Chapter 7: The Huang Family Funeral

As soon as An Yi stepped inside, she saw Hu Qingyue, who had been anxiously waiting for her. "Senior Sister, why are you standing here?"

"Junior Sister, did she give you a hard time?" Hu Qingyue grabbed An Yi by the wrist, asking urgently.

An Yi's wrist had almost been broken by Qing Xi, and under Hu Qingyue's strong grip, pain caused the corners of her mouth to twitch uncontrollably. "No, she didn't give me a hard time."

"Why is your silk flower crooked?" Hu Qingyue reached out to straighten the silk flower pinned to An Yi's temples.

"I wasn't paying attention just now and got it caught on a tree branch." When An Yi collided with Qing Xi earlier, the flower had been knocked askew. In her eagerness to leave, she hadn't noticed, so now she covered it up with a lie.

"Let's go inside. The banquet is almost over." Hu Qingyue took An Yi's hand.

The two sisters returned to the warm grand hall, and An Yi sat down beside Madam Luo, whispering softly, "Mother, I'm back."

"Why were you gone for so long?" Madam Luo asked.

"I lost track of time talking with Senior Sister," An Yi lied again.

"County Princess Kangle just came looking for you, saying she will be returning to her manor today and asked you to visit her one of these days," Madam Luo said.

A cold glint flashed in An Yi's eyes, and she gave a soft acknowledgment. She had brought this trouble from the princess's manor upon herself, so she would find a way to resolve it. Qing Xi, just you wait!

Madam Luo handed a peeled orange to An Yi. "Are you full?"

"I'm full." An Yi took the orange, plucked a segment, and put it in her mouth. Her sleeve slid down, revealing distinct finger marks on her wrist. Fearing Madam Luo would see, she quickly lowered her hand and gently squeezed the orange.

Guests who had left began to return one after another. Melodic zither music echoed, and as the song ended, the gathering dispersed. After respectfully seeing off the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the various imperial concubines, they gradually took their leave under the lead of the Dowager Princess Dun.

The An family returned home, and An Yi went back to the Pearl Pavilion to change her clothes. Rolling up her sleeves, a circle of purple bruises was visible on her wrist.

"Miss, what happened here?" Fang Rong gasped in shock. "Who pinched you?"

"It was Princess LanyI's son, Qing Xi," Xiang Qin said bitterly.

"Fang Rong, go up to the loft and fetch the blue porcelain bottle from the red sandalwood box." An Yi endured the pain to take off the jade and gold bracelets she was wearing. That man was far too ruthless; if the young Lord Gong hadn't suddenly appeared, he definitely would have crushed her bones.

"Miss, what about that venomous oath?" Xiang Qin asked with tears in her eyes.

"What else can we do?" An Yi took off her outer garments. "I'll fulfill the oath when I'm seventy or eighty years old."

"Can you do that?" Xiang Qin asked timidly.

"Or would you prefer your young mistress to fulfill the oath right now?" An Yi raised an eyebrow.

Xiang Qin hurriedly shook her head.

"Go fetch some clothes." An Yi dismissed Xiang Qin, curved the corners of her lips into a cold, faint smile, and murmured almost inaudibly, "Before I fulfill that oath, I will send him to hell first."

Fang Rong brought the medicine down from the loft. An Yi changed into her casual daily wear, applied the ointment, and went to the Trellis Garden for dinner.

Wei Yang had not yet returned, and Madam Luo inevitably muttered a few words about him. After dinner, the family sat around chatting casually for a bit before the An siblings returned to their respective rooms to rest.

The next morning, Madam Luo and An Yi finished dressing and were preparing to board the carriage to attend a full-month banquet at the Capital Guard Commander's residence when the Huang family came to announce a death: Madam Huang's father, Huang Tao, had died.

An Yi knew very well that this was Wei Yang's doing.

"Wife of Guan Er, have Guan Er send someone to inform the master," Madam Luo said.

"Mother, Concubine Huang is a concubine. Since her father has passed away, there's no need to inform Father. Just casually dispatch someone to offer condolences," An Yi said.

Madam Luo frowned and asked, "Wouldn't that be too discourteous?"

Nanny Li spoke up, "Madam, there is nothing discourteous about this. It is the rules."

Hearing that it was the rules, Madam Luo said nothing more.

An Yi had Guan Er dispatch a reliable steward to the Huang family. Madam Huang was still unconscious and could not be told this unfortunate news just yet.

The Huang family was extremely furious that the An family had merely sent a servant to offer condolences, and they drove the messenger away.

Regarding the An family's approach, various manors in the capital deemed it entirely reasonable and quite correct. It also made everyone clearer on An Qinghe's attitude: he would not stand on the side of the Noble Consort and the Fourth Prince simply because he had taken Madam Huang as a concubine.

In the afternoon, the mother and daughter of the An family returned from the banquet at the Capital Guard Commander's residence and ran into Wei Yang at the entrance just as he was about to go out.

"Where are you going again?" Madam Luo grabbed him by the arm. "It's overcast and looks like it's going to snow. Don't go out."

"Elder Sister, Guyu and I agreed to go drinking together. I'll be back early today," Wei Yang smiled and said.

Madam Luo frowned. "Drinking again? Drink less and come back early to rest."

"Got it." Wei Yang vaulted onto his horse. "Elder Sister, you and Xier should go back inside quickly and not stand in the draft."

Madam Luo acknowledged him, and she and An Yi returned to their respective rooms to change.

At dusk, the father and son of the An family returned. Madam Luo informed An Qinghe about the Huang family's announcement of the death and how An Yi had sent a servant to offer condolences.

"Xier did the right thing." An Qinghe stood on An Yi's side.

"Should we tell Younger Sister Huang about this? Her health is poor, and she has been ill for so long. I'm truly worried she won't be able to handle this blow," Madam Luo said with a worried frown.

"Wait until she recovers from her illness before telling her." An Qinghe did not want Madam Huang to go into mourning, fearing complications, so he simply chose to keep the matter hidden.

On the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Prince of Nanxiang married off his daughter.

An Yi started her menstrual period and stayed home to rest, not going to the prince's manor.

In accordance with tradition, the prince's manor did not host a banquet. The female guests simply presented gifts, drank a cup of tea, viewed the bride, and waited until the groom officially welcomed her before returning to their respective homes.

That afternoon, the Emperor had the Fourth Prince wear plain clothes and sent him to the Huang family's residence accompanied by Imperial Physician Fang, who specifically treated him.

Huang Jie had suffered a massive blow due to the sudden departure of his eldest son and had fallen ill in bed. The Emperor's gesture of sending the Fourth Prince with an imperial physician to diagnose his pulse greatly lifted the spirits of the Huang family.

Seeing this, the various hesitant manors successively went to the Huang family to offer condolences, reversing the desolation of the previous few days. However, Huang Tao's "third son-in-law," An Qinghe, remained nowhere to be seen, nor did he send anyone else, and that third daughter who had "married" into the An family did not return home to mourn or observe filial piety for her father.

Changshi was badgered to her wits' end by her sisters-in-law, so she had her concubine-born son, Huang Tang, take people to the An family the next day to escort Madam Huang back home.

On the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Right Vice Minister of the Rites was marrying off a daughter-in-law.

An Yi was still not feeling well and still did not accompany her family.

When Huang Tang and his gang arrived, Madam Luo and the others had already gone out, and they were blocked at the gates by the An family's servants.

"Damn it, you bunch of dogs, how dare you block Young Master's path! If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know Young Master's prowess," Huang Tang cursed coarsely. "Lads, beat these blind dogs of ours to death!"

The Huang family's servants brandished clubs and swept forward aggressively. The An family's servants did not back down either, clashing with them into a chaotic brawl.

The people following Huang Tang were all his bootlickers who frequently helped him fight and cause trouble. After a few rounds, they beat all of the An family's servants to the ground and rushed toward the inner courtyard with clubs in hand.

The old woman guarding the second gate saw this; one went to the Pearl Pavilion to report to An Yi, while the other went to find Guan Er.

Huang Tang had sharp eyes. "Quickly follow that old woman."

The Huang family's lackeys followed right behind the old woman who had gone to the Pearl Pavilion to report, chasing her all the way.

"Miss, Miss, it's terrible!" The old woman ran out of breath, shouting loudly before even entering the courtyard. "S-s-something's happened."

An Yi was sitting upstairs reading a book. Hearing the cries, she stood up and pushed open the window. "What happened?"

"Miss, the people from the Huang family have broken in," the old woman raised her head and said.

An Yi had already seen the group of people running behind the old woman, her gaze turning slightly cold. The Huang family members were truly arrogant!

Fang Rong, who was standing beside An Yi, saw them too. "Miss, this servant will go drive them away."

An Yi nodded.

Fang Rong leaped down from the window, darted to the doorway, picked up the door-prop wooden stick, and met them head-on.

Seeing a lone woman charge over, the Huang family's servants paid her no mind. To their surprise, Fang Rong immediately knocked down three of them in succession. Only then did they realize this woman was a martial arts expert and swarmed to surround Fang Rong.

"Hit her! Beat her hard! Beat this cheap bitch to death for Young Master!" Huang Tang shouted loudly from the side.

Although Fang Rong's martial arts were good, two fists were no match for four hands.

Standing upstairs watching the battle, An Yi grew anxious when she saw Fang Rong take two blows from the clubs. Seizing a handful of embroidery needles, she vaulted down from the upper floor.

"A fairy!" Huang Tang stared at An Yi descending from the heavens, his jaw dropping so wide that drool spilled out.

Seeing his lewd expression, a cold light flashed in An Yi's eyes. She raised her delicate hand, and the embroidery needles shot forth like arrows.

"Ah!" Huang Tang let out a miserable scream.

"Young Master!" The Huang family's servants were shocked and abandoned their siege on Fang Rong.

There were over a dozen embroidery needles embedded in Huang Tang's face, with two needles piercing straight into his left eye, blood gushing out.

"This time, this young lady is only taking one of your eyes. If you ever dare to come to the An family to cause trouble again, this young lady will take your life," An Yi said coldly.

Huang Tang was in too much pain to speak. Supported by his servants, he fled the An family and returned to the Huang residence. When Changshi saw his condition, she grew so angry that her vision went black. Upon learning that An Yi was the one who had dealt such a vicious blow, she began to curse violently.

"Alright, Mother, stop cursing. Quickly dispatch someone to fetch a physician to pull these needles out for Little Brother! I was wondering why I didn't see Little Brother guarding the mourning hall today—so you sent him to the An family! Why on earth would you tell him to go to the An family?" asked Changshi's second daughter, the Marchioness of Wuchang.

"Your father is dead, and your third sister still hasn't come. What kind of behavior is this?" Changshi said.

"As early as when you sent Third Sister away to be a concubine, it stopped being proper," the Marchioness of Wuchang said with displeasure.

"The one who made your third sister a concubine wasn't me; it was your grandfather and your father. For the sake of the Third Prince..."

"The Third Prince is the Fourth Prince now. Please don't keep calling him the Third Prince; it won't be good if someone overhears," the Marchioness of Wuchang interrupted Changshi.

"For the sake of the Fourth Prince, your grandfather insisted on sending your third sister to the An family. Who could have foreseen that An Qinghe would be such a heartless ingrate who completely disregards the grace of your grandfather elevating him back then? He ruined poor Third Girl. It's been several months, and I haven't had any news of her. My poor Third Girl, I wonder how she's doing now?" Changshi wept.

The Marchioness of Wuchang frowned impatiently. "Things have reached this point, and crying is useless. Hurry to the mourning hall. With not a single member of the host family present, there's no telling what people might say."

The fact that Huang Tang had gone to the An family to make trouble aggressively instead of keeping vigil before his father's bier spread far and wide, leading many to believe that the Huang family lacked any successors and that its days were numbered.