Lu Chonghua had heard Second Young Master Ye’s name more than once from both Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao’s mouths. She knew he was a young master from an aristocratic family, different from ordinary profligate sons, but had no other impression beyond that. Meeting him this time, she was somewhat surprised—she’d heard Second Young Master Ye most loved wielding swords and sabers, and had even gone to both Zijing Pass and Fujian to kill Tartars and coastal raiders. She had thought he should be a rough, burly man, never expecting he would be such a refined and handsome young man.
This striking contrast made her cry out in surprise. She turned her head to ask Song Chuyi: “Didn’t you tell me he killed eleven coastal raiders? How does he not look like a military man at all, but rather like a pale-faced scholar?”
This Miss Lu had probably watched too many operas. She sighed to Song Chuyi: “I was wondering what someone who could say ‘A dog has three pecks of chaff to divide, a horse has three parts dragon nature—how much more so a man!’ would look like. Turns out he’s no different from ordinary people.”
Song Chuyi had mentioned these words to Lu Chonghua before. Lu Chonghua loved watching operas, but only those her family commissioned—the same old stories, like legitimate mothers instructing sons and such, and those few popular classics. Beyond these, she had no access to others. Once Song Chuyi casually mentioned this line Ye Jingchuan had said. After learning it was from an opera, she pestered Song Chuyi to ask what opera it was from and why she’d never heard it before.
Song Chuyi was about to tell her when Nanny Lu was already knocking outside. After receiving permission, she first paid respects to Song Chuyi, then turned to look at her young lady: “Miss, it’s getting late. The manor has already sent carriages to fetch us.”
Having just been reproached, she now spoke very cautiously, afraid of angering Lu Chonghua again. Though she was given by Old Madam and had followed Lu Chonghua for many years, now after all it was the First Madam who was in charge, wasn’t it?
They hadn’t even seen the fireworks yet. Lu Chonghua’s brows furrowed slightly, but she still took leave of Song Chuyi: “Never mind. If I can’t see the Mid-Autumn fireworks today, once I reach Zhangzhou there will be plenty of things to see. My mother’s temperament is such that she won’t be satisfied without giving instructions before I leave. I shouldn’t make her worry. I’ll head back first.” She paused, then took Song Chuyi’s hand: “Pay more attention to Miss Du’s matter.”
Nanny Lu barely breathed a sigh of relief, carefully serving Lu Chonghua as she went downstairs and boarded the carriage. She originally thought today would pass smoothly, but who knew that before the stepping stool on the ground had been put away, there was already commotion up ahead. Manyue stood on the carriage, not yet having entered, and standing higher she could see farther. With one look she nearly lost her soul: “Several fast horses are coming from ahead!”
On such grand festivals shared with the common people, the Five Cities Military Commission and Shuntian Prefecture always maintained strict control. There had never been incidents of horses galloping through the streets. Nanny Lu’s mind inevitably turned slowly: “What horses?”
Before she finished speaking, the small stalls ahead were already overturned everywhere. The crowd scattered with a roar. Even the coachman was squeezed off the carriage. Lu Chonghua’s carriage was pushed into the human tide and quickly mixed together with the surrounding flower carts and carriages—it could no longer be found.
Nanny Lu was also squeezed by the crowd, involuntarily moving forward. After quite a while she finally grabbed a pillar and steadied herself. Once she stood firm, she couldn’t help but panic—looking around in all directions, there were only people. Where was her young lady’s carriage?!
People squeezed people, people pushed people. Soon chaos erupted. Many who couldn’t move fast fell to the ground. People from behind surged forward and trampled them underfoot. Instantly chaotic screaming and crying rang out.
Nanny Lu watched dumbfounded. The scene became even more chaotic. People who had originally just been pushed forward now ran as if their backsides were on fire. More and more people fell, and those behind couldn’t care at all, stepping on the fallen without regard as they ran forward.
She looked back in the direction the crowd was coming from and only saw towering flames. At this moment, she could see her young lady’s trace even less. In her anxiety she finally couldn’t help but cry out. Trembling, she wiped her tears while stumbling along the eaves toward Chongyin Ward. Fortunately she hadn’t been swept far—Chongyin Ward was right next door. After struggling to get through the door, she couldn’t care about anything else. She ran flying upstairs. Seeing Qing Luo, her legs went weak. Gasping for breath, she begged her: “Miss Qing Luo, quickly! Quickly tell Sixth Miss—our young lady has disappeared, and something’s happened downstairs!”
Xiang Mingzi sitting by the window had noticed something wrong even earlier than them. Originally the noise below, though clamorous, was all playful banter mixed with vendors’ hawking. Now below there were continuous screams.
She frowned, feeling some bad premonition. Just as she was about to stand up, Yusheng had already rushed in from outside, breathlessly telling her that fire had broken out below: “I don’t know how it caught fire, but all the shops in that eastern area have burned. Below there are people fleeing for their lives everywhere. We don’t know if the fire will burn here. Sixth Miss sent me to bring you over.”
But when she entered the door of the adjoining room, she saw Nanny Lu, whose legs were weak with fright and whose voice carried a sobbing tone, pulling on Qing Luo and saying Lu Chonghua had disappeared.
She jumped in fright. Lu Chonghua was just a young lady—if she was truly swept away by the crowd without a trace, who knew what might happen. She hurried several steps into the room and turned around the screen to find Song Chuyi.
Song Jue and Ye Jingchuan had already stood up. She approached Song Chuyi and urgently told her: “Miss Lu is lost. Nanny Lu is desperate and begging us to help find her.”
Song Jue had originally planned to first escort Song Chuyi and Xiang Mingzi back to the manor. With such an incident, naturally the fireworks couldn’t be watched. Later it would probably be even more chaotic, and according to Wangyue, the fire in the east was growing larger and larger—who knew if it would burn here.
Hearing that Lu Chonghua had disappeared, he also frowned—after all, she was a member of Her Majesty the Empress’s natal family, and she had come out with them to view lanterns and enjoy the moon. If something really happened, not only would their own consciences be troubled, they would also easily be criticized and blamed, and perhaps even incur Empress Dowager Lu’s anger.
“Like this—Jingchuan and I will take people out to search. You…” Song Jue wanted to have Wangyue send Song Chuyi and Xiang Mingzi back first, otherwise if the fire couldn’t be controlled, staying here would be even more dangerous. But he really couldn’t set his mind at ease—today because the government was setting off fireworks for entertainment, even common people from the suburbs had rushed into the city to join the excitement and watch the fireworks. With so many people all focused on fleeing for their lives, even Lu Chonghua had been lost, let alone… Song Jue always felt this fire came suspiciously. Perhaps it was directed at Song Chuyi? This couldn’t be blamed on his overthinking—truly, a tall tree catches the wind. They didn’t want to provoke trouble, yet they were constantly in the midst of trouble.