Saying anything more to him would just be empty words.

He knew that Zhao Chu's request wasn't meant to trouble him but was simply a reminder and a warning. A newly married husband wouldn't leave his wife alone the very next day unless something had happened between them.

Fang Linyuan had no choice but to go.

Meeting Zhao Chu's smiling yet treacherous gaze, Fang Linyuan reluctantly forced a stiff smile and said, "Of course, I'll go."

Zhao Chu nodded with a faint smile.

For a moment, the two locked eyes, appearing to be a harmonious couple.

But Fang Linyuan quietly turned his gaze away.

Who can save me? He thought powerlessly.

Meanwhile, not far away, several maids who witnessed this scene in the courtyard chuckled and said, "The Marquis and his wife are truly very loving."

"That's right! The Lady is the one the Marquis has been longing for day and night."

"But why do I feel like the Marquis hasn't been smiling much these days?"

"What do you know? That's called being serious. Now that the Marquis is married, does he still need to act recklessly like a young boy?"

"That's true, married people are always different."

The group of maids chatted with smiles, but none of them could read the words "save me" from the Marquis's somewhat stiff expression.

*

The Huaiyu Pavilion remained busy until noon before gradually becoming tidy.

Song Yan was a nanny who came from the palace and was also the highest-ranking maid in the Huaiyu Pavilion. After arranging everything neatly, she gathered all the maids and servants in the courtyard to give them instructions and rules.

Those who served by the princess's side couldn't be as lazy as those elsewhere. No one was allowed to enter the hall with brooms, and those who served in the hall were not allowed to peek into the inner room. Especially since the princess liked to be quiet, except for a few people who followed her from the palace, no one else was allowed to enter the princess's bedroom. Even if they lingered near the window, they would be immediately be sold off.

Inside the bedroom, it was quiet.

Outside the window, several banana trees were planted, covered with a thin coating of snow. Outside the banana trees were several layers of flowering trees, now in full bloom, with their branches casting slanting shadows. Not far away was a broad pond fed by running water, with willows covered in snow on the banks, standing like a green wall outside the flower window.

Zhao Chu sat alone by the window, his hairpins removed, calmly burning incense.

"The situation in the Anping Marquis's mansion has been fully investigated. Your Highness can rest assured," a rough voice sounded in the quiet room.

Wu Xinghai knelt not far from the embroidered screen, bowing his head.

"Hmm," Zhao Chu responded, his gaze still fixed on the red sandalwood incense burner. "Have you found the palace spies?"

"There are three," Wu Xinghai informed him.

Zhao Chu chuckled, "That's just the right number."

"Your Highness, rest assured, these three individuals have shown no signs of suspicion towards you. Now that the Anping Marquis's mansion is fully under our control, even if they send out messages, they will have to go through us."

"You've done well," Zhao Chu congratulated lightly.

"Eastern Depot’s Minister Shi has contributed a lot," Wu Xinghai underlined.

(NT: Dōng Chǎng 东厂; Eastern Depot, a Ming dynasty secret police agency)

 

"Now that he can sit firmly in the position of Inspector, he naturally knows who he should serve," Zhao Chu said slowly, putting down the copper incense stick.

"What about the palace?" he asked.

"The Empress is preparing for the Sixth Princess's marriage, and everything is normal," Wu Xinghai explained. "The Dou Mansion has sent two messages to the court, and I didn't dare to act without permission. I left them on Your Highness's dressing table."

This was all within Zhao Chu's expectations.

The Sixth Princess, born of the current Empress Jiang Honglian, held a prestigious position. The Empress was also very concerned about her sister's marriage, already looking for a suitable husband for her last autumn during the imperial examination.

However, the palace was strict with its rules, and numerous imperial censors watched their every move. As the Empress, she could not bypass the Fifth Princess, who had just completed her mourning period, to find a husband for her sister first.

Therefore, in the past two months, Jiang Honglian had been paying close attention to his marriage affairs, which was also one of the reasons why Zhao Chu had to leave the palace as soon as possible.

And another reason...

"How is the matter with the Eastern Depot going?" Zhao Chu asked.

"It's still under investigation. Minister Shi said that the news will be sent to the Marquis's mansion in a few days," Wu Xinghai said.

Zhao Chu nodded, "You can rest assured, Wu Shunde will not have died in vain."

Wu Xinghai bowed deeply to Zhao Chu, "It's his blessing to be able to serve Your Highness."

"Alright, get up," Zhao Chu lit the incense, and the scent of agarwood filled the air. However, it was actually mixed with some spices from the South Seas by Zhao Chu, lingering on the objects for seven or eight days.

On the letters exchanged with the Eastern Depot, there were no markings, only this incense, which was the only way to identify his letters.

Wu Xinghai stood up.

"If there's nothing else, you may leave. I'll leave the reply on the incense case tomorrow, and you can have someone deliver it," Zhao Chu ordered.

"Yes."

"Also, fifteen minutes before dinner, go to the Fu Guang Pavilion (NT: fú  guāng, bright happiness) and invite Fang Linyuan."

Wu Xinghai was silent for a moment.

Zhao Chu looked at him, "What's wrong?"

"Your Highness, to speak frankly, your plan is foolproof, except for this person, who is a variable," Wu Xinghai noted, slowly raising his head.

"Your Highness, it would be better to eliminate him as soon as possible to avoid any future troubles."

Ice-cold killing intent shimmered in his murky eyes.

Zhao Chu remained silent, just quietly watching the incense smoke rise in the sunlight, like a tightly twisted net in the air.

After a moment, he spoke faintly.

"No need to say more, I have my own plans," he said.

*

Fifteen minutes before dinner, Wu Xinghai promptly invited Fang Linyuan to the Huaiyu Pavilion. (NT: huáiyù:  heart of Jade)

The main hall of the Huaiyu Pavilion was already set with food. Steamed bream, braised meat with Tai Lake crucian (NT: medium sized carp), roast goose from Yunlin, along with a dish of fluffy tofu and pine mushrooms, fragrant and light, which was Fang Linyuan's least favorite taste.

When Fang Linyuan entered the room, Zhao Chu was sitting at the table, watching the maids lay out the dishes.

Seeing Fang Linyuan enter, he stood up with a faint smile and gestured for Fang Linyuan to take a seat. "The Marquis has arrived."

Fang Linyuan sat down at the table and heard Zhao Chu say beside him, "Today's dishes were prepared by the palace chef. I wonder if they suit the Marquis's taste."

The warm-coloured lamps in the room reflected on Zhao Chu's face, casting a gentle halo. For a moment, even his usually cold demeanour softened slightly.

But Fang Linyuan could clearly see in his black eyes under the light, the cold calculation and evaluation of his every move and expression.

"Madam has put in effort," he averted his gaze.

Zhao Chu smiled and sat down beside him.

"Alright, you can all leave now," Zhao Chu ordered to the maids beside him. "I'll serve the Marquis."

The servants of the Anping Marquis's mansion were usually lax, but under Zhao Chu's gaze, they were disciplined and orderly. After bowing to the two of them, they silently withdrew.

Fang Linyuan suddenly felt like he was in the palace.

Seeing this, Yan Ting, who was behind him, glanced at Fang Linyuan, seeking his opinion.

Fang Linyuan glanced at Zhao Chu and nodded. "You may leave."

And Wu Xinghai, who had been waiting outside the door, only closed the door after Yan Ting left.

The spacious hall was now only occupied by the two of them.

"Do you have something to say?" When there was no one around, Fang Linyuan asked directly.

But Zhao Chu, calm as ever, served him a bowl of mushroom soup.

"Marquis, try this," the fake female voice suddenly disappeared, replaced by the original cold and indifferent tone. Paired with those slender hands serving the soup, it seemed as if a man was reconciling with Fang Linyuan.

Fang Linyuan shuddered.

"...Do you have something on your mind?" He looked at Zhao Chu warily.

Zhao Chu paused for a moment, then chuckled and pushed the bowl of soup back, taking a sip himself.

"Just getting used to it," he explained lightly.

As the hot soup went down his throat, Zhao Chu closed his eyes contentedly, like a satisfied snake. "It's just that someone's watching, making me uneasy. But Marquis, you needn't worry."

Fang Linyuan silently picked up his chopsticks and started eating the tasteless dishes on the table.

The two of them ate silently until Zhao Chu finished his bowl of soup, set down his chopsticks, and began to speak slowly.

"There is indeed something to discuss," he said. "This morning, if your sister-in-law hadn't been unable to see, you would have definitely raised suspicions."

"There's no one else in the mansion, you can rest assured," Fang Linyuan affirmed.

But Zhao Chu shook his head. "We'll have to return to the palace the day after tomorrow, and it won't be as simple as today."

"You want me to accompany you back to the palace?" Fang Linyuan was surprised.

Zhao Chu raised his eyebrows nonchalantly. "Prepare yourself."

"Did I promise to go back with you?" Fang Linyuan retorted.

"But your deep affection for me is genuine," Zhao Chu stated as if a matter-of-fact.

"Who's affectionate..." Fang Linyuan's whole body shuddered.

If only he had known he was falling for such a treacherous man... If only, instead of this, he had died honorably at the Yumen Pass!

He couldn't bring himself to utter the words "deep affection". Through gritted teeth, he said, "Can you please stop bringing this up?"

But Zhao Chu shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, not understanding what he was upset about.

"So, you need to think it through. I can find evidence to make the Emperor think I've displeased you, but..."

"But then you won't spare my entire family," Fang Linyuan interrupted him coldly.

Zhao Chu nodded approvingly.

"You want to try a different tactic?" Fang Linyuan asked him.

"Tactics aren't about being old or new, they're about being effective," Zhao Chu replied.

"You..."

"It's you who should find a new object of affection early on to avoid many troubles," Zhao Chu reminded him calmly, lifting his eyes to look at Fang Linyuan, offering a gentle reminder.

Fang Linyuan: "..."

This person was not only ruthlessly calculating but also extremely malicious. Once he found his weak spot, he would repeatedly threaten him, poking at it with his finger.

Feeling choked up, it took Fang Linyuan a long time to forcefully speak.

"Fine, I'll act with you. After a few days, I'll return to the border. I won't come back to the capital unless necessary. It won't bother you. Once your plan succeeds, we'll part ways, and there will be no further involvement between us."

At this point, he took a deep breath, stared at Zhao Chu, and said fiercely.

"But if you mention the stupid things I've done for you again, even if I have to sacrifice my life, I'll destroy everything along with you."

Ah, his eyes were red with anger.

He was just kindly advising the other party to get rid of the burden of love early, but somehow he had angered him.

Looking at Fang Linyuan's cold and threatening expression, Zhao Chu not only didn't feel displeased, but from the bottom of his heart, he felt a bit of lively amusement.

It was like a gust of wind blowing over the snow-covered glaciers, only stirring up a flurry of snowflakes. From a distance, it looked like a light veil floating over the ice after years of cold.

Zhao Chu's eyebrows twitched slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

 

--

The author has something to say:

Zhao Chu: I'm such a good person, teaching him how to be successful without getting emotionally involved.

Who knows it will be "wife, wifey, " in the future ~

 

Translator : DarNan