Chapter 149 "Surprise"

Lu Ying did not hurry off. She returned to her cabin, changed into a black robe, and only then went up to the second deck.

The second deck was ablaze with lamplight. From within the cabin came the faint sound of laughter and merrymaking.

As Lu Ying stepped off the stairs, she immediately saw the nobleman standing silently at the bow. The night wind billowed his dark robe, while flickering lamplight fell across his handsome face, lending his figure an indescribable air of solitude.

Hearing footsteps, the nobleman turned.

Lu Ying approached against the light. Dressed in black, she seemed all the more striking against the darkness, her skin as fair as jade and her figure slender and graceful.

Watching her pale, elegant neck in the shadows, and the calmness in her every movement, the nobleman felt his heart soften. But the next instant, he turned away, his expression impassive.

Just then, Zhi Liu came to his side. Spotting Lu Ying, he let out a low, amused laugh.

“Master, I know what makes her different,” he said quietly.

As the nobleman lowered his head to sip his wine, Zhi Liu continued with a smile, “This young woman has a certain resilience and vitality about her. She may be up to mischief often enough, but she’s as open and honest as daylight. Those of us raised from birth in great clans full of intrigue and deceit—there can’t be many of us who have that kind of brightness and life in us.”

People born into great clans were shadowed by nature. Lu Ying was entirely different. She was like a shaft of afternoon sunlight falling through a window: dust motes might drift within it, but it remained bright and alive.

While the two men watched her without showing it, Lu Ying came up onto the second deck.

Zhi Liu gave her a once-over and exclaimed, “Good heavens, A-Wen! That robe of yours looks positively murderous.”

Lu Ying glanced at the nobleman and replied with a smile that did not reach her eyes, “Doesn’t it suit my mood?”

As if without the black robe, she could not make the bitterness of her quarrel with the nobleman apparent.

Zhi Liu was taken aback. The nobleman’s lips twitched.

Suddenly, he realized that the gloom weighing on his chest had somehow eased at her words. They were only words. She had not given in, nor even addressed him directly; she had spoken with that half-sarcastic, half-mocking edge of hers. Yet she had easily affected his state of mind…

By then, Lu Ying had come to stand beside him. She leaned against the rail as he did, but neither looked at him nor spoke to him.

She merely beckoned a beauty to pour her a cup of wine, then began sipping it slowly.

The brilliant lamplight fell across her face, leaving one half of it veiled in a hazy shadow.

After a few sips, Lu Ying summoned a servant and asked, “What’s happening at the stern? Such a commotion.”

“A large vessel came in from a tributary,” the servant replied respectfully. “It was moving so fast it nearly collided with our ship. But everything is fine now.”

Lu Ying nodded. When the servant had withdrawn, she turned to the nobleman. “Jiang Lang, did you summon A-Wen for something?”

The nobleman said nothing. Zhi Liu quietly explained from beside him, “When the people on the boats were changing over at dusk, a few distinguished guests came aboard. They don’t know how formidable Lu Wen is, and insisted on presenting beauties to Master.” He raised his eyes. “Oh, here they come.”

Lu Ying turned.

The sight left her momentarily stunned.

A handsome young man in fine clothes stood before her, with two beauties behind him.

At a glance, Lu Ying’s gaze was caught by the pair. Their features were remarkably alike, yet one was handsome and delicate while the other was radiant and alluring. They were twins—a brother and sister.

The young man’s brows were like spring mountains, the young woman’s eyes like autumn waters: one lively, the other still; one strong, the other gentle. They seemed to embody the mountains and rivers of Jiangnan, and were breathtakingly beautiful.

Together, the twins were the very height of perfection.

Lu Ying could not help thinking: Surely few people could face such beauty without losing their composure. Even she had been taken aback.

With that thought, she turned to look at the nobleman.

In the light spilling from the cabin, he stood leaning against the rail, wine cup in hand. His expression was relaxed yet aloof. He had not even glanced at the twins.

Feeling Lu Ying’s stare, he slowly lifted his head. Meeting her eyes, he tugged at his thin lips and said blandly, “Why are you looking at me?”

Lu Ying quickly looked away. Without realizing it, she bit her lip.

Now the nobleman understood. He raised the corners of his mouth and said in a low voice, “They’re only beauties. I’ve seen plenty.”

…It was only one sentence, yet somehow it seemed to brighten the whole sky.

Lu Ying did not care to examine the change in her own feelings. She slowly turned to look at the two peerless twins standing together before the nobleman.

The young man in fine clothes discreetly sized Lu Ying up, then ordered the twins, “Go on. Pay your respects to Brother Huang.”

The pair stepped forward half a pace and bowed in unison, like willow branches stirred by the wind.

“Feng Ji and Feng Yue pay their respects to Master…”

As their voices fell, Lu Ying’s careless tone rang out. “Jiang Lang, I’m short of people to pour tea and run errands. How about giving this brother and sister to me?”

Her words were casual, but threaded with impatience—the same dark, cold, faintly vicious impatience that matched the rumors surrounding her and the clothes she wore.

The young man in fine clothes stiffened. The twins, too, stole a quiet glance at Lu Ying. The nobleman glanced at her and nodded, answering indifferently, “Fine.”

Just one word.

Yet that single word was full of genuine indifference and disregard. A flash of disappointment crossed the young man’s face. Twins this beautiful were not easy to find; he had gone to great lengths to acquire them. He had barely presented them before they were handed over to some pretty-faced boy. It was only natural that he should feel disappointed.

He turned to Lu Ying with a strained smile. “Well…”

He had barely managed two words before Lu Ying impatiently waved a hand, cutting him off.

“What? Can’t bear to part with them?”

The young man flushed with embarrassment.

Impatiently, Lu Ying waved him away. “If you can’t bear to part with them, take them back.” She flicked her sleeve as though brushing away a lump of mud, signaling him to leave with the twins.

The young man stood frozen for a moment. By rights, taking back people he had already offered would make him look petty and vulgar. But he was equally unwilling to hand over such hard-won beauties to a pretty-faced boy without winning favor with the man who truly mattered. So, after forcing another smile, he bowed and withdrew with the twins.

The poor young man was from one of Wuhan’s leading families. Yet as he retreated, his formerly straight back had begun to hunch, and all his confidence had vanished.

He had gone barely a dozen paces with the twins when he heard the jade-like young beauty say petulantly, “How much longer is this going to take? So boring…”

Then he heard the young master of the Huang family murmur something in consolation. As he listened, the young man in fine clothes thought bitterly, The great men who come from Luoyang really are different. This pair of twins is a rare treasure in Wuhan, but those two couldn’t care less. The boy wouldn’t even take a look at them, let alone make some idle remark or indulge in a little jealous sulking.

After more than half a month on the river, the fleet finally caught sight of Wuhan.

They were nearing the destination of their journey.

Even Lu Ying, who considered herself adaptable, felt a surge of anticipation. She truly admired the people of the Qixiang Pavilion for living aboard ships year after year. However one looked at it, life on a boat could hardly compare to standing on solid ground.

As Wuhan drew closer, people began gathering on deck.

They had been traveling the waterways for some time, and although Lu Ying and Madam Yuan had not spent much time together, plenty of people had seen them in one another’s company. But since Lu Ying’s companion—the nobleman—had said nothing, no one else aboard paid them any mind.

After all, the Qixiang Pavilion was a pleasure house, a place for men to amuse themselves. What respectable, chaste woman would come here? When Madam Zheng had arranged for Yang Lang to bring Madam Yuan aboard, she had intended from the start to ruin her reputation.

Thus, no one thought much of Madam Yuan, a nobleman’s wife, keeping company with Lu Ying, a beautiful young man.

The only person who might have reacted was Yang Lang. But too much had happened, and Lu Ying had deliberately kept her distance, so neither he nor his servants had noticed.

As she watched the people on the dock grow clearer, Madam Yuan, her face pale beneath her veil, had unknowingly moved to Lu Ying’s side, seeking the warmth and support she found there.

Lu Ying tilted her head slightly and ordered the handsome middle-aged man, “Take Madam Yuan below and disguise her as a man.” Then she turned to the nobleman and said quietly, “Jiang Lang, I’ll need to borrow one of your maids.”

The nobleman gave her a glance, asked no questions, and nodded.

Lu Ying fetched one of his maids and addressed the handsome middle-aged man. “Can you make her up to look like Madam Yuan?”

The middle-aged man thought for a moment. “With a veil or a bamboo hat, she should look close enough.”

“Then go ahead.”

“Understood.”

Madam Yuan had heard the whole exchange, but understood none of it. Still, when the handsome middle-aged man set off, she quietly followed him below.

Gradually, the great ship drew alongside the dock.

As people began walking down the gangplank, a woman of tender, striking beauty came from the shore. She looked about, searching for a while, then nodded to several maids.

The maids hurried aboard. After searching for a time, Lu Ying saw them approach Yang Lang and his servants. Soon the woman came aboard as well.

“Where is Madam Yuan? Why can’t I see her?” she asked Yang Lang anxiously.

Yang Lang was startled and turned to look around. One of the servants at his left said, “Eh? She was here the whole time. How could she disappear so suddenly?”

As they were talking, a male servant standing behind Lu Ying shifted as if to speak.

At that moment, Lu Ying caught her hand and warned her in a low voice, “Don’t move.”

Disguised as a male servant, Madam Yuan stopped. She turned to Lu Ying in surprise and whispered, “A-Ying, she’s my dear friend, my closest companion. Ji Ying is the youngest daughter of the Ji family. She’s a good person, and she’s always been very kind to me.”

Lu Ying replied coolly, “We’ll see whether she’s good in a moment.” Then she ordered, “Lower your head. Whatever they say, don’t look up.”

“Ah. All right.” Madam Yuan obediently lowered her head.

At that moment, the woman looked around, then suddenly cried out in delight, “Madam Yuan!”

With a joyful shout, she rushed toward the veiled “Madam Yuan.” Grasping both her hands, she exclaimed, “Madam Yuan, I knew your ship would be coming back today. I waited, and here you are!”

As she embraced “Madam Yuan,” several elegantly dressed noblewomen and young men and women arrived from the dock. They were all impeccably dressed, plainly of distinguished birth. Yang Lang and Madam Yuan were clearly at the center of their gathering, for they came aboard to welcome them and immediately surrounded them.

Amid the hubbub of friends reunited, the woman suddenly smiled slyly and said, “Madam Yuan, have you and your A-Ding been enjoying yourselves at the Qixiang Pavilion?”

Her voice was loud—more than loud, in fact; she had raised it deliberately.

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone turned to look. Their gazes moved from Madam Yuan to A-Qing, the thirty-something male servant standing beside Yang Lang. Before long, silence fell.

“Madam Yuan” was stunned, standing there like a wooden statue. The woman, who had clearly anticipated her reaction, laughed brightly.

“Why are you so dazed, Madam Yuan? A-Qing, come here. Tell us, after all those nights of revelry, have the two of you made a child?”

In front of all these people of standing and reputation, this woman of the Ji family had brazenly said such a thing.

Behind Lu Ying, the real Madam Yuan felt a chill down to her bones.

As her teeth began to chatter, A-Qing—the supposed lover—turned red, sweating profusely as he stumbled backward.

At the sight of him retreating, hope finally kindled in Madam Yuan’s eyes. She looked at him expectantly.

Then A-Qing dropped to his knees with a thud. He knocked his head hard against the ground several times before stammering through his tears, “My lord, my lord, it wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! It was Madam—she seduced me herself. She said you only cared about that shrew Zheng, and that you wouldn’t even go near her. She said she’d make sure you lost face!”

At that, Madam Yuan staggered back several steps.

Yang Lang was just as devastated. He stared in disbelief, then suddenly rushed at A-Qing and kicked him hard to the ground. He stamped on him again and again, screaming, “You shameless adulterers! You filthy pair! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

After several kicks had left A-Qing curled up, wailing, Yang Lang suddenly wheeled around and charged toward the false Madam Yuan.

Seeing him rush forward, Ji Ying clutched “Madam Yuan” and screamed at Yang Lang, “Young Master Yang, no! You mustn’t…”

Amid the chaos, Lu Ying suddenly nodded to the false Madam Yuan whom Ji Ying was holding. (To be continued)