As the year drew to a close, preparations were in full swing everywhere. When the Emperor Emeritus abdicated, the imperial concubines who were dispersed were settled in nearby gardens and parks. During festivals, the palace would send gifts according to protocol—food and drink were a given, and there was no shortage of fine silks and satins for new clothes. Yet there were always small items that couldn’t be fully accounted for, so the Noble Consorts would either request them from the palace or purchase them themselves. Chen Jing, the chief steward of the Noble Consort’s palace, specialized in this task. Everyone knew the officials of the Imperial Household Department were wealthy—how did they make their money? By skimming off the top, of course. Chen Jing was essentially the head of the Imperial Household Department in Langrun Garden, but with few masters in the garden, the money passing through his hands was limited. He wouldn’t pass up such opportunities to others and usually handled them personally. With two young eunuchs in tow and a cart in tow, he set off for the inner city.
The city was bustling—New Year was a profitable time, with stalls selling spring couplets lining half the street. Navigating through the crowd, Chen Jing knew his way like the back of his hand. After securing everything the three Noble Consorts had requested, he noticed the sun high in the sky and his stomach growling—time to eat! Off to his usual haunt, the renowned Gao Mingyuan Teahouse outside the Front Gate in Donghebao Lane, for a little indulgence.
Some teahouses in the capital also served meals, each with its own specialty: the Red Stove Teahouse, the Wowo Teahouse, the Pot-Carrying Teahouse, and the Two-Delicacies Shop. Gao Mingyuan was a dumpling shop, famous for its "pole dumplings"—long, oval-shaped cakes made from stiff dough, sweet or savory. The dumplings were cooked on a stove with pebbles, stir-fried and baked, giving them a unique flavor unlike any other.
Chen Jing was a regular. As soon as he entered, the waiter called out, “Ah, Master Chen! Long time no see…” Kneeling briefly, he added, “I’ve missed you terribly. Wishing you good fortune.”
Chen Jing waved him off. “Enough with the flattery. Lead the way!”
He had his own private seat in an eastern alcove of the teahouse, facing the city and backing onto the river—a vantage point where he could observe everything. Gao Mingyuan wasn’t just a teahouse; it held deeper significance. South of the imperial city, where officials from the Six Ministries gathered, deals were struck here—appointments bought, bribes exchanged, and connections made. Eunuchs were keen on gathering information, and sitting in a corner, they could pick up more than a few tidbits.
When the waiter brought tea, Chen Jing said he felt like having stewed meat noodles today. The waiter scratched his head in confusion. “That’s from the Two-Delicacies Shop. We don’t serve that here.”
“Then go buy it from there! Can’t you see Master Chen wants it?” The speaker wasn’t Chen Jing or the teahouse owner but a swarthy man in his forties. Unremarkable in appearance, his small eyes gleamed shrewdly.
The waiter hesitated, then realized the man was right and scurried off to fulfill the request.
Chen Jing eyed the stranger. “Who are you?”
The man placed a food box on the corner of the table and knelt in greeting. “This humble one is Mu Liansheng. You may not know me, but if I mention someone, you’ll surely recognize them.”
Chen Jing gave him a sidelong glance. “Don’t beat around the bush. I don’t have time for nonsense.”
Mu Liansheng hurriedly agreed and perched halfway on the bench opposite. “Aren’t you the chief steward of the Noble Consort’s palace? Well, what a coincidence! The young lady the Twelfth Master brought to the garden to pay respects—my family raised her for over a decade. I’m her foster father.”Hearing this, Chen Jing was stunned. The man before him looked utterly wretched—what kind of nonsense was this? How could he possibly be the foster father of the Twelfth Master’s Secondary Wife? He scratched his ear, "You brat, making up relatives out of nowhere? Your backside itching for a beating?"
Mu Liansheng sighed, "Don’t believe me, eh? My late wife was her wet nurse. Their family fell into ruin, and no one would take her in. My wife pitied her for being an orphan and brought her back to our hometown."
That seemed somewhat plausible, the connection made sense. But something still felt off. Even if her family was poor, it wasn’t his place to raise her. She had brothers, uncles—some in business, some in office. This man looked like a lowlife, the kind who’d do anything from swindling to stealing. And now he was trying to pull a fast one on him.
Chen Jing dismissed him outright, "You’ve got some nerve, trying to trick me? Kid, go home. Your grandma’s singing your praises—what a fine grandson you are!"
"Hey!" Mu Liansheng clicked his tongue twice. "Don’t be so quick to curse me. Let me ask you—is that girl’s name Wen Dingyi? Born in the Year of the Goat, turning nineteen this New Year?" He leaned in, pointing to the corner of his eye. "Right here, a tiny black mole the size of a needle’s eye."
That matched. Chen Jing narrowed his eyes. "You’ve done your homework, huh? Must’ve taken a lot of effort. What’s your game here? I’ve got no money to give, and I can’t get you any official post. If you’re really the foster father of our Secondary Wife, why not go to Prince Chun’s Residence? A ‘meritorious servant’ like you should fetch a few taels of silver, no?"
That struck a nerve. Mu Liansheng spat, "As if I’d want her silver! I just can’t swallow this injustice!"
There was more to this. Chen Jing’s curiosity was piqued, and once that happened, nothing could stop him. He slowly blew on his tea, watching Mu Liansheng through the steam. "So, you two have some history?"
"She’s nothing but an ungrateful wretch!" Mu Liansheng took a deep breath, ready to vent, but seeing the passersby outside, he got up and closed the door. He lifted the lid of the food box on the table and pushed it toward Chen Jing. "Don’t just drink tea. Have some snacks to tide you over."
Chen Jing glanced down—nothing but sweets: sugar twists, honey sesame twists, yellow-and-white honeycomb cakes, bowl cakes… It was dizzying to look at. He shook his head. "Alright, out with it."
And so Mu Liansheng spilled everything, from the family’s downfall to her apprenticeship, then circling back to her employment at Prince Xian’s Residence, growing angrier with each word. "She disguised herself as a boy and fooled me for years! Had I known she was a girl, I’d have sold her off rather than let her humiliate me like this now. I raised her, even if it was just giving her water to drink, and now she’s climbed to high branches and turned her back on me! Throwing me a few coins like I’m some beggar! I can’t do anything to her, but I won’t let her ruin Prince Chun, either. Her father was a state criminal, and she grew up among men—‘if you often tread by the river, you’ll eventually get your shoes wet.’ Who knows how many men have had their way with her? Your prince is famously upright, too kind-hearted. He sees someone pitiful and falls right into their trap. Are you just going to stand by and let the Dowager Princess lose face? No! You must report this to the Dowager, expose that girl’s scheme. That way, you’ll have done a great service, and the Twelfth Master will owe you his thanks!"
By the time he finished, Chen Jing was dumbfounded. If this were true, it would be a disaster. Forget a prince’s residence—even an ordinary household wouldn’t take in a young mistress with such a background."Are you telling the truth? Think carefully—if there's even half a lie, your head will roll!"
Mu Liansheng thumped his chest in assurance. "If I'm lying, may I die and descend to the eighteenth layer of hell. Go ask around at Shuntian Prefecture—is there a Mu Xiaoshu who apprenticed under Wu Changgeng? At Prince Xian's Residence on Denei Street—was there ever a female bird keeper disguised as a man moving about the mansion..."
Chen Jing's heart trembled with fear. He abandoned his bowl of stewed noodle scraps, hastily grabbed his warm hat, and rushed out the door. After two steps, he paused, turned back, and pointed at Mu Liansheng. "Find a place to stay in the capital. Tell the shopkeeper which alley you're lodging in, in case the Noble Consort summons you. If everything checks out, you'll be rewarded handsomely."
Mu Liansheng bowed repeatedly as he saw Chen Jing off, then smugly began humming an opera tune: "That day at Hulao Pass, the battlefield was set... I crossed blades with the Peach Garden brothers... Fighting till Liu, Guan, and Zhang could barely defend... My name, Lü Bu, spread far and wide across the land..."
Meanwhile, Chen Jing returned to Langrun Garden and burst into Enhui Qingyu like a man on fire. The Noble Consort was reclining on her daybed smoking orchid-scented tobacco when she heard the hurried footsteps and looked up. In his haste, Chen Jing knocked over a bronze crane ornament in the main hall with a loud clang, startling everyone.
"What is the meaning of this?" the Noble Consort frowned. "Such unseemly panic!"
Chen Jing swept his sleeves and kowtowed. "Your Highness, this slave just returned from outside and met someone who revealed shocking information. It's terrible—Twelfth Master is in trouble..."
The Noble Consort sat up straight and scolded in a low voice, "What do you mean 'Twelfth Master is in trouble'? What happened? Collect yourself and speak properly!"
Catching his breath, Chen Jing recounted everything—how he'd met Mu Liansheng, how Mu Liansheng had exposed the true background of Twelfth Master's Secondary Wife, and all the sordid details. The Noble Consort, caught off guard, exclaimed in shock, "Such a thing exists? Did you verify whether this was just a commoner spouting nonsense?"
"This slave threatened him, saying we'd take his head if his claims proved false, but he insisted the Secondary Wife is indeed Mu Xiaoshu." Chen Jing swallowed hard. "Your Highness, the Spring Begins festival is approaching. You must consider this carefully! A descendant of disgraced officials, disguised as a man—if this gets out, it would be the scandal of the century! Twelfth Master is probably completely unaware. That Secondary Wife has tricked him into giving her his heart. No wonder she was so quiet that day—such people care little for titles. She sees clearly that as long as she has her man's favor, wealth and status will follow. Twelfth Master is too kind-hearted—you must decide for him. Don't let a good man be ruined by her. When the wedding comes, this will be common knowledge. Can we silence all her former colleagues and neighbors from the communal courtyard? If the palace and Changchun Garden find out, Twelfth Master won't just lose face—his career could be ruined."
The Noble Consort momentarily lost her composure, murmuring, "I always said that girl was cunning, how she's bewitched your Twelfth Master... Keep this quiet for now. Send people to investigate—go to Shuntian Prefecture, to that... what was it... communal courtyard. Verify everything and report back. If it's truly as Mu Liansheng says, that woman cannot remain. We must eliminate her quickly and cleanly."No mother in the world would willingly watch her son be deceived. When the Twelfth Master returned from Khalkha, she had questioned those around him and learned that he hadn’t taken a single woman to bed all these years—even the two palace maids she had sent were returned. In matters of the heart, he was a blank slate, untouched by any crookedness. And now? Someone had seized the opportunity. He was devoted to her, but what about her? She deceived him, swindling food, drink, and status. If she were truly made Principal Wife, what then? Prince Chun’s mansion would be emptied by her! The daughter of a disgraced official, her father executed and her three brothers exiled—what good could she possibly be? The Twelfth Master had been utterly bewitched, believing every word she said. Today, Chen Jing happened to witness it, but if everyone had remained oblivious, the matter would have been settled beyond recall. How would Hongce handle such a disgraceful scandal?
The Noble Consort clutched her chest in fury, panting heavily as she stewed in her grievances. She had taken the Empress’s words to heart that day, hoping the Emperor Emeritus would come, but he never arrived by nightfall. She had been fooled once, and in her joy, she had even agreed to let Dingyi become a Secondary Wife. Now, looking back, it was utterly humiliating—to be seen by the younger generation, at her age, still pining for a man. She regretted it bitterly, but a spoken word could not be taken back. Fortunately, a flaw had been exposed on their side, and she clenched her teeth, determined to vent her anger.
Before long, the eunuch she had sent out returned with a report: Mu Xiaoshu did indeed exist, but whether the Secondary Wife and Mu Xiaoshu were the same person remained unclear.
The Noble Consort turned to Chen Jing and ordered, “Summon her to Langrun Garden tomorrow. Bring her master and the neighbors from the courtyard as well—have them identify her face to face. I refuse to believe she can rearrange her eyes and nose so thoroughly that no one recognizes her!”
“As you command,” Chen Jing replied, bowing deeply before retreating from En Hui Qing Yu with his sleeves lowered.
Early the next morning, he gathered the group at the appointed time. The Twelfth Master had to attend the Court Office roll call at the fifth watch and wouldn’t be dismissed until the seventh, so bringing the group before then was ideal. The party from Langrun Garden arrived at Wine and Vinegar Bureau Alley at the third quarter of the fifth watch, entering just as dawn was breaking. They had assumed the courtyard’s residents would still be asleep, but the Secondary Wife was already sipping tea in the front hall. She seemed surprised to see them but remained composed, calmly asking, “Has the Noble Consort issued an edict?”
Chen Jing’s confidence wavered slightly as he forced a smile. “Reporting to the Secondary Wife, matters between you and the Twelfth Master are nearly settled. The Noble Consort is deeply concerned for you. She summons you to the garden to discuss any needs or shortages—a chance for mother and daughter-in-law to speak freely.”
Dingyi nodded. “In that case, please wait a moment, Steward. Allow me to change my clothes.”
“No need,” Chen Jing said with a smile. “Your current attire is perfectly presentable—it wouldn’t be improper even before the Noble Consort. Let’s make haste. If you arrive while she’s just risen, it would be the perfect time to show filial piety. Serving her tea or handing her a towel might win her favor.”
It felt rushed. Though his words sounded reasonable, something felt off. Dingyi had been through enough to sense trouble. So early in the morning, barely after the Twelfth Master had left, and already people from Langrun Garden had arrived—when had they set out? She kept her guard up, draping her cloak while instructing Sha Tong, “No need to accompany me. The two pomegranate trees in the courtyard might freeze if left unattended—have someone bundle them with straw. I suspect a heavy snowfall is coming before the New Year.”Sha Tong shuffled forward a couple of steps, understood the instructions, responded with a "Yes, sir," and helped the person onto the carriage.
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