Chapter 110: Affairs Change as Flowers Fade (Part One)

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It turned out that the tactic of “slaying the chicken to warn the monkey” employed by Chu Xiu was highly effective. Not only did it establish her authority, but it also spread the name “Madam Chu Xiu” far and wide in the shortest time possible. Coupled with last year’s decisive move that ended the Bei Xi business with a red-handed order, now both the southern and northern kingdoms knew well that Madam Chu Xiu, the widow of Marquis Li Xin, was another iron-willed woman of the Yun clan, following the footsteps of Xie Miaodan.

Especially notable was how she quietly transferred the Yun family’s timber business and vast forest lands to the Qian family of Bei Xi, along with the saying, “In business, harmony brings wealth, and one must also learn to gracefully accept defeat.” These words spread as her reputation soared.

Since the end of March, after officials from various regions and industries came to settle accounts, Chu Xiu gradually began to handle the Yun family’s affairs in Nan Xi. Though she was timid by nature, when truly pressured to take charge, she performed remarkably well. This truly confirmed what the Grand Madam had once told Shen Yu: “Chu Xiu is someone who thrives on firmness, not softness.”

If gently persuaded with kind words, she would only evade and lack confidence; but once forced to ride the tiger, no matter how fierce, even the most savage tiger could be tamed by her subtle softness.

Time flew by swiftly, and by May, the political situation between north and south had shifted again, marked by several major events—

First, the founding emperor of Bei Xuan, Chen Wang, was assassinated and passed away; his son, Chen Xuan, ascended the throne, posthumously known as Emperor Shengrui. Nan Xi’s Emperor Nie sent his ninth son, Prince Cheng, Nie Peixiao, to Bei Xuan to offer congratulations.

Second, the matter of Prince Mu, Nie Peihan, secretly mobilizing troops for a “heroic rescue” was quietly suppressed. Emperor Nie did not punish them heavily; on the contrary, he unprecedentedly arranged a marriage between the two, allowing a famous Bei Xi courtesan to enter the Nan Xi royal family as Prince Mu’s legitimate concubine. This courtesan was also rumored to have had romantic entanglements with the newly crowned Emperor Shengrui of Bei Xuan.

Prince Mu, Nie Peihan, hailed from a military background with many merits and had maintained a pristine reputation since being granted his title in Fangzhou. No one had ever seen him indulge in women. Even his concubine married two years ago was said to be the daughter of a lifesaver, not for romantic reasons. Yet this time, he caused a public stir for a courtesan renowned far and wide, even securing his father’s consent for the marriage. This was truly astonishing.

This incident became a sort of indicator—showing Emperor Nie’s favor toward Prince Mu. Imagine, if he did not truly favor him, would he allow a courtesan to marry into the royal family? And not just any courtesan, but one who had a past liaison with the Bei Xuan emperor.

Rumors swirled within the court that Prince Mu, Nie Peihan, was being groomed as the heir apparent of Nan Xi. Meanwhile, the fame of the Bei Xi courtesan Luan Su spread across Nan Xi, even overshadowing another woman of great renown at the time—Madam Chu Xiu of the Yun clan.

In fact, three years earlier, Luan Su had become famous for a romance with Chen Xuan, rivaling Nan Xi’s top beauty Han Chu. The saying went, “South Han Chu, North Luan Su.” Now, with her former lover having successfully rebelled and become the Bei Xuan emperor, and her husband being the dignified Prince Mu of Nan Xi, her allure added an extra layer of intrigue.

Even Chu Xiu herself was eager to meet this famous courtesan—or rather, the “Luan Concubine” of the Prince Mu residence.

Perhaps because Prince Mu was recently elated, his surveillance of Shen Yu seemed to have lessened slightly. Though Chu Xiu stayed indoors, she kept close tabs on the prince’s whereabouts and pondered whether it was time to risk sending Shen Yu back to Jingzhou.

After all, Emperor Nie agreeing to let a courtesan marry Prince Mu was too suspicious. Maybe Prince Mu really was to become the heir of Nan Xi! If so, the Fourth Prince, Prince Fu, would not sit idly by. The Wen Chang Marquisate was related by marriage to Prince Fu, so they could not remain uninvolved.

The more Chu Xiu thought, the more she felt Shen Yu’s situation was unsafe. She was contemplating how to persuade Prince Mu to spare Shen Yu or quietly send him away—when the second concubine, Hua Wuying, came again!

In the past two months, Hua Wuying had visited Zhiyan Pavilion five times, each time about Yun Xiangrong’s marriage. Chu Xiu did not want to lose face and had met her three times; twice she found excuses to avoid her.

But this time, Hua Wuying came well prepared, determined to see Chu Xiu. Rushing in, she was stopped by Zhu Ying and Zhu Yang at the archway but began crying and wailing loudly. Unable to resist her tactics of crying, fussing, and threatening to hang herself, Chu Xiu relented and granted the meeting.

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Upon receiving Chu Xiu’s nod, Hua Wuying quickly wiped her tears and entered. Seeing Chu Xiu, she knelt with a thud and pleaded earnestly, “Madam! It’s already the end of May! The marriage I asked you to arrange has been delayed two whole months. If you don’t speak up soon, Xiangrong will end up an old maid!”

Chu Xiu had anticipated what Hua Wuying would say and now felt a headache coming on. Her fondness for Yun Xiangrong had also diminished by five or six points. The young lady was quite something—pretending to be a refined lady while pushing her own mother out to stir up trouble. Truly...

For nearly two months, Chu Xiu had hesitated, unwilling to make the request to Shen Yu. Recently, with officials from various trades coming to settle accounts and her beginning to take over external business, she found reasons to stall Hua Wuying. But now... she really could find no excuse.

If she outright rejected her, she would feel guilty toward the second concubine and uneasy in her heart; if she agreed, she could not bring herself to speak to Shen Yu about it—both publicly and privately, it was difficult to say.

The more she pondered, the harder it became, but Hua Wuying whispered again in her ear, “Second Master was first castrated and then met a tragic death outside; he barely left an heir, and Zhuoyan died with her child... Now I only have Xiangrong left, Madam, I beg you!”

Since Yun Qi’s castration, the second concubine of the Yun household had stopped dressing in gaudy colors, opting for increasingly plain attire. Kneeling now with a tense and desperate expression that deepened the fine lines at her eyes, Chu Xiu suddenly realized Hua Wuying was no longer young—she was well into her forties.

No matter how much she fussed and struggled, it was only out of motherly love, wanting to secure a lifetime plan for her child...

Thinking this, Chu Xiu found she could not utter harsh refusals. Moreover, Hua Wuying always brought up the deaths of Yun Qi and Zhuoyan whenever she came to plead, which only deepened Chu Xiu’s guilt and sorrow.

Facing Hua Wuying’s repeated entreaties, Chu Xiu pressed her forehead and fell silent. She was thinking how to delay a little longer when Yun Cheng returned from training with Shen Yu and saw the scene.

This time, Hua Wuying’s arrival was no coincidence; she must have been impatient, forcing Chu Xiu to make a decision in front of Shen Yu. Chu Xiu’s heart sank as she looked at Hua Wuying, still kneeling with a sincere expression.

“Mother, what’s going on?” Yun Cheng asked quickly, sensing Chu Xiu’s unease. Approaching, he saw Hua Wuying kneeling and restrained his emotions, nodding to her politely, “Second Aunt.”

“Young Lord,” Hua Wuying feigned wiping tears, calling him pitifully before glancing outside, then quickly rising, “The young marquis has arrived as well.”

Shen Yu stood at the door, dusk gilding his sturdy attire. His left hand rested behind his back, and his right held two bows and arrows, one large and one small, showing he had just been teaching Yun Cheng archery.

Shen Yu did not know why Hua Wuying was here or why she was weeping before Chu Xiu. But having encountered her twice before, both times she had been excessively warm and courteous toward him, which made him uneasy.

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard Hua Wuying say to him, “Young Marquis, you’ve come just in time. I have something to discuss with you...”

“Second Aunt!” Hua Wuying hadn’t finished when Chu Xiu interrupted, “You should go back for now. This is not the time to discuss this matter.”

“Why not? The young marquis is here. What a rare opportunity! If you don’t speak, I shall have to lay aside my dignity and say it myself.” Hua Wuying was resolute, about to speak to Shen Yu.

“Second Aunt, please go back first. I’m keeping the young marquis for dinner tonight and will speak with him myself,” Chu Xiu urged hastily, her tone unusually urgent.

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Hua Wuying glanced at her skeptically and tentatively asked, “You can’t keep delaying. I can wait, but Xiangrong cannot.”

Chu Xiu frowned slightly and waved her hand, “Go now. I will give you an answer tomorrow.”

Relieved, Hua Wuying smoothed her brow, wiped away her somber expression, and respectfully excused herself. Passing by Shen Yu, she did not forget to exchange a few polite words, fussing over him in a way that irritated him.

Once Hua Wuying was far away, Chu Xiu wiped the sweat from Yun Cheng’s forehead and lightly scolded him, “You were reckless just now, barging in like that. It didn’t look good for Second Aunt.”

Yun Cheng lowered his head, admitting fault, “I saw you looking unwell and thought you were ill...” His words trailed off.

Chu Xiu smiled softly, “As the heir apparent, you should be composed. Look at Uncle Shen—he stood outside the door all along, observing proper etiquette. You should learn from him.”

Yun Cheng nodded deeply, “I take your lesson to heart.”

Chu Xiu, fondly, said, “Go bathe and rest now.”

This was her usual excuse. Yun Cheng knew she wanted to speak to Shen Yu alone, so he readily agreed, “Don’t save my dinner tonight, Mother. I’m going to Rongjin Hall to accompany Grandmother.”

Chu Xiu was startled, marveling at his perceptiveness. At just ten years old, to be so considerate was rare. She was moved and said, “Come back early. Don’t disturb your grandmother’s rest.”

Yun Cheng smiled lightly and promised, his expression and smile strikingly like Yun Ci’s. Chu Xiu stared in surprise as he respectfully took his leave.

As the child departed, Shen Yu strode in with a smile, “I’m usually the least polite person, but now that you praise me for being composed in front of Cheng’er, I’d think you’re mocking me.”

Chu Xiu came back to herself, recalling how she had used Shen Yu as an example to teach Yun Cheng to act with composure, and laughed shyly, “You’re his uncle after all. You can’t be less mature than the younger generation, can you?”

Pausing, she recalled Hua Wuying’s request and her smile faded, “Young Marquis, how much older are you than Cheng’er?”

“Exactly ten years,” Shen Yu smiled faintly, as if understanding her unspoken meaning, and added, “At the age of twenty, I suppose I should be getting married.”