My Mother is the White Moonlight of a Tyrant - Chapter 4: How Audacious of Her

Chapter 4: How Audacious of Her

Jiang Chonghai froze, his initial relief—so it was just a dancer he fancied, nothing more—giving way to confusion.

Having witnessed Qin Shaozong command the Northern Territory for years, surrounded by beauties as countless as schools of fish, how could there be a dancer in his own residence captivating enough to draw his lord’s attention?

Fengchun? Why didn’t he recall any outstanding dancer by that name?

Pushing aside his doubts, Jiang Chonghai replied without hesitation, “A trivial matter. To earn your favor is the greatest honor of her life. She is yours to take, my Lord.”

Qin Shaozong raised his cup with a smile.

As the Golden Crow dipped below the horizon, the banquet drew to a close. Once the wine and feasting concluded, Qin Shaozong led his retinue away.

In the secluded corridor, devoid of others, Yan San broke the silence, “During tonight’s banquet, I observed two or three of Jiang Chonghai’s subordinates—their words faltered, their intentions vague. They even seemed evasive in response to my probing. My Lord, it appears the Nan Kang County’s Lord has no intention of fully supporting our campaign against the bandits.”

A lazy smirk tugged at Qin Shaozong’s lips. “Not only does he withhold support, he likely schemes against us in the shadows. Li Zan, that salt smuggler who built his empire on illicit trade—where did his initial salt supply come from? None other than collusion with corrupt officials.”

“But Nan Kang County and Li Zan’s stronghold in Ying County aren’t even adjacent! They lie far apart, one in the west, the other in the east, separated by several counties! Could Jiang’s influence truly stretch across multiple counties to reach Ying County?” Mo Yanyun voiced his puzzlement.

Yan San countered, “You’ve mistaken the root cause. It isn’t Jiang Chonghai who possesses long reach, but Li Zan.”

Qin Shaozong added, “Li Zan now styles himself Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven, boasting an army of a hundred thousand elite troops. Beneath such a colossal tree, how could there not be a tangled, sprawling root system?”

Mo Yanyun remained unconvinced. “My Lord, can we truly conclude his collusion with Li Zan based solely on his subordinates’ evasiveness?”

Qin Shaozong chuckled darkly. “Of course not. But who could blame him for his own guilty conscience? Find an opportunity to search his residence discreetly. I suspect we’ll uncover quite the surprise.”

Mo Yanyun wondered at the origin of this “guilty conscience,” yet as he noted the curve of Qin Shaozong’s lips, he silently mused on the strangeness of it all.

If Jiang Chonghai were indeed colluding with the salt smuggler Li Zan, it boded ill for their cause. Why then did their lord seem almost… pleased?

He didn’t understand, nor did he dare ask.

The journey was brief, and soon they arrived at the courtyard where they were lodged. Lanterns illuminated the grounds brightly, and a soft glow emanated from the rooms—the radiance of night pearls within.

“Unless it’s urgent, do not report to me tonight,” Qin Shaozong instructed before striding directly toward the central main chamber.

Mo Yanyun and Yan San exchanged a glance, both recalling the beautiful young woman who had emerged from the side chamber that afternoon.

Creeak. The door swung open.

Light from the room spilled out, casting a tranquil pool around the man’s black boots, only to be shattered moments later by his steps.

At first, Qin Shaozong assumed Dai Li was in the inner chamber, too shy to face him, hence her failure to appear upon hearing the door. But soon, he sensed something amiss.

The room was too quiet—unnervingly still, as if no one else were there.

Striding into the inner chamber, his brown eyes swept the space. It was empty; where was that graceful figure?

She truly hadn’t returned.

Had she encountered trouble on the way, delayed by some obstacle? Or perhaps…

The latter suspicion flickered through his mind, only to be dismissed just as quickly.

His identity could be glimpsed from how he was addressed, and he had promised she need not return in the future. He even asked for her name—she couldn’t possibly fail to guess that she might have a chance to leave Jiang Mansion.

On one side, there was squeezing together with a crowd of dancers, performing day and night for different people; on the other, there was fine clothing and sumptuous food, with only him to attend to.

Even a fool would know which to choose.

Qin Shaozong turned and walked out.

Mo Yanyun had been pestering Yan San for a discussion, and neither had entered the room yet. Seeing Qin Shaozong return so soon, they were both startled, thinking he had some important matter to instruct.

There was indeed something to instruct, but not the important matter they had assumed.

Mo… Qin Shaozong suddenly changed his address: Yan San, go to the dancers’ quarters and bring Fengchun back.

The two were slightly taken aback.

So it wasn’t an important matter after all.

Fengchun—that must be the beautiful woman’s name.

Understood, Yan San said with a cupped-hand salute.

As Yan San left to carry out the order, Qin Shaozong returned to his room, leaving Mo Yanyun standing alone in the courtyard.

The burly man with two thick black eyebrows muttered in the wind, It seems this woman is no ordinary person, to make the Lord take the initiative to seek her out at such a critical moment… Wait, didn’t the Lord originally intend to send me to fetch her?

Mo Yanyun scratched his head.

The last glimmer of light in the sky vanished, and the firmament was completely dyed ink-black. Tonight, there was neither moon nor stars; the heavens were so dark it seemed veiled by a heavy curtain.

Dai Li stood in a corner of a pavilion courtyard, hidden in the night. She gazed at the building not far away, biting her lip unwillingly.

This was one of the residences within the mansion that housed junior servants, as she had inquired. But unfortunately, she had just investigated—her little friend was not inside.

Her son wasn’t here.

Was he not in this particular building, or was he not in this mansion at all? Dai Li dared not imagine the latter.

Who was that woman asking questions just now? I haven’t seen her before—she’s so strikingly beautiful. Is she a new steward? a whisper came from inside the room.

I always say you’re young and inexperienced, and you refuse to admit it. How could someone with such looks be just a minor steward? She’s probably a new concubine of the Lord. Everyone in the mansion knows the Lord has a fondness for beauties—he adds new women every few days. The most exquisite become concubines, the moderately attractive become dancers, and the plain ones become maids. That lady just now, I’d say she’s even more beautiful than Lady Fen, who’s been the most favored lately. I suppose the winds in the mansion are about to shift again.

What are you two whispering about? Who’s more beautiful than Lady Fen? Why haven’t I seen her?

She was only here for a moment and has already left. You’ve missed your chance.

…

After eavesdropping for a while without hearing anything useful, Dai Li turned and headed toward another residence where junior servants lived.

Strike while the iron is hot—she needed to check the other place quickly. If her son wasn’t there either, she would have to plan her escape from this mansion.

Yan San was an efficient man, but this trip took considerably longer than expected.

Two quarters of an hour later, Yan San finally returned.

Mo Yanyun, who had been sitting idly on a chair in the courtyard waiting for the moon to appear, turned at the sound. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the beauty, he was taken aback to see only Yan San returning alone.

Mo Yanyun was astonished.

Why was it only Yan San? Where was she?

Yan San walked straight to the main room but did not knock or enter. Instead, he stood outside the door and reported, My Lord, the Sun steward of the inner courtyard informed me that among all the dancers, there is no one named ‘Fengchun’.

Mo Yanyun, who had been secretly straining to listen, couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise.

No one named Fengchun?

Then who was the woman they saw this afternoon? She appeared out of nowhere and vanished without a trace—could she be a peony blossom spirit in human form?

Creak. The main door opened.

Qin Shaozong stood behind the door inside the room. He did not step out. The large-framed man stood with his back to the lamplight filling the room, his face hidden in darkness, making it impossible to discern his expression. Only a heavy, oppressive atmosphere spread through the air.

Yan San continued, According to Steward Sun, there are twenty-six dancers in Jiang Mansion, including seven Foreign Girls brought back from the Northern Prefecture governor a few days ago. Among these twenty-six, only three are over twenty-five years old—one Foreign Girl and two Han women. However, none of these three have a vermilion mole on their foreheads…

Mo Yanyun couldn’t help but ask, Could it be that she isn’t a dancer?

If the beautiful woman who appeared in the backyard wasn’t a dancer, then there was only one other identity she could have: Jiang Chonghai’s consort.

As soon as he said this, Mo Yanyun saw Yan San shake his head. No. I also ran into a minor steward named Lin. Coincidentally, Steward Lin said he saw the beautiful woman near the long corridor around the end of the Hour of the Goat. Steward Lin didn’t recognize her and asked who she was. She replied that she was the Consort of the Marquis, and because her clothes had been accidentally stained by tea, she needed to change. She even asked him where the mansion’s dancers lived. Steward Lin didn’t suspect anything at the time and truthfully told her.

Yan San added, I went with Steward Lin to the East Garden where the Han women dancers live. At the time, aside from two dancers who had gone out together for a walk and hadn’t returned yet, everyone else was there. But I didn’t see ‘Fengchun’ there. When I asked the other dancers, they knew nothing, all saying they hadn’t seen any strangers recently, let alone a beautiful woman with a vermilion mole on her forehead.

Mo Yanyun was dumbfounded, growing more and more confused the more he listened.

That beautiful woman was from the mansion and had such striking looks—she would stand out like a bright pearl anywhere. How could the steward not recognize her?

She claimed to be the Consort of the Marquis… That might be true, but why would she ask about the dancers’ residence? The dancers’ residence wasn’t a secret; anyone who had been in the mansion for some time and made an effort to inquire would know.

Could it be that she wasn’t from the mansion?

But that didn’t make sense either. Earlier, when the Lord asked Jiang Chonghai for someone and specifically named Fengchun, that Jiang fellow agreed without any hesitation or doubt.

Yet, she was indeed nowhere to be found in the Han women dancers’ residence, and no one even knew of her existence. Did she really appear out of thin air…

Have you been to the West Garden? Mo Yanyun thought of something else. If she wasn’t in the East Garden, she must be in the West Garden. Otherwise, why would she ask the steward about the dancers’ residence?

Yan San nodded. He had always been meticulous and had indeed gone to investigate the West Garden afterward. Yes, I’ve been. Someone in the West Garden did see her at the beginning of the Hour of the Monkey. A Foreign Girl said the woman claimed to be a friend of Qin Ji from the East Garden, named Songlan…

Mo Yanyun was stunned.

Songlan? Didn’t she say her name was Fengchun? How could she change her name in less than two hours?

But what shocked him even more came next, as he heard Yan San say: According to ‘Songlan,’ she was originally from the south. While traveling north with her husband for business, they unfortunately encountered bandits. After many twists and turns, she recently arrived at Jiang Mansion. As she hasn’t been assigned duties yet, she’s temporarily staying in the East Garden. All the Foreign Girls in Jiang Mansion are new arrivals who aren’t familiar with the mansion’s affairs, so no one grew suspicious. She asked for a gray-blue dress and some rice powder in the West Garden, then left shortly after without lingering.

Mo Yanyun felt as if he had fallen into a dense fog.

The name was fake, her background kept changing—who was she really? What were her intentions?

Truly audacious. Qin Shaozong laughed in extreme anger.

Mo Yanyun shuddered, his thoughts suddenly racing in another direction:

Regardless of who this beautiful woman really was or why she behaved so strangely, the fact remained that she had made a fool of their Lord!

Just who was their Lord?

He was the only Marquis in the court who had achieved the highest nobility rank through military merits, equal to the Three Excellencies; the man who could beat the wolf-like northern tribes into tail-wagging dogs.

After all these years, what conspiracy hadn’t he seen? What open or hidden attack hadn’t he thwarted?

Mo Yanyun would swear on his heart that the last person who dared play their Lord for a fool had been chopped into pieces and reincarnated in dogs’ bellies.

Well, although this current trickery was completely insignificant compared to those conspiracies, this was the first time he’d been fooled by a mere woman.

Lord, this matter might be better left alone for now, Mo Yanyun said quietly.

They had other business at Jiang Mansion, not to mention that the Jiang family harbored ulterior motives. How could they let their plans be disrupted by some woman?

Perhaps she also thought that since they were guests here, they wouldn’t make a scene in their host’s residence—that’s why she dared use the Lord’s name to bolster her position.

Qin Shaozong chuckled lightly: Afraid? If we need to worry over such trivial matters, we might as well forget about tracking down the salt smuggler Li Zan. Let’s just return home, hide under the blankets in our rooms, and save others from discovering how easily your legs turn to jelly.

Mo Yanyun froze.

Did this mean… the Lord intended to settle scores with her?

Author’s note:

Do you have nutrient solutions, my darlings? Let me see Heart Paw