Capture the Jade (Attacking the Jade) - Chapter 26

Teng Yuyi quickly ran through the plan in her mind, feeling that it was flawless, and was the first to speak: “I wonder what matter the Shizi has with me?”

Lin Chengyou glanced at her lazily and said, “Remember, I told you that night, I don’t care what you do with the itching insects, just don’t harm others or tarnish the reputation of Qingyun Temple. But not only did you use the bugs to harm someone, you almost made me take the blame for you. Teng Yuyi, do you think you can manipulate everyone in the world?”

Teng Yuyi looked shocked: “I don’t quite understand what the Shizi is saying. Although I took some bugs out of curiosity to play with, I never took them out of the mansion. What do you mean by saying I plotted against someone?”

Lin Chengyou looked at her with amusement: “You’re really good at pretending. Are you sure I can’t find evidence of your wrongdoing?”

Teng Yuyi shook her head innocently: “I really don’t know what I did wrong—”

Before she could finish, she suddenly paused: “Does the Shizi think that I was the one who planted the bugs on General Duan? Last night, the Shizi was also present. You must have heard that as soon as General Duan was infected with the itching bugs, Miss Dong at Jingzhao dungeon got better. This shows that he got the bugs from Miss Dong. How can the Shizi suspect me?”

Lin Chengyou stroked his chin: “I was going to give you a chance to confess, but it seems you won’t admit it until you’re faced with undeniable evidence. I’ll count to three now. You’d better think carefully before answering. Confessing yourself is one thing, but if I have to say it, it will be another matter entirely.”

Teng Yuyi’s expression remained calm, but she was starting to feel uneasy. Could there have been a mistake somewhere? Impossible.

She had arranged for someone to poison Duan Ningyuan while having Uncle Cheng secretly administer the antidote to Miss Dong. The two events were perfectly synchronized, leaving no room for error. By exposing both incidents at Old Madam Duan’s birthday banquet, everyone would naturally assume that Duan Ningyuan had contracted the bugs from Miss Dong. This way, it wouldn’t be traced back to her, nor would it harm the reputation of Qingyun Temple.

Even if Lin Chengyou knew she had the bugs, he couldn’t be sure whether Duan Ningyuan had gotten them from Miss Dong or if she had deliberately planted them. Without solid evidence, why would he come to trouble her?

With this thought, she regained her composure.

Lin Chengyou observed every subtle change in her expression. How interesting. He had seen many cunning people, but few were as brazen as her. Anyone looking at Teng Yuyi’s flower-like face would never guess that she was so adept at scheming against others.

He continued counting: “Two.”

The little black leopard, perfectly in sync with its master, pawed at its face and let out a second puff of air.

Teng Yuyi stared at Lin Chengyou, suddenly feeling unsure. Recently, in her eagerness to break off the engagement, she had acted somewhat hastily. Although she had severely punished the Duan family last night, a vague shadow lingered in her mind, as if she had overlooked some crucial detail, making her uneasy.

Unfortunately, she had been too caught up in her joy last night and hadn’t given it much thought before going to sleep. This morning, she had been too busy to go over everything again.

What had she overlooked? She maintained a calm exterior but was frantically calculating in her mind. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she froze.

Oh no, that was the loophole. A few days ago, in her desire to vent her anger, she had instructed Uncle Cheng when handing over the bugs: “Plant several bugs on Duan Ningyuan to make him suffer more.”

At the time, she had spoken without thinking, forgetting to first confirm with Jue sheng and Qi zhi how many bugs Lin Chengyou had planted on Miss Dong.

If Lin Chengyou had only planted one or two bugs, but Duan Ningyuan had over ten, Lin Chengyou would know as soon as he went to administer the antidote. That many bugs couldn’t possibly have come from Miss Dong.

No wonder he was causing trouble for her today. This matter might fool others, but it couldn’t fool Lin Chengyou. What should she do now? Lin Chengyou wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Should she confess? Would he be so angry that he would spread the story?

The little leopard panther seemed to sense Teng Yuyi’s tension. It stood up and circled around her, then looked up and let out another puff of air.

Lin Chengyou’s smile widened. He was about to say the final number.

Teng Yuyi’s heart clenched.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth: “I’ll talk!”

“One,” Lin Chengyou said with a smirk.

“Too late.”

Teng Yuyi argued: “I spoke first, and you said ‘one’ after. How is that too late?”

“The three counts I mentioned were for it,” Lian Chengyou pointed at Junnu.

“It just puffed three times. Didn’t you hear?”

Teng Yuyi gasped.

“You were dawdling and unwilling to tell the truth. How can you blame Junnu for not giving you a chance?” Lin Chengyou was shameless.

“You used my bugs to scheme your way out of a marriage without even asking if I wanted to be involved in such a matter. You could have been more discreet, like only planting two bugs. That way, even if I suspected you, I wouldn’t have solid evidence. But you’re used to being ruthless, so you planted over ten bugs on Duan Ningyuan in one go.”

He smirked: “But that’s not surprising. You went through so much trouble to get so many itching insects. Planting only one or two would probably have been more painful for you than getting infected yourself.”

Teng Yuyi bit her red lips.

Lin Chengyou had seen right through her.

Planting only two bugs would have been too lenient on Duan Ningyuan.

Now that the mistake was made, it was too late to regret.

She only hated that she had been too careless. If she had calculated the number of bugs on Miss Dong beforehand, she wouldn’t have been caught by Lin Chengyou.

Lin Chengyou continued: “When I went to administer the antidote to the Duan mother and son yesterday, I found eight bugs on Duan Ningyuan and four on Madam Duan. One bug is enough to make someone wish they were dead, let alone so many. No wonder they reacted so violently. Teng Yuyi, breaking off your engagement is your business, but dragging Qingyun Temple into it—did you ask for my opinion?”

Teng Yuyi carefully composed herself, and clear, glistening tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Shizi, although I used your bug, it was only for self-preservation. It is a fact that Duan Ningyuan was involved with Miss Dong— I merely went along with the flow to expose the scandal. All I wanted was to break off the engagement; I never intended to harm anyone. You must have understood my predicament, which is why you sent everyone away, isn’t it?”。”

Lin Chengyou looked at her.

She had played both Qingyun Temple and the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion like a fiddle, yet she pretended to be pitiful in front of everyone.

But she wasn’t wrong.

While he intended to hold her accountable, he had no plans to clear Duan Ningyuan’s name. So even though he had known the truth last night, he had decided to keep it to himself.

But she could have thought of other ways to break off the engagement. Instead, she chose the most convenient method. When she plotted, she hadn’t considered that a slight misstep could harm Qingyun Temple’s reputation. It was clear that in her mind, achieving her goal as quickly as possible was her top priority.

He hadn’t misjudged her. She was the type to stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Even if she had tried to protect Qingyun Temple’s reputation, her lack of understanding about the insects’ nature had led to her slip-up. Anyone present last night who knew a little about itching bugs would have suspected Qingyun Temple.

To cover for her and Qingyun Temple, he had discreetly made Junnu swallow the remains of the over ten dead bugs in front of the Duke of Zhenguo last night.

Junnu had been upset and refused to eat all day.

But there was no need to tell her about these things.

Seeing that Lin Chengyou remained silent, Teng Yuyi thought he might be relenting. She quickly added with tears in her eyes: “I remember that the Shizi once said that as long as I didn’t use the bugs to harm others or tarnish Qingyun Temple’s reputation, you wouldn’t trouble me. Although I used the bugs against Duan Ningyuan last night, he wronged me first. What I did was merely retaliation, not evil. As for tarnishing Qingyun Temple’s reputation, that’s out of the question. The Shizi must remember your own words, so you don’t intend to tell anyone else about this. I will never forget your great kindness. Since the Shizi has decided not to pursue this matter further, I will take my leave. Today, I have been invited by Her Highness the Princess and shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

She curtsied and turned to leave, but as soon as she took a step, Lin Chengyou stretched out an arm to stop her: “Wait.”

Teng Yuyi pretended to be startled: “Shizi—”

Before she could finish, a numbing sensation spread through her throat. When she tried to speak again, not a single word came out.

She froze.

The sensation grew stronger, and even her tongue began to feel numb.

She quickly realized she had been poisoned and glared at Lin Chengyou: What do you mean by this, Shizi?

She tried to speak, but no sound came out.

She grew even more furious, regretting that she hadn’t worn her Hu attire today, which would have allowed her to carry hidden weapons to retaliate.

She silently cursed: Lin Chengyou, how can you break your promise? Quickly undo this!

You… you despicable scoundrel.

Lin Chengyou waited until Teng Yuyi had finished her silent tirade, then touched his ear and said: “The matter with the Duan family ends with me. No one else will know. As long as you return the remaining bugs, the matter of the itching bugs will be settled. But don’t forget, we still have other matters to settle.”

Teng Yuyi was both shocked and suspicious.

“That night at Caifeng Tower, I kindly helped you detoxify the demon poison, but you caused me to lose my voice,” Lin Chengyou walked around her with his hands behind his back.

“When I caught the demon and returned to my room, you pushed me into the water and stabbed me twice with a hairpin. Was there more than one type of poison on that hairpin? Otherwise, why haven’t the wounds healed yet? As for the itching insects, although you didn’t commit evil, you used Qingyun Temple’s property for personal gain without permission. This shows that you have no respect for Qingyun Temple. All these things combined, isn’t it enough to make you unable to speak for a month?”

Teng Yuyi opened her mouth, but her tongue was completely numb. Her mind was in turmoil. The antidote was in his hands, so it wasn’t wise to confront him now. She let a few more tears fall and looked at Lin Chengyou pitifully.

Lin Chengyou glanced at her. Her tearful eyes were clear and innocent, like a child’s. It was baffling how someone so young could be so ruthless. How she had behaved in Yangzhou was none of his concern, but now that she had crossed paths with him, she wouldn’t get off so easily. A harsh lesson might teach her to behave better in the future.

“Is it really that unbearable to be unable to speak temporarily?” he said kindly.

“Miss Teng, you’re usually so good at arguing. Take this opportunity to rest your voice.”

With that, he whistled and led Junnu away.

Teng Yuyi glared at Lian Chengyou’s retreating figure. Chasing after him now would only lead to more trouble. She wondered if Jue sheng and Qi zhi had the antidote. Should she leave the mansion to look for them?

Just as she was thinking this, Lin Chengyou, who had been about to leave, turned back and smiled: “I forgot to tell you, I’m the only one who can cure this poison.”

Teng Yuyi cried even harder. Seeing that Lin Chengyou had left, Du Tinglan hurried over. As soon as she approached, she saw Teng Yuyi’s tear-streaked face and panicked: “Ah Yu, what happened?”

They had been speaking so calmly just moments ago. How had she ended up crying?

Teng Yuyi had already wiped away her tears. She tried to speak, but her throat felt as if it were stuffed with wood.

She pointed to her throat and shook her head at Du Tinglan.

Du Tinglan was shocked: “You can’t speak?”

Teng Yuyi nodded.

“Did Prince Cheng’s Shizi do this?” Du Tinglan was stunned.

Teng Yuyi glared. Who else could it be?

Du Tinglan gasped: “This is too much. I’ll go find Prince Cheng’s Shizi to get the antidote for you. No, I’ll go to Princess Cheng and ask her to uphold justice for you.”

Teng Yuyi helplessly pulled Du Tinglan back and wrote in her palm: It’s no use.

Prince Cheng and his wife aren’t in Chang’an.

“Right, I forgot in my panic. Then I’ll go to Qingyun Temple to find—”

Teng Yuyi continued writing: Master Qingxu isn’t there either.

“Is there really no one who can control this man?”

There is—the Emperor and Empress in the palace. But it’s not easy for ordinary people to see them.

Du Tinglan anxiously thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up: “Don’t forget about the Princess. Since she invited us to the poetry gathering today, how can the host treat guests like this? Let’s go find the Princess.”

Teng Yuyi shook her head. Princess Ah Zhi spoke of nothing but her brother. If she didn’t blindly help Lin Chengyou plot against them, it would be a miracle. How could she help them get the antidote?

But… she frowned and thought. At this point, there was no other choice. If they left Prince Cheng’s mansion in anger, it would be difficult to see Lin Chengyou again to get the antidote.

Du Tinglan said angrily: “Ah yu, don’t worry. Your father has returned to Chang’an. At worst, we can tell him and have him go to the palace to speak to the Emperor about this.”

Teng Yuyi wrote in Du Tinglan’s palm: Sister, if this matter is brought before the Emperor, Lin Chengyou will definitely reveal everything. At that point, he might only be reprimanded, but my plot against Duan Ningyuan will be exposed. It’s better to go see Princess Jingde first and then decide what to do.

After discussing a few more things, Teng Yuyi looked around for the old servant from Prince Cheng’s mansion. The old man was still somewhat dazed. He had been standing too far away earlier and only saw the Shizi speaking and laughing with the young lady. He had secretly rejoiced, thinking the Shizi had finally shown some interest. But when he approached and saw Teng Yuyi’s tearful eyes, he realized it wasn’t what he had thought.

Du Tinglan smiled at the old servant: “We wouldn’t want to keep the Princess waiting. Please lead the way.”

The old servant came back to his senses and smiled: “Please follow me.”

***

The poetry gathering was held in a pavilion in the garden, with half-open windows and a gentle breeze.

When Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan stepped onto the veranda, the pavilion was already filled with elegantly dressed young men and women.

Princess Jingde wasn’t sitting properly at the table. Instead, she held a fishing rod and leaned against the window, chatting with the young ladies while fishing.

The pavilion was covered with purple mats, and fruits and wine were placed on the shore. Everyone sat cross-legged on the mats, either chatting or reading.

At the head of the table sat an elderly scholar with a white beard, dozing off.

Below the scholar were four long rows of tables, facing each other. The young ladies sat on one side, and the young men on the other.

The fifth seat on the men’s side was occupied by Lu Zhao’an, and across from him was Miss Zheng Shuangyin, the daughter of Minister Zheng.

Lu Zhao’an appeared calm, but occasionally glanced at Zheng Shuangyin.

Zheng Shuangyin’s face was flushed, and she sat quietly behind her table.

When Du Tinglan entered and saw the two of them, she stumbled slightly. Teng Yuyi subtly steadied her, and she regained her balance.

When Lu Zhao’an saw Du Tinglan, his smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and turned away.

There were four seats above him. The second seat was occupied by a man in a dark green python robe. This man had long, elegant eyebrows, fair skin, and was exceptionally handsome, though his deep-set eyes and features didn’t quite resemble those of a Central Plains native.

Teng Yuyi examined the man’s python robe. Such intricate and exquisite embroidery could only belong to a member of the royal family, but this man clearly wasn’t from the Central Plains.

The man in the python robe heard the servant’s report and looked up at Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan.

“It’s Miss Teng and Miss Du. Please, take a seat,” Princess Jingde happily introduced them to the group. “This is the daughter of Teng Shao, the military governor of Huainan. This is the daughter of Du Yuzhi, a Grand Academician at the Imperial Academy. They are my honored guests, here to attend today’s poetry gathering.”

The people at the table stood up and bowed: “Greetings, Miss Teng. Greetings, Miss Du.”

Teng Yuyi smiled and silently returned the greetings.

Seeing that she didn’t speak, the others found it strange.

Just then, a maid at the door announced: “Shizi.”

Lin Chengyou had changed into the blue robe and hat of a low-ranking official from the Court of Judicial Review. .

Standing at the door, he looked like moonlight illuminating the hall.

Princess Jingde happily waved: “Brother, come quickly.”

The handsome man in the dark green python robe looked up and stood to greet Lin Chengyou: “We were just wondering why you hadn’t shown up yet.”

Lin Chengyou, full of energy, strode in with a smile.

“Got caught up in some minor matters.”

Teng Yuyi maintained a serene smile on her face, but in her heart, she wished she could fire a thousand poisoned arrows to skewer Lin Chengyou on the spot.

Du Tinglan quietly pulled at Teng Yuyi’s sleeve and gently explained to the crowd, “My younger sister hasn’t been feeling well these past two days. Her throat is hoarse, so she can’t speak.”

The guests nodded in sympathy.

“Ah, so that’s the case. Miss Teng, Miss Du, please take your seats.”

Hearing this, the man in the python robe glanced at Teng Yuyi, then casually took something out of his sleeve.

Stepping forward, he handed it to her with a smile.

“Miss Teng, this is Red Jade Candy, crafted by an old immortal of Nanzhao who is skilled in painting. It has a slightly spicy taste, but it helps to clear the lungs and soothe the throat. If your throat is uncomfortable, you may suck on it, and you should recover in a few days.”

A servant quietly introduced him, “Miss Teng, Miss Du, this is Prince Gu Xian of Nanzhao.”

Teng Yuyi was startled—Nanzhao.

Ah Zhi, with her soft little hands, held Teng Yuyi’s hand and asked in a tender voice, “Lady Teng, is your throat very uncomfortable? Brother Xian always carries medicinal herbs with him. His prescriptions take an unconventional approach and differ somewhat from those in the Central Plains. Why don’t you give it a try? It might help with your ailment.”

Recalling Wu Yingying and the letters in her father’s study, Teng Yuyi smiled and nodded in gratitude.

She did not expect this remedy to cure Lin Chengyou’s poison, but meeting someone from Nanzhao today was already a worthwhile encounter. Taking the medicine from the servant, she bowed slightly to Gu Xian in thanks.

Gu Xian returned the gesture, his smile as warm as the spring sun in March.