Chapter 42: The Bronze Lock-Naquele ano, não quis casar com o Vento do Leste(A lua brilhante inclina-se)

Given Qinglan's temperament, nothing on earth could have induced her to attend Cui Jingyu's banquet today.

If he wished to show off, let him show off. After four years of warfare, he had fought his way to a marquisate, and his disposition had grown equally arrogant. Even if every young lady in the capital scrambled to contend for his hand in marriage, whom could that possibly threaten? He had his broad and smooth path to success, while Qinglan possessed her own vast and boundless world.

Before her family, Qinglan played the role of the composed and dignified elder sister, but in private, she still harbored a stubborn and resentful streak. It would be best if they simply walked their separate paths for the rest of their lives, treating the old Tung Blossom Banquet and their betrothal as the foolish mistakes of their youth. Even if they had gone through with the marriage, it would have amounted to nothing more. So what of youthful wedlock? Shen Ze still frequented banquets to solicit courtesans and compose poems with his colleagues, staying out the entire night.

This merely proved that men were, without exception, no good.

Qinglan sat under the window embroidering. Though her expression was as calm as a placid lake, her heart surged with wave upon wave of rising and falling emotions. Stripping away the title of the mature and steady elder sister, she was, after all, a woman not yet twenty-four years of age. She would join her close friends in sneering at men, and she could not help but feel unsettled by Cui Jingyu's petty act of retaliation.

Yet an even greater disturbance awaited her.

A sudden commotion erupted outside the window, sounding as though someone had barged in hurriedly. Mistress Yang was also startled, and Qinglan frowned, sitting up straight.

"Chunming, go out and see what is happening."

Before her voice had even faded, someone burst through the door. It was Mistress Yang, her expression panicked.

"Eldest Miss! Liu Ji has come back with a message, saying that the Second Miss was bullied at the Marquis's banquet at the Cui estate. Liu Ji rushed back specifically to inform you—"

Qinglan sprang to her feet, not even taking the time to put on her shoes properly. Chunming, sharp-witted as she was, hurried over to help her change her clothes, calling out to the junior maids: "Jinghe, go fetch the Miss's heavy cloak! Abi, bring the jewelry box over—"

"What time is there for hairpins and hair-dressing?" Qinglan had long since experienced many such moments. "Mistress Yang, tell Uncle Yang Five to hitch the carriage. Chunming, bring the cloak. I only need to change my clothes and I can leave!"

It was hardly surprising that the noble matrons were wary of Madam Wei. During the quiet afternoon lull between the midday and evening banquets, if she wished to avoid suspicion, Madam Wei ought to have spent her time properly socializing with the other matrons. Instead, egged on by Lu Wenyin, she spent the entire time conversing exclusively with Cui Jingyu. As the afternoon wind grew chilly, the banquet on the viewing tower was cleared away, and the matrons and young ladies relocated to the Glazed Pavilion opposite the opera stage, where they drank tea, listened to opera, and ate pastries. Not content with taking the seat of honor alongside Lu Wenyin, Madam Wei continued to discuss evening arrangements with Cui Jingyu, while Wei Leshui hovered near them the entire time. In the eyes of the other matrons, this was no different from the Wei family treating Cui Jingyu as meat already trapped in their pouch.

Although the Grand Princess herself had not attended, she had dispatched a female official—her most trusted Official Su. Though a trifle young and dispatched merely to serve as a figurehead, she naturally adopted a stance of non-interference and kept her silence. Princess Ping'commandery Consort had indeed arrived, and though the Dowager Consort of Liang was absent, Princess Ping's Consort relied heavily on Lu Wenyin. Consequently, not a single person stepped forward to break up the gathering, leaving Madam Wei and Lu Wenyin free to continue chatting with Wei Leshui and Lu Wanyang.

Cui Jingyu possessed a cold appearance and an even colder heart. Though he accompanied them out of regard for Madam Wei's face, he wore an air of utter disinterest. Yet constant dripping wears away stone, and Lu Wanyang's personal bearing was so exceptional—how could the matrons fail to feel anxious? Yet none of them had a pretext to intervene, and those who did attempt to speak were promptly blocked by Lu Wenyin, making the situation terribly aggravating for the onlookers.

The others were somewhat better off, but Madam He was burning with anxiety, along with the matrons of several other noble houses who silently clenched their teeth in frustration. Just as that back-and-forth conversation created a tense and suffocating atmosphere, a cry for help shattered the deadlock.

"Marquis Cui! Madam Wei! Quickly, come save my young mistress!" A clear-browed young maid burst straight into the banquet area, dropped to her knees directly before the Marquis, her face streaked with tears and pitiful to behold. "My young mistress has been locked up by Miss Chen and Madam Xue!"

Cui Jingyu had been standing nearby talking with Madam Wei. Seeing Xiao Liu'er in such a state, he immediately furrowed his brow. "What has happened to Ye Lingbo?"

"My mistress was locked up in an empty room in the North Courtyard by Miss Chen, and they put a lock on the door!" Though Xiao Liu'er looked thoroughly frightened and tears streamed down her face, every word she spoke was crystal clear, ensuring that the entire hall of matrons heard her distinctly. Worse still, catching sight of Lu Wenyin by Madam Wei's side, she lunged toward her, pleading on her knees, "Young Madam Chen, I beg you, let my mistress go! Miss Chen said she was only venting your anger for you. My mistress didn't mean to offend you, please, I beg you to spare her!"

Skilled and resourceful though Lu Wenyin might be, she panicked at this moment.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Who wanted to plot against your mistress? What does this have to do with me?" Clutched around the legs by Xiao Liu'er, her eyebrows shot up in rage, and she was on the verge of kicking the girl away. But catching sight of Cui Jingyu's expression, she instantly lost her nerve and dared not move.

"What on earth is going on here? Tell the story clearly from the beginning, and do not falsely accuse innocent people." Lu Wanyang stepped forward, frowning as she spoke. Usually gentle and poised, she retained her composure at such a critical juncture, immediately signaling the maid beside her. Lu Wenyin's maid finally snapped out of her stupor and hurried forward, attempting to drag Xiao Liu'er away.

Yet Xiao Liu'er was exceedingly nimble. She instantly darted to Cui Jingyu's side and pleaded, "There is no time to explain the details! My mistress is still locked up in the North Courtyard, and it's dark and cold there. I beg you, please hurry and save her!"

Whenever there was a spectacle to watch, crowds would inevitably gather. Furthermore, this was the capital's most sought-after marquisate banquet, combined with the Flower Blossom Banquet, drawing together all the matrons and young ladies of the noble clans. Now that such a major incident had occurred, not only the guests originally seated at the banquet, but even those strolling and enjoying the snow outside rushed over upon hearing the news. A massive throng moved in a majestic wave toward the North Courtyard.

As it happened, the North Courtyard was not far from the heated pavilion where they had been listening to opera. Cui Jingyu naturally took the lead, rushing over in haste accompanied by Madam Wei, Lu Wenyin, and the others. Along the way, they collided with a group hurrying in the opposite direction—none other than Chen Mengliu, Yang Qiaozhen, and their companions. Looking thoroughly guilty upon crashing into the massive crowd, they became even more flustered.

"It's them!" Xiao Liu'er immediately leaped out to point fingers. "Miss Chen beat my mistress, Madam Xue said it wasn't worth the trouble, and then they locked my mistress up! I ran fast, so they couldn't catch me—"

Panic-stricken and desperate, Chen Mengliu flew into a rage upon hearing herself singled out in such a manner. "You wretched little beast, what kind of rubbish are you babbling?" She lunged forward, intending to strike the girl across the face, only to be blocked by a figure clad in a dark-colored brocade robe.

Arrogant though she might be, Chen Mengliu still knew to restrain herself when facing Cui Jingyu. Losing her momentum, she sputtered, "My Lord, don't listen to this cheap girl's rumors! I never bullied Ye Lingbo..."

"Whether she was bullied or not, we will know once we find the Second Miss Ye." Cui Jingyu's expression was as cold as ice as he instructed Madam Wei's head steward, "Mistress Huang, assist Miss Chen and Madam Xue. Let us all go to the North Courtyard and see for ourselves."

There was scarcely any need to step inside the North Courtyard; merely approaching its perimeter allowed them to hear Ye Lingbo's cries for help. The courtyard was pitch black, gloomy, and frigid. The matrons felt a pang of sympathy upon seeing this, and Madam Wei hurriedly called out, "Light the lanterns!"

Servants rushed forward holding lanterns and candles, but Cui Jingyu deemed them too slow. Seizing a lamp stand himself, he shone the light toward the small pavilion from whence the cries originated, revealing a brand-new bronze lock fastened across the doors.

"That... that is not the lock I fastened!" Chen Mengliu hastily defended herself, falling silent the moment Cui Jingyu cast a freezing glance her way.

"I beg Miss Chen to hand over the key," Xiao Liu'er pleaded again. Chen Mengliu backed away as though seeing an evil ghost clinging to her, stammering, "I don't have any key!"

"Then the key must be with Young Madam Chen." Xiao Liu'er turned to beg Lu Wenyin, whose eyebrows shot up in fury as she retorted, "Stop trying to implicate people at random! Where is the evidence saying it was me?"

"Lu Wenyin, drop the act," Lingbo's voice drifted out from within, unhurried and leisurely. "Without rhyme or reason, why would Chen Mengliu come looking for trouble with me if not at your instigation? Have you not bullied our household often enough?" She chuckled softly before continuing, "Besides, your own Chen Mengliu has already admitted to it; what are you still stubbornly resisting for? Once the key is searched from your person, it will be too late to confess."

"How audacious! Who dares search my person?" Lu Wenyin instinctively retorted. Realizing a second later that this sounded like the reaction of a guilty conscience, she flew into a frenzy and turned to the crowd. "Did you all hear that? With a voice that strong and clear, does she sound like someone who has been bullied? Which young lady would not panic if she were locked up? Clearly, this is all fake."

The matrons naturally smiled without answering; those whose gazes she met nodded in apparent agreement, though what they truly thought in their hearts remained anyone's guess.

"Of course," Lingbo's unhurried voice drifted from inside. "Since I neither know how to feign pity nor frame others, there's no need for anyone to seek justice on my behalf. Everyone might as well disperse."

Had Lingbo behaved like ordinary concubines and wives caught in inner-court struggles—putting on a terrified act, faking a faint, or even shedding a few tears—the matrons would have suspected her of staging a premeditated plot. Yet her profound composure, entirely devoid of any affected pathos, made the situation seem overwhelmingly credible. To begin with, Official Su could no longer hold her tongue.

"This place is gloomy and cold. If the young lady remains locked inside, it will surely impair her health." Though her words sounded innocuous, she had already rendered a judgment. "My Lord, I suggest you reach a decision swiftly."

Naturally, Cui Jingyu would not permit anyone to search Lu Wenyin's person.

He merely walked up to the pavilion doors and commanded, "Ye Lingbo, stand back."

"Understood," Ye Lingbo's voice remained robust. "Please hurry, My Lord! I am freezing to death!"

Drawing his sword, Cui Jingyu struck. True to a blade capable of cleaving gold and shattering jade, the ordinary bronze lock was severed in a single stroke. He raised his foot and kicked open the pavilion door. The carved wooden panels crashed inward amid a swirl of dust, and the maids standing behind the matrons involuntarily raised their lanterns to illuminate the interior, eager to catch a clear view of the scene. There stood Ye Lingbo, wrapped in a fox-fur cloak, holding a handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth, standing calmly within the empty room.

"My Lady!" Xiao Liu'er tearfully lunged forward, inspecting her from head to foot as if she had recovered a lost treasure before hurriedly brushing the dust from her hair. "My Lady, you worried me to death! If only we had been locked up together! You must have suffered terribly."

"Silly girl, if you had been locked up too, who would have gone to report the news and seek help?" Lingbo smiled.

The more unconcerned she appeared, the more convincing the whole affair became. If the matrons and young ladies had believed only thirty percent of the story upon their arrival, they now believed at least seventy percent. And by the time Ye Lingbo walked down the steps wrapped in her cloak to deliver her final words, the matrons believed ninety percent.

Madam Wei, being fundamentally a kind-hearted senior, instinctively stepped forward to support her as she descended the steps. Yet Ye Lingbo retreated a fraction of an inch without leaving a trace, neatly avoiding her touch.

"Mistress appreciates the distinction between rewards and punishments. Since we are not cut from the same cloth, there is no need to trouble Madam Wei." She used Madam Wei's own previous words to rebuff her, casually casting a sidelong glance at Madam Wei's elbow, which Lu Wenyin was still holding. With a light chuckle, she continued down the steps.

The matrons were all shrewd veterans of society; who failed to grasp her meaning? *You, Madam Wei, are joined at the hip with Lu Wenyin every single day; it would be a wonder if you didn't shield her. Why put on a false show of kindness to support me?*

None of the onlookers knew of the past history between Ye Qing澜 and Cui Jingyu, nor did they understand Madam Wei's complicated feelings toward the Ye sisters. When Madam Wei had first returned to the capital, she harbored a mild resentment toward Ye Qing澜 for breaking off the engagement years ago, which was why she had refrained from reining in the insolence of the female guests back then. But once the Ye sisters' hearts grew cold and they drew a clear line between them, she had secretly felt a twinge of regret. Now, rebuffed so bluntly by Ye Lingbo, she could only withdraw her hand in mortification, blushing as she involuntarily pulled her arm free from Lu Wenyin's grasp.

Lu Wenyin understood the implication all too well, and her heart sank heavily. She had witnessed Ye Lingbo's methods firsthand; a single sentence could cripple her completely, and she could not help but feel terrified.

Thus, she was forced to take the initiative, pressing a forced smile to her face. "Surely there is some misunderstanding here. What has gotten into Miss Ye today? She speaks as if she's swallowed gunpowder—one moment accusing me of plotting against her, the next speaking to Madam Wei in such a tone. Could it be she has caught a chill and lost her wits?"

Speaking thus, she stepped forward to press her hand against Ye Lingbo's forehead in a show of concern. Given the suddenness of the crisis and using her quick wit, this was the only strategy she could muster: paint Ye Lingbo as an unhinged woman and drag a few others down with her to prove that Ye Lingbo was simply suffering from paranoia and that none of it was her fault.

Yet as luck would have it, Ye Lingbo commanded troops far too formidable. That girl Xiao Liu'er was sharper than any maid in the entire capital. The instant Lu Wenyin raised her hand, Xiao Liu'er thrust herself between them, acting as though she had been beaten before and fiercely protecting her mistress while crying out in panic, "Young Madam Chen, what are you trying to do to my young mistress now? So many people are watching right here! I am well aware that you and Madam Wei are on intimate terms, but the Flower Blossom Banquet is hosted by Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess, not some place where you can cover the sky with a single hand!"

"Xiao Liu'er," Lingbo reined her in immediately, casting a pointed, cold smile. "Though the Flower Blossom Banquet is presided over by Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess, this is, after all, Marquis Cui's banquet. Let us let bygones be bygones and take our leave quickly."

"Halt." "Hold on a moment!" Cui Jingyu and Official Su spoke simultaneously. Lingbo's words were sharper than blades, striking two targets at once and leaving them no choice but to step forward. Cui Jingyu was the host, while Official Su represented the Grand Princess. Once Lingbo phrased it thusly, they could not simply turn a blind eye.

Cui Jingyu glanced at Official Su, signaling her to speak first.

"As the young lady is aware, Her Highness is currently presiding over the Flower Blossom Banquet by imperial decree. Only days ago, she issued strict admonishments, yet an incident like this occurs today. How could it possibly be brushed aside lightly?" Official Su swept a cold gaze over the matrons, lingering for a moment on Lu Wenyin's face before returning her eyes to Ye Lingbo. "If today's affair is not thoroughly investigated to the bottom, would it not ruin the reputation of the Flower Blossom Banquet?"

Yet she never expected Ye Lingbo to turn around and advise against it.