Chapter 7: The Empress Dowager and Her Substitute Young Lover

Wei Yan took a step back and laughed, "No, I am merely feeling sorry for you, Elder Sister. Your late husband passed away so young; how truly inconsiderate of him."

Hua Yue: "...Late husband?"

Wei Yan gave a shy smile. "I happened to overhear what you said to your maidservant just now. Please forgive my rudeness."

Her husband had just died. Yet, he was smiling so brightly it seemed to bubble up from the very bottom of his heart. There was not a shred of genuine self-reproach in his demeanor. He was thick-skinned indeed.

"Do you truly not know who I am?" Hua Yue crossed her arms, watching him with an inscrutable gaze.

Wei Yan blinked. He had just arrived in the capital, so naturally, he did not know her. Based on the current situation, she must be a young lady from a family of considerable power. Otherwise, why would she be targeted by assassins and protected by highly skilled covert guards?

He shook his head honestly. "I do not. I have just arrived in the capital and am unfamiliar with many things. Might you take me around to see the sights, Elder Sister?" He added, "By the way, my name is Wen Lezhan. You may call me Ah Zhan; that is what my family calls me."

He flashed another beguiling smile.

Hua Yue: "..."

"Ah Zhan?"

"Yes." Wei Yan smiled with apparent sincerity.

Hua Yue could not be bothered to play his word games and cut straight to the point. "You like me? Even though I have just lost my husband?"

Without waiting for his reply, Hua Yue raised an eyebrow, leaned closer, and smiled bewitchingly. "Do you know what I liked about my late husband?" The woman’s alabaster fingertip slid down Wei Yan’s cheek and rested upon his bobbing Adam's apple, her expression brimming with mirth.

"What?"

As the words fell, Hua Yue’s hand dropped to the man’s waist and abdomen. She curled her lips into a seductive, alluring smile.

Wei Yan felt his heart skip a beat. He wanted to lean forward, but she suddenly pushed him away. The woman’s languid, amused voice rang out:

"He was old, and he died young."

"As for you, you clearly do not meet the requirements. You are a bit too young."

Hua Yue clicked her tongue twice and turned to leave.

Wei Yan: "..."

"My Lady!"

After settling matters with the workshop owner, Qingli came running out, only to see Wei Yan staring intently at Hua Yue’s retreating back. The men in black were already gone.

She trotted over. "My Lady! Are you unharmed?"

Hua Yue shook her head with a smile, lifting her delicate chin. "Thanks to this young master for intervening in time."

"Ah?" Qingli glanced sideways, a flash of astonishment in her eyes, followed immediately by wariness. Anyone approaching their mistress at a time like this was certainly no good.

Hua Yue stood up. "Let's go. It is time to return and settle some scores."

"Oh, right."

Wei Yan’s gaze followed the two as they departed.

He reached up and touched his face. So... had his attempt at seduction failed? His mother had insisted that he should be grateful for this face of his, or he would never be able to find a wife. Why was this face failing him now?

***

Inside the carriage.

"My Lady, where is your hairpin?" Qingli asked, looking at Hua Yue’s bare hair bun.

Hua Yue touched her head, gave a nonchalant smile, and curled her lips. "If it's lost, it's lost."

"It looked so lovely on you, My Lady. What a pity," Qingli lamented.

Hua Yue leaned against the carriage wall, closing her eyes to rest. Qingli fell silent and quietly lit some incense.

After a long while, Hua Yue spoke suddenly. "Have you ever heard of Wei Yan?"

Qingli was startled. She struggled for a moment, dredging the name from the corners of her memory. "Does Your Ladyship mean Prince Yuezhang?"

"Yuezhang?" Hua Yue opened her eyes.

Involving secrets of the imperial palace, Qingli leaned toward Hua Yue and whispered, "Back when the First Prince was deposed, Prince Yuezhang witnessed his father being beaten to a pulp. He was so terrified he ran a fever for days, and when he woke up, he was simple-minded. His Majesty took pity on him and bestowed upon him the title 'Yuezhang,' hoping he would find joy in his remaining years."

Hua Yue recalled the man who had smiled more brilliantly than any flower just moments ago. She repeated the word "simple-minded" with a mocking lilt in her tone.

"Yes, it is quite pitiful, really."

"Hmm, pitiful indeed." Hua Yue closed her eyes, losing interest.

"Indeed, My Lady—" Qingli’s gossiping spirit had just been ignited, but seeing Hua Yue’s weary, sleepy expression, she fell silent.

"Go on."

Qingli’s eyes brightened. "I heard this from the palace maids. It is said that at the frontier, Prince Yuezhang spent his days playing with homeless beggars. He was always filthy and disheveled, causing all sorts of ridiculous scenes."

"His behavior was no different from a child’s. And to think, he was once a remarkably bright boy. Now..." She chattered on for a long time.

Hua Yue tried to reconcile that image with the man she had met today and the description of Wei Yan in the books. She arrived at a single conclusion:

These were clearly three different people.

***

Qingyuan Academy.

The academy was nestled in the mountains on the outskirts of the capital, shrouded in mist like a celestial palace. In a small cabin behind the academy, Qin Ziyan looked at his "small treasury" with a pained expression. The Qin family had always valued frugality; all the money he had saved since childhood was in this wooden jar.

He had taken a trip to the northwestern frontier, and his treasury was nearly empty. That rich fellow was stingy to the point of death—he hadn't even paid for his own meals.

As he was grumbling, a sound came from behind him. His expression tightened.

He heard the sound of a concealed weapon cutting through the air. He turned his head and side-stepped, catching it with his bare hands. Looking up, he saw Wei Yan leaping through the wooden window with graceful, effortless ease.

Qin Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief. "So you remember how to come back." He curled his lip. Looking down, he realized the "concealed weapon" in his hand was actually a gold ingot.

Qin Ziyan’s eyes lit up instantly. He then asked in disbelief, "Did you succeed in usurping the throne?"

Wei Yan: "..."

He sat at the bamboo table and poured himself a cup of tea. After a light sip, he said, "Is there anyone in the capital who recently lost her husband and comes from a prominent family?"

Qin Ziyan shook his head. "I haven't heard of such a thing. But I have only been back in the capital for two months; my intelligence is not yet sharp." He paused, then looked at Wei Yan, who was fiddling with a hairpin at the desk. He smiled playfully. "You must be talking about the young lady you met today, aren't you?"

"And?" Wei Yan did not shy away.

Qin Ziyan was stunned. "Did you really fall in love at first sight?"

Wei Yan replied candidly, "And what if I did?"

The young man’s features were sharp and aggressive, poised for action, full of predatory intent. Wei Yan’s slender, pale fingers pinched an exquisite hairpin, his gaze never wavering.

Qin Ziyan snorted, mocking his brother, "I think you’re just coveting her beauty."

"And what if I am?"

"...Fine, fine. I’ll look into it for you, alright? For the sake of the gold."

"My thanks."

Qin Ziyan scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Still, I feel like that young lady looks so familiar."

Wei Yan did not hear clearly. "What did you say?"

"I said that young lady looks familiar to me."

Wei Yan raised his eyes. "Familiar?"

"Yes... give me a moment to think." Qin Ziyan slapped his own head hard, trying to knock the lost memory out of his mind.

Wei Yan: "..."

A quarter of an hour later, Qin Ziyan slapped his head again. "I remember now!"

"She is Xiao Su, the legitimate daughter of General Xiao!"