Chapter 72: A Huge Mistake
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**Chapter 72: A Huge Mistake**
“Miss Chang, knowing that the Pei family will soon be in trouble, why do you take risks now and use yourself as bait?”
What he had written that day in tea was indeed the character for “Pei.”
In his view, while the incident yesterday was indeed orchestrated by the Pei clan to harm her, he believed that if it weren't for Chang Suining's “indulgence,” the Pei family wouldn't have had the chance to strike at all.
She was never the prey; from the moment she targeted the Pei family, she firmly held the initiative in her hands.
Her visit to Dayun Temple was a setup.
Yet she could have waited until after the Pei family's downfall to settle the score with them—this would undoubtedly be more secure and would not require risking a trap.
“I don’t have enough evidence to settle accounts with her; I can only lure her into creating more evidence for me to use.” Chang Suining said nonchalantly, “But if I wait until the Pei family is dealt with, would she dare to act?”
The reason the Pei family dared to act so recklessly was precisely because they had the backing of the Pei family.
If that backing collapsed, the other party might not have the same courage, and what if they went mad and didn’t bother to kill her?
She was waiting for the Pei shi to come for her.
Wei Shuyi suddenly understood: “So that’s it.”
He felt a wave of relief wash over him, a smile appearing on his face: “But I still have a question—”
Chang Suining cut him off: “Not this again.”
Wei Shuyi looked at her in confusion.
Chang Suining returned his gaze: “You’re not asking about Minister Yao, are you?”
Wei Shuyi couldn't help but chuckle, realizing that it was such a “not this” moment.
He laughed: “I did want to ask, but I was afraid it might be too abrupt for miss Chang… I still have to thank you for your generous explanations.”
If it wasn’t about this, then there must be another question—
Chang Suining averted her gaze, saying with a hint of irony: “You seem to have quite a few questions, and you keep pursuing them.”
Since their first meeting in Hezhou, he had never stopped exploring her intentions.
Why did Duan Zhenyi have to give birth to such a curious and talkative son?
Hearing the trace of disdain in the young woman’s tone, Wei Shuyi couldn’t help but chuckle again.
Chang Ji felt embarrassed by this.
How could his master be disliked yet still seem so pleased?
He truly deserved his reputation for being somewhat ill.
“Actually, it’s not really a question at all… Yesterday at the ceremony, when miss Chang’s life was at stake, I saw my savior in danger and did nothing. I don’t know if you’re angry with me?”
As soon as Wei Shuyi’s words left his mouth, he noticed the young girl beside him looking at him with a puzzled expression, as if to say—are you sick or am I?
“What could you have done back then?” Chang Suining retorted.
Wei Shuyi shook his head with a smile.
“Then let it go.” Chang Suining continued walking, nonchalantly saying: “I don’t need you to take risks to help me.”
“Of course.” Wei Shuyi, fully aware of his position, smiled and said: “Actually, I was thinking the same… I figured you must have a plan, so I didn’t dare to intervene rashly.”
He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: “As long as you don’t blame me, I won’t be able to sleep well if you do.”
“There’s no need for you to keep calling me your savior; the moment you informed me about the Pei family, we were even.”
Wei Shuyi looked at her disapprovingly: “I only informed you of this because I consider us to be close friends; as friends, one should tell the other everything… I wouldn’t dream of using something so trivial to settle scores with you.”
These words sounded very generous and friendly.
But it was common knowledge that what he referred to as “close friends should tell each other everything” required reciprocity—
Chang Suining reasonably suspected that he was digging a pit for her.
But it didn’t matter; as long as she didn’t want to jump in, no one could push her. Just as long as she had no moral bottom line, no one could kidnap her.
Thus, she nodded with ease: “In that case, there’s no need for formality; you can just continue to owe me.”
No matter what kind of schemes he was planning, when the time came, as long as she found it unworthy, she would break that abacus and turn the beads into powder.
After all, it wouldn’t be her loss.
This did seem a bit unreasonable, but then again, she had never really been a reasonable person, so she didn’t need to hold herself to the standards of being one.
With her casual attitude and carefree style, she nodded so decisively that Wei Shuyi felt something was off.
He was about to say something when he saw a tall figure of a young man quickly approaching.
“Ning Ning!”
Chang Sui'an rushed over: “I heard you had trouble on the back mountain? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, I’ve already dealt with it.” Chang Suining replied. “Let’s talk as we walk.”
As Chang Sui'an nodded, he looked at Wei Shuyi and raised his hand: “Tenth Young Master Wei—”
“Young Master Chang.” Wei Shuyi smiled and replied, “I shall take my leave now.”
“Safe travels, Tenth Young Master Wei.”
With that, she and Chang Sui'an left together, explaining the general situation as they walked.
Chang Sui'an was furious, taking note of Ming Jin, and instructed his sister to be more vigilant in the future.
As Chang Suining agreed, she asked, “How did you find out about the incident on the back mountain?”
“This matter has already spread through the temple!” Chang Sui'an said, “Now everyone knows that the heir of Marquis Ying, Ming Jin, tried to attack you with a knife on the back mountain but ended up being beaten down by you—”
Chang Suining: “?”
Not right...
She frowned slightly.
This matter shouldn't have spread so quickly, as the Xuanzhe Army is known for its strict discipline, and the monks within the Dayun Temple are different from those elsewhere. Being a royal temple, they should know what to say and what not to—
But not only has this matter spread, it has done so rapidly and in great detail...
Who could be behind it?
Chang Suining unconsciously glanced in the direction where Wei Shuyi had just left, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
It didn’t seem like it...
If it were Wei Shuyi's doing, with his loose tongue, he would have boasted about his accomplishments or at least had a lengthy conversation with her.
So who could it be?
The news spreading not only embarrassed Ming Jin but also left the impression that she had a grudge against him. Moreover, since she had beaten Ming Jin, this impression would surely be even more deeply etched...
With this knowledge public, if Ming Jin were to seek revenge on her in the future, he would inevitably have to be more cautious.
This was advantageous for her.
Moreover, the only thing that spread was “Ming Jin attacking and getting beaten by her,” without disclosing the “filthy business” that Ah Dian had been harping on about today. This perfectly preserved the auspiciousness of this prayer event and the dignity of the saint, ensuring that she would not be pursued by the Holy Emperor for this matter, nor would it bring her any trouble—
The control of this situation was very skillfully handled.
However, to manage such nuances required not only a sufficiently clear head but also the ability to fully control the situation.
Having analyzed this, the answer quickly became clear.
This answer surprised Chang Suining a little.
She hadn't realized before that this person had a warm-hearted nature?
...
On the other side, Wei Shuyi was intercepted midway by a female servant beside Duan Shi: “Madam has an urgent matter and asks the young master to come at once.”
So, Wei Shuyi went to see his mother.
“I heard that young miss Chang injured the heir of the Marquis of Ying? Is this true?” Duan Shi opened with this question.
So this was her “urgent matter.”
Wei Shuyi asked as usual: “Why does Mother think that I would know about this?”
“Could it be that you don’t know?” Duan Shi’s gaze lingered on Chang Ji for a moment.
Chang Ji: “?”
What does the Madam mean?
He had explained many times that he wasn’t a gossiping person!
Though, it was true that he had found out about this matter...
But that was at the behest of the young master!
Wei Shuyi nodded: “There is indeed such a thing.”
“Young Miss Chang truly is both literate and martial, and also clever and quick-witted. Her astonishing beauty seems almost trivial. What a wonderful girl, how can one say anything good...” Duan Shi’s sigh, 'being at a loss for words because of Chang Suining's excellence,' contained a certain implication.
Wei Shuyi pretended not to understand and chose to pick up on the trivial matter: “Literate and martial? The martial aspect I’ve seen, but how about the literary?”
“I don’t know about the others, but Young Miss Chang’s handwriting is exceptionally beautiful!” Duan Shi said, instructing the female servant beside her: “Bring the scriptures copied the night before.”
Young Miss Chang’s handwriting...
Wei Shuyi recalled the handwriting from the guilt letter left in his carriage back in Hezhou.
Hmm, she really did have beautiful handwriting.
And her handwriting reflected her character, flowing like a river, with a strong spirit.
But... was there more than one style?
Wei Shuyi looked at the two copies of the scriptures written in different handwritings, quite surprised: “Mother is saying... both styles are from Young Miss Chang?”
Duan Shi smiled and nodded: “Exactly.”
Wei Shuyi looked at the two pages of scriptures and asked to himself: “Why would Young Miss Chang learn two completely different styles...?”
It was common for someone to master various styles, but it was rare to have such distinct handwriting.
“According to Young Miss Chang, she stumbled upon a poetry collection by Princess Chongyue in her childhood, and upon being delighted, she diligently copied it ever since.”
“So that’s it.” Wei Shuyi's fair and slender finger tapped on one of the scriptures, smiling as he said: “I suppose this is the handwriting she learned from Princess Chongyue?”
“You’ve guessed wrong this time!” Duan Shi, seeing her son make a mistake, was quite excited: “The other one is!”
Wei Shuyi’s smile slightly froze as he asked in surprise: “The other one?”
His gaze fell on the flowing characters—the very same handwriting he had seen in Hezhou.
This handwriting actually came from Chang Xiaoniang’s copying of Princess Chongyue?
Looking at the other copy, the characters were elegant and exquisite—was this Chang Xiaoniang’s original style?
If one were to judge a person by their handwriting... didn’t this completely reverse the impression?
“It’s said that Princess Chongyue has always been frail and rarely showed her face while in the capital...” Wei Shuyi mused: “Such a delicate princess would write with such boldness... quite peculiar.”
Duan Shi’s smile slightly faltered.
This tricky brat was indeed hard to deal with...
“Although Princess Chongyue was frail, her character was resilient. Have you forgotten the righteous deeds she performed in her lifetime?” Duan Shi spoke firmly: “After being by her side for many years, I know her very well.”
Wei Shuyi thought for a moment and nodded: “That is true...”
But—
This other elegant handwriting, common among noblewomen, was indeed far from Young Miss Chang’s style, leaving an impression of two separate entities not in agreement.
The last time he felt this way was with the heir of the Marquis Zheng and his name.
Young Miss Chang...
Was indeed someone difficult to fathom.
The more he probed, the less clear it became.
Wei Shuyi shook his head internally, feeling rarely bewildered.
...
At the same moment, Ming Jin had been lifted onto the carriage of the Marquis of Ying.
Just as the carriage door was being closed, Ming Luo rushed over.
Ming Jin was injured and could only lie on the soft couch inside the carriage. Upon seeing her approach, he raised his eyes and coldly laughed: “So, did you come specifically to watch me make a fool of myself?”
Ming Luo frowned slightly: “Once we return home, you must reflect on your actions and refrain from causing more trouble.”
Ming Jin, already filled with anger, exploded: “Isn’t it enough that you took the blame for me today? Now you want to lecture me?”
“If you hadn’t acted on your own accord and taken the blame in front of our aunt, would I have been driven out of the Dayun Temple with these injuries without even seeing a doctor?”
Ming Luo’s expression darkened: “Do you really think you can fool our aunt with just your few words? I took the blame for you precisely to help you, to prevent you from making things worse—”
She coldly gazed at Ming Jin inside the carriage: “You should be grateful that you were lucky today; our aunt, considering the prayer event and the Ming family's reputation, did not want to make your filthy and absurd behavior a public affair, which is why you were not severely punished. Otherwise, what awaits you would not be as simple as house arrest.”
“Enough!” Ming Jin's face darkened: “I called you 'sister' for our aunt's sake, and you actually think you’re worthy of lecturing me? Don’t forget your own status!”
Just a lowly illegitimate daughter born from his father's concubine, and she dared to speak to him like this!
“Go!”
The carriage door slammed shut, and the carriage quickly departed from the place.
Ming Luo stood still for a moment before turning back to the temple.
Her expression was calm, her brows indifferent, her posture straight. Only her fingers, half-hidden in her sleeves, would occasionally loosen and tighten repeatedly.
She made her way back to the Zen hall where the Holy Emperor was, just in time to encounter an inner palace attendant carrying a box.
As the attendant bowed, Ming Luo, following protocol, asked: “Which lady sent this?”
She recognized the box was meant to hold handwritten scriptures, as the ladies from various households had been sending in their copies throughout the day.
“Replying to the lady, it was sent by the wife of Marquis Zheng just now.”
“Hand it over to me.”
“Understood.”
Ming Luo took the box, noticing that Cui Jing’s close attendant, Cui Yuanxiang, was still waiting outside the corridor, realizing that the Holy Emperor was still in discussion with Cui Jing. She didn’t enter recklessly but returned to the side hall, a warm chamber she used for handling official duties.
Ming Luo approached her desk, opened the box, and took out the stack of handwritten scriptures, reading them one by one.
She was meticulous in her work. Every time the ladies from various households sent in scriptures, she would read through them first to ensure there were no damages or omissions before presenting them to the Holy Emperor.
But she only gave them a cursory glance, as sincerity was crucial for the prayer event, and the ladies wouldn’t dare treat it lightly, so mistakes were unlikely.
However, the next moment, Ming Luo discovered a significant “mistake” among them.
(End of this chapter)
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