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The restaurant had always prided itself on its luxurious offerings, with high prices to match, but the food was undeniably delicious. In modern terms, it could be considered a seven-star establishment.
Yeh Hsiao-Han's restaurant business had expanded to the point of being well-known in the capital, yet it had not shaken the presence of the city's top establishment in the slightest.
Just as Yeh Hsiao-Han settled into her seat, a vaguely familiar figure caught her eye.
In an instant, Yeh Hsiao-Han felt a flicker of surprise within her.
The person was none other than Yang Juanjuan, who had once been relentlessly entangled with Gu Bei.
Back then, Gu Bei was living under an alias, going by the name of Liu Bei. At that time, Liu's relatives—specifically Liu Bei's aunt—had come to stay with her husband and their daughter for a while at Liu's home. They had caused quite a bit of trouble, ultimately receiving a stern lesson from Yeh Hsiao-Han.
The Liu couple had been imprisoned for poisoning several people and framing others. After that, Yeh Hsiao-Han hadn’t made any particular effort to investigate further; she had only vaguely heard that one had been sentenced to death and executed, while the other was still suffering in prison, reflecting on the crimes committed.
Yang Juanjuan had not been implicated due to insufficient evidence. In the end, Yeh Hsiao-Han never discovered whether she was truly unaware or simply kept in the dark.
However, Yeh Hsiao-Han was not interested in any of that and chose not to dwell on it.
Now suddenly seeing Yang Juanjuan in the capital brought back memories of those past events. Yet after experiencing many storms in life, what once seemed unbearable now felt trivial.
Yeh Hsiao-Han felt a mix of emotions but quickly decided to conceal her presence.
Although she had no reason to fear Yang Juanjuan, she held no fondness for this woman either. There was no sense of nostalgia or warmth; she simply wanted to distance herself and avoid any association with such peculiar individuals.
Fortunately, she had just entered and hadn’t yet removed her wide-brimmed hat; the veil obscured her face, preventing anyone from clearly seeing her features.
Yeh Hsiao-Han stood up, intending to leave. The restaurant was bustling with patrons; an ordinary guest coming and going would hardly attract attention.
However, Yeh Hsiao-Han still sensed Yang Juanjuan’s animosity directed at her. After she left, Yang Juanjuan lifted her head from her meal, her expression shifting from casual indifference to one of keen interest as she watched Yeh Hsiao-Han depart.
From the moment Yeh Hsiao-Han entered, Yang Juanjuan had recognized her immediately.
Even now, Yeh Hsiao-Han had undergone a complete transformation in her figure, yet her aura still exuded the same essence that made Yang Juanjuan feel a deep resentment just by being near her.
“Yeh Hsiao-Han, this is your own misfortune. Why must you come to disturb me?”
Yang Juanjuan flashed a charming smile toward the door, but her eyes were dark and unsettling. She set down her chopsticks and quickly left.
After turning around two street corners, Yang Juanjuan entered a lavishly decorated mansion, her steps steady as she headed toward the study.
“Husband, I’m coming in,” Yang Juanjuan knocked on the door and then pushed it open to enter.
Inside, a man was writing something. Upon seeing Yang Juanjuan enter so directly, a flicker of displeasure crossed his face but quickly faded, almost imperceptibly to anyone else.
If Yeh Hsiao-Han were there, she would be even more shocked. The man before her was none other than Liu Yuan, the son of the Governor who had repeatedly plotted against her in the past.
“Juanjuan, have you missed me so soon after such a short time apart?” Liu Yuan’s tone was flippant, his attitude towards Yang Juanjuan warm yet tinged with barely concealed disdain.
Yang Juanjuan was oblivious to his tone; her mind was consumed by what had just happened at the restaurant. Eagerly, she relayed the encounter to Liu Yuan.
“Husband, I just ran into Yeh Hsiao-Han!” Yang Juanjuan’s eyes glinted with hatred. “That bitch is currently in the capital!”
Liu Yuan’s expression shifted to one of seriousness. “Yeh Hsiao-Han? I haven’t received any news about her; isn’t she supposed to be in Jiangnan? Are you sure it was her?”
“I could recognize that bitch even if she turned to ashes!” Yang Juanjuan recounted every detail of her encounter with Yeh Hsiao-Han. “I’m certain it was her!”
Liu Yuan set aside his writing and stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before breaking into a smile. “This truly is a stroke of luck. We’ve been worried about finding flaws in Gu Bei and the Third Prince; now someone has delivered themselves right to us.”
“What should we do now? Should we capture her?” Yang Juanjuan could hardly contain her desire to hang Yeh Hsiao-Han up and whip her a hundred times to vent her anger.
Liu Yuan opposed this suggestion, pulling out a white jade fan from somewhere and opening and closing it in his palm. “This matter is significant; I need to report to His Majesty first before we discuss further actions.”
“Alright, then hurry! If Yeh Hsiao-Han escapes while we delay, it would be a wasted opportunity!” Yang Juanjuan appeared more anxious than Liu Yuan, urging him to go quickly.
Liu Yuan reached out with his fan, gliding it down Yang Juanjuan's smooth cheek, lifting her chin as he said, "Yes, yes, my dear wife is right. I will go at once."
He called for a maid to help her change and then set off towards the palace.
If Yeh Hsiao-Han had been nearby, she would have been surprised by their conversation. After all, Liu Yuan had always been in the countryside; why was he suddenly involved with Murong Cheng?
In fact, even if she were not close by, she would soon learn about this seemingly strange matter.
After encountering Yang Juanjuan at the tavern, Yeh Hsiao-Han felt unsettled. Upon returning, she immediately sent someone to investigate the purpose of Yang Juanjuan's trip to the capital.
These individuals were carefully trained by Gu Bei and were exceptionally skilled at gathering information. In no time, they uncovered the entire story.
It turned out that after Liu Wen and his wife were captured, Yang Juanjuan found herself at a loss. She had originally followed Liu Wen and his wife because her father had remarried and her stepmother had looked down on her.
Now that Liu Wen and his wife were gone, she had lost her support and was left homeless.
By coincidence, just when she was at her wit's end, she encountered Liu Yuan, who was there to investigate.
Whether it was Yang Juanjuan's beauty that captivated Liu Yuan or if he had other intentions in mind remained unclear; nonetheless, he married her as a secondary wife.
Not long after that, turmoil erupted in the capital, and Liu Yuan brought Yang Juanjuan to the city, settling into their current residence.
This residence originally belonged to Murong Cheng.
"My lady," one of her subordinates reported, "the information I've gathered indicates that Liu Yuan is not an ordinary person. A few years ago, he gained fame in the capital for his talents and became an advisor to Murong Cheng when he was still the crown prince."
The subordinate organized the information so that Yeh Hsiao-Han could understand more quickly: "However, it remains unclear why his identity has been kept secret for the past few years. I only recently learned this."
Yeh Hsiao-Han couldn't make sense of it either. Perhaps Murong Cheng feared that revealing his connections would expose him to accusations of forming factions against the emperor. Thus, he kept things low-key; many advisors like Liu Yuan remained hidden among the common folk.
No wonder she and Gu Bei had worked so hard to investigate but couldn't uncover Liu Yuan's master; it turned out to be none other than His Highness the Crown Prince. It made sense that such a secret could be kept so tightly under wraps.
It was also because at that time, Yeh Hsiao-Han and Gu Bei were both at a low point in their lives, with not many resources at their disposal, that they were unable to investigate. If it were now, it would naturally be a different story.
This also unraveled a mystery that had puzzled Yeh Hsiao-Han for so long. She had found it strange back then why the son of a mere Governor could reach so far; it turned out he had the Crown Prince backing him.
Indeed, birds of a feather flock together; the crows are as black as each other!
The two people she disliked the most were actually in cahoots. That saved her a lot of time back then; she didn’t need to deal with them separately but could take them down all at once.
Liu Yuan came to the capital because Murong Cheng had ascended to the throne and no longer needed to hide. As a trusted aide of the new emperor for many years, he naturally rose along with him and secured a decent position.
He had now been promoted to Scholar, becoming an important minister of the court.
Yeh Hsiao-Han couldn't help but let out a laugh, though it was a cold one.
An emperor who would stop at nothing for power and a minister who relied on his authority to kill and burn—if Dongchuan fell into the hands of these people, it would be nothing but a wishful dream for the common folk to live in peace and prosperity.
Previously, she had only tried her best because she wanted to help Gu Bei.
However, at this moment, she truly realized that Murong Cheng's faction must be overthrown.
For the sake of the vast majority of ordinary people who deserved to live normal lives.
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