Volume One: The Youngest of the Three Hundred Chapter 101: The Passive Effect of Fragrant Courtyard

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Jingzhong Lane, General’s Mansion!
Yuan Yunfei lay on the bed, wailing incessantly: “Ouch, my backside!”
“Ouch, my face—it really hurts! Be gentle, please!”
He glared at his maid who was squatting by his legs, diligently applying medicine. The mansion steward, Old Sun Er, stood nearby, grinding his teeth: “Young master, that Su Dingfeng has some nerve to even hit you. I’ll immediately gather the staff to pay him a visit and teach him a lesson!”
“Lesson my foot!”
Yuan Yunfei spat wildly. “What can your people do? He’s a cultivator; even martial artists might not stand a chance against him!”
“Well then…”
Old Sun Er’s eyes flicked sharply as he continued scheming: “Young master, if beating him up isn’t feasible, we could report him to the Jingzhao Prefecture or some judicial authority. With your status, which official wouldn’t show you respect? We could have him arrested and thrown in jail!”
“Slap!”
Furious, Yuan Yunfei hurled a cup used for rinsing his mouth toward him, roaring, “Stop with these rotten ideas, you useless, brainless idiot!”
“Su Wanqiu is a married woman; we can only scheme in secret to win her over. We must create the illusion for the world that she’s the one pursuing the Yuan family, not me—the illustrious Young Master Yuan—asking to marry her.”
“How are you so dumb? Ten years in the General’s Mansion, and you’ve learned nothing.”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Old Sun Er nodded vigorously.
“Bullshit!”
“Ouch, my backside!”
Yuan Yunfei tried to get up but had to lie back down, rolling his eyes: “My father is the Protector of the Nation General. I’ve been immersed in the Thirty-Six Stratagems since childhood—how could I lose to that Su Dingfeng?”
“Strength is temporary; wisdom lasts a lifetime. Think carefully before acting.”
After a silent moment of contemplation, Yuan Yunfei, confident and strategic, issued his order: “I’ll bait him with a trap first. You go to Su’s residence and keep watch. Report back immediately if you hear anything.”
“Yes, young master! Rest assured, Old Sun Er will not fail in his mission!” The steward straightened his back, resolute, then left the room.
Yuan Yunfei lay on his side, “Here, here, apply a bit more ointment.”
Fifteen minutes passed.
Half an hour.
Forty-five minutes…
…
“Young master! Young master! Good news, tremendously good news!” After an unknown amount of time, Old Sun Er burst in, shouting with joy.
“Ow!”
Yuan Yunfei, just sitting up to drink his porridge, was startled and dropped his bowl, which landed inverted over his lap.
“Ah!” He cried in pain.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” Yuan Yunfei snapped.
“No! No! No!”
Old Sun Er fell to his knees in fear. “Forgive me, young master… The news is truly good, which made me a bit excited.”
“Hmph!”
Yuan Yunfei quickly pulled down his pants to air out the burnt area on his backside, cursing: “What good news? If I’m not satisfied after hearing it, I’ll break your legs!”
Old Sun Er spoke confidently: “You will be satisfied, young master. I just investigated at the Su residence. The one named Chen is dead. Now, Su Wanqiu is merely a widow.”

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“Wha... what? Dead?” Yuan Yunfei’s “little tail” flicked as he jumped out of bed and rushed over.
Old Sun Er nodded firmly: “Yes, young master, absolutely true. When I arrived, the Su household was preparing for the funeral!”
“Ha ha! Ha ha ha!”
Yuan Yunfei wagged his “tail” excitedly and laughed heartily. Although he didn’t understand why everyone in the Su family suddenly treated the blind son-in-law differently, with Chen dead, there was no excuse left to refuse.
Moreover, once he married her, the whole city of Chang’an would praise him, the son of the Protector of the Nation General, for his noble character in not shunning the young widow.
“Quick, gather some men and come with me to the Su residence!” Yuan Yunfei felt all his pain vanish, replaced by jubilant celebration.
At that moment, Old Sun Er reminded him, “Young master, there’s still Su Dingfeng. I’m afraid…”
“Oh, right! How could I forget him!”
Yuan Yunfei’s smile faltered as he clicked his tongue, pondering. Soon his eyes lit up: “No problem. I’ll lure him away with a decoy.”
He proudly raised his chin and began planning: “I’ll pressure the Su family directly to force the marriage. You take all the mansion guards and servants to draw Su Dingfeng away!”
“How?” Old Sun Er asked curiously.
“Fool!”
Yuan Yunfei rolled his eyes in disdain. “Just stand at the Su mansion gate and shout, ‘Su Dingfeng is a bastard, a cheating sow!’ Got it?”
“This time, I’ll lure the tiger away, sneak through the back door, strike while the fire burns, steal the beam and replace the pillar, substitute the peach for the plum… I will definitely win Su Wanqiu!”
…
Outside the Su family gate, strips of white paper fluttered in the wind, along with solemn mourning couplets and yellow paper.
Gathered inside the courtyard were elders from various branches of the Su family and other close relatives, discussing how to arrange Chen Chang’an’s funeral, with some disagreement.
Except for Su Qingtang and Qin Fuluo, the others—uncle and aunt figures—felt that since he was a son-in-law, the funeral need not be elaborate.
In the main hall, Su Wanqing glanced at Zhu Jiawen and asked, “Is the third sister still not out?”
“Hmm.”
Zhu Jiawen sighed, “Since hearing about her husband’s death, she has locked herself in her room.”
“I know… They truly loved each other!”
Su Wanqing’s tone grew somber. “Forget it. The dead cannot return. You and big brother help dress him in his burial clothes.”
“Alright.”
Zhu Jiawen nodded, shyly looking at Su Dingfeng, who stood with arms crossed by the door, hesitating: “B-Big brother, please…”
“I heard you.”
Su Dingfeng did not refuse, entering the empty hall where the furniture had been moved out. With his left hand, he lifted the prepared burial garment; with the right, he began undressing Chen Chang’an.
As he pulled open the collar, a book titled “Records of the Fragrant Courtesan House” caught his eye.
“Oh, what’s this?” Zhu Jiawen curiously reached out.
“Wait!”
Su Dingfeng barked, “Fragrant Courtesan House sounds like a brothel. This must be Chen Chang’an’s list of courtesans he frequented.”
He fixed Zhu Jiawen with a serious gaze: “We are respectable people. It’s best not to touch such things.”
“Oh!” Zhu Jiawen obediently withdrew her hand.
“Hmm!”
Su Dingfeng nodded with satisfaction, grabbed the “Fragrant Courtesan House Records,” and flipped it open: “Let me see which girls he picked!”

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Zhu Jiawen: “……”
Su Wanqing was utterly speechless!
As for Su Dingfeng himself, he looked hopeful, but quickly his expression fell when he saw every page was blank.
“Heh… So this guy was all talk and no guts!”
“Burn it! Go wander downstairs.” He tossed the book into the fire pit briskly.
…
At the Fragrant Courtesan House, on the upper floor, the “Fragrant Courtesan House Records” fell from the distant starry sky, crackling as it burned to ash. Simultaneously, the surrounding space began to warp and ripple, and the corpse of Chen Chang’an gradually materialized from ethereal to solid.
Inside the room, Peach Blossom seemed to sense something. She immediately pushed the door open, stepping gracefully forward. Upon seeing only a pile of ashes where the book had been and Chen Chang’an lying still, her face grew cold.
“What’s going on!”
Lifting her skirt, she hurried closer and gently took his wrist in a traditional pulse-taking pose. After carefully sensing, she was shocked: “He’s… dead… how is this possible!”
Her gaze shifted to the pile of ashes nearby. She whispered, “It was because the ‘Fragrant Courtesan House Records’ were burned that he was passively brought here. Luckily, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to save him!”
Peach Blossom patted her chest and exhaled deeply, then waved her sleeves. The scene of the ashes reversed strangely and restored to its original state.
“Hmm, done!”
She stared at Chen Chang’an’s face, though cleaned, still covered with pustules. Her brows furrowed lightly, chin in hand, looking melancholy and troubled like a lotus bent by the autumn wind: “But saving you won’t be simple. It will take at least twelve hours.”
“But that’s good. After rebirth without soul or spirit, as a ‘spirit’ inhabiting the body, the vessel will be purer!”
Speaking, she lifted Chen Chang’an in a princess carry and entered the room, closing and securing the door behind her.
At the bedside, she gently placed him down, waved her sleeves to extinguish the candlelight, and drew the curtain to block the window. Completing all preparations, she raised her pale, snow-white wrists and slender fingers to untie the outer garments.
Beneath was a layer of delicate white underclothes embroidered with fine patterns, stretched tight over two prominent mounds, revealing pristine contours one by one.
Not having done this for a millennium, she took a deep breath, cheeks faintly flushed, her movements shy yet tinged with anticipation as she removed Chen Chang’an’s clothes.
“Twelve continuous hours will be hard, but only then can my ‘spirit’ essence transfer into your body. Bear with it!”
“Creak!”
“Creak, creak!”
“Creak, creak, creak, creak!”
“Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak!”
The bed frame creaked rhythmically.
…
Back at the Su family compound, after discussion among the elders and relatives, the funeral was set for the next day. Since he was a son-in-law, it was inappropriate to keep the body at home too long.
Su Dingfeng’s eyes swept disdainfully over the uncles and aunts. It was a pity for such a lively, interesting soul as Chen Chang’an…
Just as he was reflecting, a few men appeared at the gate, cupping their hands in a wide ‘O’ to amplify their voices, shouting: “Su Dingfeng is a bastard, a cheating sow!”
“Su Dingfeng is a bastard, a cheating sow!”
Su Dingfeng: “……”