Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Making a Move “Then, I must thank the Censor’s Wife for her generosity,” Ling Jiayue said playfully. The Censor’s Wife’s face darkened. She had originally intended to use this opportunity to make Ling Jiayue look bad. At the very least, she could ruin Ling Jiayue’s reputation. She had never expected Ling Jiayue to be so cunning, causing her to lose both her dignity and her treasure. She could only suffer in silence, with a bitter taste in her mouth that she could not voice. Everyone who could attend the peach-blossom banquet was a worldly-wise person who had clawed their way through the crowds. They all knew that the Censor’s Wife had wanted to humiliate Ling Jiayue. Yet no one had expected the girl to be so clever and mischievous—not only had she avoided embarrassing herself, she had even gotten the Censor’s Wife’s Exquisite Box. The madams with sons of marriageable age all became interested when they saw such a quick-witted girl. If they could find a wife like this for their sons, what worry would they have that the family would not prosper? As the old saying went, marrying a foolish wife would harm ten generations, while marrying a clever and capable daughter-in-law would bring prosperity for ten generations. The madams all raised their wine cups and prepared to go over and “exchange pleasantries” with Madam Liu. It would be best if they could settle a marriage alliance then and there. The Prefect’s Wife had originally been on the Censor’s Wife’s side. Seeing the Censor’s Wife hand over her family’s Exquisite Box, she naturally felt compelled to stand up for her. She mocked, “Miss Ling is certainly sharp-tongued. She even ‘strong-armed’ the Censor’s Wife into handing over her bridal Exquisite Box.” She deliberately emphasized the words “strong-armed,” clearly implying that Ling Jiayue was a vulgar, mercenary person who coveted every advantage. Upon hearing this, Madam Liu displayed the bearing of a prime minister’s wife and said calmly, “Not at all. The Censor’s Wife simply recognized her mistake and corrected it. It is Yue’er who should be learning from the Censor’s Wife.” The Censor’s Wife had just lost her Exquisite Box, and now she had to listen to Madam Liu “praise” her like this. Her blood surged, and she nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Not wishing to lose her composure, she swallowed a mouthful of wine and forced the blood back down. Ling Jiayue rarely saw Madam Liu being so maliciously clever. She secretly laughed, then leaned close to Madam Liu’s ear and whispered, “Mother, I’ll go change my clothes first.” “Go, and be careful,” Madam Liu instructed. She then gave Danyun and Lingxue a meaningful look. The two immediately understood and helped Ling Jiayue away to change her clothes. Seeing Ling Jiayue leave to change, Mu Yuheng also gave Feng Yan a look. Feng Yan quietly followed after them. “Elder Sister, shall I accompany you? That way, the two of us can look after each other,” Ling Yuwan volunteered, rising to her feet. “That would be good. I’ll feel more at ease with Yuwan accompanying you,” Madam Liu agreed when she saw that Ling Yuwan intended to go along. Ling Yuwan then accompanied Ling Jiayue to change her clothes. Watching the two of them leave together, Madam Liu felt deeply comforted. At last, Yue’er had a sister from the same clan to accompany her. This was a good thing. If the sisters grew close, Yue’er would have someone to rely on in the future. However, neither Madam Liu nor Ling Jiayue noticed the sinister expression flickering in Ling Yuwan’s eyes. Ling Yuwan usually kept silent and always wore a sweet, charming expression, so no one would ever suspect that she harbored ulterior motives. Meanwhile, Grand General Murong and the Third Prince had also quietly sent their personal guards after them, intending to put Ling Jiayue to death. Ever since the Censor’s Wife had caused that commotion, Chu Chaoci had kept his eyes on Ling Jiayue. He watched until she left to change her clothes. Yet Chu Chaoci failed to notice that Grand General Murong had sent a guard to assassinate her. One could only wonder what he would think if he found out. “Your Majesty, look,” Su Wanrong murmured to Mu Yuye, indicating that he should look at Chu Chaoci’s lovesick expression as he watched Ling Jiayue. Mu Yuye happened to see Chu Chaoci gazing after Ling Jiayue as she went to change. He teased, “What is this? Has the Sovereign of Ye Kingdom taken a fancy to the legitimate daughter of our Prime Minister’s Residence?” “Not at all. The Sovereign of Dayi is joking. I have merely never encountered such a clever and quick-witted woman before, so I looked a few extra times,” Chu Chaoci replied, skillfully parrying the question. Yet Mu Yuye rarely saw the usually deep and calculating Chu Chaoci so distracted. He refused to let the matter go and continued, “Today is the peach-blossom banquet. If the Sovereign of Ye Kingdom has such thoughts, he ought to make an effort.” Chu Chaoci smiled. “As for the marriage of a man and a woman, it requires mutual affection. We would also have to see whether Ling Taian is willing to part with his beloved daughter.” With that, Mu Yuye and Chu Chaoci both laughed. At this moment, the madams from the various families had surrounded Madam Liu, all trying to arrange a marriage. They showered Ling Jiayue with praise. “Oh my, Madam Ling, you truly are blessed! Miss Ling is so beautiful, and she is clever and quick-witted as well. I wonder which family’s young master will be fortunate enough to marry her in the future.” Madam Liu’s face was filled with delight, though a trace of impatience remained in her eyes. She did not want to marry her daughter off so soon. But she had no choice but to entertain them. Who could blame her for having such an outstanding daughter? Madam Wan watched Madam Liu bask in the limelight and merely snorted before drinking her wine in silence. Who could blame her? Madam Liu was the principal wife, had both sons and daughters, and all her children were so outstanding. Whenever Madam Wan thought of her own son, who could barely utter three sentences even after being prodded with a stick, she grew even angrier. Madam Chen sat quietly. Unlike Madam Wan, she did not look angry; instead, she wore an expression of vicarious pride. But in her heart, she was thinking: When will Yuwan succeed? Will she be exposed? I hope everything goes smoothly. At that moment, one of the madams came over to exchange pleasantries with Madam Chen. Madam Chen snapped out of her thoughts, lifted her wine cup, and began chatting with the woman. Meanwhile, Ling Jiayue, accompanied by Ling Yuwan and followed by Lingxue and Danyun, had gone to a secluded room to change out of her clothes. What Ling Jiayue did not know was that three people were following her—three people with different purposes, from three different factions. The moment Ling Jiayue entered the room, the personal guard sent by Grand General Murong prepared to strike. He had concealed himself behind the room’s window, in a place few people would notice. He intended to kill Ling Jiayue and frame Ling Yuwan for the crime. The personal guard sent by Grand General Murong had just drawn the flexible sword at his waist and was preparing to thrust it forward when the sunlight happened to shine upon the blade, reflecting a ring of light. Feng Yan noticed it. Before the personal guard could make his move, Feng Yan drew a concealed weapon and shot it at him. The guard barely dodged, and the concealed weapon sank into the window frame. Seeing that his first strike had failed, the personal guard sent by Grand General Murong turned to flee. How could Feng Yan allow him to escape? He drew his flexible sword and pursued him. The two fought in a tangled battle within the imperial palace. The guard was unfamiliar with the route, fleeing as he fought, while Feng Yan pursued him relentlessly, determined to capture him. The commotion outside the window naturally alerted Ling Jiayue and the others. Ling Jiayue was about to open the window and take a look when Danyun stopped her. “Miss, let me do it.” Danyun opened the window and saw the concealed weapon embedded in the frame. She recognized it as Feng Yan’s. However, Ling Yuwan was there, so she could not report the truth. She could only remove the concealed weapon and show it to Ling Jiayue.