Perfect Match – CH 027

Chapter 27

Having retrieved all the belongings, Deng Ruyun did not continue staying at the inn.

The two old dogs remaining in the old house, though not poisoned, were sickly. Uncle Ya had already given them the antidote; whether they would survive was up to fate.

But the old jujube tree in the courtyard had been cut down, hastily and roughly, leaving debris scattered everywhere, with only a scarred stump lying withered on the ground.

Deng Ruyun squatted down and touched it, seeing the rings of its trunk. Roughly counting, it was over twenty years old, the very year her father bought the surrounding houses, merging and expanding the old house, when he and her uncle planted it.

At that time, she was not even born yet, and her uncle was her father’s closest brother…

The next day, instead of being summoned by the authorities, a thin woman arrived.

The woman’s eyebrows drooped, and a thin line etched between her brows—a mark of a lifetime of hardship and worry.

Deng Ruyun called out, “Auntie’s here.”

Deng Yuemei looked Deng Ruyun up and down. “Yunniang, you’ve lost weight.”

Deng Ruyun ignored the pleasantries. She simply smiled and invited her aunt to sit down, then said directly, “Auntie, are you here to persuade me not to go to court with Uncle?”

Seeing that she had seen through her intentions in one sentence, Deng Yuemei could not help but sigh, “You are still so clever… but how could you forget that the yamen is always open, but if you have reason but no money, do not even bother coming in? Besides, it’s not just about money these days. When it comes to cultivating relationships, how can you compare to him?”

Deng Yaocheng had been doing business in Jinzhou for many years and was quite familiar with the clerks in the yamen. This was why he was not afraid to go to the yamen with Deng Ruyun.

Deng Ruyun nodded. “Aunt is right, but I’ve already made my promise. Uncle still owes me six household items. Since I have not gotten them back, I will not take them back.”

As she spoke, she personally poured Deng Yuemei a cup of tea.

Deng Yuemei looked at her, holding the teacup, and noticed a slight change in her expression as she spoke.

“You are still the same old you. Once you’ve made up your mind, there’s no going back…”

Deng Ruyun smiled. “Since Aunt knows, there’s no point in trying to persuade me. It’s better to have Uncle and Aunt return my things; that would be more effective.”

As she spoke, she glanced at her aunt. “I know Aunt has it tough in her husband’s family and does not want her brother and niece to go to court, but the one who should be suing is Uncle, not me. Aunt should go find him.”

With a few words, Deng Ruyun saw Deng Yuemei off. When she reached Deng Yaocheng’s door, fearing he was still angry, she went home first, planning to return the next day when he had calmed down.

That night, back home, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Listening to her husband’s boisterous behavior with his mistress in the side room, she felt a headache coming on.

She had given birth to four daughters but no sons. Before, her brothers had supported her; how grand it had been when she married into the family with a dowry of sixty-four loads!

Now that her eldest brother was gone, her second brother only cared about his own family and had even gotten into a lawsuit with his niece. Her husband’s family practically pointed at her and laughed at her.

At daybreak, Deng Yuemei could not stand it anymore and went to her second brother Deng Yaocheng’s house again.

“…Second Brother, please return everything to Yunniang. She’s just a young woman; life is not easy for her. Eldest Brother treated us very well before.”

Before she finished speaking, Deng Yaocheng glared at her.

“Not stingy? The score between him and me is impossible to settle.”

Deng Yaocheng was about to explode in anger, but then waved his hand. “I do not want to talk about him anymore. Let’s just talk about Deng Ruyun. How have I, as her uncle, treated her since she was little? Every time I went out, did I not bring her back something delicious or fun? Has she forgotten all that? Is this how she slaps me, her uncle, in the face?”

Deng Yuemei could not help but say, “But that’s all in the past. Now you’ve joined forces with the Xue family to pressure her to the point that she cannot even take care of the old house anymore and has to leave for a distant place. How can she still respect you?”

This made Deng Yaocheng pause slightly.

His original intention regarding the Xue family was just to scare Deng Ruyun, to make her obedient and live with him, her uncle, from now on. He would manage the family property, and he would naturally give her a dowry when she got married.

Who knew things would go wrong like this?

He explained, “It was her aunt who was scared and said some things to the Xue family, which aroused Xue Dengguan’s interest. But that’s all in the past. My only intention this time is to get her back. As long as she’s willing to kowtow and apologize to me, I do not want to make a scene in court and ruin things for everyone.”

But Deng Ruyun’s temper was such that he’d be lucky if she did not sue Deng Yaocheng, let alone kowtow and apologize.

Deng Yuemei did not want to say this aloud, but seeing that Deng Yaocheng seemed to have some leeway, she quickly tried to persuade him further.

“Since you do not want things to get ugly, Second Brother, please think it over again. Even if it’s just for the sake of how hard I’ve worked in my husband’s family, please do not make a scene.”

Deng Yaocheng did not want to send all his money to the government office for nothing.

He hesitated for a moment.

But his hesitation was noticed by someone peeking through the window.

Madam Zheng had overheard Deng Yaocheng and his sister’s conversation. She grabbed a clump of flowers from the corner of the wall and snapped it off.

The eldest branch of the family had been struggling for years and did not have much property left. If Deng Ruyun were to really back down, Deng Yaocheng might actually have to prepare a dowry for her.

And then there was Linglang; that was another dowry. And a coffin for Deng Ruyun’s maternal grandmother—that would cost even more money.

Not to mention Fang Juan. Deng Yaocheng and Fang Juan almost got married years ago, and they still had feelings for each other!

Madam Zheng felt a chill run down her spine as she calculated the situation. She felt that if things went this way, she would be the one who suffered the most.

After a moment’s thought, Madam Zheng turned and went to find a key person.

… …

When Madam Zheng found Xue Dengguan, she was nearly terrified by the scene before her.

Xue Dengguan slapped the gaunt old man to the ground, pointing at a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl beside him. “I already said she’s going with me to be a concubine, to enjoy life! If you keep interfering and ruining my mood, I will force myself on her on the mountain, without even giving her a title! Let’s see where you can cry then, old man!”

He slapped him again, making the old man spit blood. The little girl beside him rushed over, crying in terror.

Having beaten and threatened the grandfather and granddaughter, Xue Dengguan’s interest vanished. He then noticed Madam Zheng’s narrowed eyes.

“What are you doing here? Could it be that your niece has been found and can be brought to my room tonight?”

Madam Zheng hurriedly stepped forward. “Young Master Xue is right, Deng Yunniang is back. She’s as beautiful and charming as ever, just as she always has been. It’s only that I’m not capable enough to tie her up and bring her to your room; you will have to come yourself!”

She quickly told Xue Dengguan everything about Deng Yunniang’s return.

Seeing that Deng Yunniang had brought quite a few people with her this time, Madam Zheng could not help but guess that her sudden departure the previous night must have been because she had found a powerful backer.

What kind of backer could a woman find? And judging from Deng Yunniang’s apparent reluctance to publicize her return, she must have found a wealthy and powerful man and become his mistress.

That man must have a legal wife; a mere mistress like her would not be taken seriously, at most just a few servants to help her.

But Xue Dengguan was unaware of all this. She first tricked him into eyeing Deng Ruyun. If she could help him seize Deng Ruyun, her powerful backer would surely despise her for her past and refuse to take her anymore.

A mistress would be so easily discarded, right? And would he even stand up for her?

Without her backer, Xue Dengguan would be even less inclined to side with her. Would she not then be completely at her mercy?

Madam Zheng, having risen from a humble girl in a small brewing family to become the wife of a wealthy man, believed her success was solely due to her cleverness and shrewdness.

A person with ten hands was not as valuable as one good brain.

She had secretly planned everything. This time, she would only lie to Xue Dengguan, saying that Deng Ruyun had finally returned. “This time, we absolutely cannot let her escape. Although I cannot just kidnap her and send her to you, I’ve thought of a plan for you. If this succeeds, would the money I owe you not be wiped clean?”

Xue Dengguan, recalling Deng Ruyun’s delicate and charming appearance, remembered nothing else.

He readily agreed, “As long as this good thing works out, I will even give you another two hundred taels!”

Zheng was overjoyed.

She first told Xue Dengguan her plan: “…You can go there in advance.”

With such beauty before him, Xue Dengguan naturally agreed without hesitation.

However, the most crucial thing was how to lure Deng Ruyun out.

Zheng thought and thought. Deng Yaocheng was out of the question, so she simply went to Deng Yuemei’s door.

“…I know Sister has no son and is struggling financially. I do not want to take this to the authorities, but your second brother and Yunniang always end up glaring at each other whenever they meet. I’ve tried to persuade them so many times, but it’s no use.”

Madam Zheng looked at Deng Yuemei and said, “Why not go and invite Yunniang out? The three of us women can go to my dowry house and have a calm talk. Would that not make peace?”

Her words were sincere, and Deng Yuemei was somewhat moved.

“Second Sister-in-law, you really want to make peace with Yunniang, right?”

“Of course I do. Is Yunniang not looking for the other six pieces of furniture? They are in my dowry house. If we make peace, she can move them back herself, without missing a single item. But only the three of us women can come; we do not want anyone else, to avoid causing trouble.”

Deng Yuemei understood what she meant and agreed.

Another day, she went to Deng Ruyun’s door again and told her about the matter.

Deng Ruyun thought for a moment and readily agreed.

But Aunt Juan felt uneasy.

“What good intentions does that Zheng woman have? Yunniang, do not go. Do not be fooled by her.”

Deng Ruyun knew what was going on and smiled. “I still have the people left behind by Old Madam Lin. She will not let me bring anyone in, but I will secretly leave them outside; she will not know.”

But Aunt Juan was still worried, and Xiuniang muttered beside her.

“The Old Madam did not leave many people behind. If we had found Congying beforehand, that would have been great. Congying has the General’s men under his command; they could have secretly hidden on the roof beams to protect the young lady.”

Aunt Juan glanced at Deng Ruyun, but Deng Ruyun sighed to Xiuniang.

“Why are you always thinking about those things? Are you still hoping the General will come and help us?”

Xiuniang nodded repeatedly. “If the General were here, why would we need to argue with them like this?”

Before the General left, he repeatedly told the young lady to tell him if there was anything she needed to do.

Deng Ruyun smiled.

“Sister Xiuniang, do not think about such unrealistic things anymore.”

The aroma of tea filled the room, mirroring her calm and composed expression.

“He is him, and I am me. Our affairs have nothing to do with him. He’s in Ningxia, and he cannot possibly come over.”

After speaking, Deng Ruyun dismissed the matter, putting it out of her mind and not giving it another thought.

She said she would go as Madam Zheng instructed, “I know she’s up to something, but who she will target is anyone’s guess.”

*

The crisp autumn air gradually faded, and the biting winter winds swept southwards with the westerly winds.

Deng Ruyun had been back in Jinzhou for several days, and the weather was growing increasingly cold, forcing her to wear a long coat.

Madam Zheng’s small house was on a hillside on the edge of town. Deng Ruyun, wearing a thick, wide-sleeved, front-opening long coat, went out.

She had Uncle Ya and his men hide around Madam Zheng’s house first, then went inside alone with her aunt, Deng Yuemei.

As soon as she entered, she felt as if eyes were watching her from a dimly lit side room.

Deng Ruyun sneered inwardly, yet a chill ran down her spine.

Madam Zheng was waiting for them in the main hall. When she invited them in, Deng Ruyun noticed that tea had already been poured.

Madam Zheng pulled Deng Yuemei to sit on one side and settled Deng Ruyun on the other.

The round table was small; it did not really matter which side they sat on, but Deng Ruyun noticed Madam Zheng’s gaze and secretly glanced at the teacup in front of her, understanding the situation.

Now, when Madam Zheng offered them tea, Deng Ruyun pretended to take a sip, then glanced around the room.

“Auntie, this dowry house is quite new! It does not look like it was built more than ten years ago, more like it’s been built in the last three or five years.”

Madam Zheng’s face showed slight embarrassment. Her family was extremely poor at the time; a dowry house like this was impossible. It must have been built over the years with some secret savings…

She followed Deng Ruyun’s gaze and glanced around, but did not notice that while Deng Ruyun praised the house’s construction, drawing both of them to look around, she subtly moved her hands, quickly switching her and Madam Zheng’s teacups.

Madam Zheng made a few more excuses, quickly changing the subject, and said to Deng Ruyun,

“These past few days have been dry and humid; let’s have some tea to moisten our mouths first.”

She said the tea was all good, as if afraid Deng Ruyun would not trust her, and picked up her teacup, taking three sips in quick succession.

Deng Ruyun and Deng Yuemei also drank some. After they finished, Deng Yuemei brought up the topic of reconciliation.

However, just as Deng Yuemei finished speaking, Madam Zheng slumped over.

Deng Yuemei asked, “Second Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?”

Madam Zheng tried to reply, “I do not know; I’m a little dizzy…”

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly collapsed at the table.

Deng Yuemei was shocked, but Deng Ruyun chuckled softly.

“Aunt might not know, but what Auntie drank just now was actually tea she arranged for me.”

Deng Yuemei gasped, “This… what is she trying to do?”

Deng Ruyun said she did not know but suggested that Madam Zheng be taken to bed to get some rest, lest she catch a cold.

“Anyway, I already informed my uncle beforehand. As for whether anyone else will be coming today, I do not know.”

She led Madam Zheng to bed, covered her with a quilt, and set up the bed curtains. The dim light inside was just right for sleeping.

Given the strange turn of events, Deng Yuemei could not help but sense something amiss. She called Deng Ruyun.

“Let’s go out first.”

Deng Ruyun had the same idea. The aunt and niece hurried towards the door, but just as they reached it, they heard hurried footsteps approaching outside.

Deng Yuemei lifted the curtain and stepped out, immediately seeing a man.

The man was overweight, dressed in brocade robes, with a gold belt and a silver crown, but his face was flushed, and his eyes looked as if they were stained with blood.

He impatiently pushed Deng Yuemei aside, not even noticing Deng Ruyun, who was bowing her head beside him, and only said, “Did it work out?”

Without even waiting for a reply, he went straight to the bed inside the room.

Deng Yuemei’s face turned pale. “This, this…”

She could not believe it, but Deng Ruyun’s expression remained unchanged.

Just as Aunt Juan had said, Madam Zheng had never had any good intentions.

In a short while, the sound of Xue Dengguan undressing came from inside the room. Madam Zheng seemed to sense something and groaned twice, but she did not seem fully awake.

The rustling sounds continued inside the room, and Deng Yuemei panicked, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, someone else rushed in—it was Deng Yaocheng.

Deng Yaocheng saw Deng Yuemei and Deng Ruyun standing at the door, but Madam Zheng was nowhere to be seen. He anxiously asked Deng Ruyun.

“Why did you call me here? Where did you take your aunt?”

But before Deng Ruyun could answer, Madam Zheng’s groans as she tried to wake up rang out from inside, along with Xue Dengguan’s impatient voice.

Deng Yaocheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he kicked open the door, bursting inside.

He saw clothes strewn about the floor, his wife half-naked on the bed, and a naked man sprawled beside her, his eyes bloodshot, repeatedly saying, “I’ve been waiting for this day for so long…”

The sight provoked Deng Yaocheng into a scream.

This scream woke Madam Zheng.

Deng Yaocheng, his eyes also reddening, grabbed the door latch and slammed it down on the bed.

With a single blow, Xue Dengguan was knocked unconscious, blood dripping from his head.

Madam Zheng, terrified by the sight before her, screamed in horror. She pulled her clothes over herself and leaped off the bed to cling to Deng Yaocheng’s legs.

“Master, Master, someone’s trying to harm me! Please save me!”

As she spoke, seeing Deng Yaocheng’s fury mixed with disgust and disbelief, Madam Zheng panicked and pointed outside. “It’s all Deng Ruyun’s fault! It was her; she drugged me!”

As she spoke, Deng Ruyun lifted the curtain and stood at the door.

“Aunt, are you sure it was me who harmed you? Was it not your own choice? This is your private mansion.”

She tilted her head, looking at Madam Zheng.

Madam Zheng saw that everything she had planned had been ruined, and the blame had been shifted onto her, making her lose face. Now, what was the point of mentioning a private mansion?

A surge of anger welled up inside her. She pulled the hairpin from her hair and suddenly rose, lunging at Deng Ruyun.

As she moved, Deng Ruyun immediately pulled open her sleeve. In the swift movement, a wooden needle shot straight forward from the hidden sleeve dart, piercing deeply into Zheng’s arm with a whoosh.

Zheng screamed in agony, dropping the hairpin and collapsing to the ground.

She shrieked and cursed Deng Ruyun, who only sneered, “If you dare come any closer, I will shoot you again.”

Madam Zheng was in excruciating pain. Seeing that the hidden dart was still pointed at her from Deng Ruyun’s wrist, she cried out for Deng Yaocheng.

“Master, save me! She’s ruined me, and she wants to kill me! She wants to ruin our reputation; she wants to destroy us all!”

She cried out to Deng Yaocheng, but Deng Yaocheng had long lost his sense of right and wrong. He only saw his wife being humiliated and shot with an arrow, and his niece, Deng Ruyun, who had always shown him no mercy and only sought to humiliate him, had now caused them even more suffering.

His anger surged, and evil thoughts took hold.

“You unfilial daughter, you might as well be dead!”

He was enraged and raised the door bolt, aiming it directly at Deng Ruyun’s head and face.

The blow was incredibly fast; Deng Ruyun did not even have time to pull back the hidden arrow, only feeling a cold wind rush towards her face.

She gasped in shock.

But at that moment, an extremely familiar yet powerful and expansive wind surged from behind.

As the wind instantly enveloped her, someone from behind grabbed the wooden bolt aimed at Deng Ruyun.

He possessed immense strength, snatching the weapon from Deng Yaocheng’s hand in a flash, and hurled it back, sending the bolt crashing into a cabinet against the wall.

With his other arm, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Deng Ruyun was held tightly in his arms.

She looked up in surprise, seeing the man lower his head, his deep gaze fixed on her face.