The shadow guard trained at great expense by the Liu family to protect the Sixth Prince while he lived outside the palace truly lived up to their name.
Ying Yi returned swiftly. Barely had Yun Shu and the others finished their pastries when he was already back, reporting the information he had uncovered.
As it turned out, Cao Wenbin had not been out buying medicine for Tang Xinhua at all.
That morning, he had ridden out in a rush to meet with his mistress hidden in the southern part of the city. The woman had discovered she was pregnant the night before and sent her maid ahead of dawn to inform Cao Wenbin of the news.
Upon hearing it, Cao Wenbin had been overjoyed, and had even promised to marry her and elevate her as a secondary wife.
"Outrageous!"
Never had Tang Muzhi imagined his judgment to be so poor. Two years of marriage, and he had failed to see Cao Wenbin's true character. In the end, it took the Fifth Princess to expose the scoundrel at a single glance.
Tang Muzhi slammed his palm on the table and shot to his feet.
"I must return at once to inform Father and Grandfather. My sister must divorce that man."
"Shouldn't you talk to your sister first?" Yun Shu, propping her chin with one hand, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "What if she doesn't know yet? If you rush in with your grandfather and uncle demanding a divorce, only for her to be the last to find out what's going on… wouldn't that be a little humiliating?"
"Your Highness is right. I did consider that," Tang Muzhi admitted, his anger stalling. He sat back down with a trace of defeat.
"But if we tell her now, I fear she will refuse to divorce him."
"Why would she?"
Yun Shu looked genuinely baffled.
"Cao Wenbin clearly doesn't care about her. He has a mistress and an illegitimate child on the way. Why would she stay married to him, just to celebrate the New Year together?"
"My sister values her reputation," Tang Muzhi sighed deeply, clearly frustrated.
"They've been married two years and she has yet to bear a child. That alone has stirred gossip. If she divorces him now, people will only accuse her of jealousy and being barren."
"...Seriously?"
Yun Shu stared, incredulous.
"Shouldn't they be blaming Cao Wenbin?"
"In this world, it is perfectly normal for men to take concubines. What he did was wrong, yes, but most people will only whisper about it behind his back. Women, however, are held to different standards."
Tang Muzhi shook his head slowly.
"Back when the Empress reigned, many bitter scholars railed against a hen crowing at dawn. Now, over a century since her era, the old doctrines of female virtue and obedience have been dragged out again, reborn as chains around women's necks.
No emperor since has dared to explicitly revoke the ancestral teachings left by the woman who once sat upon the throne, so no one dares openly parade those outdated values.
But the truth is, such ideas have already seeped deep into people's hearts. Among the noble houses, most young ladies and madams are already trapped in that kind of thinking."
"Do you believe that too?"
Yun Shu turned to look at the young lady sitting beside her.
"Yi Yi, do you think my cousin shouldn't divorce that man?"
"Of course not!" Cen Yiyi had been stewing in righteous indignation ever since Ying Yi's report. Though she did not personally know Tang Muzhi's sister, she had clenched her fists in anger on her behalf. Now that Yun Shu asked directly, she immediately voiced her stance:
"My father, mother, elder brothers, uncles, and even my grandfather have all told me: if anyone ever tries to use the teachings of female virtue to shame me, I must never take it to heart. Because I am not the one in the wrong!
If it's a woman saying those things, she is to be pitied. If it is a man, then he is shameless!
If I ever meet such a man, I will stay far away. And if I cannot escape him myself, I will tell my father, my grandfather, and all my uncles and brothers!"
Yun Chuhuan: "..."
Why did he suddenly feel a chill down his spine?
"Well said!"
Yun Shu nodded in approval, paying no mind to the Sixth Prince's strange expression.
"At least someone still has a clear head."
"Cen Family must be an excellent household," Tang Muzhi murmured, visibly moved. He lowered his gaze, a hint of guilt in his voice.
"If only I had said these things to my sister earlier, perhaps things would have turned out differently."
"Can you not start now?"
Cen Yiyi, seeing Tang Muzhi growing despondent and knowing it was because of her words, spoke up clumsily to offer a suggestion.
"If everyone realizes that kind of thinking is wrong, wouldn't that be enough?"
"Tch."
Yun Chuhuan let out a habitual scoff before speaking.
"And how exactly would you do that? Go door to door preaching it?"
"No..."
Cen Yiyi bit her lip, finally realizing her idea was not very practical.
"I just..."
"It's not impossible."
"What?"
Cen Yiyi blinked, then turned to Yun Shu in astonishment.
"You're seriously going to go door to door?"
"Something like that."
Yun Shu shrugged. Now that she had a plan, her voice grew lighter.
"I know what needs to be done. It might take a little time, but not too much. Cousin, if you're still worried, you can quietly let your sister know something is going on. Help her steady her heart.
Leave the rest to me."
"Then I leave it in Your Highness's hands."
Tang Muzhi hesitated.
"But, may I ask, how do you plan to go about this?"
"That, for now, is a secret."
Yun Shu smiled, standing up with a stretch.
"It's rare for me to leave the palace. We've already tasted the pastries at Lianxin Zhai, so it's time to explore somewhere else. I promised Father Emperor I would bring him back a gift or two."
"A gift? For Father Emperor?" Yun Chuhuan, startled, quickly ran through a mental list of the capital's most famous shops. He then hustled after Yun Shu, his short legs working fast to catch up.
"It's not even his birthday yet! Why are you suddenly buying him gifts?
How much do you plan to spend? I'm not sure I brought enough money!"