The Artist, as the Noble

The Yang Household did not expect the visit of "Ye Yunhe", someone who should've had zero connections with the family.

Yujia was thoroughly enjoying every moment of masquerading as her senior brother. As she stepped out of the carriage, cooling herself off from the hot weather with a painted fan, servants she grabbed from Lingxin carried two trays behind her. 

She learned from Zixu that usually when paying visits, it was common courtesy to bring a few gifts. So, Yujia definitely came prepared, using her own gifts.

Once upon a time, after facing a very traumatic experience on a horse, Yujia was gifted an entire treasury of precious items by a certain someone called Bo Zhizhong. She liked some of the gifts, such as the art supplies and the food, but there were other gifts, particularly the decorative ones, that didn't match the environment Lingxin Pavilion had. In particular, there was one red agate statue that truly didn't fit, so at the time, Yujia pawned it off for some extra taels. There had also been an emerald jade vase, that had manageably fit with the theme of her room. 

She still didn't like it too much, so today, she figured that she would give it away. It definitely looked expensive and valuable.

The other gift… it was a secret.

When Yujia walked up to the front door, she was stopped by a servant running outside. With a glance, Yujia saw that it was Steward Liu. It made sense to send a steward to welcome a guest who came from a seemingly decent background.

She quickly covered her face with the fan and averted her gaze, taking interest in the passing clouds. Nonchalantly, with the haughty airs of a noble, she passed the servant beside her the disciple pendant strung on her belt. The servant bowed and rushed forward, declaring to the steward, "This is my young master, Noble Ye, First Young Master of the Ye Family and head disciple of Lingxin Pavilion. He would like to request an audience with the madam of your household about certain prospective talents."

Steward Liu bowed deeply, nodding. "Yes, of course. I will arrange a meeting right away. If Noble will follow me." He stepped to the side with a turn and gestured with his hand. Then, he began leading Yujia into the villa.

This was another perk Yujia discovered. As a maid, infiltrating, no one would notice her simply because she easily blended in with the background. As a high-ended young master, on the other hand, no one would notice who she truly was either because they didn't dare to make eye contact with her.

The thrill of this was absolutely wonderful. Just knowing that Steward Liu, who threatened her life a day ago, was now obediently guiding her through the villa, was thrilling by itself.

Once inside the familiar villa, Yujia took a seat in the main room, at the place of respect where a guest would sit. A maid came over, pouring Yujia a cup of tea, which she didn't drink. Steward Liu rushed off, fetching the madam.

A few moments later, Madam Zhang walked in, plastering a smile on her face until she saw that it was just Yujia. The second the two exchanged gazes, her smile faltered just a bit, before she hastily covered it up and took a seat at the front.

"Noble Ye, I don't believe we've ever met!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "What brings you here today?"

Yujia, deepening her voice, responded, "I happen to be acquaintances with the Fifth Miss of the household. We had an artistic discussion weeks ago, and today, I would like to catch up on a point that I missed." 

"Oh! Of course." Madam Zhang agreed immediately, waving at Steward Liu, who waited at the back of the room. "Go, go fetch the Fifth Miss. Also, what tea is it that you are serving Noble Ye? Bring the finest quality leaves and exchange it for this tea."

It had been a while since Yujia saw the madam like this. She was so inclimated to seeing a stern, solemn woman, who concealed her true thoughts behind a narrow gaze.

When Steward Liu left, Yujia gestured for the servants to present the gifts. They brought over the vase first, which Madam Zhang marveled at and expressed her deepest gratitude for such a precious gift.

Then, Yujia gestured for the other servant to present the secret gift. When they took off the fabric cover, the only thing lying on the tray was a flat, ordinary-looking box. 

This was the exact box that Yujia stole from the thieves, carrying all of their records.

"Madam, the box may look ordinary, but the gift inside is priceless," Yujia explained.

"Oh?" The madam raised an eyebrow. "Do tell, what is inside?"

"Well," Yujia lowered her voice, raising the fan to cover the side of her face as if telling a secret, "It is a precious item that only the receiver should lay their eyes on. You will understand when I show you." 

"Interesting," she mused upon hearing that. Glancing at the servants in the room, Madam Zhang quickly ordered, "Everyone, leave the room."

The servants obeyed, backing away. Yet, the moment one closed the doors behind them, someone pushed them open again.

Peeking into the room, with eyes full of excitement, was none other than Yang Xiaoyi. 

Right— Yujia may or may not have forgotten that this youngest sister of hers had a bit of a crush on Yujia's senior brother. It was just a pity, considering that Yunhe would never be interested in her.

When Xiaoyi saw that it was just Yujia, her expression dropped. Gone was the embarrassed anticipation, replaced by pure confusion. Her lips parted, as if she was going to call out Yujia's name, but Xiaoyi was not an idiot. She stopped herself, then tentatively called out, "Noble Ye?"

Yujia nodded. "Ah. Yes. Wonderful to see you, Fifth Miss."

Madam Zhang pursed her lips, standing up. She said, "Noble Ye, would you mind taking a step aside to a more private place to speak?" 

"Of course. That would be great," Yujia stated, grabbing the box which was left on the table by the servant who carried it in. "We can discuss later, Fifth Miss."

"Alright. I'll just… wait here," Xiaoyi murmured, taking a dejected seat. At the same time, she looked up at Yujia and gave a small grin, which Yujia knew the meaning to— Xiaoyi was glad to see her safe, especially after the chaos and fire from last night. Yujia passed her younger sister a nod, one of appreciation and to show that she understood.

…

Madam Zhang brought Yujia to a more private room in the same courtyard, likely one where the Old Master held more secretive meetings. She closed the door behind her, then walked deeper into the room. Yujia followed.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"I have a list of the suspects," Yujiareplied, dropping the act. 

She opened the box and handed it to the madam, who looked at the papers inside with varying degrees of suspicion. As she shuffled through the last page, she glanced up and nodded. 

"Alright. Wonderful job."

"What do you plan to do?" Yujia asked, out of pure curiosity.

"Seeing that so many servants are involved, it's difficult to trust that these are the only ones, or that the evidence is completely accurate. I will send all of the servants to be interrogated, and exchange all of them for new ones."

Interrogation was definitely not going to be an easy process. Yujia bit her lip, then said, "Can I make one request?"

"Yes?"

"There is one maid who serves in the North Courtyard. Lianye. She was a suspect, but she does not appear on the list. And I know that she has good morals in her heart. If possible, please give her to me. I would like to take her away," Yujia requested.

Madam Zhang didn't even hesitate before agreeing. "Alright. Anything else?"

"No," Yujia stated, shaking her head, but continued afterwards, "although, I do believe that you owe me an explanation. You did not forget about it, right?"

"No, of course not." Madam Zhang sighed and took a few steps back, sitting down.

They had agreed— as the price in exchange for her services, Madam Zhang would explain to Yujia what really went down between Yujia's birthmother, Liu Yuxi, and a younger Madam Zhang.

Liu Yuxi had claimed that Madam Zhang was a backstabber, a cruel woman, with no heart or soul. She stole her husband, ruined her family, and even poisoned her to kill the child in her womb— Yujia. 

Hui'er, Yujia's past maid, had claimed that Madam Zhang was merciless as well. She had enough cruelty in her heart to kill the unborn baby her own daughter, Yang Qingxia, bore. Anyone who could do that was a monster.

Yet, Yujia wanted to see who Madam Zhang truly was. She wanted to hear from this woman herself, about her story and motivations, and exactly what pushed her to do the things that she did. There were already hints about a deeper, more secretive story, in the letters that Yujia discovered in a hidden compartment Madam Zhang kept. 

Madam Zhang could lie to her. Yujia was familiar with the ease of rolling lies upon lies off her tongue. 

Except still, she wanted to hear what this woman had to say.

Thus, Yujia took a seat across from her, plainly stating, "I'm listening."