19 Don't Change for Love

"That's..." Tian Ao furrowed his brow. He wasn't a superstitious person, so he understood that this wasn't a curse but the work of human hands. Someone did not wish for Yan Qiu Yue to get married. "Before, something happened that prevented her from becoming engaged each time, no? But this time she's been engaged without a hitch."

"Only because it was the emperor's order."

"Could that not be contrived, as well?"

Yi Cheng Rui's eyes widened. He'd never thought about that possibility, but to think of it now... That did make sense. Could this be Wei Hong Sheng's doing? After all, the aftermath of all those broken-before-they-could-even-start engagements was that he came out on top and snatched the beauty. But to what end? Though the Yan family had a dukedom, they were not strong politically. The duke was only an official in the Ministry of Works with no desire to climb higher. It was well-known throughout the capital that he made it a point to stay neutral. Prince Rui-shizi would have nothing to gain from this marriage. In fact, he was definitely the loser in this situation! With Yan Qiu Yue as his main wife, he would be prevented from making a stronger, more advantageous marriage. Would that ambitious father of his allow this to happen?

Though Tian Ao wasn't 100% savvy with the political landscape of Eastern Wei, he understood the gist of it after so many discussions with Yi Cheng Rui. He began to wonder if this was someone else's scheme against Wei Hong Sheng--against Prince Rui's household. These thoughts threatened to give him a headache. "Politics..." Tian Ao shook his head. "These are such muddy waters. I don't envy you and your kind."

"Ha. As if being a merchant is so free and easy." Yi Cheng Rui jabbed his friend in the shoulder.

Tian Ao shook his head. If things didn't go the way a merchant wanted, they might lose some money, but it didn't involve life or death. Government officials enjoyed a lot of power when they were in favor, but the moment that favor was lost... No, he was content where he was.

A few days later, one evening after dinner, Yan Qiu Yue was sitting in a pavilion near her Peony Courtyard that overlooked a large pond. She was happily reading the latest volume of "Inspector of the Whistling Pines" that had unexpectedly shown up on her vanity table on the release date. Zhi Lan encouraged her to at least read outdoors so she could have some fresh air. The sun was starting to set, but there was still plenty of light. She was sitting at the table inside of the pavilion, utterly focused.

"Haa..." she sighed, putting the book face-down after finishing the section she had been reading. She was about 75% through the book, but somehow Yan Qiu Yue felt that she needed a break before continuing. The current happenings in the plot needed some time to digest properly. It was somehow a lot to take in.

"Is the new book not to your liking?" An amused voice asked. Yan Qiu Yue looked up to see her cousin Yan Chang Yuan standing at the foot of the steps leading up to the pavilion with a retinue of servants behind him.

"It's good so far, as usual, but..."

"But?"

Yan Qiu Yue squinted at him before waving him over, inviting him to sit across from her. Mu Rong stepped forward and poured him a cup of tea. Even though the book had only just been released, she was sure that he already knew the contents of it. Perhaps he'd known even before the books were put on sale. "Well, it seems that Inspector Yu is interested in Wu Meiren after all."

Yan Chang Yuan tilted his head. "Is that bad?" Wu Meiren was a hotly debated character these days. First of all, it was unknown whether she was the culprit behind the current case in the book. Secondly, there was an increasing number of scenes between her and Inspector Yu, many of which were romantic in tone. Still, Yan Chang Yuan hadn't expected Yan Qiu Yue to be so against these new romantic developments. It had to be said that she was a young girl of the boudoir. Weren't they supposed to adore such stories?

"I just don't want Inspector Yu to change. If he starts doing stupid things in the name of love, won't that be just awful?" She sounded so aggrieved that if one wasn't familiar with the situation, one might believe Inspector Yu to be a real person with whom she had connections.

Yan Chang Yuan laughed. "Spoken like a true young lady completely ignorant of romance."

"What's the use of being romantic when we women are just going to be married off to a man of our parents' or the emperor's choosing?" Yan Qiu Yue sneered.

"So your only objection so far is you're afraid that if Inspector Yu falls in love, his character will be altered? It's only a weak-minded person who will completely change themselves for love, Yue'er."

"Well. You're probably right about that, but while Inspector Yu might have a strong character, who knows if Jade Laughing Dove does?"

"Don't worry, Jade Laughing Dove is not going to ruin her beloved main character in the name of love. He's no romantic, either."

"As long as Inspector Yu remains upright, I will be satisfied. I don't want to see him turn into a character constantly eating vinegar or plotting against his romantic rivals in unscrupulous ways like romance novel heroes." The more she imagined it, the more Yan Qiu Yue objected to it. If that ever happened to Inspector Yu, she'd likely toss all her "Inspector of the Whistling Pines" books into this pond and never read the series again.

While chuckling, Yan Chang Yuan replied, "I believe you will be safe from having to read something like that. Jade Laughing Dove would never let that happen. First and foremost, this is a story about justice."

"Good, I feel very assured after hearing you say these words, Third Brother. You know, I feel this Jade Laughing Dove and I would get along well. When are you going to let me in on the secret of her identity?" Yan Qiu Yue raised an eyebrow. Truth be told, she was still somewhat skeptical of the fact that her cousin knew the author, but he did know more information than even the most diehard fans.

"I only found out by accident, myself. I've sworn to keep the secret forever. I admire Jade Laughing Dove too much to betray him."

Yan Chang Yuan even varied the pronouns that he used to refer to Jade Laughing Dove to avoid giving away their gender. He was very thorough, much to Yan Qiu Yue's annoyance. However, for some reason, Yan Qiu Yue had established a theory long ago that Jade Laughing Dove was a woman.

"Yue'er."

"Hmm?" Yan Qiu Yue didn't realize that she'd spaced out.

"No matter what, once you're at Prince Rui's estate... Don't you go changing your character, either." Yan Qiu Yue was young, but she was no fool. She understood that what her older cousin was truly saying was... Don't fall in love with Wei Hong Sheng. She mustn't do that and allow herself to become a pawn for him or his family.

Yan Qiu Yue turned her head to gaze out at the pond. Her chin rested in the palm of her hand, her fingers curled up against her mouth. She knew that she ought to reply. Perhaps if it had been a month ago, she would have easily retorted, "Never!"

But for some reason, now the words wouldn't come.

Just then, another servant came and whispered something in Mu Rong's ear. Mu Rong was one of Yan Qiu Yue's first-ranked maids. She was the one who kept up with the gossip in the capital, always eager to tell Yan Qiu Yue the latest. She would be the first to find out news that Yan Qiu Yue should know, filtering out less important info. So when that Mu Rong looked stricken and hesitant about telling her young miss what she'd just learned, Yan Qiu Yue felt a bad premonition.

"Go ahead and speak. You know I can't handle the suspense." Yan Qiu Yue braced herself.

"Well..." Mu Rong gulped. Yan Qiu Yue had never seen her look so conflicted and nervous. This was the same maid who merrily narrated scandalous stories every day without batting an eyelash! Finally, Mu Rong seemed to win some sort of mental battle with herself. She took a deep breath before saying, "Young Miss, there are some very strong rumors from the palace. It seems that Prince Rui-shizi... He may not be the shizi for much longer."

Yan Qiu Yue's eyes widened. Yan Chang Yuan, too, rose to his feet in surprise. "What!? What does that mean?"

"That delegation from Northern Xi... It turns out that the reason they came was merely to escort a certain personage to the capital. This person is the true son of Prince and Princess Rui. He and the current shizi were reportedly switched at birth."