When Eleventh Young Master came that night, Ying Xiaoman had completely forgotten that he wanted to see her, and had gone to bed early in her room.
She suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.
She heard the sound of doors opening and closing. She pushed open the small window and saw Seventh Young Master escorting Eleventh Young Master out. But instead of going back inside to rest, he slowly walked back under the tree and looked up at the crescent moon hanging high in the sky.
Ying Xiaoman pushed open the door with bleary eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I met with Eleventh Young Master tonight. We have a plan for how to handle the family affairs," Seventh Young Master looked back at her from under the osmanthus tree. "I'll be leaving for a few days to settle matters within the clan."
Ying Xiaoman asked groggily, "When are you leaving, and when will you be back?"
"I'm leaving right away, and I'll be back as soon as possible."
"So soon?" She was startled, now half awake. "Do you need me to prepare provisions and luggage? We're not short on money lately, I can give you half to take with you."
But Seventh Young Master said there was no need to trouble herself. "Have you forgotten? My home is just across in Changle Alley, only a few steps away."
"..." Ying Xiaoman had indeed forgotten.
How could the good Seventh Young Master be the Seventh Young Master of the Yan family in Changle Alley? The feeling of her brain being tangled like a mess of threads when she first heard this news overwhelmed her again.
Her head ached.
The two of them stood facing each other by the door. Ying Xiaoman hesitated for a long while, and her thousand words turned into a dry "Well, take care."
Seventh Young Master laughed. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"If it's quick, five to seven days. If it's slow, ten days should be enough. This trip back is to settle family matters, so the Yan household will surely be brightly lit day and night. Put aside your grappling hooks for now, don't do anything unnecessary. Just get the new home in order and take good care of the family. We'll discuss everything else when I return."
With that, he truly left without taking anything, walking straight out the door.
Ying Xiaoman suddenly felt a surge of worry.
There was no need to mention Yan Rongshi, the dog official who headed the Yan family - one look at those narrow hawk-like eyes and you could tell he was no good. Eighth Young Master Yan didn't seem like a good sort either.
Who knew how many wolves and tigers there were among the thirty-six brothers? Would Seventh Young Master be able to return after going alone?
She quickly lowered the hanging basket, grabbed a handful of banknotes without counting, and shoved them at him. "Take more money with you! It could save your life in a critical moment!"
Seventh Young Master took the paper money in his hand, looked down at it for a moment, and clenched it tightly in his palm. Then he relaxed his grip, smoothed out the crumpled bills one by one, and tucked them into his robe.
"Xiaoman, if there was one big thing I lied to you about, but I lied because of unspeakable difficulties, how would you view me?"
"What kind of unspeakable difficulties?"
"If I were to speak of it, I would lose my life."
How strange...
Ying Xiaoman thought for a moment. "Life is precious. If it was to protect my life, I would also lie and deceive. I can't blame you."
Seventh Young Master's expression immediately relaxed.
"Thank you for your understanding, Xiaoman. Except for critical moments when my life is at stake, I'll try not to keep anything from you in other matters."
He paused, then added, "When I find out the truth about that big matter, when it's no longer life-threatening, I'll tell you about it too."
With that, he pushed open the door and stepped out.
The two coachmen were still outside the door, still alert in the middle of the night, and immediately stood up.
Seventh Young Master instructed them: "During the few days I'm away, you two stay at the Ying household and make sure to watch over the safety of the three women without leaving for a moment. No matter who comes, regardless of their official rank, even if Young Master Yan of the Marquis of Xingning's household comes in person, as long as Miss Xiaoman doesn't want to see them, drive them all away."
"Yes!" The two coachmen retreated to sit outside the door.
Ying Xiaoman watched as Seventh Young Master walked away, treading on the dew.
It was only then that she noticed the alley entrance was filled with shadowy figures. Over a hundred elite swordsmen escorted Seventh Young Master towards Changle Alley. Just before leaving the alley, Seventh Young Master turned back and waved at her, indicating that she should go home and rest.
Ying Xiaoman felt an indescribable emotion. Because of the life-saving grace, Seventh Young Master seemed to view her as flawless. She often felt this cherished reverence, and felt a little happy, and a little guilty.
Even the most "simple and unaffected" young lady in the world couldn't be as pure as water, and would have secrets kept from others.
She didn't even ask Seventh Young Master which "life-threatening" big matter he would lie to her about.
Because in the depths of her heart, there was something she was also keeping from Seventh Young Master.
The matter of Yan Erlang was bothering her to no end.
Perhaps because of her hunter background, she hated having someone chase after her, treating her like prey to be hunted throughout the city.
Her father had once taught her a saying:
Not everything that chases you is a beast;
Some are just ignorant puppies.
Seventh Young Master had warned her not to do anything for now, to just live well and wait for his return. His instructions to the two coachmen outside just now were clearly also to guard against Yan Erlang.
But her thoughts were quite different from Seventh Young Master's.
She had no intention of "guarding against" Yan Erlang.
Years of hunting experience in the mountains had taught her: to catch prey, first protect your back.
Clear out the puppies chasing her from behind, then she could focus on hunting down her enemies.
The pair of grappling hooks hanging on the long nail could be used not only to climb over the walls of the Yan family in Changle Alley.
— They could also be used to climb over the walls of the Yan family of the Marquis of Xingning in the east of the city.
At dawn when the roosters crowed, smoke rose from the newly built stove in the Ying household.
Her adoptive mother sat in the small courtyard holding a bowl of steaming rice porridge and a plate of crisp pickled cucumbers, calling out, "Children! Little one! The sun is shining on your bottoms, you two get up quickly and eat. Seventh Young Master, come eat too."
Azhi ran out holding a colorful pinwheel high, "Big sister and Seventh Brother aren't in their rooms!"
Her adoptive mother was startled and hurried into the east wing room where Xiaoman lived.
The bedding was neatly made up. A piece of paper was left on the bed with two lines of writing. At the end were drawn two little figures.
Her adoptive mother couldn't read, so she clutched the paper in confusion, staring at the two little people wearing conical hats and holding hands at the end for a long time. Suddenly guessing her daughter's meaning, she pushed open the door to look for the coachmen.
The two coachmen left by Eleventh Young Master were wearing conical hats and guarding the door. Hearing her adoptive mother's inquiry, they were also confused at first, saying, "The door was closed all night. Only Seventh Young Master went out, we didn't see Miss Xiaoman leave."
Her adoptive mother handed the paper to the coachmen. The coachman could read, and after unfolding and reading it through, his expression immediately changed.
The note said:
"Gone hunting, will be back by evening. Tell mother not to worry.
Don't tell Seventh Young Master."
The coachman rushed into the small courtyard with one stride.
The pair of grappling hooks that had been hanging on the long nail on the courtyard wall were long gone, leaving only a shallow claw mark high on the wall.
*
The morning sunlight illuminated the surface of the water under the bustling Dongming Bridge.
The riverside scenery was beautiful in mid-spring, with willows like smoke encircling the city walls, and the water like a jade belt.
Not far away, in the middle of the busy shop-lined street, a teahouse sign swayed in the wind, with "Han Xing Residence" written on it.
It was still early, the teahouse had just opened, and there weren't many customers. Ying Xiaoman held a large meat bun, standing under the cool canopy of the teahouse, chatting idly with the familiar tea master.
"I haven't seen you in a while, young miss. I thought something had happened to your family. Now that I've seen you today, I can rest easy."
Ying Xiaoman smiled gratefully at the tea master, "Thank you for your concern. I've been busy moving recently. By the way, you mentioned last time that the Yan family, the one that forcibly abducted a civilian girl, is to the east from here? I forgot the name of the alley."
"Oh, the Yan family of the Marquis of Xingning? They're in Mogan Lane in the east of the city."
The tea master enthusiastically pointed eastward, "Go north from Dongming Bridge, turn east and go straight, it's after two streets."
"The reputation of the Yan family of the Marquis of Xingning hasn't been good lately, but their second young master seems unbothered. I often see Yan Erlang passing by Dongming Bridge here, still dressed flashily and moving about ostentatiously. I don't know if that incident of forcibly abducting a civilian girl is true or not. Young miss, you should still be cautious when going out. What if the rumors are true... Oh my, speak of the devil. Here he comes."
Ying Xiaoman took half a step back, her slender figure completely hidden in the shadow of the cool canopy, only revealing a pair of bright eyes, slowly pushing up her conical hat.
At the edge of her vision, Dongming Bridge was built in the shape of a crescent moon, spanning the north and south banks of the Bian River.
Among the bustling crowd crossing the bridge, a dozen tall horses appeared. The young master riding on horseback wore a bright and ostentatious crimson brocade robe, standing out particularly among the crowd of commoners in plain clothes. The surrounding people hurriedly made way.
The young master on horseback held the reins loosely, his posture relaxed and indolent, carrying the typical frivolous and unrestrained air of a noble son who had rolled in brocade and silk all his life. Who else could it be but Yan Erlang?
The dozen or so riders quickly crossed the bridge and rode straight south along the wide street.
Ying Xiaoman watched as the group of light cavalry disappeared at the end of the long street.
Judging by the direction, could they be heading to Tongluo Alley in the south of the city? If so, he would be in for a disappointment today.
"Come again next time," she said, pulling down her bamboo hat as the horse headed south. She herself went north across the bridge.
The Yan family residence in Mogan Lane was easy to find. She had stumbled upon it by accident in February, managing to walk all the way to the Yan family's wall. Now that she had specifically inquired about it, it was even easier.
The large compound occupying the entire long alley, with its ornately patterned blue brick walls every ten steps, soon appeared before her eyes again.
Ying Xiaoman looked up to assess the situation.
Perhaps due to their noble military background, the Yan family wasn't afraid of petty thieves? Their walls were noticeably lower than those of the Yan family in Changle Alley.
She circled the Yan family compound twice.
Avoiding the main and side gates where people were coming and going, she approached a padlocked side door on the southwest corner of the house. The lock was rusty, appearing as if it hadn't been opened in a long time.
Ying Xiaoman tried pushing it, and the door creaked loudly, startling her and causing her to quickly dart to the side.
But there was no sound from inside the door, nor any footsteps coming to investigate.
It seemed like an abandoned courtyard.
This side door opened onto a narrow alley, with tree shadows overhead and high walls on both sides completely hiding Ying Xiaoman's figure in shadow.
She crouched there for two hours, only seeing a black cat gracefully passing along the top of the wall and rats scurrying along its base.
As dusk enveloped the sky, she finished her last meat bun and stood up from the shadows.
With a soft swoosh, her grappling hook caught the top of the wall.
A moment later, another soft sound as the hook was pulled back from inside the wall.
Ying Xiaoman carefully put the grappling hook back in its leather pouch and hung it at her waist. She stood in the middle of the courtyard, surveying the desolate area.
When she could see her surroundings clearly, she was stunned.
This was indeed an long-abandoned courtyard.
Moss and vines covered everything. The southwest side door was locked from the outside with a brass lock, and the main south gate was similarly locked from the outside.
It was unmistakably a derelict courtyard, locked from the outside and impossible to exit from within.
In the shadowy corner diagonally opposite, a beautiful young girl was curled up, her face streaked with tears. She now stared at the uninvited guest who had just jumped over the wall, her mouth agape in terror.
Ying Xiaoman: "..." What was going on? What happened to the promised empty, abandoned courtyard?
She stood stiffly in place while the girl huddled rigidly in the corner. The two girls, about the same age and even wearing similar colored and styled cotton dresses, stared at each other in bewilderment.
Faint footsteps could be heard from the south main gate. A moment later, the sound of a lock opening, and the gate was pushed open.
A well-dressed steward stood in the doorway, smirking.
"Has the young miss learned her lesson? My Second Young Master is no ordinary man. If you can catch his eye, you'll have a life of wealth and status. What's there to cry about?"
The steward waved his hand, and two sturdy maids behind him stepped in, grabbing Ying Xiaoman's arms on either side and half-dragging, half-carrying her out the door.
The steward turned to close the door. Click - he locked it again.
He led the way with a lantern, talking as he walked: "I've already told you my lady's intentions. If the Second Young Master likes you, you'll serve in his chambers. If he doesn't, you'll be sent away. Our Yan family is too respectable to force anyone."
"Alright, wipe the tears from her face and take her to the Second Young Master's courtyard. Tell him that the lady, concerned about his searching all over the city, has taken it upon herself to find someone for him." The last part was directed at the two maids.
One of the maids indeed came to wipe her face, but exclaimed, "This girl hasn't been crying."
The steward: "Heh, she was sobbing all the way in this morning, so it was fake, eh? I thought so. Who wouldn't want to accept such a stroke of fortune?"
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
The more she looked at this steward, the more familiar he seemed, and his voice was familiar too...
Wasn't he the one who had tricked her into signing a contract in February?
"Are you really taking me to see the Second Young Master?" she asked in a small voice from behind the maids. "Yan Erlang, Yan Yixing?"
The steward sneered, "You were acting like you'd rather die when you came in, pretending to be so chaste, but it turns out you've already found out our Second Young Master's full name. Come on, let's get you there before the Second Young Master returns home. If he wants to keep you, it'll be mutual; if he finds fault, we'll just say it was the lady's idea."
Ying Xiaoman: ? What exactly was going on?
Still confused, she was dragged to a spacious and quiet courtyard. Lanterns were lit all around, but the master had not yet returned. The gate was half-closed, with lamplight spilling through the crack.
A maid knocked on the door, and a servant boy about seventeen or eighteen answered.
As soon as the gate opened, the two maids pushed Ying Xiaoman inside, shouting, "The lady, concerned about the Second Young Master searching all over the city, has taken it upon herself to find someone for him." Then they turned and left.
Ying Xiaoman, left behind, and the servants in the courtyard stared at each other.
The servants circled her admiringly, then retreated to the side to whisper:
"Is this really the one from before? But why isn't she making a fuss? Wasn't she thrown out last time?"
"Perhaps after the lady found her, she persuaded her and she had a change of heart? The young miss truly has unparalleled beauty."
"How could the lady be so kind?"
"Let's wait and see when the Second Young Master returns?"
One of them tidied up the stone table at the edge of the courtyard and invited Ying Xiaoman to sit. Ying Xiaoman fingered the grappling hook in the leather pouch at her waist and refused to sit in the open courtyard.
"I don't want to sit in the courtyard. Find me a room."
The servants discussed in low voices for a moment, then opened a side room next to the main northern room. They led her inside, lit the candles on the table, and two thick candles illuminated the room brightly.
"The Second Young Master will be back soon. Please wait a moment, miss."
Ying Xiaoman sat at the long table near the door, placing the candlestick in front of her. The servants' "soon" turned into half an hour of hard waiting.
It wasn't until dusk had deepened and the sky was almost completely dark that a commotion of footsteps was finally heard in the distance.
The courtyard gate opened, and a familiar voice rang out from outside, lazily laughing:
"I hear my dear mother has snatched a flower-like young miss and eagerly sent her to my quarters? Does she think my reputation isn't bad enough and wants to add to it? Where is this abducted young miss? If she decides to end her life in my courtyard, I might as well go straight to the palace and request exile for myself."
The servants hurried to greet him, all talking at once. The master of the courtyard clicked his tongue and walked straight towards the side room.
The closed wooden door was pushed open, and a draft swept into the room, causing the candlelight to flicker and the room's lighting to become unsteady.
Yan Erlang stepped into the room with a hint of mockery on his face. Ying Xiaoman, sitting at the long table, raised her head in response.
As their eyes met, Yan Erlang's mocking expression subtly changed, and he unconsciously stopped in his tracks. "You..."
Ying Xiaoman puffed out her cheeks and suddenly blew out the candles.
The room immediately plunged into darkness.
Before Yan Erlang could recover from his shock, he felt a sudden chill at his neck. A cold, thin blade pressed against his skin, its tip carrying a faint scent of blood to his nostrils.
"Come in. Say one more word and I'll kill you."
Yan Erlang slowly walked into the room.
The door closed behind him. Everything around was pitch black, with only the sound of pounding heartbeats growing louder and louder.
A low chuckle came from the darkness.
"So it really is you. I thought my stepmother had just caught some little white rabbit to ruin my reputation..."
A thin cut opened on the artery in his neck, and blood immediately seeped out.
"Shut up," Ying Xiaoman said angrily. "Don't think I won't really kill you."
Yan Erlang fell silent and slowly raised his hands to show he meant no harm.
Ying Xiaoman forced him towards the small bed against the wall of the side room. With a push, she shoved him onto the bed. Grabbing his collar, she pressed the blade against his chest.
Today's infiltration of the Yan residence had gone a hundred times more smoothly than imagined. Now that it came to the crucial moment of making threats, something Ying Xiaoman had never done before, she opened her mouth and said, "I've moved."
After saying it, she was stunned for a moment. These words didn't sound much like a threat.
Yan Erlang, propped up on his elbows on the bed, chuckled, the knife tip pressed against his chest vibrating with his laughter: "Mm, I know. I went to Tongluo Alley today and found an empty house. Where have you moved to?"
Ying Xiaoman said indignantly, "I'm not telling you."
After racking her brains for a while, she continued with her second threat, "You're not allowed to look for me anymore."
Yan Erlang laughed, "Now that sounds more like something someone who broke in with a knife would say. Miss Ying, your knife is still at my chest, you can make your threats sound a bit fiercer."
Ying Xiaoman was greatly annoyed, "Don't inquire about my home! And don't call me Miss Ying!"
"Then what should I call you in person?"
"Just call me Miss... No, that's not right. We won't be seeing each other again after this."
Yan Erlang leaned against the wall and stifled another laugh.
Before Ying Xiaoman could fly into a rage, he quickly stopped and explained calmly, "The capital is only so big, and I lead a contingent of imperial guards that patrol the streets from time to time. Even if I agree not to see you now, I can't control accidentally running into you."
Ying Xiaoman didn't think the capital was "only so big" at all.
She felt the capital was quite vast, and the chances of "accidentally running into each other" were very low.
"If we accidentally run into each other, I won't blame you. You can pretend not to know me, and I'll pretend not to know you. We'll just pass each other on the street."
She said seriously, "If you dare to chase after me again, I may have my knife at your heart today, but next time I could slash your throat with it. I mean what I say."
Yan Erlang praised her, "Those threats sound quite serious, just lacking a bit of force. 'I mean what I say' sounds rather cute..."
Ying Xiaoman angrily pushed the knife tip forward, instantly piercing through several layers of clothing. Traces of blood seeped through his collar. Yan Erlang quickly raised both hands, indicating he had no intention of struggling or resisting.
"Have you heard everything I said clearly today?"
"I heard it clearly."
"I'm leaving now. Tell everyone outside to withdraw."
"Don't you want me to see you out?"
Ying Xiaoman was taken aback. She had already memorized the way she came and planned to retrace her steps, using her grappling hook to climb out of the remote courtyard...
After a brief mental comparison, she firmly refused.
"No need to see me out, I can leave on my own. Alright, you can call out loudly now."
Yan Erlang gave her an amused glance in the darkness, then indeed raised his voice, ordering all the guards outside to withdraw.
Ying Xiaoman put away her thin knife, very satisfied.
"I'm leaving. As long as you keep quiet about this, I won't come looking for you again. Oh, by the way, there's a desolate, locked courtyard on the west side of your house. Inside is locked a young lady about sixteen or seventeen years old. That should be the one your stepmother snatched for you. After I leave, remember to release her."
The night breeze blew through the courtyard. With a soft creak of the wooden door, a smoke-like figure flashed out of the dark side room and into the moonlight, disappearing in an instant.
Yan Erlang lit a candle and looked down to examine the hole poked in his clothes over his heart.
She didn't take him hostage, didn't gag him to prevent him from calling for help, and didn't try to silence him permanently. Before leaving, she even kindly reminded him to release the girl in the desolate courtyard.
This Miss Ying... was this her first time threatening someone with a knife in their own home?
Casually covering the hole poked in his robe, Yan Erlang sat cross-legged on the bed, recalling the scene of being threatened in his room tonight. Her first threatening words were a fierce "I've moved house", which immediately made his shoulders tremble slightly as he couldn't stop laughing.
He muttered to himself, "I misunderstood before. She's clearly just a little white rabbit. Tsk... but she's quite vicious with that knife."
"I didn't lie to you about one thing, Miss Ying. The capital really isn't that big. It's not so hard to find someone."
With a soft swish, the grappling hook once again latched onto the top of the wall.
Another soft sound, and the grappling hook was retracted.
Ying Xiaoman jumped down from the wall, carefully put the grappling hook back in its leather pouch and hung it at her waist, dusted off her clothes, and happily went home.
Father was right. Those who relentlessly pursue you might just be puppies pretending to be fierce.
Yan Erlang may seem domineering on the surface, but he's quite obedient inside.
He answered every word she said.
With the threat behind her removed, she could now calmly plan her revenge against her enemies.
*
Seventh Young Master returned quietly to Seven Scholars Lane late at night five days later.
In the tranquil night, he softly asked the two men dutifully guarding the gate, "Has everything been peaceful at the Ying household recently? Has anyone come to make trouble?"
The two men's expressions were conflicted. "Everything has been fine at the Ying household lately. No one has come to make trouble."
It's just that Miss Xiaoman disappeared without a word for an entire day, and when she returned she was in high spirits, polishing her grappling hook all evening...
That was already four days ago. Apart from that, everything was fine.
Before they could decide whether to report this, Seventh Young Master had already put his mind at ease and pushed open the gate.
Late at night, Ying Xiaoman was still awake. Her spirits seemed even better than when they first moved in. An oil lamp hung high on a tree branch illuminated her as she sat at a wooden table under the tree, intently drawing.
As soon as the gate creaked, Ying Xiaoman heard the sound and looked up. She immediately put down her pen with delight and ran over, holding up her skirts. "Seventh Young Master is back!"
"It's only been five days. Have you already finished dealing with your family's internal affairs?"
"The situation has been brought under control. We've detained a few people and explained things clearly to the family elders. We'll open the ancestral hall tomorrow morning. I came over tonight to check on things first. Why are you so happy?"
"I have a new plan for revenge! You've come at just the right time. Let's discuss it."
Seventh Young Master sat down with a smile.
He had described it lightly, but in reality, on the first day of dealing with the family affairs, he had thoroughly uprooted all the people his unruly brothers had planted over the years.
Although he hadn't died in this assassination attempt, the various reactions within the clan were quite different. Using his own life as a gambit provided an excellent opportunity for a thorough cleanup.
In a few more days, after completely eliminating the hidden dangers in the Yan family, he would have time to slowly investigate the "blood feud" of the Ying family, to find out what kind of grudge it actually stemmed from.
The Ying family was far away in a rural county, with no dealings with the Yan family in the capital. This talk of revenge was most likely a misunderstanding.
Seventh Young Master's mood at this moment was like a warm spring breeze. He took the drawing from Ying Xiaoman and said lightly, "What new plan? Tell me about it."
Ying Xiaoman said, "I've never done anything like revenge before, so I thought it would be too difficult and didn't dare to act for months. But now that I think about it, maybe I was overthinking it. Actually, revenge can be quite simple. I've drawn my new plan for revenge on this paper."
As she spoke, she spread out the drawing and excitedly recounted the inspiration she had gotten from the Yan household.
"At night, I'll use my grappling hook to climb over the wall, pretend to be a weak and beautiful girl sent as a tribute, crying and wailing. I'll have the servants lead me to the dog official Yan Rongshi's courtyard. Then I'll wait for the dog official in the courtyard."
"After the dog official enters, I'll suddenly blow out the candle, and in the pitch-dark room, I'll hit him over the head with a door bolt. Then I'll jump out the window and use my grappling hook to get back over the wall. Done."
Seventh Young Master: "..."
Ying Xiaoman: "The process is very simple. I plan to prepare everything tonight and carry it out tomorrow night. Seventh Young Master, do you want to keep watch for me?"
Seventh Young Master: "..."
Sitting at home, minding his own business, and suddenly getting hit over the head with a door bolt!!