The moon, like a full plate, dimmed its radiance due to the revelry below.
The atmosphere on the top floor was lively. Suddenly, zither music drifted up from downstairs. It mingled with the breeze and human voices, faint yet piercing. Lu Nianfu pricked up her ears, holding her breath.
Gu Yanchen said, "Someone must have challenged the zither gate below. If you like it, Fú'er, go down and listen."
Lu Nianfu indeed liked it.
Ouyang Wen had already stood up. "The skill in this zither playing is superb, and what's rare is its full emotion. The player is someone with a story. Let's go down and take a look."
Lu Nianfu couldn't agree more.
The group descended the stairs as they had decided. The closer they got, the clearer the zither music became. The melodious tune spread like a tide, filling the entire Mingyue Tower. It was free and unrestrained, like wind sweeping across the plains. A piece called "Falling Geese on Flat Sands" recreated the crispness and desolation of autumn.
The zither music whispered, like a bird trapped in a cage, yet unwilling to be imprisoned. Then, at a certain point, it suddenly soared, like a signal to break free from the cage, instantly reaching for the distant heavens.
When the music ended, a long moment of thunderous applause erupted in the hall. Lu Nianfu was pulled back to her senses by the applause. Liu Rumei, the renowned courtesan guarding the zither gate, had conceded defeat. Only then did she realize that the challenger was Zeng Weiyang.
On the stage now, she was like a shining entity, with countless eyes fixed upon her.
Lu Nianfu tried hard to recall. In her memory, Zeng Weiyang was ordinary in looks and talent, so low-key that she seemed invisible wherever she went. But Zeng Weiyang tonight clearly overturned her perception.
After tonight, her name would surely be known in high society, never to be as obscure as in her previous life.
Zeng Weiyang successfully passed the challenge and was soon led backstage. She ascended to the top floor with graceful and composed steps, only to find that Gu Yanchen and the others had already departed. She felt a pang of disappointment but was still excited. She had succeeded. After this, her name would surely have entered the sight of the upper class. As long as she managed carefully, she could find a powerful patron and thus escape Zeng Guangyi's clutches.
It was late, and Ouyang Wen was half-drunk. The four of them discussed and decided to return home. Exiting Mingyue Tower, the Zhenguo Duke's mansion carriage was a welcome sight. The group, without any pretense, comfortably hitched a ride home.
All in all, this Lantern Festival had been quite good.
If not for the letter from Meng Changdong.
The letter stated that when he and Song Ming arrived in Yangzhou, Feng Yunxian had been dead for a long time, branded as a suicide to avoid punishment. Her body had been thrown into a mass grave, and it was Mao Pengyi who cremated her and handed her remains to her brother, Feng Zhixian.
Afterward, Feng Yunxian's family was hunted.
Mao Pengyi led them on the run. To buy her children a sliver of hope for survival, Madam Feng voluntarily drew away the pursuers and was pierced through the heart by an arrow. Had it not been for Song Ming arriving with his men, none of them would have escaped.
But fortunately...
Song Ming arrived just in time.
Later, Feng Zhixian wanted to take them to a small place to hide, to preserve his brother's lineage. However, Miss Feng insisted on returning to Yangzhou.
Lu Nianfu read the letter and fell silent for a long time. "Miss Feng is spirited. Her parents suffered such a tragedy; she likely cannot let go of this hatred."
Gu Yanchen said, "Nonsense. What can a weak woman like her do? Facing Situ Jue, she wouldn't even be as effective as a praying mantis trying to stop a cart; she's merely an ant at best. Fú'er, you know her well. Write her a letter and persuade her properly. Even if she seeks revenge, this is not something a young woman should be involved in."
"Yanchen, I understand her. If my father died under foul play, I would crawl out of hell to avenge him."
Just like in her previous life.
The Wu family, the Sun family, she would not spare any of them.
Gu Yanchen was taken aback. "But what can she do if she stays in Yangzhou? Assassination? That's laughable."
"She needs to be close to plot. I'll write a letter to persuade her, to lure her to the capital first."
"Situ Jue will return to the capital sooner or later."
"Don't worry. By then, she will have calmed down. Even if she still wants revenge, she will know how to plan properly. It will be safer and more manageable than her current state of being blinded by hatred."
Gu Yanchen pondered for a moment. He had no other feasible solutions, so he urged her to write the letter.
At the same time, he was somewhat worried about Damao.
He wondered how much Mao Pengyi had been involved in Feng Yunxian's affairs.
If he had merely deserted his post, it would have been manageable. A different explanation could have covered up the desertion. But if he had been seen in Feng Yunxian's matter and incurred Situ Jue's wrath, then it would have been truly troublesome.