Volume One, Chapter Two: Catching an Affair

The ladies and young misses exchanged bewildered glances, thinking to themselves that this Fourth Miss was truly fierce. As the saying went, family scandals should not be aired in public, yet she seemed determined that everyone should hear. The old matron’s fleshy face sagged instantly.

Leng Xuanru strode into the inner hall, his eyes cold and furious as he glared at Yuejiao.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Father, I am not making things up. This is what Third Sister’s maid said,” Yuejiao, only twelve years old, pouted aggrievedly and pointed at Zhulu.

“Master, I saw it with my own eyes—a man in black entered Third Miss’s room...” Zhulu, trembling, knelt to the ground and rushed to explain before Leng Xuanru could even speak.

“Silence!” Leng Xuanru cut her off.

Matters of a maiden’s private chambers—how could such shameful things be spoken aloud in front of so many? Did he, Lord Leng, wish to keep any dignity at all?

“Father, there must be a misunderstanding here. Why not go and see for ourselves in Third Sister’s courtyard?” Second Miss Leng Yuemei stepped forward gracefully, her sweet voice instantly earning her a round of admiring glances.

Today’s guests were mostly officials below the fourth rank and their families; most had no desire to pry into private scandals and invite trouble upon themselves.

The more discerning ladies and misses quickly rose to take their leave, and even those tempted by the spectacle had to depart awkwardly. Leng Xuanru and Madam Jiang courteously saw their guests to the door.

Leng Yuemei watched the departing guests, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.

“Speak quickly—what else did you see?” Leng Xuanru returned to question Zhulu.

“I am a maid from the outer court. Third Miss never allows me in the inner quarters. I only heard Third Miss say... say...” Zhulu faltered.

“Say what?” Leng Xuanru fixed her with a piercing stare.

“She said... ‘what a handsome man!’” Zhulu bit her lip as if summoning all her courage.

“Master, we must hurry and see for ourselves!” Madam Jiang could barely contain her impatience.

“Come, let us see!” The old matron rose as well, nearly stumbling, but Leng Yuemei’s quick hands caught her just in time.

The old matron gave Leng Yuemei an approving look. “Hurry, let’s go. That wild girl—let’s hope nothing truly terrible has happened.” She then led the crowd of ladies and young misses in a noisy procession toward Third Miss’s Bamboo Grove Courtyard.

The small courtyard was strangely quiet, not a servant in sight. Only a faint candlelight shone from the main house’s window, giving the place an eerie feel.

When everyone entered the room, they were met with disarray. The bed was a mess, the curtains hung in tatters, and the bedding was twisted into a wild heap—no proper young lady’s chamber would ever look like this.

With the earlier rumors as fuel, the crowd’s imagination instantly conjured up scenes of illicit passion. Leng Yuejiao approached and her almond-shaped eyes widened. “Grandmother, Father, look—this is Third Sister’s clothing!”

All eyes turned to see a scrap of fine silk on the bed—a torn piece from the dress Leng Yueheng had worn earlier that day.

As the crowd’s imaginations ran wild, Leng Yueheng’s birth mother, Concubine Tian, rushed in upon hearing the news and threw herself at Leng Xuanru’s feet. “Master, please send someone to find Yueheng!”

Leng Xuanru, shaken by Concubine Tian’s pleas, was on the verge of losing his temper.

At that moment, the old matron suddenly collapsed.

“Mother!”

“Grandmother!”

“Quick—fetch a physician from the front courtyard!”

Within the inner city of Jingdu, beside the city’s only natural lake—Divine Water Lake.

Moonlight shone quietly on the surface; only the sound of insects could be heard. Leng Yueheng was entwined with a man, bodies pressed close in desperate longing.

Leng Yueheng felt as if she might die—the raging fire consuming her flesh, her sinews, burning her shame to ashes.

But the man only touched her lightly, never crossing the final line—a torment almost unbearable.

“Hurry! Save me! Don’t dawdle!” she gasped, tearing at his clothes, her lips burning hot, seeking desperately—he was her only lifeline.

Could it be that this man was simply useless, all looks and no substance? No—that couldn’t be. His words denied her, but his body betrayed him. Such lack of respect!

“Let go of me!” The man’s voice was hoarse, his tone at odds with his actions, as his hands wandered over her supple skin.

Their clothes were already half-off, and it seemed desire would overwhelm them at any moment. Only the man clung to a last shred of fragile self-control.

He picked her up and strode toward the lake.

The icy water brought a measure of clarity to them both.

“Useless—you’ll kill me!” Leng Yueheng murmured, arms around his neck. “Save me!”

“Who are you?” The man’s suppressed desire surged anew—the softness against his chest, her whispered pleas in his ear... He could have hated her for this.

“Leng Yueheng!” she answered, her tone stubborn, a touch of pity, and brimming with allure.

“You little seductress! Don’t come to regret this!” The man looked at the limp, powerless woman in his arms, gritting his teeth. She had clearly been poisoned more severely than he.

With a hint of tenderness and overwhelming passion, he kissed her clumsily—for the first time, he felt any affection for a woman.

The earth was their bed, the sky their cover.

At twenty, he experienced his first night of passion with a woman. Alas, “Wishing to cross the Yellow River, the ice blocks the way; climbing Mount Taihang, snow covers the path.”

Ah, how helpless she was. All she could do was help him: “Hooves trample the water, scattering the rosy clouds; drunken sleeves greet the wind, catching the falling flowers.”