Chapter Fourteen: Coercion

Yang Yin remained dazed and confused even after returning to the mansion.

Her current life felt like she had wandered into a dead end, no matter how hard she tried, she could see no way out.

She had once dreamed of a life like Hua Jie’er or Pei Zhenzhen, but Hu Xinniang was not Pei Zhenzhen, and Zhou Shi was not Prince Ning.

If it weren’t for the constraints of societal opinions and family status, she might have long since lost her position as the matron of the Zhou family.

As a woman, Zhou Shi forced him to live under the gossips and criticisms of others.

As a wife, Zhou Shi’s coldness and unfeeling demeanor were plain to see.

As a mother, He Ge’er was growing day by day; sooner or later, he too would feel confused and disappointed by the absence of his father’s warmth, perhaps falling into the same complaints and resentment as she did…

So she could never control her thoughts, always imagining the worst…

If only Zhou Shi were not here…

Everything would clear up like clouds dispersing.

“Mother…” Zhou He tugged at her sleeve, noticing her absent expression.

“He Ge’er…” Yang Yin finally snapped out of her daze, suppressing the sorrow in her heart, crouching down and forcing a smile.

He Ge’er resembled her in complexion; strictly speaking, only his eyebrows were like Zhou Shi’s, the rest was all her.

The little boy, dressed in a teal, cross-collared long-sleeve garment, looked like a snowball as he nestled against her.

“Mother, hasn’t father come back?”

Yang Yin’s smile grew more strained. “Your father… is busy. He will definitely come back tomorrow.”

“Mother…” The boy reached up to hug her neck, “I only want you to spend my birthday with me. I only love you…”

Yang Yin’s body trembled slightly, tears welling faintly in her eyes.

She should have known—this child was always perceptive; how could he not sense the problems between his parents?

At Shaohua Courtyard—

Lin Menghua lay lazily on the concubine’s couch, leafing through the latest storybooks on the market.

“The princess consort, the side consort has arrived,” Liu Liu called from outside.

Lin Menghua turned her head to see Liu Liu lifting the curtain as Pei Zhenzhen entered, dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe embroidered with cloud patterns.

Qing Zhu, busy embroidering at the side, hastily brought over a small stool.

“Sister.”

“Come sit.”

“Are you going out?”

Having spent some time together, Lin Menghua knew Pei Zhenzhen loved lively company and often sent maids to inform her of her outings.

Each time she returned, she would bring gifts; last time it was delicacies from the Zhenxiu Pavilion, the time before that, tea from Qingyun Studio.

Gentle, elegant, and well-mannered—simply perfect!

Lin Menghua’s gaze softened as she said to Qing Zhu, “Pour tea for the side consort.”

Then she turned to Pei Zhenzhen, “Is there some difficulty you’ve encountered?”

Pei Zhenzhen looked a little uneasy but shook her head at Lin Menghua’s question.

She then signaled her maid to come forward. “This is my new osmanthus chestnut cake. Sister, please try it.”

Lin Menghua raised an eyebrow; for a moment, she sensed something serious. “Alright.”

Under Pei Zhenzhen’s watchful eyes, she bit into the cake.

It was still warm—definitely freshly made.

“Can you tell me now?”

“Sister… I think I’ve made a mistake…” Pei Zhenzhen said, a little embarrassed.

“Hm?”

Pei Zhenzhen reluctantly explained the matter.

Lin Menghua’s eyes narrowed slightly. “So that’s why the prince woke up so early to attend court this morning—to impeach Inspector Zhou?”

Pei Zhenzhen lowered her head and gave a slight nod.

She already regretted it. She had been furious upon hearing from a maid about Zhou Shi’s conduct, which had prompted her to urge the prince…

But upon reflection, it was wrong. That sister could not simply divorce, and if the Zhou family suffered, she would suffer alongside them.

Of course, she had her own selfish reasons. Besides anger, she was also afraid.

The royal family was different. If the prince damaged the royal family’s dignity because of her, neither she nor the Pei family behind her could bear the consequences.

She was also afraid Lin Menghua would grow distant from her because of this.

Although, by all logic, such a rift was expected between them…

So her heart was tangled and heavy.

“It’s all right,” Lin Menghua pondered for a moment. “Matters in court change in an instant. Inspector Zhou will at most be warned; it won’t affect him much.”

If the impact were truly severe, it would be because he had offended many people and had many enemies.

“You don’t need to worry about the Zhou family,” Lin Menghua added.

Only then did Pei Zhenzhen look up at her.

Seeing the redness in her eyes, Lin Menghua smiled faintly, “Zhenzhen, not all women must be lost to love.”

“Eh?”

Lin Menghua handed her a piece of cake but said no more.

She never doubted true feelings, but true feelings were ever-changing.

So she pursued what she could control.

This was the royal family; everyone fought for power and the throne. As the second in command of the Ning Prince’s mansion, was it appropriate for her to be distracted by love and romance?

Pei Zhenzhen stared at her in silence, her eyes filled with confusion.

…

It was unclear if Inspector Zhou was simply unlucky, but in recent days, more and more accusations of improper family conduct had been leveled against him.

Sending his son and daughter-in-law to the Ning Prince’s mansion seemed to have backfired, as today in court it was the Ning Prince himself who impeached him.

Even the emperor was surprised.

By protocol, the princes of vassal states generally did not participate in court affairs, nor were they required to attend court.

This showed clearly that the Ning Prince had come specifically to impeach him!

He dared not argue; the facts were plain as day.

In the end, the emperor decreed that he reflect on himself these days.

“I… thank Your Majesty!”

Inspector Zhou trembled as he expressed his gratitude and left the Daming Palace amid the pitying and mocking glances of his colleagues.

His heart was uneasy as he left the palace, and he had no mood to drink with his peers.

The bustling merchants flowed endlessly, and the streets were heavily congested.

Usually, he found the capital’s prosperity delightful compared to other places, but now it only filled him with irritation and distress.

“Do you know? That family of Zhou’s…”

“Stop!” Inspector Zhou suddenly shouted outside.

He pricked up his ears to listen.

“It’s that Zhou Shi, truly doting on his concubine. My wife does laundry near her place. I saw with my own eyes yesterday that the Zhou scholar brought in a lotus-shaped jade incense burner. Must be worth a fortune! He hasn’t come out since entering.”

“Officials like that? That’s nothing. Haven’t you seen richer ones?”

“Hey! Tell us then…”

“Of course, the Hou mansion, the Duke’s mansion…”

The voices faded, and Inspector Zhou lifted the curtain but saw no one.

“Are we going or not?” the impatient coachman shouted from behind.

Inspector Zhou wiped the sweat from his brow. “To Willow Street!”

The weather was sweltering, and his anger was building.

A lotus-shaped jade incense burner! Ha! Noble families surely had no shortage, but the Zhou family was a model of integrity!

Inspector Zhou gritted his teeth, staring at his dull official robe.

That little bastard’s good fortune was surely going into the concubine’s pockets. How could he ever think of a father like himself!