Although there was no solid proof that the love gu in Ou Sixing’s body was the one from the Xie family, now that she had reasoned it out, corroborating it would not be difficult. For one, the Ou family would certainly take action — she had already laid everything out plainly enough, and Director Ou would without question make his move, pressing Ou Sixing to reveal with whom the love gu had been bound, and exactly what he had done on that person’s behalf.
And for the second — to find supporting evidence on the matter, wouldn’t she need to pay a visit to A’Piao of Tongtian Pavilion for a cup of tea and a leisurely chat about how best to savor this particular piece of gossip?
Once she had truly gathered solid evidence — hah — whether Xie Zhenming would have any chance of returning to Zhenbei would become quite uncertain.
A cold, ruthless smile curved the corner of Lang Jiuchuan’s lips.
Fuqi suddenly spoke. “If you intend to use this love gu as the breakthrough point to bring down the Marquis of Zhenbei, you had better move quickly. You have already revealed the heavenly secrets to Director Ou — in order to protect the family, he will certainly suppress this matter with all his strength. Ou Sixing will likely be dealt with immediately. Once there is a dead man who cannot testify, there will be nothing left to work with.”
He may not have liked scheming and calculation, but he understood the costs and benefits well enough. No matter which dynasty or era, once it came out that one had any entanglement with a palace consort, and that consort had an imperial prince besides — one misstep and the death sentence of adulterating the imperial bloodline could be affixed to you. Not just one family, but nine clans would suffer for it.
So no matter how dearly Director Ou loved that grandson of his, he wouldn’t stand idly by watching the entire clan be dragged to their deaths by him, would he?
Lang Jiuchuan stiffened, and looked at Fuqi with a somewhat despondent expression — a look that said: you certainly know how to douse cold water, precisely and thoroughly, straight to the bone.
Fuqi saw that rare look of irritation on her that belonged only to a young girl, and was suddenly moved by a whim to tease her. Deliberately, he asked: “And suppose Director Ou truly does move first — secretly disposes of Ou Sixing, leaving no witness to testify — what then?”
“What else can be done — that’s just how it is.” Lang Jiuchuan tossed the envelope of payment into his hands. “Since the other party came to seek a reading, and since they gave the reading fee, the oracle has already been cast, the heavenly secrets glimpsed — which means they have obtained a thread of life’s chance. Whether they can grasp it depends entirely on their own ability and judgment. It has nothing to do with me.”
Fuqi paused. “You’re not angry?”
“What is there to be angry about? ‘The Great Dao is fifty, heaven’s working uses forty-nine’ — I understand that well enough. This thread of chance is the compassion and opportunity that the Dao bestows upon all living beings. The Dao is willing to grant it — but whether the person can seize it is up to them.” Lang Jiuchuan said. “If Director Ou grasps it, then that is his fortune and his capability.”
“As for Ou Sixing’s love gu — it is indeed a breakthrough point to move against the Xie family, but you can’t possibly think it’s the only one I have, can you? Dead men tell no tales, that’s true — but I can also stir up waves from nothing. General, in court politics, enemies fight to the death. If I were to leak this matter to Xie Zhenming’s political rivals, or to the family clans of the consorts who are at odds with Xie Qinghua — do you think there would be anyone willing to use this to make a move? Xie Qinghua already has an imperial prince, which makes her the thorn in the eye of every other consort who has a prince of her own. And she still has a father who holds military power — the threat she poses is far from ordinary.”
“And if the Xie family manages to deflect all of that as well?”
Lang Jiuchuan revealed a ruthless smile. “Then we give them a taste of their own medicine. Whatever Xie Zhenming did to my father — he can live through it himself.”
As for whether this was doing evil? No — it was simply a life returned for a life. Perfectly fair. And when returning it, she would also have him return what he had taken. No evidence? Then she would have Xie Zhenming supply that evidence with his own mouth.
Making the other party speak a few words of truth — that much confidence, Lang Jiuchuan still had.
Fuqi said no more. What she had spoken already revealed to him the nature of her character.
A heart that holds Buddha, a hand that holds a blade.
She could be the compassion of a Bodhisattva, or the iron hand of the Diamond Guardian.
“Take all of this payment and use it to purchase medicinal materials. Have someone deliver them to the Benevolent Medical Hall,” Lang Jiuchuan said, gesturing toward the envelope of payment. She did not keep a single coin for herself — she donated it all to charitable causes. It was also her way of resolving some of the penalty of the three deficiencies and five insufficiencies that came from glimpsing heavenly secrets.
Fuqi agreed.
Lang Jiuchuan saw that there was nothing more to attend to for the day. She also needed to head to Huguo Temple soon to prepare the memorial rites for Lang Zhengfan’s death anniversary — she might be staying there for several days. She instructed Fuqi to mind the shop, and then made her way to Tongtian Pavilion.
She hadn’t seen A’Piao in some time, and she didn’t know whether there were any new developments on the enemy’s side that he might have gathered.
At Tongtian Pavilion, A’Piao looked over the newly obtained information and let out a soft sound of contempt. She had really managed to smoke the person out.
“Proprietor, the ninth young lady has arrived.” The Red Lady came in with a face full of smiles to report. Ever since Lang Jiuchuan had saved her that one time, her fondness and respect for her had only grown deeper.
And sure enough, before her words had even finished, Lang Jiuchuan poked her head in from behind her back and gave A’Piao a wave.
She treated the place as though there was no one else in it. What purpose did announcing her arrival even serve?
A’Piao gave a cold laugh. “Ninth Young Lady has truly stopped treating herself as an outsider.”
“We are all ghosts on the same boat. To say such things — does that not chill the heart?” Lang Jiuchuan strolled in and sat down with unrestrained ease.
A’Piao sensed the quality of her energy and said, “How many advancement elixirs have you taken lately? Your strength has increased.”
Lang Jiuchuan clasped her hands together in a Daoist salute. “Nothing more than the blessings of the Three Pure Ones — I have simply accumulated a great deal of merit.”
A’Piao gave a light snort. “I thought you were a dog following its nose, sniffing your way here at the scent of something good.”
Lang Jiuchuan’s brow rose. “You have good news?”
“That young master of the Rong family has been smoked out by that clever scheme of yours.”
“How so?” Lang Jiuchuan’s interest was piqued at once. Her eyes gleamed with a sharp, brilliant light. Was she finally on the verge of meeting that person?
A’Piao said, “The rumor that the Rong family’s young master suffered cultivation deviation and had his spiritual root shattered could no longer be suppressed. Even the elder council of the Rong family grew deeply concerned. The Rong family had no choice but to propose a marriage alliance with the young master of the Gong family to break the rumor — but the Gong young master declined.”
Lang Jiuchuan nodded. “I know of this matter. Gong Qi mentioned it.”
“With the Gong family alliance fallen through, the Rong family has now decided to pursue a marriage with the imperial clan.”
Lang Jiuchuan’s expression grew serious. “Who in the imperial clan has a spiritual root?”
A’Piao said with a sardonic laugh, “If the imperial clan could so easily produce a spiritual root at this point, they would not have needed to establish the Surveillance Bureau to match against the other great clans. It is nothing more than an ordinary imperial prince with a slight affinity for the Dao.”
“No spiritual root, and they are willing? Is this not beneath them — marrying down?” Lang Jiuchuan was astonished. Had she not heard that among the Xuan lineage, those who possessed a spiritual root — especially the family’s young master — would absolutely not enter into marriage outside their own kind? Well, except for exceptions like her, who was a difficult case.
For the Rong young master, who carried such pride, to be willing to wed an ordinary imperial prince — how was that anything but marrying down? Though in her heart, she thought the so-called spiritual root on that person’s part was not particularly pure either — but the Rong family might not see it that way.
“They have been backed into a corner with no path of retreat.” A’Piao continued: “The Rong young master is already nineteen, and with this rumor now spreading, if she does not appear, the Rong family will descend into chaos. The Gong family is unwilling, and the young master of the Feng family — well, he could pass for her grandfather in terms of age. Settling for second best, that leaves only the imperial clan. And their choice of the imperial clan may not be without the intent to align themselves with the imperial faction and use that as a counterweight against the other two great clans.”
Lang Jiuchuan thought of this possibility, and her expression darkened.
A’Piao said with no small measure of schadenfreude: “Which is to say — once this marriage alliance between the Rong family and the imperial clan is finalized, they will effectively have a powerful backer. The difficulty of moving against them to avenge this mortal body of yours has now gone up a level!”