Chapter 90: The Conversation (Drove Off Without a Word...)

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At night, Wu Yueling leaned back in her chair, watching the flickering sparks of the lamp wick.

The cotton wick inside the oil lamp jumped restlessly, tugging this way and that. The light was hardly strong, a faint yellow tinged with dimness, yet it cast a warm glow on both the face and the walls.

It was a trivial matter, really—no reason to upset the master.

Holding a small slip of paper, she dipped it into the oil and circled it around. Soon, the paper caught fire; the oil lamp emitted bluish smoke as the flame suddenly leapt upward with a ‘pop,’ only to fall back down in disappointment.

As the flame’s crackle subsided, a plump little lynx suddenly sprang from the floor, attempting to jump onto the chair. Its short legs kicked furiously, but it still landed firmly on the wooden floor, producing a heavy thudding sound.

Wu Yueling looked down at the “Garfield.” The little lynx gazed back at its owner.

“Meow, meow, meow!”

Meow~

The small lynx let out a pitiful meow, rolled over from the floor, shook its round body and fur, and leapt again. But as before, it only made it halfway before crashing heavily back down, thudding loudly once more.

Unwilling to accept defeat, it meowed sharply and finally clawed at the edge of the chair with its two little paws. Sharp cat claws left several scratch marks on the wood, emitting a piercing scraping sound.

Wu Yueling reached out, grabbed the hefty creature, lifted it up, and placed it before the table, kneading its chubby face.

“You little rascal, why are you like a bouncy ball? You’re so fat!”

Meow!

The lynx meowed in protest, lazily yawned at its owner, curled into a fluffy ball, and lay quietly by the table, keeping her company.

While stroking the lynx, she absentmindedly flipped through the soporific Analects. Suddenly, sounds of a scuffle came from the window—judging by the noise, it seemed to be a simple skirmish.

As expected, Hua Chuer climbed in through the window.

This was not unusual, except she was followed by a rogue-looking youth. What was this fellow doing here? Gently rubbing the lynx’s forehead, Wu Yueling sensed something was amiss.

“If a rogue comes to my place… cough… isn’t the boudoir an inappropriate place?!”

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Upon hearing this, the rogue’s slightly gaunt cheeks flushed involuntarily, and he silently walked toward the door.

“Just joking…”

Before she could finish, he had already stepped outside the room.

“Miss, he came here saying he wanted to observe Ling Feiyu from a distance. Chuer habitually uses the window, and he followed behind—not intending any offense…”

Hua Chuer’s voice softened as she spoke.

“Hmm, observing from afar is fine; Chuer, you supervise!”

Wu Yueling deliberately spoke loudly so the rogue outside could hear clearly.

“Princess, Zhang Heng has something else to report!”

Rolling up a long slip of paper, Wu Yueling stirred the lamp wick. “What is it?”

“Regarding the rumors circulating in the streets that attack the princess, they are actually orchestrated by the Manichaean sect behind the scenes!”

Hearing this, Wu Yueling opened her mouth but hesitated, putting down the charred paper and falling into thought.

Hua Chuer noticed Miss seemed about to say something but stopped herself. “You say those slandering you come from the Manichaean sect? Is there any evidence?”

Leaning against the railing at the door, the rogue didn’t seem anxious. Since the princess was silent, it suggested his words had some weight. He spoke with a confident tone, as if testing.

“Evidence? Not necessary. Our ‘Unruly Ones’ are scattered across Chang’an’s streets; much intelligence reaches our ears!”

Hua Chuer immediately retorted, recalling how cautious she was when stealing things and gathering intelligence. “Much intelligence? Including falsehoods, I presume!”

Listening to their exchange, Wu Yueling grew more concerned. The Manichaean sect had previously sent letters and even maliciously hurled stones into the princess’s residence—truly lawless, completely disregarding the princess’s authority.

Of course, her silence stemmed more from pondering Zhang Heng’s true intent. Was he merely informing her that the Manichaean sect was behind previous incidents, trying to direct the princess’s ire toward them? Should she take advantage of this?

“What about Wang Lizhi?”

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Wu Yueling couldn’t help but think of this fellow, who likely had some connection to the Manichaean sect, so she asked.

“One of the Five Surnamed Aristocratic Clans, the Wang family. This guy is indeed talented but arrogantly prideful at a young age. It’s true he looks down on the princess!”

The rogue responded calmly, seemingly trying to provoke Wu Yueling, testing her.

“Hmph! I understand—Manichaean sect, we’ll see about that!”

Anger surged from the room. After Zhang Heng left, Wu Yueling shrugged to Chuer, admitting she had anticipated this connection and had spontaneously staged a little act, which surprisingly felt real—even she could hardly believe how perfect her performance was.

“Miss, why? Is Zhang Heng a treacherous villain?”

“No, it was just a sudden instinctive reaction. After all, we are currently cooperating with the Unruly Ones,” Wu Yueling began, gesturing with her fingers. “Though there’s a hint of threat, it’s not to the point of open hostility. But this kind of behavior is somewhat hypocritical! I’m really not good at faking… or rather, acting.”

“Chuer probably understands now. But what’s their true motive in doing this?”

Looking at Hua Chuer, she frowned and thought deeply.

“First, at least we know the Manichaean sect is meddling with the princess’s residence. Second, I’m curious about the conflict between the Unruly Ones and the Manichaean sect—why would they deliberately use the princess’s residence? Third, no matter what, we must stay observant. Playing with fire too often only brings more trouble. The only thing attracting people like Zhang Heng, a man of the Jianghu, is the power the princess’s residence displayed that day! For now, I just want to run the Westward Journey Tavern well, to have it spread throughout the realm. As for court disputes, as Li Mao said, the waters are too deep; better to avoid diving in!”

“Also, Chuer, here’s a task for you: watch over Zhang Heng, don’t let him wander the residence. It’s fine to observe Ling Feiyu, but no contact! That young girl knows too much; the ideology I’ve instilled in her is still in its infancy, and she’s one of our bargaining chips in cooperating with the Unruly Ones!”

“Yes, Chuer understands!”

After hearing Miss’s instructions, Hua Chuer slipped out the window, becoming a dark shadow vanishing into the night.

Wu Yueling gazed at the pitch-black sky and took a deep breath. Looks like she had a busy time ahead. Maybe she should find an opportunity to visit a branch or the main headquarters of the Manichaean sect? She hadn’t told Chuer everything yet, fearing she might investigate on her own. There must be a big figure behind the Manichaean sect; otherwise, some Jianghu faction wouldn’t dare provoke the royal family so recklessly, nor spread damaging rumors without restraint.

Clearly, only one scenario made sense: they were backed by someone with even greater status and influence than herself. A real problem—big trees catch the wind.

“Manichaean sect, Wang Lizhi, the Qi family… a headache!”

Late at night, on the street where the commander had just patrolled, a black shadow slipped by. Following the water channel flowing into Qujiang Pool, it left the city and arrived outside the princess’s residence. Beneath the black cloak, two curved, sturdy objects protruded. He had come to find Shao Qinglin. Three Manichaean sect members assigned regular contact had mysteriously died. The princess’s residence had made its stance clear; now he had to show the Manichaean sect’s position.