Chapter 87: Untouchable

Let Lu Ying leave?

Wen Qing’s brow furrowed. He held back his impatience and was just about to speak in persuasion when a low laugh drifted from the carriage. “Lady Chen, what you’re doing isn’t right,” came Lu Ying’s cool, teasing voice.

Everyone turned. Within the shabby donkey cart, the “handsome youth” Lu Ying wore a slightly mischievous, somewhat cold smile. Her voice rang out, clear and sharp: “Lady Chen, you came all this way to ask what favor the esteemed one has granted me… You clearly know I’m connected to that noble, so how could you urge your cousin to drive me away? Aren’t you afraid your cousin will offend that noble because of this? Ruin your family, destroy your future? Lady Chen, this is not how one should behave!”

Her words cut like a knife.

If Lu Ying hadn’t pointed it out, Wen Qing would never have realized that his seemingly pitiful and gentle cousin concealed such malice behind her soft words and pitiful glance.

He stared at Chen Yan in disbelief, while her beautiful face flushed scarlet, tears brimming in her eyes.

Since childhood, this trick had never failed her. She manipulated others, leaving them none the wiser; often, her tears would make people willingly let her use them again.

She had never imagined her schemes would one day be seen through in an instant! More importantly, she had never expected that the one who saw through her would disregard her family’s standing and so bluntly expose her, with not a trace of subtlety, not the slightest fear of breaking all pretense!

“Ah Yan!” At that moment, a guard stepped protectively in front of Chen Yan, glaring at Lu Ying as his hand moved to his sword hilt. He growled, “How can you speak so to her? Ah Yan is pure-hearted. If you slander her like this, don’t blame me for taking your life!”

At his words, Chen Yan’s tears welled up even more. She lowered her head pitifully, sobbing softly.

Seeing her like this, the guard glared furiously at Lu Ying.

Chen Yan was already the focus of everyone’s attention. Now, with her tears and the guard’s threatening shout, dozens of eyes turned in their direction.

A’Ti and the others hurried over, and Wang Shang directly asked Wen Qing, “What happened?”

Before Wen Qing could answer, the guard snapped, “She’s slandering Ah Yan!”

At that, all eyes fell on Lu Ying. The Chen clan’s guards gathered round, ready for trouble.

Faced with this, Lu Ying simply smiled and raised her voice lazily, “Whether I slandered your lady is easily proved. Young Master Wen, you can ask—just now, when everyone was speculating about my identity and my connection to that noble, was Lady Chen present? Did she understand?”

A’Ti immediately called out, “I can testify to that! She was listening very closely, even looked unhappy. What’s wrong, Ah Ying?”

Lu Ying replied indifferently, “Nothing. Just now, Lady Chen asked Young Master Wen who I am, said she didn’t like me, and wanted him to drive me out.”

A wave of murmurs spread.

Everyone glanced at the languid Lu Ying, then at the grim-faced Wen Qing, then at Chen Yan, who looked on the verge of tears, as though she had suffered some great injustice. Whispers filled the air.

Lu Ying hadn’t said much, but every word struck home. If Chen Yan had heard Lu Ying’s connection to the noble and still urged her cousin to expel her, she was either foolish or malicious.

In either case, she was someone people would avoid. Those youths who had been about to comfort Chen Yan now hesitated, while more and more people drifted toward Lu Ying.

Seeing things turn against her, Chen Yan choked with anger. She wiped her tears and sobbed out, “I didn’t! How can you be like this? That’s not what I meant, I… I…” But all she could do was cry.

Lu Ying’s words had blocked every escape. Chen Yan realized that, apart from tears, she had no way to argue back.

In truth, Chen Yan had never met someone like Lu Ying. Why was she so direct? In her world, even if people ground their teeth in hatred, they still smiled on the surface. Even when enemies exchanged the harshest words, they did so with forced politeness.

Her own family and beauty far surpassed Lu Ying’s—why didn’t she take that into account? Was she not afraid that making such an enemy would lead to retaliation?

But Lu Ying truly did not fear revenge from Chen Yan or her family. On the contrary, she sensed that if she let Chen Yan continue her act, she herself might come to great harm.

Now that Lu Ying had exposed Chen Yan’s true face, the Wen clan would no longer favor her. As for the Chen clan, those with foresight would also be displeased—after all, a pawn that had not yet proved useful could easily be abandoned. Even the noble ladies of Chengdu, like A’Ti and her peers, would now look askance at Chen Yan.

If someone regards you as an enemy, why not strike them down before their wings have grown? Better that than let them deceive more people into acting against you.

Should Chen Yan or her family seek revenge, Lu Ying did not fear it. She had made their enmity plain for all to see. They had to consider the noble’s standing and public opinion—they dared not move against her.

With the crowd’s gaze growing ever colder, Chen Yan wept bitterly, her tears flowing like rain.

At that moment, a middle-aged man’s voice called out, “What’s going on?”

As he approached, several guards hurried forward to whisper a few words. His expression changed at once. He strode to Lu Ying’s cart, bowed deeply, and said, “Lady Lu, on behalf of my unfilial daughter, I offer you my sincerest apology.”

Lu Ying quickly returned the salute. “Please, Master Chen, there is no need.”

Master Chen turned to glare fiercely at his daughter, whose tear-stained face was still strikingly beautiful. He seethed inwardly: Useless! Worthless!

This migration of the Chen clan to Chengdu was not just for family business; marrying off his charming daughter to the noble was also central to their plans. He had never imagined that the daughter in whom the clan placed such hopes would disgrace herself before even reaching Chengdu, before even meeting that noble!

Had this disgrace occurred elsewhere, he might have found some way to cover it up. But with all these scions of wealthy families present, whose mouths could he silence?

Furious, he thought: Enough. I’ll have to find another way.

With that, he ordered with a dark face, “Take the young lady back to the carriage. Don’t let her show her face again!”

“Yes, sir.”

Several maids led the heartbroken Chen Yan away. Once she was gone, Master Chen swept his sleeves and left in anger.

Chen Shu, who had always been close to his sister, saw her crying so sadly and, clenching his temper, shot Lu Ying a venomous glare. Then, turning to his companion, he said, “Go find out who this Lu Ying really is, and what her relationship is with everyone here.”

He thought, My sister will not suffer this grievance in vain! Because of that noble, I may not dare use force, but there are countless ways to kill with a soft blade in this world.

As Chen Shu brooded, his servant returned and quietly reported everything about Lu Ying’s background. “Young Master, that young lady is quite something. Last night, she drove off mountain bandits with her skills. Everyone here owes her a debt of gratitude.”

“What happened?” Chen Shu pressed.

The servant recounted the events of the previous night in detail. “You wouldn’t believe it, young master—she’s young, but has already won over all the guards. Those rough men are full of praise for her. Even the other young gentlemen and ladies can’t stop speaking well of her.”

Chen Shu was silent for a while, then said, “I see. You may go.”

He rode over to Chen Yan’s carriage.

Sensing his approach, Chen Yan ground her teeth and hissed from inside, “Fourth Brother, you have to kill her for me! I want her dead! I don’t want to see her alive another day!”

She spoke of murder without the slightest hesitation. In fact, relying on her beauty, she had already caused several deaths. Just last year, a handsome youth had preferred one of her plain-faced friends over her. With Chen Shu’s help, she lured that friend into the hands of bandits, leading to her ruin and suicide.

But this time, Chen Shu, usually so indulgent, fell silent. After a long pause, he said with difficulty, “Ah Yan, you mustn’t touch that Lady Lu.”

Before the words had even left his lips, Chen Yan was already screaming inside the carriage, hands over her ears.

Chen Shu waited for her to finish, then sighed heavily, “Ah Yan, you must listen to your fourth brother this time. Lady Lu cannot be harmed. The young people here all come from powerful families, each skilled in intrigue. From what I’ve discovered, Lady Lu leads a simple life with no enemies. You may be her only foe. In these circumstances, even if we did nothing, should anything happen to her, everyone’s first suspicion would fall on you.”

Lady Lu, indeed, could not be harmed.

Determined, Chen Shu ignored the renewed screams from his sister, saying, “Ah Yan, you must obey me this time. Forget about her. When Father’s anger has cooled, I’ll send you to Luoyang to find a good husband. There’s no need for you to stay in Chengdu.”

Inside the carriage, Chen Yan kept screaming, but Chen Shu paid her no mind. Shaking his head, he called over the guard who had always accompanied her, sternly warning him not to trouble Lu Ying, and then rode away.

—

Recommended: Guigu Mengyou’s new book “Joy as at First Sight.”

Synopsis: By imperial decree, the daughter of the Wulin Alliance Leader, Hua Ruchu, is betrothed to the legitimate son of the General’s manor. Will she accept her fate or defy it?

Hua Ruchu is a woman who knows when to yield, so she accepts. Life within the great house is filled daily with both hilarity and melodrama; Ruchu is often spectator, sometimes participant, and occasionally gets caught up in the play—yet she enjoys herself all the same.

She also has a great life goal, but trapped within the gates of the mansion, it seems impossible to achieve.

“What? You’re asking about my life’s ambition?”

“Well then, listen carefully: I, this young lady, aspire to spend money so fast I can never out-earn it.”

“What? Impossible? Hmph, then I’ll show you!”

Also by this author: “Blooming Fortune,” “The Rong Family,” “As Good as Water,” “The Leisurely Life of a Medicine Woman,” “Rebirth: So That’s How Fate Works.” All completed and guaranteed quality—come and join the fun!