Chapter 110: Planting Paulownias to Attract the Phoenix

An Yi walked over. "Second Senior Sister, Ruizhi."

"Nineteenth Junior Sister!"

"Aunt Nineteenth!"

Seeing An Yi, Li Ruoxian and Cheng Ruizhi’s eyes lit up, and they called out in unison.

"When did you arrive in the capital?" An Yi asked with a smile.

"Yesterday," Li Ruoxian laughed. "We came here specifically to find you."

An Yi was surprised. "Is there something the matter?"

"Let’s go to a restaurant, sit down, and chat slowly." Li Ruoxian took An Yi’s hand.

The group entered a restaurant and requested a private room. Li Ruoxian instructed, "Brew a pot of good tea and bring it up. As for the meal, choose ten of the chef’s signature dishes."

"Madam, please wait a moment; the tea will be served immediately," the waiter replied, bowing out.

Li Ruoxian asked impatiently, "Nineteenth Junior Sister, have you seen Gong Yanyou?"

"No," An Yi shook her head.

"He hasn’t come to find you? He set out four days before us and even traveled on horseback; he should have reached the capital long ago."

An Yi asked in confusion, "Why would he come to find me? Is there something going on?"

Li Ruoxian frowned. "What is wrong with that man?"

"Mother, he was likely delayed by something on the road," Cheng Ruizhi hinted with a wink.

Li Ruoxian caught the meaning, smoothed her brow, and smiled. "Yes, yes, quite right. How could I have forgotten that?"

An Yi watched the mother and son exchanging glances, narrowed her eyes, and asked, "Second Senior Sister, Ruizhi, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing, we weren't saying anything," Li Ruoxian waved her hands, gave a silly laugh, and changed the subject. "Nineteenth Junior Sister, where are you staying now?"

"I am currently staying at the An Residence on Yongtai Street. Where are you staying?" Although An Yi was very puzzled as to why the two would bring up Gong Yanyou and could not fathom why he would come to the capital to find her, she knew that pressing them would be futile, so she cooperated with the change of topic.

"We are staying at the Yunqi Inn just ahead."

"In a couple of days, I will invite you to visit my home," An Yi offered.

"Good, I have long wanted to pay my respects to your father and mother," Li Ruoxian smiled.

"Knock, knock." The waiter tapped on the door, served the tea, and subsequently brought in the dishes.

As they ate and chatted about things that had happened since they last parted, Li Ruoxian described the scenery along the journey so vividly that An Yi—who had been rushing on her own journey and had never had the chance to enjoy the sights—felt as if she were there. She smiled and said, "If I have the chance, I would also like to travel and see those places."

"Don't worry, you will have plenty of opportunities. When the time comes, you can travel the world with your sword, just like those from a hundred years ago..."

"Mother, these Ruyi rolls are delicious. You should try them." Cheng Ruizhi blocked Li Ruoxian’s mouth with a chopstick full of food.

An Yi had originally not wanted to pursue useless questions, but the attitude of these two piqued her curiosity. She stared at them and asked in a low voice, "Second Senior Sister, Ruizhi, what exactly are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing, nothing," the mother and son shook their heads, vehemently denying it.

"Does this matter have to do with Young Master Gong?" An Yi asked.

"No, no," the mother and son continued to shake their heads with innocent expressions.

An Yi’s gaze flickered, and she asked again, "What did Young Master Gong say to you?"

"Nothing, nothing," the two turned into bobbleheads.

An Yi looked at Cheng Ruizhi, her bright eyes shimmering with a soft smile, and asked gently, "Ruizhi, tell Aunt Nineteenth, what is it?"

"Aunt Nineteenth, just wait a few days and you will know," Cheng Ruizhi said with an apologetic smile.

An Yi could do nothing about this pair of mystery-loving mother and son, so she had to take Cheng Ruizhi’s advice and wait patiently for a few days to see what exactly was so important that it kept their lips sealed.

After lunch, the three left the restaurant; Li Ruoxian and her son returned to the inn, and An Yi went home.

"Mother, I’m back." An Yi went to Jingli Garden first to see Lady Luo.

"Why are you back so late? Have you had lunch?" Lady Luo had just woken from a nap, and Shanyao was helping her get up.

"I’ve eaten." An Yi reached out to help tie Lady Luo’s sash, checked her pulse, and inspected her eyes; the bloodshot lines had faded significantly. "Mother, can you see more clearly today than yesterday?"

"Yes, there isn’t that red blur blocking my vision anymore," Lady Luo smiled.

"Mother, close your eyes, and I will press your acupoints," An Yi said.

Lady Luo closed her eyes as instructed. An Yi used internal force to press her Fengchi, Taiyang, Jingming, and Zanzhu points.

After completing the cycle, An Yi withdrew her hands, took the damp cloth handed to her by Shanyao to wipe them, and said, "Mother, open your eyes and look at me."

Lady Luo opened her eyes and looked at An Yi, who was standing close by. Though it was not perfectly clear, she could finally distinguish her features. She said joyfully, "Xi'er, I can see your face."

"Congratulations, Madam," the four maids said quickly.

"Mother, in a few more days, your eye condition will be completely cured. But you must not cry often in the future; eye ailments can recur," An Yi said solemnly.

"Now that you are back, what would I have to cry about? I will never cry again; I will smile every day," Lady Luo said.

After chatting for a while, An Yi remembered she had been out all day and hadn't checked the account books. "Mother, I need to go to Shunyi Hall for a bit. I’ll come back later to keep you company."

"Very well, go ahead," Lady Luo smiled.

As soon as An Yi stepped out of Jingli Garden, the wife of Steward Guan hurried over and bowed. "Young Miss, the Huang family sent someone today to see Concubine Huang."

"Did you let them see her?"

"Replying to Young Miss, no. Maid Fangrong stopped them and even threw Hongzhu out. This servant is worried that the Huang family will send someone else to cause trouble this afternoon," the wife of Steward Guan said worriedly.

An Yi had long expected trouble and was not concerned. "If the Huang family comes, take them to Shunyi Hall. Do not disturb the Madam."

"Replying to Young Miss, this servant understands."

An Yi frowned. "In the future, when you report back to me, you don't need to say 'Replying to Young Miss' every time; it’s too wordy."

"Replying... this servant understands."

"Is the Pearl Pavilion cleaned up?"

"It is already prepared. Xingren and Taoren have moved in. Would you like to go and take a look?"

An Yi thought for a moment. "Let’s go take a look."

"This servant will lead the way."

The Pearl Pavilion was located behind and to the left of Jingli Garden. After crossing a stone arch bridge, one could see a low pink wall; through the wall, tall parasol trees were visible, with a corner of a roof peeking out from between the branches. It was late autumn, and the leaves were turning yellow; set against the blue sky, it did not look desolate but rather added a sense of elegance.

Above the circular gate hung a wooden plaque with three characters written in a spirited, flowing hand: "Pearl Pavilion." It was in An Kang’s handwriting.

An Yi followed the wife of Steward Guan into the courtyard and saw a swing hanging between two parasol trees on the right. The wife of Steward Guan noticed her gaze and smiled, "That swing was made by the Master himself for you."

An Yi’s eyes flickered as she walked over and grasped the swing ropes. According to Wei Yang, because An Qinghe had been away on military campaigns and had never married, it was possible this courtyard was not prepared for her, but for a daughter he had with Lady Huang.

"Young Miss, sit on it, and this servant will push you," Xiangqin suggested with a smile.

"I’ll sit on it when I have time later." An Yi let go of the ropes and walked toward the building.

Xingren and Taoren heard them and came out to greet them, kneeling and bowing. "Greetings, Young Miss."

"Rise."

The Pearl Pavilion had three floors. The first floor contained a living room, an eastern warm room, and two servant rooms; the second floor had the bedroom and study; the third floor was a small attic for storing miscellaneous items.

In the living room stood a five-panel screen painted with magpies landing on plum blossoms; magpie motifs could be seen everywhere in the room.

An Yi looked around, thinking to herself. An Qinghe could not have named the daughter he had with Lady Huang "Xi'er" or "Que'er." It was clear this Pearl Pavilion was prepared for her.

"Pearl Pavilion" implied "a pearl in the palm," a term of endearment for a beloved daughter.

The ancients said that planting parasol trees would attract a phoenix to roost.

This meant An Qinghe held her in high regard. If he had been the one to hire the assassins, she would be dead, and he would have had no need to prepare a Pearl Pavilion decorated with various magpie patterns for her.

If it wasn't the assassin he hired, then who was it? What was the motive? What benefit could the person behind the scenes gain from this?

An Yi could not fathom it. After walking around, she returned to the bedroom. "Xiangqin, from now on, you will be in charge of the Pearl Pavilion."

Xiangqin first showed joy, but a moment later, a trace of unease appeared. "Young Miss, what about Sister Fangrong?"

"Fangrong is not my maid; she is only staying by my side temporarily," An Yi looked at the curling smoke from the incense burner and thought about how much money it cost to buy such fine spices. Although she could blend incense herself, buying the ingredients also cost money. "From now on, my room and Jingli Garden will no longer use incense. You all should go to the garden and pick some fresh flowers to put in vases."

The four maids quickly complied.

An Yi sat for a while, then got up to go to Shunyi Hall. Upon reviewing the ledgers, she felt even more strongly that Lady Huang had been living too extravagantly. Yesterday, only sixteen taels and five mace of silver were spent—less than twenty taels, which was fifty taels less than the day before. Fifty taels a day meant fifteen hundred taels a month. Having achieved cost-cutting, she now needed to think about how to increase revenue.

The stewards of various departments reported a few minor matters, and after An Yi dismissed them, she went to the Bingzhen Courtyard where An Kang lived. In his study, she found a copy of the *Kaihuang Code* and two storybooks.

An Yi returned to the Shunyi Courtyard with the three books. The *Kaihuang Code* was the legal code established by the founding emperor of the Xu Dynasty upon the advice of his ministers. An Yi focused on the regulations regarding "Households and Marriage": "Any man who has a wife and takes another shall be sentenced to one year of penal servitude, and the woman's family shall be reduced by one rank; if he deceives and takes another, he shall be sentenced to one and a half years, the woman's family shall not be held liable, and the marriages shall be annulled."

The *Code* also clearly stipulated that concubines were of low status and could be bought and sold. A wife could command, beat, and scold a concubine, and the legal repercussions were very light. A concubine’s crime against the wife was treated the same as a crime against the husband; scolding the husband was punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane, and hitting him was punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane and one and a half years of penal servitude.

In terms of status, a concubine was a master, but in reality, she was no different from a servant.

Of the two storybooks, one described a primary wife who could not tolerate a concubine and used various methods to torment her. The methods were not clever, but the husband’s family did not reprimand her severely; the reason she was eventually divorced and sent back to her maiden family was not jealousy, but because she suffered from a malignant disease.

The other book described a wife and concubine living in harmony, with the man enjoying the blessings of both. An Yi frowned as she read; these books must have been written by men.

By the time she finished reading, dusk was falling, and the servants were beginning to hang lanterns along the corridors. An Yi did not wait for the Huang family and returned to Jingli Garden.

An Qinghe and his son both had social engagements and did not return home for dinner.

An Yi accompanied Lady Luo through dinner and waited until she had bathed, changed, and gone to sleep before returning to the Pearl Pavilion. Tomorrow, the people from the Huang family should be coming, right?