Hua Moli rubbed her cheeks, which were sore from laughing, and took a large gulp of tea. "As expected of a play performed for the palace. I’ve never seen Xingze act so humorously before; his fundamentals are truly solid!"
It turned out that the Empress Dowager’s Shengshou Festival fell in early May. Thus, it was customary every year at this time to select a group of performers to present gifts to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager at Ziyun Tower, located near the Luming Garden in the southwest of the capital. Consorts, princes, and princesses would also leave the palace to watch, making it an event where the court and the commoners shared in the joy. Competing for this opportunity required not only a solid foundation and strong backing but also immense financial support. With Boss Jiang arrested at such a critical juncture, many troupes that had previously failed the selection were already scrambling to take advantage of the vacancy. Xu Xingze had to withstand them all. I suspected that his eagerness to curry favor with Wei Qingming might have been for this reason. Wait, the southwest of the capital, Ziyun Tower...
I nudged Wei Qingming and said seriously, "Do you remember the location corresponding to the first murder's formation? It was near Ziyun Tower, wasn't it?"
She nodded faintly. "It is."
A bad premonition gnawed at me. I looked at Wei Qingming with concern, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. She smiled and patted the back of my hand, signaling that all was well. "When the time comes, A-Zhi can come if she wishes. You can even bring your Senior Brother and Sister."
I swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "You don't dislike my Eldest Senior Brother anymore?"
Wei Qingming shrugged. "We are neighbors now; there is no need to be so petty."
...So she gets to say all the nice things, while Eldest Senior Brother would surely be fuming if he heard her.
Speaking of which, over the past fortnight, both sides had truly fulfilled their promises. Wei Qingming had personally invited Bai Yuyu to set up a formation for the front shop, using the finest formation plates and talismans. If properly maintained, even a cultivator in the Star-Plucking Realm would find it difficult to force their way in within a hundred years. Of course, if professionals like Bai Yuyu or Wei Qingming wanted to dismantle it, that would be a different story... but there was no need to worry; why would such masters look down upon our small, shabby shop?
Eldest Senior Brother, in turn, had seriously constructed an illusion formation for the back courtyard. It was of a level that only an illusionist in the Rosy-Cloud-Consuming Realm who had attained an understanding of light could see through. This was where the Wujing Sect’s formations had an advantage; even if one's cultivation wasn't high enough, one could still set up formations beyond their level by using spirit crystals and high-grade materials. This was why, a year ago, Wei Qingming had been able to design an ambush to kill Lu Kaifeng, a Rosy-Cloud-Consuming Realm cultivator, while she was only in the middle stage of the Cloud-Swallowing Realm. Illusions, however, required one's mental techniques and realm to completely suppress the opponent, otherwise the outcome was uncertain, and one could not set up formations beyond their level. But there was no need to worry about that either; currently, the only person who could break Eldest Senior Brother’s illusion formation was our Master... and she wouldn't exactly go around smashing her own disciples' work.
The rehearsal continued until late into the night. The actors gathered to chat and laugh, pointing out each other's shortcomings. There were still three or four scenes that needed to be restaged. Hua Moli and I couldn't wait that long, and only when we could delay no further did we reluctantly stand up to leave. Xu Xingze and Lin Xiazhu smiled as they saw us to the door. After walking a short distance, just as I was about to wave goodbye to Hua Moli and head to our respective carriages, she suddenly turned to Wei Qingming and said with a solemn face, "If Xingze... if Xingze is in trouble, could you save his life?"
Wei Qingming smiled and said, "Sister, you think too highly of me. I may not be in a position to say yes."
"Hah, stop pretending." Hua Moli shook her head. "Do you think he truly cherished Sister Tingyun so much that he sued the official out of rage for her sake?"
"I know."
"Mhm, you must have already dug through their entire history and know them inside out," Hua Moli said, her tone tinged with a hint of sorrow. "They... they are all people of bitter fate. I know Xingze has his secrets, but I... I am powerless. If only Huzi could really scrape together enough money for their redemption..."
She looked up at the starry sky and smiled. "When I was fifteen, I ran away from the capital and followed their troupe from north to south. Back then, Boss Zhang and Boss Jiang hadn't made their fortunes yet. They often rented carriages, boats, and theaters together. Xingze and Huzi could still see each other every day... *The Dream of Linchuan* hadn't yet become famous across the land... If only that year could have lasted forever... If only they had never returned to the capital..."
The two of them were speaking in riddles, and I could only listen in silent frustration. In the dark night, under the starlight, Hua Moli's tears fell like dew, sliding down her cheeks and silently soaking her collar. I put my arm around her shoulder and gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
Wei Qingming waited gallantly for a moment before saying, "Life is as the dew upon the shallots, a mere sojourn. In this world, nothing is ever truly perfect."
"Fine, fine." Hua Moli brushed away her tears. "I've said my piece. Master Wei, do as you please." With that, she turned resolutely and boarded her carriage.
Wei Qingming and I rode slowly side by side. In the quiet night, only the lonely sound of hooves could be heard as the horses tossed their manes and snorted. My heart was filled with the worry of an approaching storm. I asked, "What did Sister Moli mean when she said Xu Xingze doesn't cherish Meng Tingyun as much as he appears to?"
"Meng Tingyun is seven or eight years older than Xu Xingze. After Xu Xingze was bought by Boss Jiang at the age of ten and left the capital, Meng Tingyun always looked after this younger junior brother with great care," Wei Qingming said. "Perhaps with a bit too much care. Until Xu Xingze was fifteen or sixteen, Meng Tingyun still forced him to sleep in the same bed every night."
My face flushed crimson. "So you mean... Xu Xingze hates her for what she did... but he still has some feelings for her."
"Mhm." Wei Qingming smiled. "Meng Tingyun's madness has been a long time coming. Xu Xingze only escaped her control after he became famous. That day, when I pretended I was going to kill Meng Tingyun, the truly natural reaction was like Tong Jinhu's. Although Xu Xingze held her hand tightly, his posture was stiff and distorted. He wasn't protecting her; he was hesitating whether to push her under my blade. Those harsh words he spoke during the interval might have been for the sake of the art, or they might have been to trigger Meng Tingyun's madness."
"So the fact that he sued the official for her only increased your suspicion."
Wei Qingming nodded. "Since the night of the fourteenth, I have had people monitoring the Yuezhou Guildhall. By the twenty-first, a piece of Nether Jade appeared out of thin air, which shows it wasn't done by an outsider. That Pan Yi was a crude laborer recently hired by the guildhall because the Yushan Troupe was staying there. And Meng Tingyun's room is certainly not a place a servant like him could enter."
The answer was almost self-evident. I remained silent for a long time before saying, "I hope he doesn't do anything foolish again."
"Mhm," Wei Qingming said. "Looking at his actions these past few days, he is not as naive as he appeared when he sued the official. Now that he is in charge of the Yushan Troupe, as long as he behaves himself, I can consider sparing his life. A-Zhi, don't forget, he is also inextricably linked to the deaths of those five innocent women."
I let out a heavy breath, beginning to understand Wei Qingming's earlier lament about life. Indeed, this world was not like a play where good and evil were clearly rewarded and everyone lived happily ever after; it was merely a chaotic haze that left one feeling despondent and speechless.
Wei Qingming gave me three entry passes for the Shengshou Festival at Ziyun Tower. It seemed her invitation for my Senior Brother and Sister to watch together was not mere politeness. The performance was the day after tomorrow. The next day, I hurried to find Eldest Senior Brother and gave him the two jade plaques engraved with the Ziyun insignia. These things were hard to come by even for a thousand gold pieces. Lu Kaifeng naturally knew who had sent them to me, but he wasn't the type to be petty; he smiled and accepted them.
I couldn't find Lu Lingfeng anywhere in the suites of Xixi Tower. Lu Kaifeng said, "A-Ling has recently taken a liking to scouring for ancient paintings on Great Xiangguo Temple Street. She left early this morning." I laughed. "Oh? I heard a few large art galleries held a painting competition there a few days ago. Did Second Senior Sister go to take the top prize?"
"With those messy scribbles of hers..." Lu Kaifeng shook his head with a smile. "They don't follow any rules at all."
I discussed a few matters regarding the shop with him before leaving Xixi Tower to go home. Starting tonight, Wei Qingming would have to personally stand guard at Ziyun Tower, so I didn't expect to see her tomorrow. Perhaps her letting Eldest Senior Brother accompany me was because she couldn't get away herself and wanted a reliable person to protect me.
Early the next morning, Chang'an Street was congested again. Eldest Senior Brother and I set out from Xixi Tower toward the southwest, which happened to be the direction where the crowds were thickest. We were stuck on the road, unable to move between the carriages and horses. The morning sun was already beginning to show its summer heat. Even with my veiled hat, I was sweltering, so I pulled out the fan Wei Qingming had personally inscribed to fan myself. Seeing how novel the fan was and how exquisite the calligraphy, Eldest Senior Brother couldn't help but take a few extra looks. It was a small fan, barely three inches long, and it always felt cool to the touch, never warming with the heat of one's hand. The fan surface was made of densely arranged ribs of thousand-year mother-of-pearl from the North Sea, carved with openwork patterns that looked somewhat like a Western style. There were sixteen ribs in total. Excluding the decorative patterns on the two outer ribs, each of the remaining fourteen was inscribed in small regular script with a line of poetry—Li Bai's poem that begins with "Green waters meet the brushwood gate." it was both simple and elegant, perfectly capturing the essence of friendship. I had received it a few days ago and liked it very much; I never left home without it dangling from my wrist. However, the line "Still I cherish our parting over poetry and wine; deeply I speak of the rivers and seas" always made me feel melancholy whenever I saw it, as the day of my departure from the capital drew nearer.
Seeing my cheeks flushed red from the heat, Eldest Senior Brother handed me a jade flask. It was the long-missed herbal brew made from the Purple Shoot tea produced on our mountain, flavored with fruits and flowers. It had been chilled overnight, and the tea fragrance was rich, cool, and refreshing. I took it, drank deeply and happily, then smiled and thanked him as I handed it back. Lu Kaifeng said, "No need for such politeness," and tucked it back into his robe.
"Where is Second Senior Sister?" I asked. "Is she not coming to see the excitement today?"
"I gave her the jade plaque. It depends on whether she's interested." Eldest Senior Brother wasn't worried about his sister's safety at all. After all, she possessed the most unorthodox tricks; she was always the one tormenting others, never the other way around...
In all the chaos, I didn't have time to get a good look at the scale of Ziyun Tower from the outside. I hurriedly followed Eldest Senior Brother as we squeezed into the building. We managed to reach our seats just before the lockdown. In another fifteen minutes, the imperial family, relatives, and noble officials would enter, and commoners would no longer be allowed to enter freely.
After winding past several screens, we finally found our seats. At a glance, I saw a woman already sitting there. Her back was graceful and delicate, looking as if she might blow away in the wind. But when she turned her face...
If I hadn't been trained by this sister since childhood to have a strong heart, I would have been scared to death.
Lu Lingfeng had painted her face with the greasepaint of a female demon from Northern Opera. She spread her hands and let out a hoarse, low growl. Lu Kaifeng stepped in front of me, brushing aside his sister's ghostly claws. "A-Ling, stop fooling around. Wipe that off quickly."
A-Ling turned her head away indifferently, pretending not to hear.
I fanned my chest while smoothing my skirt to sit down, looking around to see if there was anyone I knew. The Wen family had said they were coming today, but this Ziyun Tower, a legacy of the previous dynasty, was a grand three-story building covering a vast area. The stage was in the center of the second floor, and the seats above and below were packed. Secret methods were used to ensure that the audience's visual and auditory experience was flawless regardless of where they sat. For a moment, I couldn't see where they were, though I did spot Miss Zhou Sihuai, whom I had met at the night banquet, on the same floor.
Speaking of which, Wei Qingming was truly too powerful. Although the imperial family sat at the highest point, the second floor offered the best direct view of the performance. She had arranged for us to sit right at the side of the stage on the second floor. Although it wasn't directly in front, it was prime real estate that many would fight over... plus, we could directly observe how the imperial family members on the third floor entered, exited, and sat!
