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"The situation is a bit tricky. I need to go again after it gets dark."
"If Mother has to make two trips, it must be something significant." Yin Yuan's eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement. "It seems that I have things to do tonight as well."
"Do you want to go take a look?" Xing Ruyi, catching the implication in Yin Yuan's words, shook her head. "Tonight, you should stay home. I have a feeling that there’s something strange about the Watchman's House, but I can't quite pinpoint what it is."
"Can't Mother see anything?"
Yin Yuan was referring to Xing Ruyi's Ghost Eye. When Xing Ruyi used her ghostly powers, her eyes could see things that were normally invisible, similar to the traditional yin-yang eyes, hence the name Ghost Eye.
"My eyes can't see everything clearly. If I encounter a more powerful demon or a ghost skilled in illusion, I'm no different from an ordinary person. Do you remember the armory we visited in Luoyang? That was when we first encountered the Unfounded. I was almost bewitched by a ghost and nearly possessed by that female ghost. If it weren't for you, Father Fox, being by my side, I might not have returned."
"Mother will definitely come back." Yin Yuan looked into Xing Ruyi's eyes. "Even if Father Fox is no longer here, I will protect you. Unless I agree, no one can bully you without considering whether they are strong enough to face me."
"This mouth of yours is only for eating. It seems that during this time without Father Fox, Mother hasn't fulfilled her duties and let you go hungry. How about this: after tonight, I'll have Li Mao accompany you to find something to eat?"
"Pfft! If I really wanted food, I wouldn't need Li Mao with me." Yin Yuan wrinkled her nose. "I wonder if the Unfounded Demon Path has left yet. If I go out tonight and the Demon Path takes the chance to bully Mother, what then? As for my stomach, with these chicken legs to fill me up, I won't starve."
Xing Ruyi patted Yin Yuan's head and looked over at Chang Tai, noticing something strange about the women surrounding him. These people should have left after purchasing Rouge and Face Powder; even if they were interested in Brother Chang, they would come back later rather than crowding around like this.
"Yin Yuan, don't you think these people are odd?"
"Of course they're odd. Uncle Chang is handsome, but the market isn't so good that he would attract a bunch of young ladies and wives like this." Yin Yuan pointed subtly at them. "Mother, have you noticed that their movements are very similar? They look just like puppets in a puppet show."
After Yin Yuan's reminder, Xing Ruyi finally noticed that among these people—old and young, well-dressed and casually dressed—their stances were identical: one hand raised while the other hung down; when they pushed forward, they lifted their back foot off the ground and only stood on their toes. After buying Rouge and Face Powder, whether they had paid or not, they didn’t examine their items closely but stared blankly at Chang Tai.
Listening closely revealed that not only were their postures identical but even their words sounded like they were copied from one another. Chang Tai had never seen such a scene before; he was blushing from being surrounded and probably hadn’t listened carefully enough to notice anything unusual.
"When did these people arrive?"
"This morning, right after you took A Niu away from the shop. More precisely, it was after the general's wife and the county magistrate visited that they came asking."
"General's wife and the county magistrate?" Xing Ruyi looked at Yin Yuan in confusion. "What are these two doing at our Rouge shop? Could it be that there has been some development in Zhu's case?"
"It has nothing to do with Zhu's case. The general's wife is here for your mother."
"Me?" Xing Ruyi was completely puzzled. "I don't remember knowing any general's wife."
"Your mother may not know her, but Uncle Chang does," Yin Yuan said with a slight smile. "Ever since the general fell ill, he has been recuperating in the Divine Capital. Although the general and the constable belong to two completely different worlds, our general happens to be quite close with Uncle Chang. This time, Uncle Chang escorted Si Niang back to the capital and took the opportunity to visit the general. He learned that the general's condition has worsened and that even the imperial doctors in the royal city are at a loss, so he recommended your mother to the general. Therefore, as soon as Uncle Chang arrived at Yun Family Gathering, the general and his wife hurried over."
"Oh, I heard that the general and his wife arrived yesterday at Yin hour and are staying at the relay station. Early this morning, after settling down, the general's wife invited the county magistrate to come over to our Rouge shop to ask your mother for help with the general's illness. Unfortunately, timing is everything; your mother had just taken A Niu out when they arrived, so after chatting with Uncle Chang for a while, the general's wife left. Li Mao also went over at that time; he looked so dazed that it seemed like he had taken a liking to this general's wife."
"After all this, you still haven't explained who these people are and what their connection is to the general's wife and Brother Chang?"
"You don't understand, Mother. Our general is like my Father Fox; he is quite traditional and strictly adheres to monogamy, so there is only one wife in the general's household—no concubines or maidservants. Unfortunately, although they have been married for over four years, this wife has not borne any children.
Now that the general is ill, his wife is worried that because of her inability to bear children, there will be no heir to inherit the title of the general’s household. So she secretly spread word that she intends to take a concubine for the general. Although officially she would be called a Concubine, every woman understands what that means. If someone were chosen by this general's wife to become a secondary wife, regardless of whether she gives birth to a son or daughter, her status in the general's household would far surpass that of an ordinary Concubine.
Now that the general and his wife have come to Yun Family Gathering, those who hear about it are naturally eager to act. As soon as they learned that the general's wife was coming to our Ruyi Rouge shop, many young ladies and Aunt Sheng came along."
"If they came along, they must want to meet that general's wife," Xing Ruyi glanced at the strange crowd again. "But since the general's wife has already left, why are they surrounding my shop and gathering around Brother Chang? Brother Chang is just a Constable; he isn't a general. Even if he were to marry someone, it would be Lady Chang and not a concubine. Could it be that these women have realized it's better to be a Constable’s wife than a general’s concubine?"
"Do you think these ordinary women can be like you, Mother? They disregard power and status as if they were nothing and loudly proclaim that women should be independent and earn their own money? If they earn too much, should they also support my Father Fox who was ousted by treacherous ministers yet remains beautiful and graceful?"
"You think I’m not an ordinary woman? If I hadn’t met your Father Fox first, I might have ended up as someone’s wife or even a prince’s consort by now!"
Xing Ruyi wrinkled her nose as she recalled those stories she had read about time travel. She felt that having traveled once was quite an achievement; she hadn’t participated in palace intrigues (even if she wanted to, she probably wouldn’t have had the chance since currently there was an Empress in power), nor had she manipulated court affairs or captured the heart of any current generals or princes. After careful consideration, she felt like she might have missed out on something.
Yin Yuan noticed her thoughts and smiled slightly: "Mother, have you forgotten? My Father Fox was once the Azure Fox Emperor. Although he was somewhat ineffectual and was ousted by those treacherous ministers, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a chance to reclaim his position."
Xing Ruyi turned back to look at Yin Yuan’s eyes which held a hint of calculation: "Are you suggesting we can help your Father Fox regain power?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xing Ruyi immediately rebutted herself: "No, no, this is the Golden Tang Dynasty, not the era when I was with your Father Fox. At this time, the Azure Fox Emperor, even if he is not an ancestor, is still an elder. How can a junior like you casually usurp the authority of an elder? Besides, with your Father Fox's level of cultivation, he probably can't even compete with the current one from Qingqiu."
"Yin Yuan has never said such things; it's all just what you, Mother, are thinking," Yin Yuan blinked and said. "However, if Mother really wants to indulge in the palace intrigue for a bit, I wouldn't mind helping Father Fox rise to power; at least he could become a prince of Qingqiu."
Xing Ruyi narrowed her eyes and pretended to look fierce at Yin Yuan: "Don't even think about it! Your Father Fox and I have only one dream in this life: to amass wealth and then find a place where spring lasts all year round, plant ten miles of peach blossoms, enjoy the scenery while leaning against the flowers, and brew wine for barbecues—how delightful that would be."
"Amass wealth? That's just your dream, Mother; I'm not that materialistic like Father Fox. As for those ten miles of peach blossoms, you can just think about it. After all, this is the mortal realm, not the fairy realm. If we really had ten miles of peach trees, just looking after them would be enough trouble. By then, we wouldn't just help you tend to the peach trees; we'd also have to help you sell peaches." Yin Yuan shook his head with a pained expression: "That's too hard; Mother should just run your Rouge shop peacefully. As for money? Having too much isn't necessarily good; enough to spend is fine. After all, both Father Fox and I are easy to take care of; we don't cost much."
"Are you looking for a beating?" Xing Ruyi was pulled back to reality by Yin Yuan's words. "What about these people here? How did they get entangled with my Brother Chang?"
"They're not entangled with Uncle Chang; they're drawn to the aura around him. Besides, none of these people came willingly; they are all compelled," Yin Yuan explained while pointing at a young girl closest to them. "Her attire is very ordinary; aside from wearing a silver hairpin on her head, she has no extra accessories. The sleeves show clear signs of creasing and have marks from being tied up with cloth strips—it's obvious she's someone who often rolls up her sleeves to work. The overall outfit is quite clean, but the hem shows signs of being soaked in brine and has residue from grinding beans. Also, Mother, look at her hands. They are covered in bean foam and residue, indicating she rushed out without having time to wash up."
"Mother, you're also a woman; let me ask you this: if you were desperately wanting to become someone's concubine, would you come to meet the master without washing your hands? Even if you're anxious or flustered and couldn't change clothes, it's understandable; but not having time to wash your hands—that's a bit inappropriate, isn't it?"
"What do you mean…"
"Looking at this girl's appearance, she should be Miss Zhou from Yun Family Street—the Tofu Beauty. And clearly, Miss Zhou didn't come on her own; she was called over by someone during the process of grinding tofu."
Yin Yuan emphasized the words "someone" deliberately.
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