A Pawn's Passage

Du Yuhua loved the sea but disliked Lion City, so she chose to settle down in Wu’an Prefecture.

She owned a residence here that was far grander than the Wang family estate. It was built along the coast, offering a view of the sea the moment one opened a window.

Du Fuzhou usually lived here as well. He was accustomed to being held firmly in his mother’s grasp and deferred to her in everything.

In fact, when Du Fuzhou and Sun Yaozhen had just married, the young couple’s relationship was fairly good. However, the struggle between Sun Yaozhen and her mother-in-law strained their relationship because Du Fuzhou always sided with his elderly mother.

Sun Yaozhen simply gave up and began indulging herself recklessly. Of course, this was not entirely Du Yuhua’s fault. Sun Yaozhen herself enjoyed a life of debauchery.

This showed how domineering Du Yuhua was, but circumstances changed her. Back then, when the Great Sage ascended, Du Yuhua’s position became untenable, so she had no choice but to step down.

Now that Wang Jiaohe had appeared in Du Yuhua’s home, she was likewise powerless to resist the circumstances.

At this moment, the two were seated in a waterside pavilion. Though called a waterside pavilion, it was not built atop the water but on an artificial rock formation. Diverting water into the estate was already a grand undertaking. The fact that the artificial rock was large enough to support a pavilion showed just how lavish the entire residence was.

This pavilion resembled a gazebo, open on all sides with bamboo blinds hanging down. Since it was built atop the artificial rock, it rose above the courtyard walls and offered a nice view of the sea.

However, the weather today was far from pleasant. It was dark and overcast, as though a violent storm was about to hit land.

Wang Jiaohe sat facing Du Yuhua, holding a cup of tea without drinking it. He sighed and said, “Back then, the three of us were on the same boat, working together in the Poluo Daoist Mansion. By all logic, once the winds and waves rose, whoever was on the boat should have shared the same fate. Yet now, you stand safely on dry land, while Elder Sun and I have fallen over the capsized boat.”

Du Yuhua was a beautiful woman. In terms of appearance, she far surpassed Madam Qi. Her temperament was more approachable than the aloof Sage Cihang, but she was also not as frivolous as Qi Muyu and Wang Jiaoyan. She was intelligent, capable, and dignified, yet friendly enough to not keep others at a distance. The balance she struck was exceedingly difficult to achieve. Thus, with that balance, she could very easily control men.