Chapter 151: Meeting at the Taoist Temple

Chapter 151: Meeting at the Taoist Temple

The carriage silently glided through the crowd and entered a sprawling estate.

This too must have belonged to a person of high rank; the entire garden was exquisite and comfortable, bearing a distinct stamp of his taste.

Once they were inside the estate, Zhi Liu rode closer and said, "Don't worry, the people tailing us have been thrown off." After a brief pause, he suddenly asked, "Why expose yourself today? Aren't you worried the Yang family will set their sights on you?"

Inside the carriage, Lu Ying gave a soft sigh and replied, "Tomorrow I will meet her great-aunt alongside Yuan Niang. If I lack even this bit of nerve, how can I hope to touch that old lady's heart?"

Zhi Liu laughed from outside, "I suppose you have a further scheme in mind? Although A-Wen grew up among commoners, your disposition is truly like one of us aristocratic children—you calculate three steps ahead for every one you take. Wuhan is a fine place; is this your first time here? When you go out to sightsee, remember to take your guards." With this parting advice, he turned and left.

Lu Ying and Lady Yuan stepped down from the carriage.

Attended by the maidservants, the two first took hot baths and then slept soundly. When they woke up, evening had already fallen.

Lady Yuan had a tranquil nature, whereas Lu Ying was fond of activity. Besides, she had finally made a trip to Wuhan and needed to observe its commercial landscape so she could properly map out her grand plan for making a fortune.

Without further ado, Lu Ying—dressed in a silver-white robe and flanked by two guards—made her leisurely appearance on the bustling streets of Wuhan.

Surveying the prosperous thoroughfares and the crowds packed as tightly as a wall, Lu Ying mused inwardly: I am still short of manpower. Though Luo Zi can hold his own, there is only one of him. Well, once I pass the test of Lady Yuan’s great-aunt tomorrow, perhaps I can take into my service a few servants loyal to Lady Yuan and try using them.

After a brief stroll through the streets of Wuhan, Lu Ying returned to the estate.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Lady Yuan running toward her. Tugging gently on Lu Ying's sleeve, Lady Yuan called out softly, "Sister."

Lu Ying nodded and smiled faintly, "Yuan Niang, starting tomorrow, things are going to be very lively. Therefore, you had better address me as Elder Brother so as to avoid any mishaps."

"Very well, Elder Brother." Pausing for a moment, Lady Yuan asked with a puzzled expression, "I haven't seen my great-aunt in many years. Is she... is she a kind person?" Lady Yuan had always been raised in the inner chambers. When her parents were alive in her childhood, she was doted upon; later, after both of her biological parents passed away, she was marginalized. She had lacked even a single elder to guide her, leaving her in the dark about many things known to ordinary people.

"She is good," Lu Ying said. "If there is only one person in this world who can make decisions on your behalf, it is bound to be her."

Tapping Lady Yuan lightly on the head, Lu Ying added, "You have lost a lot of weight lately. Go and rest."

"Mn." Lady Yuan obediently nodded and departed.

The next day, Lu Ying rose early, carefully re-examined her plans, and made sure nothing had been missed. Accompanied by two guards, she escorted Lady Yuan toward the nearby Mingyang Taoist Temple.

The previous night, she had wandered through the garden without catching sight of the noble patron or Zhi Liu. Upon inquiring, Lu Ying learned that the noble patron had not even entered the estate, while Zhi Liu had rushed off abruptly in the middle of the night. Judging by their demeanor, they were far busier than she was, meaning the matter concerning Yuan Niang would have to be handled entirely by herself.

The Mingyang Taoist Temple stood adjacent to the Yangtze River. Standing upon its mountain peak, one could command a panoramic view of the river's scenery; with lush mountains, clear waters, and superb topography, it was exceptionally picturesque. Yet the temple itself appeared quite ordinary.

Just as Lu Ying and her party reached the main gates of the Taoist temple, a Daoist nun approached them, offered a bow, and said, "Lady Yuan, please enter."

Only Lady Yuan was being summoned inside.

Lady Yuan paused in surprise, turned to look at Lu Ying, and upon seeing Lu Ying nod, she bit her lip and took small steps to follow the nun.

Watching Lady Yuan's timid figure, Lu Ying instructed one of the guards, "Follow them and protect her."

"Understood."

The guard turned and strode away.

The ground outside the temple gates was paved with bluestone and was exceedingly flat. After admiring it for a moment, Lu Ying leaned against the stone wall and lowered her gaze to enjoy the magnificent view of the Yangtze River below.

After a short while, a commotion broke out.

The noisy chatter drew closer, and before long, two Daoist nuns approached accompanied by several young maidens, elegantly dressed yet exuding that unmistakable air possessed solely by daughters of noble families.

At a single glance, they spotted Lu Ying, who stood leaning against the stone wall with her hands clasped behind her back.

The young ladies brightened visibly at the sight of her, and one of them softly inquired, "I wonder whose young gentleman this might be?"

"Who knows?" "When did Wuhan produce such a young gentleman?"

Amidst the murmuring, the maidens were evidently waiting for someone and had halted their steps, yet whenever they glanced back, they could not resist casting lingering looks at Lu Ying.

Half a quarter of an hour later, a murmur of voices announced the approach of a dozen or so young men and women walking in a group. Among these youths, the one dressed in matronly attire was none other than Lady Ji.

Catching sight of Lady Ji, Lu Ying arched an eyebrow and thought to herself: Still refusing to give up? Are you trying to track down Yuan Niang and talk her out of her resolve?

Truth be told, throughout this entire venture, there had always been one crucial variable that everyone overlooked: if Lady Yuan suddenly lost her desire for a divorce and obstinately insisted on remaining loyal to Young Master Yang, speaking wholeheartedly on behalf of both Young Master Yang and the Yang estate, then numerous complications would inevitably ensue.

Spotting Lu Ying abruptly here, Lady Ji froze for a moment before pressing her lips tightly together.

Noticing her strange expression, a young maiden stepped forward and asked out of curiosity, "Does Elder Sister Ji know him?"

"Naturally I know him," Lady Ji said with a sour expression. Raising her voice, she declared, "He is the one down at the docks who proclaimed he 'prefers the beauty of men over the beauty of women!'"

As soon as Lady Ji uttered these words, an uproar ensued. Those maidens who had been casting frequent glances at Lu Ying immediately wore identical looks of disappointment, while the young men looked at Lu Ying with expressions of utter disdain.

Lu Ying remained completely unconcerned.

There was truly nothing worth minding about this matter; after all, she was not a real man to begin with, and once the truth came to light, it would merely amount to a joke.

Therefore, she leaned lazily against the stone wall and continued admiring the scenery below, her posture and demeanor effortlessly leisurely and at ease. This relaxed grace, paired with her handsome and striking features, was truly exceptional. Consequently, the faces of the young men and women could not help but betray a trace of regret.

Lady Ji and a few others lacked the mood to notice this. They repeatedly gazed toward Lu Ying's carriage, and after a brief inspection, a servant quietly slipped into the Taoist temple. Vaguely, Lu Ying heard the servant ask, "Has someone just entered the temple?"

"Indeed. Yuan Niang has been summoned by Hermit Qingyuan."

The servant hurried back to report. Upon hearing the relay of this news, the complex expressions on the faces of Lady Ji and her companions shifted through several colors.

Biting her lip, Lady Ji stepped forward and headed toward the interior of the temple.

Yet she had not even been inside for a quarter of an hour before she walked back out, evidently having been blocked at the outer threshold.

With a very unsightly expression, Lady Ji stared into the inner compound for a moment, turned around to see Lu Ying, and with a vicious bite of her teeth, marched straight toward her.

Stopping right in front of Lu Ying, Lady Ji said with a slightly caustic tone, "Didn't the young gentleman claim yesterday that he and Lady Ruan were mere acquaintances who met by chance? Why are you going out of your way to escort her here today? It turns out the affinity between the two of you is truly profound."

Her tone was quite sarcastic, and her eyes held a guarded wariness. Lady Ji knew better than anyone that when Lady Yuan trusted someone, she would pour out her entire heart and soul. Lady Ji wanted to figure out the exact relationship between this youth and Lady Yuan. If Lady Yuan were to wholeheartedly switch her allegiance to this youth, it would spell absolute disaster.

As it happened, she had considered sounding him out properly, ideally smoothing things over with Lu Ying. However, Lady Ji had been under immense pressure lately; following yesterday's events, she had been scolded, ridiculed, and scorned by others, leaving her belly full of pent-up rage. Now, facing Lu Ying—who appeared so upright and magnanimous yet had spun such a smooth web of lies yesterday, completely tricking Lady Ji into believing he had nothing to do with Yuan Niang—she could no longer contain her bitterness and grew sharp-tongued.

Of course, an even more important reason was that Lady Ji lacked any real political acumen; impulsiveness came naturally to her, and she loved uttering biting remarks. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together; the reason she had always remained close to Lady Yuan in the past was precisely because their personalities shared certain similarities.

Lu Ying turned her head indifferentially, eyeing Lady Ji once. Seeing the resentment written all over Lady Ji's face, Lu Ying curled her lips and said coldly, "So Lady Ji came to the Mingyang Taoist Temple today specifically to waylay Yuan Niang? The dirty water you tried to splash on her yesterday failed to stick, and now that your heart is in torment, you wish to try it all over again?"

These words were venomous in the extreme!

In an instant, all the young men and women fell silent, while Lady Ji's face flushed bright red.

Throwing back her head to glare at Lu Ying, she shrieked shrilly, "Stop talking nonsense! I am Lady Yuan's bosom friend. I have always treated her well, and yesterday I merely spoke the truth. Even if Lady Yuan knew, she wouldn't blame me. Who asked you to spout nonsense here?!" At this point, she raised her voice into an angry roar, "So you really are Lady Yuan's paramour! When I asked you yesterday, you refused to admit it—how utterly shameless!"

Lady Ji was somewhat losing control; her voice was shrill and grating, echoing repeatedly against the mountain walls.

Amidst the reverberations of "shameless" echoing one after another, Lu Ying cast a lazy glance at her and dropped two careless words: "Shrew!"

With that, she flicked her wide sleeves and turned to stride into the temple.

Lady Ji stood frozen for a moment before she finally recovered her wits from the stinging insult of "shrew." Though Lu Ying had hurled those two words offhandedly, their destructive power was immense. Especially for these aristocratic women, personal cultivation and elegance represented the nobility of their bloodline. Meanwhile, the term "shrew" was generally used to describe vulgar and foolish women from the marketplace; it was the ultimate negation of a noblewoman's lifelong cultivation.

Stunned for a moment, Lady Ji's face turned livid, and her entire body began to sway unsteadily. She wanted to scream out a retort, but the thought of launching such an unseemly counterattack would merely validate the label of a shrew, stopping her cold.

She wanted to teach Lu Ying a lesson, but she had only brought two maidservants—how could they possibly match the guard standing behind Lu Ying?

For a moment, Lady Ji was so angry that her hands and feet grew ice-cold, leaving her shivering helplessly.

After a long while, she finally snapped back to her senses, exchanged a subtle glance with one of her maidservants, and muttered instructions under her breath.

Without hesitation, that maidservant lunged toward Lu Ying, baring her teeth and claws as she shrieked, "You arse-selling rabbit, neither man nor woman, how dare you curse my mistress like this? I'll tear your face to pieces!" At that moment, Lady Ji was venting her momentary spleen and had completely cast aside any thoughts of making peace with Lu Ying.

Just as the maidservant finished hurling her abuse, Lu Ying's voice abruptly chilled, and she commanded sharply, "Kick her out!"

"Understood!"

The guard responded in a ringing voice. As the maidservant lunged forward, he executed a swift side kick with his right leg. With a resounding *thud* of flesh striking flesh, the maidservant let out a miserable screech and tumbled heavily backward.

The guard's martial arts were remarkably exquisite; although the maidservant had clearly lunged forward by seven or eight paces, the guard's kick sent her flying backward through the air by that exact same distance. Tumbling backward continuously, she collided squarely with Lady Ji, who was also walking in that direction. The crashing impact slammed the maidservant hard into Lady Ji, sending them both tumbling backward a few paces before master and servant crashed into a ditch and piled on top of each other.

Lady Ji had only suffered the shock and had not fainted like her maidservant. Just as she struggled twice to right herself, she heard Lu Ying turn around, lift her chin toward the guard with a smile, and praise, "Fine footwork!"

She was actually commending the guard!