Chapter 5: The Root of Trouble Lies Within, Do Not Blame Others

Lady Tong’s apricot-shaped eyes glared wide as she gnashed her teeth at Chunmian, who had long since collapsed into a limp heap. "Your death can be spared, but your punishment cannot. Go back first and find out everything the Prince has been doing outside lately and report back to me. Once the Prince returns, I will deal with you."

Having just taken a stroll through the gates of hell, Chunmian never expected she would actually survive. She immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily several times toward Lady Tong. "Thank you, Princess Consort! Thank you, Princess Consort!" She then turned around and kowtowed toward Li Yanshang. "Thank you, Consort of the Heir Apparent."

Lady Tong glanced at Jinzhi and commanded, "Go to the outer courtyard quickly and find out exactly what happened and whether the Prince and the Heir Apparent have returned."

Jingzhi obeyed and left. Chunmian seemed to have been scared senseless; it took another roar from Lady Tong for her to scramble out of the room on all fours.

"Useless, all of them. I've wasted my time raising a bunch of trash." Lady Tong’s eyes bulged with rage, and her clenched fists drove her long fingernails into her palms.

"Mother, please calm down. Do not let this anger harm your health," Li Yanshang advised while secretly pondering what role Yuwen Ye played in this physical altercation.

Lady Tong shot her a glance, shifting the topic to Yuwen Ye. "Your third brother was out fighting someone over an opera performance. The person who came to report said that Ye-ge'er's carriage was also there, yet Ye-ge'er didn't come out to mediate at all. These two brothers are quite something—they both dive headfirst into these kinds of messes. They even beat the Second Master of the Marquis of Weiyuan's manor half to death. This Marquis of Weiyuan manor..."

Li Yanshang suddenly understood. Yuwen Hengyuan was fighting someone outside, and although Yuwen Ye was clearly present, he chose to remain uninvolved. On the surface, it suggested the Heir Apparent was indulging his brother's violence, but underneath, it pointed to discord between the brothers.

Meanwhile, Lady Tong's legitimate eldest daughter, Princess Wanping, Yuwen Qingshuang, was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Weiyuan's manor.

"Mother..." Li Yanshang wanted to offer a few more words of persuasion, but another maid rushed in from outside to report urgently, "Princess Consort, Princess Wanping has returned."

Lady Tong's heart skipped a beat. How could she not know why her daughter was coming? She just hadn't expected her to arrive so quickly.

The curtain was lifted with a rustle, and a woman wearing a peach-green wide-sleeved jacket and a water-blue floor-length skirt walked in. Her face bore a hint of slight anger, but upon seeing Li Yanshang, her brows twitched slightly before she offered a faint smile.

Princess Wanping, Yuwen Qingshuang, had a slightly wide forehead and a somewhat square jaw. Her face was covered in a thin layer of fine powder, and with her thick eyebrows and large eyes, she possessed the prosperous appearance of a noble lady.

Yuwen Qingshuang first walked to Lady Tong to pay her respects. "Mother." Then she walked to Li Yanshang and bowed slowly. "Sister-in-law."

Li Yanshang hurriedly returned the gesture. "Sister, there is no need for such formality."

Yuwen Qingshuang's hurried return was surely due to the fight. Just as Li Yanshang was looking for an excuse to leave, she saw Jinzhi enter through the curtain to report, "Princess Consort, the Heir Apparent has returned, but the Prince has not yet returned."

Lady Tong's expression darkened further. Li Yanshang hurriedly knelt to take her leave. "Mother, I will go check on the Heir Apparent first. Since Sister is here to keep you company, I hope you can soothe your anger and please do not let it harm your health."

These words suited Lady Tong's mood perfectly, so she nodded. "Very well. Go and find out exactly what happened."

As she watched Li Yanshang walk out the door, Yuwen Qingshuang's face finally fell into a look of distress, her eyes flashing with anger. "Mother, Third Brother is quite something. He dares not show his face after causing trouble, but do you think this matter will just end because he stays hidden?"

Without waiting for Lady Tong to speak, Yuwen Qingshuang continued, "That Second Master only lost his father the year before last and came to this manor to seek refuge with Mother. The Old Marquis has been training him with all his heart and values him greatly. He was quite promising, focusing entirely on his studies, but who could have known he would run into this group of profligate youths? After a few words were exchanged, he was subjected to such a brutal beating. The person who reported it said it was all instigated by Third Brother. If this spreads, won't our Prince's manor be seen as bullying an orphan and a widow?"

As Yuwen Qingshuang spoke, her brows furrowed tightly. She had nearly died of anger upon hearing the news early this morning—partly because of her useless brother, and partly because of her own current situation in the Marquis's manor.

Her own biological brother had beaten a man from her husband's family, leaving her in a very awkward position.

Lady Tong was also trembling with rage. "That brat! It was all instigated by those bad influences. But now, I can't even see his face. What can I do?"

Yuwen Qingshuang was naturally a gentle person, but she was also incensed. "If he had been a good student, he wouldn't have caused such a disaster. What about Father? Does he know of this?"

Facing her daughter's accusation, Lady Tong felt a wave of shame and could find no words to retort, only managing to say viciously, "And that noble Heir Apparent—it is said he was also present. Why didn't he step in to stop it? I suspect he has no good intentions either."

Yuwen Qingshuang had originally intended to come and find out the truth to provide an explanation to the other party, but hearing her mother speak this way, she could no longer sit still in anger. "Mother, let us not even talk about the things you did to Eldest Brother over the years. Now that Third Brother has caused trouble, you are blaming it on Eldest Brother again."

She paused before continuing, "I shouldn't say too much, but think about it—is what you're doing right? Sister-in-law originally had no foundation in her maiden family and couldn't offer much support to Eldest Brother, yet you insisted on sowing discord between them. Now look at the result—even the child in her womb is gone. Do you truly want Third Brother's child to become the legitimate eldest grandson of this Prince's manor? At the end of the day, Eldest Brother is still the Heir Apparent of this manor."

Lady Tong's face turned pale and then flushed with anger. She was secretly incensed by her daughter's bluntness, but her final sentence was a true accusation. "What do you mean by that? Do you think I would actually harm the child in her womb?"

Yuwen Qingshuang felt her words had been a bit too heavy, so she sighed softly. "Mother, I understand what is in your heart. Just as I must now make plans for Rui-ge'er; we are both mothers, after all."

Lady Tong's heart tightened instantly. "What? What happened to Rui-ge'er? Are you having a hard time at the Marquis's manor?"

Seeing her mother's concern, Yuwen Qingshuang's heart softened slightly, and most of her anger dissipated. "Rest assured, Mother, Rui-ge'er is fine, and I am doing well too. But this matter with Third Brother..."

Only then did Lady Tong slowly breathe a sigh of relief. Both sides of a hand are flesh; whether it was her son or her daughter, she hoped they would both live well.

"Princess Consort." Jinzhi, who had been busy gathering information, rushed in again, her face filled with anxiety. "Princess Consort, Prince Jin has taken the Prince into the palace."

Lady Tong felt a sudden dizziness, nearly collapsing.

Yuwen Qingshuang hurried forward to support her, whispering words of comfort, "Mother, you needn't worry. Father knows what he is doing. This is how it should be. Even if Father hadn't taken Third Brother, the Old Marquis would surely have gone to the Emperor to seek justice. It is better that Father took him."

Lady Tong was like an ant on a hot pan, extremely anxious. "What if..."

Yuwen Qingshuang gently placed a hand on Lady Tong's shoulder. "Mother, there is no 'what if.' Besides, Third Brother only instigated the fight; he didn't strike anyone himself. Considering Father's relationship with the Old Marquis and myself, he won't make too much of a scene."

Lady Tong nodded frantically, having no choice but to believe Yuwen Qingshuang's words, though her mind remained as tangled as a ball of hemp.

***

An Academy was originally the place where Yuwen Ye focused on his studies. Later, Yuwen Ye simply moved in here, doing all his eating, drinking, sleeping, and studying in one place.

When Li Yanshang first entered An Academy, she felt it was so quiet it seemed uninhabited. She couldn't help but slow her pace, wondering if she should have sent Baoping in first to report her arrival.

"Greetings, Consort of the Heir Apparent."

As Li Yanshang was hesitating, a low voice came from behind her. Turning around, she saw a maid in dark yellow clothing performing a curtsy. Judging by her attire, she was likely Caiping, a senior maid serving Yuwen Ye.

Li Yanshang asked softly, "Has the Heir Apparent returned?"

Caiping stood straight, a hint of panic on her face, and hurriedly ushered Li Yanshang into the room. "Reporting to the Consort, the Heir Apparent returned just now, but he has gone out again."

"Do you know where he went?"

Caiping hesitated slightly before replying, "It seems he went into the palace."

Li Yanshang gave a faint "oh" and scanned the room. Seeing that it was mostly filled with books, it was indeed the residence of a scholar. Her gaze fell upon a table not far away, where a book lay open.

Li Yanshang slowly walked over and saw several large, flowing characters written on the page: *"The wind blows, the willows sway; the heart holds no colorful phoenixes to fly."*

For some reason, she suddenly remembered a poem: *"The body has no colorful phoenix wings to fly in pairs, but the hearts are connected by a single thread of spiritual understanding."* Moved by the thought, she added those two lines to the end of the existing ones.

Setting down the pen, she turned around and asked again, "Did the Heir Apparent return yesterday?"

Caiping appeared even more flustered. Her eyes darted sideways, but she didn't dare to intentionally hide the truth, so she replied cautiously, "Reporting to the Consort, the Heir Apparent did not return last night."

Li Yanshang did not ask further, only giving one instruction: "When the Heir Apparent returns, prepare more light meals. The wind is strong and the air is dry lately; prepare more refreshing soups and teas."

Caiping was momentarily stunned and hurriedly complied, trembling as she waited for the inevitable reprimand. In the past, at a time like this, the Consort would surely fly into a rage and then wait there incessantly for the Heir Apparent's return.

To her surprise, after waiting a moment, she saw the Princess Consort merely glance at the words on the page a few more times before turning to leave. She hurriedly bowed. "Seeing the Consort out."

Once they left An Academy, Baoping felt puzzled and asked in a low voice, "Consort, regarding Caiping and Chunmian..."

Li Yanshang interrupted her. "Are you trying to say that since Caiping, like Chunmian, concealed the fact that the Heir Apparent did not return overnight, she should also be punished?"

Baoping nodded. "If you say nothing, wouldn't you be enabling them? They will all think that you, the Consort, are easy to deceive and manipulate."

Li Yanshang understood Baoping's meaning: she needed to establish authority before the side consort entered the household, at least by maintaining the proper decorum of a legitimate Consort. Over the past two days, Li Yanshang had realized that in the eyes of the maids and servants, she was nothing more than a paper tiger—fierce in appearance but lacking any real presence within.

Her previous attempts at establishing authority through punishment only made them fear her to her face, while in their hearts, they remained extremely defiant or even looked down on her.

What use was such authority? The old Li Yanshang had used it so many times, only to end up with a ruined reputation and no one to care for her.

Li Yanshang sighed softly, glancing at the high sun. "Baoping, remember, there are many ways to establish authority. It doesn't always have to be through punishment. Furthermore, one must choose the right time. At a time like this, stillness is better than action."