Chapter 55: Letting Go (Part Two)

Tinglan Pavilion.

Yan Xi waited in her room, occasionally glancing toward the door as Qinglian and Taohong returned.

The two women gave Yan Xi a slight nod the moment they stepped inside.

Yan Xi did not rush to question them.

Instead, the two maids first spoke of other matters, entirely concerning the selection of meals ordered just moments before.

After a short while, the three of them moved together into the bedchamber.

Only then did the two maids bring up the recent events.

Taohong lowered her voice: "My lady's prediction was nothing short of miraculous. She truly arrived at noon. I feigned a stomachache to slip away from the kitchen and went to the South Courtyard, where I witnessed her arrival with my own eyes. Just as my lady instructed, I conveniently found an unfamiliar flower-nursery maid to handle the task."

Yan Xi acknowledged this with a soft sound.

Five gardeners had recently been hired for the South Courtyard. They had only been in the estate for four or five days, and were rumored to be leaving in another two.

A couple of days ago, Yan Xi had inadvertently overheard the maids discussing this matter and had set her sights on them long in advance.

Taohong continued: "She only assumed I was a maid from Lu Zhi's quarters. When I said my stomach suddenly hurt and I could no longer bear it, begging for her help, she harbored not the slightest suspicion."

Yan Xi replied softly: "It was a simple favor to begin with."

Qinglian and Taohong both nodded in agreement.

Yan Xi went on: "Although this matter carries great risk, the potential reward is immense. Meng Wenhui and her companion will likely not stay long in Yangzhou. Once they leave, the deed will be done... It is better that they remain ignorant than knowing. Firstly, explaining the whole matter would be terribly troublesome; secondly, we do not know them well enough to be certain they would lend a hand; thirdly, if the plot is exposed again, they will remain innocent of the true origins and thus escape involvement; fourthly..."

The fourth reason was the most crucial of all, yet Yan Xi left it unsaid.

Qinglian observed: "My lady is ever meticulous. Your reasoning is sound."

Yan Xi said no more. Her eyes, hazy like gathering mist, shifted slowly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. After a brief moment, she called Taohong and Qinglian to the bedside, retrieved another letter from beneath the quilt, conveyed a brief instruction through silent lip movements, and slipped the item into Qinglian's hand...

********

It was dusk by the time Lu Zhi returned to the estate.

The moment he stepped through the gates, the doorkeeper bowed and reported the day's occurrences.

"My lord, the young lady surnamed Meng came at noon. Following your previous instructions, I had someone turn her away."

"Mhm."

Lu Zhi uttered only a low syllable of acknowledgment without a single superfluous word. Clearly devoid of interest, he headed straight for his private quarters.

Upon entering his room, he summoned the head maid of Tinglan Pavilion.

It was not long before she arrived, standing respectfully inside the beaded curtains to make her report.

"The young mistress has been much the same as yesterday. After Qinglian and Taohong returned, her mood visibly improved. At noon, she had the maids go to the kitchens to order some food, and she ate a little..."

"She only went at noon?"

Before the head maid could finish, Lu Zhi interrupted her, unhurriedly.

"Ah?"

She failed to comprehend the meaning behind his inquiry.

Lu Zhi reclined halfway on a low couch in the warm pavilion, his gaze lowered toward her. His voice carried no ripples as he slowly repeated himself.

"I asked you, when she partook of her meal at noon, she only had the maids go to the kitchen to order it at noon?"

"Ah!"

The head maid finally understood and hastily replied: "Yes. Earlier on, this servant asked the young mistress—she only claimed she was not hungry and was quite reluctant to pay us any mind. By noon, perhaps growing hungry, she personally instructed the maids to go to the kitchen. The young mistress's lunch was eaten nearly by the hour of the sheep."

Lu Zhi's expression darkened, his pupils narrowing deeply. He shifted his gaze away, finding no particular point to rest his eyes upon, and stopped listening to the maid's subsequent words. Slowly rubbing the thumb ring on his hand, he raised a hand after a moment to cut the woman off, gesturing with a flick of his finger for her to withdraw.

The room fell profound quiet. He leaned back lazily, his expression dark and inscrutable. After a while, he quietly ordered for the manager of the kitchens to be brought before him.

The manager, surnamed Wang, felt extreme pressure upon receiving his very first summons.

Lifting the beaded curtains to enter, he immediately dropped to his knees and prostrated himself in greeting.

Lu Zhi got straight to the point: "At noon, did the maids from the young mistress's quarters visit the kitchen?"

"Yes, my lord."

"How many people?"

"Replying to my lord, four."

Lu Zhi's voice grew slower and slower as he cast a sidelong glance at her.

"Along the way, did anyone leave?"

Manager Wang answered immediately: "There was..."

Lu Zhi slowly withdrew his gaze, without even inquiring who it was or for what reason, and waved his hand to dismiss him.

Following that, he summoned the doorkeeper from earlier and posed a single question:

"You mentioned Meng Wenhui came at noon today. Did anyone leave the estate shortly before or after her arrival?"

The doorkeeper answered truthfully: "There was one of the gardeners hired into the estate a few days ago, who claimed he wanted to see the sights outside..."

Lu Zhi raised a hand to cut him off before he could finish, his tall, slender frame slowly sitting upright.

Then, he stood up.

********

At a certain detached courtyard, where Meng Wenhui and Lin Yao'er resided.

Upon returning in the afternoon, Meng Wenhui wore a clear smile on her face.

Lin Yao'er noticed it instantly. Engaging her in conversation, she continuously questioned what had happened during Meng Wenhui's visit to Senior Cousin Lu's estate at noon.

Though Meng Wenhui repeatedly claimed she had not seen him, her joyous demeanor was undeniable.

As Lin Yao'er persisted with her questions, Meng Wenhui finally produced the letter, telling Lin Yao'er that Senior Cousin Lu had asked her to help deliver it.

Though somewhat fantastical, it was not entirely impossible, especially upon seeing the four characters "To be personally opened by Father" written on the envelope.

Both of them recognized that handwriting as Senior Cousin Lu's.

Consequently, Lin Yao'er asked no further questions and refrained from making other remarks, joining her cousin in celebration...

Dusk fell, the hour growing late as the veil of night began to descend.

Meng Wenhui sat alone in her bedchamber, holding the letter in her hands. Her slender fingers traced the four characters stroke by stroke, her heart pounding wildly, a faint blush on her cheeks as a smile unconsciously bloomed.

Right at that moment, completely unawares, hurried footsteps sounded from outside.

Meng Wenhui immediately hid the letter beneath the quilt, only to see her personal maid rush in, panic-stricken.

"My lady, the Heir Apparent has brought people here!"

The maid's complexion was ghastly, as if thoroughly terrified, her body trembling slightly.

Hearing this, Meng Wenhui turned pale before she could even process the news, for the next moment she heard the clamor outside.

Meng Wenhui instantly realized something was terribly wrong.

Without delay, she hurried out of the room alongside her maid.

Before she had even reached the moon gate, she caught sight of a towering figure coupled with that peerlessly handsome face!

Armed guards followed behind the man, marching straight toward her bedchamber.

In the blink of an eye, he stopped right before the moon gate, a mere arm's length away from her.

Her heart hammering in her chest, Meng Wenhui froze in her tracks.

"Cou—"

Before the word "Cousin" could pass her lips, the man raised his arm, looking down upon her with an icy expression, and spat out two cold words:

"Hand it over..."

"...?"

Meng Wenhui tilted her head back, her hands trembling slightly, utterly unable to utter a word. After a long moment, she managed to ask:

"Wh—what?"

At that moment, Lin Yao'er hurried over as well: "Senior Cousin Lu..."

Lu Zhi did not spare her even a glance, nor did he repeat himself to Meng Wenhui. Instead, he swept his hands behind his back and issued a command to the soldiers behind him.

"Search!"

Over a dozen men acknowledged the order. Just as they moved forward, Meng Wenhui felt her heart seize, suddenly snapping back to reality as she realized what he was after. She blurted out:

"No, there's no need..."

Then, she saw the man's freezing gaze lock back onto her.

Meeting his eyes for a fraction of a second, Meng Wenhui immediately averted her gaze, turned around, and hurried back toward her bedchamber.

Moments later, she returned holding the letter, extending it toward Lu Zhi.

"Is this the item?"

Lu Zhi did not answer. He reached out, took it, lowered his gaze for a single glance, and without a single word, turned and left...

********

The sky had grown entirely dark by some unknown hour.

Stars dotted the clear moonlit sky, and the night breeze carried a slight chill, rustling the vibrant blossoms outside the window.

Yan Xi had long since ordered the curtains drawn, leaving only her and her two maids in the room.

Clutching her chest, she sat by the edge of the bed.

Qinglian asked with concern: "My lady, do you feel unwell?"

Yan Xi shook her head. It was not physical illness, yet her heart was beating uncomfortably fast—or more precisely, she felt a lingering sense of unease.

This feeling had seemingly just arisen, and before she could reply to her maid, a sudden call echoed from outside.

"My lord..."

Yan Xi, Qinglian, and Taohong all felt their hearts skip a beat, Yan Xi most of all.

Three days had passed since the day he forcibly made her drink porridge, the day she brought Qinglian and Taohong back to her side.

In those three days, he had not come, and the two of them had not laid eyes on each other.

His sudden arrival today, coupled with the deed she had just carried out, filled Yan Xi with dread. She was already terrified, and now her apprehension reached a fever pitch.

Yet she had no opportunity to dwell on it, for the next moment her door was pushed open, and the man's figure emerged...

The young girl locked eyes with him instantly.

She saw him: his gaze icy and piercing, his eyes deep and unfathomable. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stood beside the door, lowering his gaze slightly with lifted eyelids, his expression aloof as he stared down into the depths of the room at her.

Yan Xi did not utter a single word, her chest unconsciously beginning to heave.

Then, she watched as he leisurely stepped inside and seated himself at the table.

Yan Xi retreated half a step, her eyes never leaving him. Unaware of his intentions, she still refrained from speaking first.

At that moment, she heard him speak.

"Bring the candle here..."

Hearing those words, Yan Xi's heart nearly leapt from her throat as full realization dawned upon her.

The next instant, true to her fears, the man's slender hand slowly reached into his robe, and he withdrew a letter!

The letter was none other than the one she had penned herself, exposing him to Lu Boling, which she had sent via her maid at noon to be delivered to Meng Wenhui for transport back to Chang'an!

Her legs suddenly went weak, her pupils dilating as she watched the man un-seal the letter in an unhurried manner and read the words she had written in his name.

Upon finishing, a low chuckle escaped his throat, and he flipped to the second page.

Yan Xi watched helplessly as he moved the sheet toward the candlelight, gently hovering it over the flame.

Within moments, the hidden text emerged line by line.

He chuckled softly as he read.

"Look at my memory, I completely forgot—when on earth did I write a letter to my father..."

"You certainly have quite the talent!"

"Daring to forge my handwriting..."

"Daring to expose me..."

"Daring to play schemes right under my nose..."

"Shen Yanxi, do you truly wish to leave me that much..."

He had begun with a mocking laugh, but his voice grew increasingly harsh with every word, until the final sentence, where he swept his hand downward and ruthlessly crushed the paper into a crumpled ball...