Chapter 19


Lu Chenglian gazed at the furious Gu Xiyan.

Her face was flushed with a rouge-like glow, like the alluring peach blossoms of March.



He didn’t take his eyes off her, chuckling lightly,



“What?



Did I say something wrong?” Gu Xiyan bit her soft lips gently and shot him a glare,



“Third Master is naturally always right.



How could you be wrong?



Third Master has shown me great kindness; even if you were to say something wrong, I wouldn’t dare be upset.



Say whatever you please.” She hardened her heart and said,



“If Third Master feels like scolding me a few more times, feel free to do so.



As long as you’re happy, I’ll endure whatever you throw at me.



Aren’t I just trying to repay your kindness?” Lu Chenglian watched as she fumed, her chest rising and falling with each breath.



Even the plainest gown couldn’t hide the graceful charm that emanated from her figure.



His ears flushed slightly red, he pursed his lips and replied hoarsely, “When have I ever mistreated you?” Upon hearing this, Gu Xiyan felt an inexplicable bitterness and grievance welling up inside her.



She shot him a resentful glance, saying, “Just because the Third Master says there isn’t doesn’t mean there truly isn’t.



Whether I’ve been mistreated depends on whether I feel willing or not.



If I’m not willing, then it’s mistreatment.” Lu Chenglian was taken aback for a moment, his dark eyes fixed intently on her.



“Since you say so, why bother coming to my place?



If word gets out, it will only give rise to suspicion, making people think there’s more than meets the eye.” Gu Xiyan whispered softly,



“I only came as courtesy dictates, to formally express my gratitude at your door.



Is the third master perhaps overthinking things?” Hearing this, Lu Chenglian was furious, grinding his teeth.



“Fine, so you’ve learned the trick of burning the bridge after crossing the river, kicking me a thousand miles away the second you get what you need.” Gu Xiyan lowered her eyes in submission.



If he wants to get angry, let him be angry.



He can’t do much to her anyway.



If it really comes to that, she can run to Princess Ruiqing or to the old lady.



Could he possibly make this public?



Doesn’t he care about his reputation?



Doesn’t he want to marry the daughter of the commandery prince?



Those with nothing to lose fear no one—that’s exactly the point!



Lu Chenglian stared at her for a long moment, taking in her appearance of resigned acceptance, and suddenly let out a scornful laugh.



“I understand, I understand what you mean!” He abruptly flicked his sleeve and strode away.



Beside them, Qiu Sang listened in fearful anxiety, not daring to lift her head.



Only after hearing Lu Chenglian walk away did she dare to glance up, trembling as she looked over.



That Third Master, walked away so harshly, it seemed like the green stone slabs beneath his feet were almost stomped to pieces!



She cautiously looked at Gu Xiyan,



“Grandma?” Gu Xiyan slowly gathered his thoughts,



“Let’s go.” He was angry this time; perhaps their relationship would be completely over.



*************** Lu Chenglian, in a fit of anger, entered his own courtyard.



The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere in the courtyard instantly turned somber.



A servant hurried forward to lift the curtain for him, but Lu Chenglian paid him no attention.



Upon entering the flower hall, I saw that there were still uncleared tea cups on the table.



I asked coldly,



“Where is Yingtong?” Yingtong and Peibai were whispering in the side room when they heard the commotion and hurried over with quick, small steps.



Lu Chenglian cut straight to the chase:



“Who has been here?” Yingtong hurriedly replied,



“It was the Sixth Mistress—” Lu Chenglian:



“What did she come for, and who let her in?



What, does everyone think they can just waltz in here as they please?” Yingtong was startled, and Peibai was terrified as well.



Lu Chenglian then asked,



“What is she doing here?” Yingtong whispered,



“She said the Third Master spoke up for her mother’s family’s case and came to express her gratitude, bringing gifts as well.” Gifts?



Lu Chenglian:



“She sent a gift?” Yingtong:



“Yes, she said it was just a token of her heart.



I thought it looked inappropriate and didn’t want to accept it, but she insisted on leaving it.” Peibai, standing nearby, chimed in:



“Both Yingtong and I told her that we have no use for such items and asked her to take them back.



Third Master isn’t one to accept gifts lightly.



Yet she insisted on leaving them.” At this point, she lowered her voice and muttered,



“She’s the young mistress, after all, using her status to pressure us.



As servants, we couldn’t really say much.” There was naturally a hint of complaint in these words.



Lu Chenglian frowned.



“Peibai, do you feel wronged serving as a maid here?” Peibai was taken aback.



Seeing this, Yingtong hurriedly interjected,



“Master, that’s not what she meant.



She just said it offhand.” Lu Chenglian chuckled coldly, “If you feel wronged, you can leave.



No one is stopping you.” Pei Bai’s face paled with fright, her eyes wide and fixed.



Her legs gave way beneath her, and she dropped to her knees right there.



“Third Master, this servant was wrong.



I beg for your forgiveness.” Ying Tong knelt beside her as well, pleading on Pei Bai’s behalf.



Ignoring them, Lu Chenglian instead inquired, “What did the Sixth Mistress say?



What gifts did she send?” Yingtong hurriedly explained the whole situation in detail.



Lu Chenglian:



“An inkstone?” Yingtong:



“Yes.” She suddenly felt the air around her turn several degrees colder.



Lu Cheng Lian:



“Where’s the inkstone that was sent?” His voice was calm, yet it carried an ominous tension, like a gathering storm.



Yingtong quickly signaled to the little maidservant beside her, who hurried off to fetch it.



Lu Cheng Lian took it, frowning as he examined it closely.



The more he looked, the uglier his expression became.



Yingtong felt a chill in her heart, realizing she might have done something wrong.



At that moment, she finally heard Lu Chenglian say word by word:



“Utterly absurd.” With that, there was a loud



“bang” as the inkstone was thrown to the ground, the sound so sharp it made one’s heart tremble.



Lu Chenglian’s eyes were icy with rage:



“Such a worthless thing—what’s the use of keeping it?



It’s an eyesore.



Throw it away!



Throw it far, far away!” His fury was so intense that everyone was quite frightened.



Pei Bai’s hands trembled as she quickly picked up the inkstone and hurried out, intending to have a servant discard it.



At that moment, she suddenly noticed something dark hanging upside down on the moon gate, startling her.



When she looked closer, it turned out to be Amole.



Peibai gritted her teeth in anger,



“That damn black monkey is always asking for trouble, always putting on an act to scare people!” Amo’le quickly flipped off and landed, scratching his head in embarrassment,



“I was just waiting for Third Master’s orders.” Hearing this, Peibai casually shoved the sandalwood box towards him,



“Go on, throw this away, get rid of it far, far away.” Amor carefully examined the small box from every angle.



Peibai glared fiercely, saying,



“I can see that our master is truly angry today.



Remember well—throw it away!



Don’t keep it for yourself, and absolutely don’t pick it back up!



If you dare disobey, watch out, or I’ll have your dark hide stripped off!” Amor was immediately frightened.



She quickly responded,



“Throw it far away, I understand, throw it far away!” Peibai:



“Good, that’s the right attitude.



Now go.” Amer was so frightened that she shrank back, clutching the box and scurrying away in a flash.



Back in the room, Yingtong naturally couldn’t understand why Lu Chenglian was so upset, and recalling his previous outburst, she realized both incidents seemed to be related to the Sixth Madam.



Remembering what the Sixth Madam had said about the



“case outside,” she couldn’t help but form some suspicions.



As the Third Master was the most trusted and favored minister by the emperor’s side, various branches of the household always sought to curry favor with him or ask for his help.



Clearly, the Sixth Madam’s affairs had troubled the Third Master.



As a widow and the wife of his younger brother, he couldn’t easily refuse her, and though he had handled the matter in the end, it was against his will, leaving him displeased deep down.



Now that he’s come here with a mere inkstone to seek favor, it would only tarnish others’ reputations.



If word gets out, people will think they can come to Third Master for any request, causing endless trouble.



Since she had her suspicions, she was even more determined to keep her distance from Gu Xiyan in the future.



But for now, she didn’t dare speak, only gently offered tea and served carefully.



At that very moment, Peibai entered, standing carefully to the side, not daring to say a word either.



Lu Chenglian naturally had no use for tea.



He rose and instructed,



“Mother hasn’t been feeling well these past few days, and she lacks proper attendants by her side.



I’ve been preoccupied with daily affairs and haven’t had time to tend to her.



Peibai, from now on, you will take orders at Taihe Hall.” To Pei Bai, those words struck like a bolt from the blue.



Now that Lu Chenglian was unmarried and had no one in his chamber, among the maidservants, Yingtong was considered the foremost, and she came second.



One could say life was smooth and carefree; every day she could leisurely crack melon seeds and order the junior maidservants about.



But if she went to the Princess’s residence, not to mention the different rules there compared to other places, just the Princess’s maids and attendants alone were all difficult to deal with.



Once she went there, what would her standing be?



Everything would require carefulness, always having to watch others’ faces!



The crucial point was, being dismissed by the Third Master meant everyone knew her path to becoming a concubine was completely blocked.



Her face ashen, she fell to her knees with a thud and pleaded,



“Third Master, this servant knows she was wrong.” Lu Chenglian’s expression was cold and unyielding, clearly leaving no room for negotiation:



“Get out.” Yingtong, standing nearby, wanted to plead on her behalf but merely moved her lips slightly and ultimately said nothing.



There would inevitably be someone taken into the third master’s chamber sooner or later; if one were to be chosen, it should be her, but what if something unexpected happened?



Yingtong bit her lip and lowered her head.



She felt a twinge of guilt, but also thought that even if she pleaded for leniency now, it would be futile.



********* In the past, whenever Gu Xiyan saw Lu Chenglian, she would either be distracted or filled with anger after speaking to him.



But this time, she had surprisingly calmed down.



She recalled the verse from *The Platform Sutra*:



“It is not the wind that moves, nor the flag that moves; it is your mind that moves.” Looking back now, she realized that all her emotions—love, hatred, resentment, and obsession—stemmed from her unwillingness to accept her stagnant life.



She had longed for something, and when this man appeared before her at her most helpless moment, seemingly willing to lend a hand, she had allowed herself to expect more.



Once expectations arose, forbidden sentiments began to take root.



Now, she knew for certain that he was to marry the daughter of the county prince’s family.



Having truly visited his courtyard and seen the two women managing his daily affairs, she understood clearly just how distant this person was from her.



There was an insurmountable chasm between them, one that neither could cross.



However, Qiusang clearly remained resentful: “This truly shows that a crooked beam leads to a leaning house—no wonder Yingtong and Peibai treat the young lady as if she’s not their mistress.



The root of it all lies with the third master.



Even though he helped the young lady, she spoke to him politely and came to express her gratitude.



But what about him?



As the saying goes, you don’t strike a smiling face, especially when the young lady even went as far as to spend fifty taels on a gift of thanks!



Fifty taels, fifty taels!



Gu Xiyan chuckled softly,



“Who cares about him?



Now that the matter is settled, let him do as he pleases.



As for his anger—” As he spoke these words, Gu Xiyan suddenly remembered his elder brother’s affair, which the Haifang Guard was still investigating.



Actually, if the person is gone, there’s no need to go out of the way to ask for his help just to investigate.



Surely, he wouldn’t be so heartless as to deliberately prevent the widow of a fallen soldier from receiving her compensation, would he?



If that were the case, she would definitely confront him over it.



As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, then there’s nothing to fear.



Once the ties between them are severed, it will all be settled for good.



If he thinks this favor is too grand for my meager thanks to repay, fine!



After he passes away, his cousin, Lu Chengyuan, can be held accountable for the debt—and he’ll have to settle the interest that’s accrued over all these years as well.



Let the brothers sort it out between themselves!



In this world, once a person understands the way of life, everything else falls into place.



Gu Xiyan walked briskly, ready to return to her own courtyard.



But before she had taken more than a few steps, she suddenly heard Qiusang gasp softly in surprise.



Gu Xiyan looked at Qiusang with confusion and asked,



“What happened?” Qiū Sāng trembled as she said,



“I saw a shadow, just like a black monkey, dart past from this side.” Gu Xiyan glanced around and saw no one, then replied,



“It must have been your imagination playing tricks on you.



Where would a monkey come from in this mansion?” In the past, no matter what animals the various ladies of the household kept, they were always things like ponies or small dogs, never a monkey.



At that moment, before her eyes, a black shadow suddenly darted through the depths of the bamboo grove, swift as a gust of wind, vanishing in an instant among the lush green bamboo leaves.



Gu Xiyan was stunned: “Is that…



a black monkey?” Qiu Sang clenched her fists, staring in the direction where the shadow had disappeared: “Madam, it was a black monkey just like that one which kidnapped me that day—I remember it!”