Chapter Five: The Reason
In the midst of the silence, Second Cousin’s husband rushed over in a panic, calling out loudly, “A-Jiao! A-Jiao, what happened to you?” Pushing his way through the crowd, he hurried forward.
Then he, too, was stunned.
The unusual quiet finally roused Pingyi from her vacant gaze; she slowly turned her head in this direction.
No one knew how much time passed before a trembling voice cried, “Heavens above! Oh, heavens!” Another woman, shuddering, exclaimed, “It’s the Dao Lord—he has manifested! This wicked woman dared to swear false oaths beneath the Xuan Yun Temple, and the Dao Lord himself has punished her!”
As shrieks broke out, most people simply stared with wide eyes.
Just now, A-Jiao had sworn to the heavens that if she harbored ill intentions toward Pingyi, she would lose the child in her womb. No one expected that in the blink of an eye, she would actually miscarry!
No one knew how much time passed before a cool, clear voice sounded: “So this is what it means that Heaven cannot be deceived, nor can the Dao Lord be slighted?”
The speaker was Lu Ying, but no one looked her way. Those who had come to their senses only turned in unison to look at Wu Lang. In their hearts, they all thought: Indeed, Heaven cannot be deceived, nor can the Dao Lord. This A-Jiao—so young, and yet so vicious! She really did plot to seduce her benefactor’s husband, with nothing but ill will!
Thank goodness Heaven has eyes! The scheming of this wretch was thwarted!
Wu Lang’s honest face turned pale, then flushed, and as he met her gaze, the groaning A-Jiao suddenly woke from her daze. White-faced, she reached out to him, her eyes brimming with tears, calling, “Wu Lang!”
Seeing his lover’s pleading eyes, Wu Lang, who had been so gentle and caring moments before, did not go to her; instead, he stepped back.
His strange, distant look, the crowd’s aversion and rejection, suddenly came into A-Jiao’s view. She had been in agony and hadn’t noticed the words being spoken. Now, clear-headed, she abruptly remembered her own vow.
The oath she had just sworn—had it really come true?
At this thought, fear and dread seized A-Jiao, draining all color from her face.
Standing to the side, Lu Ying caught the look of utter despair on A-Jiao’s face, then glanced at Wu Lang, his expression now filled with regret and shame as he hurried to Pingyi. A faint smile flickered at the corner of Lu Ying’s lips before she turned to leave.
She knew—A-Jiao was finished. Her life was ruined.
After walking a short distance, she reached a patch of grass and bent down to retrieve her bundle, hidden there. But when her hand reached out, nothing was there. Startled, she heard a voice behind her: “Your things are here.”
The voice came from right behind her. Lu Ying slowly turned to face a young man dressed all in black. His expression was cold, and as Lu Ying looked at him, he tossed her bundle over.
Once she caught it, the young man spoke in an emotionless tone, “My master sent me to ask: the pregnant woman—do you bear her any grudge?”
The pregnant woman—was it A-Jiao? Lu Ying stiffened. Studying the impassive young man, she realized he must have seen her throw the meat bone onto A-Jiao’s skirt. How curious his master must be, taking an interest in women’s quarrels.
Despite her thoughts, Lu Ying shook her head honestly. “No grudge.”
“Oh?” The young man’s voice remained flat. “Then why did you frame her? Do you realize what you did could ruin her life?”
Lu Ying nodded. “Of course I know.” Her gaze was clear and cold as she looked at him and spoke slowly, “Since she sought to destroy my second cousin’s life, why shouldn’t I pay her in kind?”
At her reply, the young man actually paused in thought. Then he looked up and said, “Very well, go on.”
Lu Ying blinked and suddenly asked, “If I answer well, is there a reward?”
This question took the young man by surprise. He stared at her woodenly, but Lu Ying’s expression didn’t change; she replied naturally, “Judging by your dress, you’re not ordinary folk, and your master must be even wealthier or nobler. Since he shows such interest, surely he wouldn’t begrudge a reward.”
He’d met many who sought rewards for their words, but never one who did so as forthrightly and calmly as this girl. No wonder his master’s eyes had lit up when he saw her—she was certainly bold.
With this in mind, he pulled a gold ingot from his robe and tossed it to her. “Speak.”
Lu Ying caught it and slipped it into her sleeve, then continued, “It’s simple. My second cousin loves her husband deeply. If that A-Jiao were allowed into the family, I fear my cousin wouldn’t have the strength to go on. Since someone had to fall, why shouldn’t it be the one with ill intent?”
She tilted her head. “I’ve said my piece. Does your master wish to know more?”
The young man shook his head. “No. But he does have a message for you.” Meeting Lu Ying’s clear gaze, he said quite seriously, “My master says that to set this plan in motion so calmly in such a short time marks you as someone with potential. But for such a small matter to be discovered by an outsider like him shows your skills are not yet refined. If you have time, study the Doctrine of the Mean.”
At the mention of that Confucian classic, Lu Ying, usually so detached, couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of her mouth. This was the first time she’d ever heard the teachings of moderation and balance described as a manual for cunning.
The young man was clearly just a messenger. He added, “By the way, my master said, don’t you have a betrothed? Go and break it off. When you’ve mastered the Doctrine of the Mean, he’ll grant you a concubine’s position!”
With that, he turned and walked away, not noticing how Lu Ying’s face flushed with anger at his final words. If she were a man, she might have spat at his back.
But anger aside, the thought of having gained such a hefty gold ingot for nothing soon made Lu Ying cheerful again. She swung her bundle as she walked, humming a song as she made her way toward the main hall of Xuan Yun Temple. As for the young man in black and his inexplicable master, she’d already put them out of her mind.