Chapter 114: A Single Word Revealed

The brother and sister walked along the path, putting some distance between themselves and the Jingli Garden. An Yi said, “This morning, Aunt Huang’s mother, Madam Huang Chang, barged into the residence with a group of people.”

“I heard about it from Guan Er. It startled me terribly. Luckily, Fang Rong was there and you weren’t hurt. Thinking back on it still sends chills down my spine. We must strengthen the household guards—there’s no way we can allow her to break in again,” An Kang said nervously.

“Do you know why she was so determined to barge in?” An Yi asked.

An Kang squinted slightly. “Yesterday, she sent someone over, but Fang Rong stopped them before they could see Aunt Huang. They must have reported back to her, which is why she came to back her up today. But I didn’t expect her to be so brazen.”

“You know about yesterday and today’s incidents—does Father know?” An Yi’s voice lowered, not because she was afraid of eavesdroppers, but because she wanted to test An Qinghe’s attitude by having the news relayed to him.

“I know. Father naturally knows.”

“Has he blamed me for bullying his favored concubine?” An Yi raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t say such foolish things, silly little sister. Huang Shi is not Father’s favorite concubine; she’s a persistent nuisance he can’t shake off,” An Kang frowned.

“There’s no such thing as an unshakable nuisance; it’s just that he’s unwilling to shake her off,” An Yi said with a mocking smile.

“Sister, do you still not trust Father?”

An Yi pursed her lips and remained silent, walking on.

An Kang sighed and quickened his pace to walk alongside her. “Sister, Father isn’t a man who lusts after beauty. He took Huang Shi in to find out what the Huang family is plotting.”

An Yi scoffed. “Huang Shi has been in the household for over three months. If they wanted to investigate, it would have been done by now.”

“Sister, it’s not as simple as you think. In these three months, besides Madam Huang Chang occasionally sending people to the residence, Huang Shi’s father and uncle have been drinking with Father, trying to cozy up. There’s been no unusual activity.”

“What if the Huang family is plotting something? If it can’t be uncovered, then there’s no point investigating. As long as Huang Shi stays in the house, she’s a threat. The best solution is to find a way to send her away and cut ties with the Huang family. Whether the Huang family brings fortune or disaster, it won’t concern us anymore,” An Yi urged to resolve the issue quickly.

“If Huang Shi could be sent away so easily, Father wouldn’t have been forced to take her in the first place. Though the Huang family’s power is weak now, they still hold influence in the military, plus there’s the Noble Consort and the Third Prince,” An Kang explained.

An Yi’s eyes flickered. “How much military power does Father command?”

“Father commands the Northern Capital Army, thirty thousand strong.”

“Big brother, could the Huang family be plotting for the crown prince's position?”

An Kang was startled, looking around cautiously before lowering his voice. “Sister, be careful what you say! Matters of the royal family are dangerous to speak of openly—it could bring disaster.”

“Disaster can come from words, but it can also fall from the sky. To understand what the Huang family is plotting, we must consider every possibility. And this possibility is quite likely. Haven’t you and Father thought about this?” An Yi was not a strict traditionalist; she was unafraid of royal authority and dared to speculate boldly.

An Kang was silent for a moment. “Yes, but without an imperial decree, Father cannot mobilize troops to the capital. Military officials with weak foundations have little influence at court.”

“The Huang family doesn’t need to mobilize troops to force a palace coup or rely on imperial decrees. If they latch onto Father, others will see him as part of the Huang family. The thirty thousand troops he commands would be supporting the Noble Consort and the Third Prince. With such a formidable military presence nearby, who would dare act rashly?”

An Kang abruptly stopped walking, staring at An Yi in shock, murmuring, “So that’s it—we’ve been trapped in a misconception, thinking the Huang family needs Father to do something, when in fact, they don’t need him to do anything at all.”

An Yi nodded. “That’s why Madam Huang Chang sends people back and forth, why the Huang family members drink with Father—to create the illusion that our family and the Huang family have a good relationship.”

“The Huang family is cunning. We’ve been fooled.” An Kang had little experience in officialdom and was unaware of the importance of political marriages. “Sister, it’s fortunate you returned. It’s fortunate Father cares about you and would rather offend the Huang family than see you wronged.”

“Big brother, don’t be so relieved. The problem is even bigger now,” An Yi frowned deeply.

“Let’s sit in the pavilion and talk,” An Kang said as they entered the cool pavilion and hung a lantern.

An Yi followed and sat down. “If I hadn’t returned, letting Huang Shi control the rear quarters and maintain friendly ties with the Huang family, when their plot succeeded, Father and you would have two possible outcomes: one, promotion and wealth; two, betrayal and death. If the Huang family fails, since Father took Huang Shi as a concubine and involved us with them, you and Father would be executed at the Meridian Gate.”

“Now that you’re back and have offended the Huang family, if they succeed, we gain nothing and may even be punished. If they fail, because Father took Huang Shi as concubine and connected us, we will still be punished,” An Kang continued analyzing.

“It’s one thing if you and Father didn’t foresee it, but didn’t Father’s advisors realize the danger? Letting him take Huang Shi as concubine was the worst possible decision. Now we’re trapped in a dead end, forced to be tied to the sinking ship that is the Huang family,” An Yi complained. An Qinghe’s choice was so foolish it bordered on madness.

An Kang squinted, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. “Sister, the wind is rising. Let me escort you back to the Mingzhu Pavilion.”

“We haven’t resolved the Huang family matter yet. Why rush to send me back?”

“I need to investigate something. Once I understand it, dealing with the Huang family won’t be difficult.”

“Really?” An Yi asked doubtfully.

An Kang lifted the lantern and smiled. “Trust your brother. Now go back and get some rest.”

An Yi’s gaze shifted. “Very well.”

An Kang escorted An Yi back to the Mingzhu Pavilion, then turned to find An Qinghe at Jingli Garden. The father and son went to the study in the outer courtyard, the candlelight burning late into the night.

The next morning, before dawn, An Qinghe and his son left the residence.

After breakfast, An Yi left Fang Rong to keep an eye on Huang Shi and took Xiang Qin and Tao Ren to the market. Their first stop was the bank to withdraw five thousand taels in silver notes.

In the capital, noblewomen prided themselves on wearing jewelry from Cui Xiang Tower, clothing from Duan Xiang Pavilion, and rouge from Dian Jiang Xuan. An Yi was attending a banquet at the princess’s residence and needed to make a good impression. She couldn’t be too careless, but she also had to spend money where necessary.

Duan Xiang Pavilion was the closest to the bank. An Yi entered with Xiang Qin and Tao Ren to select two sets of dresses.

The shopkeeper at Duan Xiang Pavilion had been in business long enough to develop some discernment and could tell one’s status from their attire. Seeing An Yi dressed in a light green quilted jacket with a white cotton skirt—fabric not of the finest quality—he looked down on her and did not come forward to greet her, assuming she was a poor relative of some household, clueless and making a spectacle of herself.

The shopkeeper’s snobbery was mirrored by two assistants who also stood aloof, casting sideways glances at An Yi and her attendants without approaching.

An Yi paid them no mind and went to examine the dresses on the shelves.

Tailored clothing is most comfortable, and the ready-made dresses on display were few. Duan Xiang Pavilion, the capital’s premier establishment, was wealthy and grand, with nearly a hundred of the latest fashionable dresses in various colors, along with matching handkerchiefs, sachets, belts, and embroidered shoes.

An Yi favored cool tones, but when visiting others, she couldn’t be too ostentatious or too plain. She abandoned the pale colors and chose a vivid crimson embroidered jacket with pale blue magnolia and cloud brocade, paired with a water-red embroidered butterfly cloud brocade skirt.

The embroidery work by Duan Xiang Pavilion’s seamstresses was exquisite; the magnolia and butterflies were lifelike. As An Yi reached out to touch the butterflies on the skirt, an assistant suddenly shouted, “Hey, don’t touch that! If your rough hands snag the threads and damage the dress, you won’t be able to pay for it!”

An Yi’s expression darkened, her gaze sharp. Just as she was about to respond, a pair of master and servant entered from the door. The young lady was dressed sumptuously in a water-red satin jacket embroidered with gold thread flowers, her hair adorned with several gold hairpins and jade pins—clearly the daughter of a wealthy family.

The assistant eagerly approached, smiling obsequiously, “Miss Zhou, you’re here! You haven’t been for over half a month. We have a new batch of goods—please take a look and see if you like anything.”

Whether deliberate or not, the assistant led the young lady toward An Yi.

An Yi pointed at the dress. “Shopkeeper, how much is this dress?”

Before the shopkeeper could reply, Miss Zhou reached out and grabbed the jacket. “This dress made of fine cloud brocade is truly beautiful. I’ll take it.”

An Yi’s expression remained unchanged, her gaze growing colder.

Xiang Qin kept her composure, pursing her lips as she stared at Miss Zhou; Tao Ren, young and hot-tempered, snapped, “Our young lady saw this dress first. How can you just snatch it?”

“You poor wretch! Can you even afford it?” Miss Zhou sneered, glancing disdainfully at An Yi. “This is fine cloud brocade, costing at least three hundred taels.”

An Yi didn’t want to argue over a dress and glanced at Miss Zhou before moving to another shelf, her eyes settling on a purple embroidered short jacket with multicolored floral medallions and a yellowish ivory long skirt.

Just as An Yi reached out to take it, Miss Zhou said, “I want that outfit too. Don’t touch it and get it dirty.”

An Yi turned to Miss Zhou, her gaze icy. This woman, unknown and without grievance, kept provoking her. She was arrogantly overbearing, used to bullying others.

Miss Zhou shrank back two steps, intimidated by the piercing look.

“Who do you think you are, daring to glare at my young lady? Do you know who my master is?” the maid stepped forward to defend her mistress.

“This dress isn’t something you can afford, young lady. You should leave before you cause trouble,” the shopkeeper, who had been watching the drama, approached with a seemingly kind warning.

Before An Yi could respond, Tao Ren retorted to the maid, “No matter who your master is, your young lady can’t just snatch dresses picked by our young lady. Do you understand the concept of first come, first served?”

“My master is a Ministry of Revenue official. Even if it’s not the dress, if my young lady likes you, she can buy you up,” the maid said arrogantly, chin raised.

Tao Ren didn’t know about official ranks, but Xiang Qin did and scoffed, “A mere fifth-rank official boasting like that? If your young lady wanted to buy us, she wouldn’t be worthy.”

“Well said!” came a voice of approval from upstairs.

—End of excerpt—