Ink Burns

Chapter 169 Finding a Substitute (Part 1)
The carriage of the Marquis of Guanbei, Chang, was as extravagant and luxurious as his family. A large red satin canopy with a lotus pattern covered the carriage, and the tassels dripped onto the bright red pillars. Lady Zhou, the wife of the Marquis of Guanbei, had been in a hurry since leaving the Xue Nan residence. She complained that the coachman was driving too slowly, so she leaned out of the curtain and urged, "Strike the horse twice! Go faster!"

Located on the main street of Dongshier Hutong, the area was bustling with people coming and going, and the stalls and pedestrians were crowded with people.

The coachman carefully lowered his whip and replied, "Madam, the streets are crowded."

"Is that even human?" Behind everyone's back, Madam Zhou displayed her domineering side. She frowned and said, "Hurry up and leave. The Grand Princess doesn't like to receive guests after dark. If you delay important matters, I'll tear your flesh to shreds!"

Madam Zhou pulled down the carriage curtain and sat down again. When she looked up, she saw her young daughter, Yu Niang, with her head down and a smile on her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

The carriage moved faster, and Madam Zhou had time to ask about her daughter: "Did you see Chen-ge today?"

"I saw him," the little girl said softly.

"How about it? Talk to your mother properly?"

Chang Yu's mother turned away, burying her chin in her clothes, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Madam Zhou smiled and said, "Don't be like that. If it's good, it's good; if it's not good, it's not good. Talk to your mother properly, and I'll know what to do next."

Chang Yu's mother said softly, "I didn't see clearly either. I was on the painted boat, and the young master was on the north bank of the river, separated by the wide jade-striped river. I greeted the young master and glanced at him from afar. I only remember that the young master had delicate features and looked about five or six parts similar to Aunt Zhu."

That's satisfactory.

Madam Zhou was relieved and thought the marriage was a good one: "Once Xue Xiao dies, the entire Xue family will be ours. After your brother enters the Xishan Camp as a commander of a thousand men, you two, son and daughter, will support each other. You are both literate and martial, and you can walk sideways in this capital city. Twenty years ago, your mother never imagined that the head wife of this century-old family and the leader of the Xishan Camp would emerge from my womb."

Chang Yuniang lowered her head, her two index fingers almost tearing the silk handkerchief to shreds.

Mrs. Zhou was pleased to see this.

If she likes it, that's good. Although she was born into a lowly family, she gave birth to two noble children. Even if she dies and goes to the King of Hell, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face will still look at her with respect.

Upon arriving at the residence of the Grand Princess Jing'an, Madam Zhou instructed the coachman to take Yu Niang back to the Chang residence. She then lifted the hem of her skirt and hurried along the covered walkway with small steps. Before she even arrived, she heard singing, recitation, and acrobatics on the high stage of the opera house, where "Yu Hu Chun" was being performed. Madam Zhou gathered her skirt, tiptoed up the wooden steps, and tried her best not to make a sound.

After she ascended the platform, a young eunuch led her to her seat.

She had just sat down when the last line of the song on stage was sung.

"Why do you request an audience at this time?" Princess Jing'an leaned against the bamboo cushion, waving her jade fan, her eyes still fixed on the young actor taking his final bow on stage: "...This young actor sang quite well."

The head eunuch beside him bowed and stepped forward: "The Southern Opera troupe has just joined. They are only fifteen years old this year, and their voices are at their best. They were specially selected to perform for you."

Grand Princess Jing'an nodded: "Give him the privilege of bathing in the White Jade Pool."

The chief eunuch was overjoyed and thanked him, saying, "Yes, yes!" He then hunched over, facing the main platform, and quickly retreated until he disappeared without a trace.

Madam Zhou bowed her head before speaking, "Having just left the Xue Nan residence, I came here without stopping to seek an audience with you."

"Oh?" Princess Jing'an uttered a single word.

Madam Zhou recounted everything she had seen and heard at Shanyue's place, Shanyue's speculations, and Shanyue's situation: "That Lady Liu knows perfectly well. No matter how favored she is now, she knows she can only live by relying on 'Qingfeng.' She answered all my questions, and even when she didn't know something, she told me everything without reservation. According to her, I also think that Yao Zaozheng probably met his demise a long time ago. Perhaps he was caught by Xue Xiao while meeting someone, and couldn't withstand the torture before he died. Xue Xiao may have become suspicious, but he has no concrete evidence. No matter what methods he uses, he can't find our weakness."

Princess Jing'an narrowed her eyes, not caring about Yao Zaozheng: even if he did nothing, said nothing, and came out safely, once he lost contact, he could only be discarded. She cared more about Shan Yue: "According to you, is Liu a good person?"

Madam Zhou hurriedly said, "I didn't notice anything strange about her." Thinking of the large sum of money that was about to be made, Madam Zhou put on a good word for Shan Yue: "Although Liu is a little clever, she is honest and upright. She is just a girl from a small family who cares about fame and fortune. Once the dragon is in the sky, the mortals are mud underfoot. She thought she was useful to us and started to act arrogantly and negotiate with us. Now that she has survived a near-death experience, she has seen our true strength. Today, she is much more obedient and docile than before. She agrees with everything we say and has lost all her pride. This is exactly the time when we need her!"

After pondering for a moment, the Grand Princess Jing'an nodded: "What you said makes some sense. In any case, we have many things we can use against her: her fake family background, her fake pregnancy, and the antidote. If she makes another frivolous move, we can just throw one of them out at her and make her suffer. We have no one else to use right now, so let's use her for now."

Princess Jing'an slowly and deliberately waved her fan.

Princess Suiyuan, Fu Mingjiang, standing behind the Grand Princess Jing'an, smiled with her red lips curving upwards: "Now that the Lady of Guanbei has become so capable, she has the right to call others maids from humble families?"

Mrs. Zhou's smile froze.

“Ming Jiang—” The Grand Princess Jing’an stopped fanning herself and glanced sideways.

Fu Mingjiang stuck out her tongue playfully, her beauty mark under her eye like a leaping sprite, and twisted her body to coax her mother: "It was just a joke, Mother, please don't be like that—the Lady of Guanbei is very magnanimous and won't hold it against a junior."

Madam Zhou bowed, a bitter smile appearing on her face: "Yes—yes—"

"But every time I see Madam Zhou, I'm reminded of how Vice Minister Zhou of the Court of State Ceremonial performed for us," Fu Mingjiang said with a smile. "His face was whiter than a woman's, his lips redder than blood, and with a flick of his sleeves, his figure, his singing, his charm—tsk tsk tsk, you could really tell he had a solid foundation from childhood training!"

Madam Zhou's face paled.

Over the years, few people have talked about their past anymore.

What a coincidence today!

Liu Shi stirred up his memories, and Fu Mingjiang's words forced him to reflect on them again.
Madam Zhou forced a smile: "Really? My brother even performs for you and the princess in his spare time? What a wonderful hobby!"

Fu Mingjiang covered her mouth and laughed: "Yes, he's in a good mood! After all, he doesn't get a reward for singing a song, so what else can he rely on but his mood? Can he rely on whipping him?"

Fu Mingjiang chuckled, and the maidservants behind her, dressed in fine clothes, also stifled their laughter, crookedly huddled together.

Practicing in an opera troupe is like a groom guiding a horse. If the horse is disobedient, it will be whipped twice. Similarly, a young apprentice in the opera troupe will be whipped twice for stuttering.

Madam Zhou's face immediately turned pale and then flushed.

Princess Jing'an felt that Fu Mingjiang's words were not excessive. Leaning back on the soft couch, she found the lanterns hanging overhead after dark quite annoying—as she grew older, she increasingly disliked hosting banquets at night. Because lanterns were usually hung overhead, the candlelight would shine directly on people's faces, revealing all their wrinkles, creases, and blemishes.

The passing years have nowhere to hide under this candlelight, which is like a mirror reflecting demons. Everyone's eyes seem to be telling her, "How did you get so old?" "You're so old!" "You're so ugly!"

Everyone gets old.

she knows.

But Helang wouldn't.

Helang will forever remain at the brilliant, beautiful, and radiant age of twenty-seven.

She was left alone, desperately searching for any trace of him scattered throughout this world.