On Our Wedding Night, I Discovered the Crown Prince's Hidden Illness

Upon returning to Qingyu Residence, Miao Zhu brought out some silver, indignantly saying, "Miss, in the afternoon the maids went to collect our monthly silver. You only received six taels, I've got one tael, and Mrs. Zhao also has one tael."

Leng Yu Yan's brows furrowed slightly, "Is that all?"

"I felt it was too little at the time, but the account office said that in the Leng Residence, the legitimate daughter gets six taels, a daughter born to a concubine gets four taels. The Chief Maid gets one tael, and although Mrs. Zhao originally got five hundred cents, because Qingyu Residence is short-staffed, they gave Mrs. Zhao one tael."

Mrs. Zhao said softly, "That's just the official amount. Those with living mothers receive extra allowances in private."

She had originally been a maid to the late Madam, and after the Madam's passing, she began to pretend to be deaf and mute. Her salary was decreased again and again, and she had long seen through this.

Miao Zhu nodded, "I've secretly inquired, the third Miss also officially gets six taels, but in reality, she receives twenty taels each month."

They were temporarily brought from the remote countryside and didn't bring much in silver notes. If the Miss wanted to investigate the Lady and the eldest young master's affairs, she would inevitably need to bribe people. With such a small monthly salary, what should they do?

Leng Yu Yan saw her concern and said softly, "Don't worry about the matter of silver."

"Do you have a way, Miss?"

"Tonight, I will go to collect some principal and interest." Leng Yu Yan smiled lightly.

Meanwhile.

After Lai Manting returned to the Leng Residence, she couldn't wait to enter her own study and practiced the brush movements she had seen dozens of times.

Despite it being just a vertical stroke and a hook, she simply couldn't emulate Leng Yu Yan's composed and relaxed finishing stroke.

She was so frustrated that she threw her writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone all over the floor.

Without a strong foundation, she realized she couldn't produce that kind of state, and Lai Manting increasingly felt that Leng Yu Yan's brushwork was just a fluke.

With this thought, she felt somewhat better.

--

Into the night.

The spring night was tranquil, and the evening breeze was gentle.

Seeing that Leng Yu Yan had put on a male costume and tied up her hair, Miao Zhu excitedly said, "Miss, take me with you!"

Leng Yu Yan reached out and touched her forehead, "Mrs. Zhao is guarding the yard, you just stay in the room and pretend to be me. If someone comes, you can still handle it."

"Rest assured, Miss!" Miao Zhu nodded vigorously and immediately brought over some warm water to help her Miss gently peel off the freckled mask she'd been wearing for several days.

Even though the mask was part of her own skin, the area where it was attached still felt uncomfortable.

Leng Yu Yan carefully washed her face, applied her homemade ointment, and then felt much better.

"Miss... Miss..." Mrs. Zhao came in, and upon seeing her own Miss's flawless face, she was so shocked that she couldn't utter a word.

"In the Leng Residence, only the three of us know about this."

Mrs. Zhao had been close to her mother, and Leng Yu Yan had never intended to keep it from her.

"Understood, I am aware now!" While speaking, Mrs. Zhao became emotional, "Miss, with your Heavenly Immortal-like appearance, to be married to the Crown Prince... wouldn't that be..."

Miao Zhu giggled, "Like flowers stuck on cow dung?"

Mrs. Zhao burst out laughing, "You little slick one!"

Leng Yu Yan gave a gentle laugh, raised her hand to outline her originally soft eyebrows, and made up her face to appear more masculine, indeed looking like she had bold eyebrows and sparkling eyes, and her face was handsome.

To investigate her brother's cause of death, she needed to infiltrate the Ministry of War to examine the records of that military campaign. But infiltrating the Ministry of War was not so easy, so she planned to start with Li Yu.

She was prepared to meet with him tonight.

Furthermore, it was time for him to repay the silver he owed her.

Having instructed Mrs. Zhao and Miao Zhu at length, Leng Yu Yan made her way to the courtyard. Seizing the cover of night, she tiptoed and leapt onto the rooftop, silently departing from the Leng Residence.

Following the address Li Yu had once provided, Leng Yu Yan arrived at a tavern.

Even though it was now 9 p.m., the tavern was bustling with activity.

She asked a server for a private room, and as she was ascending towards the second floor, two men came down facing her.

One was Ye Yiheng, and the other was the young man she had seen earlier in the palace.

If Ye Yiheng were truly blind, he wouldn't be able to recognize her, but she feared the man beside him might connect her current appearance with the one she had in the palace.

Although confident in her male disguise, Leng Yu Yan instinctively unfolded her folding fan, coyly shielding her face.

"I don't know how the owner of this tavern conducts business. I find the dishes here not as good as the Zuixian Building next door, yet the guests still swarm in nonstop. Look, even at this hour, people are coming." During his speech, Jian Lecheng inadvertently looked up and caught sight of a rather handsome young gentleman.

Huh, this person looks somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite recall where he had seen him before.

By the time he wanted to take another look, the young gentleman had already gone upstairs.

Leng Yu Yan closed her folding fan, pondered for a moment, and felt something was amiss.

If Ye Yiheng was truly blind, how could he navigate the stairs at this moment without someone to guide him?

Slightly turning her head, she glanced towards the staircase...

Just then, Ye Yiheng, his eyes covered by a white silk cloth, happened to turn his head around.

For some reason, the sight of Ye Yiheng with his eyes concealed made her nervous. Leng Yu Yan quickly hid her figure behind a pillar.

Once in the tavern's main hall, Ye Yiheng mumbled to himself, "Is someone watching us from behind?"

Only because of his quick attention to details, if he could observe more than just silhouettes, there would be no need for such uncertainty.

Hearing his words, Jian Lecheng looked all around, up and down the stairs: "No, there isn't anyone. Perhaps you're feeling mistaken?"

By now, Leng Yu Yan had already entered the private room. Calmly taking a seat, she said to the server, "Please trouble your manager to come out."

"Young Master, is it that my service isn't sufficient, and you find it difficult to order?"

"Not at all, it's just that I have an important matter to discuss, so please be so kind as to assist."

The server, who had intended to scold the polite young master, found himself unable to produce the words he had in mind, and promptly summoned the shopkeeper.

Leng Yu Yan glanced at the shopkeeper and shook her head, "I wish to meet your real boss behind the scenes."

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, suspecting that the person in front of him had come to cause trouble.

Occupying a private room for no reason without ordering, and demanding to see the boss—where did such things happen?

Further, was the real boss someone he could simply summon upon request?

"Young Master, if you're neither drinking nor dining, then please leave. Don't delay our business!" The shopkeeper haughtily gestured towards the door, "If you're looking to swindle food or drinks, our establishment does not welcome such behavior!"

Leng Yu Yan's lips curled into a slight smile; she took out a jade pendant and gently placed it on the table.

The jade pendant's contact with the table made a soft, yet clear sound.

The young master in front of him remained calm and collected, and the shopkeeper couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed them and only then clearly recognized the jade pendant on the table.

He quickly bowed and apologized, "This old man was blind and failed to recognize your greatness, my apologies, Young Master! I will fetch the boss immediately."

"No need to be disturbed, it's just a bit of a wait," Leng Yu Yan straightened her robe, still with an indifferent expression on her face.

The shopkeeper's forehead broke out in a thin layer of sweat, and to the server, he barked, "You shortsighted thing, quickly serve the noble guest some fine tea!"

The server agreed verbally, but inwardly he sneered; to talk of shortsightedness, the shopkeeper was no better. Yet, why did the sight of a single jade pendant prompt such a drastic change from him?

The shopkeeper, almost bumping into the door frame in his haste, stepped back, gave an awkward smile to Leng Yu Yan, and then left the private room.