VBNWDW - Chapter 129
Chapter 129
Night fell quietly. In the candlelight, the vast Capital resembled a constellation on the ground, carving out a patch of light in the pitch-black darkness.
But beneath this seemingly calm surface, undercurrents surged. It was impossible to say who started it, but the rumor swept through every street and alley like a plague of locusts.
“Hey, have you heard? His Highness the Crown Prince sent assassins after the Grand Princess.”
“Are you talking about the time at Xuanmiao Mountain, or the time the Grand Princess was forced back to the Capital? The families of those assassins have all confessed. Her Highness the Grand Princess risks her life for Great Liang, yet they were blinded by greed and tried to assassinate her!”
“What! Twice? I thought it was only that one time at Xuanmiao Temple. She’s his own sister, born of the same mother. For His Highness to…”
“I’m afraid it’s been more than twice. I have a sister who works in the Grand Princess’s residence, and she said there have been many assassination attempts since the Grand Princess entered the court.”
A person standing at the edge of the group spoke impulsively, their voice tinged with a sob. “What more do that father and son want! Her Highness the Grand Princess had already hidden herself away in Xuanmiao Temple, willing to become a Daoist nun, and still she couldn’t escape their suspicions!”
“What do you mean by that? Could His Majesty also be…” someone nearby questioned.
The person replied, “If His Majesty hadn’t approved, would the Crown Prince dare to do such a thing?”
The crowd nodded, finding the logic sound. After all, everyone knew that the Emperor and the Crown Prince had been suspicious of the Grand Princess for a long time. They had even refused to accept the cities she had conquered, instead issuing three imperial edicts a day to force her back to the Capital.
Although it was said that even a vicious tiger won’t eat its cubs, when it came to the current Emperor and Crown Prince, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
Conversations like this were happening in every corner of the Capital.
Although the Luo Family held no official power, they were a prestigious clan revered by all the scholars in the land.
The main family didn’t even need to act. A few disciples from branch families simply spread some vague statements, and the scholars, without ever questioning the truth, passed them on by word of mouth, disseminating them widely. Then, the Luo Family sent out their servants to intentionally guide the direction of public opinion, leading to the scene at hand.
Dressed in a plain black robe with her hair tied up by a wooden pin, Zhong Jueyu walked among the people, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Ruan He and Li Shigui, who followed behind her, were far less composed. They kept glancing at her back, their faces filled with worry and anxiety, hesitating to speak several times.
They couldn’t understand why Her Highness would agree to Luo Qiyuan’s demands, even letting him take Luo Yueqing away.
They had thought Her Highness had a plan and would discuss it with them after the Luo Family left. Even if she didn’t say anything right away, they expected her to show some sign, just as she had when the Crown Prince came to Xuanmiao Temple. Back then, she had sought out Ruan He and Li Shigui to discuss many things.
But this time, Zhong Jueyu was completely silent, acting as if nothing had happened. She even had the leisure to change her clothes and go for a stroll!
If they didn’t know her so well, they would have suspected that Zhong Jueyu had been driven mad by anger.
Zhong Jueyu, walking ahead, seemed oblivious to their thoughts. She weaved through the bustling crowd, occasionally tilting her head to listen, her eyes unfocused as if she were eavesdropping on something.
Li Shigui finally couldn’t bear it any longer and stepped forward, whispering, “Your Highness, are you really going to agree to that old thing’s demands?”
Zhong Jueyu didn’t answer, merely glancing at her. Her phoenix eyes were pitch-black, reflecting not a single spark of light even in the candlelight.
The words caught in Li Shigui’s throat, and she found herself unable to speak.
Then, Zhong Jueyu suddenly asked, “What do you think of all this discussion?”
Li Shigui was taken aback for a moment before quickly replying, “It’s great, of course. They’re all speaking out against the injustice done to Your Highness.”
On this topic, she found her voice again and began to mutter, “I told you, Your Highness, you’ve been far too tolerant in the past, letting the Crown Prince and the others bully you to this extent. Listen to what the common people are saying. I can’t believe you endured it for so long.”
Zhong Jueyu pressed her lips together, annoyed by her subordinate’s foolishness, and turned her head to the other side.
Ruan He stood half a step behind her. When Zhong Jueyu looked over, she said in a low voice, “The Luo Family has a profound grasp of public opinion. From the last incident to this one, they’ve managed to spread the narrative they want in an extremely short amount of time.”
Zhong Jueyu nodded slightly. “And do you think that’s a good thing?”
“It’s like a double-edged sword. You can only be at ease when you’re the one holding it. Otherwise, a single misstep could get you killed by gossip and slander,” Ruan He said, clearly having thought more deeply on the matter.
Zhong Jueyu nodded again but said nothing more. She resumed walking, heading toward a pastry shop.
The shop was bustling. Even at night, a dozen people were lined up, and a sweet fragrance wafted from within.
Li Shigui scratched her head, utterly confused. The Little Daoist had been taken away by the Luo Family, so why was Her Highness buying pastries? She didn’t eat them herself. Was she trying to remember someone by looking at an object associated with them?
At that thought, Li Shigui felt a pang of sadness. Their Highness had finally come to her senses and stopped letting the Emperor and Crown Prince oppress her, only for the Luo Family to emerge as a new problem.
She hurried forward, pulled some silver from her robes, and made her way from the back of the line to the front.
The rules of the market were flexible. As long as one paid enough, Zhong Jueyu was instantly moved from the last spot to the very front.
Standing beside her, Li Shigui waved a hand grandly and said, “Shopkeeper, give us one of everything.”
The shopkeeper was naturally delighted and quickly began to pack up the order with a smile.
A moment later, Zhong Jueyu was holding several pastries wrapped in brown paper. Li Shigui offered to carry them for her, but she refused and continued walking on her own.
Ruan He and Li Shigui quickly followed.
After walking down the main road, they wound through a small lane, turning left and right until they arrived outside a residence. The plaque above the gate was inscribed with two large characters: Luo Residence.
The residence did not look as luxurious or imposing as the Princess’s. It had white walls and green tiles, with bamboo groves peeking over the walls. The servants who occasionally passed by were dressed in blue cross-collared robes, looking like scholars.
Ruan He and Li Shigui had no idea what Her Highness was planning. They could only follow as Zhong Jueyu circled to the side of the residence, then watched as she stood by the wall, seemingly listening for sounds from within.
This was…
Zhong Jueyu offered no explanation, only turning to them and saying, “You two head back first. Have the carriage wait for me nearby tomorrow morning.”
With that, she took a step back, then charged forward. She pushed off the ground forcefully with her right foot, planted her left foot on the white wall, and in an instant, her free hand had already grasped the roof tiles. With another push, her robes billowed, and she landed as lightly as a bamboo leaf inside the small courtyard.
As it was a side courtyard, no candles were lit. Aided by the deep darkness of the night, her black-robed figure vanished completely as she moved toward another area.
Outside the wall, Ruan He and Li Shigui were so shocked by her actions that they couldn’t react for a moment.
“Your… Your Highness is…” Li Shigui’s jaw dropped, and she stammered.
Their Highness, the Grand Princess Dening, personally ennobled by the Emperor, second only to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, a person of immense status, had actually! She had actually snuck over a wall into someone else’s residence!
“This, this!”
Li Shigui raised a hand, then let it fall, her face stiff as she blurted out, “So Her Highness silently led us around for half the day just to climb a wall and find the Little Daoist.”
And she had put on such a convincing act, making Li Shigui truly believe she had been driven mad by anger. Thinking back now, she must have been too embarrassed to tell them. She was a Grand Princess, after all, having to sneak over a wall to find her lover.
She looked at Ruan He, who had quickly stepped forward and was now wiping the white wall with her sleeve, smudging away the faint gray footprint.
If Zhong Jueyu were still there, she would have surely praised her for being much smarter than Li Shigui, for understanding why she had brought them out with her.
Ruan He turned and used her shoe to scuff out the footprint left on the ground. Now, not a single trace remained.
Li Shigui was still standing there like a wooden post. She blinked and mumbled, “How do you know how to do all this?”
Ruan He rolled her eyes and retorted, “Who do you think cleaned up after you all those times you secretly climbed the wall to sneak out of the palace?”
No wonder she was so proficient; she had done it countless times before.
Li Shigui gave an embarrassed smile and quickly said, “You really are my dear sister.”
Ruan He shot her a disdainful look. “Let’s go. We have to come back to pick up Her Highness tomorrow.”
“But… what about today’s events?” Li Shigui was still worried.
Ruan He countered, “Did Her Highness look the least bit worried to you?”
“Are you saying…”
“Her Highness likely had a plan long ago. Today, she simply made her decision,” Ruan He said with a look of understanding. “All we need to do is follow Her Highness’s orders.”
The Luo Residence was enormous. It had been continuously expanded since the previous dynasty and was now one of the largest estates in the Capital. Even the clan’s own disciples, who had lived there since childhood, would occasionally wander into an unfamiliar courtyard they had never seen before.
Fortunately, Zhong Jueyu was clever. She secretly followed a few servants to the rear courtyard and, using the hint Luo Yueqing had given her earlier, found a courtyard with a tall osmanthus tree.
She didn’t rush inside. Instead, she listened carefully to make sure there were no voices within before pushing open the unlatched door. She then turned to close it tightly before finally looking inside.
Perhaps someone had been sent to clean it today, for the long-unoccupied courtyard did not look dilapidated. The path paved with bluestone had been splashed with water and had not yet completely dried.
A candle was lit in the room, and a young woman’s silhouette was cast upon the paper-covered wooden lattice window, faintly revealing her graceful curves.
Zhong Jueyu, who had rushed all the way here, now hesitated, not stepping inside immediately.
She knew Luo Yueqing was holding in her anger. Back at the Princess’s residence during the day, Luo Yueqing had tried to stand up several times to furiously rebuke the two men, but Zhong Jueyu had held her hand each time to keep her seated. Luo Yueqing had thought she would say something, but in the end, all she said was a simple “fine.”
If Zhong Jueyu hadn’t secretly written the words “don’t worry” in her palm, Luo Yueqing would have long since flipped the Go board on the table and cursed the two for their wishful thinking.
But with Zhong Jueyu stopping her, she could only use the opportunity of their farewell to tell Zhong Jueyu the location of her small courtyard before leaving with her father and brother.
Having let Luo Yueqing stew in her anger for so long without an explanation, even Zhong Jueyu was a little worried.
But no matter what, she couldn’t just stand here forever.
Zhong Jueyu took a deep breath and walked toward the room.
The door was unlocked, just like the outer gate, as if it had been left open in anticipation of her arrival.
Still, she raised her hand and knocked, announcing her presence.
But although someone was inside, there was no response. Zhong Jueyu knocked twice more, but still heard no footsteps.
Her hand holding the pastries tightened. After a moment of hesitation, Zhong Jueyu carefully pushed the door open.
With a soft creak, the light from within rushed out. Lacking the swiftness she had shown when climbing the wall, Zhong Jueyu stepped hesitantly over the threshold.
Before she was fully inside, a cold voice drifted from the side. “The Empress has finally arrived?”
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