Like a bolt of lightning cleaving the boundless night, the room suddenly brightened, enveloped in a profound stillness. Though Madam Ye appeared unversed in martial arts, the imposing aura radiating from the imperial-bestowed sword, combined with a mother's desperate courage to save her daughter, gradually restored the Qian family's composure.
"Madam Ye, please don't be anxious," the matriarch of the Qian family said, startled as she rose and scolded the physician, "Why haven't you administered the medicine to my daughter-in-law yet? What if something happens to her?" Her eyes darted vacantly, helpless yet unwilling to surrender.
Seeing the situation stabilize momentarily, Ye Jiao stepped forward to comfort her mother. "Mother, please don't worry. Sister will be fine." Madam Ye gestured for Ye Jiao to come closer, shooting her a sharp glance as she murmured, "Hurry and take it away. It's far too heavy—does it weigh gold? My arm's gone numb." She then attempted to drop the sword onto the floor.
Normally a refined lady who would never touch weapons, wielding the sword to burst through the door was indeed a rare exertion for her. Ye Jiao hurriedly caught it and replied, "It's bronze from the ancient Yue kingdom. You always forbid me from touching it." The imperial-bestowed sword was customarily kept safely in the main hall. Ye Jiao hoisted the sword onto her shoulder like a hoe.
Standing by Ye Rou's bedside, her bright eyes met anyone who looked her way, causing them to tremble with fear. Reviving Ye Rou was not difficult—the hemorrhaging was due to a miscarriage; blindly prolonging the pregnancy would drain her blood to death, but a ruthless use of medicine to induce labor would stop the bleeding once the fetus was expelled. The bleeding ceased, but the child was lost.
Ye Rou lay on the bed, softly weeping. Madam Ye refused the tea offered by the Qian family and asked, "Tell me, what happened?" The Qian matriarch hurriedly explained, "The child was reckless, sneaking out at midnight to the Half-Moon Pond to look for Miss Ye Er, which caused this incident."
"No," the frail Ye Rou gripped her mother's sleeve, her voice filled with grief and anger, "It was Qian Yougong who struck me. That's why the child… was lost."
"Nonsense!" The Qian matriarch stepped forward, eager to defend her son. Ye Jiao lowered the sword from her shoulder, and the Qian matriarch retreated.
"That's not nonsense," she muttered quietly.
"Let's go." Madam Ye stood, placing her hand on the nanny's arm, and strode toward the door.
She was leaving? Without anger? The Qian matriarch's heart wavered, just as she was about to see them out, she heard Madam Ye instruct the nanny, "Carry the young lady in the soft sedan chair, wrap her warmly—she must not catch a draft during confinement."
They intended to take Ye Rou away. The Qian matriarch panicked, "Dear in-laws, please don't do this. Such disgrace—how can she return to her natal home for confinement?"
Madam Ye turned her head, her almond-shaped eyes cold as ice. "It is your Qian family that is stained; our Ye family is not, nor afraid of stain."
"In-laws!" The Qian matriarch blocked her path, "Are you forcing the children to divorce?"
"Divorce?" Madam Ye sneered, "Do you even deserve it? Tomorrow, at the Jingzhao Prefecture, prepare to receive the divorce decree from our Ye family!"
After a night of turmoil, dawn was breaking. Ye Jiao carried the sword to the Qian residence's gate, where the Jingzhao Prefecture's officers stood guard. The carriage remained parked by the roadside, but no one was in sight—perhaps he had already fallen asleep inside after the long night.
Ye Jiao shifted the sword to the other shoulder and followed her mother into the carriage. The Ye family had mobilized nearly the entire Duke's mansion; with so many present, even a snatch could retrieve Ye Rou.
The sedan chair was carried out, Ye Rou gently lifted into the carriage. She lifted the curtain and glanced faintly back at the Qian estate.
Qian Yougong had already been arrested. He was the man she defied her mother to marry, the one who had harmed her, threatened her sister, and had the audacity to kill and bury a body. Ye Rou, as if awakening from a nightmare, wondered how she had ever lost her reason.
But could she simply return like this? She felt humiliated and ashamed.
Madam Ye saw the expression on her daughter's face. "Put down the curtain quickly, don't let the cool wind blow."
"Mother," Ye Rou's tears spilled freely, "I am already married. How can I go back like this?"
"What's the matter?" Madam Ye raised an eyebrow, "Afraid I can't support you? Rest assured, even if it means feeding you delicacies from mountain and sea, your mother can care for you for another fifty years."
Ye Rou wept uncontrollably into Madam Ye's embrace, who gently patted her back as if soothing a swaddled infant. No matter how grown, a mother's support is unwavering.
"That's right," Ye Jiao added, comforting her sister, "Our family never lacks money."
Madam Ye pursed her lips and glanced at Ye Jiao. "Where did you get that outfit?"
Ye Jiao stammered incoherently. Madam Ye then eyed her hair. "Why have you been so plain lately? Tomorrow, I'll buy some hairpins and bring some for your sister, too."
Ye Jiao nestled closer to her mother, inhaling her scent deeply, feeling that the terror of the night had finally passed.
Madam Ye opened her arms and held her two daughters tightly. For ten years, she had lived without a husband just like this.
The next day at court, the emperor learned of the Qian estate incident. Qian Yougong was merely a minor official of Jingzhao Prefecture, not worthy of imperial attention, but since the victim was the son of the Minister of Revenue, a few consolatory words were inevitable.
The Minister of Revenue was devastated and had requested leave to recuperate.
More than anything, the emperor fixated on the imperial-bestowed sword once owned by the late sovereign.
"The Duke of Anguo's mansion," he said in a low voice from his throne, "They actually dared to bring forth the late emperor's sword."
The statement was cryptic, leaving many courtiers puzzled, until an elder official spoke up, "I recall when His Majesty sentenced Prince Chen to death, Princess Chen tearfully begged the Duke of Anguo's household for the sword to plead for clemency, but was refused."
Princess Chen was Ye Jiao's aunt.
"Indeed," another added, "Not only was she refused, but Ye Xi withdrew entirely from court to become a Taoist, never returning in ten years—a testament to her unwavering resolve."
The emperor clearly wished not to dwell on the past and shook his head.
"These two recent events both involve the Duke of Anguo's mansion. If the Ye family wishes to divorce, then so be it."
"Liu Yan—" the Prefect of Jingzhao, Liu Yan, stepped forward.
The emperor asked casually, "I hear it was Ye Jiao who reported the case?"
Liu Yan hesitated briefly before nodding.
Though his words were few, even when reporting to the emperor, brevity was his manner.
The emperor slowly responded, "Oh. A delicate young woman able to uphold righteousness by uprooting treachery deserves great reward. Yet, a woman's virtue must be preserved. Your judgements are firm yet meticulous—I am reassured."
Liu Yan bowed deeply, trembling with awe. "I shall devote myself wholeheartedly."
The emperor rose and prepared to leave, whispering to his chief eunuch, Gao Fu, "That Liu Yan is a silent one, but truly bold."
Gao Fu followed quietly.
"I know it was the Ninth Prince who helped open the door at Jingzhao Prefecture; he even aided in concealing it from me."
Gao Fu quickly explained, "Though it was the Ninth Prince who knocked, he accompanied Miss Ye. Your Majesty said yourself—a woman's virtue must be protected."
The emperor paused and nodded thoughtfully, conceding to Gao Fu's reasoning.
"Ye Jiao…" he raised an eyebrow, "Have you met this child? How does she know the Ninth Prince? And why would he be wandering about at such a late hour?"
"Your Majesty," Gao Fu smiled knowingly, "The Ninth Prince is yet unmarried, free from a wife's restraints—this is a time for indulgent outings."
The emperor frowned, lost in thought as memories of his own youth flickered—then reality's weight returned.
"No," he shook his head decisively, "The Ninth Prince must be betrothed soon."
Li Ce sat in the courtyard, sharpening a sword blade with a whetstone. After a long time, he sheathed it, but then, inexplicably, hoisted it onto his shoulder and took a few steps.
He didn't understand why anyone would carry a sword that way—was it to save effort? It looked utterly foolish.
Li Ce put the sword away and lounged on the steps, shifting gradually to bask in the sun.
His constitution was cold and stagnant, and he could not do without sunlight. During those years in the imperial tombs, he often spent entire days sunning himself alone—from sunrise to sunset, utterly bored.
A cough sounded at the gate, and the Fifth Prince, Li Jing, strode in.
"Hey!" he teased, "The freeloading dead man really knows how to live—lounging around in the sun all day."
Li Ce glanced at him sideways. "Finished all the buns? Ate too many at once and got stuffed?"
Li Jing shouted, "Bah! You're the stingiest brother. I spend a fortune feeding you and you give me a few buns? Wild leek and egg filling—no meat or fish! I didn't eat them! Gave them to the dogs!"
Li Ce snorted but said nothing. Li Jing leaned closer.
"Got some good news for you," he said animatedly, "You're getting married."
Li Ce abruptly looked up, coughing in surprise.