Far awау in thе Еnvоy's Mansiоn, First Рrince Yin Gеzhi, who was bеing thоught оf bу sоmеone, сouldn't help but sneeze.
"Маster." Guаn Zhi pushеd thе dооr oреn аnd nоddеd to him. "Еverything has bееn arrаnged. Miss Yi's intentiоn is to ask fоr your hеlр in invеstigаting thе mоlе."
This was ехpесtеd. Yi Zhangzhu wаs somеwhаt clevеr, аnd it was likеly that Genеral Yi had instructеd hеr bеforе leaving not tо rеlу solеlу оn оnе рersоn. Тhat's whу she hаd the Crоwn Prinсе сhasе thе thiеvеs while turning to him to invеstigate the mole.
Unfоrtunately, nеither he nоr the Сrоwn Prinсe seemed to have good intentions toward that General's Mansion.
"Understood." Nodding in agreement, Yin Gezhi asked, "Have you found the person who delivered the items?"
Guan Zhi lowered his head. "It's truly difficult to locate them, but I've already ordered them to pay more attention to the surroundings. If anyone else comes, we will surely catch them."
"Hmm." Reaching for a brush, Yin Gezhi casually wrote a name on paper and said, "The mole is him. Starting today, have someone carefully search for evidence of his betrayal of the General's Mansion."
Taking the paper, Guan Zhi glanced sympathetically at the name written on it.
Wang Han.
This man was the steward of the General's Mansion, loyal for many years and wielding considerable power. Many of Yi Guoru's affairs had to pass through his hands. To pin down such a person, solid evidence was indispensable.
But the master's orders were clear: if evidence existed, find it; if not, create it and find it! Guan Zhi acknowledged the command and respectfully withdrew.
After dinner, the two gentlemen in the Dream Return Pavilion returned to their respective homes. Feng Yue lay on the soft couch, legs crossed leisurely.
Receiving money without having to entertain guests—such carefree days were truly delightful!
"Miss, would you like some dried fruit?" Someone knocked on the door, and a vendor outside called out, "Sweet, soft, and chewy dried fruit that brings smiles to faces!"
Lingshu's eyes lit up at once. "Mistress?"
Glancing at her, Feng Yue chuckled. "Use your own silver to buy some. I want one liang of preserved plums."
"Alright!" The little glutton skipped happily to open the door. The vendor outside smiled and asked, "Miss, would you like some dried fruit?"
"Yes! I want one liang of dried peach meat, one liang of dried longan... oh, right, and one liang of preserved plums for my mistress." Lingshu said eagerly, taking silver from her mistress's dressing case to pay him, then accepting the paper-wrapped packages from the vendor.
Feng Yue smiled kindly, watching as Lingshu handed her the preserved plums and happily hugged the two paper packages. She said, "Good things shouldn't be enjoyed alone. Aren't you on good terms with many of the maids in the pavilion? Share your dried fruit with them. Go on."
Hearing this, Lingshu thought it made perfect sense and immediately opened the door and ran off.
Feng Yue stood up, smiling as she closed the door and bolted it.
Opening the paper package in her hand, she poured the plums into a jar on the flower stand. With practiced ease, she tore a slit in the plum wrapper and pulled out a hidden layer of paper.
"Starting to investigate Wang Han?" She chuckled softly, leaning against the door with a carefree smile. "Ah, ah, our First Prince Yin truly has an unyielding heart and unresolved grudges. How wonderful."
After burning the note, she reopened the door and leaned against the doorframe, glancing toward the second floor opposite.
A room on the second floor had its door open, and laughter drifted out from inside.
"The young master is drunk." Three or four girls sat on either side, with a dark-skinned man sitting in the middle, his face flushed red from drinking too much."I'm not drunk." Waving his hand, the man took another swig of wine. "I have a sea-like capacity, how could I possibly get drunk?"
He Chou covered her lips with a light laugh and said to the other girls, "I'll take care of him. Sisters, you can all go back and rest."
This was her room, and this was her guest. The others were just here for the extra tips. Since the hostess had spoken, the other girls all withdrew.
Once the door was closed, He Chou settled into the guest's lap, giggling coquettishly. "This humble servant always feels that you have an extraordinary bearing, much more heroic than the other guests."
"Of course! I've been through countless battles!" The drunken patron pinched He Chou's cheek and whispered mysteriously, "I'll tell you a secret—I'm from the General's Mansion."
Pausing slightly, He Chou pretended not to hear and smiled. "You really are drunk."
"What? Don't believe me?" The patron snorted, reaching out to pull out a token. "See this? The General's Mansion waist token! I'm second only to one man, in charge of the entire General's Mansion, hahaha!"
He Chou lowered her gaze, steadying his swaying body without a word.
"But lately, things have been driving me crazy." His tone suddenly turned somber. The patron got up and collapsed onto the fragrant, soft bed, muttering, "After all, we're brothers who've faced life and death together, yet they make me manage the household's inner courtyard. The slightest thing goes wrong, and they come to me, blaming me for not handling it well. Bah! I should just go home and farm!"
Many guests who came here were unhappy or under pressure, seeking to drown their sorrows in drink. The girls of Dream Return Pavilion were known for their discretion, which was why guests felt most at ease here.
Wang Han lay on the bed, grumbling and complaining for a long while. He Chou knelt by the bedside, listening with a gentle smile until he finally fell asleep.
Reaching out, she quietly took the waist token from his hand and gave her maid, Liqiu, a meaningful glance.
Understanding, Liqiu took the token and quickly ran to Xiangyu Street, slipping into a sundry goods shop.
After a night of pleasant dreams, Wang Han woke up and looked around. Seeing his waist token on the table, he stiffened slightly, hurriedly got up, and tucked it into his robe.
It was already bright outside. He Chou brought in water for washing and smiled gently at him. "You're awake, young master? You were terribly drunk last night, throwing things around carelessly. I didn't recognize what it was, but it looked valuable, so I placed it on the table for you."
Relieved, Wang Han smiled. "You're so thoughtful."
With that, he washed his face, kissed her, and left.
Feng Yue, who had slept until the sun was high in the sky, got up with her hair in a mess, slowly washing and dressing.
"The girls outside are all busy to death, while we seem a bit too idle," Lingshu muttered as she helped comb her hair. "I don't know if that's good or bad."
Glancing at her in the mirror, Feng Yue raised an eyebrow. "Bored, little girl?"
"A little," Lingshu pouted. "Should we sneak out to the street to buy something?"
"Sure." Without a moment's hesitation, Feng Yue nodded in agreement. "I was just thinking of checking the goods at the sundry shop. I heard they've brought in a lot of fine wood and jade varieties. If there's something good, it wouldn't be bad to make a jade pendant."
Lingshu nodded, immediately styling her mistress's hair into a proper young lady's bun and finding a set of coarse cloth clothes for her to wear. Then, they stealthily crawled out through the dog hole in the backyard.Prostitutes on the street would be beaten, but with a bit of disguise, who could tell?
Striding boldly down Xiangyu Street, Lingshu happily bounced around, peering into every shop. Feng Yue didn’t mind the fuss, following her as she looked around. When they reached a sundries shop, she said, “Go ahead and grab a seat at the steamed bun stall up front. I’ll take a quick look in here.”
The simple-minded Lingshu agreed without hesitation, swinging her braids as she continued bouncing forward. Feng Yue lifted her skirt and entered the sundries shop. The shopkeeper smiled at the sight of her. “What can I get for you, miss? We’ve just received some new goods.”
“Let me take a look.”
Inside a rosewood box lay a waist token from the General’s Mansion. On the front was a gilded “Yi” character, while the lower right corner of the back bore the engraved name of the holder: Wang Han.
“Your craftsmanship keeps improving,” Feng Yue chuckled softly. “Truly indistinguishable from the real thing.”
“You flatter me,” the shopkeeper replied with a cupped-hand salute. “There are also some older pieces inside. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to take a look.”
“No need,” Feng Yue said, closing the box with a smile. “This is all I need for now.”
As luck would have it, Wang Han was a patron of the Dream Return Pavilion and had been requesting He Chou’s company for nearly half a year. Forging his waist token was easier than any other.
Leaving the sundries shop, Feng Yue caught up with Lingshu and cheerfully suggested, “I heard there’s a barbecue place on Anju Street that’s famous for its fragrant, delicious roasted meat. Why don’t we have lunch there?”
At the mention of barbecue, Lingshu nodded without a second thought. “Yes!”
Anju Street was a bustling thoroughfare, bordering the official residences. Many nobles came out to enjoy the delicacies here. Feng Yue led Lingshu to the second floor of the barbecue restaurant, and before long, they saw a group of ladies enter.
Wang Han’s wife, Madam Li, loved the barbecue here the most and would visit every few days with a group of close friends. Today, luck was on Feng Yue’s side—she had indeed managed to intercept her.
“Let’s go upstairs to eat,” Madam Li said, glancing around the main hall. As a woman of status and standing, she naturally headed for the second floor.
Feng Yue smiled and immediately spoke up, “Hey, Lingshu, do you remember that Lord Wang Father mentioned yesterday?”
Lingshu, who was about to dig into the meat, looked up in confusion.
What Lord Wang?
Shooting her a reproachful look, Feng Yue stomped her foot. “The one from the General’s Mansion! Didn’t Father say he used to follow General Yi into battle and was quite impressive? I looked into it recently and found out he’s now just a servant in the General’s Mansion.”
Her foot paused on the stairs. Madam Li, displeased, stopped the others behind her and took a few steps up herself, craning her neck to see who was speaking.
At a table sat two young women. One had her back to her, while the other was chattering away: “I used to admire those who fought on the battlefield so much, but seeing someone who achieved such merit end up so pitifully… it’s just a shame. Honestly, with the kind of achievements Lord Wang had, he should have been granted a title to live out his remaining years in peace…”
Wang Han had once been Yi Guoru’s deputy general, but during a battle with the Wei Kingdom, Guan Canghai broke his leg and damaged his meridians. Yi Guoru, moved by his loyalty, allowed him to retreat to Shadowless City and serve as a steward in his mansion.To be honest, the steward of the General's Mansion held a status no lower than that of an ordinary noble, but the title was unflattering—no matter how high-ranking, a steward was still a household servant. Where was the glory in that?
Madam Li hadn't thought much of it before, but after hearing such gossip, she felt increasingly uneasy.
She was, after all, the daughter of an official's family, someone of some standing. To marry into a household servant's family—even if Wang Han enjoyed the general's utmost trust—brought her no honor.
No longer in the mood to eat, Madam Li turned and headed downstairs.
Lingshu stared wide-eyed at her mistress, blinking in confusion, completely unable to grasp what she meant. But with her mouth full of meat, she couldn't utter a word.
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