Chapter 84

Translator:

NovelMultiverse |

Editor:

NovelMultiverse

Yu Linglong didn’t move; she seemed to be asleep .

Lord Xu apparently felt that this news was very fresh, and told the entire situation to Yu Linglong: “Gan Yezhou has been the crown prince and prince for 20 years . Now that he is powerful, it is too difficult to pay . He is only in his 50s . All of a sudden, his son went missing, and the people in the house of Gan still don’t know how urgent it is!”

Yu Linglong knew that Lord Xu always gossiped . He wouldn’t let go of the affairs of inner courtyards of the Yu house, and naturally he knew everything about other people’s homes . Now Lord Xu kept speaking while she was only listening to the cicadas singing outside the window .

Lord Xu was obviously very content, and he told Yu Linglong all the rumors he heard outside: “Did you know? People say that the Blue Lotus Cult has tied up the little son of the Gan family, and they say that they would use this to blackmail Gan Yezhou . They would make Gan Yezhou write a letter to persuade his father to abdicate and give the crown to the prince . ”

Yu Linglong finally opened her eyes: “Abdicate?”

It was the first time that she heard Lord Xu talk about things in the court . Although she didn’t understand ancient rules, she also knew that the throne was hereditary . Now the emperor was in good health . Why do they want him to abdicate?

When Lord Xu saw Yu Linglong speaking, he was even more interested: “Linglong, don’t you know what it means to abdicate? I’ll tell you—”

“Okay,” Yu Linglong interrupted Lord Xu impatiently, “Who will be the emperor, and what does it have to do with the Blue Lotus Cult?”

Lord Xu said nonchalantly, “Probably because they feel that the emperor is old and weak?”

Yu Linglong was really speechless with this lord . As for the prince, she didn’t have any business with him . His father’s throne was unstable, and he didn’t take it seriously .

Yu Linglong said faintly: “Your house is all messed up, and you still have free time to come out and play?”

Lord Xu leaned forward with a smile and said in a low voice: “I don’t care about them . I just want to protect you . ”

Yu Linglong only felt cold all over, even the wind from Lord Xu’s fan felt cold .

There was a lot of chaos outside, and people were panicking, but Lord Xu still had the mood to have a love affair .

Fragments of sunlight came in from the window lattice and sprinkled onto Yu Linglong’s body . A dress embroidered with celestial blue water and a lotus flower was draped on the couch, adding a touch of beauty to her slender body . On her porcelain-white face, her fan-like eyelashes hung down slightly, casting a long shadow and shaking like b.u.t.terfly wings . This scene was really pleasing to the eyes .

The person on the couch turned sideways . With a lazy and charming posture, she said casually: “The people of the Qinglian Cult are really stupid . If you catch a child, could you make the emperor listen to them?”

Lord Xu smiled and said: “You don’t know? This kid is empress Gan’s nephew and the only descendant of the Gan family . Even in the face of the empress, the father is more dedicated . ”

Yu Linglong was sensitive to the estrangement in Lord Xu’s words, calling the emperor father, and only referring to the empress as empress .

Perhaps living in the royal family was not necessarily a lucky thing . At the very least, the people in it were not necessarily happy .

Yu Linglong didn’t care about Lord Xu’s mood, and immediately focused on another matter he mentioned .

“Empress Gan…is Gan Taifu’s younger sister?”

This Gan Taifu sounded very powerful . He was the teacher of the prince, and his younger sister was the empress queen . When this was sorted out, would the uncle teach the nephew?

Lord Xu said dismissively: “Yes, haven’t you heard of it before?”

He didn’t pay attention to Yu Linglong’s thoughtful look, and Lord Xu obviously didn’t care about these twists and turns, and he immediately changed the subject: “Is the dagger I gave you last time easy to use?”

Yu Linglong remembered that the dagger that Lord Xu had sent was indispensable for saving her from danger twice, and the expression on her face relaxed a little: “It’s okay, it’s pretty easy to kill dogs with . ”

Lord Xu was taken aback: “You…you used it to kill dogs?”

Yu Linglong raised her eyebrows: “What’s the matter?”

Lord Xu reluctantly shook his head and sighed: “What a waste . ”

Yu Linglong said coldly: “Who is wasteful? Go and see for yourself, what is in the vacant buildings on the west side of the yard?”

Speaking of wasting things, who was better at that than Lord Xu? She didn’t know where he got it from, she didn’t want him to spend money on her . The vacant rooms in Pinlan Garden were all filled with things sent by this guy, and they were almost piled up to the ceiling .

Seeing Yu Linglong’s anger, Lord Xu hurriedly said with a smile: “Linglong, I was wrong . You can do whatever you like with the things I give you, let alone killing dogs, chickens, or toads!”

Yu Linglong was speechless . She really couldn’t do anything with this guy . She beat him, and he escaped quickly and came back in a few days; she scolded him, and he was always smiling, never getting angry at her; she ignored him, and he went straight through the house, visiting Pinlan Garden to report from time to time .

She thought this little prince would use up his fresh energy in a few days, but who knew that he would persevere in pursuing her .

Yu Linglong sighed, “Leave, I want to rest . ”

He’d never seen Yu Linglong look so pleasant . Lord Xu was almost happy . His eyes narrowed when he laughed . Hearing Yu Linglong saying this, he said, “Linglong, I’ll take you to an opera tomorrow, okay?”

Yu Linglong waved her hand impatiently: “No, I’m not going anywhere on such a hot day!”

The more frustrated Lord Xu got, the more courageous he became: “Then I will ask the theater troupe to sing for you in the house!”

Yu Linglong’s anger boiled over . She grabbed the teacup and threw it: “I can’t talk to you anymore!”

Only when Yu Linglong was furious would Lord Xu obediently pick up his tail and leave . He brushed the tea from his clothes and said with a grin: “Then you rest first, and I will see you tomorrow!”

After finally dismissing the sticky candy, Yu Linglong was lying on the couch, but she was a little impetuous and could no longer sleep .

What Lord Xu had said just now kept circling in her mind . She seemed to think there was something important, but she couldn’t grasp it . After thinking about it for a moment, she suddenly had an inspiration and immediately had an idea .

Turning over and sitting up, Yu Linglong said in a loud voice: “Xuan Cao, Ling’er!”

…

Early the next morning, two carriages pulling a pile of large boxes stopped at the back door of the Yu house .

The head person knocked on the door, and a door-keeper poked her head out and looked at them suspiciously: “Who are you looking for?”

The man smiled and said, “We are in the Lubao troupe . The Fourth Lady of your house said that today we are going to sing . ”

The woman at the back door looked at them suspiciously: “Wait here . I’ll go in and report to the mistress . ”

The door slammed shut, and the person behind whispered, “Isn’t it just a general’s mansion? It’s so difficult for even a working woman to speak . ”

The troupe leader hurriedly stopped them and said, “Stop talking . It’s nothing to wait a while . ”

A girl in a floral dress chuckled softly: “Why is the troupe leader so careful? We have served officials bigger than this general, but we haven’t seen the troupe leader so frightened . ”

The troupe leader spat back: “What do you know? When the capital is being searched for Blue Lotus cultists these days, and how can anyone listen to the opera? The theater group hasn’t opened for many days . If we don’t serve them carefully, you’ll all be left cold and hungry!”

The girl turned her back and stuck her tongue out, afraid to speak .

The people in the troupe were chatting in low voices, and no one noticed that in the dark, several pairs of scrutinizing eyes were looking at them .

After a while, the gatekeeper came and opened the door: “Come in . ”

A group of people filed in with the carriage and followed the gatekeeper into the inner courtyard .

The woman led them to a hall and said: “The Fourth Lady has ordered you to just sing here for one hour . Set up the stage first . ”

The troupe leader replied: “Yes, yes . Please rest a.s.sured . Tell the fourth lady we will definitely use all our abilities to serve you n.o.bles . ”

The woman nodded and went to the inner courtyard to report .

In Pinlan Garden, Yu Linglong looked at Xuan Cao in the bronze mirror, carefully inserted the last gold hairpin on her hair, and then faintly said: “People will go to the yards, saying that to welcome the old lady back home, I invited everyone to watch the show . ”

Ling’er was such a child . After hearing these words, she couldn’t help asking: “Miss, can the people in our yard go to the theater?”

Yu Linglong nodded: “Go! All of you! The more people, the better!”

There would be too many people to distract the people in black and make her plans easier .

Hearing that they could watch the show, the maids of Pinlan Garden were all delighted and happily went to each house and courtyard to inform everyone .

In the past few months, this was the first time Yu Linglong invited everyone to watch a show . Who wouldn’t dare to come? Besides, Yu Linglong made it plain and clear that she had invited the theater troupe to welcome Lady Yu’s return home . Even if someone wanted to dishonor Yu Linglong, they still had to honor Lady Yu .

If you don’t go to the theater, do you not welcome Lady Yu?

No one would take this risk, and the excited maids were all urging their mistresses to go, so all the ladies of the Yu Mansion, big and small, agreed to go, and Mu s.h.i.+ was no exception .

As soon as the stage of the Lubao troupe was set up, people had already arrived one after another, taking their seats .

Yu Qianfang’s hair had grown an inch . In the hot weather, the black veil was still densely wrapped around her head, but her blue and white scalp was finally gone .

The scars on Yu Qianjiao’s face remained unhealed, but fortunately, Mu s.h.i.+ did everything possible to find her a pair of ivory dentures, which finally supported her shriveled cheeks without being too embarra.s.sing . [Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse . com]

Yu Qianliu was not hurt, and her hair was nice, but when she saw Yu Linglong, she looked like a mouse who saw a cat, and she didn’t dare approach her even from a distance .

Yu Linglong looked around at the crowd and couldn’t help feeling very satisfied . Now, no one in the Yu house dared to look down on her as a commoner’s daughter, let alone bully her .

Yu Weide and Yu Weiyuan were sitting at the same table . As usual, they moved silently, but they were not very noticeable .

With the support of Concubine Dong, Mu s.h.i.+ slowly walked to the seat of honor . Seeing Yu Linglong sitting on the side, she hurriedly sat down a little farther away and looked at Yu Linglong nervously from time to time .

Was this girl going to invite everyone to the opera?

She didn’t believe that Yu Linglong would be so kind . When she remembered that all the money for the opera was taken from her, Mu s.h.i.+ was in pain .

But she didn’t dare to say anything . Yu Linglong was under the guise of Lady Yu . Even if she was the mistress of the house, she couldn’t do anything wrong .

Lady Yu finally arrived . Everyone hurriedly got up and bowed to her, and said in unison, “We pay our respects to the lady . ”

Lady Yu had lived on the mountain for three years . Now, when she saw the scene full of children and grandchildren, she couldn’t restrain her smile: “Please rise . ”

Yu Linglong sat next to Lady Yu and said: “Whatever kind of opera the old lady likes to listen to, just request it . ”

The host who had been waiting a long time ago hurriedly offered the playbook . The maid next to Lady Yu carefully took it and gave it to Lady Yu: “Lady, please read it . ”

Lady Yu smiled and said to Yu Linglong: “It’s a bother to show your filial piety, it’s extremely difficult to get this Lubao troupe . ”

Yu Linglong smiled slightly and didn’t take it to heart . Right now, there were more important things to worry about .

Lady Yu flipped through the playbook, ordered a few lively scenes, and smiled, and said to the troupe leader: “Sing well and our Fourth Lady will reward you heavily!”

After speaking, she said to Yu Linglong amused: “Fourth Girl, don’t be stingy . If you don’t have money, I’m afraid they won’t sing with all their hearts!”

Yu Linglong pursed her lips and nodded faintly . The troupe leader looked pleased and respectfully saluted: “Please rest a.s.sured, Lady and Fourth Lady, the younger ones must use all their skills to serve the distinguished guests . “

This group of masters traveled all over . They were knowledgeable, and they could see who was in charge of this mansion at a glance, so naturally they tried their best to flatter them .

Mu s.h.i.+ was left aside . She was so angry that she didn’t say a word, or else she would succ.u.mb to internal injuries .

With Yu Linglong present, the others were even more reluctant to come up . Only Concubine Mei was on the side with Zhang Luoshui and talking to Lady Yu for fun, and finally, the atmosphere warmed .

In a short while, the gong was already on the stage, and the dull atmosphere gradually became lively .

Yu Linglong sat for a while, then got up and walked out . Ling’er and Xuan Cao hurriedly followed, but she waved their hands to stop them .

There were some things she must do by herself .

She saw that the sun was high in the sky, and the Yu house was quiet everywhere . Everyone was watching the show, and no one was to be seen .

Yu Linglong walked slowly in the garden . The sky was scorching like fire, and the ground was full of cherry red and willow green . She did not feel the heat at all but felt that there was a cold and invisible pressure around her slowly approaching .

Sensing a gust of wind behind her, she didn’t turn her head back, and said coldly, “Aren’t you tired after being with me for so long?”

In the blink of an eye, a long black figure appeared on her side . The silver mask glowed with cold radiance in the sun, and the silver eagle on the corner of the robe fluttered in the gra.s.s by the roadside, fluttering like a b.u.t.terfly .

The man’s thin lips were slowly raised, and a pair of brilliant eyes looked down at Yu Linglong with inquiry and sarcasm: “Since you know that you can’t escape my eyes and ears, why don’t you hand them out generously?”

Yu Linglong snorted coldly: “Does anyone who is secretly monitoring others have the face to talk about being upright?”

The man’s eyes suddenly became cold: “You are testing my patience . ”

The tall body suddenly approached with a threatening force . Yu Linglong only felt a familiar smell pa.s.s by her nose . Before she could think of anything, the man’s low voice had already sounded in her ears .

“My patience isn’t very great, so you’d better give him to me immediately!”

Yu Linglong’s expression did not change, and she continued to walk forward slowly: “Don’t follow me anymore . Where is he now? I don’t even know . ”

Her slender arm was suddenly grabbed by the man’s big hand . The man’s suppressed anger sounded like m.u.f.fled thunder in the sky, buzzing in her ears: “So you really let Feng Xuanyuan leave!?”

Yu Linglong’s pink mouth twisted into a sarcastic smile: “Didn’t you already know?”

Two cl.u.s.ters of angry flames leaped in the man’s eyes, and they were about to burn the pet.i.te woman in front of him: “Impossible! I ordered people to keep all exits—”

Yu Linglong raised her pretty face without fear, and interrupted him coldly: “Are you sure you know every exit of the Yu house?”

The man let go of Yu Linglong’s hand, and raised his hand to push Yu Linglong away: “You are too bold!”

Before the palm of his hand touched Yu Linglong’s clothes, his wrist was tightly pinched by a small white hand . Yu Linglong narrowed her beautiful eyes and stared straight at the eyes behind the silver mask .

“If you didn’t catch anyone, how would your master punish you? Huh?”

Feeling the sudden tightening of the man’s muscles in her hand, Yu Linglong slowly let go of his hand: “Chase after him now, maybe there’s still time . ”

A suspicious arc was drawn across the corner of the man’s lips: “Will you help me?”

Yu Linglong sneered: “I am not interested in the grudges between you . All I want is to stay out of the situation and not help anyone . ”

So she only needed Feng Xuanyuan to not die in the Yu house, and then he wouldn’t have anything to do with her . After leaving the Yu house, if Feng Xuanyuan was dead or alive, it had nothing to do with her .

The gloomy eyes pierced Yu Linglong’s beautiful face with a cold light . The man looked at her for a while, then turned around suddenly, and disappeared in the blink of an eye .

Yu Linglong watched the black shadow disappear like a ghost and immediately turned back to the stage .

“Xuan Cao, Ling’er, follow the plan . ”

…

The night finally came .

The leader of the Lubao troupe got the reward and asked everyone to pack their things and walk to the back door .

Several figures in the dark stared closely at the movement of everyone in the troupe, and whispered: “How is it, are there any problems?”

“I checked . When they came in the morning, there were 28 people . Now there are 25 people . There should be three people in the carriage . ”

“There should be? Are you sure!?”

“This……”

“You don’t know the commander’s temper? Are you sure or not!?”

After a moment of silence, the answering voice said softly: “I’m not sure . ”

“I would rather kill someone accidentally than let him go . ” The cold voice said in the dark, “Search!”

The Lubao troupe had just turned the corner when they were stopped by a few men in black .

Feeling that the other people were not good, the troupe leader hurried forward and trotted a few steps: “Dear fellows, what can I do to help…”

They didn’t wait for the troupe leader to finish, but he was pushed aside roughly by a man in black, and several black figures went straight to the carriage .

The people around were so frightened by the sudden situation that none of them dared to step forward .

The thin carriage curtain was suddenly lifted, and several people in the car were startled and raised their faces .

With the dim light of the lantern on the front of the car, the few ink-filled faces in the car looked strange .

Looking at the costumes on them before they had time to change, the head man in black snorted heavily, looked at them sharply, and confirmed that there were only three people in the narrow carriage before lowering the curtain .

The men in black didn’t say a word . They turned and left, and disappeared suddenly like apparitions .

The horrified people looked at each other . The troupe leader recovered and waved in a panic: “Go, go!”

…

Three days pa.s.sed, and the days seemed to return to calm . The only change in Pinlan Garden was that Tong Hua, who was not important, was suddenly promoted to a second-cla.s.s maid, who could enter the inner room to serve Yu Linglong .

In the quiet afternoon, there were only waves of cicadas in the yard . Xiao Qing sat in the shadow under the porch, her nimble hands flying around, embroidering a complicated pattern .

When the curtain in the main room was lifted, Xiao Qing looked up and saw Tong Hua walking out with a basin of water . She hurriedly put away the work in her hands and greeted her with a smile: “Is the lady awake? “

Tong Hua smiled shyly: “Not yet . ”

Seeing Xiao Qing look at the copper basin in her hand, Tonghua lowered her head and explained: “The sky is too dry . I’m afraid the dust in the room is too much, so I wiped the table and bench . ”

Xiao Qing smiled, concealing a trace of jealousy under her eyes, and said: “You have great eyesight and value, and you want to get something like this . No wonder the lady only promoted you . ”

Tong Hua’s face turned red, and she said softly: “It’s just my luck . ”

Xiao Qing cleared her throat and said, “I’ll ask you this, why haven’t you seen Ling’er for several days?”

Tong Hua shook her head hesitantly: “I don’t know either . ”

Xiao Qing looked around and lowered her voice, “Did you ask Xuan Cao?”

Tong Hua raised her head in surprise: “How…how is this easy to ask?”

Xiao Qing smiled awkwardly: “They are sisters who do things together . I just care about her . Could it be that she did something wrong and was thrown out by the young lady?”

Facing Xiao Qing’s questioning, Tong Hua only shook her head apologetically: “Sister Xiao Qing, I really don’t know . ”

Xiao Qing was resentful to her and flicked Tonghua’s forehead: “You, what a problem, I was really blind to this open position!”

Tong Hua hadn’t spoken yet, but only heard a cold voice in the room: “If you can’t mention her, how can you mention yourself?”

The two maids were startled, and hurriedly turned around and bowed together: “Miss . ”

Yu Linglong said in a low voice, “Leave, Tong Hua . Xiao Qing, come in . ”

Xiao Qing groaned inwardly but didn’t dare to disobey in the slightest . She walked in lightly and knelt down as soon as she entered the room .

“I know that I was wrong, and I no longer dare to gossip anymore . I beg you to spare me this time!”

Yu Linglong looked condescendingly at Xiao Qing: “I spared you the first time, and you dared to offend me a second time . Did you forget the punishment last time?”

Xiao Qing couldn’t help feeling a faint pain under her knees, and her tears couldn’t stop streaming down: “I really know I was wrong, and I don’t dare to ask anymore!”