and out for the past few months; she must be exhausted, which is why she fell ill. Brother Qinghe, go see her after dinner," Lady Luo suggested.

Anyi felt a wave of irritation, almost choking. Her mother could really be the death of someone. Her expression darkened. "Mother, she is sick. If you ask Father to see her, what if he catches the illness?"

Lady Luo immediately changed her tune. "Brother Qinghe, don't go see her then. Wait until she is well."

"Very well," An Qinghe agreed.

Anyi rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "Father, Mother, tomorrow I need to go to Princess Lanyi’s mansion."

"You are going to Princess Lanyi’s mansion? You know the Princess?" An Qinghe asked, surprised.

"Since I arrived in the capital, I have been living in the Princess's mansion. I cured the County Princess's gastric ailment, and the Princess gave me a token to come and go as I please," Anyi said, taking out the token and handing it to An Qinghe.

An Qinghe didn't take the token, his brows knit tightly. "Xi'er, why are you going to the mansion tomorrow?"

"To check the pulses of the Princess and the County Princess. I promised her, and I cannot break my word," Anyi said, her gaze flickering.

"I will go with you tomorrow," An Qinghe said, worried.

Anyi frowned imperceptibly. "You have to attend court tomorrow; how would you have time? Besides, they wouldn't let you into the inner court of the Princess's mansion anyway."

An Qinghe considered this and said, "Xi'er, be careful. These imperial relatives are not simple people. If you can avoid going in the future, don't go. With me here, you don't need to compromise yourself."

Seeing the genuine concern in An Qinghe’s eyes, Anyi began to believe An Kang’s words that the assassin wasn't hired by him. She smiled, "Don't worry, Father, I will be careful."

"When you go to the mansion, don't go empty-handed. Pick something from the storehouse. Although the Princess lacks for nothing, it is a matter of decorum," An Qinghe said.

"Father is right, but the storehouse is filled with Concubine Huang’s dowry. If I take her dowry to give as a gift, I’m afraid she won't be happy," Anyi said, bluntly adding fuel to the fire.

"The storehouse isn't just Huang’s dowry. It contains many rewards I’ve received, as well as spoils of war. Take whatever you like. When you get married, all of that will be your dowry," An Qinghe laughed.

Anyi held out her hand. "Father, give me the key. I’ll go pick something out now."

An Qinghe tapped her hand. "The key is with your mother. Ask her."

"Mother, give me the key," Anyi said coquettishly.

"The key isn't with me; I gave it to Sister Huang," Lady Luo replied.

An Qinghe frowned. "Shanyao, go to Zhuijin Court and get the key."

"Fangrong, go with Shanyao. Have someone from Concubine Huang’s side come along so I don't accidentally take the wrong thing," Anyi added.

Fangrong and Shanyao soon returned with the key, accompanied by Lüti.

Anyi happily went to the storehouse to pick out gifts. Dazzled by the full room, she asked, "Lüti, which ones are Concubine Huang’s dowry?"

Lüti looked and pointed to the large wooden chests on the right. "Replying to you, Miss, these are Concubine Huang’s dowry."

Anyi went to the left side and picked out two items: a white jade screen and a daylily-patterned ruyi.

On her way back to Jingli Garden, Anyi ran into An Kang, who had just returned from a banquet. "Big Brother, you're back."

"Little Sister, how was your day?" An Kang asked, worried she had been mistreated.

Anyi smiled. "Everything is under control."

"Did she give you a hard time?"

"No."

"That’s good. I just paid my respects to Mother and Father, and they have already gone to sleep. Tomorrow, have someone clear out the Mingzhu Pavilion; that is the courtyard Father prepared for you," An Kang said with a smile.

Anyi’s eyes flickered. "I understand."

Back in Jingli Garden, Shancha was leading Shanzha in changing the new bedsheets in the side room.

Anyi thought for a moment and asked, "Shancha, how many times a month does the Master go to Concubine Huang’s room?"

Shancha hesitated for a moment before answering, "Replying to you, Miss, the Master went twice last month, and he hasn't gone at all this month."

Anyi was surprised. Was An Qinghe truly that devoted? Willing to stay with the aging Lady Luo rather than the young and beautiful Concubine Huang? Could it be that An Kang wasn't lying—that An Qinghe never wanted to take a concubine, and that he had been manipulated and forced into it?

Anyi frowned slightly. She had always been suspicious of why the Huang family would send Huang into the An household as a concubine. Undeniably, An Qinghe was handsome and possessed the charm of a mature man, but he was only a second-rank general. Why would the Huang family plot so extensively to get Huang by his side? Even if she couldn't be a wife, being a concubine was enough. What hidden secret lay beneath all this?