Eighth Young Master Yan: "What servant-offered delicate beauty? Impossible."
"Yan Rongshi recently flew into a rage at home, investigating and dismissing many of the trusted servants cultivated by various branches over the years. The Yan family mansion is now half empty! Of those remaining in the Yan household, nine out of ten are likely Yan Rongshi's people. Yan Rongshi is a man who values his reputation and stays away from women. There has never been any 'offering of beauties' to him. If you sneak into the mansion and run into his people, they'll immediately become suspicious!"
Ying Xiaoman drew in a sharp breath, muttering, "How cunning."
Eighth Young Master Yan sneered, "He may be cunning, but your damned..." Ying Xiaoman looked up and glared at him angrily. Faced with her beautiful, angry countenance, Eighth Young Master Yan couldn't continue his insult and changed his words, "...your plan full of loopholes also needs serious improvement."
A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo grove, causing the leaves to whisper.
The two spoke in hushed tones for quite some time. Eighth Young Master Yan then pulled out a chicken-blood stone seal the size of a thumb from his sleeve and said coldly:
"Although the Yan family has recently suffered a catastrophe, and nine out of ten of my trusted people have been driven out, there are still one or two who remain loyal to me. Take this private seal and secretly seek out an outer courtyard attendant in the Yan household named Yan An. This man is my confidant. Show him the private seal, and he will naturally arrange a suitable identity for you and lead you to Yan Rongshi's Fengsong Courtyard. After that, you can proceed with your plan."
Ying Xiaoman held the chicken-blood stone seal in her hand, examining it curiously over and over.
Eighth Young Master Yan suddenly became worried.
The chicken-blood stone was valuable, and this young woman's plain cloth dress didn't suggest she came from a wealthy family...
He cautioned her earnestly: "This is crucial. Don't pawn or sell this important token. Yan An has the key to my private treasury. If you're short on money, you can ask him for some funds. As long as you have the token, he will do his best to help you."
Ying Xiaoman nodded and carefully tucked the seal into a leather pouch.
Her previously distant plan for revenge suddenly took a great leap forward with Eighth Young Master Yan's help, becoming a coordinated effort from both inside and outside, and extremely feasible. Her eyes shone brightly, full of hope for the future.
This time, she had found her own way to enter the Yan family's door. Her adoptive father would surely be pleased in the afterlife.
Seventh Young Master had said not to disturb him for five days.
Counting the days, five had already passed. She hoped he had successfully found all the clan members who had harmed him.
Recalling Eighth Young Master's words about "Yan Rongshi's furious outburst" and the "catastrophe in the Yan family," she suddenly became worried.
"You said half of the Yan mansion was emptied, with many people driven out. Surely your own brothers wouldn't be driven out by Yan Rongshi, would they?"
Eighth Young Master wore a self-mocking expression again, pointing at himself: "One's own brothers, of course, can't simply be driven out of the family home. Look, wasn't I sent here to be detained at the Ministry of Justice?"
Who cares about you, Ying Xiaoman thought to herself, but patiently asked, "Besides you, are there any other brothers who were sent by sedan chair to be detained at the Ministry of Justice?"
"I'm the first. I don't know if there will be any more after me."
Ying Xiaoman felt relieved.
Eighth Young Master had only been sent to the Ministry of Justice's office this morning. This meant that Seventh Young Master was still safely staying in the Yan family.
Tonight, she would go find the outer courtyard attendant named Yan An and discuss how to infiltrate Yan Rongshi's courtyard.
If she could meet Seventh Young Master in the Yan household, the three of them - her, Seventh Young Master, and Yan An - could secretly plan together, making the revenge mission even easier to succeed.
Having settled their plans on both sides, she stood up, released her grappling hook, and climbed over the wall to leave the office before the dog-walker from next door returned.
Before leaving, the fragile alliance clapped hands three times.
"Kill the corrupt official Yan Rongshi."
"I hope you succeed in your revenge."
A slender figure appeared at the entrance of the narrow alley on the west side of the Ministry of Justice.
Ying Xiaoman picked up the conical hat she had hidden behind a large tree, dusted it off, and blended into the crowd of passing civilians, walking briskly towards home.
Happily walking for two or three li, with Seven Scholars Lane just ahead, her steps suddenly faltered.
Eighth Young Master Yan's confidant, the one called Yan An. How old was he, and what did he look like?
Hiss, she had forgotten to ask...
*
In the past, when the village teacher taught, he would sway his head and recite to them, "One day apart feels like three autumns~"
The little companions eavesdropping outside the window all discussed: The most rice one can eat in a day is half a jin, and the rice eaten in three years could fill a room. They said the person who spoke these words must have something wrong with their brain.
Today, Ying Xiaoman finally felt the taste of "a day feeling like a year."
With revenge in sight, she was so excited that she couldn't sit still. Before evening, she had already opened the door ten times and looked out ten times.
Each time she would mutter: "Has Seventh Young Master come today?"
The more she asked, the more silent the two men guarding the door outside became.
When she asked for the eleventh time, Guard Wang finally couldn't help but say, "Seventh Young Master hasn't been here for five days. But if Miss Ying has changed her mind and wants to see Eleventh Young Master, he can put aside his heavy official duties tonight and make time to come."
Ying Xiaoman wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Eleventh Young Master sounds very busy? Then let him continue to be busy, don't come. I don't want to see him." She raised her hand to close the door.
The two guards outside: "..."
Her adoptive mother was busy cooking at the newly built stove in the west, while Zhi was on tiptoes helping to wipe the table and chairs.
Her adoptive mother's hands were busy non-stop, glancing at her daughter standing dazed by the door, lost in thought. She called Zhi over, "Little one, help me ask your sister a question."
Zhi bounced over to the door and repeated her aunt's question clearly and precisely. "Auntie asks you: Your body is at home, but where has your heart flown off to?"
"..." Ying Xiaoman immediately turned around obediently, picked up a cloth, and together with Zhi, wiped the wooden table under the osmanthus tree clean, then set out bowls and chopsticks one by one, preparing for the family's dinner.
Halfway through the family meal, her adoptive mother brought up the situation of the neighboring Shen family.
"The Shen family's wife has an only son, nicknamed Anu. Have you seen him?"
She had heard the name Anu before, but never seen the person.
Ying Xiaoman exclaimed in surprise, "Anu is actually a boy? I thought it was a cat raised by Shen's wife."
"Where would the Shen family get a cat? Anu is no longer a little boy. He's seventeen this year, studying at the Imperial Academy, and doesn't often come home. I only ran into him this morning when he was leaving home for the Academy. Come to think of it, he's about the same age as you."
Her adoptive mother mentioning the Shen family during dinner certainly had a deeper meaning.
"Shen's wife has seen you a few times. This morning, when she was sending her Anu off, she specifically asked if you were at home, saying she wanted to thank you in person. What could a little girl like you have done that needs to be thanked in person? I thought about it and felt that Shen's wife might have some intention of matchmaking between you and her Anu."
As Ying Xiaoman listened to all the "Anu" mentions, a image of a raccoon dog surnamed Shen gradually appeared in her mind...
Her adoptive mother continued to talk while eating:
"Although the Shen family doesn't have many members, there are advantages to having an only son. I think Shen's wife has a good temperament, and she definitely won't be the kind of evil mother-in-law who mistreats her daughter-in-law in the future."
"This morning when I saw their Anu, he was wearing a white long robe of an Imperial Academy student, looking so fair and proper, just like someone with knowledge. I heard that despite his young age, he studies diligently and got into the Imperial Academy from the provincial school on his own merit..."
Ying Xiaoman's ears were full of "white," and the image of the Shen family's raccoon dog gradually donned a white coat, transforming into a white-furred raccoon dog before her eyes.
Speaking of "knowledgeable," who could compare to Seventh Young Master?
Seventh Young Master, the undisputed local snake of the capital, knew the answer to everything you asked him.
Comparing the clear outline and gentle smile of Seventh Young Master in her heart with the vague white-furred raccoon dog from the Shen family, the difference was obvious.
Ying Xiaoman absent-mindedly scooped rice from her bowl, letting her adoptive mother ramble on for a while, only to answer with one sentence, "I don't want to see the Shen family's raccoon dog."
Her adoptive mother: "..."
"You, this child..." Her adoptive mother shook her head, covered her mouth, put down her chopsticks, and coughed softly a few times.
At first, Ying Xiaoman didn't pay attention, but the dull coughing didn't stop once it started, gradually bringing out some phlegm and wheezing.
The more she listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She hurriedly went to the stove to ladle a bowl of hot soup for her mother to drink.
"Mother, haven't you been resting well lately? Why is your cough getting worse? Do you want to go to the pharmacy to get some cough medicine?"
Her adoptive mother waved her hand repeatedly, "Why spend money on medicine? At my age, it's inevitable to have headaches and fevers when the seasons change. I've been coughing for quite some time. Didn't we get flooded in Tongluo Alley last month?"
Ever since that unexpected flood, the house had been damp and infested with insects, and the next day, something happened to the neighbor Widow Xu. During those days, her adoptive mother couldn't sleep well, and gradually developed phlegm, wheezing, and coughing.
At first, it wasn't serious, but recently, with the change from spring to summer, the coughing had become more frequent.
"It would be better to call a doctor to come and take a look," Ying Xiaoman said worriedly.
Her adoptive mother firmly refused, "It's not nearly as severe as a dizzy spell. Who doesn't cough for a few days when the seasons change from spring to summer?"
With no outsiders around, they could speak freely behind closed doors. The adoptive mother tapped her daughter's porcelain-like forehead with her chopsticks.
"Don't try to change the subject. Tell me honestly, little one, have you taken a liking to the Seventh Young Master? Don't you dare entertain any foolish notions. I think the Seventh Young Master is no ordinary man, not suitable for you. The young man from the Shen family next door is much more down-to-earth."
Zhi, who had just eaten her fill, cradled her round belly and listened with wide-eyed curiosity as her aunt and sister talked.
Ying Xiaoman lowered her head and ate her rice silently.
After a few bites, she put down her bowl and asked, "Why isn't the Seventh Young Master suitable?"
Her adoptive mother replied, "He's clever and has noble friends. A few words from him could have you, silly girl, wrapped around his finger. Before you know it, he could sell you off, and I'd have nowhere to cry about it."
Zhi couldn't hold back and chimed in, "Seventh Brother isn't a bad person. He brought me a kite and said he'd teach me how to write my name later."
The adoptive mother tapped her little head with the chopsticks again. "Who are you calling 'Seventh Brother'? Call him 'Seventh Uncle'."
Zhi reluctantly complied, "Seventh Uncle..."
Ying Xiaoman lovingly rubbed Zhi's little head and said to her adoptive mother, "The Seventh Young Master isn't that bad-hearted, and he's not that old either. There's no need to call him uncle."
Her adoptive mother snorted, "How old is he this year? Did he tell you?"
Ying Xiaoman choked, lowering her head to eat her rice silently.
The Seventh Young Master had never mentioned it, and she hadn't thought to ask...
"The young man from the Shen family next door is better. They have a respectable background, a simple family, and a kind-hearted wife. You're sixteen, he's seventeen, your ages match well..."
Her adoptive mother got along well with Shen's Wife and no longer minded the Shen family's official status.
Amidst the nagging interspersed with coughs, Ying Xiaoman quickly finished her rice, cleaned up the table, and called Zhi over. They began to disassemble the grappling hook mechanism piece by piece, wiping it down together.
Zhi wore a confused expression, absentmindedly wiping the hooks. After finishing one, she muttered conflictedly.
"Seventh Brother, Seventh Uncle?"
"Seventh Brother, Seventh Uncle?"
Ying Xiaoman quietly instructed her, "Call him Seventh Uncle when my mother is around, and Seventh Brother when she's not. When the Seventh Young Master comes, call him Seventh Brother to his face."
Zhi's eyes lit up with understanding, "Oh!"
That evening, after informing her mother, Ying Xiaoman changed into a newly bought dark indigo-colored narrow-sleeved top with a matching front opening, paired with an even darker crow-black cloth skirt. She hung the grappling hook at her waist and went out.
The two guards outside the door stared at her as she left alone in the night.
Feeling uncomfortable under their gaze, Ying Xiaoman changed her route, exiting from the other end of the alley. After a long detour, she quietly arrived at the entrance of Changle Alley in the stillness of the second watch of the night.
Even the heavens seemed to be on her side.
The imperial guards usually stationed at the entrance of Changle Alley had mysteriously dispersed. She approached the walls of the Yan family compound along the empty alley entrance, reaching out to feel the wall bricks.
Under the faint moonlight veiled by floating clouds, a polished grappling hook appeared briefly at the top of the Yan family wall.
It vanished in an instant.
Counting from the night the Seventh Young Master last visited her home, today was already the sixth day.
She had made thorough preparations. She changed into dark-colored clothes, carried a twenty-pound iron-clad door bolt from her old home on her back, and placed the chicken blood stone seal given by the Eighth Young Master Yan in a leather bag as a token.
Whether she planned to seek revenge or just scout tonight, everything was ready; all that was missing was the right moment.
Ying Xiaoman crouched quietly beneath the walls of the Yan family compound, her gaze fixed on the bustling yet eerily silent courtyard...
After a while, she frowned in confusion, her delicate brows furrowing.
Come to think of it, how old was Yan An, and what did he look like?
No one in the Yan family mansion was talking, and all the servants wore the same style of clothes. Who knew which one was "Yan An"?
The moonlight above shifted in and out of the clouds, moving from the treetops to directly overhead.
The sound of a wooden clapper marking the time reached her ears.
The end of the second watch.
Crouching beneath the compound wall, Ying Xiaoman worried as she watched the Yan family servants coming and going with lanterns. She still hadn't found Yan An...
Suddenly, faint sounds emerged from the silent courtyard. Finally, someone was speaking!
Her spirits lifted.
The Eighth Young Master Yan had taught her that morning.
As long as people were talking and addressing each other, she could learn their names and roughly determine their status. The more she heard, the more information she would gather, making it easier to gain their trust and find Yan An.
Where she was crouching was a central courtyard connecting the front and back compounds. Several figures walked through an ornate arched doorway, moving unhurriedly. The two in front conversed as they walked, their voices gradually becoming louder.
Ying Xiaoman's ears perked up alertly. She heard a familiar voice.
The young master's voice was as soothing as a mountain stream striking stones, clear and pleasing to the ear.
From the darkness behind a rockery, a bright, clear eye peeked out.
The figures turned along a covered corridor towards the compound wall. The silk lanterns high on the corridor illuminated the features of the person in the lead.
The voice undoubtedly belonged to the Seventh Young Master, but upon closer inspection, he looked somewhat different from when he had been at the Ying family home.
Perhaps it was because he had changed his clothes. He now wore a peacock blue wide-sleeved robe with a crossed collar, adorned with two-finger-width dark trim. Under the lamplight, faint silver embroidery of pine and bamboo patterns could be seen.
He walked at the front, clearly speaking with a smile, yet his aura was so imposing that those around him dared not raise their heads.
Dressed in unfamiliar noble attire, his entire demeanor had changed, and at first glance, he didn't much resemble the dashing commoner Seventh Young Master who frequented the west room. But as the figures drew nearer, Ying Xiaoman looked carefully, and the familiar features gradually revealed themselves under the lamplight.
The young master with his handsome features and elegant demeanor turned slightly as he spoke, glancing back at those behind him. The lantern light illuminated a pair of slightly upturned, beautiful phoenix eyes.
Ying Xiaoman immediately smiled. The tension in her heart eased somewhat.
Her luck was truly not bad. On her first reconnaissance of her enemy's territory, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, she had stumbled upon the very person she most wanted to see.
Ying Xiaoman peeked out half her body from behind the rockery and called softly, "Seventh Young Master, Seventh Young Master."
Three or four people followed closely around the Seventh Young Master. The muscular man walking on the outermost edge was the first to hear the sound and turned his head sharply.
It was actually Sui Miao, whom she had met once before.
Seeing the young woman crouching behind the rockery near the compound wall, Sui Miao's expression instantly became one of shock, as if struck by lightning.
Sui Miao darted forward half a step and quickly whispered two sentences in the Seventh Young Master's ear.
The Seventh Young Master also started, stopping to turn his head.
From the deep shadows by the compound wall, a slender, delicate hand emerged, waving at him.
The Seventh Young Master stared at the familiar young woman's hand, his eyes instantly brimming with mirth as he took a step towards her.
The next moment, as if suddenly realizing something, he drew in a light breath and swept his gaze around the high walls nearby.
Finding no trace of any grappling hooks, the Seventh Young Master quietly instructed his followers: "Guard the front and back gates."
"Clear the area."
As the Seventh Young Master approached the rockery, Ying Xiaoman remained crouched in her original position, hugging her knees, her bright black eyes darting around.
Their gazes met midair, and Ying Xiaoman looked up, whispering, "Is it safe here?"
The Seventh Young Master took her hand to help her up, answering softly, "It's safe."