The Glory

In thе соurtуаrd of Qingqiu Gardеn, а уоuth in bluе cloth clоthing sаt by the stоne tablе. Неаring fооtsteps, hе turned and smiled at her: "Sister!"

Наn Yan smilеd and sаid, "Whаt аrе yоu dоing sitting in thе соurtyаrd? Aren’t yоu аfraid оf catching а chill from thе wind? Mothеr hаs lit thе stоvе insidе. Сome in. Ji Lаn, brеw a роt оf the Тianshаn Silvеr Needlе tеa thаt was distributed yеsterday fоr thе уoung mаster."

Zhuang Hаnуаn stoоd uр with а smilе аnd wаlked оvеr, flattеring her аs he went: "Sistеr alwауs tаkes suсh gооd сare of mе."

Back in the inner rоom, Han Yаn had Shu Hоng tuck а smаll tin hand wаrmer into Zhuang Hanming’s hands. Seeing him take a sip of the hot tea and his face regain some warmth, she finally asked, "Did Madam Zhou come to see you yesterday?"

At the mention of Madam Zhou, Zhuang Hanming’s expression immediately darkened. He snorted coldly, "They’re up to no good. Just seeing them makes me sick."

"You didn’t get into any conflict with them, did you?" Han Yan asked worriedly. After all, her younger brother was still young and unfamiliar with the dirty tricks common in large households. With his youthful temperament, he might not have been able to resist confronting Madam Zhou. If word got out, others might think this Disgraced Son was being harsh toward the newly arrived concubine, and Zhuang Shiyang would also be displeased.

Zhuang Hanming shook his head. "I did as Fourth Sister said and was just very cold toward them. They left after delivering their gifts."

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Han Yan’s lips. "Gifts—she certainly knows how to give them!"

Last night, when Ji Lan returned from gathering news, she told Han Yan that Madam Zhou and her daughter had visited Ming-ge and claimed the gifts were simply a token of greeting upon their arrival. Many of the items were rare and precious at first glance.

Han Yan didn’t believe Madam Zhou and her daughter were acting out of kindness. Whatever they did surely had an ulterior motive. That very evening, Zhuang Hanming had a maid deliver something to her—the bird now in the cage.

Madam Zhou had told Zhuang Hanming that this bird was extremely amusing, as it adored beautiful women and would flutter toward them to show affection. For young masters from wealthy families in the capital, keeping birds for amusement was nothing unusual. Zhuang Hanming, being young, would naturally be curious about such a novelty. However, he already harbored deep disgust for Madam Zhou and her daughter, so he had no interest in the bird and simply ordered it sent to Han Yan, assuming women liked such animals. Little did he expect that Han Yan would be shocked upon seeing the bird. She immediately recognized its resemblance to the "Hao Peng" described in ancient texts. Combined with Zhuang Hanming’s recounting of Madam Zhou’s words, she confirmed it was a lustful bird.

What a vicious scheme Madam Zhou had devised! An ordinary youth, upon seeing such a novel bird, would surely have sought out beautiful women to test it. Once the Hao Peng encountered a beauty and became aroused, it would release its "Mian Ling," a scent so potent that even a whiff could cloud one’s mind. This would lead to intimacy with the woman. Over time, the youth would become a useless wastrel obsessed with women. And Ming-ge was only eleven years old this year—Madam Zhou was trying to ruin his health!Few people in the capital recognized this type of peng bird, and even Fang Zhanggui, who had seen countless treasures, failed to identify it today. It was even less likely that anyone in the mansion would know. Madam Zhou’s move was both subtle and secure—if anything happened to Ming in the future, no one would suspect the bird! In her previous life, Ming had been imprisoned because of a courtesan—she wondered if this had been the reason. As she thought about it, Han Yan’s expression turned cold. So, from the very beginning, Madam Zhou had laid everything out!

Seeing Han Yan’s gloomy expression, Zhuang Hanming guessed something was amiss and asked, “Is there something wrong with that bird?”

Han Yan didn’t want to burden him with such filthy matters and simply said, “That bird is poisonous. Don’t let it near you.”

“What?” Zhuang Hanming was furious upon hearing this. “How dare they! They actually dare to harm me right here in the mansion! Sister, let’s tell Father!” He stood up to leave.

Han Yan grabbed his arm. “What are you doing? If you tell Father now, you’ll only make the mother and daughter suspicious. They’ll keep adding things to your room in the future. It’s better to keep it quiet and let them settle down for a while.”

Zhuang Hanming looked at her and said, “Sister, the bird is in your room now. What about your health?”

Han Yan smiled. “Don’t worry. I went to the pawnshop today and pawned the bird along with its cage. If they love sending things, let them. We’ll just turn them all into silver and spend it however we like!”

Zhuang Hanming widened his eyes. “Sister, you sneaked out of the mansion?”

“Shh.” Han Yan glared at him. “Do you want the whole mansion to hear?” After a pause, she added, “No one knows about this. Don’t worry.” She then took out a banknote from her sleeve. “This is the money from pawning it today. Keep it.”

Zhuang Hanming shook his head and pushed the banknote back into Han Yan’s hand. “I don’t usually need much silver. You keep it, Sister.” Suddenly remembering something, he added, “Madam Zhou also gave me many clothes and trinkets. The clothes look exquisite and valuable, and the trinkets are rare. Why don’t you take them all to pawn as well?”

Clothes? Trinkets?

Han Yan narrowed her eyes, a cold smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Exquisite clothes and luxurious trinkets—these were meant to make Ming lazy and turn him into a frivolous young master who cared only for pleasure. When Zhuang Shiyang saw this, he would think his son was all show and no substance, a wasteful and detestable heir. This tactic of “killing with kindness” was something Madam Zhou played quite well!

“When you have time, pack them up. Aside from the clothes, I’ll take the trinkets to pawn. Let’s not waste Madam’s thoughtful efforts.”

“Sister.” Zhuang Hanming took her hand, his expression earnest. “I’m usually at the Imperial College and don’t go to the inner courtyard. As a man, Madam Zhou still has some reservations about me. But you’re different. You must be careful in everything you do.”

His words were filled with concern and worry. Han Yan was deeply moved as she looked at the young man across from her. Unbeknownst to her, Ming had already grown as tall as she was. His delicate face now carried a hint of masculine resolve, with less of the childishness of before. Since their mother’s passing, Ming seemed to have matured overnight. Her heart softened even more.Mama Chen looked at this pair of siblings and couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. After all, they were blood-related siblings—their affection was genuine. This mansion was filled with traps and ill-intentioned people everywhere, truly pitiable for these two clever and lovely children. Fortunately, the young lady had grown sensible; her cunning and intelligence made Mama Chen want to praise her. At least in this mansion, she was not someone to be easily taken advantage of.

Over on the other side, Zhuang Shiyang and Madam Zhou had just finished their exertion. Madam Zhou’s completely unclothed body leaned against the man, soft as if boneless, her voice so enchanting it could intoxicate the heart: "Master, in a few days at the palace Night Banquet, all the ministers will be bringing their female family members..."

Zhuang Shiyang, having just released his desires, wore an expression of complete satisfaction. Hearing this, he smiled knowingly: "Of course, I’ll take you, you little temptress. You’re the apple of my eye—who else would I bring?"

"This humble concubine is only a concubine by status," Madam Zhou said, her eyes brimming with tears, exuding endless charm. "Yu'er is also just a daughter of a concubine. Following you, Master, I fear that those with ill intentions might gossip."