Volume One, Chapter 16: The Truth of "Recreation"

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After much thought, Wen Yunmu still felt that the Tang Prince’s Mansion was the safest place. However, Ye Chuiyun’s reputation for coldness and aloofness was well known. Having brought Wen Yunxiu here without prior approval, she was unsure whether he would throw them out. So she anxiously waited in the pavilion.

Ye Chuiyun had been granted his princely title at a young age, but the emperor was reluctant to send him away, bestowing upon him a residence on Gongchen Avenue to establish his household. When granted, over a hundred servants attended to a master who cared little for home life. With little else to do, the mansion was impeccably maintained; the floors shone so brightly they reflected one’s image.

Wen Yunmu gazed at Ye Chuiyun’s reflection on the floor, wondering what kind of incomparable grace the late Consort Chen must have possessed to bear such a son. Even with his stern expression, he was at least three times more handsome than others.

Ye Chuiyun looked down at Wen Yunmu, who wore a small servant’s cap and appeared alert, seemingly prepared to take a scolding but actually distracted.

“Your Highness, might I ask if it is possible to take in my fifth sister today?”

Ye Chuiyun remained silent. The affairs of the Wen household had already been reported to him early by Bai Hong. The intrigues within the inner quarters were something he considered merely as protecting a sister and a bit of amusement. But now that they were outside the inner household, he was uncertain if Wen Yunmu could handle it.

After all, he was her half-brother.

“To shelter her is possible, but why shelter her?” Ye Chuiyun’s words fell just as Bai Hong led Wen Yunxiu into the pavilion. Wen Yunxiu dared not look up, standing where she was to bow before sitting down.

“I had hoped to bring Concubine Zhao out before Madam did, to assess the situation before taking further action. But it seems now too late. If Yunxiu had stayed at home, she would surely have been captured and taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture. She is an unmarried woman—if anything were to happen—” Wen Yunmu’s words trailed off, but the meaning was clear.

Ye Chuiyun gave a noncommittal hum. The Wen household’s matters had been reported, and the subtleties of the inner chambers were, to him, just a casual protection of a sister and a bit of entertainment. Yet it was obvious they were now outside the inner household, and he wondered if Wen Yunmu could manage.

“Here are the case details and the plaintiff’s complaint,” he said, stretching out his hand to receive some papers.

Wen Yunmu swiftly skimmed through the documents. The paper was still soft, the ink fresh; it seemed the Jingzhao Prefecture had just concluded its hearing and sent the documents back. After reading, Wen Yunmu passed them to Wen Yunxiu.

“This… is impossible!” Wen Yunxiu exclaimed in shock. “My mother and I examined the body; there was no sign of poisoning. How could poison have been detected?”

The Jingzhao Prefecture’s verdict was naturally based on evidence; it was impossible for them to mistake the identity of the body or for the forensic examiner to err. The only possibility was that the poison was of a rare kind, taking a long time to manifest on the corpse.

“Though every state has its laws, for a common family to accuse a noble household and have no conclusion yet, the Jingzhao Prefecture suddenly barged into the mansion and immediately held a hearing, showing no respect for the noble family’s dignity. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

“My stepmother truly has a remarkable skill,” Wen Yunmu sighed. With her father and brothers absent from the capital, she had been completely isolated.

“Perhaps it isn’t your stepmother's doing.”

“What does Your Highness mean?” Wen Yunmu pressed further but saw Ye Chuiyun lower his gaze, reluctant to say more. Wen Yunmu then looked at her fifth sister, suspecting Ye Chuiyun believed there was more behind this matter but was unwilling to say so in Wen Yunxiu’s presence.

“Second sister, if this is how it seems, then my mother and I are as good as condemned,” Wen Yunxiu said, closing the documents, her voice choked. “They have gathered such solid evidence, with witnesses and material proof. My mother has been arrested—”

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“Rest assured, though this matter is strange, the Jingzhao Prefecture won’t mistreat your mother. After all, she belongs to the Wen household. Any punishment will have to be approved by my father.”

Ye Chuiyun smiled. “The Marquis is on the autumn inspection tour and won’t return for at least a month. If they could wait for his return, why stage this drama now?”

“What does Your Highness mean?”

“They are not really after these two lives,” Ye Chuiyun sneered. “She is the main wife — there’s no fault she could not be found guilty of. Why would she go to the Jingzhao Prefecture?”

“Not for their lives—” Ye Chuiyun’s words awakened Wen Yunmu’s thoughts. She rose and paced the pavilion several times, lost in contemplation. To strike a snake, one must strike at its vulnerable spot. Qin Weishu, like a venomous snake, had already poisoned Wen Yunxiu’s reputation, intending to destroy her by spreading slander, so that no ripple would be stirred over the matter of the Marquis’s household.

Now, the evidence was so thoroughly fabricated. When a flaw was found in the case, the whole capital would be rife with rumors about Wen Yunxiu and Concubine Zhao. Clearing the truth afterward would be futile. The urgent task was to prove Wen Yunxiu’s innocence, to remove her and Concubine Zhao from this affair.

How to prove Wen Yunxiu is innocent? There must be another culprit, and that person must surface. But how to find the perpetrator in such a short time?

“Sister Mu, when one is trapped, it’s not always necessary to dig into the root of the matter. Sometimes you can step outside and seek new opportunities elsewhere. Sometimes the truth does not matter,” Ye Chuiyun leaned against the stone table and spoke leisurely.

The truth does not matter.

If no one cares about the truth, why couldn’t she “forge” a new one?

Wen Yunmu suddenly understood. After careful thought, she had a plan. “Is your charity clinic available today?”

“Yes.”

“Please escort my fifth sister to the clinic for consultation and ensure her safety.”

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll be taken to Jingzhao Prefecture?” Ye Chuiyun sipped his tea, a cunning smile flickering on his face.

“Then Your Highness must ensure my fifth sister is not captured, at least not before dinner,” Wen Yunmu bowed deeply. “Thank you in advance.”

“And you?”

“I’m returning to the mansion, but I need to borrow something from my fifth sister. I know Dongqing in your quarters is reliable; give me a token so I can command her. As for Peilan in your rooms, she’s in cahoots with Madam Lu—”

Wen Yunxiu was stunned. Her second sister knew so much about the people and affairs in her courtyard. But with the fire burning at their eyebrows, there was no time to dwell on this. She took a small jade pendant from her pouch. “This is what I always carry. Dongqing will recognize it.”

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“Good. You are to follow the arrangements of Your Highness. He will prepare a suitable excuse for you. Regarding today’s events, you are to know nothing, ask nothing, say nothing.”

When Ye Chuiyun heard the word “excuse,” he couldn’t help but complain, “Sister Mu, even your own brother wouldn’t be as lenient as I am. Before I lose patience, you’d better leave.”

Wen Yunmu rose and took her leave, holding out her palm. “Your Highness, the poison.”

After hearing this, A Jing placed a small vial from his bosom into her hand. As expected, the prince had foreseen this. Having glanced over the documents from Jingzhao Prefecture, he had immediately ordered A Jing to find the forensic examiner and, under threat to the entire family's lives, force the poison out.

“How does the young lady know that His Highness would have such an item?” A Jing couldn’t understand and asked.

Wen Yunmu pocketed the vial and gave Ye Chuiyun high praise. “Naturally, I trust Your Highness’s flawless strategy. See you tomorrow.”

“Better not,” Ye Chuiyun said lazily, resting his chin on his hand.

Wen Yunmu left happily. Watching her so confident, Ye Chuiyun turned and walked down from the pavilion. “A Jing, the person is in your hands. Fabricate an excuse. If you can’t come up with one, let the fifth young lady make one herself.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Turning a corner, Bai Hong appeared in a garden corner. She drew a letter from her sleeve. “This is a letter rewritten to the Marquis in the style of Miss Fang; please review it, Your Highness.”

Ye Chuiyun scanned it quickly and nodded. “Ensure this letter reaches the Marquis as soon as possible. Also, intercept any letters Qin sends to the Marquis. Send word to the eldest young master that I am here so he need not worry.”

“Yes.”

“Accompany the carriage back to the Wen mansion and look after them well.”

“I understand, sir.”