Chapter 13: Outbreak

Rumors circulated among the common folk that the Pavilion Master of the Mingyan Pavilion was elegant, imposing, dashing, and exceptionally handsome, but no one had actually seen the man himself.

All they knew was that the Mingyan Pavilion did not accept missions from those without a conscience; if the actual circumstances differed from the mission description, the Pavilion would ensure you experienced a fate worse than death. Thus, in the hearts of the people, the Mingyan Pavilion was the embodiment of justice.

However, those in the martial arts world knew that once the Mingyan Pavilion took action, they succeeded ten times out of ten. They never failed, unless the person commissioning the mission was seeking death by providing false information.

At this moment, Long Jingrui was sitting in his room in meditation. Despite his best efforts to suppress the sensation with his internal energy, his body continued to tremble uncontrollably. This ordeal would last at least another three hours, and every single time, it felt like a living death.

Because of that glutinous rice pill laced with wine, he would have to suffer at least an hour longer than usual.

His face was terrifyingly pale, and his skin had become cold and translucent. Veins bulged across his body like the tangled roots of a tree. His body fluctuated between extreme cold and heat; instead of sweating, the moisture turned directly into mist, creating a truly frightening sight.

Since the age of seven, every full moon night had been spent facing this alone, enduring it alone, and healing alone—a cycle with no known end. If not for his Imperial Mother and his Master, he truly did not know what he was persisting for.

***

The Marquis of Huaiyang's Estate

The night was deep. Seeing that the hour was appropriate, Yun Yi instructed Yue Zhu and the others to retire for the night. Hearing their young mistress's command, the maids tidied up and retreated to their rooms.

They had grown accustomed to their mistress's custom of not requiring night watches. Reflecting on the day's events, Yun Yi realized she would not be able to head to the manor as planned tonight; it was better to be cautious when one was about to depart.

In the evening, Yue Zhu had reported that many new guards had been brought into the estate that afternoon, and the steward had increased both the number and frequency of patrols. Due to the theft at the Silk Pavilion, the steward had led men in an investigation all day but had failed to find a single clue, as if the items had simply vanished into thin air.

This matter had left the Heir, who had returned to the estate to receive the news, quite infuriated. For a prestigious Marquis's estate to allow someone to slip in undetected and turn the Silk Pavilion upside down was bad enough, but those were secondary issues.

The real problem was that the matter could not be made public; otherwise, the entire Marquis of Huaiyang's estate would become the laughingstock of the capital. How would the ladies of the inner courtyard maintain their dignity, and how would they ever attend banquets outside the estate again? The steward had been forced to reprimand the servants to suppress the news.

Since no useful clues had been found within the estate, the Heir was utterly perplexed. Could it be that the estate had offended someone? The lamp in his study remained lit late into the night.

Meanwhile, the situation for Lady Feng, the Heir's wife in the Qingfeng Courtyard, was no better. While there were no clues regarding the theft, Nanny Zhang's subordinates had discovered that the Second Young Lady had been meeting someone in secret late at night, and her personal maid had even recklessly tried to provide cover.

To allow an outsider into the estate for a secret tryst was truly audacious. Although she had previously hinted to the Second Young Lady that she would try to smooth things over, she never expected her to commit such a scandalous act.

If the Marquis or the Heir found out, things would not end well. Lady Feng summoned Nanny Zhang, whispered a few words to her, and Nanny Zhang departed to carry out the orders.

The next morning, Yun Yi received news that the theft at the Silk Pavilion was linked to the Second Young Lady's personal maid, who had conspired with an outsider to commit the crime. The maid had already been executed.

Upon hearing this, Yun Yi merely gave a cold smile. It seemed the Heir's wife was truly a ruthless woman. She had likely discovered the Second Young Lady's secret meeting with Liu Chengbin last night; a human life had been sacrificed just to shield them from disaster.

Yun Yi had indeed guessed the Lady's intentions. Upon learning of the Second Young Lady's absurd behavior, and to prevent the Marquis, the Old Madam, and the Heir from finding out—and to protect the Second Young Lady's reputation—the only option was to punish the maid. This way, the truth would not leak.

Furthermore, it provided a convenient excuse for the lack of clues in the Silk Pavilion theft. Otherwise, with so many gossiping mouths in the estate, the matter would surely have leaked, and no one would have known how to clean up the mess.

(End of Chapter)