Chapter 46: Lantern Festival

Chapter 46: Lantern Festival

Just after dusk on Lantern Festival evening, the Liang family's carriage arrived at the gates of the Wei manor.

Hoping to make a lasting impression on Wei Mingjin that night, Liang Wanying had specially commissioned a dress made from their shop's newly arrived "shimmering silk." At first glance, this fabric appeared plain, but under the lantern light, it would glimmer with a rippling radiance, making it exceptionally unique and rare.

After inspecting her dress, Liang Wanying asked her maid, "Is my hair messy? Has my makeup smudged?"

"Your hair is perfectly in place, and your makeup is flawless. Our young lady is the most beautiful maiden in all of Qingyuan County tonight."

Liang Wanying was thrilled by the maid's flattery but chided her nonetheless, "Oh, you and your sweet talk!"

"This servant isn't sweet-talking, just speaking the honest truth," the maid replied with a grin before suddenly exclaiming, "Miss, Young Master Wei and Auntie Xin are coming out."

Liang Wanying instinctively turned to look and saw Xin He and Wei Mingjin emerging together from the main gate of the Wei residence.

Wei Mingjin was dressed in a frost-white robe, his face as flawless as jade, his eyes clear and refined, with a faint smile gracing his lips. His entire demeanor was ethereal, captivating anyone who laid eyes on him.

Beside him, Xin He wore a pleated ruyi gauze skirt embroidered with clusters of plum blossoms, draped with a fox fur cloak that accentuated her snow-white skin and stunning beauty.

As they walked side by side, they looked like a perfectly matched pair.

Liang Wanying was momentarily stunned but quickly dismissed the inappropriate thought from her mind.

Xin He was Master Wei's concubine—how could she and Wei Mingjin ever be a perfectly matched pair!

"Young Master Wei, Auntie," Liang Wanying parted the carriage curtain and greeted them.

Wei Mingjin and Xin He approached, exchanged greetings with Liang Wanying, and then Xin He boarded Liang Wanying's carriage while Wei Mingjin took a separate one.

As soon as she entered the carriage, Xin He noticed that Liang Wanying was exquisitely made up and dressed in brand-new attire, clearly having adorned herself for the one she admired.

Xin He’s heart stirred, and she showered Liang Wanying with compliments.

Blushing from the praise, Liang Wanying was then caught off guard when Xin He shifted the conversation to more serious matters, asking in a probing tone, "Miss Liang, you have feelings for our Young Master, don’t you?"

Liang Wanying hadn’t expected Xin He to be so direct. Her cheeks flushed, and though deeply embarrassed, she admitted it.

"Young Master Wei is both talented and handsome, with a gentle temperament. Wanying naturally admires him."

Xin He had long been aware of this. Her direct question today was merely a prelude to what she planned to say next.

"Miss Liang, we’ve known each other for a long time. Since you’ve been honest with me tonight, I won’t hide anything from you either. I truly hope you can marry our Young Master."

Xin He took Liang Wanying’s hand, appearing utterly sincere. "Now that I’ve lost my child, I have no support left in the Wei family. The rest of my life will depend on the Young Master. He is kind-hearted and allows us concubines to remain in the estate for our old age. But once he marries, the affairs of the inner household will ultimately be decided by the mistress. Our lives will be in her hands. If we encounter an unkind mistress, how could our days be peaceful?

"Miss Liang, I’ve known you for a long time, and I know you are gentle and virtuous. Since you have feelings for our Young Master, I am willing to help you. I only hope that if you become the mistress of our household in the future, you will allow us a place to belong."

Liang Wanying was overjoyed that Xin He was willing to assist her.

She warmly grasped Xin He’s hand. "Auntie, we’ve known each other for so long. You know what kind of person I am. If I can marry Young Master Wei, I will surely respect you as an elder."

"How could a concubine dare to be considered an elder to the mistress? If Miss Liang can grant me a place to stay, I will be endlessly grateful."

After flattering Liang Wanying a bit more, Xin He turned the conversation to the lantern viewing that night.

If she wanted to successfully escape under Wei Mingjin’s watchful eyes that night, she would need Liang Wanying to capture his attention. So, Xin He discussed her plan with Liang Wanying in advance.

Liang Wanying had dressed up so elaborately precisely to draw Wei Mingjin’s gaze. Now that Xin He was willing to help them spend time alone together, Liang Wanying was absolutely thrilled.

As Xin He carefully laid out the arrangements, Liang Wanying nodded eagerly, feeling increasingly affectionate toward her.

While Xin He continued to engage with Liang Wanying on the surface, inwardly she felt uneasy.

Wei Mingjin was always cautious and suspicious, yet this escape plan was proceeding unusually smoothly.

This made Xin He both happy and anxious.

She could only hope that nothing would go wrong later.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, every household came out to view the lanterns. The main street was so crowded with people that carriages couldn’t pass through.

So, as they approached the main street, the group got out of their carriages and continued on foot to view the lanterns.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and the streets were ablaze with lanterns, as bright as day. Performances of song and dance lined the streets, and the noise could be heard for miles.

Xin He had previously lived in Shili Village, which was a two-hour ox-cart ride from the county town. She had never had the chance to witness the magnificent spectacle of the Lantern Festival in the county town.

As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, Xin He was utterly captivated by the sights. Liang Wanying reminded her, "Auntie, the lanterns up ahead are even more spectacular. Let’s go take a look."

"Alright."

Xin He walked with Liang Wanying, while Wei Mingjin followed behind them.

With every family out viewing the lanterns, the streets were packed shoulder to shoulder. Xin He and Liang Wanying struggled their way to a stall selling lanterns.

"Which lantern do you like, Auntie? I’ll buy it for you," Liang Wanying said with a charming smile.

Xin He looked up at the dense array of lanterns. She liked every one of them and couldn’t decide.

Liang Wanying chose a rabbit lantern. Turning around and seeing Xin He still hesitating, she suggested, "That lotus lantern and the double-fish lantern are both quite lovely!"

Xin He followed Liang Wanying’s gaze. The lotus and double-fish lanterns were indeed beautiful, but they weren’t to her taste.

They couldn’t stay there for long, so after some deliberation, Xin He randomly pointed to one. "I’ll take that one."

Liang Wanying followed Xin He’s pointing finger, and her expression immediately became a picture of mixed emotions.

The lantern vendor was momentarily taken aback but then took down the lantern Xin He had chosen and handed it to her with a smile. "You have excellent taste, madam! Although this toad lantern isn’t much to look at, it carries excellent symbolism—it seems someone in your family will be taking the imperial examinations next year."

Xin He: "..."

She had simply thought the lantern was uniquely ugly and hadn’t considered any deeper meaning.

But now, with everyone’s eyes on her, she had no choice but to say, "Yes, thank you for your kind words."

A flicker of regret passed through Liang Wanying’s heart.

When selecting lanterns earlier, she had only focused on choosing pretty ones and had forgotten about this aspect.

Still, although Wei Mingjin had passed the provincial examination last year, he had to observe a three-year mourning period for his father before he could take the exams again. She would have another chance in the future.

Just as Liang Wanying was about to call her maid to pay for the lantern, Wei Mingjin had already settled the bill.

Liang Wanying felt somewhat embarrassed. "I said I would buy the lantern for Auntie, but in the end, you ended up paying for it, Young Master."

"They’re just two lanterns. It doesn’t matter who pays. Please don’t dwell on it, Miss Liang," Wei Mingjin said. Dressed in snow-white robes, his features clear and gentle, he stood under the lantern light with a faint smile. The warm glow of the lanterns enveloped him, making him appear even more transcendent, like an immortal descended to earth.

Not only Liang Wanying but even Xin He, who knew his true nature well, was momentarily captivated by this deliberately crafted facade.

But in an instant, Xin He snapped out of it.

Beautiful things were dangerous; getting too close could get you killed.

Coming back to her senses and noticing the crowd was packed ahead, Xin He suggested, "Let's go further ahead and check out what’s up ahead."

"Alright," Wei Mingjin said good-naturedly.

Once again, Xin He and Liang Wanying walked ahead, while Wei Mingjin followed behind them with Feng Mo.

Amid the noisy surroundings, Xin He looped her arm through Liang Wanying's, commenting on the lanterns around them while subtly squeezing Liang Wanying’s arm lightly.

Catching her drift, Liang Wanying noticed a mask vendor’s stall up ahead and turned to Wei Mingjin, saying, "Young Master Wei, Auntie Xin and I would like to take a look at that mask shop. May we?"

"Of course," Wei Mingjin replied with a nod and a smile.

Their group paused at the stall again.

This time, Liang Wanying had wised up and let Xin He choose first.

Xin He pointed at one at random. Earlier, she had seen several people wearing this same mask along the way.

Liang Wanying thought the mask was too plain and instead picked a lucky baby mask with a smiling face.

After they had made their selections, Liang Wanying turned to Wei Mingjin and said, "Young Master Wei, want to pick one too?"

Wei Mingjin wasn’t into such things and politely declined.

Afterward, their group continued to walk around, with Xin He guiding Liang Wanying into the most crowded areas.

The crowded places were both tight and hot, and Liang Wanying’s carefully applied makeup was about to get ruined when someone up ahead suddenly shouted, "Thief!" The crowd instantly went wild.

Caught off guard, Liang Wanying was jostled and lost her balance. Someone behind her caught her by the shoulder.

A calm male voice sounded from behind her, "Miss Liang, be careful."

Liang Wanying turned her head abruptly and, upon seeing Wei Mingjin behind her, grabbed onto his sleeve tightly as though he were her savior.

The crowd was too dense, and people kept pushing forward. Trapped in the midst of it, Wei Mingjin and the others had no choice but to get swept along.

Once they reached a more open area and the crowd gradually dispersed, Liang Wanying released Wei Mingjin’s sleeve and took a breather off to the side.

Her maid bustled around taking care of her.

Wei Mingjin stood to the side with his hands behind his back, searching the crowd but never catching sight of Xin He.

A short while later, Feng Mo, who had been separated in the crowd, showed up late and reported, "Young Master, Auntie Xin is gone."

"Perhaps when everyone rushed forward earlier, Auntie Xin was pushed elsewhere," Liang Wanying said weakly, leaning on her maid for support as she stood up, a mess. "Earlier, I mentioned to Auntie Xin that I reserved a room at Mingyu Lou tonight. Once the crowd disperses and she can’t find us, she’ll probably head over to Mingyu Lou."

Wei Mingjin’s eyes lowered slightly, a flicker of mockery flashing in his eyes.

It seemed she couldn’t hold back anymore.

Yet, his expression showed not a hint of concern. Instead, he smiled and nodded, "In that case, let’s go to Mingyu Lou and wait."

Their group leisurely made their way toward Mingyu Lou.

Meanwhile, Xin He had just pushed her way out of the crowd and was leaning against a tree, catching her breath.

There were too many people; it was so crowded she could hardly breathe.

Even so, Xin He kept her guard up. After glancing around to ensure no one was following her, she lifted her mask.

Her fair face was damp with sweat. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, quickly untied her fox-fur cloak, got her bearings, and headed toward the place where she had agreed to meet Qiong Hua.

On the Lantern Festival, the city gates remained open all night, allowing the common people to party all night.

At this moment, Wei Mingjin was surely stuck with Liang Wanying and likely not paying attention to her. As long as she could meet Qiong Hua smoothly, they would leave Qingyuan County overnight.

By the time Wei Mingjin realized what had happened, they would already be long gone.

Xin He’s heart raced with excitement as she hurried toward Qinghong Bridge.

They had agreed to meet under the ancient tree beside Qinghong Bridge tonight.

Because the shortest route to Qinghong Bridge was crowded with street acts and performers, Xin He had to take a detour.

From afar, across the river shimmering with light, she spotted Qiong Hua standing under the ancient tree.

Overjoyed, Xin He lifted her skirt and stepped onto Qinghong Bridge, intending to go toward Qiong Hua. But after taking just two steps, she suddenly noticed a black-clad man wearing a bamboo hat sitting at the yuanxiao stall behind Qiong Hua.

There was something kind of familiar about the man’s figure.

Xin He paused, a bad feeling suddenly rising in her heart.

The escape plan had gone surprisingly smoothly, but at the very moment she was about to reunite with Qiong Hua, for some reason, her heart began to pound hard.

Xin He had always trusted her intuition, so she didn’t rush forward.

Coincidentally, there was a vendor on the bridge selling small trinkets. Xin He crouched down, pretending to look through the stuff while secretly observing the black-clad man’s movements.

The man had a bowl of yuanxiao in front of him.

It was customary to eat yuanxiao during the Lantern Festival, so it wasn’t strange for him to be having some at a stall. What was strange, however, was that the stall was doing good business, people coming and going, yet the man remained not moving an inch, not touching the yuanxiao in front of him.

He wasn’t there to eat yuanxiao, nor was it a good spot for viewing the lanterns.

"Miss, this one and this one are both quite pretty," the jewelry vendor enthusiastically showing off her jewelry to Xin He. "You can try them on. I have a mirror here."

"Oh, alright, I’ll give them a try," Xin He replied distractedly as she continued to watch the black-clad man.

Just then, two little boys ran past the man while playing with lanterns. One of them accidentally bumped into him. As the man reached out to steady the child, his bamboo hat tilted slightly.

When Xin He saw his face clearly, her eyes went wide.

Chi Yan! It was actually Chi Yan!

No wonder she hadn’t seen Chi Yan these past few days—it turned out Wei Mingjin had sent him to follow Qiong Hua.

Earlier, Xin He had felt that everything had gone suspiciously smoothly. Only now did she understand: Wei Mingjin had deliberately turned a blind eye, waiting to catch her in the act tonight.

Xin He felt a chill.

"Miss, miss…" The vendor’s voice brought Xin He back to her senses.

The vendor was still enthusiastically pushing her jewelry: "And this pearl hairpin, this one is also very pretty."

"Sorry, I’m not buying anything," Xin He said before turning and stumbling back the way she came.

Chi Yan's attention was diverted by the two children, so he didn't notice what was happening on the bridge for a moment. Meanwhile, Qiong Hua was still obediently standing by the ancient tree, looking around in the crowd for any sign of Xin He.

After descending the bridge, Xin He headed straight into the crowd, heading where the crowds were thickest, since only then did she feel a sense of safety.

As she hurried along, Xin He quickly pondered what to do next.

Now, Qiong Hua was like bait on a hook—if she went to her, Chi Yan would catch her in the act, and neither of them would escape.

If she didn’t go to Qiong Hua and instead left Qingyuan County now, she might just escape from Wei Mingjin.

She already had the Concubine Release Letter, so she didn’t have to worry about Wei Mingjin reporting her to the officials and having them drag her back. From now on, the world was her oyster—she could go wherever she wished.

Yes! Opportunity knocks but once; she had to seize this chance to get far away.

Once her mind was made up, Xin He headed straight for the city gate.

Wei Mingjin was certain she would go to Qiong Hua, which was why he had men stationed there waiting for her. He would never expect that she hadn’t gone to Qiong Hua but was instead leaving the city directly.

By the time Wei Mingjin realized what had happened, she would be far away, and he would have no way to catch her.

But as the city gate came into view in the distance, what Xin He had been trying not to think about finally surfaced.

She could leave just like that, but what would become of Qiong Hua?

The fact that Chi Yan was stationed there meant Wei Mingjin had already guessed her plan.

If she selfishly escaped without a care, Qiong Hua, in Wei Mingjin’s hands, would surely end up like Wei Jingyao.

Wei Jingyao’s death could be due to his own greed.

But Qiong Hua had done nothing wrong; on the contrary, she had always supported her. Could she really be so heartless as to sacrifice Qiong Hua’s life for her own freedom?

She had already robbed Qiong Hua of her voice—must she now get her killed as well?

Though the city gate was right there, Xin He found herself frozen in place.

At that moment, an overwhelming hatred toward Wei Mingjin welled up in Xin He’s heart.

Wei Mingjin, that despicable, shameless hypocrite! He was using Qiong Hua’s life to force her into submission!

Furious and resentful, Xin He’s tears streamed down her face.

Someone behind her impatiently urged, "Hey, are you going or not? If not, get out of the way!"

Xin He moved aside, crouched on the ground, and sobbed her heart out. After crying out her anger and hatred, she dried her tears, took a long last look at the city gate not far away, and then turned back without hesitation.

Little did Xin He know, after she turned back, two men who had been looking at the lanterns at the city gate exchanged looks and began following her from a distance.

Earlier, Liang Wanying had told Xin He that she had reserved a private room at Mingyu Tower for the evening.

But Xin He had no intention of getting between Liang Wanying and Wei Mingjin, so she didn’t go to Mingyu Tower and instead returned directly to the Wei residence.

Once inside the estate, Xin He meant to go right back to Cuiwei Court, but the steward, Uncle Ming, stopped her: "The young master is waiting for you in the main hall, ma'am. This way, please."

Xin He was surprised.

Shouldn’t Wei Mingjin be at Mingyu Tower at this moment, enjoying the moon and lanterns with Liang Wanying? Why was he at the residence?

Though filled with questions, Xin He had no choice but to turn and go toward the main hall.

It was a festival day, and Wei Mingjin had given the servants time off—aside from those on duty, everyone else was allowed to leave the estate to see the lantern displays. Thus, Xin He encountered no servants along the way.

From a distance, she could see the main hall brightly lit.

Uncle Ming escorted Xin He only to the outside of the main hall before leaving. Xin He stood alone under the eaves for a moment.

Although she hadn’t been caught red-handed by Chi Yan tonight, it was clear Wei Mingjin already knew about her attempt to escape.

She had no idea what awaited her inside.

But whether she advanced or retreated, the outcome would be the same. After standing under the eaves for a few moments to catch her breath, Xin He finally worked up her courage, lifted her skirts, and stepped inside.

The main hall was brightly lit, but Wei Mingjin was the only one there.

He was still wearing the white robe he had worn earlier when he went out to see the lanterns. He had been resting with one hand supporting his forehead, eyes closed. As if hearing her footsteps, he lifted his eyelids and glanced over.

His gaze was calm and indifferent, no different from usual.

He reached out his hand to her and spoke in a gentle voice, "You’re back?"

His tone made it sound as though Xin He had simply been out for a stroll.

Suppressing the hatred churning in her heart, Xin He placed her hand in Wei Mingjin’s palm and then obediently knelt at his knee, docile as a house cat.

The lanterns sputtered softly, and neither of them spoke.

After a long while, Wei Mingjin’s fingertips brushed against Xin He’s cheek. He finally spoke, his tone somewhere between a sigh and mockery: "He Niang, you are ultimately too soft-hearted."

Xin He did not answer, only quietly closed her eyes to prevent the hatred in them from showing.

And in the not-too-distant future, Wei Mingjin would come to learn that Xin He’s mercy was selective.

For example, when it came to him, Xin He would not be soft-hearted.