Chapter 3

After that ordeal, Yu Ying felt much more at ease and happily returned to the Yu household.

A few days later, she visited Lady Li’s residence to admire the peonies and played polo with the Princess Consort Yan. Whenever the topic turned to Cheng Xianzhang, she repeated the same line.

Half a month passed, and even her own mother asked her whether the mother and son of the Cheng family had truly been that outrageous, and whether Cheng Xianzhang was really no good.

Yu Ying hesitated before finally saying, “It’s all in the past now; there’s nothing more to say. Although he went too far by wanting to marry Su Ruyue’s younger sister, I don’t want to speak ill of anyone behind their back.”

Madam Yu took her hand and said, “Alright, let bygones be bygones. From now on, he walks his own path, and we shall walk ours, avoiding dealings with his family as much as possible.”

Yu Ying scoffed lightly, “No, it’s he who walks the narrow bridge, and I who take the broad, sunny road.”

Yet two days later, Lady Pei, the wife of her second sister Yu Xuan’s brother-in-law, came to visit, saying she was sent by Cheng Xianzhang, wishing to meet with her.

Yu Ying refused, asking her to tell Cheng Xianzhang that bridges are bridges and roads are roads; there was no reason to meet.

The next day, palace attendants from Qingning Palace summoned Yu Ying inside.

Qingning Palace was the Empress’s residence, and the current Empress was none other than Yu Ying’s eldest sister, Yu Yao.

Yu Yao was supposed to be the great hope of the declining Yu family, but after years in the palace, she had borne no children. The emperor had no heir from any other consort either, so the pressure weighed heavily on him. Then Su Ruyue entered the palace and miraculously gave birth to a daughter, much to the emperor’s delight. The daughter was immediately made a princess, and Su Ruyue was elevated to the rank of Noble Consort, threatening the Empress’s position and making her situation even more precarious.

Upon entering, the Empress asked Yu Ying, “Why didn’t you tell me when you returned to Chang’an? I didn’t send for you; have you stopped intending to visit your sister?”

Yu Ying, a little awkward, replied, “I was afraid Your Majesty was busy and didn’t dare to disturb you.”

The Empress understood her feelings without her saying a word.

It was she who had brought Su Ruyue into the palace. When Su Ruyue gained favor, the Empress had always felt guilty. Now that Su Ruyue had borne the emperor’s first child and been made Noble Consort, many said the Empress’s position was no longer secure. How could she feel good about that?

Her reluctance to enter the palace was fueled by guilt and fear.

“Come here,” the Empress said.

Yu Ying approached, and the Empress took her hand. “This time you’ve come back for good, right? What are your plans for the future?”

“None,” Yu Ying answered promptly. Then she asked, “How have you been in the palace, Your Majesty? Has anyone been bullying you?”

The only other person it could be was Noble Consort Su.

The Empress smiled, “I am the Empress; who would dare bully me?”

Yu Ying felt a pang of sympathy and regret. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Your Majesty, rest assured, I won’t let the Su family have their way!”

Even her mother had heard the rumors. She suspected these words had probably reached the Su family. If they still wished to marry their daughter to someone named Cheng, she respected every one of them for it.

The Empress was surprised and asked, “What do you mean? What do you intend to do?”

Yu Ying pouted, “Your Majesty need not worry.”

The Empress inquired, “I heard Cheng Zijun intends to marry the sixth young lady of the Su family?”

Yu Ying snorted softly, “Let’s hope he succeeds.”

The Empress fell silent for a moment.

When the Yu family decided to marry their youngest daughter to the impoverished Cheng Xianzhang, her grandfather had discussed it with her.

At that time, the decision was not well received and even mocked. A prestigious family with a century of history was marrying their daughter to a humble household.

But both she and her grandfather saw that the emperor wished to elevate those from humble origins, and none of the Yu men had great potential. They placed their hopes on Cheng Xianzhang and decided to gamble on him.

In fact, they had won that gamble, but man proposes, and heaven disposes. The youngest sister’s marriage to Cheng Xianzhang was unhappy. She frequently ran back to her maternal home and eventually sent a divorce letter, fleeing to Luoyang.

The Yu family only learned of this later. The divorce letter was written by their own daughter, and the son-in-law and his mother had both agreed. Rumors even spread from Luoyang about a marriage between the daughter and her nephew. Whether for face or substance, the Yu family had no choice but to accept the divorce.

Now that Cheng Xianzhang had indeed risen rapidly, holding a fourth-rank official position, the Su family had benefited from the situation.

The Empress said, “You were too headstrong back then. No matter what, he did risk much by leaving the capital without permission to chase after you in Luoyang. It was a dangerous move. If the emperor hadn’t shown leniency, his career would have been over. You, however, ignored all that and married your third cousin.”

Yu Ying was confused, “What do you mean leaving the capital without permission? He never went to Luoyang!”

The Empress shook her head. “He did. The emperor told me. As an official of the Censorate, he was handling a serious case. Yet he feigned sudden illness and secretly went to Luoyang. The palace guards caught him, and the matter was reported to the emperor. The emperor, valuing talent and because he was my brother-in-law, did not publicly punish him.”

Yu Ying was startled, looking at her eldest sister in disbelief.

She had never seen Cheng Xianzhang in Luoyang.

In truth, she had impulsively left the divorce letter and fled to Luoyang, but she had not truly intended to divorce. She had hoped he would come and coax her.

But he hadn’t. He just signed the divorce papers and sent them over... What could she do then? Her third cousin happened to need a wife, and she wanted to escape—or perhaps seek revenge.

He wanted to take her cousin as a concubine? Let him—he could marry her if he wished. Then she would marry her third cousin.

She fell silent. The Empress said, “You need not dwell on Noble Consort Su. Without her, there would be Noble Consort Li, Noble Consort Zhang. This is fate—my fate and the fate of the Yu family.”

When she left the palace, Yu Ying felt dazed.

The Empress said he had been to Luoyang, and that this was the destiny of the Yu family.

After her third cousin passed away, she suddenly felt lost and empty inside, memories flooding back more frequently.

Just outside the palace gates, as she boarded her carriage, it suddenly stopped.

She heard Yun Jin’s voice outside, “What’s going on?”

Then a voice called, “Lady Yu, my lord wishes to speak with you privately.”

Yun Jin asked, “Who is your lord?”

“Surname Cheng, Lord Cheng Zijun,” came the reply.

Yu Ying lifted the curtain to look outside. There stood a young servant of about eighteen or nineteen, neatly dressed and well-mannered. His bearing was somewhat superior to an ordinary person. She hadn’t expected that the formerly impoverished servant would now be attended by such clever attendants.

It was clear he had come to confront her.

Having been refused by Lady Pei, he now blocked her outside the palace gates. She considered herself unlucky.

But well, if he wanted to meet, she wasn’t afraid of him.

She nodded to Yun Jin, who responded, “Where shall we speak?”

The servant said, “Just outside the Vermilion Avenue is the Qingfeng Teahouse. It’s quiet at this hour. Shall we take tea there?”

“Very well,” Yun Jin replied, and the coachman moved on.

Just a short distance later, Yu Ying arrived at the Qingfeng Teahouse. The young servant was already waiting downstairs.

“Lady Yu, room Tian on the second floor,” he said.

Yu Ying ascended to the second floor.

Within just a few steps, she realized her palms were sweating.

She quietly wiped them with a handkerchief, took a deep breath, and with Yun Jin pushing open the door, she entered the room calmly.

Cheng Xianzhang sat upright at the round table, a tea cup before him. He seemed not to have touched it. When Yu Ying entered and approached, he remained still, his face calm but cold, not even blinking.

Many years had passed; his disposition seemed even more disagreeable.

Yu Ying raised her chin in return, adopting a “you don’t want to see me, and I don’t want to see you” attitude. She gently fanned herself and sat down opposite the tea cup in front of him.

“Lord Cheng, please speak,” she said, as she was always impatient.

Cheng Xianzhang got straight to the point. “Recently, I have heard many slanders about me and my mother. Upon inquiry, it seems these rumors originate from Miss Yu.”

Yu Ying had prepared for this and feigned surprise. She snorted, “Lord Cheng, you must be joking. I just returned to the capital and have been at home. I don’t know what rumors you mean. Do you have proof?”

Cheng Xianzhang fixed her with a steady gaze. “Miss Yu, the Censorate is one of the three judicial offices. If evidence is to be found, there is nothing that cannot be uncovered.”

Using the Censorate as leverage! Of course, everyone knew how powerful he was now, an official of one of the three judicial branches! Yu Ying fanned herself and couldn’t help but scoff, rolling her eyes.

Cheng Xianzhang glanced at her and continued, “Whether it was you who spoke or not, we both know the truth. I thought those things were in the past, and that we had no connection now. There’s no need for these pointless disputes. Don’t you agree?”

Yu Ying couldn’t hold back her anger. “There’s no need? Do you think I care about you? But who told you to marry Su Ruyue’s sister? If you want to marry her, then consider us sworn enemies!”

Cheng Xianzhang spoke slowly, “Miss Yu, the name of Noble Consort Su is not to be used lightly. Should there be a next time, I will enforce the law impartially.”

Yu Ying almost forgot that he was now Deputy Censor, responsible for inspection, impeachment, and upholding discipline.

She bit her lip, “Such authority! Lord Cheng, are you planning to throw me in prison?”

Cheng Xianzhang said nothing. She grew even more angry, her cheeks flushing red, fanning herself with more force, and retorted, “If you dare arrest me, the whole capital will know you were angered by my truthful words and took revenge!”

Cheng Xianzhang looked at her without immediate reply. The atmosphere in the room grew tense, heavy with unspoken emotions, and a flicker of anger rose from Yu Ying.

After a moment, Cheng Xianzhang returned to the main point. “Neither of us wished to meet, but since it has come to this, I only want to tell Miss Yu: even if you bear a grudge against the Su family, you have no right to interfere with my marriage, nor to slander me or my mother.”

Yu Ying looked innocent and asked, “Have I slandered? People asked me, and I only spoke the truth. I can’t lie.”

Cheng Xianzhang raised his eyes slightly, as if questioning what “truth” really meant.

Yu Ying asked, “Lord Cheng, what have you heard? I only said your family ate millet porridge with pickles. Isn’t that true? On the wedding night, you stayed with your mother, didn’t you?”

When his mother first came to the capital, she did eat pickles, but upon seeing them, she left immediately. It was he and his mother who ate together.

Afterward, she ate from her own kitchen, never lacking chicken soup and bird’s nest daily.

As for the wedding night... that evening, his mother accidentally fell and scraped her scalp. He had to check on her and attend to her medicine until late, then returned to his room, only to be refused entry. She had locked the door.

What Yu Ying said was indeed partly true, but only half the story.

Cheng Xianzhang simply looked at her, and from his gaze, Yu Ying saw a hint of weariness, as if to say she was making a fuss and he didn’t want to argue.

This infuriated her because, in countless past quarrels when she had reached her limit, he had always acted this way—cold and indifferent, refusing to engage.

Recalling unpleasant memories, Yu Ying suddenly didn’t want to talk anymore. After all, he came to scold her; why should she obediently listen? She wanted to leave.

But he soon said, “Regardless, you never ate a bite of pickles; the wedding night incident was an accident, and I have apologized to you; the matter of taking a concubine is purely fabricated; and you maliciously slandering my health and deliberately stirring trouble for my marriage—aren’t you going too far?”

Yu Ying couldn’t help but ask, “Has your marriage with the Su family fallen through?”

Cheng Xianzhang pursed his lips, looking at her without speaking.

Yu Ying realized she might have shown too much delight, quickly straightening her expression. “What I said is also true. We consummated quickly, and then... it ended quickly.”

She finally felt a little embarrassed and guilty, turning her face away and blushing softly.