Chapter 43: Means

"Let the truth come to light?" Ye Lingbo gave a light laugh. Though her appearance was plain, no one dared to ignore her demeanor at that moment. She turned to Official Su and said, "Both sides tell different stories; how are we to investigate? There are only the two of us—mistress and servant—while Miss Chen and Madame Xue have brought a whole crowd with them. I advise everyone to let the matter rest and consider today's events as having never happened. That would at least preserve His Highness's face."

"Look! She's feeling guilty!" Chen Mengliu immediately leaped out, pointing at Lingbo. "She's the one who framed me! Her fox's tail is finally showing!"

Not only did the matrons wear expressions of looking at a fool, but even Lu Wenyin could not hold back. She glared fiercely at Chen Mengliu, grabbed her, and shoved her aside.

"As for the truth of the matter, we naturally cannot rely solely on the one-sided claims of both parties. In such a grand marquis's estate, it is impossible for there to be no human or physical evidence..." Official Su glanced sideways at Lu Wenyin.

"This is the residence of Marquis Cui, and the banquet was hosted by Madame Wei. As for human and physical evidence..." Lingbo smiled scornfully.

Madame Wei finally could not hold back any longer and glanced at Mother Huang beside her.

"Around the hour of Wei, our Marquis's wife took the Junior Madame Chen, Miss Chen, and Madame Xue to inspect the kitchen menu. They indeed saw the Second Miss Ye and her maid looking for a lost ring near the peony beds. She even said at the time she was going to the North Courtyard to look..." Mother Huang trailed off, casting a hesitant look at Madame Wei.

Madame Wei pressed her lips tightly together and stepped forward herself.

"When we were in the kitchen, Miss Chen did indeed walk aside with Wenyin for a few words. Afterward, Miss Chen and Madame Xue disappeared together," she stated calmly, offering testimony that could clear Lingbo. "There are servants everywhere in the estate. To know whether Miss Chen and Madame Xue went to the North Courtyard, we only need to call the servants here to ask."

Not only Chen Mengliu, but even Lu Wenyin looked at Madame Wei in utter shock.

All that talk about handling matters impartially was just nonsense meant to fool children. Matrons in the capital were just like the lords in the court—who didn't belong to a faction? Who didn't speak for their own people? Even if there was evidence, they would usually cover it up. Given that this was merely a shadow of suspicion, she had actually volunteered to speak out.

The matrons had always considered Madame Wei foolish, but they had never expected her to be this straightforward.

Only Ye Lingbo was unsurprised.

She even glanced toward the gathering of young ladies.

It was precisely at this moment that He Qingyi stepped forward.

"In the morning, Chen Mengliu indeed had a conflict with Sister Lingbo and even threatened to take revenge. I wasn't the only one who heard it; the other young ladies heard it too." As she spoke, she swept her gaze around the circle of young ladies. Sure enough, someone stepped forward to testify: "Yes, I heard it too. Miss Chen said, 'Just you wait, Second Miss Ye!' and then she left."

Chen Mengliu's face instantly flushed crimson. She rushed forward, shouting, "You're talking nonsense! That was just a verbal spat..."

Realizing she was only making things worse by trying to cover it up, Lu Wenyin glanced left and right. Her capable maids and matrons had already stepped forward to drag her away. Lu Wenyin knew that today, Chen Mengliu could not escape accountability no matter what. That Chen Mengliu had threatened to take revenge on Ye Lingbo was witnessed by everyone, and that she had gone to block Ye Lingbo with Yang Qiaozhen and a crowd of maids and old women was mostly fact. As for whether anyone was actually hit and who locked the door, that remained a matter of conflicting claims that could never be clearly unraveled... Even if Ye Lingbo had locked the door herself, she hadn't suffered any blows. Yet the only ones available to testify were the servants of the Chen family and Yang Qiaozhen; who wouldn't suspect them of shielding their own masters?

She could only blame Yang Qiaozhen and Chen Mengliu for being as stupid as pigs. Knowing that Ye Lingbo was a formidable opponent, they had still insisted on approaching her, thinking they could teach her a lesson, only to fall right into Ye Lingbo's trap and implicate themselves!

In the flash of a spark, Lu Wenyin made her decision—a strategy of sacrificing the pawn to save the chariot. She exchanged a glance with Lu Wanyang, stepped forward, and smiled at Official Su. "So it was about this. Mengliu is young, and a momentary lapse in judgment is inevitable. We are all sisters at the Flower Letter Banquet, and conflicts are bound to happen. We can only blame Mengliu for having a rash temper. And Madame Xue as well—why didn't she try to persuade her? How could she let her go off to argue with Lingbo..."

Yang Qiaozhen was still somewhat clever. Having followed Lu Wenyin for all these years, she had picked up a thing or two through sheer exposure. She immediately stepped forward with a smiling apology, "It's my fault; I was foolish too. Hearing that Mengliu had been wronged, I simply wanted to accompany her to clear things up with Second Miss Ye. Who could have known it would lead to a conflict? Please accept my apologies, Second Miss Ye..."

From their perspective, this was already a rare concession. They no longer argued about who locked the door or who struck whom, swallowing their pride to accept the blame. Since Ye Lingbo's scheme had taken down Lu Wenyin's two chief generals, she should be satisfied.

***

"As expected of Junior Madame Chen, pouring water on one side and setting fires on the other, playing two roles all by herself," Shen Biwei's voice came from behind the crowd with a cold sneer. "I heard you instigated Chen Mengliu and Yang Qiaozhen to bully Lingbo, and when the plot failed, you turned around to play the good person? How do you still have the face to plead on Chen Mengliu's behalf? You've said all there is to say—what is left for the rest of us?"

In matters like this, matrons at most made a few passing remarks. For He Qingyi to step forward as an unmarried young lady to testify was already a bold move, as unwed ladies were expected to be quiet, reserved, gentle, and demure. Yet Shen Biwei was an anomaly among them—born to an exceptionally prestigious lineage and accustomed to acting entirely as she pleased, her words were sharper than blades. No one knew when she had arrived, but the moment she spoke, her tone was as sharp as a knife, pointing straight at Lu Wenyin.

Ye Lingbo sighed helplessly. She watched as Shen Biwei spoke and walked up to stand between her and the crowd, asking with resignation, "Didn't you go to see Sister Han back? Why did you come back?"

"Fortunately, I wanted to come back and see what the Northern Frontier's bows looked like, so I turned back. Otherwise, wouldn't you have been bullied to death?" Shen Biwei lowered her voice in disdain. "You really are foolish. You were being bullied and didn't even know to call for me, yet you stood here arguing with them?"

In truth, it wasn't that Ye Lingbo didn't know to call her; she had deliberately sent her away. Who could have foreseen that human calculations are no match for destiny? Shen Biwei was a genuine aristocratic lady of the highest rank, whose status and family background could crush most young ladies in the capital with sheer weight alone. Even if Lu Wenyin were given ten times her courage, she wouldn't dare lay a hand on her. Thus, Shen Biwei was accustomed to plowing straight ahead like a battering ram, completely unaware of Lingbo's underlying schemes.

With her sudden intrusion, the balance of power shifted entirely, rendering Lingbo's original strategy useless. Fortunately, Lu Wenyin was no match for Shen Biwei either. No matter how deep the inner-courtyard schemes or plots within plots, they were mere empty talk in the face of absolute power. As Shen Biwei launched into a direct, scathing tongue-lashing, Lu Wenyin could only flush red with humiliation.

"Miss Shen is being entirely unreasonable. I am a matron, and Ye Lingbo is a young lady. To speak somewhat arrogantly, Lingbo is not even a match for my Mengliu. What reason would I have to tell Mengliu to bully her? Am I to be condemned based solely on Ye Lingbo's unilateral claims?" Influenced by Shen Biwei's pressure, Lu Wenyin unconsciously began brandishing her family background as well.

"Has Junior Madame Chen targeted the daughters of the Ye family any less in the past?" Shen Biwei effortlessly uttered words that the young ladies attending the Flower Letter Banquet would never dare to say. She tore off the fig leaf, dragging every hidden secret out into the glaring sunlight. "Aren't you just jealous that four years ago at the Flower Letter Banquet, Sister Qinglan outperformed you? Now that you've become a matron while Sister Qinglan remains unmarried, you feel like a tiger fallen among dogs and bullied by ordinary curs, which is why you target the Ye sisters at every turn, isn't it?"

Clad in a purple sable fur coat worth a thousand pieces of gold, she stood tall and straight. The somber tone of the purple sable only served to make her beauty appear as frosty and immaculate as snow. Standing in the twilight, she cut a figure so striking no one dared meet her gaze. Sweeping her eyes over the matrons and young ladies, she said coldly, "The matrons know of this, and the young ladies know of it too—everyone simply pretends to be ignorant. Official Su might as well relay this to His Highness: if he wishes to purge the atmosphere of the Flower Letter Banquet, he must first uproot the malignant weeds of malice and jealousy in certain people! A perfectly good Flower Letter Banquet has been churned into a cesspool of factional strife by someone like you, Lu Wenyin!"

"You!" Lu Wenyin was choked speechless. Instinctively, she looked toward Madame Wei for help. Ye Lingbo let out a cold laugh, and Madame Wei flinched as if pricked by a needle, taking a step backward.

Living in close proximity with Lu Wenyin day in and day out, Madame Wei naturally knew of Lu Wenyin's hostility toward the Ye sisters. Even if she was unaccustomed to inner-courtyard machinations, over the long accumulation of time, she was bound to notice some clues.

"Miss Biwei's words are far too harsh," the Princess of Pingjun smoothed things over with a smile. "Although Wenyin can be a bit lively at times, her intentions are always good."

"Is that so? Then will Your Highness vouch for her?" Shen Biwei calmly retorted. Seeing the Princess of Pingjun hit a soft wall and fall silent, she turned her gaze back to Madame Wei. "Or can Madame Wei vouch for her?"

Madame Wei merely shook her head slightly.

Lu Wenyin felt as though she had been struck by a heavy blow. Accustomed to smooth sailing and having made plenty of enemies, she usually relied on the favorable winds of her position to crush any opposition. She had never expected Shen Biwei to be so ruthless as to teach her such a harsh lesson today.

Just as she stood there at a loss, a leisurely voice spoke up: "If Miss Biwei insists on someone giving this guarantee, I can vouch for my sister. But can Miss Biwei vouch for Second Miss Ye?"

The speaker was none other than Lu Wanyang. As she spoke, she looked steadily at Shen Biwei and Ye Lingbo standing behind her.

"Nonsense, of course I dare," Shen Biwei declared, lifting her chin before Lingbo could respond.

Lu Wanyang keenly caught the subtle flicker in Ye Lingbo's expression.

"Very well then," Lu Wanyang said with a faint smile, turning her attention to Marquis Cui, who had been watching the spectacle unfold. "Although Official Su is capable, she is young after all, and His Highness is not present. Since Marquis Cui is the master of this estate, I must ask you to make the judgment. Use the methods of the military camp to investigate the ins and outs of this matter thoroughly—find out who locked the door, who struck whom, and whether my sister truly instigated it. Let everything come to light so that the atmosphere of the Flower Letter Banquet may be rectified!"

While Ye Lingbo remained composed, her maid Xiaoliu behind her tightened her heart, instinctively glancing at her young mistress.

Lu Wanyang simply stared straight into Ye Lingbo's eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

For the longest time, it had always been Lu Wenyin charging to the front lines, doing all the dirty and exhausting work. Lu Wanyang, by contrast, played the role of the gentle and demure "Second Miss Lu" standing quietly behind her—well-read, versed in etiquette, knowing when to advance and when to retreat, blowing like a gentle spring breeze without ever offending anyone or revealing a shred of sharpness.

Yet once the claws and teeth were severed, the mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes was forced to reveal her true form.

Ye Lingbo met her gaze as well, a smile touching her own lips.

"Mistress..." Xiaoliu couldn't help calling out softly. Shen Biwei noticed immediately, her brow furrowing as she looked back at Ye Lingbo.

Lingbo, however, was looking at Cui Jingyu.

Marquis Cui, who had achieved illustrious military merit, had emerged victorious from the great battle of the Mingsha River. In his military reports, tens of thousands of lives were tossed about casually. If he were truly to deploy military interrogation methods to investigate, it really was somewhat frightening to contemplate.

Cui Jingyu looked back at her as well.

Everyone else remembered only Yan Yan's closeness to Cui Jingyu, forgetting that four years ago, Ye Lingbo had also been fifteen years old, at an age where she too called him "Brother Jingyu." In Cui Jingyu's eyes, she was the same—his own younger sister. Her disposition and her methods had already begun to show hints of brilliance back then.

Otherwise, he would not have asked, "Do you really want an investigation?"

"Of course we want it investigated," Ye Lingbo replied calmly.

She saw a smile surface in Lu Wanyang's eyes. Clearly, Lu Wanyang had some understanding of military methods. The small squad Ye Lingbo had encountered at Ping'an Lane—merely a diversionary game played by Pei Zhao—had been enough to toy with a trained adult like Liu Ji until he spun in circles, let alone actual military scouts.

She was a clever girl. Lu Wenyin was short-sighted and still hoped to extricate herself, but Lu Wanyang had already seen through Lingbo's bottom line. She preferred to force a thorough investigation to the light of day, gambling on the possibility that Lingbo was only bluffing. Reputation in the capital was no longer worth considering, and Madame Wei could only be cast aside, so long as she could hold the final bastion of Cui Jingyu's support.

It was a brilliant strategy, truly formidable. Unfortunately, a reaction formulated on the spot could never match the meticulous trap Ye Lingbo had laid out well in advance.

Had she laid the trap just three days prior, it might have been different.

Alas, Lu Wanyang could not possibly know that Ye Lingbo's trap carried the weight of four years.

And thus, she would never guess that Ye Lingbo still held a final trump card in reserve.

"Pingyao, go call Mingsha over..." Cui Jingyu had barely spoken when a maid hurried over and whispered something into the ear of the pageboy Pingyao. Pingyao looked at him, hesitating before saying, "Marquis."

"What is it?" he asked, frowning impatiently.

Pingyao stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.

"The eldest young lady of the Ye family has arrived at the gates with a formal visiting card to take Second Miss Ye back home."