Chapter 1066: Change of Plans
Jian Taiding frowned slightly, saying, “Liu Ji and Chu Ji were both sent by Madam Yu. Even though they have not contacted each other over the years, and their relationship with us is good, I still do not feel at ease entrusting this kind of matter to them.”
Uncle Ming replied, “Second master, do not forget that there is still Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji is one of our people.”
“That…” Jian Taiding hesitated, his expression conflicted. After all, even though the concubines were no Yu Yanluo, they were still cream of the crop beauties. Because they were his sister-in-laws, it only made that improper desire within him stronger.
However, he still understood what was important. After all, if he went after his brother’s wives as soon as something happened to Jian Yanyou, his reputation wouldn’t be very good if news of that got out. It wouldn’t be favorable for his inheritance of his brother’s legacy either.
Furthermore, because of his admiration for Yu Yanluo, he worried that going after those concubines would ruin her impression of him.
That was why his plan had always been to completely bring the Military Affairs Manor and Cloudcenter Commandery under his control. Once he obtained Yu Yanluo, he would then play around with his other spoils.
The concubines were part of the duke’s harem anyway. There was no way he was going to let them remarry. Once he had them in his own personal harem, wouldn’t he be able to do whatever he wanted with them? Who else would even know anything?
But the imposter had immediately ruined all of his plans!
Don’t tell me I have to sacrifice some of my sister-in-laws whom even I didn’t dare to touch just to test him?
And the worst part is that we all know that he’s fake!
It made him feel as if he were personally sending his own women another man’s way… Even though they were his older brother’s concubines, he already considered them his exclusive property.
Uncle Ming could more or less guess his thoughts. He coughed and said, “Second master, please consider the greater situation. They are just some girls. Once this situation is over and you become the duke, you can have any woman you want.
“On the contrary, if we allow some mishaps on our part and everyone really does come to trust that fake, we will end up losing everything.”
Jian Taiding had still been hesitant before, but he finally gathered his resolve when he heard that. He replied, “Fine, we will just have that Zhang Ji sound things out then!”
…
Meanwhile, after Zu An met with and sent off Jian Yanyou’s former trusted aides, he returned to Yu Yanluo’s guest room to discuss what to do next.
When Zu An told her the results of his discussion and people’s reactions, Yu Yanluo said with a sigh, “There has always been the saying that when people leave, the tea turns cold. That is precisely the situation, as expected.”
Zu An nodded and said, “According to my observations, even though many of them offered kind words, they were clearly speaking ambiguously. If they were really asked to do something for us, only a fourth of them would be willing to make any commitments. This Jian Yanyou really wasn’t too good at reading people.”
Yu Yanluo shook her head and replied, “That cannot really be blamed on him. According to what you have just described, none of them were actually Yanyou’s trusted aides, but rather more neutral individuals. The real trusted aides have either perished, scattered, or been transferred far away. The fact that even a fourth remained is already quite good.
“Even though those people you just saw previously declared their loyalty to Yanyou, the one who raised them to their current high positions was Jian Taiding. If they were to really make a choice, they would naturally side with Jian Taiding. After all, if the previous group of people regained authority, would they be willing to go back to their previous positions?”
Zu An said with a sigh, “Eliminating outsiders and promoting your own people, that really is human nature. What do we do now, then?”
They had previously planned to use Jian Yanyou’s identity to stabilize the current situation, but even Jian Yanyou’s trusted aides were pretty much gone. He almost felt as if things were slowly slipping out of his control.
Yu Yanluo added, looking deeply worried, “There is another problem. Judging from today’s circumstances, it seems Uncle Ming and Jian Taiding are definitely working together. With those two working together, we might not be able to find anything even if we stay in the manor.”
Zu An was about to say something when he heard a knock from outside.
“Who is it?” Zu An and Yu Yanluo both called out, tacitly agreeing to temporarily pause their conversation.
“Master, we heard that you returned safely. We came to see you,” several charming-sounding women called out from outside.
Zu An gave Yu Yanluo a look. The women’s voices were identical to those of the concubines he had practiced on in Yu Manor. He felt admiration for Yu Yanluo’s art skills once again. Not only were her drawings extremely accurate, she could even reproduce their voices. He really wondered how she did it.
When the women received permission to enter, they quickly opened the door. Three lovely ladies rushed in, striving to outdo each other. They immediately entered Zu An’s embrace when they came in, sobbing as they spoke of their yearning for him.
Zu An’s expression turned strange. He discovered that he had praised Yu Yanluo a bit too early. Even though Yu Yanluo’s drawings were accurate, they didn’t have real bodies. However, the shockingly soft and supple feeling and the smell of cosmetics surrounding him immediately made him feel as if he were frequenting a brothel.
However, these girls weren’t prostitutes, but rather the wives of a duke. Their statuses were much higher than mere courtesans.
Yu Yanluo coughed lightly from off to the side. Zu An seemed to snap back to reality. He composed himself and dealt with the girls the way he had practiced. After some socialization, he finally sent the girls away. He was so tired that he was covered in sweat.
Yu Yanluo nodded in satisfaction, saying, “Not bad, you reacted quickly. There were several times where you almost exposed yourself, but it is a good thing that your mind is sharp.”
Even though they had practiced a lot beforehand, a plan would never keep up with new variables. Furthermore, she didn’t know everything about Jian Yanyou’s concubines either, so there was no way to make a perfect copy. The rest had to depend on Zu An’s own performance.
Zu An had clearly done quite well.
“I’ve only managed to deal with them for now; there will definitely be some issues if this persists. They are the true wives, after all, so how can it be that easy to fool them?” Zu An gave Yu Yanluo a look as he spoke. If it weren’t because of your extraordinary drawing skills, these concubines might have been even more likely to expose me.
“That is indeed a problem. Furthermore, earlier, they even talked about serving you.” Yu Yanluo’s pretty brows furrowed; she seemed to be thinking about something complicated.
“But I refused them all! How can a gentleman like me take advantage of the situation?” Zu An immediately expressed his innocence. Yu Yanluo was so worried that he might end up playing around with Jian Yanyou’s harem, she had even warned him ahead of time.
“You can refuse them once, but you are not only going to be here for a single day.” Yu Yanluo looked as if her head hurt. “I have just received news that Zhang Ji spent a long time by Jian Taiding’s side before he came to see us. She definitely has a mission to test you, and she will not stop until she achieves her objective.”
“Can’t I just say I’m still injured? It should be enough to get by for now,” Zu An replied. He didn’t know why she was feeling so conflicted. Wasn’t this something the two of them had already decided on beforehand?
“Not anymore, because the course of events has changed.” Yu Yanluo got up and walked over to the window. When she saw that there was no one outside, she continued, “The general manager Uncle Ming and Jian Taiding are definitely working together. That means the chances of you finding any clues in this manor are slim. Furthermore, Yanyou’s trusted aides have practically all been removed from the Martial Affairs Manor. Even if you were to raise a call for action, there might not be many who would listen. That is why the power of your identity will not be as useful as we initially thought.”
“Then what do we do?” Zu An was also feeling a bit of a headache. He couldn't just impersonate Jian Yanyou forever! If they couldn't find out anything, or control the Martial Affairs Manor, going through so much trouble would be meaningless.
Yu Yanluo muttered to herself, “Jian Taiding and Uncle Ming definitely know that you are a fake. So why do they still need Zhang Ji to test you…”
“To prove to everyone else that I’m a fake,” Zu An said as he walked over and stood next to her. While they stood side by side, the two of them really did seem like a good match.
Yu Yanluo’s eyes suddenly lit up. She suggested, “How about we try to beat them at their own game? We can make it so that not only will they fail to find any evidence, they will instead start to doubt themselves and think you are real.”
“How are we going to do that?” Zu An shook his head. That sounded like a complete fantasy.
“You just need to make Zhang Ji completely trust that you are Yanyou.” Yu Yanluo was getting more and more excited as she continued, “Wait here for a bit. I will be back soon.” She then raised her dress and left quickly.
Zu An was stunned. Considering how close those concubines are to Jian Yanyou, it’d already be pretty good if I can act normally without slipping up. How am I going to make them completely trust me?
Yu Yanluo came back soon afterward. Two completely cloaked individuals were following her. When they entered the room, however, they lowered their hoods. Zu An recognized them to be the 36D bust Liu Ji and A4 waist Chu Ji.
“Jian Taiding and Uncle Ming have too many pairs of eyes and ears in the manor. We have no choice but to adopt this plan,” Yu Yanluo explained.
“Do master and madam have any important things to tell us by bringing us out here?” The two girls exchanged a look. They both saw how serious the mood was.
Before Zu An could say anything, Yu Yanluo said, “He is not your master. Your true master has already died.”
Zu An was speechless.