Chapter 157: Entrusting the Bright Moon Across a Thousand Miles (Part Two)

After Hua Wuying left, Chuxiu forced herself to calm down and analyze the situation. Now that Shen Yu was serving in the Ministry of Punishments and was about to move against the Ming clan, he should not have acted so impulsively. The Yun clan was his backing; if he were to divorce Xiangrong at this juncture, losing the status of a Yun clan son-in-law, and with the Wenchang Marquis Manor having already fallen, the Ming clan would show him no mercy and strike without hesitation.

Furthermore, Shen Yu had openly fallen out with Helian Qi, and the feud was already deeply set. To sever ties with Xiangrong now would only plunge him into extreme danger—it brought a hundred harms and not a single benefit. Someone as clever as Shen Yu must have foreseen these critical stakes.

Having reasoned thus, Chuxiu could no longer sit still. For the sake of Shen Yu's future and his very life, no matter how outrageous Yun Xiangrong's behavior might be, she would never allow them to go through with a divorce! Doubtless, Yun Xiangrong had grasped this exact weakness, which was why she had sent someone back to deliver the message to Hua Wuying, prompting Hua Wuying to plead with her.

The most formidable tactic in this world was not being forced to do something against one's will, but rather knowing full well that one detested a task, yet being compelled to perform it willingly. Viewed from this perspective, Yun Xiangrong was the most astute of women.

Chuxiu sat alone for the entire afternoon. When the sound of the rain began to subside as evening fell, she summoned Zhuying and asked, "When the son-in-law previously resided in Yanlan City for a long time, he purchased a residence here. Is there still anyone trustworthy left behind to look after it?"

Zhuying paused in thought for a moment before nodding in reply, "Yes. There was a young pageboy named 'Qingyi' who always followed the son-in-law and handled his affairs, proving himself utterly loyal throughout. Later, when the son-in-law escaped alone from Yanlan City, Qingyi stayed behind to manage the estate."

Chuxiu had heard Shen Yu mention the name "Qingyi" before; whenever Shen Yu used to visit the Yun residence to see her, he always brought this young servant along. Now that the Wenchang Marquis Manor had fallen and its followers scattered like falling leaves, this pageboy was still willing to stay behind and manage the property for Shen Yu, remaining there for over two years—which proved he was indeed a reliable person.

Coincidentally, Shen Yu was currently short of trusted men by his side. Chuxiu pondered for a moment before instructing Zhuying, "Ask him if he is still willing to follow the son-in-law. If he is, have him come to see me tomorrow morning."

Early the next morning, Qingyi waited with nervous apprehension outside the gates of the Yun residence. By the time Zhuying learned of his arrival, he had been waiting outside for nearly an hour, chilled to the bone. Zhuying brought him into the Zhiyan Pavilion and had him warm up with hot tea for a long while before Qingyi finally regained his color.

"Wait here, the mistress will be right over," Zhuying instructed briefly before heading to the Qingxin Studio to fetch Chuxiu.

All morning long, Chuxiu had been hunched over her desk writing furiously, writing and tearing up, tearing and starting over again. After tossing about back and forth for a full hour, she finally distilled her thoughts into a concise and pithy sixteen-character message: "The family standing is grand, petty matters are trivial; do not act rashly, guard against arrogance and impatience."

Originally, she had written a lengthy outpouring of her innermost feelings, but Chuxiu had torn it up herself, fearing it might produce the opposite effect and give Shen Yu unwarranted hope. If she were to explicitly forbid him from divorcing Yun Xiangrong, she worried that Shen Yu might fly into a rage and throw caution to the wind, sparking further complications. After much deliberation, she found that writing these sixteen short characters was her only way to hint at her meaning.

When Zhuying stepped into the Qingxin Studio, she instantly noticed Chuxiu writing letters. Scraps of discarded stationery were crumpled into balls all over the desk, reflecting the writer's inner conflict and entanglement.

"Mistress, Qingyi has arrived," Zhuying reported from outside the doorway.

Right on cue, Chuxiu finished writing the letter, slipped it into an envelope, and called Zhuying inside, saying, "Seal this letter with sealing wax." She paused for a moment and then asked, "Among the late Marquis's possessions, there used to be a pair of mandarin duck daggers—one inlaid with rubies, the other with emeralds. Where are those daggers now?"

"When we packed up the late Marquis's personal effects, they were all stored away. Does the mistress wish to find them?" Zhuying knew that pair of daggers had been a wedding gift from Shen Yu to his master, Yun Ci.

Over the years, Chuxiu had deliberately tried not to think of those daggers, but now, she had to use them. She hesitated for a brief moment before saying, "Tell Danxin to find the daggers and bring them to me shortly." With that, she rose and headed toward the reception parlor of the Zhiyan Pavilion.

***

More than two years had passed, and the once callow pageboy now appeared much more settled. Chuxiu had met Qingyi a few times before, so she dispensed with excessive formalities. As she walked in, she smiled and asked, "You must be seventeen or eighteen by now, aren't you?"

Qingyi immediately stood up from his seat and replied respectfully, "Replying to the mistress, I will be eighteen very soon."

Chuxiu nodded and cut straight to the point, "You must have heard about the affairs of the Wenchang Marquis Manor. When the son-in-law left Yanlan City back then, it was fraught with danger, and he did not take you with him. I commend you for staying behind to guard his residence over the past two years; it shows true loyalty."

Chuxiu paused, observing Qingyi's honest and sincere face, and continued, "I heard the son-in-law mention before that despite your youth, you possess good judgment. I will ask you a question now, and you must answer truthfully... If you no longer wish to follow him, I can give you a sum of money to carve out your own path, or arrange a proper future for you. If you are still willing to follow him, I will send you to Jingzhou."

Clearly, Qingyi had not looked that far ahead, and he hesitated for a moment before answering, "When the young Marquis left, he only instructed me to look after the residence well, saying he would surely return sooner or later... As for anything else, I hadn't thought about it."

"That in itself is already quite remarkable. When the Marquis of Wenchang fell, how many people scrambled to sever ties with him! The fact that you could still guard his property for the past two years makes you a loyal servant," Chuxiu sighed softly. "Think carefully. Now that the son-in-law is serving in the Ministry of Punishments and is about to make a name for himself, he is in urgent need of dependable men by his side. If you follow him now, the bond forged in adversity is something no one else can match."

Since Chuxiu had put it so plainly, Qingyi finally understood. He immediately dropped to his knees to declare his stance, "This servant was redeemed by the young Marquis. When my family fell gravely ill back then, it was the young Marquis who provided the cure... I will repay this debt of gratitude even if it means working like an ox or a horse."

Qingyi was so emotional his words became slightly jumbled, but Chuxiu understood his meaning. She nodded and said, "Very well. But you must remember, he is no longer the young Marquis Shen; you can no longer address him as such. Jingzhou is not Yanlan City; a single careless word can bring about execution."

Qingyi replied with utmost solemnity, "This servant will remember. This servant will only regard him as my master, not as the young Marquis Shen."

Chuxiu was well satisfied with Qingyi's response. Finally, employing a combination of benevolence and sternness, she added, "Since you have given me your word today, you must serve the son-in-law wholeheartedly from now on. Should you ever harbor any disloyal intentions... do you know the methods of my Yun clan?"

Qingyi hastily kowtowed, "Please rest assured, Mistress."

"You may go back. Someone will take over the management of the son-in-law's residence. I give you one day to pack your belongings, and tomorrow I will send someone to escort you to Jingzhou," Chuxiu commanded finally.

Qingyi left the Yun residence after expressing his boundless gratitude. Once he had gone, Zhuying entered holding a brocade box and reported to Chuxiu, "The two daggers you requested have both been found. The letter has been sealed as well."

Chuxiu took the brocade box and opened it. The two daggers lay quietly inside, their blades emitting a dazzling radiance and their gemstones gleaming brilliantly; even without leaving their scabbards, they exuded a faint, chilling aura. The characters for "Affection" and "Depth" were respectively engraved upon the two daggers, acting like the most potent spell in this world, binding a man's heart and his entire life in an inescapable grip.

Chuxiu's delicate fingers gently brushed across the words "Profound Affection," then she placed the letter into the brocade box as well. She felt a wave of bitterness rise in her throat, yet she forced it down and instructed Zhuying, "Tomorrow, arrange an escort to send Qingyi to the capital, and make sure he delivers this box to Shen Yu."

As she spoke, Chuxiu retrieved her personal seal from her sleeve and tossed it to Zhuying, saying, "Take my seal to the accounting room to draw a thousand-liang silver draft for Qingyi, so he can properly serve his master in the future."

Hearing this, Zhuying acknowledged the order, stepped forward to take the brocade box from Chuxiu's hands, and turned to withdraw. Just as he reached the doorway, a voice suddenly called out from behind him, "Come back."

Zhuying turned around and walked back to Chuxiu's side, asking, "Does the mistress have further instructions?"

***

When he asked this, no sound followed for a long while. At last, Zhuying saw Chuxiu take out the ruby-inlaid dagger from the brocade box and command once more, "You may leave." For reasons unknown, Zhuying managed to detect the vulnerability and choked sob of the Yun clan's matriarch hidden within those three short words.

In the end, he said nothing more, held the brocade box tightly, and withdrew once again. The box lid remained propped open. Glancing down, Zhuying saw that of the two daggers previously resting inside, only one remained. Though solitary, its brilliant sheen was extraordinarily dazzling. Chuxiu's handwritten letter lay right atop it, covering the exact spot where the character for "Affection" was engraved upon the dagger's hilt.

***

Half a month after sending Qingyi away, Nie Peixiao also returned to the capital. The upcoming wedding of the Second Young Mistress, Yun Muge, kept Chuxiu in a flurry of activity. At the end of September, Yun Muge was officially married off to the Ye family in Quzhou. The Yun clan's dowry chests numbered a full two hundred loads, their golden nanmu trunks uniformly draped in ice-silk red brocade as they were grandly carried off to the groom's family—a spectacle that became celebrated as a romantic tale throughout both Fangzhou and Quzhou for a time.

Sometime later, Yun Xian sent a family letter mentioning that Shen Yu and Yun Xiangrong had reconciled and no longer spoke of a divorce.

As winter set in, the head steward, Yun Zhong, suddenly fell gravely ill. On his deathbed, he recommended his own nephew, Yun Feng, to succeed him: "This old servant has devoted body and soul to the Yun family all my life; now I can go down to the netherworld to continue serving the two Marquises. Since Zhuying is unwilling to take up this position, this old servant wishes for my nephew Yun Feng to take charge..."

Yun Zhong was bedridden, tears streaming down his withered face: "My nephew's competence is beyond question; having followed by this old servant's side since childhood to watch and learn, he understands a great deal. While I dare not boast of his overall ability, he holds an infatuated devotion toward the mistress. For this reason alone, the mistress can employ him with confidence; he will never betray you."

Had Yun Zhong not brought it up, Chuxiu would have almost forgotten that Yun Feng had previously proposed marriage to her twice during Yun Ci's time. Come to think of it, Yun Zhong had served the Yun family faithfully his entire life, and his merits always outweighed his faults. Whether his recommendation stemmed from private partiality or sheer loyalty, Chuxiu could not bear to refuse his dying request, and merely said, "The position of the Yun family's head steward is of paramount importance. I will discuss this matter with the Grand Madam."

As though anticipating that the Grand Madam would agree, Yun Zhong wiped away his tears and smiled, "Good, good! Her elderly ladyship will certainly approve. My nephew lost his wife this spring and has remained a widower ever since. If the mistress does not mind, you can find him a secondary wife in due course; that will put an end to any lingering thoughts he might harbor toward you. From this day forward, let him be of service to you."

"Very good." Unaccustomed to witnessing scenes of life and death, Chuxiu felt her heart soften and agreed. The following day, Yun Zhong passed away. When Chuxiu broached the idea of appointing Yun Feng, the Grand Madam indeed raised no objection.

Because the old steward Yun Zhong was gone, Chuxiu felt something was missing during yet another New Year at the Yun residence. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Yun Feng officially assumed office, taking charge of the household affairs of the Yun residence.

Another month later, news arrived from the capital: Empress Ming Zhen had been stripped of her title under the crime of "losing her virtue" and reduced to a commoner; immediately following this, secrets regarding the Right Chancellor Ming Cheng—such as misappropriating the national treasury, trafficking in official posts, and assassinating key court officials—were exposed one by one, and he was sentenced to capital punishment for multiple accumulated crimes.

The Ming clan mobilized massive human and material resources until they finally forced the Regent Nie Peihan to compromise, sparing the lives of the rest of their clan. The Right Chancellor's remaining direct eldest son, Ming Zhang, and direct eldest daughter, Ming Ying, escaped execution. However, the status of the Ming clan plummeted drastically, transforming overnight from an imperial consort family into a lineage of condemned criminals, while their in-laws, the Helian clan, were also implicated, their reputation severely diminished.

Simultaneously, the Minister of Punishments was retained in office under probation, while the Vice Minister of Punishments, Helian Qi, claimed illness and stayed home. Operating in his capacity as a principal official of the Ministry of Punishments, Shen Yu was ordered to temporarily act as the Vice Minister of Punishments, jointly presiding with the Dali Temple over the thorough investigation and trial of the Ming clan's case.

The capital was undergoing a drastic upheaval, dark clouds gathered across the political landscape, and a sweeping purge of the imperial court was imminent.