Union

Chapter 152 Discovery
After leaving the Rongguo Gong study, Chen Yanzhou remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Seeing this, Sui Yu keenly sensed that the Second Master was in a bad mood. He had originally come to report something, but suddenly he didn't dare to step forward.

Unfortunately, the Second Master had already seen him, so Sui Yu could only muster her courage and step forward to say, "Second Master, Second Madam..."

"You don't need to tell me about her affairs."

Chen Yanzhou waved his hand impatiently and continued walking towards his own courtyard with a frown.

Seeing this, Sui Yu hurriedly followed, "Second Master, this is something you might want to hear. Why don't you listen to it?"

Chen Yanzhou turned around and saw that Sui Yu's expression was a little strange. His brows furrowed even more. "What is it? Hurry up and finish what you said and get out of here. Don't get in my way... And stop pretending to be so profound."

Sui Yu rolled his eyes. He didn't want to act profound, but he thought that if the Second Master knew about this, his expression would probably be very serious.

“My men just happened to see Ruizhi in the Second Madam’s room instruct the groom they brought from the Marquis of Chang’an’s residence to prepare at the side gate early tomorrow morning, saying that the Second Madam is going to Tingchan Temple to worship Buddha tomorrow.”

Sui Yu was right; Chen Yanzhou's already unpleasant facial expression became even more unpleasant.

However, his expression quickly returned to calm.

Chen Yanzhou remained silent for a moment, then calmly instructed Sui Yu, "Take some men and sneak in beforehand to see what she's up to."

Sui Yu immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

"Also, Mo Xue has returned and just came to report to you. I've told him to go wash up first, and he should be here to see you soon."

Chen Yanzhou, who had just lifted his foot, put it back down. "Mo Xue is back?"

"Yes."

"So, Yunying has also arrived at Linghui Temple?"

Sui Yu shrugged. "You should ask Mo Xue that. I don't know either."

Second Master gave Sui Yu a disdainful look, "Then why aren't you leaving yet?"

He waved his hand in the rain, turned around, and galloped away like a wild horse.

Seeing this, the Second Master's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. But he was still not completely at ease, feeling utterly annoyed since returning to the capital.

When he learned from Mo Xue that Yun Ying had been settled and that a kind and considerate aunt had been specially hired to take care of her, the Second Master finally felt a little relieved.

But upon learning that Yunying was right there, so close by, the Second Master suddenly felt he couldn't stay in this courtyard any longer.

He wanted to sprout wings and fly to Linghui Temple.

But it's obvious that's impossible.

Tomorrow is the 27th, and many people will come to visit him. There are also many people he needs to visit in person.

He had been away from Beijing for two years, and he needed to maintain and preserve some of his connections.

Thinking about all this, the second master was once again overwhelmed with problems.

Even when asleep in the dark, the Second Master seemed somewhat restless. Though he was asleep, he would sigh softly from time to time, and even his dreams were not peaceful.

……

The next morning, as expected, he had just gotten up when he heard that Lin Shuqing had left the mansion without permission.

When Chen Yanzhou went to pay his respects to his parents, the Duke of Rongguo was there, snorting angrily. When he saw Chen Yanzhou come in, the Duke of Rongguo did not give his son a kind look.

"Look at the kind of wife you married! I really want to have a good talk with that Marquis of Chang'an and see what kind of daughter he raised. Marrying a daughter like that into our family, is this a marriage alliance? He's probably trying to make an enemy of my Rongguo Duke's Mansion."

Madam Feng patted Duke Rongguo's hand, telling him to say less. Her son and daughter-in-law were already estranged; if he said that, their marriage might really fall apart.

The Duke of Rong gave Lady Feng a look she couldn't understand—

You think your son won't consider divorce just because I didn't say anything? That Lin woman is terrible in every way; she's not a good daughter-in-law at all. But your son is also full of ulterior motives; he actually wants Lin woman to step down. It's true what they say, husband and wife, each with their own cunning schemes.

Of course, it must be said that Lin's current predicament is entirely of her own making!
Think of Yunying, back then it was Lin who urged and begged her repeatedly to be given to Yanzhou!
Now that her son is thinking about divorce because of Yunying, Lin has no one to blame but herself for not being able to win her husband's heart!

……

Chen Yanzhou knew last night that Lin Shuqing was going out today, but he didn't react much. In the eyes of the Duke of Rongguo and Madam Feng, it meant that their son had no hope for this daughter-in-law and had already let her go.

Madam Feng then offered some words of advice, "She is, after all, your wife, and younger than you. Yanzhou, people say that one should teach one's son in the main hall and one's wife in bed..."

"Mother, do you think Lin Shi will listen to my teachings?"

This question stumped Madam Feng, who was momentarily speechless and no longer mentioned having her son teach her daughter-in-law.

She had done the same thing several times.

After Shuqing married into the family, she was put in charge of managing the household affairs together with Luxi. Since Shuqing had just entered the family, and she was worried that Shuqing was not young and had married in a hurry, she was not able to manage people, so she let her start with the simplest task of managing flowers and trees.

However, Lin Shuqing was a person with strong opinions. Perhaps she was eager to make a name for herself as a new official, because within a few days she dismissed most of the staff who were in charge of managing the flowers and trees.

It's either that this person is corrupt, or that person is lazy, or at the very least, they have bad character and are having illicit affairs with the maid in that room. She can't tolerate such people under her nose...

She had subtly warned Lin Shuqing in private, saying that "too much clarity leaves no room for fish." It was impossible for the vast Rongguo Duke's mansion to be a place of absolute tranquility. As long as things were out in the open, turning a blind eye was enough.

Otherwise, if these servants don't get any benefits, they won't be willing to do things for you. Even if they do, they might leave loopholes somewhere that could be used to cheat you in the future.

These are all trivial matters, there's no need to make a big deal out of them.

Lin Shuqing insisted on planting magnolias where peonies had been planted before, and hibiscus where magnolias had been planted.

She subtly hinted that the reason peonies were planted in that area was because it faced the Duke's courtyard.
In the Duke's mansion, there was a favorite of the Duke, a man who indulged in eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, gold, silver, jewels, beautiful women, and fine wine. He loved nothing but the peonies that filled the courtyard.

This man was rather arrogant and aloof; if you asked him to discuss something, he might not even come. But every year when the peonies bloomed, that gentleman visited the mansion more frequently than anyone else, and he would come three times a day without even needing to be invited by the Duke.

She brought up this important matter, but Lin Shuqing didn't take it to heart.

To save face for her daughter-in-law, Madam Feng could only pick and choose from the peonies, selecting the best varieties to send to the gentleman.

The gentleman was overjoyed, beaming with delight at the sight of the flowers filling the room. But the following year, when the peonies bloomed, he not only refused to visit the Duke, but also seemed reluctant to leave his own courtyard.

Her mother-in-law had already been rebuffed by Lin Shi several times, and it had no effect on Lin Shuqing's upbringing. Yan Zhou had spent less time with Lin Shi than she had with Lin Shi herself. Could she expect Yan Zhou to teach Lin Shi? Don't count on it.

Duke Rongguo suddenly spoke again, "However, she goes to Tingchan Temple on the fifteenth of every month, which is a bit too frequent."

She said she wanted to worship Buddha.

"Ha, you believe what she said." Duke Rongguo muttered, then suddenly looked at Chen Yanzhou, "Send someone to follow her and see. I have a feeling that Lin Shi is willing to offend your mother and me to go to Tingchan Temple. I'm afraid she has some shady plans."

Madam Feng glared at the Duke of Rongguo, "What shady plans could she possibly have? After all, she's a girl from a respectable family, a noble heiress. She knows all about propriety, morality, and shame; no matter how bad her character is, it can't be that bad."

Duke Rongguo gave a subtle look, "That just shows how ignorant you are."

After saying this, the Duke of Rongguo said to Chen Yanzhou, "Why don't you go there yourself today?"

Chen Yanzhou said, "I'll arrange for someone to go. As for me, I have to see my two senior brothers today, so I won't go for now."

Chen Yanzhou didn't say that he had arranged for Sui Yu to infiltrate the area yesterday. It was fine to tell his father, but if his mother heard it, he was afraid she would misunderstand and think that he was deliberately condoning Lin's "evil".

If the Lin family doesn't cause any trouble, that's fine. But if the Lin family is really hiding something, and it gets out of hand because of his indulgence, the Lin family will be ruined, and he won't get any credit either. He's afraid his mother will be angry.

Chen Yanzhou picked up the tea that Aunt Ding had brought him, took a small sip, and concealed all his thoughts.

After finishing a cup of tea with his parents, Chen Yanzhou got up to visit his senior brother.

He left the house with the Rongguo Duke's family. The Rongguo Duke walked ahead of his son and asked Chen Yanzhou in a low voice, "Is there really something wrong with the Lin family?"

Chen Yanzhou shook his head, "I don't know."

"You brat, still trying to play along with your father. You can fool your mother, but can you fool your father? Tell me honestly, is there really something wrong with that Lin woman?"

Chen Yanzhou bit his lip and said again, "I really don't know."

"No means no, and yes means yes. You're giving me an 'I don't know' answer? Ha, Chen Yanzhou, don't think that just because your father isn't as well-educated as you, you don't know the nuances of language. You brat, you'd better make sure that Lin Shi really hasn't done anything wrong, otherwise, if she dares to dishonor the reputation of my Rongguo Duke's Mansion, you brat will be kicked out of here."

After saying this, Duke Rong angrily flung his sleeves, ignored his son, and walked away with his hands behind his back.

……

On this particular day, Chen Yanzhou was also very busy.

In the morning, I visited the two senior brothers who were still in Beijing. This was an itinerary arranged yesterday, and the senior brothers gladly accepted. The three of us had some drinks together at the eldest senior brother's house.

Thinking back to the past, and how, after his master was forced to return to his hometown, his former supporters either switched to other schools, or kicked him when he was down, or left the school when his master fell into trouble. Furthermore, as his master faded from the court, his influence gradually diminished. Officials who once considered themselves disciples of Grand Secretary Tong now all keep silent about Grand Secretary Tong.

The coldness and indifference of human relationships, the fickleness of the world, are all too vividly apparent at this moment.

Only a few of them remained, still sticking together for warmth, but each faced different predicaments.

Some were demoted, some were marginalized, and some went directly from being the Left Vice Minister who held the reins of the Ministry of Personnel to being the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Rites who only cared about trivial matters.

The three brothers, caught up in the conversation, couldn't help but drink a few more cups.

Since two of them were senior students and older, Chen Yanzhou spent more time serving them, which resulted in them drinking less.

After the three men finished their drinks, the clapper outside struck countless times. Then they heard the night watchman shout, "Close the doors and windows, beware of thieves!" It must be the second watch of the night now.

The eldest brother is the one with the highest official position among the brothers.

He held the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a high-ranking official post. If he were to advance further to the position of Minister, he could enter the Grand Secretariat.

But this step is one that the eldest brother will never be able to take in his lifetime.

After three years of turmoil, Tong Ge Lao's cronies and relatives by marriage have been almost completely scattered.

It seems that once Grand Secretary Tong dies, this old man who once reigned over two emperors will be reduced to dust in the mortal world.

But perhaps there is another possibility: that is, to walk ahead of one's mentor today.

In this way, the crown prince could bestow favors upon his mentor and reinstate him to win over the hearts of the people.

This is part of the art of imperial power, something Chen Yanzhou didn't understand before, but now he's mastered it.

Now, the only competition is between the lifespan of the master and His Majesty.

His mentor was very old, and as for His Majesty, when he saw him a few days ago, His Majesty's hair was streaked with gray, but his spirit was still vigorous...

Because it was too late and a curfew had been imposed outside, and the Ministry of Rites had already arranged a guest house for them, Chen Yanzhou and his other senior brother did not return to the mansion.

Together they helped the eldest brother up and handed him over to the junior disciple who had come to pick him up. Then, escorted by another junior disciple, they went to rest in the guest courtyard in the front yard.

Chen Yanzhou drank the least of the three, but he still drank at least one jar of liquor, and it was strong liquor. He inevitably got drunk, and after washing up, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

The next day, Chen Yanzhou was awakened by thunderous shouts.

"Second Master, wake up! Sui Yu is back. She says she has something urgent to discuss with you."

Second Master's confused mind suddenly became clear.

He got out of bed in a few quick movements and dressed himself.

At that moment, Sui Yu rushed in, "Second Master, I..."

The second master looked over and stopped him from speaking. "Whatever it is, we can talk about it after we get back to the manor."

Sui Yu gritted her teeth and said, "Yes."

But looking at Sui Yu's face, it was ashen, his teeth clenched so tightly that you could hear a grinding sound. A closer look revealed that his lower lip was bitten raw.

His one hand was gripping his sword tightly. The force was so great that the blade was slightly twisted and deformed.

Seeing Sui Yu's state, Chen Yanzhou had already prepared for the worst.

But now is not the time to talk about these things.

Since we're currently at the residence of the Vice Minister of Rites, it's best not to bring up our family's scandals in other people's homes, no matter how close the relationship.

Chen Yanzhou said, "You all wait for me here. I'm going to say goodbye to my senior brothers. We'll discuss this matter in detail when I get back to the manor."