Reflection
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, Aunt Man, arm in arm with Lu Xier, walked slowly to avoid being bumped by others. Only when they reached a less crowded area did she carefully choose when to speak.
“That Lord Zhong is a good official. I heard that a few days ago he went to court against Grand Secretary Zhen over a case involving a sacred tortoise, and he really saved face. Since he is so fearless of powerful people, we might be able to explain your background to him, and he should uphold justice. However, he seems to be too upright. If things get too ugly, it would be better not to let him get involved.”
Lu Xier seemed not to hear, her eyes darting to her feet, and sighed, "Even if we regain our identities, what then? The prince might rather break off the engagement and marry that fake lady."
The scene that had just unfolded in the private room had deeply wounded her.
Aunt Man held her cold hand and comforted her, "Once you regain your identity, you can drive away that fake young lady. The young prince won't break off the engagement. The Lu family has many clans in Weizhou. If they allow their young lady to be jilted before her wedding, how will they have any face left?"
Lu Xier shook her head. "When we first heard about the young prince, we knew he was not bound by etiquette. After getting to know him, we also knew he didn't care about worldly opinions. As a prince, who can stop him from marrying whomever he wants or doesn't want to marry? When he looked at that fake young lady, it was as if no one else had anything to do with him."
Recalling the scene in that private room, Aunt Man fell into deep thought, and soon a sinister smile appeared on her weathered face.
“Xi’er, there’s always a way out. Your godmother has a way to help you achieve your wish.”
*
After the play ended, Mu Qing returned to the Lu residence with the young prince, still beaming with joy.
She had been burdened with worries lately, and was finally able to relax for a day. She was very grateful to the young prince for taking her out to see a play, and her smile was genuine as she spoke, intentionally trying to make people happy.
Xiao Yu was also pleased, but his smile faded when he received another letter after leaving the Lu residence.
At the exact hour of You (5-7 PM), on the banks of the inner city river, I await your arrival. Don't be late!
In the past, he would set the time and place for their meetings. This time, however, Lu Xier couldn't wait. She not only set a time and place but also said that she would not be late.
Xiao Yu was displeased and vaguely felt that he was losing control. He flung the hem of his robe, stepped into the carriage, and ordered his men to return home.
The warm sun was setting in the west, and the clouds were colorful. When the night wind blew, the clouds dispersed, the sun returned to its nest, and the sky became as dark as ink. Lights began to light up on both sides of the inner city river, and the people working on the embankment and docks gradually dispersed, leaving only a few figures.
Zhong Linlan arrived at the riverbank and had just boarded the boat when Kunshan came up to him, opened the side window, and pointed to two figures on the riverbank, saying, "Master Lu and the others are over there."
The night was dark and the two people stood on the shore, now dressed as women, their clothes billowing in the wind, as if waiting for someone.
"Who are they waiting for?" Zhong Linlan asked.
Previously, they had sent Kunshan to track and investigate.
Kunshan is not good at this kind of thing; they follow from a distance and only know where the person is.
He was completely bewildered and said, "I don't know. Before, they sent a letter to the young prince of the Qing Prince's Mansion. Later, the older one went out alone and went to Chun Gui Chu. Uh, Chun Gui Chu is a brothel."
Zhong Linlan stared intently at the figures on the shore, pondered for a moment, and asked, "How long have they been waiting?"
“From 5 PM until now, it’s been at least half an hour. I’ve been standing there without getting tired, so I’m coming back now.”
Kunshan tugged at his collar, following along with bated breath. He was sweating profusely from the tension. After recounting what he had learned, though he didn't quite understand it yet, he couldn't wait to find a bathhouse to wash up.
Zhong Linlan dismissed him, turned off the lights, closed the window, leaned back in the recliner, closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep, no longer thinking about the matter.
The wind by the river was warm at first, but after nightfall, it carried a damp chill.
Lu Xier couldn't help but rub her arm, gazing at the star-studded night sky, where a crescent moon had already risen high.
"Godmother, it's so late, the Prince probably won't be coming."
"You must trust your godmother's judgment. The prince is kind-hearted; as long as we wait here, he will definitely come."
After Aunt Man finished speaking, she walked to a boat on the shore. When she came out of the boat house, she had changed into thick clothes, carried a thin gauze lantern, and draped a moon-white cloak over her arm.
Wrapped in a cloak, Lu Xier felt much warmer. She looked back at the street on the shore again. After some time, she saw a carriage slowly approaching in the darkness of the deserted street.
The driver was a guard from the prince's side. The carriage he was driving was not as grand as the one outside the Lu residence during the day, but it was there for her.
Lu Xi'er stared intently until the carriage drew near, at which point a voice came from inside: "Miss Xi'er, what is it?"
Unlike before, when they were more familiar with each other, there was a hint of distance in their words.
Aunt Man quietly pressed Lu Xier's lower back. Lu Xier understood and bent her knees, almost falling to the ground, which startled the people in the carriage who lifted the curtain.
Lu Xier leaned against Aunt Man's chest, her eyes filled with tears as she looked up. "Your Highness, I'm sorry, I was just a little excited and my legs went weak."
Xiao Yu had already sent people to keep an eye on her nearby. Knowing that she had been standing there for more than two hours, he couldn't bear to urge her to say what she had to say, nor could he let her get in the car to rest.
So it was only natural that they boarded the boat together on the shore, sat down and talked.
Lu Xier's legs were sore from standing, but her hands were still fine, and the music she played on the zither was still beautiful.
After listening to the zither, Xiao Yu's earlier aloofness lessened considerably. He admired the talent of the person before him, but he had pushed her away for a selfish reason. Although he had made up his mind, he couldn't help but feel apologetic when he said it.
“Miss Lu is exceptionally talented, not one to be confined to a small pond. I have already lent her most of the musical scores in my residence, so I can offer her no further assistance. There's no need for us to meet privately again. But since you seem troubled, please speak of it. If I can help, I certainly will…”
As he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes.
The man standing behind him fell to the ground with a thud, causing the ship's deck to tremble slightly.
Mu Qing arrived at the riverbank at this time.
Following her memory, she found the ship from that night, reached the window of the upper cabin, and knocked on the window frame.
There were no lights on inside, and both windows were open. A tall figure stood by the side window. Although it was dim, it was clear that it was Zhong Linlan. He turned around when he heard the noise, but did not make a sound.
Mu Qing jumped into the room, walked over to the side window, and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Just like last time, there were several pleasure boats on the river, playing music. But this time, there was an extra small boat, quite far from the others, and unusually quiet. A lamp was lit at both the bow and stern of the small boat, and a soft yellow light shone through the windowpanes of the boathouse, through which shadowy figures could be vaguely seen moving about.
Mu Qing glanced at it, and then heard Zhong Linlan say, "I heard that the young prince has been seeing a female musician very often lately."
Mu Qing didn't take it to heart. "I know that musician. The young prince has always liked music, so there's nothing to worry about."
Zhong Linlan twitched the corner of her mouth. "Even if the young prince falls for someone else, you don't care?"
“That’s impossible,” Mu Qing said firmly. “I’m only here tonight to see the list you mentioned; I don’t want to talk about anything else.”
She moved a step to the side, distancing herself from Zhong Linlan.
Seeing this, Zhong Linlan looked out the window. The small boat was even farther away, and the dim light inside the boathouse suddenly went out.
He closed the side window and said softly, "Then let's watch."
Sensing the complexity and subtlety in his tone, Mu Qing assumed he was upset and said no more. After lighting the candles, she looked at the list spread out on the table and identified each name.
Some of the names were common, and although they looked familiar, they didn't match the person in Mu Qing's memory. Mu Qing looked at them and tried to recall them. It took her quite a while to finally find a suspicious person.
I had met Song Baixuan at Wansong Academy before, and I even recognized her that night.
Mu Qing was stunned.
Sitting to the side, Zhong Linlan asked, "Did you find someone you know?"
“This Song Baixuan used to be from the village too,” Mu Qing said, pointing out his doubts. “But five years ago he was only a teenager, still a kid. I don’t think I ever offended him.”
Zhong Linlan asked, "Why did he enter your village?"
"His father was a bandit leader named Song Fang. After being defeated by my father, he recognized my father as his elder brother. Later, he brought his son, Song Baixuan, to join our village. However, due to the trap of being recruited by the government, he and my father went there and never returned."
"No return? You saw Song Fang's corpse?"
"More or less." Mu Qing lowered her eyes, revealing a hint of sorrow. "The courtyard where they negotiated and stayed overnight later caught fire. The bodies inside were burned so badly that it was impossible to tell who was who."
Zhong Linlan pondered for a moment, "Are you sure this Song Baixuan is the Song Baixuan you know?"
Mu Qing nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then recounted the whole story of how she met Song Baixuan.
Zhong Linlan looked at her with an indescribable gaze.
"Why are you so compliant with others?"
Mu Qing glared at him and retorted, "Lu Tongxue and Lu Fei wouldn't have any designs on me."
“…” Zhong Linlan paused for a moment, “I will investigate Song Baixuan. You can also see if there is anyone else you might know.”
After reviewing the list repeatedly, Mu Qing confirmed that she only recognized Song Baixuan. She couldn't help but suspect that this person was afraid she would expose his identity and was preparing to strike first, just like she had with Jiang Likun.
She didn't dare say this out loud, knowing that if she did, she would be scolded by Zhong Linlan just like last time.
Remembering Xiao Taohong whom she had met last time, she asked, "Did you get the letter from Bihua Manor?"
Zhong Linlan looked away from her and said, "I got it."
Mu Qing's eyes lit up. "Let me see."
Zhong Linlan remained silent, only glancing at her quietly.
Seeing that things were not going well, Mu Qing asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhong Linlan said, "The letter was hidden in a crevice outdoors, but you've been to Bihuazhou. It's very humid there with lots of morning dew. The letter got damp, and the ink on it blurred and became illegible."
Mu Qing paused for a moment, then realized that the monkey had deliberately hidden it, and said, "Then I want to see it too. Bring me the letter."
Zhong Linlan turned her face away. "A useless letter, no need to keep it."
The implication is that it's already destroyed.
"You!" Mu Qing was a little angry. "If I had known, I would have just gone to get it myself."
Zhong Linlan said sarcastically, "You're the young lady of the Lu family now, how can you take it? Let alone sneaking onto Bihua Continent unnoticed, there's not even enough time for you to make a round trip at night. Besides, didn't you promise your Uncle Huai that you wouldn't go to the Zhen family anymore?"
Thinking of Uncle Huai, Mu Qing suddenly felt a chill, but how could a monkey, so clever, leave her something useless? With that thought, she stared at Zhong Linlan, "You swear, that letter was truly damp and unreadable, otherwise, you, you..."
For a moment, I didn't know how to curse him.
Zhong Linlan said, "If that letter is useful, I'll make sure you suffer a terrible death."
Mu Qing frowned. "There's no need to be so harsh. Since things have come to this, let it go. We don't need to see each other again. Now that you know who recognized me, I'll have my own way of dealing with it next time we meet."
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