Chapter 60: She Doesn't Follow the Script

The chessboard was set in the Xu family's flower hall.

Yan Bei sat on the left, and Xu He sat at the head of the right. While they appeared to be sitting as equals, in reality, from their hair to their toes, there was not a single point of parity!

Today, the Prince of Jingyang did not appear as extravagantly brilliant as he had at the Du residence; however, even in this casual robe, the tailoring was impeccable, wrapping his already tall and upright figure like a sculpture.

Even as a man, Xu He could not help but steal a few extra glances.

But after looking, he felt that merely sitting by his side exerted immense pressure.

Not to mention that this lord radiated a chilling aura, pressing forward with every move of his chess pieces.

In terms of chess skill, Xu He was a leader among the younger generation; even when playing against the Grand Secretaries in the government offices, his defeats were few and far between.

But scholars play chess with strategic planning, unlike military officers who prefer to sweep through armies like a whirlwind.

Yan Bei's offensive was so fierce that Xu He had to divide his attention, making it clearly difficult to hold his ground.

After three games, he had only managed a narrow victory in the first, and even then, he didn't dare to claim it outright; in his hesitation, his opponent had seized the initiative.

He had originally thought he might use the game to showcase some of his elegance, but instead, he had been utterly crushed, left so embarrassed that he could not even lift his head.

"Why must the Top Scholar be so modest? Play aggressively!" Yan Bei glanced sideways while pinching a chess piece. "You are a first-class Jinshi; you shouldn't be unable to take down a mere soldier like me. It doesn't make sense."

*Then why did he give Yue Tang such a cold shoulder at the Du residence that day!*

To belittle a woman in public—what kind of person is that?

The Emperor might seem lucid on a daily basis, but he was quite poor in his judgment regarding personnel.

The Mu family could raise an Empress who commanded the respect of the world, but in raising an Emperor who could rule the heavens, they were somewhat lacking.

Just as Xu He was feeling mortified, a servant approached the door, looked cautiously into the room, and bowed: "Master, the Young Heir of the Du family has arrived. I do not know what happened, but he arrived in great haste."

Xu He's brow twitched, and he immediately looked toward his opponent.

At the Marquis's manor that day, Yan Bei clearly knew that wicked woman, yet they had not acknowledged each other on the spot. Afterward, the woman had returned to the Top Scholar's manor without making a public appearance as an acquaintance of the Prince of Jingyang, nor had she moved into the Prince's manor, which showed she wished to keep it private.

And judging by that woman's attitude toward the Du family, there were likely hidden truths involved; in short, they likely wanted to prevent the Du family from knowing about this connection!

Xu He knew very well which would kill him faster: the Du family or the Prince's manor.

And now, Du Yu had actually come to the door. If they ran into each other and this Prince, who had come to meet his lover, exposed his tracks, would Xu He still be able to find a place for himself in the Secretariat—no, in the Imperial Court?

Xu He grew increasingly agitated, feeling as though he might become cannon fodder at any second. He stood up immediately: "Tell him I am not here!"

Yan Bei also paused upon hearing Du Yu's name. He naturally knew he could not reveal his whereabouts in front of the Du family and risk Yue Tang being targeted, but he remembered Yue Tang saying before she left that the person behind the Du family had designs on Xu He. After a moment's thought, he folded his fan and glanced sideways: "You, go out. Why is he here?"

Xu He was stunned: "Your Highness..."

Yan Bei continued to glare at him: "You are the Top Scholar; you should know how to speak. I needn't teach you, do I?"

This was a warning!

Xu He's forehead itched with tension: "This official understands!"

Yan Bei withdrew his gaze: "Go."

Xu He hurried toward the front hall.

Yan Bei covered his teacup, supporting it with his left hand while resting his right hand behind his back, and also walked toward the front hall.

...

Du Yu had arrived at Guang'an Temple early in the morning.

After Yan Bei took the evidence from the secret compartment, Du Minghuan had mobilized almost all the resources at his disposal, finally obtaining intelligence that Shen Li would be going to Guang'an Temple early this morning to offer incense and would be meeting with officials from the Secretariat there.

He had brought men to wait in the temple before dawn. When the scouts reported that Shen Li was nearing, he immediately had men hide in the meditation rooms to lie in ambush.

He had even scouted exactly how many people Shen Li was bringing along.

It was supposed to be a sure thing—he only needed to uncover the details of Shen Li's shady dealings—but unexpectedly, something went wrong halfway through!

Those guards, who were usually incredibly reliable, had actually been discovered!

And their origin had been pointed out!

Watching them being taken down by a sudden surge of Shen family guards, Du Yu felt his limbs turn cold. Ever since the Du family had taken power, he had acted through the Imperial City Guard with unstoppable success; when had he ever experienced such bad luck as recently?

The people had been caught; next, the Shen family would inevitably come after his father. What should he do then?

What should the Du family do?

Seeing the Secretariat official who was meeting Shen Li secretly flee through the temple gates amidst the chaos, Du Yu immediately mounted his horse to follow. Once he got close and recognized the identity, he immediately turned toward the Xu residence.

Upon entering and seeing the hurried Xu He coming out to meet him, he didn't waste words: "Officer Hu from the Ministry of Rites in the Secretariat—do you know him?"

Xu He's nerves were all on edge because of Yan Bei's words. He had originally been wondering whether Yan Bei, as the Du family's cousin, would lean toward the Du family or toward Yue Tang.

This move made it clear that the Prince was also keeping an eye on the Du family.

He was on the same side as that wicked woman!

Having realized this, how could Xu He dare to be even slightly negligent?

And how could he fail to distinguish which path was the true way forward?

If power could dictate everything in his life, wasn't the greatest power currently standing right behind him?

As long as he clung tightly to the Prince of Jingyang, what did the Du family matter?

He composed himself to respond: "We are not close, but I recognize him. He is a subordinate Director in the Ministry of Rites. I only remember him managing certain affairs of the Imperial Clan Court."

Du Yu nodded: "You have the copper token for entering and exiting the Secretariat. Take me in immediately!"

This was the first time since Xu He had come into contact with the Du family that they had mentioned such a core matter to him.

Hearing this, he grew wary: "Why is the Young Heir suddenly going there?"

"According to intelligence, Officer Hu is involved in a major case. I am going to investigate him during my day off today."

That was a lie even a child wouldn't believe!

But how could Xu He argue with him?

Besides, Du Yu was in such a hurry; there must be something major behind his sudden trip to the Secretariat. The Prince of Jingyang was still in his residence—how could Xu He choose whether or not to comply?

He held his breath for a moment and said, "The copper token isn't used daily; I can't remember where I put it. I'll go look for it."

Without waiting for Du Yu's reaction, he turned and went inside.

Under the pomegranate tree, Yan Bei had finished half a cup of tea. As he rounded the corridor and caught Xu He's gaze, they both understood each other without a word.

Xu He bowed: "I await Your Highness's instructions."

Yan Bei looked toward a distant corner of the house and beckoned.

A young guard walked over.

Yan Bei said, "Change your clothes and follow Lord Xu to the Secretariat." At this point, his eyes flickered downward before turning back to Xu He: "No matter what Du Yu does or says, follow his lead. Do you understand?"

Hearing that he was sending someone to follow, Xu He breathed a massive sigh of relief: "This official obeys!"

With his guard by his side, no matter what happened, he wouldn't have to take the blame later. Whatever he said upon his return, he wouldn't be suspected of being dishonest.

He immediately called for clothes for the guard to change into, then led him back to the front hall.

Yan Bei narrowed his eyes, watching Du Yu depart with Xu He without looking back: "Reaching into the Secretariat... the Du family is playing a bigger game than ever."

After a thought, he glanced at the sun nearing its zenith and added, "It's been a while; why hasn't she returned yet?"

Just as Gao An was about to answer, he suddenly pointed outside the door: "Guard Wei has arrived."

Wei Zhang walked in: "Your Highness? Why are you still here?"

After a moment of confusion, he added, "Our master has already gone to the Prince's manor!"

"Gone?"

Yan Bei immediately set down his cup. "Why didn't you say so sooner!"

...

The last time mother and son met, it had been so sudden that Yue Tang had no time to prepare anything for the child. After leaving Guang'an Temple, she had visited several shops—in fact, she still didn't know what to prepare, so she simply picked up things that children in the shops were interested in. Remembering how much he loved ducks, she bought various kinds of toy ducks.

When she arrived at the gates of the Prince's manor, Wei Zhang happened to arrive with wine.

He also brought news regarding the Shen family.

As the most valued nephew of the current Empress Dowager, Shen Li naturally possessed a certain temper and pride.

Although the Du family managed the Imperial City Guard, in the eyes of the world, they had merely stumbled into a lucky position; they were far less formidable than when Prince Duan was alive.

His greatest backing was the Prince of Jingyang's manor, and usually, no one provoked him. But this time, they had encroached upon Shen Li's territory. If the Shen family still treated it as nothing, they would lose face!

Furthermore, various factions in the court were all eyeing Yan Bei. He was usually impenetrable, but now that a pretext had finally appeared, the Shen family would absolutely not miss this opportunity to engage with him.

Therefore, after capturing those people from the Du family, Shen Li had interrogated the mastermind in public on the spot. In just half a day, the news had already spread among the pilgrims in the temple.

By the time Wei Zhang went to Zuixianju to buy wine, people were already discussing the matter.

Naturally, he did not miss this opportunity, adding fuel to the fire by bringing up the He family murder case that had been settling down, combined with the death of Zhang Shaode, which was also a hot topic on the streets. Thus, the Du family rapidly rose to the center of the storm!

"Excellent! Keep a close eye on Xu He. The Du family has been eyeing him for so long; when the crisis hits, they will surely make him useful."

After instructing Wei Zhang, Yue Tang sent him back and had Lan Qin take the bundles. She herself carried the jar of wine and presented Yan Bei's jade token to the guards of the Ceremonial Bureau.

The guards of the Ceremonial Bureau did not know her identity, but upon seeing the jade token, they immediately called for someone to lead her in.

Yan Bei had gone out, and Gao An was not around. Fortunately, the Chief Administrator, Jin Yu, was in the manor. Knowing that A-Li's biological mother was coming today, and recalling how Yan Bei had been so preoccupied from yesterday until this morning, how would he dare to be negligent?

Just as he was preparing to go out, he immediately set aside his pile of documents and went to meet her at the side gate.

At the guardhouse, he saw a woman dressed in a cyan-green gown, her hair styled in elegant buns, slightly tilting her head to observe the eaves of the manor's front courtyard.

Her attire was simple, with only two white jade hairpins in her hair. She held a jar of wine casually under her left arm, her right arm hung naturally, and a green jade bracelet adorned her wrist.

She stood casually beneath the eaves, beside the emerald bamboo, poised and upright like a pine, noble and refined like jade.

Though she was clearly a young woman, the way she held the wine jar was relaxed and effortless, her temperament entirely natural.

In comparison, her flawless features, further enhanced by her simple attire, actually became her least noteworthy attribute.

Jin Yu felt a sense of profound respect: "I apologize for my late arrival. Please forgive me, Madam."

From the moment he appeared, Yue Tang began to observe him. She saw he was wearing the official robes of a fifth-rank officer; recognizing him as the Chief Administrator and noting his age was similar to Gao An's, she guessed he was a trusted confidant brought over from the Prince of Mo Bei. She nodded with a smile: "I have come to visit A-Li. Please lead the way."

Jin Yu never imagined that Yan Bei's taste would be so extraordinary. Realizing he had not yet informed the "Madam" of her origins, and seeing her poise, he knew she could not be of ordinary background. He quickly steadied his mind and made a decision: "Madam is distinguished. Please move to the main gate of the manor, and I shall open the doors to welcome you."

Yue Tang smiled: "I am just here to see the child; there is no need for such formalities. Please lead the way, Chief Administrator."

As she spoke, she had already lifted her foot.

Jin Yu had never met such an unconstrained woman and did not dare to insist. He could only walk ahead of her, his steps becoming small and hurried.

Yue Tang followed behind, casually observing the scenery along the way. She saw that the manor's entrance was vast and magnificent, with layer upon layer of buildings, each corridor lined with attendants, similar to the layout of Prince Duan's manor.

Upon reaching the fourth layer, turning east past the ceremonial gate, there was a small garden. Here, there were no guards on duty, only eunuchs and maids passing through.

Every one of them, upon seeing Yue Tang, was respectful, showing no sign of curiosity or surprise.

"Mama!"

Just as she reached the door of Yongfu Hall, A-Li's voice drifted out from within.

Through the open courtyard gate, a tiny figure came running toward her.

Yue Tang knelt and opened her arms to catch him. A surge of emotion prompted her to bury her face in the child's small body, taking a deep breath before looking up: "Has A-Li been waiting long?"

A-Li hugged her tightly and nodded heavily: "Grandpa Hua said that if I call 'Mama' a hundred times, Mama will appear.

"Mama didn't lie to A-Li. I only called thirty times and Mama came.

"As long as Mama comes, I'm not afraid of waiting any longer."

Yue Tang smiled. She smiled, but her eyes turned red.

She stood up holding the child: "Mama bought many little ducks. Let's go inside and look at them slowly."

In such a vast manor, very few people were usually able to get close to A-Li. Now, the only ones who knew that A-Li's mother was coming were these few personal attendants.

Watching the mother and son enter the courtyard, Jin Yu waved his sleeve to wake the stunned Yun Niang and the young eunuchs attending A-Li: "Hurry and prepare tea and snacks to serve them! Do exactly as the Prince instructed yesterday!"

Yun Niang hurried into the room, and the others each went to their respective duties.

Jin Yu himself was busy sending people to find Yan Bei.

Unexpectedly, before he could even leave, Yan Bei had already returned. Upon entering, he began to clamor: "Where is she? When did she arrive?

"Why does she always refuse to follow the script!"