Qingyun Terrace (2): The Dowry Jewelry Stolen

The young masters in the private room laughed and jested, with a number of women seated beside them. That man was Qi Xiaohan, the second young master of the Qi family—a carefree good-for-nothing who spent his days chasing dogs and idling about, notorious across all of Chang'an as a rake.

Perhaps she could make use of him...

She lowered her gaze and surveyed her surroundings. She heard someone from inside say, "Today the Qingyun Terrace has brought in a fresh batch of goods. Brother Qi, would you care to take a look?"

Zhou Yao tried to peer through the crack in the paper window to see who was speaking, but before she could react, someone shoved her.

"Ah!" Before Zhou Yao could recover, she was grabbed by the arm and thrown to the floor. The woman cursed, "You little wench, still trying to run off? Have you no shame? Do you think you're worthy of standing at the door of a noble gentleman's private room? Get back to work at once, or I'll deal with you tonight!"

The woman kicked her in the stomach. The pain left Zhou Yao momentarily dazed; by the time she came to, she was being dragged aside.

She looked up and saw that the old madam had entered the private room, probably currying favor with those inside.

She couldn't exactly use her identity as the Ninth Princess to bully the management—the affairs between clans were always tangled in the same old webs. After a moment's thought, Zhou Yao found a spare room nearby and retrieved a bamboo hat. She modified it into something like the mili veils worn by women of the Western Regions, then slipped out wearing it.

Her original clothes had already been replaced, which saved her the trouble.

From the balcony bridge reserved for the establishment's performers, she leapt down, robes fluttering. Everyone present was stunned by her beauty. When she landed at the center of the stage, she drew the gaze of nearly every patron.

It didn't take long—just as Zhou Yao had anticipated—before she was invited upstairs by several servants.

She didn't know Qi Xiaohan's servants, so she simply picked a familiar face and followed him up to the private room on the second floor. But the Qi Xiaohan she expected wasn't there. Instead, she met the eldest son of the Chancellor's residence—Zhao Wenhua.

"Still standing there like a fool? Get in here!" A man beside Zhao Wenhua spoke. Zhou Yao thought he must be the son of Zhao Tingwei; since both were from the Zhao clan, their familiarity was natural.

"Yes." Zhou Yao answered with feigned fragility, taking a seat not far from Zhao Wenhua. She picked up the wine flask and began pouring.

"Cousin, I heard that brat from the Qi family came today too. His father made such a spectacle of our uncle in court, humiliating him before the Emperor."

He watched Zhao Wenhua's expression tentatively and added, "Hah, as if he amounts to anything. If it weren't for the Emperor hastily arranging things, they'd have nothing! That Qi second son relies on his father's real power to lord over us."

"That's right..." Zhao Wenhua slurred, his cheeks flushed as if drunk. He cast a dazed glance at the veiled Zhou Yao and signaled for her to sit closer.

Zhou Yao observed the situation in the room, adding their words to her mental calculations.

"That Qi Yanhan married the Princess, and the current Crown Prince was propped up by him all the way..." He lifted the cup freshly poured by Zhou Yao's hand, but before he could finish, the door was kicked open with a thunderous slam against the wall.

"Well, well, I wondered who it was. So it's the Zhao clan in here. I'll take this woman. Brother Zhao isn't going to deny me face, is he?" Qi Xiaohan said with a grin, reaching out to take Zhou Yao away. But before she could even rise, her other wrist was seized by Zhao Wenhua.

"This woman is already in my room. For you to barge in like this, Master Qi—are you even paying my family the slightest respect?"

"Respect? Hahaha!" Qi Xiaohan pointed at Zhao Wenhua's nose and jeered, "You think you're worthy of my respect? With your dead mother and that chancellor father of yours who wouldn't dare even fart in court? Hahahaha!"

The atmosphere grew taut, a standoff brewing. Zhao Wenhua's fists clenched until his knuckles went white; the strained sound of his breathing was clearly audible in the room.

The next moment, the sound of flesh striking flesh rang out.

Zhou Yao turned toward the sound. It was Zhao Wenhua—unable to hold back any longer—who had thrown the first punch at Qi Xiaohan. Half of Qi Xiaohan's face flushed red from the blow. His subordinates saw the situation and launched into a brawl with the other side. Chaos erupted immediately.

"Pah!" Qi Xiaohan spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm onto the ground, eyeing Zhao Wenhua in shock. "You bastard, you dare hit me! I'll tear you apart tonight!"

The two tumbled into another scuffle. Seizing the chaos, Zhou Yao grabbed an outer robe belonging to one of the men, tucked it away, and dashed out of the private room, shouting as she ran: "Oh no, oh no! Master Zhao and Master Qi are fighting! Help! Someone call for help!"

By the time she'd run far enough, the main hall upstairs had erupted into chaos. As the madams and servants of Qingyun Terrace scrambled to break up the fight, Zhou Yao returned to the room where she'd first woken up.

————

The room was empty. The woman from before had been taken to some unknown room.

But she'd said she would handle this matter, and she was certain to see it through. Zhou Yao changed back into her own clothes and slipped on the stolen man's outer robe. Taking advantage of the sparse crowd in the main hall, she covered her face and hurried out of Qingyun Terrace.

All she had to do was spread the news of the brawl between Zhao Wenhua and Qi Xiaohan; the rest... someone else would handle it for her.

The weather was foul that night—within moments of leaving Qingyun Terrace, a heavy rain poured down.

By the time she reached the Qi Mansion, the gates were already shut tight. Zhou Yao was preparing to leave for the Jiuyao Kilns when, unexpectedly, the main gate swung open.

It was Qi Yanhan, waiting for her.

"You've been away for days, Your Highness. I was quite worried." Qi Yanhan smiled faintly. "I nearly feared you'd returned to the palace, never wishing to see me again..."

"Eldest Master Qi jests. I'm merely surviving, dependent on others' charity—what room is there to speak of wishing or not?" Zhou Yao stepped past him, casting a sidelong glance at his composed posture. "If you have the time, Master Qi, you might instead see to your own household affairs. Be careful you don't fan a flame that scorches your own hands—loss outweighs gain."

"Your Highness." Qi Yanhan called after her unhurriedly, those fox-like eyes staring at her with a hint of grievance, as if to change the subject. "Why did Your Highness come to a brothel?"

"That's hardly any of your business." Zhou Yao smiled without warmth. "If there's nothing else, I'll return to my courtyard."

He lowered his gaze and called out again, "Your Highness has been at the Jiuyao Kilns burning porcelain through the nights. The accommodations there are rather shabby. Would Your Highness not prefer to stay at the Qi Mansion for the time being?" Seeing Zhou Yao show no intention of acknowledging him, Qi Yanhan smiled and went on, "The pet Your Highness keeps has been quite well-behaved at the Mansion these days. Would you like to come see it?"

"We'll discuss that another time." Zhou Yao calculated silently. "I'll repay the money you covered for me as soon as possible."

Qi Yanhan's expression shifted, but only for a breath before returning to its usual mask. He sighed. "I never imagined we would grow so distant, Your Highness. The palace banquet is next month—would you care to attend with me?"

All he received was Zhou Yao's receding silhouette.

Back in the courtyard, the servants had already led out Bige and the border collie.

The two dogs bore wounds of varying sizes—clear signs that they had been fighting, each biting the other.

"Your Highness, you're here!" Linglong bounded over happily and bowed. "You've missed such amusing antics these past days!"

"This little black dog is small, but it's managed to hoodwink your Bige completely. There's a pond in the back courtyard—whenever the black dog tosses a pebble into the water, it lures Bige straight after it. So every noon when Bige barks at it, that's the trick it uses. Isn't that clever?"

Linglong chattered away, but Zhou Yao's mind had drifted elsewhere.

"Linglong, where did you put the dowry jewelry the Empress gave me for my wedding?" Zhou Yao sat at the stone table in the courtyard, propping her cheek on one hand as she asked abruptly, failing to notice the fleeting panic that crossed Linglong's face.

"Why would Your Highness suddenly ask about that?"

Linglong brewed tea beside her, casting a distracted glance at Zhou Yao. Her hand slipped, and in an instant, scalding hot water splashed onto her skin.

"Ah!" Linglong withdrew her hand, glancing guiltily toward Zhou Yao. "I'll take my leave and tend to the burn."

As Linglong turned away, Zhou Yao stared at her retreating back for a long moment.

Back when she and Qi Yanhan had wed, there had been no time at all to handle the dowry. The only person who had handled it was Linglong. If the jewelry couldn't be accounted for... it would be hard not to suspect Linglong.

In truth, during her days in the palace, her jewelry had sometimes gone missing without explanation, but she'd assumed some cleaning maid had swiped it.

But for royal possessions to have flowed out of the household—that left her no choice but to act on Linglong.

————

A few days later.

Ever since Zhou Yao had asked about the dowry, Linglong had all but vanished. When Zhou Yao asked Duyun and the steward, they said every time they saw Linglong, she looked as though she was heading out of the estate.

After some thought, she summoned a guard of the Qi Mansion and ordered him to follow Linglong.

A while later, a servant from the courtyard came to report: "Miss Linglong keeps visiting a small private pawnshop. After inquiring, it seems she's been selling off quite a number of valuable items over the years, piece by piece."

Zhou Yao gripped the cup in her hand, anger barely suppressed in her eyes. She forced down her temper and ordered the attendant, "Go. Bring Linglong to me."

Within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the attendant came rushing back, breathless. "Linglong... Miss Linglong is gone—she seems to have fled!"

"When I arrived, her room had already been cleared out!"

"What?!" Zhou Yao flung the cup to the ground, shattering it. The rage left a dull ache in her chest.

She should have thought of it sooner!

The oddity in Linglong's manner when they'd first reunited, and her unnatural reaction when the jewelry was mentioned—it all came flooding back. Almost certainly, the moment Zhou Yao had left Chang'an, Linglong had sold off the jewelry and the land deeds!