A Cornered Dog

When Sang Hongyun opened her eyes, she found herself alone in the room. She recalled having a dream—her first encounter with An Zichen surfaced in her memory. Perhaps An Zichen had always been like this; it was only her own inability to truly see through people that had misled her. She had thought him a gentleman, gentle and considerate, and believed she had met someone who truly understood her. Such is the most lamentable tale for those who have traversed time—though her heart ached with regret, she found some solace in how she had boldly ended their engagement in person while he was on his way to fetch her as his bride. That, at least, was a stroke of fortune amidst her misfortune. However, the formal engagement documents had yet to be retrieved, and that would be another troublesome matter to resolve. She understood well that failing to act decisively would only sow chaos later, but the pain in her heart lingered.

As Sang Hongyun mused on these things, thirst parched her throat and she prepared to rise. Just then, Sang Ye entered from outside. The moment she saw Sang Hongyun sitting up, she exclaimed with delight, “Miss, you’re awake!”

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me I’ve fallen ill,” Sang Hongyun replied.

“How could you not be ill?” Sang Ye laughed. “You’ve been unconscious for four days and three nights. If you hadn’t woken up soon, Madame Yi would have overturned the whole household!”

“What did you say?” Sang Hongyun frowned.

“Once word spread of your illness, Madame Yi started making a scene. Both Second Master and Third Master have been busy these days. Right now, Madame Yi is confronting the housekeeper at the storeroom, insisting on taking over its management. Sang Ling and Sang Yu are there as well!”

Sang Hongyun fixed her gaze on Sang Ye. “What about Housekeeper Sang, Housekeeper Liu, the guards, and those who returned from the northwest?”

How could the household be in such disarray just because she fell ill?

Sang Ye smiled again. “Housekeeper Sang said that unless Madame Yi made a move, he couldn’t be certain about certain matters. So…”

Could it be, Sang Hongyun pondered, that Housekeeper Sang suspects Madame Yi had something to do with Grandfather’s death? “Then perhaps I should remain ill a few more days?”

“No, that won’t do,” Sang Ye protested. “You’ve been asleep so long, you’re practically growing moss. You need to get some sun, drive away the chill—that’s the proper thing to do!”

Leaning against the edge of the kang bed, Sang Hongyun finally asked, “Has there been any news from the An family?”

“None at all,” Sang Ye replied.

Sang Hongyun glanced at her. “You can’t even manage a convincing lie—tell me the truth.”

Sang Ye hesitated for a while before admitting, “There are many unpleasant rumors about you. They say you behaved improperly at the border, that An Zichen abandoned you, and that you publicly broke off the engagement to save face. They even claim that Miss Yu persuaded An Zichen to marry you first, but he refused to wrong Miss Yu, so he married her before you.”

Sang Hongyun’s brows furrowed in displeasure. Grandfather had barely been laid to rest, and already mud was being slung at her. The timing was all too convenient—right as An Zichen was newly wed and Miss Yu basked in her triumph. Clearly, someone aimed to undermine the Sang household with such petty and contemptible tricks.

Picking apart the threads, Sang Hongyun quickly understood the heart of the matter. There was another way to trace the source of these rumors—by crafting some rumors of her own.

She sent Sang Miao and Sang Ye out of the manor, then readied herself and made her way to the Sang family storeroom.

For Feng-shi and Sang Zhongli and Sang Zhongshi, these past few days had been a torment. Their plans had seemed foolproof: upon the old Marquis’s death, before dawn even broke, they stationed their people throughout the estate and forced Sang Yangshi and her son Sang Zhen to hand over the household keys. Sang Yangshi, gentle by nature, had always devoted herself to bearing children and managing the household for her husband stationed at the border. She had earned the old Marquis’s deep trust. But with him gone, Feng-shi, as the only elder left, immediately seized the chance to bring her two sons from the second and third branches into power. With Sang Zhongyang serving their interests at the border, and the estate now theirs, their next step was to secure the marquisate for the second branch—ensuring the Sang family would forever be ruled by Feng-shi’s line.

Sang Yangshi, seeing that her husband and daughter were away and her only son Sang Zhen was still young and unmarried, wisely gave up her authority without resistance. She believed her husband and daughter would soon return, and there would be time enough then to settle accounts. After making this decision, she kept Sang Zhen close and devoted herself to mourning the old Marquis.

Sure enough, seven days later, her daughter returned from the frontier. By then, An Zichen had married, and Sang Yangshi’s heart ached for her daughter, though she could do nothing to help. Her anxiety grew, and when the old Marquis was finally laid to rest, Sang Hongyun fell ill. Only then did Sang Yangshi truly begin to feel panic. On her way to see her daughter, she spotted her heading toward the storeroom.

Out of concern, Sang Yangshi took Sang Hongyun’s hand. “If they want it, let them have it. We can always leave and start anew.”

“Don’t worry, Mother. I have my own way,” Sang Hongyun replied, though her mother remained uneasy.

Sang Hongyun hugged her mother’s arm. “The Sang estate has always belonged to Father. If anyone leaves, it will be them, not us.”

Arriving at the storeroom, Sang Hongyun saw Feng-shi’s people in a standoff with the matron who guarded the storeroom, while Sang Ling and Sang Yu looked on as if enjoying a show.

Listening to the heated argument, Sang Hongyun stepped forward and coolly addressed the two troublemaking matrons. “Why are you guarding this storeroom? This is a vital part of the estate. If anything goes missing, the penalty is severe. Did Grand-Aunt not tell you that?”

The two matrons turned pale at the sound of her voice behind them.

“Eldest Miss, we’re only following orders!” They didn’t even bother with formalities.

“Whose orders?” Sang Hongyun’s eyes narrowed with a smile.

They exchanged glances. “Madame Yi’s, of course.”

“It seems the punishment of house arrest was too lenient for Grand-Aunt. Sang Yu, please invite Grand-Aunt here to the storeroom—and have Second and Third Uncles come as well.”

Sang Yu obeyed at once. Sang Hongyun commanded, “Open the storeroom.”

The matron hurried to unlock the door, then stood aside, watching Sang Hongyun uncertainly. She couldn’t fathom why the Eldest Miss would order the storeroom opened under such circumstances.

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New story seeking support—please add to your collections!