45 Planning

With the affairs at the Marquis's estate concluded, the Ye sisters directly left the banquet, and even Yanyan, who had been secretly picking Cui family's hawthorn fruits outside with Tao Li'er, was taken along. Upon hearing Marquis Cui's ruling, the matrons were astonished, yet secretly delighted.

Regardless of how the Ye family had cornered Marquis Cui into making such a decision, in their eyes, it was akin to mutual destruction. The Ye sisters were minor concerns; Ye Qinglan, at twenty-four, was already past her prime with no prospects, while Ye Lingbo was plain-looking, possessed an unappealing personality, and lacked any competitiveness. To have the Lu sisters ousted was a stroke of incredible good fortune that the matrons would never have dared to dream of.

With the severing of ties between the Lu and Cui families, Lu Wangyang was completely removed from Cui Jingyu's options. For the aristocratic young ladies of the capital, this was not merely losing a formidable rival; it felt as though the top imperial scholar had sabotaged his own future, leaving everyone with a chance to win the scholar's heart.

Consequently, the evening banquet felt essentially like a celebration of victory for the matrons. It was only a pity that Ye Lingbo, who had rendered such monumental service, had already returned home; otherwise, the matrons would have genuinely wished to toast her with a cup of wine.

Alas, Marquis Cui's expression was so grim that the matrons dared not be too overtly triumphant. They could only surmise that perhaps the Ye sisters' remarks had been offensive, forcing the Marquis to sever ties with the Lu family to demonstrate his impartiality. This explained why Marquis Cui remained as frosty as ice throughout the entire evening. The grand theatrical performance that night was the Battle of Pansha River, which was actually an allegory for the Mingsha River—a play personally bestowed by the Emperor, which they were obliged to watch. The men's and women's seating areas were separated by the waterside pavilion. From afar, Marquis Cui could be seen sitting at the head of the table, his expression as cold as ice as he drank cup after cup of wine.

To speak somewhat audaciously, the more gloomy he appeared, the more striking he became, resembling a lone black wolf gazed upon from afar amidst a heavy snowfall, causing a flutter in one's heart. It just went to show that people possessed all sorts of temperaments, each with its own unique appeal.

It was a pity that the green-robed general who had competed with him in riding and archery earlier that day was absent. If he had sat alongside Cui Jingyu and Wei Yushan, they would have truly formed a triad as flawless as jade trees in the wind.

Speaking of Wei Yushan, for reasons unknown, he had seemed absent-minded and had left the banquet early.

-

Back on Lingbo's side, there was no need to attend the evening banquet, yet she was far busier than if she had attended.

Shen Biwei had not said much on the way. Since the Ye family and the Marquis's estate had broken ties, she skipped the evening banquet as well and personally escorted the Ye sisters home. Once they arrived home and the doors were shut, she immediately interrogated Ye Lingbo: "Explain yourself clearly—what on earth happened? Why did things blow up to such an extent? Did you do this on purpose?"

Ye Lingbo merely made a "shh" gesture at her. At that moment, the two of them were changing clothes in the inner chamber, while Qinglan was in the outer room. Lingbo tiptoed to the doorway and took a peek, only to see Qinglan standing before a mirror in a daze. Catching sight of Lingbo, Qinglan asked, "Lingbo, how are you? Come here and let me look at you. Did you get hurt at all?"

"Oh, I'm completely fine!" Lingbo spun around with great nonchalance. "Actually, I wasn't beaten at all. Chen Mengliu merely wanted to frighten me, so I didn't suffer any losses. I simply exaggerated the matter deliberately to make her lose face."

"Oh, oh, that's good then." Qinglan still looked somewhat absent-minded. She came over to inspect her and, finding no injuries or signs of catching a chill, she felt somewhat more at ease.

"Alright, never mind about me for now; go change your clothes first." Lingbo looked at her with warm eyes and patted Qinglan's garment. "You're dressed so thinly, you haven't even changed your boots, and you didn't wear your snow hood—be careful not to catch a cold."

"It was a bit rushed at the time, so I hurried out." Qinglan instinctively touched her temples, looking a bit embarrassed. "I wasn't too disheveled, was I?"

"Not at all. Even without dressing up, my eldest sister is as beautiful as a celestial being," Lingbo said with a smile.

Qinglan offered a faint smile at the tease, but the amusement did not reach her eyes. Clearly, the "breakup" with Cui Jingyu had also exacted a heavy toll on her mental energy, leaving her somewhat preoccupied.

Realizing this, Lingbo stopped bothering her. She instructed Chunming and Jingheng to help Qinglan change, while she and Shen Biwei retreated to the inner chamber. Having witnessed her entire performance, Shen Biwei had already guessed most of the truth.

"Well, well, Ye Lingbo, playing your little schemes on your sister again!" Shen Biwei immediately pounced and tackled Lingbo onto the daybed. "Confess right now! Are you going to talk, or shall I subject you to torture?"

"Alright, alright, stop messing around. Confess what?" Ye Lingbo said with feigned disdain. Yet, being only nineteen years old and still possessing the spirited heart of a young maiden, having pulled off such a brilliant masterstroke that even managed to scheme against Lu Wangyang, how could she resist bragging? She immediately leaned close to Shen Biwei's ear and whispered the entire account, leaving Shen Biwei gasping in repeated amazement.

"Goodness knows where you managed to get a map of their estate, and how you calculated Chen Mengliu's temperament so precisely..." Shen Biwei exclaimed with emotion. "They say victory in battle requires the right time, favorable terrain, and unity of the people. You've already secured the terrain and popular support; no wonder they couldn't beat you."

"Nonsense! It was clearly because I led a righteous army. The Lu sisters usually commit countless misdeeds, and Chen Mengliu and Yang Qiaozhen are two malicious good-for-nothings. If they hadn't tried to harm me, how could they have fallen for my trap? This is what you call having a just cause, naturally leading to a resounding victory," Ye Lingbo laughed.

Shen Biwei burst into laughter at her retort.

"Oh, stop talking. You actually have the nerve to call yourself a righteous army? Where is your righteousness? Everything is a scheme, ring linked within ring. Fortunately, your mind is still relatively upright; if you were truly a bad person, you'd certainly commit far more evils than the Lu sisters!"

"Hmph, I can't be bothered to talk to you." Ye Lingbo could only tolerate praise; upon hearing criticism, her expression instantly shifted, and she turned her face away.

Shen Biwei was not offended. She simply lay down beside her, pillowing her head on her own arms, and gazed up at the lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the Ye family's warm pavilion. She sighed, "Actually, after all this exhausting scheming, who knows what you're even aiming for? You said it was to drive away the Lu sisters, but didn't Qinglan break ties with Cui Jingyu as well? Isn't this mutual destruction?"

"What do you know?" Ye Lingbo immediately flipped over to school her. "Think about it: among all the young ladies in the capital, who can compare to Qinglan? Only Lu Wangyang. Those sisters harbored the exact same intention of bagging Cui Jingyu, but I refused to let them get their way. Now that Cui Jingyu has severed ties with their family, do they still have the gall to pester him? As for Qinglan and Cui Jingyu, they are a pair of star-crossed lovers from a past life. What talk of breaking ties? They already called off their engagement four years ago—how is that any different from a permanent split? As long as the affection remains and the thread isn't snapped, there will be plenty of opportunities for reconciliation. Once they make up, surely no one will come forward to blame them for failing to keep a promise of a breakup, right?"

"That may be so, but given how things stand now, they can barely exchange three words. How are they supposed to reconcile?" Shen Biwei asked.

"That's why I said you don't understand romance. Look at the plays—is it true that the more words people speak, the deeper their affection? True affection requires no words; a single glance is enough. All we need to do is continuously create opportunities for them to be together, don't you see? The Cui family broke ties with our family, but not with yours. When the time comes, Sister Han can host a banquet and invite them both; I doubt they'd dare turn around and run away." Actually, Ye Lingbo understood romance just as poorly herself—otherwise, she wouldn't have been clueless about how to guide A-Cuo—yet before Shen Biwei, she spoke with absolute confidence.

Shen Biwei bounced up.

"Aha! I knew you and my sister-in-law were plotting mischief! You're trying to tie the red thread again, aren't you?"

Ye Lingbo sat up and clapped a hand over Shen Biwei's mouth.

"Keep your voice down, don't let Qinglan hear." She pinned Shen Biwei down and warned her in a low whisper, "Let me tell you, this was entirely my own design, and no one is allowed to interfere. I didn't even let Sister Han get involved..."

Shen Biwei merely lay back lazily and chuckled.

"You didn't let her get involved, yet you had her clear me out of the way..."

Caught in the act, Ye Lingbo laughed and pinched her. Shen Biwei was not intimidated in the least and captured both of Lingbo's wrists with one hand. Unable to overpower her, Lingbo could only issue a warning: "I'm getting angry."

"You actually have the nerve to get angry? You played Qinglan and me for fools. I'm going to tell Qinglan right now and see if she spanks you."

"You wouldn't dare." Knowing Shen Biwei was just teasing, Lingbo immediately softened her tone. "Stop making trouble. You know how important this is to me. If you aren't going to help, at least don't meddle..."

"You're out here causing mischief, and you expect me not only to stay out of it, but to help you manipulate Qinglan?" Shen Biwei countered.

Ye Lingbo arched an eyebrow.

"Fine. Have it your way—I'll drop everything and wash my hands of it. But then what? It will just be like the past four years: Qinglan, a noble tiger fallen to the plains, bullied by dogs. She's twenty-four now; what about thirty-four? Or forty-four? Even if we can protect her, will all her talent and ability go to waste? Don't you find that a pity?"

"Qinglan restrains herself with the virtues of a gentleman; she doesn't care about such things. A sharp sword is forged from whetstones, and plum blossom fragrance comes from bitter cold—she has taught you this since childhood. Why must you make decisions on her behalf?" Shen Biwei frowned.

"I *will* make decisions for her," Lingbo stubbornly insisted. Her face, illuminated by the reflection of the snow, radiated a special glow born of sheer obstinacy. "Virtues of a gentleman? That's a standard meant for men to uphold. Setting aside the fact that the most favored figures in the imperial court today are hardly gentlemen, what good does acting like a gentleman do? Jiang Taigong achieved success at eighty, yet Qinglan is condemned at twenty-four for failing to marry. How narrow and perilous are the paths left for women in this world? If Qinglan spends her whole life acting like a gentleman, who will reward her with a fulfilling outcome? Why should Lu Wangyang and Lu Wenyin reap both fame and fortune through all their scheming, while Qinglan is left to be pitied? I refuse to accept this; I'm going to turn the tables. Let's not talk about romance—let's talk about value. When Cui Jingyu's family had fallen from grace, who gave him a second glance? It was Qinglan who engaged herself to him. Now that he has been ennobled as a marquis, the whole capital scrambles for him, while Qinglan is somehow painted as the villain who broke off the engagement? There is no such logic in this world!"

Shen Biwei burst into laughter upon hearing this.

So what if he was a marquis? She was the descendant of the capital's last surviving Duke, and her father, Minister Shen, held a second-rank official post as the head of the civil officials. To others, Lingbo's words might sound overly utilitarian, but she only found them amusing.

"Isn't the crux of the matter right there? They broke off their engagement," she reminded Lingbo. "No matter how you scheme, you can never bypass this single point..."

Lingbo furrowed her brows in frustration.

"Do you think I don't know that? The plan was simply to eliminate external enemies first and then slowly look for an opportunity. It's just that Qinglan keeps her lips sealed tight, and back then we were too young to understand anything other than the fact that the engagement was broken." Her eyes suddenly brightened. "Do you think Lady Yang might know the reason? Or perhaps the old matriarch's side? I feel that if we can just find the reason behind the broken engagement, the knot between the two of them can be untied..."

As she was plotting, a sudden commotion arose outside. Little Liuer, on guard duty outside the door, called out "Eldest Cousin" as a warning, and sure enough, A-Cuo rushed in in a flurry.

"Sister Lingbo, how are you? Were you hurt? Did Lu Wenyin bully you?" A-Cuo ran in anxiously, and upon seeing Lingbo and Shen Biwei curled up on the daybed, she immediately rushed over to inspect her. Lady Yang followed closely behind, smilingly explaining to Lingbo, "Liu Ji sent word back, and Eldest Miss found out. Fearing that Young Miss would be worried, she had Young Miss accompany me to learn how to tally year-end inventory and manage the kitchens, keeping her distracted. She only just found out, and rushed right over..."

Lingbo naturally wore a beaming smile as she placated A-Cuo, assuring her she was unhurt and giving a rough recounting of the events. Naturally, A-Cuo, who took things deeply to heart, immediately darkened her expression, likely adding the Lu sisters to her blacklist of hatred. Fortunately, Qinglan entered at that moment and had Lady Yang serve dinner, which successfully shifted the topic.

Because A-Cuo was prone to brooding, and Qinglan remained absent-minded over her split with Cui Jingyu, as soon as Lingbo saw Shen Biwei off—with a parting warning glance—she returned and immediately put on an act of having caught a slight chill. She dared not overdo it, knowing Qinglan's fierce protective streak; if she were truly taken ill, Qinglan would only blame Cui Jingyu anew. Instead, she simply gave them something to busy themselves with, keeping them hovering around her so they wouldn't dwell on other matters.

Everyone else bought it, but Yanyan, being utterly simple-minded, took it completely seriously. She even brought out her precious preserved plums for Lingbo to eat and was remarkably obedient, leaving Lingbo amused. "Now you know how to be good to your sister, when you're usually such a handful."

After the commotion settled, night fell, and Lingbo was genuinely exhausted. A-Cuo and Yanyan bickered playfully over who would sleep with her, both lingering stubbornly on her bed to keep her company. Unwilling to favor one over the other, Lingbo coaxed both to sleep. Planning to slip out and find some reading material before bed, she instead caught sight of Qinglan sitting in the outer warm pavilion, embroidering a piece of satin.

Lingbo recognized it at a glance as material for a garment for herself. Her appearance was ordinary, making clothing choices particularly difficult; her attire could neither be too flashy nor too plain, and the colors required careful selection. Unlike Qinglan, who could pull off almost anything except excessively gaudy shades, Lingbo looked best in light tones—such as the Xizi green in Qinglan's hands. The embroidery had to be just right: white was too dim, while silver thread was too bright. Qinglan was splitting silver threads to embroider a cracked-ice plum blossom pattern, which appeared the most elegant yet was the most taxing on the eyes.

"Why did you get up?" Qinglan asked upon seeing her. "You need absolute rest after catching a chill. I've asked Lady Yang to brew some ginger tea; drink it before you go to sleep."

A pang of guilt struck Lingbo. Though she put up a tough front before Shen Biwei, she still felt a twinge of conscience in Qinglan's presence. No matter how determined she was to reconnect the red thread, she truly had no idea what lay ahead; she only possessed a visceral instinct that she could not simply abandon Cui Jingyu.

Unconsciously, she walked over to Qinglan's side and rested her head on Qinglan's shoulder. Mistaking this for sleepiness, Qinglan gently stroked her forehead and smiled, asking, "What is it?"

Lingbo remained silent, suddenly reaching out to wrap her arms around Qinglan. Good-naturedly, Qinglan allowed herself to be embraced, listening as Lingbo asked in a muffled voice, "Sister, no matter what I do, you'll always forgive me, won't you?"

You couldn't blame Cui Jingyu for being exasperated; Qinglan could sometimes be rather slow on the uptake. Even though Lingbo had grown into a young adult capable of scheming against the Lu sisters to the point of speechless frustration, in Qinglan's eyes, she remained a gentle, harmless little sister in need of protection.

"Why on earth are you asking that?" Qinglan chuckled, running her fingers through Lingbo's hair to straighten it out.

"Never mind why. Just answer me first."

Assuming Lingbo was merely acting spoiled due to physical discomfort, Qinglan smiled and replied, "Of course. As long as it isn't some monstrous, heinous crime, I will always forgive you."

"What if it *was* a heinous crime?" Lingbo pressed further.

Qinglan paused in thought for a moment, then laughed again.

"Then I would simply have to bear the consequences. After all, I'm the one who raised Lingbo, aren't I?" She teasingly poked Lingbo. "Besides, my Lingbo isn't someone who would commit heinous crimes. At worst, you're just a little competitive—what catastrophic trouble could you possibly cause? Rest easy, I'm here for everything."

Burying her face in Qinglan's shoulder, Lingbo felt a wave of aching tenderness, yet her resolve hardened like iron.

So what of endless scheming? So what if it wasn't the behavior of a gentleman? Such a wonderful person as Qinglan deserved the very best the world had to offer. Therefore, even if Lingbo had to exhaust every ounce of her effort and sacrifice herself in the process, she was determined to re-thread that red knot.

The finest aristocratic young lady in the capital naturally belonged to Cui Jingyu, the victor of the flower-viewing banquet. No one was more deserving than Qinglan of the richly blooming, happily fulfilled ending found in the plays.