Chapter 13: The Trap

When Zhang heard that He wanted her to go to the small storeroom tomorrow, she felt uneasy, wondering what He was up to again.

Over the years, she had suffered no small amount of losses at the hands of the second branch.

"She definitely has no good intentions," Yang Qin said, his face full of wariness and disgust. "The old mistress of the second branch just tried to call Mother over to reprimand her, but fortunately, Sister-in-law stopped her. Now she’s just thought of another way to scheme against us."

Yang Qin wasn't just guessing wildly; he had seen this too many times. When he was five, a stewardess from the second branch gave him a piece of pastry, only to immediately frame him for stealing from the kitchen. Whenever anything went missing in the clan, eyes would always fall on him and his mother.

His mother had originally begged the mistress of the Wei family in Linfang to let him audit their clan school when he turned seven. But because of these rumors, the Wei family refused to let him attend under any circumstances.

From that day on, he didn't believe a single word from the second branch. Even the most trivial matter could become a stone thrown at him and his mother.

Even though he and his mother had never provoked anyone in the clan.

Sometimes he didn't understand: even strangers wouldn't harm them, so why did their own kin want to strike at them? They were blood relatives, after all. Why were they so unable to bear seeing them do well?

Every time someone from the second branch came, he wished he could pick up a stick and drive them far away.

Yang Qin said, "How about I go tomorrow? I’ll just say Mother isn't feeling well and tell her to say whatever she needs to say to me."

Before Zhang could respond, Xie Yuyan spoke calmly, "I am the one scheming against them, so there is no need to worry."

Zhang and Yang Qin were stunned into silence.

...

A fragrance wafted through the room. Soon, Yang Qin brought three large bowls of noodles to the table, along with a few sugar cakes and small pickles.

Yang Qin placed a sugar cake in front of Xie Yuyan. "Sister-in-law, try this. My mother makes the best sugar cakes."

Ever since he first called her "Sister-in-law," Yang Qin had continued to use the title. Moreover... it rolled off his tongue more easily each time, and he felt a growing sense of closeness.

Xie Yuyan was truly hungry. As she had been speaking, her stomach had been growling loudly.

Only then did Zhang remember that they hadn't eaten all day. Especially Xie Yuyan—she didn't know how many days it had been since she’d had a proper meal, having only eaten two pastries at the yamen to stave off hunger. Thinking of this, she didn't have time to ponder anything else and hurried to the kitchen to cook.

The kitchen only had dried vegetables from the autumn and some pre-pickled greens, but Zhang used all her ingenuity to prepare the meal.

Watching Xie Yuyan take a bite of the sugar cake, a surge of joy welled up in Zhang's heart.

All day long, she and her son had been looked after by Xie Yuyan; now, she could finally do something for her.

The only dissatisfaction was the poor quality of the food. Zhang calculated that as soon as the ward gates opened tomorrow morning, she would go to the market to buy some meat and eggs to nourish Xie Yuyan, and then go find a physician.

After finishing one sugar cake, Xie Yuyan immediately felt much warmer. Then she noticed that Zhang hadn't touched her cake, and Yang Qin had only broken off a tiny piece.

The mother and son were saving the good food for her.

Xie Yuyan divided the sugar cakes and gave them to Zhang and Yang Qin. Naturally, they were reluctant to take them, but seeing that Xie Yuyan refused to eat any more, they knew they couldn't argue and took them.

After the meal, with a bit more strength in her body, Xie Yuyan took her own pulse. Her current body was suffering from a deficiency of qi and blood and needed careful recuperation. If she could take some medicine, she would be fully recovered by early spring; if not, it would take much longer and might even leave lasting damage.

"Sister-in-law, you know medicine?" Yang Qin leaned in.

Xie Yuyan said, "Those who have read books will read a few medical texts if given the chance." During the years she was deposed and sent to the Taoist temple, she had followed her master and read many miscellaneous books.

Besides medical texts, her master was particularly fond of obscure subjects. In the backyard, besides alchemy, they also tinkered with small gadgets.

When Xie Yuyan moved her hand away, Zhang immediately asked, "How is it?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Nothing serious. I will write a prescription, and Mother can help me pick up a few doses at the pharmacy tomorrow."

Zhang had come to understand some of Xie Yuyan's temperament, so she didn't try to persuade her otherwise. "Then let's try that first."

"I have chosen a name for myself," Xie Yuyan said, writing the characters for Zhang and Yang Qin to see. "Outside, continue to call me Xie Shiniang."

The name was her own, and she didn't care how she was addressed by others. Today she was Xie Shiniang; tomorrow there would be other names. "Xie Shiniang" was just to ensure the neighbors wouldn't forget the actions of the Yang and Xie families.

After saying this, Xie Yuyan brought up the matter of He asking Zhang to the small storeroom tomorrow.

"He intends to hand over the keys to the small storeroom to the third branch for safekeeping."

Zhang's expression changed. "No matter what she says, I cannot accept it under any circumstances. If something goes missing from the storeroom or some incident occurs, we will never be able to clear our names."

Xie Yuyan said, "The items in the storeroom are certainly problematic, but Mother, you must accept the keys."

Zhang was surprised. "Wouldn't that be handing a handle to the second branch?"

Xie Yuyan's expression remained calm, clearly not taking the matter to heart. "I have already paved the way for them. I know exactly what they intend to do."

Zhang didn't understand. Xie Yuyan was not a patient person, and she rarely explained her actions to others. But remembering Yang Qin, who had stood in front of her in her past life...

Xie Yuyan said, "When I returned to the Yang family, I vindicated the 'loyalty and righteousness' of the third branch. If the second branch wants to deal with the third branch in the future, they must first destroy our reputation."

"After entering the house, I deliberately mentioned my dowry, forcing He to keep it safe. If the second branch wants to target us again, they will inevitably start from these two points I have laid out."

"I have restricted the direction of their schemes in advance, like giving them an exam question. No matter how they answer, it will be within the limits of the question."

"As for what He will do, it is not hard to guess. He is the wife of Yang Mingjing and should be the one managing the inner household, but in the matter of the Sixth Young Master, it was Zou who stepped forward. It is not hard to see that the old mistress of the second branch favors her second son, Yang Mingshan. Zou uses this to compete with He for power."

"I have seen He's methods; she is a bit more capable than Zou. She will certainly not watch her power be snatched away by Zou, unless she has made a mistake and left evidence in the hands of the old mistress and Zou."

"If that mistake is exposed, she will lose all her prestige in the clan. The mistakes a housekeeper makes are usually embezzling public funds."

At this point, Xie Yuyan raised her eyes to look at Zhang. "Do you know what He is going to do now?"

Zhang thought for a moment and shook her head.

Xie Yuyan said, "He only needs to frame the third branch for her mistake. Firstly, it ruins the third branch's reputation. Secondly, whether it is the old mistress or Zou, in order to deal with us, they will have to stand on He's side and will never reveal the truth to anyone else. He will then be free of her mistake and can continue to be her housekeeper."

"He is using the return of my dowry to hand the small storeroom to Mother, which seems like she is bowing to us and showing goodwill. But I wanted this dowry, and I want to help the third branch regain the power of management. Taking the keys is the first step. How could I refuse?"

In just one day, Zhang didn't know how many times she had been shocked.

Xie Yuyan's words were worth pondering for a lifetime. She suddenly understood why they had been schemed against so often over the years—it wasn't because the people of the second branch were too smart, but because she was too stupid.

"Then we..." Zhang said, "What is the use of these keys? Are we going to expose He's intentions?"

The corners of Xie Yuyan's mouth lifted. "What are keys for? Aren't they for the convenience of taking things from within?"

As for He...

In her past life, everyone who knew Empress Xie knew that many of the people who worked for her had once been her enemies. Others might have eliminated them, but Empress Xie... had always found them quite useful.