The man with the bundle quickly approached Yu Yi and the shopkeeper. He yelled, “Get out of the way!” and reached out to push her.
Yu Yi could have easily subdued the thief, but she didn’t want to reveal her martial skills. She pretended to be startled and stepped aside, allowing his hand to pass.
The thief, seeing her move, rushed between her and the shopkeeper. Yu Yi subtly hooked her foot. The thief tripped and fell forward, severely scraping his face and drawing blood.
The thief struggled to get up but was quickly caught by a constable.
The constable handed the thief to a colleague, retrieved the bundle, and returned it to the owner, saying, “Check carefully to see if anything is missing.”
The owner checked the bundle and confirmed nothing was lost. The constable praised Yu Yi for hindering him.
Yu Yi was about to leave when the constable approached her, asking if she was alright. She politely responded that she was fine.
During their conversation, she recognized him as the constable chief.
Another constable asked the chief if he should take the thief away. Yu Yi was surprised, wondering why this Guan Bailiff was patrolling the streets instead of solving cases in the yamen.
The constable chief praised Yu Yi’s cleverness in tripping the thief. Surprised, Yu Yi realized he had keen observational skills, having noticed her subtle foot movement. She feigned pain from the thief’s potential kick.
The constable chief laughed and offered to have her see a doctor, but Yu Yi politely declined and prepared to leave.
When Yu Yi turned to get into the car, she heard the constable advising the victim to be more careful when dining at restaurants and not to leave luggage casually on stools.
In her carriage, Yu Yi instructed the driver to go to the next location, then adjusted the volume of her listening earpiece. This was a monitoring device she had placed in the Chen residence, almost unnoticeable. But to avoid trouble, she had styled her hair to cover the earpiece.
It had been only two days since installing the monitor.
During these two days, whenever she was awake, she wore the earpiece, lowering the volume when speaking or doing things, and raising it when alone to constantly listen to the movements inside the Chen residence.
But she had gained nothing so far.
Madam Bai hardly left her courtyard these past two days. She would chat with her maidservants, take afternoon naps, or try various beauty techniques popular in the capital. When it was time for Chen’s secretary to return home, she would start dressing up and selecting jewelry.
After returning home, Chen’s secretary would first go to his study to handle some matters unsuitable for public discussion, then practice calligraphy. When it was time for dinner, he would go to Madam Bai’s courtyard.
Yu Yi switched between several monitoring locations in the Chen residence, hearing mostly the sounds from Madam Bai’s room. Until she finished buying the necessary items and was on her way back to the inn, she suddenly heard Chen’s secretary speaking. Given the time, he should have just returned home and gone directly to Madam Bai’s quarters instead of the study.
Madam Bai was pleased that Chen’s secretary had come early today. After chatting for a while, she asked, “I heard that Minister Lei from the Ministry of Revenue died mysteriously?”
“Yes,” Chen’s secretary seemed reluctant to discuss the matter.
Madam Bai continued to inquire about the details.
Living in the residence with little to do, she was particularly excited by such topics. Chen’s secretary shared some information about Lei Yuan. Madam Bai asked many details, but Chen’s secretary knew only so much. After a few words, Madam Bai suddenly asked, “Is this Minister Lei the one who bought Yu Xin and Yu Yue?”
“Yes.”
“How is Yu Yi doing these days?”
“Her? She has redeemed Yu Song and several of her sisters, staying at an inn. I heard from the inn’s waiter that she has also bought a manor and farmland in the countryside.”
Yu Yi’s heart tightened. Chen Gao knew so much about her affairs. What were he and Madam Bai’s intentions in paying such close attention to her? If it were out of concern for a former wife and daughter, why hadn’t he sought her out after her last visit?
Madam Bai wondered, “Where did she get the money to buy a manor? She’s been in the courtesan house for less than a year. Even as a top-tier courtesan, saving enough to redeem herself would be difficult, let alone buying a manor.”
Chen Gao also found it puzzling.
Madam Bai said, “I can’t help but feel uneasy. She must have a backer. She couldn’t have earned so much money on her own… My lord, could she know about that matter? Could she be here for revenge?”
“But these days, no one of a different status has been seen visiting her at the inn. Moreover, if a wealthy person were helping her redeem herself, why would they let her stay at an inn?
That day, she even came to beg me to help redeem her sisters, clearly showing she has no support.” Chen Gao began to blame Madam Bai, “This is all your fault. Why did you go out that day? And you came back just as she was leaving.”
Madam Bai felt resentful, thinking it was Chen Gao’s own fault for letting Yu Yi enter the Chen residence to appear virtuous. She said aggrievedly, “Even my lord didn’t expect her to escape the courtesan house. How could I have known?”
“Alright, let’s not discuss this anymore. Anyway, the case of Yu Bin Yi was ordered by the emperor. She’s now just an ordinary citizen and can’t possibly overturn the case.” Chen Gao softened his tone seeing Madam Bai’s grievance.
Madam Bai let out a soft sound, and after a moment of silence, she whispered coyly, “How shameless in broad daylight…”
Yu Yi’s eyes filled with disgust, but she had to continue listening. However, Chen Gao and Madam Bai did not discuss anything more about Yu’s family. She returned to the inn, quietly instructing her mother and sisters to be careful not to discuss anything about herself at the inn, warning that walls have ears.
Yu Song was slightly startled but knew that if Yu Yi said this, there must be a reason.
That night, Yu Yi pondered repeatedly. The next morning, before dawn, she woke up her mother and sisters, settled the inn bill, and left the city with them to move into the manor she had just bought.
Chapter 59: Yu Yi’s Spacetime (9)
Yu Yi bought the manor near the mountain foot, with a small stream flowing from the mountain, winding past the main courtyard. The water was clear, with deep red and orange leaves from the mountain floating on the surface, contrasting with the black and white pebble bottom, creating a beautiful scene. This was one of the reasons Yu Yi decided to buy it. The stream was deepened and widened near the farmland by the previous owner, becoming a small river convenient for irrigation.
Yu Yi gave it a fitting name – Xiye Mountain Manor.
Yu Song was also quite satisfied with the manor. However, due to the hasty move, the main courtyard was not yet fully organized, with furniture and decorations in disarray. Yu Yi had invited several women to busy themselves inside and outside the courtyard. Seeing how quickly they had moved in, the women were surprised and somewhat uneasy, coming to pay respects to Yu Song and Yu Yi.
Yu Song instructed them to first clear out a large room for living, one for storage, and they could slowly organize the remaining rooms.
Several sisters were very excited, walking back and forth in different rooms, laughing and discussing which room each would stay in.
Even Yu Xin, who had been depressed these days, showed a smile, looking around with them.
Yu Songshi and Yu Yi stood in the courtyard. She looked at Yu Yi with a smile and softly asked, “Yi’er, what happened?”
