When Xue Fenglin returned to the capital, he didn't go back to the Xue family first. Instead, he went to a brothel in the suburbs of the capital called Shuiyunju.
This brothel was different from the vulgar ones on Lion Street; it was very elegant. Even the courtesans inside were mostly former official family members who had been charged with crimes.
They were all proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, which attracted many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital.
To avoid drawing attention, Liu Chong and the other Second Prince's guards had already separated from him before reaching the capital.
Shuiyunju was the rendezvous point they had arranged for him. Xue Fenglin was led to a small pavilion in the back garden of Shuiyunju by a beautiful woman.
This pavilion was built in the middle of an artificial lake, with lotus flowers planted on both banks. It was early autumn, and the lotus flowers on the lake had already withered, leaving only a few lotus pods and boundless lotus leaves.
Xue Fenglin crossed the covered bridge into the pavilion and saw a man sitting upright at a table and another person reclining on a chaise longue.
"Fenglin, you're finally back." The young man on the chaise longue immediately stood up when he saw Xue Fenglin enter, rushed forward a few steps, and heavily patted his shoulder.
Xue Fenglin glared at him but didn't respond. Instead, he bowed deeply to the man sitting behind the table and said,
"Your Royal Highness, it's been a long time. I am deeply grateful that you sent Lord Liu and his men to meet me this time. Is everything well in the capital recently?"
"Aside from your Xue family being in a bit of a panic for a few days due to The Shizi's disappearance, there's nothing else amiss in the capital," the Second Prince, Jin Yunxin, said with a smile, then told Xue Fenglin to sit down freely and not be constrained.
"I heard you injured your leg. Is it better now?" Jin Yunxin asked again.
"It's not fully healed yet," Xue Fenglin quickly replied. "Thank you for your concern, Your Royal Highness. It's nothing serious, just a bone and muscle injury. A few more days of rest will fix it."
"Imperial Physician Hu in the palace is best at orthopedics, and his medicine for sprains and fractures is exceptional. I'll send him to see you later. We'll say he's going to treat Lord Ye," Jin Yunxin reassured him.
"Then I'll thank Your Royal Highness on behalf of my father and Fenglin! I'll toast you with this cup." The young man beside them quickly offered his thanks and then picked up the wine cup from the table, draining it in one gulp.
Jin Yunxin shook his head helplessly, a genuine smile appearing on his face as he said, "Ye Chen, you're quite astute. Now you know how to curry favor with me."
"Nonsense! With our friendship, do I need to deliberately curry favor with you? Don't slander me, I'm genuinely grateful!" Ye Chen was unrestrained in his speech.
But Jin Yunxin burst into hearty laughter, clearly appreciative of this, and the atmosphere in the pavilion became even more relaxed.
An hour later, Jin Yunxin left through the back door, quietly and discreetly exiting Shuiyunju.
Only Xue Fenglin and Ye Chen remained in the pavilion. Ye Chen somewhat complainingly said to Xue Fenglin, "You were missing for so long, and you didn't even think to write a letter for me to pick you up. My parents were so worried they couldn't sleep."
"I'm sorry, I made Uncle and Aunt worried. Anyway, I'll be going to their residence for my leg injury treatment soon, so I can visit them then," Xue Fenglin told Ye Chen.
Ye Chen was the only son of the Ye family and Xue Fenglin's older cousin. Xue Fenglin's mother, Lady Ye, was Ye Chen's paternal aunt. Because they were of similar age, they had played together since childhood.
However, later the Ye family sent Ye Chen to be a companion reader to the Second Prince, and their opportunities to meet Xue Fenglin became much fewer.
This time, although Xue Fenglin's return to the capital was facilitated by the Second Prince's people, it was actually due to Ye Chen.
It was said that because Old Marquis Xue had never been very close to Lady Ye and Xue Fenglin, he had been closer to his mother's family since childhood. The Old Marquis, however, was closer to the First Prince's faction, which made Xue Fenglin's position somewhat awkward.
As the Marquis's heir, the former Xue Fenglin had been a rogue. He always kept his distance from both the First Prince's faction and the Second Prince's faction, not getting involved with either.
However, this time he was ambushed near Yunshui Village, and the attackers were highly skilled, clearly not ordinary bandits.
Xue Fenglin thought about it and felt that this matter could not have been done by Bai Shi, a woman confined to her courtyard, alone. And Bai Shi's brother, Bai Yan, had always been a close confidant of the First Prince.
If he died and Xue Fengli became the new heir, the entire Marquis's residence would become the First Prince's power, which would be more beneficial to the First Prince.
Having understood this, Xue Fenglin could no longer remain neutral as before. Instead, he chose to align with the Ye family and side with the Second Prince.
This was why he had someone send a message to Ye Chen, indirectly revealing his intention to pledge allegiance. This was followed by the Second Prince sending people to pick him up from Yunshui Village.
"You're usually so steady, why did you go to Lezhou alone this time? Was it really to see that country boy?" Ye Chen finally couldn't help but gossip.
Xue Fenglin glared at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense about this anymore. This time, I suffered misfortune near Yunshui Village, and it was thanks to Shen Ger's rescue that I am able to stand here in one piece."
"Listening to you, do you really intend to marry him?" Ye Chen was greatly alarmed and quickly asked, "Saving a life is one thing, but if you, a dignified heir, marry a country boy, wouldn't that just play into your stepmother's hands?"
"I won't marry him, and besides, he doesn't want to marry me," Xue Fenglin said with a darkened face. "However, I will definitely repay his life-saving kindness. Shen Ger is a man of integrity, so don't keep calling him 'country boy' and disrespecting him."
Ye Chen then restrained himself, looking at Xue Fenglin's expression and saying, "I've never seen you put so much effort into any other Ger or lady before. As long as you don't marry him, everything else is fine. Otherwise, my parents would be the first to object!"
***
"He's already dead, isn't he? How could he possibly be back?" In the Xue mansion, Bai Shi slammed the glazed teacup she was holding, shattering it on the floor.
She was trembling with rage. She couldn't believe that the position of heir, which her son Li'er was about to claim, had just slipped away!
"At the time, his blood trail led all the way to the edge of the cliff, and he was bitten by a poisonous snake. Logically, there was no way he could have survived," Bai Yan said.
"It's just that his body was never found, which is why the Ye family could use that as an excuse, stubbornly refusing to allow Li'er to be appointed heir, saying they had to wait at least three years."
"Who would have thought that fellow would be so lucky, returning even after all that?"
The two were secretly conversing in the room when two knocks sounded at the door. Then, Bai Shi's trusted maid, Qiong Zhu, quietly said,
"Madam, the Marquis heard about the eldest young master's return to the capital and has rushed back. But the eldest young master went to the Ye family first, and the Marquis is angry."
Although Xue Fenglin was the shizi, the servants around Bai Shi, to please her, privately called him "eldest young master" instead of "heir."
"Never mind, what's done is done, we can only make new plans." After hearing Qiong Zhu's reminder, Bai Shi immediately composed herself and said to Bai Yan, "Brother, I'm going to the Marquis's place first. You should go back too."
"It's just that after this incident, that rascal will definitely be more cautious, and it will be difficult to make a move on him again."
Bai Yan then said, "The capital's guard troop is run by the Yan family, who are part of the Second Prince's faction. As long as Xue Fenglin stays in the capital, we won't be able to attack him. We'll have to think of other strategies."
"What about that marriage alliance we discussed earlier?" Bai Shi asked upon hearing this.
"The marriage to that country boy?" Bai Yan thought for a moment and said, "That could be a breakthrough. Although it won't kill Xue Fenglin, marrying such a country boy would be enough to make him lose face."
"Without support from the in-laws, his career will be difficult, which would be greatly beneficial for Li'er's future."
"Alright! Then we'll start with that!" Bai Shi bit her lip, a cruel glint in her eyes. She changed her clothes, styled her hair, and adorned herself with lavish jewelry.
***
Although she was forty, her face was well-preserved, showing no signs of aging, but rather an added touch of mature charm.
Upon seeing Bai Shi, Marquis Xue was captivated by her beautiful face. Lady Ye was also extremely beautiful, but her temper was too strong.
Ever since he took Bai Shi as a concubine, Lady Ye had been cold and distant, often returning to her family's home to stay. Even her beauty had been worn away by her disposition.
However, Bai Shi's nature was gentle like a flower that understood him, and she was always obedient to him.
Bai Shi gracefully walked to his side, first pouring him a cup of his favorite Mingqian Biluochun tea, and then softly said,
"My Lord, what's wrong? It's a good thing that Lin'er has been found, so why are you angry instead?"
At the mention of that rascal, Marquis Xue was filled with anger. The dignified heir of the Xue family had been missing for an entire month without reason.
Now that he had finally returned, he didn't even come home to report his safety first, but went directly to his uncle's house. He was simply turning his back on his own family, an ungrateful wretch!
Since Lady Ye's death, the relationship between the Ye family and the Xue family had deteriorated. The two families also belonged to different factions and were already at odds.
Marquis Xue only felt that Xue Fenglin was not loyal to him and secretly resented Lady Ye for corrupting him.
So he said, "That rascal is truly outrageous! The first thing he does when he returns is run to his uncle's house. He doesn't even have me, his father, in his eyes!"
Bai Shi listened to Marquis Xue's complaints, her eyes darting, and she secretly sneered. Then she softly said,
"My Lord, don't be angry. It's true that older sister often took him back to her family's home when she was alive, so he naturally has a better relationship with the Ye family. We can't blame him for this."
"Now that Lin'er has returned, the most urgent matter is his previous marriage engagement."
"Although older sister had arranged a marriage with that Ger from the Duke Shen's family when she was alive, the Duke Shen's mansion has fallen, and that Ger is, after all, just a country boy now. How could he be worthy of Lin'er's status as heir?"
Saying this, she deliberately paused, then looked at Marquis Xue's expression, which indeed grew even angrier.
Because Bai Shi had found someone to spread this matter, everyone in the capital knew about Xue Fenglin's old marriage engagement.
Those officials who were already at odds with Marquis Xue immediately seized the opportunity to strongly impeach Marquis Xue in court, accusing him of failing to properly raise his son and of the shizi being snobbish and disrespectful to his deceased mother's wishes, which gave Marquis Xue a severe headache.
"Wasn't this matter caused by his own mother? She initially took a liking to the Shen family's power and was good friends with Lady Shen, so she cleverly and privately arranged this marriage,"
Marquis Xue angrily slammed the table and said, "Now he wants to find a good marriage? He doesn't care how I, his father, and the Xue family are being scolded by those old officials?"
"No matter what he thinks, since this Ger from the Shen family has already been engaged, he must be married into the family. That way, we can silence those people and let the world see that our Xue family is not greedy for power and wealth!"
Comments Box