Chapter 25 Danger on the Pleasure Boat "My relationship with Pei Xu is not as you think..."

Zhou Xiwen stared at the token, his pupils contracting slightly. After a long while, he spoke softly, "So that's why... Ling Yao is already..."

Meng Lingyao's expression changed. The candlelight flickered, and a thin layer of transparent red appeared on her face. She didn't know if it was from embarrassment or awkwardness. Just as she was about to bend down to pick up the token, she saw a fair and slender hand pick it up before she could.

Zhou Xiwen turned the token face down and placed it in Meng Lingyao's palm, saying meaningfully, "Don't worry, I didn't see anything."

She watched as the girl in front of her took the token and stuffed it back into her sleeve. Her right cheek bulged slightly, and she looked quite annoyed, completely unlike her usual calm and collected demeanor. A faint smile appeared in her eyes.

"Lingyao, actually I've been wanting to find an opportunity to talk to you for a long time."

Meng Lingyao looked up. "What are you talking about?"

She sat down at the dressing table and combed her hair again in front of the bronze mirror. "I know my brother is not a good match, but I haven't been able to find a suitable opportunity to tell you."

It was really difficult to strike the right balance. After all, she was an outsider, and women's marriages were always a sensitive matter. I couldn't let her seem like a busybody who would ruin someone's marriage, but I really couldn't bear to see her being deceived.

She paused, looking at Meng Lingyao in the mirror, "Just now, I sensed that you were distancing yourself from my brother. Now that I've seen this token, I'm certain that you have someone else in your heart, and I'm completely relieved."

“My relationship with Pei Xu is not as you think,” Meng Lingyao retorted, frowning.

"Oh?" Zhou Xiwen raised an eyebrow. "So this really is Lord Pei's possession. I thought you carved it yourself to constantly remind yourself to 'behave in an orderly manner'."

"..."

Damn it, what a great excuse, how could she not have thought of it?

In a flash, Meng Lingyao had a sudden thought. She raised her chin and said, "It was Pei Xu who admired me and insisted on giving it to me."

Zhou Xiwen: "Then why do you still carry it with you at all times?"

She calmly replied, "I'm just waiting for the boat to reach the middle of the Yongfeng River today so I can throw it overboard and keep the truth from others. If I get involved with Pei Xu, those young ladies will tear me apart!"

Ultimately, no one will go to Pei Xu to verify it; they'll just let her make things up.

As she spoke, her demeanor returned to composure. Her slender, white hands rested on her cheeks, her fingers casually tapping the face powder box, her expression serene.

Zhou Xiwen was inexplicably convinced, and chuckled, "Fine, whatever, it's good that you have no feelings for my brother."

Seeing that the matter had finally been resolved, Meng Lingyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and joked, "Why do you speak ill of your own family in front of outsiders?"

“If it were just a normal affair, that would be fine.” Zhou Xiwen gripped the silver comb tightly. “My brother… he had an affair with someone else.”

These words were spoken very softly, yet they exploded in Meng Lingyao's ears like a thunderclap. She deliberately widened her eyes, "Is that so?"

“Cian Temple…” A hint of disgust flashed in Zhou Xiwen’s eyes. “That place is hardly a pure Buddhist sanctuary. My elder brother goes there every few days, ostensibly to worship Buddha, but in reality…”

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Lingyao understood. Looking at Zhou Xiwen's expression, she tentatively asked, "Is that so? The other day when I went to Ci'an Temple to offer incense, I thought all the monks there were handsome and had an extraordinary air about them. Especially a monk named Zhiqing, who was so young yet had such a remarkable presence."

Upon hearing the name "Zhiqing," Zhou Xiwen's expression changed drastically, and the disgust in his eyes became even more pronounced. "You've actually met him before?"

Meng Lingyao nodded, "It was just a chance encounter."

"Stay away from him." Zhou Xiwen stood up, his expression unusually solemn. "Don't let your reputation be tarnished."

She had been quite direct, and Meng Lingyao nodded silently, "Thank you for your guidance, sister."

“However…” Zhou Xiwen suddenly turned around, his gaze falling again on Meng Lingyao’s sleeve, “Since you are acquainted with Lord Pei, could you introduce me? I have something important to tell you.”

Meng Lingyao suppressed the urge to refute the "acquaintance" and calmly said, "Of course. But I wonder what important matter you have, sister? The Dali Temple is not exactly a good place."

"You'll find out then." Zhou Xiwen didn't say much, only gave her a deep look. "We've been away for too long, it's time to go back."

The two straightened their clothes and walked out of the inner room hand in hand. When they returned to the warm pavilion, Zhou Yizhi was no longer at the table; only a group of young gentlemen and ladies were discussing poetry and painting with great interest.

"How about we compose a couplet?" someone suggested. "Let's use today's festive day as the theme."

Just as everyone was talking animatedly, the boat rocked again. Several young ladies cried out in surprise, and the young gentlemen rushed to help them up.

"It's alright, it's alright," someone explained with a smile. "There are many undercurrents on the river, and it's common for boats to travel as smoothly as they do on land."

“That’s right, our big ship is very stable,” another person chimed in.

Meng Lingyao suddenly remembered what Pei Xu had once told her—"Waterways are the most dangerous. Once something happens, it's harder to escape than to climb to heaven."

She felt a vague unease.

The atmosphere on the pleasure boat was lively. A young gentleman, unable to hold his liquor, declined the wine and leaned against the window, hoping the river breeze would sober him up. He took a deep breath and smelled a strange, pungent odor on the wind.

The young man turned his head and looked around, only to see flames shooting into the sky from the distant dock.

"Oh no! Fire!"

Zhou Xiwen looked over upon hearing the sound.

His gaze sharpened; it was the Zhou family's cargo ship!

Just then, the ship rocked violently again, this time more violently than ever before.

Several young men, who were engaged in lively conversation, lost their footing and fell to the ground. Teacups and fruit plates shattered all over the floor, and a young lady, her face pale with fright, covered her mouth, too terrified to utter a sound.

"What's going on?" someone asked in alarm.

Suddenly, the servants' panicked shouts came from outside, their voices filled with barely concealed terror—

"Oh no! The boat is leaking!"

-

Pei Xu stood on the riverbank, watching the magnificent painted boat slowly move forward in the night. The boat was brightly lit, and the occasional sound of string and wind instruments could be faintly heard, creating a scene of peace and prosperity.

His thin lips were slightly pursed, and his expression showed no sign of relaxation.

Yue Meng squatted beside him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He thought that their master was clearly a prominent young nobleman in the capital, yet instead of spending his days leisurely in a quiet government office, he had come to the Dali Temple.

Now look what's happened! While others enjoy a night cruise on the Yongfeng River during the holiday, he can only watch from the sidelines.

As he was lost in thought, Jian Su strode over, bathed in moonlight.

"Sir, the constables on surveillance report that the Zhou family's cargo ship has indeed caught fire. The fire is extremely large, and the Fangyu Army was unable to put it out in time; it has been almost completely destroyed."

"A fire?" Pei Xu's gaze was as cold as ice.

"Search the cargo ship wreckage carefully," he ordered, his gaze never leaving the pleasure boat.

As they were talking, a sudden commotion arose on the river.

Pei Xu's fingers suddenly tightened. He saw the figures on the painted boat swaying, and he could vaguely hear exclamations coming from it. The boat also seemed to tilt a little.

"Prepare the boats," he ordered his subordinates without hesitation.

Several capable constables were already prepared, and upon hearing the order, they immediately launched a light boat. Pei Xu leaped aboard, followed closely by the others.

A river breeze swept over us, carrying the chill of the night. The small boat, propelled swiftly towards the pleasure boat by several excellent swimmers.

The closer they got, the clearer the situation became. The ship wasn't listing too badly and seemed to be righting itself. People were hurrying back and forth on the deck, but there was order amidst the chaos.

Before he could think it through, the small boat had already approached the pleasure boat. Before it had even come to a complete stop, Pei Xu grabbed the thick hemp rope hanging from the gunwale, used it for leverage, and nimbly flipped himself onto the boat.

"My lord!" Yue Meng exclaimed from behind, "Slow down!"

The other constables also shook their heads, secretly marveling at how eager their masters were to save lives.

Upon boarding, Pei Xu looked around. There was indeed some chaos on the deck, but it wasn't the critical situation he had imagined. Several boatmen were pulling the sails, and it seemed that everything was alright.

He strode towards the front hall, pushed open the carved door, and saw Miss Zhou Xiwen standing in the center of the hall, calmly speaking to a dozen young men and women.

"Don't panic, everyone. The boatman said it's just a small leak and it will be fixed soon."

"Lord Pei?" Zhou Xiwen's eyes widened in surprise as he entered. "What brings you here?"

Pei Xu nodded slightly: "Just now I saw the painted boat rocking incessantly on the riverbank, it seems something happened."

He glanced across the entire flower hall and asked, "Is everyone alright?"

The crowd was quite flattered and remained silent for a while before responding in unison.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Pei."

"Fortunately, Miss Zhou took charge of the overall situation."

"We are all fine."

"That's good then." Pei Xu nodded slightly, then turned to Zhou Xiwen, "Miss Zhou, are all the guests here today?"

Zhou Xiwen paused for a moment, then replied, "They're all here."

She suddenly understood something, and her expression became subtle. "Miss Meng was here, but not long ago she said she was feeling a little unwell, so I sent a small boat to take her ashore first."

The others in the hall nodded in agreement.

"She's lucky. I wonder if she's faking it..." Zhao Ruxuan shrank back, still quite frightened. The thought of Meng Lingyao getting off the boat early and narrowly escaping disaster made her uneasy. Ignoring the others around her, she muttered to herself.

Her voice was very soft, but suddenly her hair stood on end, and an indescribable sense of crisis enveloped her. When she looked up, she met Pei Xu's gaze in the crowd.

He glanced at it briefly and quickly looked away.

Zhao Ruxuan couldn't help but shudder and instinctively shut her mouth.

"Since everyone is safe and sound, I won't disturb you any longer." Pei Xu bowed and took his leave.

Zhou Xiwen could not persuade him to stay, so he had to see him off.

On the small boat, several subordinates came to greet them.

"Sir, I spoke with the boatmen, and they are indeed out of danger. But they have no idea why the water is leaking."

Yue Meng said, "The boat captain said he knew there were important people on board today, and they checked everything carefully before setting sail to make sure everything was in good condition. They still didn't expect something to happen. Sir, there's something fishy about this..."

As he spoke, he already had a conclusion in his mind: the person who caused the leak in the boat and the person who set the fire on the other side were most likely the same person.

Besides Zhou Yizhi, whom they've been keeping a close eye on lately, who else could it be?

Pei Xu nodded slowly.

While everyone was enjoying the festival, the staff of the Dali Temple were busy with a series of troubles, including a cargo ship fire and a pleasure boat leaking. Just as things were starting to look up, Pei Xu waved his hand and told his subordinates to go and rest.

As Yue Meng was leaving, he saw that the man was still sitting upright at his desk and couldn't help but say, "Sir, it's a rare holiday, you should take a break. If you go out now, you can still catch the second half of the fireworks."

"Um."

He responded with a sound of agreement, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Yue Meng shrugged helplessly and called his other brothers to go out for drinks and lantern viewing.

When the moon was high in the sky, Pei Xu finally put down the case file.

As night deepened, the lights on the painted boats floating on the Yongfeng River gradually dimmed, with only the candle wicks of a few lotus lanterns still flickering in the wind.

Pei Xu strolled along the riverbank, unknowingly heading towards a more secluded section. Here, ancient willows provided shade, the moonlight shimmered, and a few night birds occasionally flitted past the branches, their wings breaking the stillness of the night sky.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.