Chapter 9: Jin Yu

After helping Di Jiang tidy up, Wu Rui’an returned to the royal residence. For the next two days, he stationed Lü Chenfei and his men outside the Jiansu Medical Clinic, ensuring peace.

That evening, after two days of suppressed appetite, Wu Rui’an gradually forgot the foul stench and felt hungry. He ordered a feast in the dining hall.

Seeing the table laden with delicacies, Wu Rui’an’s mouth watered. Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he caught a familiar odor.

The phrase “a person who hasn’t washed their armpits for half a year sleeping on a rotten straw mat covered in duck feathers” flashed in his mind, filling his nostrils. Unable to hold back, he retched acid, and stars danced before his eyes.

“Your Highness, are you alright? Are you ill?” The head maid, Jin Yu, immediately supported him, patting his back to help him catch his breath.

However, the increasingly pungent stench overwhelmed Wu Rui’an, leaving his mind blank. Only then did he realize that the source of the smell was Jin Yu beside him.

“You... stay away from me!” Wu Rui’an repeatedly pushed her away.

“Mistress, I...” Jin Yu looked as if she were about to cry. Though worried about Lord Wu, she dared not linger and quickly went to find Steward Liu Changqing.

Not long after, upon hearing the news, Liu rushed over and immediately sent two other maids to escort Wu Rui’an to his bedroom.

Along the way, Liu heard Wu Rui’an muttering, “So smelly, it’s suffocating me, how disgusting...” Although he couldn’t smell it, he still had someone light a thick incense of agarwood to neutralize the scent in the air.

Without Jin Yu nearby and the soothing aroma of incense, Wu Rui’an could finally breathe easier.

As soon as he regained clarity, he said, “Call Lü Chenfei to me.”

“Yes.”

After returning from the Jiansu Medical Clinic, Lü Chenfei received a secret order from Wu Rui’an to investigate a maid named ‘Jin Yu.’ Without delay, he hurried out that night.

The next morning, when Lü Chenfei brought four or five thugs into the Jiansu Medical Clinic for identification, Wen Yao nodded vigorously, pointing at the thug leader with a fat head and round ears, cursing loudly, “It’s him! He smashed our tables!”

She then pointed at the cabinet above her head, saying, “And this mark, he made it with an axe!”

“Mercy, Madam!” The thug leader, bound by his hands, fell to his knees in front of Wen Yao, pleading, “I was just blinded by greed, took some silver, and scared you a little. Please forgive me!”

“Now you know to cry?” Wen Yao sneered. “You should thank Lord Wu first. If he hadn’t found you, once you fell into my hands, I’d make you suffer ten times worse!”

After Wen Yao finished identifying them, Lü Chenfei took them to the Wu Royal Residence.

As they entered the estate, they drew everyone’s attention.

Knowing her fate was sealed, Jin Yu knelt early in front of Wu Rui’an’s study, continuously kowtowing and apologizing, “Your Highness, I was momentarily blinded by greed. Please, in consideration of my ten years of service, forgive me this time!”

Wu Rui’an ignored her completely.

When Lü Chenfei and his group arrived, the thug leader immediately identified Jin Yu. “It’s her! She gave me thirty taels of silver a few days ago to scare the proprietor Di Jiang at the Jiansu Medical Clinic. It was all because of greed. Your Highness, spare my life!”

Seated at the desk, Wu Rui’an coldly observed the crowd kneeling on the ground.

Had it not been for Di Jiang’s Danruo Flower Lure, he would never have imagined that Jin Yu, the head maid who had served him for ten years, was the mastermind behind this intimidation.

Jin Yu had always been diligent, hardworking, and well-mannered. Though her family background wasn’t as prestigious as the great families, it was still respectable.

She was the illegitimate daughter of the former Minister of Works, Hong Qi Yu. When she came to the Wu Royal Residence, he thought she was wronged and assigned her as his personal maid. Never did he expect that after ten years, she would associate with street thugs and engage in threats and intimidation, targeting the woman he cared most about!

Unforgivable.

“Take them to the Jingzhao Prefecture for legal punishment.” After finishing, Wu Rui’an turned to Jin Yu.

“Mercy, Your Highness!” In her haste, Jin Yu kowtowed again, immediately knocking a bloody hole in her forehead, blood flowing freely.

“Drag Jin Yu away, forty lashes and twenty slaps.”

Wu Rui’an coldly issued the order and waved his hand, having them dragged away.

“Mercy, Your Highness! Mercy!”

Jin Yu was dragged across the ground by the guards to the backyard, where she was strapped onto the punishment bench.

Her cries drowned in the sound of each lash. After forty strokes, followed by twenty slaps.

The sound of slaps rang out one after another, each blow making her dizzy. Finally, she lost the strength to cry out.

That night, Wu Rui’an went to the Jiansu Medical Clinic to report this good news and get some food.

He didn’t know why, but after drinking a cup of floral tea at Di Jiang’s, his appetite improved. Recalling the scent of the Danruo Flower Lure, he now perceived it as a faint grassy aroma rather than the stench of a rotten straw mat.

After dinner at the clinic, host and guest enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Before leaving, Di Jiang handed him a two-inch-long wooden box.

“What is this?” Wu Rui’an asked, puzzled.

“It’s Mengxiang Incense for calming the mind. If you can’t sleep well, try it,” Di Jiang stood at the door, smiling at him. The candlelight behind her obscured her face, but highlighted her demeanor, calm and composed.

“Thank you.” Wu Rui’an nodded and swiftly turned to leave.

He feared staying any longer would lead to losing control again...

On the third day, when Wu Rui’an went out, he noticed some commotion at the side gate. Upon inquiry, Steward Liu sighed, “Jin Yu has gone.”

“Gone? Where to?”

“She passed away.”

“What?” Wu Rui’an was stunned. “Forty lashes killed her?”

“It seems she was too ashamed to take medicine. After delaying for two days, she passed away,” Liu Changqing shook his head, sighing. “This morning, I sent someone to notify Minister Hong, but he said he considers her as if she were never his daughter and told us to dispose of her as we see fit.”

“...”

Wu Rui’an was slightly stunned, his expression unreadable.

“Please accept condolences, Your Highness,” Liu Changqing consoled. “It’s her fate, blame her own wrongdoing. Don’t dwell on it too much.”

“Give her a proper burial.” Wu Rui’an sighed.

“Yes.” The steward nodded.

That night, Wu Rui’an couldn’t sleep well.

He kept seeing Jin Yu’s figure in his mind—she lowering the bed curtains, extinguishing the candles, and giving him a faint smile, saying, “Your Highness, I’ll wait outside. Call me if you need anything…”

Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Wu Rui’an found the incense box Di Jiang gave him under his pillow. He opened it, took out the incense, and lit it.

The fragrance was soothing, aiding sleep, and he soon drifted off.

That night, Wu Rui’an had a dream.

In the dream, he saw Jin Yu lying on the bed, windows and doors wide open, the bedding soaked with blood.

Her breathing was weak, consciousness blurred, but she kept mumbling, “Water… I want water… Water…”

Yet no one was by her side.

Maids occasionally passed by the door, but upon seeing her dire state, they acted as if they hadn’t seen anything.

No one came to help her, no one cared.

After two days, she stopped breathing. Her body was wrapped in a straw mat and taken away.

When Wu Rui’an woke up, he found himself drenched in cold sweat.

Though it was a dream, the scenes felt incredibly real.

Real enough that he could clearly see every maid’s face, including their expressions.

The mildest reaction was indifferent observation; deeper was ridicule, and even worse, opening windows and doors to let cold wind into Jin Yu’s room, hastening her death.

He couldn’t imagine how the formerly harmonious royal residence turned alien overnight.

Those maids with charming smiles revealed such faces when they turned around?

Unable to contain himself, Wu Rui’an recounted this dream to Steward Liu. Finishing, he lamented, “Tell me, why is this?”

Unlike Wu Rui’an’s confusion, everything seemed within Liu Changqing’s expectations.

“Jin Yu, favored by Your Highness, naturally incurred jealousy. Now that she’s fallen, everyone piles on. Ultimately, it’s Your Highness’s calamitous charm causing this…” The steward sighed.

“What do you mean?” Wu Rui’an was startled.

“You let them see but not touch, isn’t that provoking envy?”

“...”

Wu Rui’an frowned. “Go on.”

Liu Changqing grinned and continued, “If everyone couldn’t touch, it’d be fine. They’d consider you untouchable, only to be admired from afar. But recently, you’ve been parading around with Miss Di. She’s no noble lady, just a commoner like them, running a business daily. In fact, her birth might be lower than the maids in the residence. How could they not be jealous?”

“I never considered so much…”

Wu Rui’an adopted a stern expression. “Then what should I do?”

Seeing Wu Rui’an’s attentive posture, Liu Changqing decided to speak openly, sharing years of experience. “In the future, don’t get too close to any single woman. Spread your affections evenly, and everyone will be happy. Even if not entirely happy, it’ll at least ease the pressure on Miss Di, right?”

“Women are troublesome.” Wu Rui’an stroked his chin, pondering for a while. Suddenly inspired, he nodded at Liu Changqing, saying, “Alright, I know what to do.”

“Your Highness is wise.” The steward, stroking his beard, assumed the demeanor of a seasoned advisor.

After lunch, Wu Rui’an summoned all the servants, regardless of beauty, age, or position, and gathered them in the front courtyard.

Liu Changqing followed anxiously, urging, “Your Highness, picking a few is enough. No need for everyone to be involved—it’ll only create more chaos!”

Ignoring him, Wu Rui’an waited until everyone assembled and then declared, “Regarding the incident with the maid Jin Yu, I believe everyone knows. I don’t wish to see such events recur. To prevent this, after careful consideration, I’ve decided to dismiss all women from the residence. Only male servants will remain. I’ll pay three years’ salary upfront. Collect your money and pack your things to leave.”

Upon hearing this, the women erupted in shock.

Even Liu Changqing’s tightly-strung nerves snapped. Before he could utter a sound, he collapsed stiffly on the ground, unconscious.

“Carry him back to his room and fetch a doctor.” Wu Rui’an waved his hand dismissively, no longer concerned. Turning, he instructed another eunuch to begin distributing severance pay.

Several maids who were close to Wu Rui’an realized he was serious and burst into tears on the spot, kneeling and wailing, “We’d rather die than leave the Wu Royal Residence!”

Wu Rui’an remained unmoved, showing no mercy.

Unsurprisingly, that night, some maids drowned themselves in the lake, others hanged themselves. Fortunately, Lü Chenfei had received advance notice and led a hundred imperial guards to keep watch, rescuing one here, fishing another there, busying themselves for days until all the maids were safely dismissed from the residence.

Such a commotion spread widely. Even Empress Chen Zhao, during court that day, couldn’t help but ask, “Has my son suffered a shock?”

Bracing himself, Wu Rui’an smiled faintly. “I’ve discovered I’m not fond of women.”

“What? You… what nonsense!” Chen Zhao’s teeth chattered in shock. Impatiently throwing out a “court adjourned,” she hastily left Taiji Palace.

Though Chen Zhao appeared furious, her departing figure seemed more like a hasty retreat.

Left Chancellor Gongsun Miao turned to see a composed Wu Rui’an, shaking his head and smiling bitterly.

Changsun Qi mirrored the same expression. Though their political views often clashed, they were surprisingly in sync regarding Wu Rui’an’s situation.

With these two leading, even the civil and military officials couldn’t help but start laughing.

To say that Wu Rui’an, who had frolicked among flowers since childhood, was now indifferent to women was truly the most unimaginable thing. This act blatantly mocked the Empress…