The dim light flickered out several times, only to be relit again and again.
Ying Xiaoman no longer concealed anything, muttering on for a long time. As her Adoptive Mother listened, a bewildered expression gradually crept over her face.
"Seventh Young Master knew all along that our family came to the capital to avenge your father? He and our enemy... are cousins from the same clan? Among those who nearly killed him this time were also his own brothers? And he's willing to help us seek revenge, to kill his own brothers, out of gratitude for you saving his life?"
The Adoptive Mother was a bit out of breath, "Wait, slow down, let me process this..."
After pondering alone for a while, she became more and more confused, finally murmuring, "The great families of the capital are so complicated."
"They certainly are," Ying Xiaoman agreed.
The moonlight shifted as it passed the third watch of the night. She rarely stayed up so late, and raised her hand to stretch lazily, rubbing her teary eyes. "I'm so tired."
Her Adoptive Mother was still wrestling with the dilemma: "Killing one's own brothers isn't right. But helping us seek revenge is a good thing. But killing one's own brothers is still not right..."
After grappling with this for a while, the Adoptive Mother suddenly snapped back to awareness, "Wait a minute, never mind Seventh Young Master's family affairs, what were you, an unmarried young lady, doing coming back alone in the middle of the night with an unmarried young man—"
Ying Xiaoman was curled up on the kang bed, one hand shielding her eyes from the light, the other loosely draped over her mother's arm. She had already fallen into a deep slumber.
Her sweet sleeping face was illuminated by the lamplight.
The young lady, as beautiful as spring flowers, resembled the vibrant spring scene of peach and apricot blossoms in full bloom on March branches, captivating to the eye.
The Adoptive Mother lovingly stroked her daughter's rosy cheeks a few times, pulled the quilt up to her shoulders, then covered her own mouth to suppress a few low coughs. She blew out the lamp and left, closing the door behind her.
A grown daughter couldn't be kept at home. Xiaoman had chosen Seventh Young Master for herself.
Seventh Young Master seemed to be a good man who knew gratitude, but when a girl chooses a husband, she can't just look at the surface – she needs to look deeper.
But exactly how to look deeper, the Adoptive Mother couldn't quite figure out after pondering for half a day. She herself had married her adoptive father in a rather muddled way back then.
She sat in the room, troubled half the night.
A thousand thoughts ultimately boiled down to one sentence: The next time Seventh Young Master comes, find a way to test him thoroughly.
Ying Xiaoman was awakened early the next morning by a commotion.
Porridge was bubbling on the stove, its fragrant aroma filling the entire courtyard.
The courtyard gate was ajar, with her Adoptive Mother standing shocked at the edge, holding Zhi. The noise was coming from the alley outside. Accompanying it was the sound of a woman sobbing.
Ying Xiaoman quickly washed up and peered out the gate, her eyes immediately twitching at the sight.
A familiar blue sedan chair carried by four bearers... was passing right by their front door.
More than a dozen well-dressed armed officers cleared the way in front and behind, escorting the blue cloth sedan as it departed. Shen's Wife from next door came out of the alley crying and wailing, suddenly stumbling and nearly falling in front of the sedan.
Shen's young son of sixteen or seventeen chased out of the house and helped support Madam Shen back inside.
The doors of all the neighboring houses in the alley were quietly opened halfway, with heads poking out to peek at the commotion at the entrance, but no one spoke.
In the silent, tranquil alley, only the chaotic footsteps of the many officers could be heard. The occasional crisp sound of shackles made the atmosphere even more oppressive.
The Adoptive Mother sighed from inside their gate, "Each family has its own fate. When misfortune strikes, there's no avoiding it. Shen's Wife came over just two days ago with a smile to thank me, saying her husband's three-month salary reduction had ended and they could finally receive his full salary again. Who would have thought — her husband has gotten into trouble again."
The incident happened so suddenly that the Adoptive Mother couldn't explain exactly what had occurred or what kind of trouble it was. She could only hear Shen's Wife's intermittent sobs through the wall.
After the blue cloth sedan was escorted out of the alley entrance by the officers, the neighboring wives finally started to come out one by one.
Four or five women gathered outside the Shen family's door. They were all familiar neighbors who began to offer words of comfort, one after another.
The way these neighbors in Seven Scholars Lane spoke was quite different from those in Tongluo Alley. Their speech was more refined, constantly mentioning the imperial court, and occasionally dropping in a few literary allusions.
Fortunately, the ways of comforting people are similar all over the world. Ying Xiaoman grabbed a steamed bun and went out, eating while she listened, standing on the outskirts of the crowd to get a general idea of what was happening.
It was said that the Shen family's censor had submitted a memorial that was deemed extremely disrespectful, angering the current Prime Minister Deng. As a result, he had been arrested and taken directly from his home early in the morning.
Shen's Wife collapsed by the door, crying uncontrollably, saying she no longer wanted to be the wife of some censor in the capital and would rather her husband resign from his official post to teach in the countryside, where she could be a teacher's wife instead.
Ying Xiaoman stood on the edge of the crowd, listening while biting into her steamed bun.
The scene of the Shen censor being arrested from his home was truly bleak, reminding her of the miserable Eighth Young Master Yan imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. After observing for a while, even the freshly baked bun in her hand no longer seemed appetizing.
She sincerely sighed, "It's really easy for officials to get into trouble."
Among the neighbors gathered around the Shen family, there was a particularly sharp-eyed woman, the wife of a sixth-rank secretary from the Ministry of Punishments who lived at the other end of the alley. She pulled aside two or three familiar wives and whispered:
"Look carefully at their uniforms. The ones making the arrest this time aren't from the Ministry of Justice, they're from the Imperial Army."
"Ordinarily, a censor wouldn't be punished for his words, but the Shen family censor is stubborn and doesn't know how to read the room. He insists on criticizing the peace treaty recently signed with the western regions."
"The peace with the west and reopening of the horse markets is a national policy set by Minister Deng himself, and the Emperor in the imperial city also approves. This time, the Shen censor has angered both the Emperor and Minister Deng at once..."
Suddenly, a Commander of the Imperial Army who had already ridden out of the alley turned back.
The murmuring discussion at the Shen family's door instantly fell silent, and everyone began to disperse in different directions.
However, the returning commander raised his hand and pointed, shouting, "That young lady eating a bun over there, my Commander wants to see you!"
Ying Xiaoman, who was grabbing her bun and walking back to her own door: ...?
"Me?" She pointed at herself in confusion, "It's not a crime to eat a bun in the capital."
But the commander had already turned his horse around and was leading her towards the alley entrance without further explanation.
"My Commander requests the presence of the young lady eating the bun, just to say a few words at the alley entrance before returning. Please, miss."
Under the surprised gazes of all the neighbors, Ying Xiaoman walked to about seven or eight steps from the alley entrance and then stopped, refusing to leave the alley no matter what.
"Where is your Commander? If he has something to say, say it now. My mother and the neighbors are all watching from their doorways."
The door of the Ying family home was wide open, and sure enough, her Adoptive Mother was standing anxiously by the door, staring intently at the commotion at the alley entrance.
The sound of light, quick hoofbeats came from beyond the wall outside the alley.
A single rider turned around the corner wall, appearing ostentatiously in the center of the alley entrance. The young man on horseback wore a vermilion narrow-sleeved military official's robe. This time he wasn't holding a folding fan. Sitting high on horseback, he flashed a familiar smile at Ying Xiaoman.
"I thought it looked like you from afar."
The morning sun rose over the wall, illuminating the handsome features of the young man on horseback, his playful smile seeming oddly familiar.
"This truly is a case of 'after wearing out iron shoes in vain search, the thing turns up without effort.' Miss Ying, it's a pleasure to meet you. Counting our previous two encounters, this is our third meeting."
Ying Xiaoman was so shocked she accidentally squeezed the bun in her hand too hard, crushing a piece of it.
The newcomer looked extremely familiar. She had just seen him a few days ago.
It was none other than Yan Erlang from the Yan family, whom she had threatened at knifepoint in a dark room after sneaking into their courtyard in Mogan Lane with a grappling hook!
"You?!" Ying Xiaoman exclaimed in shock, "Wasn't it said that some Commander wanted to see me?"
"This humble one has the honor of serving as Deputy Commander of the Tianwu Imperial Army," the man on horseback said with a rakish smile.
"I was merely following orders to lead my subordinate guards to Seven Scholars Lane to monitor the arrest at the Shen residence from afar. I never expected to run into Miss Ying. You see, the capital really is quite small, isn't it?"
He urged his horse closer, "Since we've bumped into each other, we might as well get reacquainted. I come from the Yan family of the Marquis of Xingning, second son of the house, given name Yixing. The 'Yi' from 'a body without colorful phoenix wings to fly in pairs,' and the 'Xing' from 'traveled thousands of miles across Jiangnan'..."
Ying Xiaoman had already turned and walked back into the alley, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Her Adoptive Mother nervously latched the door twice to make sure it was secure.
She followed closely behind Ying Xiaoman, asking in rapid succession: "That young Commander just now, so young yet in charge of several hundred Imperial Army soldiers, what did he want to talk to you about? Why does he look somewhat familiar..."
Of course he looked familiar. They had run into him face to face once before at Louze Garden outside the city when offering sacrifices to the Xu family widow.
The more Ying Xiaoman thought about it, the angrier she became. She cursed furiously, "These nobles in the capital, each one more devious than the last! This Yan Erlang is deliberately keeping tabs on me!"
The adoptive mother was shocked, "Is this the same Yan Erlang from before? The one who desperately wanted to bring you into his household as a maid?"
"It's him. He promised me to my face last time that he would never bother me again. He's breaking his word, going back on his promise!"
The adoptive mother was furious, "That scoundrel!"
The mother and daughter took turns cursing Yan Erlang, tearing him to shreds with their words.
Suddenly, the adoptive mother's tirade stopped, "Wait a minute, child, when did you speak to him face to face again?"
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
At the Yan residence, in Erlang's courtyard, with a knife to his chest. It's a long story.
As mother and daughter stared at each other wide-eyed, the atmosphere grew tense...
Fortunately, they had Zhi in the house.
Seeing the situation deteriorating, Zhi pattered over to the stove, brought back half a plate of glossy, bright cherries, and placed it between the mother and daughter. "Auntie, don't scold sister. Have some fruit."
"I'm not scolding your sister, I'm cursing that bad man in the red official robe who was just outside! Where did these cherries come from?"
"Seventh Young Master brought them when he escorted me home last night."
Ying Xiaoman picked up a cherry and cautiously put it in her mouth to taste. Her eyes immediately curved with delight, "These cherries are so sweet!"
The adoptive mother also tried one curiously, "They really are sweet. Cherries are extremely expensive in the capital. Last time I passed by a cherry shop, I was attracted by their unique color and wanted to buy some for you all, but when I asked the price, I was scared away..."
"Wait a minute," the adoptive mother's praise suddenly paused, "These cherries are so sweet. And last time?"
Ying Xiaoman, with a mouth full of sweet cherries, didn't speak, only smiled sweetly at her mother.
The adoptive mother sighed resignedly. She understood now.
Her little girl was growing up.
The mention of cherries brought up Seventh Young Master. Speaking of him, the adoptive mother suddenly had an idea. "Isn't Seventh Young Master capable? When is he coming next?"
Ying Xiaoman gave Zhi a cherry, "He said he'd come tonight."
The adoptive mother also gave Zhi a cherry, stuffing the little girl's cheeks full, then put another one in Ying Xiaoman's mouth.
She instructed her, "When Seventh Young Master comes, bring up the matter of Yan Erlang to him. Didn't he say he wanted to repay our kindness? Let him deal with this persistent Yan Erlang first. Then I'll believe his intentions towards you."
Ying Xiaoman chewed the cherry, "Deal with him? How does mother intend for Seventh Young Master to deal with Yan Erlang?"
The adoptive mother snorted, "That's Seventh Young Master's business."
*
That night, at the hour of Hai (9-11 pm).
Yan Seventh Young Master, treading in the moonlight as promised, knocked on the Ying family's door carrying a bamboo basket of freshly picked sweet cherries.
As soon as he entered, he learned of the day's unexpected events.
Yan Seventh Young Master narrowed his eyes slightly. "The Marquis of Xingning's family, Yan Erlang?"
"Isn't it too much trouble for you?" Ying Xiaoman was a bit worried.
"The Yan family are merely royal relatives by marriage. Yan Erlang is young, with shallow official experience. It's no trouble," Yan Seventh Young Master said nonchalantly.
"Really no trouble?" Ying Xiaoman was still not entirely reassured.
Yan Seventh Young Master smiled at her.
He had come tonight with complicated, unspeakable thoughts, ready to discuss the life-or-death revenge plan with Xiaoman, and had prepared for the worst.
He never expected such good fortune to fall from the sky. Xiaoman was sharpening her knife, and the fish on the chopping board waiting to be killed had suddenly changed!
Seventh Young Master said with utmost sincerity, "Not a bit of trouble."
The lights came on in the main house.
The adoptive mother was cradling Zhi inside, trying to lull her to sleep. Both windows were wide open as she anxiously eavesdropped from inside.
In the small courtyard caressed by the spring breeze, Seventh Young Master looked delighted. He put down the basket of fresh fruit on the table, then walked to the courtyard wall and moved the twenty-jin iron-reinforced door bolt leaning against it to an unseen corner.
"Come, tonight we'll change our plans to discuss how to deal with Yan Erlang."