Chapter 120: The Aftermath of Public Opinion

“This is all I’ve heard.” With that, Zizhu hastily retreated behind Lian Yue, as if lingering a moment longer would spell her ruin.

Yu Wen Lingxi muttered inwardly against the rumor-monger, but outwardly, her tone remained calm and detached, “It wasn’t me.”

“Nor was it me.” Qiao Zhi hurried to dissociate himself.

Lian Yue, fully aware of the disgust both felt, maintained her air of amusement. “I never said it was you two. Others are talking—you’ve got to explain to them, not me.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Neither I nor Sister Yue saw anything.” Yao Yao, ever the mischief-maker, seemed to grow bolder by the day. “If you’re investigating, you need an alibi. But in cases like this, no one ever admits to it.”

That remark was enough to infuriate anyone. Lian Yue felt a secret pang of worry for Yao Yao—wasn’t this just blatant suspicion?

The mingled aroma of tea and medicine filled the air, and as Lian Yue sipped her tea, she mused whether she should ask Yu Wen Lingxi for some more. She and Yao Yao had already helped themselves to plenty from him in recent days.

Unfortunately, this look of contemplation in Lian Yue’s eyes was misinterpreted by Yu Wen Lingxi, who, determined to defend his elder brother’s happiness, declared decisively, “I like women.” After all, it was Yu Wen Lingxi saying it—nothing to do with Yu Wen Lingxiao.

But he underestimated the impact of his words. As Lian Yue was savoring her tea, she sputtered it out with a laugh, spraying it across the table. Opposite her, Qiao Zhi, perhaps equally shocked, was caught off guard and received the brunt of it.

“Sorry!” Lian Yue quickly apologized to the disheveled Qiao Zhi, pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve to offer him. Seeing it was black, she swapped it for another. “I really didn’t mean to.”

Qiao Zhi took it, resigned. “I know.” Even he hadn’t expected the glacial Yu Wen Lingxi to utter something so earth-shattering.

Yu Wen Lingxi, meanwhile, noted Lian Yue’s gesture and felt a surge of delight. He was certain the black handkerchief she’d produced belonged to his elder brother—surely an unexpected joy. It seemed his brother had won not only her body, but also her heart.

He could hardly wait for the day his brother revealed his true identity.

After such a humorous interlude, Lian Yue was too embarrassed to linger. “I know this is all just nonsense, I didn’t believe any of it. I was just bored and looking for some amusement. Now that I’ve had my fun, I’ll head back.” She hesitated, then turned to Yu Wen Lingxi. “Your tea is delicious. Do you have any to spare?”

Yu Wen Lingxiao, newly delighted by his discovery, was hardly one to refuse his future sister-in-law. Tea was nothing—had Lian Yue wanted his rarest medicines, he would have given them freely. With a wave of his hand, Mushan, standing nearby, fetched a celadon jar and passed it to Zizhu.

Content at last, Lian Yue took the still-reluctant Yao Yao, who clearly wished to stay and watch more drama, and left Yu Wen Lingxi’s quarters. Zhou Ziwen, ever the tagalong and invisible presence, had already found the atmosphere unbearable and slipped out after them.

Once only Yu Wen Lingxi and Qiao Zhi remained, Qiao Zhi turned to Shan Feng, his tone urgent and irritable. “Well? Hurry and find out the truth. Bring me the so-called eyewitness at once!”

Then, turning to Yu Wen Lingxi, he said, “Yu Wen… brother, I’ll take my leave.”

He all but fled back to his room. Of all things, Qiao Zhi most despised being mistaken for a woman. His looks were his parents’ doing, and though he’d tried his best to mask his delicate features, today he had become the “female” lead of a ridiculous farce. From start to finish, he knew it was nothing but idle servant gossip, yet what stung was why he was cast as the “female” lead, while Yu Wen Lingxi was naturally the male.

It was his sore spot, and he meant to find out who was responsible.

The ship was only so large, and gossip spread swiftly. Soon, everyone on board knew. Lian Yue and Yao Yao, naturally, were given a stern lecture—after all, if not for them, the matter would never have escalated.

Zizhu, the storyteller, was also noted down by Lan Shui for future reckoning.

Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen had spent the past days fending off Zhou Man’s social calls. That afternoon, with the sun blazing, they’d finally escaped by hiding in a cabin at the rear. When they awoke, the scandalous tale left them dumbfounded. As men, they understood that some jokes among men simply could not be made.

After a hasty tidy-up, they went to Lian Yue’s room. Yue Lingjun earnestly lectured Lian Yue, while Meng Chuchen did the same with Yao Yao. In the end, both men led Lian Yue and Yao Yao to personally apologize to Yu Wen Lingxi and Qiao Zhi, and the servants who’d started the betting were sternly punished.

According to the eyewitness, he was sure he’d seen two men last night, though he hadn’t seen their faces. Everyone on board was warned not to let a word leave the ship, and the matter was quietly dropped.

Tomorrow, they would reach the shore at last—the tedious days were almost over.

Lian Yue soon put Qiao Zhi’s troubles out of mind, her thoughts turning to her elder sister, Yue Lianyu. Though letters from Yue Lingjun had assured her of their sister’s recovery, she remained anxious.

Lian Yue did not know the pain of losing a child, but she knew the agony of losing a mother—as if half the sky had collapsed. She began to consider what was to come.

Her sister’s miscarriage was by no means a simple accident. Though she knew her sister had her own scruples and could not investigate, Lian Yue refused to be restrained. Her nephew, whom she’d never had the chance to meet, could not have died in vain. She would drag the shadowy culprits into the light and return their suffering a hundredfold.

Clutching the black handkerchief in her hand, Lian Yue felt a premonition—the Dark Underworld Society would help her.

In truth, this was why she had always treated Qiao Zhi so coldly. If not for these matters, she did not particularly dislike him. But every time she saw him, she could not help but remember what the royal family had done to her sister and nephew, and she burned to teach him a lesson.

Outside, the weather seemed to mirror Lian Yue’s mood. A wind rose on the river, and soon the sound of rain drummed against the deck. It was a night of rain—a cleansing for what was to come.

Nanping and Xijing would never be peaceful places—neither now nor in the future.

On a rain-soaked night, a white dove landed beneath the eaves of a mansion in Xijing. A young man in a blue robe removed the bamboo tube tied to its leg, slipped off his shoes, and stepped inside.

In the study, before a pearwood desk, a man in moon-white inner robes set aside his wolf-hair brush and gazed at the characters he’d just written.

The blue-robed youth spoke, “Master, the Yu Wen, Zhou, and Hidden Sect families, as well as the Sixth Prince, have chosen to ally themselves with the Yue family. They will arrive in Nanping tomorrow.”

“Who have they sent?” The man in white moved aside, taking a damp silk cloth and meticulously wiping his already spotless hands.

“The Yue family has sent Young Master Yue Lingjun and Yue Lian Yue, with four male and two female attendants. The Yu Wen family only sent Young Master Yu Wen Lingxi and four attendants. The Hidden Sect sent only their master, Meng Chuchen, and a woman—though likely two shadow guards as well. The Sixth Prince has three personal guards. Only the Zhou family’s patriarch came, bringing his son Zhou Ziwen and eight attendants.”

At mention of the Zhou patriarch, the man in white frowned. “Yu Wen Mo and Yue Zhanpeng—aren’t they attending the Grand Emperor’s birthday banquet?”

“From what we heard today, neither shows any intention of traveling,” the blue-robed youth replied, watching his master’s expression closely.

“Very well, you may go. Pass the order: keep track of every place these people visit in Nanping and compile a report.”

“Yes, sir.” The youth withdrew, pulled on his shoes at the door, and, heedless of the rain, hurried out to carry out his orders.

Inside, the man set down the silk cloth, a sneer curling his lips. “Just these few callow youths and that big oaf of a bear—how much trouble can they cause? Even blood brothers can turn against one another for the sake of family interests. Anything, no matter how genuine, can be ground down to falsehood. What is friendship, when it exists only in words?”

So it was, and so it would remain.