The marriage engagement was broken off, and there was no room for negotiation. Jiao Lianyu looked at the newcomer and said, "Since the jade pendant is sealed in the prefectural yamen's storeroom, I can do nothing about this matter."
Qiu Jingyuan, that fool, had previously used this jade pendant to negotiate with Zhan Feiyu. Jiao Lianyu was certain that the Forbidden Dragon Guard must be watching them in secret. To make a move at this time would be to court death.
"Second Young Master need not refuse. The engagement is broken off, but there is still a way to retrieve the jade pendant," the newcomer said in a deep voice. Seeing Jiao Lianyu, who had instantly become wary, a flicker of disdain flashed in his eyes before quickly returning to calm as he continued, "Second Young Master, do not forget how many messages Li Li secretly passed to you over the years, and even how you got to read Prefect Jiao's correspondence in advance."
"You?" Jiao Lianyu's face turned pale again. He suppressed his anger with great effort, but his slightly trembling fists betrayed his inner turmoil. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. I am outmatched and admit defeat!"
"Second Young Master need not be angry. Zhan Feiyu is on good terms with the Eldest Young Master. With a little manipulation in the future, do you think you will still have a political career?" The newcomer looked at Jiao Lianyu, whose face had turned cold. "If Second Young Master believes this is alarmist talk, you can choose not to listen."
Jiao Lianyu remained silent with a somber expression. Although the words were unpleasant, they were the truth. Although he was a son born of a concubine, and his mother was merely a concubine, they could secretly win over the household servants and even guards precisely because he was to inherit the Jiao family in the future. It was these people who pledged their allegiance to him in advance.
Zhan Feiyu was a disciple of Scholar Gu, a powerful Grand Secretary who was a confidant of the Emperor. If Zhan Feiyu so much as let slip a word, these old foxes in the officialdom, eager to please Zhan Feiyu, would surely suppress him and prevent him from rising.
Ambition and desire churned in Jiao Lianyu's eyes. His father was, after all, only a fourth-rank prefect. While he held some sway in Qianzhong Circuit, in the Ministry of Personnel or at the imperial court, a fourth-rank prefect was merely a minor official.
In contrast, Jiao Lianping was on good terms with Zhan Feiyu. Not to mention anything far off, once his injuries healed, if he were to be appointed an official, his elder brother would certainly not be assigned to a barren and desolate region. Thus, it was said that having connections in court made things easier.
...
Zhan Feiyu was completely unaware that Jiao Lianyu harbored such suspicions towards him. With Qiu Jingyuan's engagement broken off, she felt a sense of relief.
"Miss, I just received word that Xiang Changshou is dead." He Nuan returned from outside that morning.
After drinking the medicine, he handed the bowl to a servant. Jiao Lianyu asked with a dark expression, "What is the current rumor outside?"
"Replying to Second Young Master, yesterday afternoon, the constables went to Xique Alley and arrested Chen An. He has already confessed in the main hall that he resented his family for harming the Young Madam, and therefore bribed hooligans to spread rumors, intending to tarnish the Madam's reputation, and also to scheme for Second Young Master to marry a daughter of a convicted official, leading to estrangement between mother and son and enmity between brothers."
With a sneer, Jiao Lianyu leaned back in his armchair, putting down the book he had just picked up. "Who would believe such nonsense? Chen An has always followed his elder brother's lead. Let alone Chen Shi being taken away by the Forbidden Dragon Guard, even if Chen Shi had died of illness in the Jiao family, the Chen family and Chen An would not dare to make a fuss. They might even help cover it up and send another daughter of the Chen family into the mansion."
Jiao Lianyu narrowed his eyes and fell into thought. "The Chen family is in decline. My mother was unwilling to marry into the Chen family back then, but my father kept his promise, which is why Eldest Sister-in-law entered the household. The entire Chen family couldn't wait to fawn over my elder brother. Chen An is merely a lowly merchant who relies on his elder brother to build his business."
"Young Master is wise. His Lordship sent Niu Yue to the Chen family with a letter for Old Master Chen. After reading it, Old Master Chen burned it in front of Niu Yue." The Niu Yue mentioned by the servant was the eldest son of Steward Niu, one of Prefect Jiao's most trusted subordinates, to whom confidential matters were entrusted.
"Niu Yue." Jiao Lianyu's voice was somber and cold. His father claimed to have abandoned grooming him, but in reality, he entrusted Niu Yue with such important tasks.
Steward Niu handled the miscellaneous affairs in the front courtyard of the Jiao mansion, while Madam Niu managed the affairs of the inner quarters. Niu Yue, moreover, followed his father closely and obeyed his commands.
If it weren't for his "bribing" Li Li these past few years to pass many messages to him from the study, Jiao Lianyu suspected he might not even have a foothold in the Jiao mansion.
The servant glanced at Jiao Lianyu, his expression becoming more respectful and subservient, as if afraid of enraging the unpredictable Jiao Lianyu. "Chen An is uneducated. Previously, relying on the Young Madam's connections and the Eldest Young Master's protection, he was able to establish himself in Qianzhong Prefecture. Old Master Chen values Chen Xu more. Now that he has abandoned Chen An, Chen Xu has a chance to shine."
To put it plainly, the affairs of the Chen family were somewhat similar to those of the Jiao family. Chen Xu was a son born of a concubine. He had once bumped into the pregnant Madam Chen, causing her to miscarry a five-month-old male infant. Madam Chen and Chen Shi hated this son/brother to the bone.
Chen An, in order to curry favor with his cousin Chen Shi, naturally helped suppress Chen Xu.
Although the second branch of the Chen family was involved in commerce, they controlled the daily necessities of the Chen clan. The servants serving them were adept at reading the mood. Although Chen Xu was not overtly deprived of resources, he knew the true situation himself.
On the surface, he was suppressed by his嫡母 (legal mother) and嫡姐 (legal elder sister), unable to rise. In secret, his cousin Chen An used money to obstruct and suppress him in various ways. Chen Xu had never had a chance to shine over the years.
This time, Prefect Jiao had expressed his stance, and Old Master Chen naturally seized the opportunity to support Chen Xu. After all, his biological daughter Chen Shi was now useless, having been taken away by the Forbidden Dragon Guard. It was a blessing in disguise that she did not implicate her maternal family.
...
After the servant withdrew, Jiao Lianyu collected himself and focused on his reading. He ate a meager dinner and only drank another bowl of nourishing soup when Prefect Jiao and Concubine Huang arrived. Afterward, he had a servant light candles and resumed his reading.
Under the cover of night, the Jiao mansion was already quiet. Jiao Lianping had retired early. He wanted to go out and have fun, but unfortunately, after a fight with Qiu Huaixin, he was not only bruised and swollen but also in a sensitive period, so Prefect Jiao would not allow him to go out and cause trouble.
Only in Zhujun Pavilion was the lamp still brightly lit. Jiao Lianyu's talent for reading was ultimately inferior to that of the deceased Qiu Jinyu; he relied more on diligence.
With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside. Jiao Lianyu calmly put down his brush, pressed down the poem he had just written with a paperweight, and then turned to look at the man disguised as a servant.
His ordinary features made him indistinguishable in a crowd, except for a pair of eyes that held an unfathomable depth when looking at people.
"My good legal mother and Madam Qiu went together to Qiu family's detached villa. The engagement has been broken off." Jiao Lianyu picked up his cup and took a sip of tea. The taste of ginseng and several other medicinal herbs was bitter and strange, but Jiao Lianyu drank it down without changing his expression.
"Qiu Jingyuan possesses a jade pendant. The owner of this jade pendant is well hidden. Even we do not know the true identity of the person, only that their codename is 'Er Mazi'." The newcomer spoke slowly, his voice not even lowered. It seemed his accomplices were guarding the courtyard, and he was not worried about their conversation with Jiao Lianyu being overheard.
"How is this possible?" A trace of suspicion arose in Jiao Lianyu's heart. Their own people did not know his name, and who would believe such a thing if it were said?
The newcomer did not conceal anything and continued in a deep voice, "Er Mazi is connected to the previous dynasty. He has never revealed any whereabouts over the years, and in the early days, contact was made through single lines. After the Qiu family's third branch was investigated, the three individuals who could contact Er Mazi were all killed."
Because contact was made through single lines, if one person died, the connection was broken. Not to mention three people dying, there were no clues to be found, not even a general range.
"And one of them was Qiu Wenlan?" Although it was a question, Jiao Lianyu's tone was affirmative.
With Qiu Wenlan's death, her secrets were buried with her. How she had contacted the barbarians over the years, how she had directed barbarian spies hidden in the Great Qing Dynasty, and which officials or ordinary people in the Great Qing Dynasty had been instigated by Qiu Wenlan, all became impossible to investigate.
"This jade pendant, even Qiu Jingyuan herself did not know about it. She only knew that it was in her dowry. After the Qiu family's third branch was confiscated, all these items were sealed by the yamen," the newcomer elaborated.
The third branch of the Qiu family had only one daughter, so from her birth, Madam Dou had begun preparing Qiu Jingyuan's dowry. There were truly boxes upon boxes of jewelry and ornaments.