Chapter 212: Black and White
The carriage rumbled over the blue stone slabs, its creaking sound laced with Lu Xi’s anxious heart.
The maid, Xiang Yu, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, revealing the imposing gate of Princess Ping Le’s Mansion. The gilded suanni beast flickered in the morning mist, like a man-eating ferocious beast.
“Miss, do you really have to go in?” the maid, Bi Yu, asked softly.
Lu Xi stroked the bracelet Princess Ping Le had gifted her.
It felt heavy, like a shackle, pressing painfully against her wrist bone.
“If Ping Le wanted me dead, it would only take a word. Once I wear such a precious bracelet, how can I ever take it off?”
As they were led through the second gate by the gatekeeper, Nanny Zhou was already waiting, her old face creased into a smile like a withered chrysanthemum.
“The Princess is waiting for Second Young Lady Lu in Zhen Xia Pavilion. Please follow me quickly…”
The door to Zhen Xia Pavilion was ajar.
The door knocker had been newly painted, and the condensed morning dew had not yet dried.
Nanny Zhou curtsied, “Second Young Lady, please go in. This old servant will wait outside.”
With that, she glanced over, signaling the two maids, Xiang Yu and Bi Yu, to also wait where they were.
The autumn wind blew through the corridor. Lu Xi took a breath and stepped onto the blue stone ground, pushing the door open.
“Princess?”
The room was empty. She nervously turned the screen, only to see a man in a green robe standing before her. His face was flushed, and his sleeve cuffs were embroidered with half a branch of ink-washed orchids, very elegant.
It was Su Jin, the Third Place Scholar of the tenth year of Chong Zhao.
“Second Young Lady Lu,” Su Jin looked at her with a half-smile, a hidden depth in his eyes.
Lu Xi recoiled in shock, stumbling backward, her lower back hitting the doorframe, causing a numb pain.
“Young Master Su, why are you here?”
“Didn’t Second Young Lady Lu ask me to come?”
Su Jin took a flower-patterned note from his sleeve. The ink was still wet, and the characters “The sun moves, shadows shift, meeting east of Zhen Xia” made Lu Xi’s vision blacken.
She had never had any dealings with Su Jin, so how could she have written such a letter?
Ping Le had forbidden her from coveting the position of Crown Princess and had long been trying to arrange a marriage between her and Su Jin. It seemed her recent behavior had angered the Princess, leading her to set such a poisonous trap…
Seeing her panic, Su Jin smiled and stepped forward.
“I’ve long heard that the Grand Tutor’s daughter is both talented and beautiful. Seeing you today, it is indeed true…”
“Presumptuous!” Lu Xi was terrified. For a moment, blood rushed to her head, and she almost instinctively tried to run out, but the door was locked from the outside.
She shook it a few times, but there was no response from the maids. She stiffly turned back, her back pressed tightly against the door, looking at Su Jin with fear in her eyes.
“Why is Second Young Lady Lu hiding?”
Su Jin seized her wrist, his hot breath spraying by her ear:
“Didn’t we agree you would marry me?”
A sweet, cloying fragrance filled the air. Lu Xi looked at the strange, burning heat surging in Su Jin’s eyes, her throat tightening…
“Young Master Su, please have some self-respect!”
Lu Xi turned her head, trying to dodge, but was trapped between the door panel and the man’s chest.
She had never been alone with a man like this. Her fingertips were trembling, but her earlobes were redder than charcoal.
“Second Young Lady Lu, you fear me so much. Could it be you already have me in your heart? If I had known you were so delicate, I should have visited earlier…”
Su Jin chuckled, grabbed her, and pulled her into his embrace.
“Ah, help…” Lu Xi struggled desperately. Her collar tore, her hairpin askew, her hair falling loose and disheveled…
In her panic, the lock on the door clanged open.
Princess Ping Le arrived with a host of servants, their laughter filling the air.
“What a loving couple!” Ping Le looked at Lu Xi’s disheveled clothes and disheveled appearance, her voice like a silver needle dipped in poison.
“I didn’t realize Second Young Lady Lu was so fond of the Third Place Scholar.”
She walked closer, leaning on Nanny Zhou. Her pomegranate-red skirt swept over the threshold, and everyone bowed their heads as she passed, even their breathing becoming lighter.
Lu Xi’s body grew cold. She realized it was a setup but was helpless.
“Princess, save me! Su Jin, he, he broke in and tried to defile me… Please, Princess, judge this matter for your subject!”
She knelt before her, tears streaming down her face, but dared not speak ill of Ping Le.
Ping Le let out a faint hum and waved her hand.
“All of you, leave. Remember, keep your mouths shut. If even one person spreads rumors that the Grand Tutor’s daughter was meeting the Third Place Scholar in secret, I will not be lenient…”
“Yes.”
Everyone withdrew, holding their breath.
Xiang Yu and Bi Yu were also dragged away by rough servants.
Ping Le bent down, picked up the pearl hairpin Lu Xi had dropped, and played with it with a smile.
“What do you want me to do, Princess?” Lu Xi heard her own voice tremble.
“That’s right, you’re not stupid, acting like you just came from the Women’s Workshop.” Ping Le chuckled and glanced at her, her lacquered fingernail tracing her pale cheek.
“As long as you obey me, I will not only not harm you, but I will also help you achieve your wish…”
She leaned close to Lu Xi’s ear and whispered.
“Don’t you want to be the Crown Princess? After it’s done, I’ll personally arrange the marriage for you, alright?”
Lu Xi’s expression changed, “Princess…”
Ping Le chuckled, like a viper flicking its tongue.
“Second Young Lady Lu wouldn’t want today’s secret meeting to become the talk of the town, would you? Bringing shame upon the entire Lu Mansion?”
Lu Xi shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her face, “I didn’t meet Young Master Su in secret. No one will believe me.”
Ping Le sneered, “If a daughter ruins her reputation, can she still dream of being the Crown Princess? How could Li Zhao fancy a notorious slut?”
–
When Lu Xi returned to the Lu Mansion, the sun was already high in the sky.
She dismissed everyone and sat alone before her dressing table, gazing at her pale face in the mirror. The bracelet on her wrist gleamed with a cold light.
Ping Le’s words echoed in her ears like heavy hammers: “The reputation of the Lu Mansion, your dignity for the rest of your life, all depends on your courage this time…”
Ping Le’s scheme was both poisonous and ruthless, killing Empress Xie and framing Xue Sui, killing two birds with one stone. After hearing it, she couldn’t help but tremble all over…
Before her was an abyss.
Behind her was a cliff…
The tempting illusion of the Crown Princess position, the reputation and safety of the entire Lu Mansion, the nightmare of a ruined reputation, all pressed down on her, making it hard to breathe…
“Miss, it’s time to eat.” Bi Yu’s voice came from outside the door.
Lu Xi slammed the cosmetic box shut, her fingertips trembling, “Come in.”
Bi Yu pushed the door open and glanced at the cosmetic box, hesitating to speak.
“Miss, please have some porridge first.”
Lu Xi shook her head, let out a sob, and collapsed onto the embroidered stool, weeping uncontrollably.
–
In the side room of the Lu Mansion, Bi Yu stared blankly at the window paper.
“What are you thinking about?” Xiang Yu pushed the door open and saw her holding a handkerchief, lost in thought. She teased, “Are you thinking about the young master from the blacksmith shop?”
Bi Yu quickly hid the handkerchief under her pillow, her earlobes burning, “Sister, you’re teasing me again!”
Then she looked at Xiang Yu hesitantly, “Sister, today is his birthday. I want to go out and see him.”
Xiang Yu chuckled, “Aren’t you going quickly? Don’t let him wait until the sparks die out… As for Miss, I’ll keep an eye on her for you, don’t worry…”
Bi Yu ran off with a blush.
–
In the blacksmith shop west of the city, sparks flew onto A Hu’s dark arms. He swung his hammer, his arm muscles taut, sweat trickling down his neck…
“Brother A Hu,” Bi Yu ran over, standing outside the threshold.
A Hu dipped the newly quenched ironware into cold water. As white mist rose, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and picked up a warm oiled paper packet from the ashes.
“Here,” A Hu grinned, “It’s braised pork knuckle from Liu Mazi on East Street, still hot.”
Bi Yu shook her head, “My miss has been restless these past two days. How can I eat…”
Before she could finish, her stomach growled, making her earlobes turn red with embarrassment.
A Hu chuckled and stuffed the oiled paper packet into her hand.
“You need to eat to have the strength to work…” He lowered his voice, “Did you come in such a hurry because there’s been some movement at the Lu Mansion?”
Bi Yu’s hand trembled, and some sauce stained her sleeve cuff.
She quickly took out a handkerchief and, as if by chance, slipped what she had brought into A Hu’s sweaty palm.
“Princess Ping Le wants to use a borrowed knife to kill.”
A Hu took it, put it in his chest, and pressed a newly forged dagger into her hand.
“For Miss to defend herself.”
Bi Yu blushed.
The clanging of hammers echoed from the blacksmith shop. A Hu’s bronze back glistened with sweat. Bi Yu clutched the dagger and turned to run out, a shy expression on her face.
The firelight of the blacksmith shop illuminated A Hu’s figure. He raised his hammer again…
–
The morning mist had not yet dispersed. The gardenias in the back courtyard of Prince Duan’s Mansion were withered and curled by the autumn frost.
Xue Sui leaned on the corridor, scattering fish food, watching the koi leap out of the water.
“Miss…”
Jinshu approached with a tea tray, curtsied, her tone respectful and urgent.
“Eldest Young Master requests your presence.”
Xue Sui stood up without a word.
The autumn wind swept across the lake, creating small ripples.
She looked at the Nine-Bend Bridge in the distance, recalling Wen Jia’s haggard appearance when she visited the mansion the other day.
“Prepare some calming medicinal materials. I will personally go to Princess Huguo’s Mansion,” Xue Sui ordered loudly as she stood up, her skirt sweeping across the stone bench.
“Oh, and bring that box of candied plums too. Niu Niu likes them.”
As Xue Sui entered Sang Liu Courtyard, Tianshu was arranging a chess game in the pharmacy.
A Ling Qiong Flute lay on the table, and the room was filled with the scent of medicine.
He wore a moon-white robe, his dark hair loosely tied, a white jade hairpin slanted in it. The cold and aloofness in his eyes made him seem like an immortal detached from worldly affairs, handsome and extraordinary.
“Li Huan has been watching closely lately. Are there any tails?”
“Don’t worry. That guy is too suspicious, I’ve been extra careful.” Xue Sui sat down lightly and naturally picked up some snacks from the table to eat.
“Has Ping An understood Duke Lu’s chess manual?”
Tianshu pointed to the sandalwood chessboard by the window and invited her to play.
The sandalwood chessboard was infused with the scent of medicine.
Xue Sui glanced at Tianshu’s expression, raised her eyebrows slyly, and sat down with a sigh.
“Indeed, nothing can be hidden from Senior Brother.”
She tapped the chessboard with a white piece. “Duke Lu was the founding Prime Minister, with disciples all over the world. Even after retiring for many years, his influence remains deep. What’s most admirable is Duke Lu’s clear discernment of right and wrong, preferring poverty to associating with traitors.”
“Unfortunately, this chess game never has just black and white sides.” Tianshu placed a black piece on the three-three intersection, then suddenly looked up at her, a hint of deep meaning flashing in his eyes.
If there were black and white in the world, what would the Old Mausoleum Swamp be?
Gray.
Gray can also be justice…
Xue Sui tapped the chessboard lightly with her fingertip. “Senior Brother, you didn’t call me here today just to teach me chess, did you?”
Tianshu’s expression was solemn. “In the third volume of the ‘Three Strategies for Peace,’ it is written about borrowing power—Ping An, the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet is an opportunity to borrow power.”
The river wind swept through the willow branches and blew in through the window.
After hearing the news Tianshu had obtained from the blacksmith shop, Xue Sui pulled her clothes tighter. Her hand holding the white piece paused, and the piece fell with a clatter.
“Ping Le is digging her own grave.”
Killing intent suddenly appeared on the chessboard.
“In this game, the Old Mausoleum Swamp is willing to be a pawn crossing the river.” Tianshu’s fingertip rubbed the patterns on the chessboard, his gaze as cold as quenched iron.
“Master truly intends to involve the Old Mausoleum Swamp and break years of peace…”
It was clear she still had doubts.
Tianshu said seriously, “A chess game built on two hundred thousand white bones should not trap the players, but allow them to break the game and be reborn.”
