Qi Lingbo, stunned by her mother’s shout, stood dumbfounded.
Cai Zhao’s smile faded as she said calmly, “Mistress, let’s keep the peace, shall we?”
Yin Sulian trembled all over. Aunty Mao supported her while shouting fiercely, “Everyone out! Retreat twenty paces from this hall and stand guard!”
The old woman’s authority was evident as all the lackeys retreated in unison. The unaware Qi Lingbo tried to protest but was pushed out by Aunty Mao, with Dai Fengchi following. Chang Ning gave Cai Zhao a deep look before turning to leave.
Only Yin Sulian, Aunty Mao, and Cai Zhao remained in the hall.
“You… where did you see those letters?” Yin Sulian asked, her voice trembling.
Cai Zhao replied, “How would I have these letters? Of course, they were left by my aunt.”
Aunty Mao, being much shrewder, said, “Don’t think you can deceive us with a few words. What letters? We know nothing about them!”
Cai Zhao sighed, “Well if Mistress doesn’t believe me, I can recite a few more. This time, let’s not mention Zhang San—’Dear Brother Zhen, upon hearing of your recent cough, I’ve been consumed with worry, unable to sleep peacefully. Your illness pains my heart, so I’ve personally prepared a loquat syrup…'”
“Stop reading!” Yin Sulian shouted.
“Mistress, your writing in your youth was quite good. It flows beautifully and conveys sincere emotions, much better than the eulogy Master read a few days ago,” Cai Zhao rubbed her ears. “It’s just the dates that are problematic. When you wrote the first few letters, you were probably still engaged to Uncle Qiu Renjie. The later ones are even more damning—by then, Old Master Yin had just arranged your marriage to Master.”
Yin Sulian staggered back into her seat.
Aunty Mao gritted her teeth, still in denial, “A few letters prove nothing. Who knows if they’re real or fake? Don’t think you’ve got leverage over us!”
Cai Zhao replied, “Whether it’s a big deal or not, I don’t need to say. In any case, I’m not the only one with Mistress’s handwritten letters. Aunt Xian has several, the Guangtian Gate should still have letters you wrote to Mistress Qinglian, and certainly, several ladies at the Siqimen would have some. Comparing the handwriting would reveal the truth.”
Aunty Mao’s eyes flashed dangerously, her knuckles making slight cracking sounds.
Yin Sulian’s face turned pale as she weakly said, “So Cai Pingsu was prepared for this all along, stealing these letters to blackmail me.”
Cai Zhao smiled ruefully, “You and my aunt have known each other since childhood. Despite your differences, do you not know whether my aunt would steal these letters?”
Yin Sulian’s face remained ashen.
“Uncle Zhou personally handed these letters to my aunt. You just don’t want to believe it.”
“No, no… Zhi… Zhou Zhuang is a gentleman. He wouldn’t… he couldn’t…” Yin Sulian struggled, clutching Aunty Mao’s arm like a drowning person.
“Uncle Zhou is indeed a gentleman, but even gentlemen have their priorities. In Uncle Zhou’s heart, dispelling my aunt’s doubts was more important than keeping your secret,” Cai Zhao said with light mockery.
Yin Sulian let out a cry and covered her face, weeping.
Aunty Mao said in a deep voice, “That’s because Zhou Zhuang trusted your aunt, knowing she wouldn’t spread it around.”
Cai Zhao tilted her head, thinking, “…That’s true. My aunt isn’t that kind of person.”
“Then how did you see these letters!” Yin Sulian asked anxiously.
Cai Zhao teased, “Mistress, think about it from my aunt’s perspective. With such a ‘loving’ elder like you around, would my aunt let me come to Qingque Sect unarmed to become a disciple?”
“What exactly do you want?” Aunty Mao stepped forward, her aura surging.
“Nothing in particular,” Cai Zhao said calmly. “Let the past generation’s affairs remain in the past. From now on, please don’t interfere in matters between me, Senior Sister Lingbo, and our fellow disciples.”
…
The golden-red sky bathed the entire Shuanglian Huachi Palace in an indescribably beautiful light. Walking back to Qingjing Studio, Cai Zhao inhaled the fresh scent of surrounding plants, unable to help to admire the beautiful scenery.
Unexpectedly, Chang Ning said, “So, Mistress Sulian had a secret affair with Zhou Zhizhen?”
Cai Zhao was startled, “Don’t talk nonsense! Uncle Zhou isn’t that kind of person!”
“Then it was a case of unrequited love—the goddess’s intentions, the king’s emotions.”
Cai Zhao deflated, “Did Constable Chang tell you this too?”
“It’s not hard to guess,” Chang Ning said casually as they walked. “The letters you recited were likely love letters written by Mistress Sulian in her youth, and to an inappropriate recipient. Before her marriage, she was either engaged to Qiu Renjie or the Sect Leader. If those letters were seen by others, her reputation would be ruined.”
Cai Zhao asked, “How do you know she didn’t write them to Qiu Renjie or Master?”
“If it were either of them, she wouldn’t have been so panic-stricken just now,” Chang Ning said with a slight smirk.
He continued, “Twenty years ago, there were three rising stars in the righteous martial arts world: Song Shijun, Wu Yuanying, and your Uncle Zhou. Song Shijun was engaged to Mistress Qinglian early on, and my father said he was quite the ladies’ man in his youth, attracting many admirers. Mistress Sulian often stood up for her elder sister against him, so it’s unlikely to be him.”
“Wu Yuanying frequently visited Qingque Sect, and Wanshui Qianshan Cliff would have been a perfect place for secret meetings. Mistress Sulian wouldn’t need to write letters. So that leaves Zhou Zhuang—”
“In terms of looks and character, he was the best of the three. Moreover, your aunt would only have been able to get hold of letters written to him. Your Aunt Cai has been kind all her life, and finally gave Yin Sulian a taste of her own medicine. How satisfying!” He clapped his hands, laughing.
Cai Zhao was silent for a long time before saying, “You guessed the first part correctly, but you’re wrong about the end. My aunt didn’t give me those letters.”
Chang Ning was surprised, “Then your mother gave them to you for protection?”
Cai Zhao shook her head, “No.”
She looked up at the magnificent sunset, feeling a tightness in her chest. “I found those letters by chance when I was little, rummaging through my aunt’s old belongings.”
“My aunt had long forgotten about these letters. She never intended to use them against anyone.”
“She burned those letters and taught me that ‘using personal secrets to blackmail others is not the act of an upright person.’ What I recited earlier was just what I had memorized back then.”
Chang Ning gazed at the girl intently, “But you still used those letters to threaten Yin Sulian.”
“Yes.”
Cai Zhao stopped walking, her lacquer-black eyes unusually calm. “Because I’m not my aunt.”
In her mind, she recalled her final exchange with Yin Sulian—
“If you want me not to interfere in your affairs in the sect, you won’t say anything?”
“That’s right.”
“How can we trust you? What if you change your mind? You must hand over those letters!”
“I won’t give you the letters, so you’d better trust me.”
“You…”
“Enough.” Yin Sulian interrupted Aunty Mao and looked up at Cai Zhao. “I believe you. You were raised by Cai Pingsu. She lived a righteous life, so I trust you.”
As the doors closed behind her, Cai Zhao heard Aunty Mao trying to persuade Yin Sulian—
“Mistress, don’t you know what kind of person Cai Pingsu is? She relies on her unparalleled martial arts and never stoops to blackmail, especially not against a weak woman like you. She would never lay a finger on you, which is why nothing has happened all these years. I bet if it weren’t for that little girl coming to Qingque Sect, Cai Pingsu wouldn’t even have remembered those letters…”
The golden-red sunset grew more intense, causing all the flowers and trees to lose their original colors.
Cai Zhao laughed mockingly, “So they knew all along. They always knew what kind of person Aunt was.”
This was the most ridiculous part—people like Yin Sulian didn’t hold grudges against Cai Pingsu due to misunderstandings, but despite knowing her upright character, they still hated her and even took advantage of her righteousness.
Chang Ning suddenly understood the girl’s bitterness and anger.
He looked at the girl’s slender, fair neck, extending his long fingers before clenching them tight. “So, what’s the use of your anger?”
Cai Zhao was quite surprised by Chang Ning’s cold, rebellious words.
“You’re angry, you feel wronged, you think it’s unfair to your aunt, but what’s the use of it all? Yin Sulian is still living well.”
In the fading sunlight, Chang Ning’s beautiful eyes seemed to glow faintly red, his eyelashes almost unnaturally long.
“Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. You either become Heaven and Earth or remain a straw dog,” he said. “If you want revenge, take it. If you feel wronged, vent it. Keeping all your grievances bottled up inside will only kill you with anger, serving no purpose.”
The evening mountain breeze made his robes flutter loudly. His tall, straight figure stood like a sharp sword against the intense golden-red sky, proud and stunning.
With this, the cautious act of the Chang family’s orphan, seeking self-preservation, came to an end.