Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 109

Chapter 109: The Return of the Fifty

Mu Yunyao rested at home and tended her injuries in peace, while the whole of Jingling City boiled with uproar.

All the Ding family’s shops were sealed. When many of the common people asked about it, only then did they learn that the great fire at Niyun Pavilion had very likely been set by the Ding family. For a time, the people’s goodwill toward the Ding family vanished completely. One after another, they spread the word that the Ding family ought to be severely punished and that Miss Mu must be given an explanation.

The Ding family members were arrested and thrown into prison. After only a brief interrogation, they confessed that they had acted under the orders of the Jingling Assistant Prefect and the Xuanfu envoy. Only then had wickedness risen from their courage, leading them to set fire to Niyun Pavilion.

The moment these words came out, the whole city was in an uproar.

The Jingling Assistant Prefect and the Xuanfu envoy had both maintained fairly good reputations among the people. Quite a few commoners had supported them as well. Now, upon hearing that they had actually instructed others to burn down Niyun Pavilion, many began to wonder whether the investigation had gone wrong.

Immediately afterward, Governor Zhang publicly interrogated the two men, drawing many people to the yamen gates to listen to the proceedings.

Both men denied having set fire to Niyun Pavilion. Yet after an investigation, other secret matters so shocking as to be almost unbelievable were dragged into the light.

The Jingling Assistant Prefect had abused his authority for personal gain and embezzled several hundred thousand taels of silver meant for river works. Moreover, he had used his own wife, Ding Yuexin, to curry favor with his superiors, helping him conceal evidence of his crimes and collude with others in corruption.

When the Xuanfu envoy heard this news, he directly began fighting with the Jingling Assistant Prefect in the middle of the hall. The scene descended into chaos. Governor Zhang nearly broke his court block from striking it so hard before he barely managed to restore order.

The news exposed afterward made people’s jaws drop even further. Ding Yuexin had actually maintained intimate relations with five men at the same time. The reason the Ding family had been able to rise so swiftly to wealth and power was entirely that she had traded away what lay beneath her silk skirts.

In an instant, the Ding family became a target of universal condemnation. Even Ding Yuelan and the other daughters of the Ding family were implicated, their reputations destroyed in one stroke.

No matter whether the great fire at Niyun Pavilion had truly been set by them or not, the Jingling Assistant Prefect and the Xuanfu envoy would never again have a chance to turn themselves around.

Su Qingwu wrote up the events that had occurred in Jingling City into a memorial and submitted it to the court. Because the matter was urgent and he feared it might stir unrest among the people, he had the message sent overnight to the Capital by relay horse.

As soon as the news entered the Capital, the censorial officials submitted memorial after memorial, requesting that His Majesty punish the matter severely.

Naturally, Mu Yunyao also heard about what had happened to the Jingling Assistant Prefect and the Xuanfu envoy. She even sent Jin Lan to inquire about Ding Yuelan’s situation. Unfortunately, after asking around for quite some time, Jin Lan still could not obtain any reliable news.

After resting for seven or eight days, the small injuries on Mu Yunyao’s body had already healed as though nothing had happened. Only the wound in her palm still throbbed faintly. Calculating the days, she estimated that Liu Liang and the others should soon return, so she wanted to go to Jinxiu Garden.

Even though it was only next door, Su Qing absolutely refused to let her leave the house.

Mu Yunyao exhausted every method she had and made one promise after another before she was finally allowed to bring Jin Lan and Jin Qiao next door.

The moment Steward Qin heard the news, he hurried forward to welcome her.

“Greetings, Miss Mu. How are Miss’s injuries?”

“Many thanks to Steward Qin for your concern. There is nothing serious now.”

“Miss’s complexion still looks somewhat haggard. You should continue resting more. This old servant has prepared some bird’s nest and ginseng, but I did not dare rashly send them over to Miss, for fear it might cause Madam to misunderstand. When Miss leaves later, you must be sure to take them with you.”

“Then many thanks, Steward Qin.”

Mu Yunyao sat down beside the pavilion to wait.

They had agreed on the same hour, fifteen days later, to wait here for the return of those fifty people. Leaving the others aside for the moment, Liu Liang would certainly return on time.

Just as she was thinking this, a servant came forward to report.

“Miss, Steward Qin, Wei Yi, Yun Chun, and the others have returned.”

Joy appeared in Mu Yunyao’s eyes. “Invite them in.”

Steward Qin was also full of curiosity. He wondered whether those people had changed at all after spending half a month along both banks of the Qinhuai.

With Liu Liang at the head, they walked in. After entering, Liu Liang was the first to bow to Mu Yunyao. Afterward, he silently stood at her side. Yet his eyes remained quietly fixed upon her, carrying a faint, indescribable emotion.

Wei Yi and Yun Chun stood slightly behind him. The expressions on their faces were still calm and faint, as though they were no different from before. Yet upon careful observation, their bearing had indeed changed somewhat.

Mu Yunyao swept her gaze over them one by one. A trace of satisfaction flashed through her eyes.

“Go and prepare yourselves. Change your clothes, then come here to brew a pot of tea.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Very soon, all fifty had changed their clothes and returned. They sat behind their respective tables and bowed in unison to Mu Yunyao and Steward Qin.

Steward Qin could not help widening his eyes.

They were still the same people, and yet their bearing had become entirely different. Previously, they had worn smiles as well, but no matter how bright those smiles were, there had always been a coldness beneath them. Now, however, they made others feel much more at ease, much more natural.

Mu Yunyao nodded slightly. “Begin.”

The fifty people all began brewing tea at once.

As they moved, their white sleeves drifted gently. Water poured into the clay kettles with a clear, tinkling sound. Before long, the fragrance of tea spread through the air. The lids of the teacups touched lightly against the rims, producing crisp, delicate notes.

Then the fifty people bowed together once more, their hands gathered as they knelt behind their tables.

Surprise and delight appeared on Steward Qin’s face. These people now possessed five or six parts of the charm Mu Yunyao had when she brewed tea. In particular, when so many of them moved together, the sight was already especially stirring.

“What does Miss think?”

The people below also lifted their heads to look at Mu Yunyao, hoping to receive her approval.

Mu Yunyao, however, shook her head slightly.

“It is overdone.”

“Overdone?” Steward Qin did not understand. “Please enlighten us, Miss.”

“Our tea house will open its doors to receive guests. Among so many guests, how many will truly love tea? I think not even one or two in ten. Some guests will come for social dealings, while some will come only to borrow elegance and pass themselves off as refined. If we cannot make ourselves distinct, then among so many tea houses and tea establishments, why should others choose to come to us?”

As Mu Yunyao spoke, she rose and sat behind one of the tables. Then she began to brew tea.

Her complexion carried a few traces of pallor and weariness, and the clothes she wore were extremely plain. Yet the moment she moved her hands, everyone’s gaze fell upon her motions.

It was clearly the same tea-brewing method, and yet when she performed it, there was simply an added beauty, smooth as moving clouds and flowing water.

“Even without my saying it, all of you know that this tea house is not merely for earning silver. If we cannot attract as many people as possible, then there is no meaning in opening it at all. After returning, your expressions are indeed much more vivid than before, but you must remember this. This is a tea house. What we seek is to wash away worldly dust and uphold refined aspirations. What you display is not yourselves, but the tea in your hands. Therefore, your very presence must also merge with the tea.”

Her voice was clear and bright. As she brewed the tea, she spoke unhurriedly, and the words that left her lips seemed to drift along with the fragrance of tea all the way into people’s hearts. They felt only their minds growing tranquil, with only her words echoing quietly within them.

Mu Yunyao gathered back her movements and gently placed the teacup before Steward Qin.

Her smile did not deliberately pursue gentleness or beauty. It even seemed somewhat faint and distant. Yet everyone felt that this was exactly how she ought to be. They could not help feeling longing and admiration.

Mu Yunyao lifted her eyes and looked at them.

“You must please the guests, but you must not be humble or fawning. Instead, you must make them willingly lower their guard and regard you as intimate friends. Only then can you obtain what you seek. As for the measure within this, you must grasp it yourselves.”

Such things could only be understood by the heart. They could not be fully conveyed in words. Even she could not explain them clearly through speech alone.

Among these people, some had already glimpsed the entrance to the path. With more practice, they would be able to master it.

Steward Qin could not help but sigh in admiration at himself.

When it came to training people, Miss Mu truly had methods. Even he had no choice but to feel admiration. The fifty people chosen back then could not be considered especially outstanding. Their strength had lain in their loyalty and straightforward nature, and in their ability to carry out His Highness’s orders without hesitation.

But now, he suddenly had a feeling.

In the future, these fifty people might perhaps become truly capable figures, far beyond His Highness’s expectations.

Edited by Little Kitty on 13/06/20

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