“What are you planning to do?”
“Nothing,” Du Jingyi replied softly, her tone calm yet deliberate. “Just wait and see how Madam Wei and Mama Jiao frame the Third branch.”
Madam Xing frowned, her gaze sweeping over the couple seated before her. One sat composed and unreadable, the other unhurried and serene. The contrast between them was so measured that it puzzled her deeply.
Seeing her confusion, Du Jingyi smiled faintly, her voice as light as falling silk.
“Madam Wei is unwilling to let Mama Jiao take the blame,” she explained. “Naturally, she’ll look for a scapegoat. The people of the East Courtyard have the General with us—she can’t touch us easily. So, she’ll throw dirty water at someone else… .”
She paused, her expression sharp beneath her calm exterior.
“But the people in the Third branch are different. They have no one to rely on, no strength to shield them. Yet they have every reason to act out of desperation—to hire someone to kill, perhaps to survive… or perhaps, to replace him.”
Her tone carried a quiet brilliance, the kind of insight that cut through tangled webs of schemes.
Madam Xing’s eyes widened slightly. Even though Shang Ji had not uttered a word, it was clear he too understood exactly what Du Jingyi was implying about Madam Wei and Mama Jiao’s next move.
After a moment of contemplation, Madam Xing finally realized the implication and gasped softly.
“So, what you said earlier… it was to lure them into using their superstitions—about gods and spirits—to harm the Third branch?”
Du Jingyi nodded, her expression composed.
“Ever since I married into the family,” she said, “I’ve noticed that the Third branch, especially Third Uncle and Third Aunt, always carry a strong scent of incense. They love burning incense and worshipping Buddha—they’re firm believers in the supernatural.”
“I know,” Madam Xing agreed quickly. “And Madam Wei must know it as well.”
Mama Xing nodded, now looking at Du Jingyi with admiration.
“Today, Father-in-law was attacked, and the assassin was caught by the General. Madam Wei and Mama Jiao must be anxious—so anxious that they may resort to desperate measures. The more they panic, the more ruthless they become. If the Third branch doesn’t perish from this… they’ll at least be skinned alive this time.”
Her tone was steady, but her words struck like a blade wrapped in silk.
“My guess,” Du Jingyi continued, “is that they’ll frame one of the Third branch’s concubines, claiming she hired the killer on Third Grandfather’s orders. Just wait—there will be chaos by the woodshed soon enough.”
Hearing Du Jingyi’s reasoning, both Madam Xing and Xing Zhao finally understood the full depth of her plan.
Xing Zhao, in particular, couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
“Sister-in-law ,” he said, shaking his head with a rueful smile, “you’ve mastered the art of using your opponent’s strength against them. If you served in the army, you’d be an unparalleled strategist.”
Shang Ji chuckled quietly beside him, clearly agreeing.
Madam Xing, however, changed the subject, her tone softening slightly.
“So, when will the Duke awaken?”
“In a few days,” Shang Ji replied. “Father’s injuries aren’t grave.”
Though Duke Shang had endured hardship in his youth—having once toiled in the fields—years of prosperity and luxury had long made him forget those early struggles.
Perhaps this assassination attempt would finally awaken something long buried within him.
Still, Shang Ji couldn’t help but think that the Duke’s present suffering was, in part, well deserved.
Madam Xing let out a hearty exclamation.
“Serves him right! For so many years, he’s acted oblivious in this mansion, thinking no one could ever touch him.”
Madam Xing’s resentment toward her cousin-in-law ran deep. Were it not for the people living in the East Garden, she would have severed all ties with the Duke’s household long ago. She could hardly bear to see them, day after day, flaunting their so-called affection like a performance.
On the other hand the assassination of the Duke had also alarmed the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor ordered an immediate and thorough investigation, handing the case over to the Ministry of Justice.
As expected, with the Ministry’s involvement, progress was swift.
Within just three days, the investigation was completed—and its spearhead pointed directly toward the Duke’s Mansion.
Outraged, the Emperor sent officers to conduct a full search of the residence.
By an ill twist of fate—or perhaps deliberate arrangement—the one who arrived was none other than Madam Wei’s own brother, Wei Mingxian, the Deputy Commander of the Jingji Division [imperial security bureau charged with internal investigations].
He began his search with great fanfare, moving from courtyard to courtyard.
To display impartiality, his first stop was his sister’s own quarters, Yunjin Courtyard [main residence of the Duke’s principal wife].
“Madam,” Wei Mingxian said formally, “please forgive me. I act under His Majesty’s command to investigate the Duke’s Mansion thoroughly. I will be quite meticulous today.”
Madam Wei, who had been living in terror these past few days, looked pale but resolute.
“Your Excellency,” she replied with solemnity, “please, search as you will. I too wish to know who is so treacherous as to hire an assassin against my lord. Once the culprit is found, I shall see him dead myself!”
Wei Mingxian lifted his gaze to his sister. Despite himself, he almost admired her composure.
Had he not known the truth beforehand, he might have believed her act.
“Very well,” he said curtly. “Begin the search.”
“Yes, Sir!”
The soldiers who accompanied him were all trusted men of the Jingji Division.
Though he thought his sister’s ploy is reckless, he had little choice. For the sake of the Wei family’s reputation—and her position within the Duke’s Mansion—he had to help her cover it up.
He glanced toward Madam Wei. Her face showed the perfect mix of righteous fury and calm composure. Everything was clearly planned in advance.
“Search everywhere,” he ordered coldly.
And they did.
They rummaged through every room—first the master’s chambers, then the servants’ quarters.
Mama Jiao [personal maid and confidant of Madam Wei], though bedridden and gravely ill, had to assist in overseeing the inspection.
She looked nothing like her former self—her face was waxy pale, her eyes dull, her body swollen and heavy. Yet, she showed no fear as the soldiers entered.
They searched every corner of Yunjin Courtyard but found nothing suspicious.
When the officers finally withdrew, one of them reported respectfully, “Madam, the area is clear. We’ll move on.”
Madam Wei inclined her head gracefully. “Proceed.”
From Yunjin Courtyard, they proceeded to the West Courtyard, now occupied by Shang Silang [fourth son of the Duke] and his family. With Shang Qilang’s [seventh son] room empty, that search was also brief.
Finding nothing, they finally headed toward the East Courtyard.
All the servants of the Duke’s Mansion had been gathered and detained. Fear clouded every face, and the air was thick with dread.
They could only kneel and await their fate.
But with Shang Ji—now General Shang Ji [commanding general of the Imperial Guards]—standing there, no one dared act rashly.
In the East Courtyard, the smell of medicine filled the air. Every room housed the sick or the wounded.
Even Wei Mingxian’s hardened soldiers looked uneasy, holding their breath as they searched.
Wei Mingxian himself felt a wave of discomfort, as though standing there might infect him.
After a cursory inspection, one of the soldiers turned to Shang Ji and said, “Apologies, General! Let’s go.”
Though there had once been camaraderie between the two men through their military connections, now that the Gu and Wei families were at odds, even that faint kinship had vanished.
When Wei Mingxian and his men finally left, Du Jingyi exhaled softly, her composure returning.
“It looks like this time,” she murmured, “the Third House won’t escape unscathed.”
Shang Ji’s eyes were cold as he cast a glance toward the North Courtyard, where the Third House resided.
If they had voluntarily moved out of the Duke’s Mansion long ago, they would not have fallen into such ruin.
Now, if misfortune had come knocking, they had only their own greed and incompetence to blame.