Perfect Match – CH 026

Chapter 26

Deng Ruyun wanted to return to Jinzhou.

She first told Teng Xiao that she was going to visit her parents’ home and asked her to take care of herself.

Teng Xiao wanted to go back to her hometown in Jinzhou with her, but Deng Ruyun had family matters to attend to and could not take her along.

The young girl was not clingy; instead, she rushed to finish a task and gave her the latest improved hidden arrow to carry for self-defense on the road.

Deng Ruyun thanked her and then told Qingxuan about the matter.

Qingxuan quickly assigned several guards to accompany her on the journey. “Madam, rest assured, our guards are all the general’s personal soldiers, specially left for you by the Old Madam before her departure. Please take them with you.”

Deng Ruyun was grateful that the Old Madam had left her manpower, but when she saw Nanny Wei, Nanny Wei repeated these words.

“Only the Old Madam would be so concerned about your family’s situation. You should remember this and not forget it.”

Deng Ruyun did not say anything but gave Nanny Wei a special look.

The next day, she returned to Jinzhou with Xiuniang and Aunt Juan.

On the way, Xiuniang asked her, “When the general left, he told you to consult Congying if anything happened, but we only borrowed someone from Qingxuan. Should we not tell Congying?”

Deng Ruyun shook her head. “No need.”

They lived in the same household; how could Congying not know?

However, since Old Madam Lin had already left her some people for her family’s affairs, if she went specifically to find Congying, it would imply that she was seeking Teng Yue’s help.

That would be inappropriate.

… …

Deng Ruyun quickly returned to Jinzhou.

She did not rush to appear near her family’s mansion; instead, she quietly checked into an inn.

The guard went to the old Deng Mansion to inquire about the situation, only to find that the mute old soldier had already returned. Hearing that Deng Ruyun had come in person, he hurriedly came to apologize.

The mute old soldier was an elder who lived after Teng Yue’s father’s death. Having lost his voice in battle, he stayed in the Teng family as a bodyguard, and the young soldiers all called him Uncle Ya.

When Uncle Ya saw Deng Ruyun, he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, drawing blood from his forehead after only two kowtows. Deng Ruyun quickly had someone pull him up and asked him what had happened.

Uncle Ya could not speak, but among the guards that Old Madam Lin had left for Deng Ruyun, there was someone who could understand his sign language.

He immediately told Deng Ruyun everything.

Uncle Ya had indeed been negligent this time.

A few days ago, he heard that his elderly mother had fallen ill. The messenger had not explained clearly, and he thought his mother was dying and wanted to see him one last time. So he asked the messenger to stay at the old Deng Mansion for a few days while he rushed back to his hometown overnight.

However, the person he assigned to guard the house was a servant from the Teng Family Estate. This servant could not control the old dog kept as a guard in the Deng Mansion’s courtyard; instead, he was so frightened by the dog that he could not sleep at night and could only fall asleep after drinking alcohol each night.

That very night, Deng Yaocheng and his men drugged his drink and poisoned the old dog, leading to the disaster.

The servant disappeared as soon as trouble struck, while Uncle Ya returned home to find his mother had only caught a slight cold. After caring for her for several days, he returned to find the Deng Mansion in ruins.

He wanted to kowtow to Deng Ruyun to apologize.

Deng Ruyun waved her hand, saying there was no need. She thought for a moment, “Where are all these belongings now?”

Uncle Ya guessed they were still in Deng Yaocheng’s backyard. Wanting to atone for his mistake, he prepared to personally go and find out for his madam.

Deng Ruyun nodded, saying it was fine, and they stayed at an inn that night.

Uncle Ya, accompanied by two nimble guards, quietly went to the back of Deng Yaocheng’s Mansion at night.

Deng Yaocheng, somewhat worried about the large amount of furniture he had stored in the courtyard, borrowed two men from the Zheng family to help watch over the backyard.

The Zheng family used to brew wine; later, they opened a wine shop in the neighboring town, not far away.

When Uncle Ya arrived, he found the Zheng family members gambling secretly with Deng Yaocheng’s servants in the backyard. Uncle Ya remained calm, waiting by the wall for most of the day. After the gambling stopped and some of the drunkards were snoring loudly, he led his men over the wall and searched Deng Yaocheng’s backyard, gaining a clear understanding of the situation.

He returned and reported everything to Deng Ruyun.

Deng Yaocheng had hired people to empty the main house of the Deng Mansion overnight. These large items were not so easy to sell, and a quick glance showed they were still in Deng Yaocheng’s backyard.

Since everything was there, Deng Ruyun was relieved.

Uncle Ya gestured, asking her what she planned to do.

Deng Yaocheng could break into the main house while it was empty by poisoning three old dogs, but someone was living in Deng Yaocheng’s residence. If Deng Ruyun went directly to demand the items, they certainly would not give them to her.

Aunt Juan also asked her, “Why do we not go find the Clan Head and the Village Head?”

The Village Head—Old Madam Lin had already spoken to someone about it. But the Village Head could help keep an eye on things inside; if he wanted to, he would have done so already, not waited until Deng Ruyun returned. Clearly, he was turning a blind eye, so why make things difficult for them?

Besides, Deng Ruyun did not want to argue with them.

Deng Ruyun asked with interest, “What do you think their reaction would be if all of the belongings in Uncle’s backyard were gone overnight?”

Aunt Juan exclaimed in surprise, “Yunniang is going to break in? But people live there, and they have people specifically guarding it. How can we break in?”

Deng Ruyun smiled. “Since Aunt has borrowed all her family members, it’s clear she does not have many people left. If a fire suddenly breaks out now, will she not have to rush to help with the whole family?”

Uncle Ya nodded beside her, but Aunt Juan was even more confused, her confusion tinged with surprise.

She stepped forward and took Deng Ruyun’s hand. “They say murder and arson are serious crimes, so arson is punishable the same as murder. Are you really going to set a fire, Yunniang?”

Aunt Juan was incredibly nervous. Despite her nervousness, Deng Ruyun felt that if she nodded, Aunt Juan would also grab a torch and throw it towards the Zheng family home.

She stopped teasing Aunt Juan this time.

“Do not worry, Aunt Juan, I would not risk my life for a courtyard full of belongings. I will just tell a lie to trick Uncle and the others into going.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Juan understood everything.

Zheng’s family home was in the neighboring town. Even if it was a lie, it would take more than an hour to get there and back.

If they had enough people, they could easily clear all the belongings away in that time.

Aunt Juan became excited. Deng Yaocheng and his wife probably never imagined that their own trick would backfire on them. What a twist of fate! She could not wait to see the couple’s reaction.

Deng Ruyun asked, “Second Uncle and the others emptied my house. Who did they hire?”

Uncle Ya gestured that they hired idlers from town.

Deng Ruyun laughed. “It seems these idlers are experts at burglary. We might as well hire them, too.”

Deng Ruyun waited patiently for two days, choosing a dry and auspicious day. Seeing that everything was ready, she began her operation.

… …

These past few days, Madam Zheng had been in high spirits, inquiring everywhere about the prices of the household items. Reluctant to sell them cheaply locally, she thought that if she took them to Jinzhou City, she could probably get a good price.

That day, she sat on the bat-patterned embroidered stool in the main room, telling her son to do the accounting at Deng Ruyun’s former desk.

The candle wick had burned out, dimming the light. Deng Rurong thought it was completely dark, so Madam Zheng called a maid to trim it. She noticed the maid had oil on her lips, as if she’d eaten something. She got up to check, but suddenly a cry of alarm came from outside.

“Oh no! Oh no! Madam, your family’s house is on fire!”

“Ah?!”

Madam Zheng’s family owned a wine shop; a fire like this would destroy countless houses.

She was terrified, her soul nearly leaving her body. She did not care about anything else, only seeing Deng Yaocheng rushing over after hearing the news. She quickly pulled him away.

“Master, Master, putting out the fire at my family’s house is the priority! We must send people there immediately!”

This was no small matter. Deng Yaocheng could not care less about his own household affairs. Together with Madam Zheng, leaving only one guard at the gate, they took the whole family and ran towards the neighboring town.

As soon as they left, Uncle Ya knocked out the guards at both the front and back gates.

The idlers Deng Ruyun had hired swarmed in and began carrying back the belongings they had stolen from the main house of the Deng Mansion a few days earlier.

Deng Ruyun waited in the courtyard. Seeing the idlers carrying everything back with practiced ease, she was about to tell them the location of each item so they could be put back in their original places.

But before she could even speak, the idlers said, “Do not worry, boss. We only stole them a few days ago. We remember their locations. We will put them all back for you.”

Deng Ruyun: “…”

Thank you, sir.

Seeing that the idlers had indeed put everything back without missing a single item, she was unsure whether to be angry or amused.

However, they were indeed used to this kind of work; within an hour, they had almost finished moving everything.

However, after Deng Ruyun took inventory, she found that five or six items were still missing.

But Aunt Juan and Uncle Ya had searched Deng Yaocheng’s house thoroughly and confirmed that nothing was missing.

Deng Ruyun could only direct the idlers to move the last item, the carved bed, back to her parents’ room first.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Madam Zheng suddenly returned with her entourage.

Having heard that her parents’ home had caught fire, she rushed to the neighboring town, but upon reaching the outskirts, she saw not a trace of smoke.

She immediately sensed something was wrong and asked someone who had just come from that town, but no one had heard of any fire.

Deng Yaocheng had already gone to her parents’ home, while Madam Zheng, quick-witted, did not even enter the town before rushing back with her entourage, just in time to see the idlers carrying the last carved bed out of the main room.

She cried out and ran forward to stop them, “How could you take my things and then take them back?”

The idlers laughed. “Someone paid us; that’s why we came. We only care about money, not things. If you want to sue us, go to the yamen. Do not come to us.”

She could not stop the idlers, but then she saw Deng Ruyun slowly walking out of the main house of the Deng Mansion.

She saw Deng Ruyun smiling broadly, and she greeted her, “Oh, Auntie’s back.”

Madam Zheng finally understood.

“You brat, you lied to me?”

Deng Ruyun said it was nothing. “Didn’t Auntie also empty my house?”

Madam Zheng returned quickly, but with few people. Seeing that Deng Ruyun was prepared and not afraid of her at all, she was both anxious and angry.

She could only watch as Deng Ruyun carried the last carved bed back into the main house, clutching her chest, unable to breathe.

Aunt Juan, however, laughed heartily beside her.

Once the beds were moved, Deng Yaocheng realized he’d been tricked and returned with his whole family.

Madam Zheng ran forward, crying, and grabbed him. “Your good niece stole all our things!”

Deng Yaocheng turned around at the sound of her voice and saw his niece, whom he had not seen in a long time.

Under the hazy moonlight, she stood in the shadows of the roadside trees, wearing a lilac-colored dress embroidered with floral patterns, holding a yellowed old sheet in her hand. She looked up at him, a faint smile on her face, which resembled his elder brother’s.

She spoke, and Deng Yaocheng heard her ask slowly and deliberately.

“Six items are missing. Does Uncle know where the remaining six pieces of furniture are?”

*

In Ningxia City, a key town on the border.

Teng Yue’s colleagues in the army all knew that he had left the Ningxia garrison and been transferred to the position of Vice Commander of Shaanxi.

Many people came to gather with him, discussing the current situation. They said that although Prince Enhua was confined to his home, his influence in the army was still active, and the person the court was going to send to inspect military affairs had been decided—none other than a confidant of the Chief Eunuch Hong Jin.

This was exactly what Teng Yue and his group had planned.

Wang Fuxiang invited Teng Yue to his home for tea, but Teng Yue declined, saying he would skip the wine.

“The court is coming to inspect military affairs; I dare not drink wine at this juncture. But this tea is a fine new tea from Jiangnan. Why do you look like you do not care if you drink it or not? What are you thinking about?”

Wang Fuxiang and Teng Yue had previously held the same position, but compared to Teng Yue, who had risen to his position through years of fighting and accumulating military merit, Wang Fuxiang’s path had been much smoother. His father was originally a high-ranking general in a border town, and after his father’s death, he inherited the position after being demoted. Perhaps because of his own smooth sailing and seeing Teng Yue, who had risen through the ranks through hard work and skill, he felt a deep admiration.

The two had become close friends since Teng Yue was transferred to Ningxia. Now, seeing Teng Yue leaving while he had to stay behind, Wang Fuxiang felt a pang of sadness.

Teng Yue did not reply to his question.

He said, “I’ve only been thinking about when you will be back. Why are you so distracted? Have you already left your heart in Xi’an after all these months?”

He said the Commandery was utterly boring: “Nothing compares to the thrill of fighting on the frontier. You do not really want to go to the Commandery, do you? Perhaps you’re worried about home?”

He leaned closer to ask Teng Yue.

Only after asking this did the man reply softly.

“Yes, she’s only seventeen.”

“Who?” Wang Fuxiang did not understand.

Teng Yue turned his head and saw his large face close at hand. That was no fair, delicate face, only a rough, dark one; no willow-leaf eyebrows, only two thick, horizontal ones; no lips that would purse in displeasure, only the large mouth that opened in confusion to ask him a question.

Teng Yue immediately snapped back to reality, his handsome brows furrowing slightly.

“Nobody.”

Would he really mention his wife’s age to this rough, uncouth man?

Wang Fuxiang, feeling rebuffed, muttered a few words of dissatisfaction and went outside to urge the kitchen to prepare meat and vegetables.

Teng Yue could not help but think that his wife seemed only a few years older than his sister.

But her parents and brother had reportedly passed away several years ago, and Linglang had grown up with her.

How old was she when she lost her parents and brother? How did she manage to support this family of elderly and young children all by herself?

Teng Yue’s thoughts drifted, and even the most fragrant tea lost its flavor.

Teng Yue summoned his personal guard, Tang Zuo.

“Any news from home? Has Madam sent me a message?”

Tang Zuo thought he was deaf. The General had only been back in Ningxia for a few days; even if there was news, Ningxia was so far away that it could not have reached him so quickly.

He cautiously shook his head.

The General sighed softly and asked again, “What about Jinzhou? Has Shen Xiu sent any news either?”

Shen Xiu was the General’s secret agent. Before leaving Xi’an, the General had sent him to Jinzhou.

But Jinzhou was in the southernmost part of Shaanxi Province, while Ningxia was in the northernmost. With such a vast distance, news could not possibly arrive so quickly.

Tang Zuo shook his head again.

Teng Yue sighed deeply and said, “Then keep an eye on things. Report back to me as soon as you have any news.”

*

Back in Jinzhou.

Deng Yaocheng did not understand what she meant by the remaining six items of household goods, while Madam Zheng secretly shrank her shoulders.

He stared at Deng Ruyun in disbelief. “You actually dared to deceive me? You had someone falsely claim your aunt’s family had a fire and break into my courtyard to rob me? What is this? This is robbery! Where did you learn this?”

He was furious, but Deng Ruyun chuckled softly.

“Uncle asked me where I learned this trick, so I will tell you. A few days ago, our old dog was poisoned, all our belongings were taken overnight, and even the old tree in the courtyard was cut down… Even if I were stupid, I could learn this burglary trick in one go. What do you think of my learning, Uncle?”

“You!” Deng Yaocheng was furious. “Half of the things in the old house belong to me; even half of the house itself is mine! What do you mean by ‘burglary’? I was just taking back what was mine!”

As he said this, Madam Zheng chimed in, “That’s right, you were just taking back what’s ours! Even what you’re wearing and using is ours!”

She took a step towards Deng Ruyun, but Aunt Juan spat on her.

“It’s all yours? Why do you not say all the good things in the world are yours? If you dare touch Yunniang, I will slap you!”

Madam Zheng felt a sudden fear of Fang Juan. Hearing this, she shrank back and quickly hid behind Deng Yaocheng.

“Master, look! This is how they bully me! This dress was made with the new fabric you bought last month, and they’ve ruined it…”

Hearing this, Deng Yaocheng’s gaze fixed on Fang Juan’s face.

“I did not expect you to become so rude. You’ve corrupted Yunniang.”

Aunt Juan sneered upon hearing this.

“Yes, yes, we are all rude people; only you, Deng Yaocheng, are so high-minded. Since you’re so high-minded, why do you still covet your niece’s inheritance every day? If you cannot get it secretly, you might as well rob her openly. What a fine uncle you are!”

She looked at Deng Yaocheng. In the dim moonlight, his aged face was crisscrossed with wrinkles, revealing ugly, fleshy features. She could not help but say this.

“Perhaps you’ve always been like this. You’ve never respected me, nor have you ever respected the elder brother who raised you, nor have you felt any gratitude towards Yunniang’s maternal grandparents. I misjudged you before; you were never a good person to begin with.”

At this point, the pretense of civility was completely broken.

Deng Yaocheng stared at Fang Juan for a moment, then looked at his niece, whose eyes had remained cold throughout.

“Fine, fine, since you’re determined to break ties with me, then there’s no need for further discussion. Let’s go to the authorities.”

Upon hearing him say, “Go to the authorities,” Zheng was initially taken aback, then retorted, “Yes, go to the authorities! Everyone saw you break into our house and steal our things today. I want to see how the court decides!”

Her voice was so sharp it seemed she wanted to frighten Deng Ruyun. Aunt Juan, hearing that Deng Yaocheng was going to the court to sue her niece, became even more incredulous.

But Deng Ruyun’s expression remained unchanged.

The bottoms of these household items were secretly engraved with the names of members of the Deng family. It was not as simple as Madam Zheng claiming whose they were.

What was there to be afraid of in going to the authorities? Besides, she did not want to waste any more time arguing with them; it was time to go to the authorities long ago.

She readily agreed.

“Then I will bid farewell to Uncle and Aunt and see you at the yamen.”

Having said this, she did not want to say anything more. Seeing Aunt Juan’s eyes redden, she comforted her, took her hand, and led her away.

… …

Under the hazy moonlight, someone in the nearby woods took a strong pigeon from their robes.

Shen Xiu tied the note to the pigeon’s leg, stroked its feathers, and whispered, “Good pigeon, hurry back to Ningxia and tell the general that Madam is going to the yamen to file a lawsuit.”