Chapter 150: Enemies on a Narrow Road

Although it was said to be Lin Yanyao’s maternal family and had no blood relation to the Wu family, with Lin Yanyao acting as the bond between them, it was completely fine for her to bring her sister-in-law along to enjoy the festivities on a day when guests were being received.

Among the noble and prominent households of the capital, young ladies frequently gathered in groups whenever lively occasions arose, and no one would find fault with them playing together.

Both Wu Qingyu and Wu Tan had insistently requested it, though Lin Yanyao had indeed hesitated somewhat at first.

Regarding her marriage, the Jiang family had acted unreasonably to begin with, and she had nothing shameful to hide. To be absent from such a grand occasion as her maternal grandfather's birthday simply to avoid people from the Jiang family would instead cause outsiders to suspect she had a guilty conscience. If she were going alone, that would be a different matter; but if those people really started gossiping later on, they would inevitably drag the Wu family and Wu Qingyu into it. She was unwilling to let Wu Qingyu be subjected to discussion and criticism once more on her account.

Therefore, since both Wu Qingyu and Wu Tan wanted to go, she hesitated no longer and sent someone back to the Lin residence with a message stating that she and Wu Qingyu would head straight over from the Marquis of Dingyuan’s Manor, telling Lady Li not to send anyone to pick them up.

As for Wu Tan’s leg, although the physician said it was healing very well, she had not yet reached the stage where she could get out of bed and walk. Wu Qingin actually did not want her to go out and subject herself to hardship.

However, unable to win against her stubbornness, he could only instruct Wu Qingyu to keep a close eye on her and take good care of her.

Ever since she was injured, she had been cooped up at home for nearly a month without stepping outside. It was not just that Wu Tan could no longer bear it; she truly did not want to endure it any longer.

The previous night, she had instructed her two maidservants to make sure to wake her up early. The next morning, she got up full of spirit and enthusiastically set about dressing and grooming herself.

When Thunder came with the physician to apply her medicine and saw her dressed in new attire, looking all radiant and pleased, he could not help but feel puzzled, "Second Young Miss, what are you..."

Wu Tan had recently preferred not to see him at all. Every time she saw him arrive, she would feel unhappy inside.

Ever since the sixth day when he brought the physician over, counting it now, more than twenty days had passed, yet Xiao Yue had not shown his face again, nor had he sent Thunder with a single word. What on earth did he mean by this?

"You're here?" The smile on Wu Tan's face faded slightly in an instant. Without wasting any breath, she motioned for the two maidservants to help her over to the couch, stretched out her leg, and said to the old physician, "Please hurry a bit with my treatment today, Physician. I have to rush out."

"Understood!" The physician naturally agreed readily.

Thunder was puzzled, "Where are you going, Second Young Miss?"

Wu Tan rolled her eyes, "Anyway, I'm not going to your place, and it's none of your business."

With that, she used her eyes to chase him away.

Since the physician needed to roll up her trouser leg to change the dressing, Thunder truly had no way to linger. With an awkward cupped-fist salute, he closed the door and went outside.

After changing her bandage, the physician grew impatient at the sight of Thunder and simply drove him away.

The wooden splints used to immobilize her leg had actually been removed these past two days, but after thinking it over for a moment, she had Xingzi fetch them back and tied them up beneath her trousers once more.

At the sight of this setup, Cheng Cheng’s hairs stood on end as she asked in sheer terror, "What are you doing, Miss? Are you geared up and ready for a street fight?"

Without changing her expression, Wu Tan tested it to make sure the wooden splints on her leg were securely fastened before feeling relieved, "Such a wonderful day, stop talking nonsense, making it sound like I'm going out to pick a fight. This is called 'carefulness steers a ten-thousand-year ship,' understand!"

Cheng Cheng could indeed not stop whatever Wu Tan set her mind to doing, yet she always felt uneasy inside. Therefore, although Xingzi was supposed to be the one accompanying her, Cheng Cheng stubbornly refused to let her go when it was time to leave, insisting on following her instead.

Xingzi was also unreliable, lacking a proper sense of proportion, and was entirely accustomed to following the young miss's wishes and joining in the mischief.

Seeing her insistence, and knowing she wasn't actually going out to stir up trouble, Wu Tan simply let her have her way.

The group of three, carrying prepared birthday gifts, set out.

Because they needed to bring Wu Tan’s wheelchair, the Old Madam’s large carriage was used. Lin Yanyao sat in the carriage with Wu Tan, while Wu Qingyu rode a horse.

Inside the carriage, Lin Yanyao was not in high spirits.

Wu Tan, however, was extremely excited since she hadn't ventured out for such a long time. After gazing at the street scenery for half the journey, she turned back to see Lin Yanyao silently drinking tea with a quiet expression. Rolling her eyes playfully, she poked her with a finger, "What's wrong with you, Cousin? Are you still feeling awkward about meeting the Jiang family later?"

Lin Yanyao raised her head and revealed a bitter smile, "There was never really anything between him and me anyway; if it's over, then it's over. It's just that we were perfectly fine relatives who suddenly reached this state. Thinking about it still leaves a lingering sense of melancholy."

Between her and Jiang Pingzhi, let alone romantic affection, they couldn't even be considered to have sibling affection.

It was simply because their mothers had made a verbal agreement regarding their marriage that they had maintained a slightly more frequent, bland-as-water association with one another.

If they were unrelated strangers, that would be one thing; but unfortunately, the two families were relatives, and they were bound to run into each other on necessary occasions.

Such a situation would not feel comfortable for anyone.

Wu Tan, however, did not dwell on such thoughts. Her logical reasoning had always been very simple—

Those who treated her well stood on her side; those who didn't could roll as far away as possible. She didn't care about estrangement or falling out; in any case, she was incapable of returning enmity with kindness, and her stance on repaying gratitude or taking revenge was always sharply defined.

"Forget it! Just treat relatives who scheme against you as if they don't exist," Wu Tan said. Not wishing to use empty words to comfort Lin Yanyao, she simply moved closer to her, blinking and making lively facial expressions, "Let me tell you something. A couple of days ago, I asked Eldest Brother, and he said the commotion surrounding the Zhuque Tower case is gradually subsiding. Lately, subtle winds have been blowing from the imperial court that someone is instigating a re-evaluation of the rankings of the top three scholars in this year's imperial examinations."

"Wasn't that case unsolved?" Lin Yanyao was quite astonished. "Without even catching the murderer, they're going to re-evaluate the rankings?"

Wu Tan smiled faintly, "The case certainly cannot be solved for the time being, but that can't stop your Jiang cousin from having backing in the imperial court. Empress and the Crown Prince hold firm positions, and the Jiang family’s daughter is about to become the Crown Prince's Consort. There are plenty of people eager to butter them up. With such an active opportunity to curry favor placed right before their eyes, naturally, some are too impatient to wait."

Lin Yanyao did not understand matters of the court very well, but she knew all about how the aristocratic families in the capital huddled together, pulled favors, and took sides. In the end, she only let out a depressed sigh, "It truly is a case of 'some families rejoicing while others sorrow.'"

The corpses and bones of the victims were not yet cold; even if someone had previously possessed the peerless talent of a top scholar, once fallen—

No one would care what became of him after death.

However, at the mention of this, she recalled a certain person and couldn't help straightening up slightly as she asked Wu Tan, "That Seventh Young Master of the Huangfu family... During this month I spent in the manor, I haven't seen him come to pay a visit once. Besides, didn't he rank third in these imperial examinations? If they re-evaluate the rankings, won't he..."

Before she could finish, Wu Tan interrupted her, "He won't at all. For one thing, he was never cut out to be an official. For another, his ranking was bought and paid for through donations of money and goods; it was simply His Majesty's reward for his philanthropy, nothing more. His position shouldn't change. Therefore, if they really are going to adjust the rankings, they will probably move the fourth and fifth places up. Besides, he didn't have much interest in the matter to begin with; he was just blindly following the crowd for fun back then. When you got married previously, I asked my Eldest Brother, and he said he had gone out to sea with a merchant fleet to oversee a batch of goods imported from overseas, and nobody knows when he'll be back."

Lin Yanyao wasn't envious that Jiang Pingzhi might soar to great heights; she merely felt that such despicable methods of stepping over others' blood and bones to rise to power were utterly sickening, and thus sneered coldly, "Is that so? Then it seems he hasn't been overly busy after all."

"Not necessarily!" Wu Tan said, blinking with lively interest. Just as she wanted to say more, the carriage beneath them suddenly swayed and came to a halt.

"We've arrived!" Wu Qingyu's voice echoed from outside.

The two girls quickly tidied their appearance.

A moment later, he dismounted personally and pulled open the carriage door.

First, he helped Lin Yanyao down, then lifted Wu Tan out and placed her in the wheelchair.

The Li family members announced the name of the Marquis of Dingyuan’s Manor, and Wu Qingyu had servants carry the gifts inside, leaving Changtai at the gatehouse to wait for registration, before leading his wife and sister inward.

Since Wu Tan’s wheelchair could not navigate the steps easily, it delayed them a little. Just as the servants helped carry the wheelchair through the gate, they heard the doorman outside announce, "The Pingguo Duke's Manor has arrived!"

Jiang Weisheng and Jiang Ningzhi had presumably gone to the yamen and planned to arrive around mealtime, so the Jiang family delegation was led precisely by Jiang Pingzhi.

She was also riding a horse, putting on the airs of an elegant young nobleman as she walked gracefully forward.

Behind her followed the carriages—

Casting an inadvertent glance backward, Wu Tan discovered to her surprise that there were actually two carriages.

That was very strange. Logically speaking, since this was Lady Li’s maternal family, only this branch of the family should be visiting, and the female family members should only be her and Jiang Yucheng—two mother-daughter pairs. Did they really need a carriage each?

Wu Tan intended to stay behind and take a look.

Inside, however, Mother Yang had received instructions from Lady Li and came out to welcome them, "Young Miss, Young Master, you've arrived! Old Master has been waiting quite a while, saying that since the new grandson-in-law is visiting for the first time, he must be brought in to meet him first."

With matters thus, the lively scene at the front gates was no longer worth watching.

Wu Qingyu smiled and took Lin Yanyao’s hand, "Then let's go inside first to pay our respects to Grandfather!"

Lin Yanyao returned his smile, "Alright!"

Although she knew full well she would encounter Jiang Pingzhi here today, running into him now still made her feel somewhat awkward. Before turning around, she couldn't help casting a glance out of the corner of her eye.

Mother Yang led the three of them into the main hall first.

Lady Li and Lin Xiucheng were already inside, keeping Elder Master Li company in conversation.

The old man’s hair and beard were already white, and he looked lean, but very spirited.

Although a married daughter was like poured-out water, and the fallout between Lin Yanyao and Jiang Pingzhi could be considered a grievance between the Lin and Jiang families, after the incident occurred, Lady Li had personally visited to offer an explanation to the old man.

While Elder Master Li could no longer manage the affairs of other households, he understood the ins and outs of the matter, and thus held a rather favorable impression of Wu Qingyu, his granddaughter's husband.

After the three of them paid their birthday respects, the old man wanted to keep Wu Qingyu to talk, so Lin Yanyao brought Wu Tan out. Pushing the wheelchair out of the courtyard and just as they were about to turn toward the garden, they coincidentally ran straight into Lady Li, who was bringing her own son and daughter in this direction.

Walking alongside Jiang Yucheng was—

None other than Princess Changping, Li Xun'er!

A meeting under such circumstances could well be described as enemies crossing paths on a narrow road.

Lin Yanyao’s footsteps came to a halt. Since Wu Tan was in a wheelchair and backing up was inconvenient, she simply remained where she was.

Seeing the two of them, Lady Li felt extremely uncomfortable as well, her expression involuntarily stiffening.

Originally, she had counted on Lin Yanyao offering a greeting, but Lin Yanyao merely pressed her lips together, directly acting as if she didn't see her, and lowered her gaze to say to Wu Tan, "Let's go to the floral hall; the young ladies are all drinking tea over there."

"Alright!" Under such circumstances, Wu Tan never suffered from stage fright and answered frankly and generously.

Jiang Pingzhi’s expression didn't look too good either.

Coming out today, Lin Yanyao had dressed in a matronly fashion, her long hair pinned up into a bun.

He had originally expected that after that upheaval, she would inevitably suffer a blow, but seeing her today, he discovered that not only did she show no signs of dejection, her complexion was even better than before. At this moment, standing there slender and graceful, her posture was both dignified and proper.

Jiang Pingzhi didn't harbor any lingering attachments toward her; it was just that after that incident, because Wu Qingyu went around spreading rumors that he had schemed to snatch the Jiang family's marriage, he was constantly ridiculed by friends whenever he went out lately, having explained himself countless times already.

Seeing Lin Yanyao now, naturally, he had no pleasant expression to offer.

The group could have simply brushed past each other and let it be, but Wu Tan had fixed her eyes unwaveringly on Li Xun'er from the very beginning. Even while talking to Lin Yanyao, she kept her neck tilted, staring at Li Xun'er with keen interest.

Li Xun'er was hardly a gentle soul, and seeing her provoke her with such an attitude, she couldn't hold back, immediately sneering, "Wu Tan, you really are everywhere. Even with broken legs, you can't just stay quietly at home, you still have to run outside?"

Cursing someone as crippled right off the bat—this Li Xun'er was truly vicious.

Lin Yanyao still remembered how the two of them had been plotted against by her atop Zhuque Tower. In a surge of intense anger, just as she was about to flare up, Wu Tan had already smiled brightly and retorted, "This isn't the Princess's Manor. If you can come here, why can't I?"

Li Xun'er looked her up and down. Seeing her seated in a wheelchair, although she hadn't been the one to inflict the injury, she was still very happy to see Wu Tan in misfortune, and thus continued to mock her, "It's not that you aren't allowed to come, but since it's a joyous occasion for Elder Master Li’s birthday, for someone full of bad luck like you to still show up at the door, isn't that bringing bad luck to the household? I heard that when you went to burn incense at Xiangguo Temple, even the Buddha there couldn't suppress your bad luck, and you even ended up burning down the temple itself? Since things are like this, you still can't behave yourself?"

"That's right! Even burning down a temple couldn't do anything to me, which shows not only do I have good luck, but my fate is also iron-clad. Princess, you still dare to provoke me? You certainly have a lot of nerve!" Wu Tan raised an eyebrow, once again casually deflecting the jab.

Li Xun'er truly could not fathom where Wu Tan got the nerve to speak to her like that. Her brows knitted tightly together, and just as she was about to flare up in anger, Wu Tan suddenly dismissed her, turning her attention to Jiang Yucheng, "Young Miss Jiang, I heard you fell ill recently?"

Jiang Yucheng lacked Li Xun'er's boldness, and coupled with the fact that she had suffered losses at Wu Tan's hands last time, she almost wanted to hide upon seeing Wu Tan now.

However, because she was with Li Xun'er and the latter had stopped here to speak with Wu Tan, she could not easily abandon her and walk away alone.

At that moment, when Wu Tan suddenly addressed her, she instinctively jumped in fright, "Ah?"

She had indeed been ill for a while; even now, she often still could not sleep peacefully at night.

Yet that matter was, after all, too disgraceful. Lady Li had always kept it hidden for her, conducting Taoist rituals in secret and telling outsiders only that she was quietly preparing for her wedding, never revealing a word about her illness.

How did this Wu Tan find out?

Jiang Yucheng unconsciously gave a shudder.

With her face still beaming brightly like spring, Wu Tan said, "The Buddha at Xiangguo Temple is still quite responsive. Let me tell you quietly, if the Taoist priest you hired isn't working, you might as well go to the temple and beg for a protective talisman to carry with you; perhaps that will suppress those filthy things!"

Li Xun'er, completely unaware of the hidden story on Jiang Yucheng's end, was left utterly bewildered by her words.

By this time, Jiang Yucheng was thoroughly frightened—
She felt as though she had encountered evil spirits and had even hired a spell-caster to drive away ghosts; such matters absolutely must not be spread outside. If people in the palace found out, they might well consider her ill-omened and it could affect her marriage.

"You—what are you spouting nonsense about? I don't understand a single word you're saying." Jiang Yucheng's gaze darted around in a flurry of panic.

She was genuinely terrified of Wu Tan now, and tears were already welling up in her eyes.

Li Xun'er loathed seeing this spineless behavior of hers and instantly grew furious, saying impatiently, "What are you afraid of her for? Can she possibly eat you up? In less than a month, you'll be the Crown Prince's Consort. Can't you show some backbone?"

Before she could finish speaking, a few people laughing and talking emerged from the neighboring courtyard.

Wu Tan’s eyes shifted, and she suddenly raised her voice, "Princess, speaking of which, I came here to pay birthday respects to Elder Master Li alongside my Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law. What on earth are you doing here following the Pingguo Duke's Heir and his wife?"

Since Lady Li had been willing to bring her out, it meant Jiang Pingzhi had already informed her of his relationship with Li Xun'er.

The matter had not yet spread outside during this period.

As these words fell, the few people who were about to step into the garden from the neighboring side involuntarily halted their steps in unison, turning their gaze toward this direction.