63. Zhannaluo

Han Yueqi smiled.

"Is it that you seek nothing, or that you dare not seek?"

She knew Cui Jingyu would not answer her. This man had been like a dead log for four years. Back then, he still showed some regard for Qinglan and treated them with a pleasant expression, but now, he was entirely devoid of any warmth. At this rate, if she traded another couple of cryptic remarks with him, he would likely walk away immediately.

Therefore, Han Yueqi could only smile and ask him: "This temple used to have a name called Zhanluo Temple, because it is dedicated to King Zhanluo, also known as the Zhanluo Buddha. Does Marquis Cui know his story?"

"I do not," Cui Jingyu replied stiffly.

Han Yueqi smiled and pointed it out to him. Among the full hall of deities, there was a dim golden Buddha statue with eyes of different colors, a peacock crouching beneath its seat, and a single tree leaf held in its hand.

"Legend has it that King Zhanluo was originally a prince of the Peacock Dynasty, born to wealth and perfection, with the most beautiful fiancée in the world. But later, his parents were murdered by traitors, and his throne was seized. He wandered into the desert, suffered numerous hardships, and eventually became a bandit. Though he lost an eye, he discovered a sealed treasury. Thus, he returned to his country, built a palace directly opposite the royal palace, and held grand banquets every single night amidst music and song. Fine wine and beautiful women, carried to the utmost luxury. The man who had harmed him back then had become the king, and his fiancée had become that man's queen. The king built a tall tower for the queen, and whenever he held a banquet, the queen's shadow would appear on the glazed window of the tower, as if she were secretly watching him."

Even a fool could understand the metaphor in Han Yueqi's story.

"And then?" Cui Jingyu asked her coldly.

"And then, the king was finally tempted by King Zhanluo's banquets and sneaked out of the palace to attend one. King Zhanluo dueled him with swords, severed his head, publicly announced his identity as the prince, stormed into the palace, and successfully restored his nation..." Han Yueqi narrated smoothly. "Yet when he climbed that tall tower filled with both hatred and anticipation, he discovered that the fiancée locked inside the tower had long since become a skeleton. The silhouette he saw every night was merely her corpse. She had never yielded to his enemy, and naturally never had the chance to wait for his return. All those years of hatred and anticipation were destined to come to nothing. From then on, King Zhanluo saw through the illusions of the mortal world, attained complete enlightenment, and instantly became a Buddha. The Buddhist scriptures say this is the story of King Zhanluo climbing the tower to attain Buddhahood."

After finishing the story, Han Yueqi looked quietly at Cui Jingyu and smiled.

"Marquis Cui, look how wondrous the partings of life and death are in this mortal realm. Love and hate are sometimes separated by only a single thread. You are a clever man; why must you cling so stubbornly to the past? Why not let go of the past and move forward? Life is short and cannot afford to be wasted."

Cui Jingyu merely looked at her coldly.

A man who had walked through battlefields and killed more people than she had ever hosted guests—how could he possibly be moved by a petty little story of hers?

"If that is the case, Madame Shen Junior would do well to find that skeleton first before coming to speak to me."

With that calm remark, without sparing even a glance at the Buddha statues filling the hall, he left the temple. Outside, the moon was climbing over the western mountains, casting moonlight across the entire courtyard. The fragrance of cherry blossoms carried an obnoxious, cloying sweetness, yet standing beneath the flowering tree was a slender figure.

For a split second, Cui Jingyu thought it was her.

But he knew at once that it was impossible.

With the Cui and Ye families breaking off all relations less than half a month ago, she naturally would not appear here.

"Who is that?" demanded the servant by Cui Jingyu's side. Cui Jingyu frowned and stopped him; soldiers from the army were inevitably crude and easily prone to offending daughters of noble households.

However, that figure had already emerged from behind the cherry tree. With his photographic memory, Cui Jingyu instantly recognized her as the daughter of the He family, seemingly called He Qingyi.

"Marquis Cui," she offered a graceful bow to Cui Jingyu. "It has been many days. I trust you have been well."

-

Lingbo had been facing a string of bad luck recently.

First, naturally, was that fellow Pei Zhao. Who knew who gave him the courage, but he had actually started getting genuinely angry with her. When Lingbo sent Liu Ji to check on how he was doing, he wouldn't even let Liu Ji through the door. He did leave a message, though—just three words: "Chen Yaoqing," which was the husband of Lu Wenyin. Who could possibly guess what that was supposed to mean?

Lingbo wanted to ask further, but she was afraid of confirming Pei Zhao's petty grievance—that she only cared about getting information. To be fair, she wasn't entirely in the wrong; the two of them had started by exchanging information in the first place, so what was wrong with wanting information?

Yet for some reason, her usual boldness failed her recently, and she felt a lingering sense of guilt whenever she thought of Pei Zhao.

The second matter was Cui Jingyu.

She had no idea if Cui Jingyu had taken the wrong medicine or what. Following the Cherry Blossom Banquet was the Welcoming Spring Banquet, and the Li family, who hosted it, held a small equestrian gathering. At that banquet, Cui Jingyu had actually arrived accompanied by members of the He family. Not only Madame He, but He Qingyi was there as well.

The entire capital was in an uproar over this. Although everyone knew Cui Jingyu's marriage was destined to be settled at this year's Flower Announcement Banquet, no one expected the He family to move so quickly. The Lantern Festival hadn't even arrived yet, and already they had hooked Cui Jingyu? Though He Qingyi possessed decent competence, her appearance was far from top-tier. Could it be because Lord He was currently on close terms with the Ministry of War, enjoying the advantage of being near the water to catch the moonlight first?

The matrons of the capital boiling over was a minor issue; Lingbo was genuinely furious. In her view, Cui Jingyu belonged with Qinglan no matter what—how could he end up walking side by side with someone else?

Shen Biwei took a more detached view and advised her: "Let it go. Heaven will rain and mothers will remarry; things between Cui Jingyu and Sister Qinglan have already reached this point, and it's not something a single person like you can control."

"Well, I'm still going to meddle," Lingbo said, casting a disdainful look at her. "If you aren't going to care, then stay out of it and stop pouring cold water. I haven't even settled accounts with you for last time yet."

"What accounts? I haven't settled accounts with you either! Who was that person climbing the mountain with you during the Cherry Blossom Banquet? From the look of him, he was no good—a regular fox spirit!" Shen Biwei was even more self-righteous than her. "What are you dodging for? Feeling guilty, are you? Where are you going?"

"I can't be bothered to argue with you. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival; I'm going to sleep early. You need to send me that Zhaojun cloak of yours so I can give it to Qinglan to wear. It suits her best—all fluffy, just like Wang Zhaojun. The last time at the Cui residence, she had Cui Jingyu staring so hard his eyes nearly popped out."

Although she spoke like this, Lingbo actually felt a twinge of regret in her heart: Was that trick she pulled at the Cui residence last time too risky? While it cut off any possibility between Lu Wanyang and Cui Jingyu, it had also made the tension between Qinglan and Cui Jingyu far too rigid. She had originally thought that with Han Yueqi holding at least two Flower Announcement banquets in her hands—not to mention the one held by Madame Wang from her faction—she could somehow matchmake Cui Jingyu and Qinglan successfully.

Who could have foreseen that Yanyan would crash the Welcoming Spring Banquet? Han Yueqi's own backyard had caught fire; though she managed to put it out, she had no leisure to look after Qinglan's affairs. Just as things had calmed down a bit, Cui Jingyu went and got together with He Qingyi. Although Lingbo knew it was most likely done to spite people—Cui Jingyu was exceptionally stubborn and wouldn't change his heart easily, only his grief—seeing it still felt genuinely dangerous. If it were just Cui Jingyu, that would be one thing, but if Qinglan were to take it to heart, things would drift further and further away.

She had only herself to blame. They all said the whole year's plan depends on the spring, but she had been too busy managing her shops and forgotten to plan ahead for Qinglan.

Fortunately, it was still not too late. The Lantern Festival, known for dispelling a hundred illnesses, was the liveliest and most open-hearted time of the year. Beauties vied in appearance, and brocade banners glowed like rosy clouds. Young gentlemen crossed paths on horseback, their carved saddles shining like the moon—it was precisely the prime season for young ladies and nobles to eye one another. Countless romantic tales began at this time. Come to think of it, Cui Jingyu and Qinglan had officially gotten acquainted during the Lantern Festival years ago.

And as for that fellow Pei Zhao, the Lantern Festival would be just the right time to sort things out with him. She hadn't even said anything, yet he was the one brooding in a huff—truly outrageous. She would have to teach him a harsh lesson.

Flicking her wrists and rolling up her sleeves, Lingbo woke up bright and early on the day of the Lantern Festival to handle A Cuo and Yanyan first. A Cuo required no worry; she looked stunning in anything, though there was the concern that she might look too striking and attract unnecessary trouble. Therefore, Lingbo only prepared a large-sleeved gown of rosy gauze woven with gold thread for her, layered over a vermilion feathered-satin fox-fur lined cloak. Her hair was styled into the capital's latest double-swirled bun, adorned with a set of red coral hair ornaments and punctuated by a full suite of golden hair-combs, perfectly echoing her attire. She and Yanyan looked just like a pair of twins, each with her own distinct beauty: A Cuo was graceful and languid, while Yanyan was as cold and lovely as snow. Each carried a golden fish lantern pasted with gold leaf, followed by two maids and a retinue of matrons to ensure no accidents befell them.

Having arranged the two younger ones, she devoted herself to persuading Qinglan.

Originally, Qinglan had no desire to go out, using her own reasoning: "You all just go enjoy yourselves for a while. I see it every year and there's nothing much to it. Staying home to watch the lantern lights and waiting for you all to return with hot soup and food—how wonderful is that?"

Lingbo would hear none of it. "Mother Yang is keeping watch at home," she argued. "She sprained herself playing cards during the New Year and is resting at home anyway. What are you staying behind for? Instead, it makes them feel uneasy—when will our Mother Yang ever win her money back..."

Mother Yang was so amused by her she chuckled.

"I only lost a few strings of cash during the New Year's Eve vigil; how long is the Second Young Miss going to bring that up..." Yet she was sharp all the same. No sooner had she finished complaining than she immediately chimed in to support Lingbo's persuasion: "However, the Eldest Young Miss really ought to go out and take a look on the Lantern Festival. Even if the Second Young Miss and the others don't need looking after, it would be good for the Eldest Young Miss to go out and clear her mind. Everyone in the capital goes out to admire the lanterns on the Lantern Festival; if our household doesn't go, it will look as if something is the matter."

As soon as Mother Yang uttered these words, Lingbo gave her a thumbs-up from behind Qinglan's back. Mother Yang nonchalantly arched an eyebrow, looking immensely proud of herself.

That was the wisdom of age: Mother Yang's words were as sharp as ever. Her first point—that Lingbo and the others didn't need looking after—reminded Qinglan of her responsibility to keep an eye on them. Her second point—"it will look as if something is the matter"—wasn't referring to the people of the capital at all, but rather to Cui Jingyu.

Cui Jingyu had just been getting close to He Qingyi, and if Qinglan immediately skipped the Lantern Festival altogether, wouldn't that be telling on herself without even being asked?

Sure enough, her persuasion hit the mark with precision and ruthlessness, leaving Qinglan to hesitate and say: "But I didn't prepare to go this year either..."

"What are you afraid of? You have me." Lingbo immediately beckoned to Little Liuer: "Bring me that moonlight robe. I had it made precisely matching the one Sister wore four years ago. Who knew my complexion isn't as fair as Sister's, and wearing it just looks ridiculous? It's just right for Sister to wear. Besides, other than tonight, there won't be another good day to wear it."