Chapter 86 Moon Shadows and Cicada Songs

The moon hung high in the midnight sky, heavy with dew, while cicadas chirped incessantly from the shadows of the trees.

Having been exhausted all day, Pear Moon couldn’t be bothered to watch any more excitement and had already returned to her room to wash up and sleep.

Suddenly, she heard the soft creak of the wooden gate outside the small courtyard, and Miaotong was waving to her from outside.

“It’s so late now. If the young mistress doesn’t return to the courtyard soon, I’m afraid Madam Ning will ask. In the guest room, Miss Tan has no one to attend to her. The young mistress wants you to go keep her company for a while. General Tan will come to pick her up soon.”

Pear Moon had overheard most of what happened in the room earlier from the corridor.

Now, hearing Miaotong say this, it seemed nothing serious had occurred.

If she weren’t so utterly exhausted, Pear Moon would have been happy to take on such a task.

The work wasn’t too troublesome, and the reward was generous.

Returning to her room, she tied a sweat towel around her waist and followed Miaotong out.

It was already well past the first watch, and Phoenix Ripple Courtyard was silent, illuminated by brilliant lanterns and candles.

Before leaving, Miss Ning had rewarded her with a string of coins and instructed, “Go stand in the room and persuade Miss Tan not to cry.”

Clutching the string of coins as she entered the room, Pear Moon understood why Miss Ning had called for her.

Only Miss Tan and the Duke were in the room, an awkward situation between an unmarried man and woman.

“Xiao Yue, help Miss Tan sit down and bring her a cup of tea.”

Pear Moon hurriedly moved a seat closer, helped Tan Leyao sit, and anxiously rushed to pour tea.

Tan Leyao, catching her breath, quickly stopped her from leaving. “Xiao Yue, don’t pour tea. I can’t drink anything.”

Sitting there without drinking tea was truly improper.

Moreover, the Duke’s face was so grim that Pear Moon was quite afraid of him.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Er Shun hurried back.

“Reporting to the Duke, this servant has seen the Vice Censor-in-Chief. He has already released General Tan. The Censorate dared not accept Your Grace’s letter and ordered this servant to bring it back.”

Ning Yuanjun took the letter and listened as Er Shun continued, “General Tan asked this servant to relay his gratitude for Your Grace’s life-saving kindness. He will come personally tomorrow to kowtow in thanks. He rushed home to check on things, fearing Madam Tan might be unwell.”

Tan Leyao hurried forward to ask in detail, “My brother went home? Was he harmed?”

Er Shun quickly bowed in reply, “General Tan was not harmed. He only rushed home upon hearing that Madam Tan was frightened into illness. He said he would send a carriage to fetch the young lady as soon as he arrived home.”

The weight lifted from Tan Leyao’s heart, and her legs went weak. Pear Moon hurriedly supported her, preventing her from falling.

Er Shun then said to Ning Yuanjun, “As this servant was leaving, I encountered someone sent by Eunuch Lu of the Directorate of Ceremonial, also carrying a letter demanding the release. The Vice Censor-in-Chief was terrified and scolded Censor Tang, who had made the arrest, locking him in the duty room to be dealt with tomorrow.”

Ning Yuanjun nodded, praising him for handling it well, and then asked, “Did Grand Secretary Shen not send anyone to say anything?”

Er Shun shook his head. “No one from the Shen family went over, and no letter was delivered either.”

Ning Yuanjun sneered coldly. “This Tang fellow thought his backing was strong, but he didn’t realize he was just someone’s dog. Now that he’s fallen into the water, no one is willing to save him!”

These words were clearly directed at his father-in-law, Grand Secretary Shen.

Er Shun’s face remained expressionless, Tan Leyao simply didn’t understand, and Pear Moon quickly lowered her head.

With Er Shun now in the room, the atmosphere eased considerably.

Pear Moon then went to the tea room and hastily brewed some light tea to bring over.

Ning Yuanjun and Tan Leyao each drank a cup.

Hearing that her elder brother was safe, Tan Leyao was instantly filled with joy, her face smiling through tears.

Suddenly remembering something, she took out a pouch of gold melon seeds and rewarded the entire pouch to Er Shun.

Then, slipping a pink pearl shrimp-whisker bracelet from her wrist, with a pearl as large as a thumb, she pressed it into Pear Moon’s hand as a reward.

A handful of golden melon seeds was worth twenty taels of silver, and that shrimp-whisker bracelet was clearly worth over forty taels.

Both Er Shun and Pear Moon hastily withdrew their hands, not daring to accept such scorching-hot gifts.

Tan Leyao cried anxiously, “Why won’t you take what I’ve given you? Do you not want me to come again in the future?”

After much back-and-forth, Ning Yuanjun said calmly, “Since Miss Tan has bestowed these gifts, you may accept them properly.”

Only then did Er Shun take the golden melon seeds, but he left the pouch behind, not daring to take it.

Pear Moon tucked the bracelet into her bosom, not daring to wear it on her wrist either.

Another quarter of an hour passed in the guest hall before someone from the main gate came to report that the Tan family carriage had arrived.

Ning Yuanjun personally escorted Tan Leyao to the side gate, with Pear Moon helping her into the carriage.

Tan Leyao wiped her tears all the way, thanking him profusely and saying her brother would come tomorrow to express his gratitude.

By the time Ning Yuanjun returned to Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, it was already past the second watch.

Shen Shi had not yet retired for the night, and a lamp was still lit in the Warm Pavilion.

Granny Zhao had been sending people to gather news, waiting specifically for Miss Tan to leave before hurrying to the corridor to intercept Ning Yuanjun.

“The Duke has been busy until the second watch. The mistress ordered me to attend to you, and not to let you return to the study. Warm water has been prepared in the bathhouse for your bath. Please freshen up and rest early. I fear that if the study lacks proper care and service, it might cause you to miss the morning court session.”

Ning Yuanjun stood at the foot of the steps, his mind already turning over several thoughts.

Earlier that day, after returning from court, he had been reprimanded by his grandmother in Crane Longevity Hall.

His father-in-law, Grand Secretary Shen, had become the tutor of the Fifth Prince, and the Ningguo Mansion was soon to be the maternal family of the Fifth Prince.

The Ning and Shen families shared the same goals and would need to work together from now on.

No matter how much he disliked Shen Shi as his wife, he could no longer continue to neglect her.

With this intention in mind, he had agreed to come to Phoenix Ripple Courtyard for dinner that evening.

But just as fate would have it, the earlier incident had left him deeply unsettled.

General Tan was a deputy general personally promoted by Ning Yuanjun. His establishment and achievements at the northern frontier owed much to the Tan family.

Yet his father-in-law, Grand Secretary Shen, insisted on targeting the Tan family relentlessly!

His heart gradually grew cold. Ning Yuanjun smiled faintly and said, “It’s too late now, and I appreciate your trouble in keeping attendants for me. It’s almost the third watch, and I fear my wife has already retired. I must attend court soon, and I wouldn’t want to disturb her rest by going in. I’ll come another day.”

Granny Zhao refused to let him leave, hastily trying to persuade him to stay.

Suddenly, Shen Shi’s soft voice came from inside the window lattice, “Granny, if my husband wishes to leave, let him go. He has to attend court early tomorrow morning; we mustn’t delay his important matters.”

With Shen Shi saying this, Granny Zhao had no choice but to comply.

When she turned to look, Ning Yuanjun had already brushed his sleeves and walked away.

While the young couple was caught in this tug-of-war, Pear Moon was tidying up the teacups in the small guest hall.

Earlier, when she went out to see off the guest, Er Shun had told her that a fine pouch had been left on the small tea table in the guest hall.

It was the pouch Tan Leyao had used for the golden melon seeds. Er Shun hadn’t dared to take it, and she hadn’t taken it back in the end.

“What a waste to leave it there! Remember to take it when you go back, or someone else will get it for free!”

Er Shun was stingy, but Pear Moon actually wanted it.

The pouch was unlike ordinary embroidered satin—it was made of supple deerskin with kesi silk embroidery.

Pear Moon had never seen anything like it before.

Holding a candlestick, she searched for a long time but found no trace of the pouch.

Could it have been picked up by some meddlesome person in such a short time?

It wasn’t until the third watch that Pear Moon finally returned to her room to sleep.

But she had no idea that the small deerskin kesi pouch was now resting in the palm of Ning Yuanjun’s hand.