Chapter 8, "How can we help her?"...
Shen Lingyue left home early the next morning.
Zhao Lan prepared several shops as part of her dowry. She left the mansion under the pretense of inspecting the shops, but in reality, she took the opportunity to meet Yan Yi.
There's no way around it; on the surface, the two are still mortal enemies. If they suddenly became close friends who could visit each other and be affectionate, anyone would become suspicious.
Shen Lingyue sat in the carriage, yawning incessantly. She thought to herself that it would be better to marry into the Marquis's mansion sooner, at least then the two of them wouldn't have to meet so secretly.
Upon arriving at the shop, she pretended to ask the shopkeeper a few questions about the business, then said she needed to rest and went to the back room that had been prepared for the main family.
After waiting a while, Yan Yi came in through the back door, and the two met up smoothly.
Shen Lingyue shoved the account books and "housekeeper's notes" in front of her, as if she were possessed by a head teacher: "You'd better study quickly, and ask me if you don't understand anything."
Then she went back to ask Zhao Lan—the plan was perfect!
Yan Yi's attitude towards learning was much more serious than hers. In addition, she had always been good at science and was sensitive to numbers. She quickly understood the ancient accounting method and read ten lines at a glance, showing great focus.
Feeling bored, Shen Lingyue was overcome with drowsiness and began to doze off, resting her chin on her hand.
She was startled awake when her hand slipped, and met Yan Yi's concerned gaze. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Shen Lingyue didn't hide anything from her and told her about Zheng Chunyun's matter, sometimes sighing, sometimes slamming the table, filled with righteous indignation.
Yan Yi listened attentively. Although she did not know Zheng Chunyun, her natural female empathy made it impossible for her to stand idly by and watch an innocent girl headed towards a desperate situation.
How can we help her?
"I don't know either."
Shen Lingyue slumped listlessly on the table, her voice bitter, "We can't exactly advise her against marrying into the Duke of Ling's mansion, can we?"
It must be said that the Duke of Ling's mansion is very good at creating public opinion and distorting the truth. It was clearly Gu Yuan who fell in love with someone else and did not want to bear the infamy of breaking off the engagement. As a result, the story has been spread to the point that Zheng Chunyun is reasonable and righteous. In order to continue the family line of the deceased prince Gu Lin, she willingly married into the Duke of Ling's mansion with his memorial tablet in hand.
Yan Yi held a thin, purple-tipped brush between her fingers and twirled it gently.
"That's right. Miss Zheng has already been put on the spot by public opinion. If the Zheng family breaks off the engagement, it means they don't want their daughter to marry a dead man—a great hero who died for his country. The people's spittle could drown the Zheng family's gate."
Shen Lingyue nodded repeatedly, "That's exactly the point."
Yan Yi added, "Moreover, the Zheng family has already fallen into decline and has no one in the court. Zheng Chunyun also needs this marriage to secure protection for her family."
In ancient times, the decline of a bureaucratic family's social class could happen in the blink of an eye. Zheng Chunyun was a woman raised with the traditional virtues of obedience to her parents and husband, and she had no right to be willful.
Shen Lingyue pouted: "Relying on men to be reliable is like believing pigs can climb trees."
The Duke of Lingguo's mansion did not protect Zheng Chunyun and the Zheng family at all; on the contrary, it hastened their deaths.
Yan Yi suddenly had a brilliant idea: "What if we wrote an anonymous letter to the Zheng family to warn Zheng Chunyun to be careful?"
Without hesitation, she took a blank sheet of paper, thought for a while, and quickly wrote a heartfelt "warning letter".
Just as he was about to put it into an envelope, Shen Lingyue stopped him.
She frowned slightly, a hint of disapproval in her expression: "Isn't this too risky? Don't forget, we're the imposters. What if we get caught..."
She wanted to help Zheng Chunyun, but only on the condition that her and Yan Yi's safety be guaranteed.
“My handwriting is different from the original, so it won’t be recognized.”
At this point, Yan Yi was even more determined than her, "Besides, it's just an anonymous letter. At least doing this will put our minds at ease."
Shen Lingyue slowly loosened her grip, but she wasn't surprised.
She knew that as long as Yan Yi knew about Zheng Chunyun, she wouldn't be able to remain indifferent.
Having known each other for many years, she knew very well that Yan Yi was just a well-behaved girl on the surface, but deep down she had a rare chivalrous heart.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have come this far and become each other's most important people.
The letter was finished, but a new problem arose—how to deliver it to Zheng Chunyun?
Yan Yi has no reliable confidants in the Zhou family. Shen Lingyue does have Qing Chan and Shuang Xu by her side, but the fewer people who know about this matter, the better.
Shen Lingyue suggested, "Why don't we find a kid by the roadside, give him a few coins to run the errand?"
That's how it's always portrayed in TV dramas.
Yan Yi shook her head: "Children from outside can't get close to the Zheng family, and this would look like a prank."
Finally, Shen Lingyue had a flash of inspiration: "The Duke of Lingguo's mansion will be holding a wedding banquet in half a month. My mother will definitely take me to the banquet. I will find an opportunity to sneak into the bridal chamber and put the letter under her pillow."
People in ancient times were mostly superstitious. If Zheng Chunyun received such a warning letter on her wedding day, even if she was naive, she should have been on guard, right?
Yan Yi agreed with the idea, "Okay, we'll see how things go when the time comes."
Shen Lingyue stretched and said, "Now I can finally get a good night's sleep."
Yan Yi teased her, saying she was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, "You said I was taking a risk, but you were clearly worried about her too."
“That’s different,” Shen Lingyue argued firmly. “Yanyan is the most important person in my heart!”
The two joked and laughed for a while, then studied the parts of the account book they couldn't understand. At noon, they asked the shopkeeper to bring in a table of food, and they ate and chatted as if they had endless things to talk about.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Shen Lingyue pulled Yan Yi into the inner room, wanting to rest with her for the afternoon.
The two lay on the bed, looking at the intricately embroidered canopy above them. Shen Lingyue reached out her hand, "Even now, it still feels like a dream..."
"Since you're here, make the best of it and go to sleep."
Yan Yi tucked her hand back under the covers and closed her eyes as well.
Although she had returned to the Zhou family, her life was not easy.
Little Moon doesn't need to know any of this; she just wants to get a good night's sleep.
Listening to the gradually calming breathing around her, Yan Yi quickly drifted off to sleep.
—She had a strange dream.
In her dream, she seemed to be in a beautiful and exquisite garden, where a young couple stood not far away, cuddling together and sweetly admiring the flowers.
The woman's lower abdomen was slightly protruding, indicating that she was pregnant.
Yan Yi had never seen these two people before, but she heard a passing maid call them Second Master and Second Young Mistress, and heard the man call her Zheng'er with deep affection.
With a sudden thought, she felt her body lift into the air, soaring higher and higher, gradually revealing the entire mansion and the plaque reading "Duke of Lingguo's Mansion" hanging high above the gate.
Those two people are the ones Little Moon mentioned: Gu Yuan, the second young master of the Duke of Ling's mansion, and his new love, Qin Zhengzheng.
Yan Yi didn't understand why she dreamed about them, but judging from the situation, Gu Yuan and Qin Zhengzheng had been married for more than half a year.
And what about Zheng Chunyun? Where is she?
After the thought flashed through her mind, her consciousness seemed to be guided and "flew" towards the northwest corner, all the way to a remote and quiet courtyard where no one passed by.
Passing through the wall, the room was transformed into a small Buddhist shrine.
A slender figure knelt on the prayer mat, dressed in plain clothes, his head bald and bare.
The figure was so thin; the large clothes hung loosely on the body, as if a gust of wind could break them.
Yan Yi walked around to the woman and saw a pale, thin face.
It is Zheng Chunyun.
A string of Buddhist prayer beads hung from her slender fingers, turning gently as she softly recited scriptures.
After listening for a while, Yan Yi recognized it as the Ksitigarbha Sutra, which is used to deliver the souls of the dead.
The Buddhist hall was filled with the smoke of incense and dimly lit, with only a few candles flickering faintly, casting Zheng Chunyun's long shadow on the wall, making her appear even more desolate and cold.
Yan Yi knew that she couldn't see her, so she took a few more steps forward and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of white in her hair.
She was stunned.
Zheng Chunyun was not even twenty years old. She had been married into the Duke of Ling's mansion for more than half a year, and she had already grown white hair from the wear and tear.
What kind of life did she lead here?
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the figure of an old woman was cast on the window paper.
"Princess Consort, have you finished reciting the scriptures for today? It's time to go to the Old Madam's courtyard to serve her."
Zheng Chunyun stopped turning the prayer beads and opened her eyes.
Those eyes held only a lifeless stillness, like an ancient well.
"I've finished reading it, I'll go now."
She slowly rose, supporting herself on the prayer mat, but stumbled and fell halfway up.
Yan Yi subconsciously reached out to help, but passed right through Zheng Chunyun's body, grasping only a wisp of air.
She could only watch as Zheng Chunyun collapsed to the ground, her brows furrowed and her face pale, as if she were trying her best to endure the pain.
The old nanny outside the door seemed to have grown impatient, so she knocked louder and finally barged in. When she saw Zheng Chunyun lying on the ground, she snorted coldly.
"Lady of the Crown Prince, weren't you supposed to kneel in the Buddhist hall to chant sutras and pray for the Crown Prince? Why are you sitting on the ground slacking off?"
After saying that, he stepped forward, forcefully grabbed Zheng Chunyun's arm, and dragged her out rudely, showing no respect for the master of the house.
Zheng Chunyun struggled in pain, her movements too forceful, causing her skirt to bunch up to her waist.
Even through her white shorts, Yan Yi could see two dark bruises showing at her knees.
I don't know how many days or hours he knelt before leaving such a deep mark.
A deep sense of anger and sorrow welled up in Yan Yi's heart.
She had to do something...
The next second, everything went black before her eyes, the sky changed color, and it was already night.
Lights were lit throughout the Duke's mansion, casting hazy shadows of trees that loomed menacingly against the screen wall.
Zheng Chunyun had been taken somewhere unknown, and Yan Yi, wanting to find her, could only wander aimlessly.
Suddenly, behind a secluded rockery in the garden, she saw Gu Yuan talking to a shifty-looking young man.
Gu Yuan held a small paper package in his hand, his expression indifferent.
"I'll put the drug in her drink in a bit, and once she's unconscious, you can do whatever you want with her."
The man, dressed in a brocade robe, seemed to be of high status. Upon hearing this, he revealed a lewd and wicked smile.
"Don't worry, second cousin, I will definitely handle it properly."
"You got off easy."
Gu Yuan glared at him with disdain, then seemed to be talking to himself: "Who told me to promise Zheng'er that I would only have her as my wife in this life?"
A note from the author:
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That's right~ Our Yan Yan played the role of a strategist [shy]
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