Chapter 12: Walking into a Trap
Ruyue thought about it and decided that it would be best to place Yuan'er in the wing next to the young master's bedroom. She had been busy these days, cleaning the unused room spotlessly from beams to floor tiles, and even personally went to the storehouse to select furnishings.
Feng Jiu followed her with an armful of brocade in his arms. Seeing Ruyue take down another mother-of-pearl zither, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise: "You need another zither?"
Ruyue smiled and replied, "After everything is cleaned up, I'll ask you to give this room an elegant name. It won't be inferior to those concubines of Master Xuan."
"Concubine?" Feng Jiu hurriedly caught the falling handkerchief and said in surprise, "But Master clearly said that the girl is just a servant and obeys your orders."
Ruyue laughed at him and said, "Since Madam Yu Rong left, how many times have you played the zither? Have you ever taught that servant how to play the zither?"
Feng Jiu was stunned for a long moment. The young master had always been skilled in archery and horsemanship, so how could he spend his days tuning the zither and gazing at the moonlight like Young Master Xuan? But from the depths of his memory, fragments of it surfaced again—in the slanting sunlight filtering through the carved window lattices, the young young man's shoulders bearing the flowing cloud pattern of Madam Yu Rong's sleeves, mother and son's fingertips rising and falling on the same red string. The scene was hazy, as if separated by a layer of rain and fog, and even the zither's music faded into a distant hum.
Feng Jiu laughed awkwardly and said, "Young Master has been so secretive over the years that I can hardly remember what the Madam looks like."
Suddenly, a long creaking sound came from the warehouse beam, startling both of them, as if some unspeakable past events had suddenly strangled their throats.
Ruyue gazed at the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, memories slowly unfolding like a faded scroll. Back then, they lived in Yurong Courtyard, where the air was always filled with the delicate fragrance of plants and trees. Madam's slender white fingers were either plucking the strings of her zither or tending to the flourishing flowers and plants. Though deserted, the vast courtyard became their playground for unbridled play. The young master would secretly tie bells to the hem of her skirt while she dried herbs. When Madam caught him, he would blink his bright eyes and make faces, never the cold and strange look he had now.
But she shuddered when she remembered the patriarch stepping into the courtyard. Those carefully trimmed branches would suddenly snap, and the prepared teacups would inexplicably tip over. The young master's straight back twisted into a stubborn line in front of his father, and he was reluctant to even say "father." The patriarch was always accompanied by the eldest lady, who would offer gentle words of comfort, and then the patriarch's face would grow gloomier, eventually transforming into a thunderous rage that fell on Madam Yu Rong.
Ruyue clutched her sleeves, her mind racing back to the day her mistress had ordered the uprooting of all the flowers and weeds in the yard. The young master, on his fifth day of hunger strike, finally, amid the wailing pleas of the abused servants, took up his bowl and devoured it, then threw the empty bowl at her mistress's feet. As the porcelain shards flew, the light in his eyes shattered. From then on, he not only refused to mention his mistress, but also forbade anyone else to do so.
Those dusty memories swirled in his throat, eventually turning into a sigh. Yuanfeng Court selected new servants every year, but which of those who remained wasn't the Young Master's spy? For the past few years, the Young Master had spent nothing but martial arts training and fighting the Young Master, refusing to get close to anyone...
Ruyue stroked Yao Zheng: "He is still just a teenager after all. This Yuan'er is a little different."
Ruyue knew that the young master was always eccentric, so she had to ask for his name tactfully, so as not to provoke his stubborn temper. She thought of countless ways to bring up this topic, but he hadn't appeared for several days.
When he woke up in the morning, his room was empty. He searched everywhere, including Yuanshanzhai, Tingyu Pavilion, and Wangyou Pavilion, but there was no sign of him. At first, he thought he had gone out riding and shooting, until he met Feng Jiu hurriedly passing by with a bundle of green bamboo, rice paper, and silk thread. He stopped him and asked, only to find out that the young master had been staying in the crossbow workshop for the past few days. Not only had he sent all the craftsmen away, but he had also cleared a table for him. Feng Jiu shook the shopping list in his hand and said, "The young master wants some rare and exotic materials. This is the second time he has gone shopping."
Ruyue asked the Master what he was planning. Feng Jiu fretted that he couldn't tell him without the Master telling him, and that he simply kept pestering him to find bamboo ropes. Ruyue urged him to think carefully, and he scratched his head, thinking the bamboo would be cut and tied together, and then paper would be pasted on top. Perhaps he was planning a special crossbow? But every time he couldn't figure it out, the Master would throw it into the furnace and burn it. This had happened several times.
Ruyue had a good guess and followed Feng Jiu to the crossbow room. Sure enough, she saw Master Yuan intently cutting paper. His body was covered in bamboo shavings, his face and hands filthy, and his fine satin attire looked out of place.
Ruyue saw that the thing had taken shape, and she was delighted and smiled unconsciously. Feng Jiu asked her why she was laughing, but Ruyue punched her and scolded her, "The young master has come to his senses, when will you, a blockhead like you, come to your senses?"
Feng Jiu frowned in surprise, not understanding why Ruyue laughed at the young master and then scolded him, and why she suddenly became enlightened after making a crossbow. He muttered aggrievedly, "I already know how to make a crossbow."
Ruyue sighed helplessly. Feng Jiufang wanted to ask again but heard the young master calling him, "Why don't you come in now that you're back? What are you standing at the door for?" He had no choice but to go in first.
Ruyue's eyes flickered, and she suddenly smiled, then lifted her skirt and went to Yuanshanzhai to look for him. But when she arrived at the studio, she saw only the spotless desk and the peony in the white jade vase in full bloom, but there was no sign of the diligent person.
Yun Yuan stopped outside the door of the slave yard and paused slightly.
A maidservant close to Qiutang had just come to her in a panic, reporting that Qiutang had somehow angered the Haofeng Guards while helping in the kitchen at the outer residence and had been dragged away. The maidservant was completely bewildered. The outer residence was already under the jurisdiction of the Haofeng Guards, and no one could rescue Qiutang. After much deliberation, she decided to seek out Yunyuan, Qiutang's friend, figuring she was favored by the Third Young Master and might be able to save her.
Yun Yuan frowned. Haofeng Guards had every right to dispose of the slaves and servants in the outer mansions, and Yuanfeng Guards had no right to interfere. Qiutang was known for her timidity and caution; what could she possibly have done wrong? This was clearly a trap set for her.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the stench of blood hit me. Qiutang lay slumped on the torture bench, already unconscious. Tear marks mixed with blood streaked her pale face with glaring red.
When several Haofeng guards heard the sound and saw Yun Yuan, they were not surprised at all, but all turned their eyes to Feng Wu.
"Don't worry, she's not dead yet." Feng Wu played with the whip in his hand, and lightly scraped Qiutang's pale face with the tip of the whip. "This little bitch can't stand being beaten. She fainted after a few hits. Now that Miss Yuan is here--" He suddenly raised his voice, "Splash it on her to wake her up! Keep beating her!"
A bucket of ice water poured over her head, and Qiutang suddenly woke up. Yun Yuan's figure appeared in her blurry vision, and just as she was about to show joy, the severe pain hit her again.
“Yuan…Yuan’er…” She sobbed and started sobbing again.
Seeing the cane about to fall again, Yun Yuan darted forward and leaned over to protect Qiu Tang. The Haofeng Guard holding the cane was caught off guard, and the cane abruptly stopped in mid-air.
"I wonder what crime Qiutang committed that required Haofengwei to do it himself?" Yun Yuan asked coldly.
Feng Wu paced forward, his whip tapping his palm intermittently. "What? The Haofeng Guards have to report to you after they've dealt with a slave?" He suddenly grinned. "Why don't you worry about yourself? What's the punishment for trespassing into the slave yard?"
Yun Yuan sneered, "So Lord Wei is coming for me. I wonder what punishment he's going to give me this time?"
"You can escape the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life!" Feng Wu suddenly moved closer, and lifted Yun Yuan's chin with the tip of his whip. "You are so capable that you can even attract these two young masters to support you."
"Yuan'er has been able to please people since she was a child." Yun Yuan did not dodge or evade. "It's a pity that both gentlemen took pity on Yuan'er, but Lord Wei insisted on torturing her. Yuan'er has also experienced your prestige in the Feng family."
"Don't use those two young masters to pressure me!" Feng Wu shouted, "I'm the young master's tutor, and it was you who dared to trespass into the prison!" He waved his hand fiercely, "Use the torture! Let's see how you can continue to pluck the strings and deceive people!"
"If it helps you calm down, I'm willing to accept the punishment." Yun Yuan calmly stretched out her ten fingers, watching the torture device being slowly put on, as if trying on jewelry. "Master Yuan loves me, and I don't want to be a slave anymore. If this hand is disabled, it will be a good opportunity for me to have some free time in front of you."
Feng Wu stared into her calm eyes, the torture device firmly clasped around her delicate fingers. The guard waited for the order to execute her. He longed to shout, "Start!" and see her face twisted in agony—but he couldn't. It wasn't because of the Third Young Master, but because...
"Brother Wu, are you going to torture me?" There was a hint of surprise in the woman's lazy voice.
Yun Yuan turned her head and saw a graceful beauty slowly walking in from the prison door. When the candlelight illuminated her slightly tired face, she recognized that this was the "flower destroyer" as the servants called her - the young master's favorite concubine, Xi Ran.
"Could it be that the young master has other instructions?" Xi Ran asked in a dazed tone, and walked slowly closer. "Maybe I overslept again and didn't hear it. Then am I too early to come now, or should I not have come at all?"
Feng Wu turned around angrily, suppressing the anger in his throat and said, "Just scare this girl and make her behave. Ran Niang came at the perfect time."
"Oh." Xi Ran pointed casually at the torture device on Yun Yuan's hand, "Then this..."
Feng Wu looked back at Yun Yuan's indifferent expression and squeezed out these two words from between his teeth, "Retreat."
The guards looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and finally took the torture device off Yun Yuan's hand.
"Yuan'er," Xiran said, smiling brightly as she shook Yunyuan's hand. "The young master invites you." She glanced down and saw Qiutang still clutching Yunyuan's sleeve tightly. A look of pity crossed her face. "Brother Wu, you're too cruel! How could such a delicate person withstand such torture? Send her back quickly and take good care of her. Don't let her develop any underlying illness."
Feng Wu responded in a deep voice, then turned and shouted, "Hurry up and send him back to Yuanfeng Courtyard!"
After the guards carried Qiutang away, Xiran affectionately took Yunyuan's arm and walked out. To the uninitiated, they might have thought they were sisters reuniting after a long separation. Along the way, they chatted about anecdotes from their boudoirs and the scenery of Yuanfeng Courtyard, Xiran attentive and considerate, like a close sister. They walked straight to the pavilion in the middle of Haofeng Courtyard's lake, where she poured a cup of fragrant tea and offered it to Yunyuan. Yunyuan took it with a smile, but never touched it to her lips.
The afternoon sun shone through the carved window lattices, casting dappled light and shadows across the pavilion in the center of the lake. Feng Yanhao approached, stepping on a floor covered in shattered gold. Xi Ran whispered, "The tea's cold. I'll refill it." Then, clutching the gilded teapot, she quietly retreated.
The young master suddenly approached, and the musky scent hit her face. He lifted her chin with his fingers, leaned in to look at her, and his hot breath brushed the delicate skin on her neck.
Yun Yuan's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she never moved at all.
"The dancer from Qiluan Pavilion?" Feng Yanhao finally took a half step back, and the dark patterns on his black brocade robe were faintly visible in the sunlight.
"Young Master, yes."
"She's worthy of my third brother. His mother was also a prostitute, a zither player. What..." He suddenly smiled, "A single melody of the zither will break one's heart."
Yun Yuan lowered her eyes and said nothing, a strand of hair on her temple swaying gently in the wind.
"There are so many beauties in Qiluan Pavilion who are famous throughout the world, why did you have to come to the Feng family?"
"My talent is mediocre. I am just an unknown plaything in the pavilion. I won't live for more than a few days." She said softly, "It is a great fortune to be able to enter the Feng family."
Feng Yanhao sat down on the stone bench: "Feng Wu investigated you. Apart from a piece of lowly record, he couldn't find any background at all."
"As the young master sees it," Yun Yuan raised her eyes, the fragments of sunlight reflected in them, "I, like many other slaves, am a rootless floating duckweed."
It is true that many slaves are beyond trace. As long as they do not get in the way, they are like wild cats and dogs, and no one cares about them.
Feng Yanhao suddenly leaned forward and gently scratched her wrist with his jade ring: "Now that you have won the favor of my third brother, you, a floating duckweed, finally have someone to rely on."
"If I don't catch the young master's eye in the Feng family, how can I have any future?" Yun Yuan's voice was as light as a thread.
Feng Yanhao chuckled when he heard this: "My beauty, you are too kind."
Yun Yuan suddenly knelt on the ground, her sleeves spread out like lotus flowers. "Hao Fengwei warned me that I had broken Feng Family rules and deserved death. I was spared by the Young Master's mercy." She rested her forehead against the cool stone slab. "I... am willing to listen to the Young Master's instructions."
Feng Yanhao chuckled softly, his fingers casually fiddling with the pearl hairpin in her hair.
"That reckless Feng Wu is ignorant..." He leaned closer, "Since Third Brother likes you so much, as your elder brother, I naturally have to help him."
His fingertips slid down the pearl hairpin slowly, brushing against her earlobe lightly.
"It's just..." He suddenly pinched her chin, not too hard or too soft, but it made her unable to move. "Yuan'er, how do you plan to 'take care' of my good third brother?"
He rubbed her lips with his thumb in an ambiguous manner, emphasizing the word "take care of".
Yun Yuan was forced to look up and gaze into his bottomless eyes: "Your servant...will obey the young master's orders."
"Oh?" Feng Yanhao suddenly chuckled, his cold fingertips slowly moving along her carotid artery, stirring a shudder. He sighed, "Well, then this life will have to obey."
Suddenly, those cold fingers tightened, pinching her fiercely. The pads of their fingers pressed against her fragile throat, the force precise enough to suffocate her without causing her to faint.
Yun Yuan was forced to look up.
He was so close that his thin lips almost touched her cheek, which was red from suffocation.
"Open your mouth."
The intimate command was soft and gentle, yet irresistible. A scarlet pill was stuffed into her mouth, and his fingertips pressed hard against her throat, forcing her to swallow it.
Feng Yanhao spread his wide sleeves and threw her to the ground like throwing away a piece of rag.
"Don't worry, this poison won't take effect for half a month." He slowly adjusted his cuffs and regained his composure. "Now, let's talk about the rules."
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