"Intriguing, and quite reasonable."
Without anyone noticing when, Wei Gutong had already appeared at the main table. He waved to Yan Ziyu and Yuan Feifei. "Now that your great vengeance has been exacted, it is indeed worthy of celebration. Come, sit with us."
And so drums and music struck up once more, and the clatter of cups and goblets resumed throughout Qianliu Manor—though the laughter, clamor, and chatter all sounded rather stiff and unnatural.
Yan Ziyu looked at Wang Yu with a gaze of appraisal and appreciation. "Prince Zhao was most thoughtful."
Even without Wang Yu's intervention, Ding Jianshen's household would have been doomed all the same. But without charges being formally established, the Ding family might have merely gone down in public memory as having offended martial experts from the Central Plains and suffered slaughter as a result.
Now, with a few words, Wang Yu had directly branded the Ding family with colluding with bandits and murdering for wealth. Yuan Feifei's vengeance was thus made entirely justified and righteous—clean, indisputable, and free from any whisper of gossip.
In a sense, it had even elevated Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu's righteous intervention. While the couple did not care for such reputation, they had nonetheless benefited from it and held Wang Yu in rather high esteem.
"A trifle!" Wang Yu waved his hand. "The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor is devoted to ensuring the people under its rule live in peace and contentment and trade routes run smoothly. Bandits and highway robbers are our irreconcilable enemies. Their colluding with bandits is slapping my face. Slapping my face is looking down on the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor. Looking down on the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor is opposing the realm's common folk. And opposing the realm's common folk means they deserve to die."
The crowd was struck speechless.
Those seated in the main hall were all prominent figures of Longshan Prefecture who had seen their share of turbulent storms. Yet Wang Yu's speech still left them speechless, giving them a profound appreciation for the rumors that he was "perverse in temperament and flagrantly arrogant."
Without an unhinged mind and an arrogant disposition, who could make such a speech with a straight face?
Comparing this to Zhao Yu's past conduct in the capital, Li Yunxiu felt an urge to advise Wang Yu to rein it in a little.
Zhao Yingjie looked at Wang Yu in admiration, feeling that his own previous attempts at throwing his weight around in front of outsiders were utterly pathetic by comparison.
Holding back her amusement, Qianqian subtly observed Wang Yu from the side, as if trying to discern what kind of man he truly was.
Even Yan Ziyu was somewhat taken aback; only Wei Gutong chuckled helplessly.
Yet Wang Yu paid it no heed and looked toward the guqin beside Yan Ziyu's hand. Sure enough, it bore ice-crack and water-ripple patterns, vastly different from an ordinary guqin. "So this is Bingquan Ming? A fine name indeed."
"And a fine zither as well."
At the mention of the zither, Wei Gutong's enthusiasm surged. "This instrument was the personal zither of the great master Yuan Shanggui a century ago. Master Yuan's mastery of the art was supreme; a single piece, *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain*, is enough to immortalize his name in history. Even I cannot compare!"
Li Yunxiu chimed in, "*Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain* is both a zither tune and a discipline of martial arts. Master Yuan attained the Dao through music, breaking through to the Xiantian realm, and passed down the Yuan family lineage. Alas, none of his descendants ever mastered that discipline."
Wei Gutong shook his head in disapproval, rebuking Li Yunxiu gently, "Xiantian masters are not rare, but *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain* rivals the ancient classical melody *High Mountains and Flowing Water*, fully worthy of being passed down for eternity. Which is of greater import is plain to see."
Li Yunxiu's brow twitched, but she nodded in agreement.
"Compared to the musical score of *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain*, the martial arts derived from it are not truly remarkable," Yan Ziyu explained to Li Yunxiu. "That Yuan Shanggui could reach the Xiantian realm was due to his own natural gifts. His descendants lacked that caliber of talent, so naturally it was difficult for them to reach Xiantian."
Li Yunxiu nodded in understanding, only to hear Yan Ziyu continue, "My husband had an old friendship with the head of the Yuan family. A few days ago, when we went to visit, we found that the Yuan family had already been annihilated. Following the trail to a cliff, we happened to rescue Feifei, which is how we came to Longshan Prefecture."
Those adept in musical theory were few in the martial world. Wei Gutong was most skilled with the guqin, and the Yuan family was famed for passing down zither music, so it was only natural they knew one another.
In fact, it was Wei Gutong who had taken the initiative years ago to visit their home, asking to hear *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain*. The head of the Yuan family had not only played it on the spot but later gifted him the musical score. Strictly speaking, Wei Gutong still owed the Yuan family a debt of gratitude.
Zhao Yingjie laughed, remarking that it was a pity Ding Xian had not investigated the Yuan family's circle of acquaintances. Had he known that the Yuan family head was close friends with Mister Gutong, backed by figures like Gutong and Ziyu, he wouldn't have dared make a move.
"Not necessarily," Yan Ziyu said, shaking her head. "With Rong Qingying instigating things behind the scenes, Ding Jianshen and Ding Xian's martial arts were clearly inadequate to resist her secret techniques."
"Rong Qingying..." Li Yunxiu asked in slight confusion. "Pardon my ignorance, but I have never heard of this person."
Rong Qingying had exchanged blows with Yan Ziyu without yielding ground, clearly making her a Xiantian expert as well. Yet Li Yunxiu had never heard of her name, which suggested she did not frequently travel the martial world.
"Have you heard of the Qianyin Sect, then?" Yan Ziyu asked.
"The Qianyin Sect?" Li Yunxiu pondered for a moment before sudden realization struck. "Could that be the Soul-Beguiling Sect, a branch of the Demonic Cult?"
At the mention of the Demonic Cult, the banquet hall, which had only just resumed its pretense of lively toasts, fell utterly dead silent. Yet because it concerned martial arts secrets, those sitting anywhere nearby pricked up their ears to listen.
Chances to hear secrets of the martial world were rare; this would serve as prime conversation fodder to boast and show off during private gatherings with friends later on.
Yan Ziyu nodded. "The Qianyin Sect is the Soul-Beguiling Sect, and the Soul-Beguiling Sect is the Qianyin Sect."
Li Yunxiu said with a smile, "I hear 'Qianyin Sect' is what those within the Demonic Cult call themselves."
"Not quite," Wei Gutong said with a shake of his head. "Several centuries ago, the Demonic Cult was still known as the Sacred Cult. Being branded the Demonic Cult is something from the past century or two, mainly because the good and bad within the cult were mixed together, and many practiced underhanded deeds. What's more, forty years ago they meddled in the empire's conflicts and backed the wrong horse, which is why they were practically crushed in a single blow, finding it hard to ever rise again."
"Oh?" Li Yunxiu was, after all, only from a minor aristocratic family. Though well-read, she knew little of martial world secrets.
"Leaving all else aside, consider Mei Yanqiu, the previous sect leader of the Qianyin Sect. I once heard her zither playing; she was a truly refined person of noble elegance, by no means a sinister or deceitful figure," Wei Gutong said.
Yan Ziyu said, "Alas, the sect is a mixed bag, particularly that Rong Qingying. As an elder of the Qianyin Sect, she uses melodies to seduce the seven emotions. In the past, she lured many martial artists into committing evil deeds. When Mei Yanqiu was alive, she could still rein her in and mete out some punishment. Now that Mei Yanqiu has passed away, there are no restraints left whatsoever."
Wang Yu bared his teeth slightly. "She's already that formidable, yet she still goes around seducing others into doing evil?"
"I do not know either," Yan Ziyu said with a shake of her head. "Perhaps it is required for her martial cultivation, or perhaps it is out of pure malice—finding joy in watching others dance in the palm of her hand."
Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu clearly had no desire to dwell on the Demonic Cult, so they steered the conversation away.
"Prince Zhao's temperament differs from the rumors. Could it be that over the past decade or more, you have been employing the stratagem of feigning madness?" Yan Ziyu asked curiously.
Wang Yu burst into hearty laughter. "In the capital, there are either fools idling in office drawing unearned pay, or heedless playboys who know nothing of the world. Facing such useless trash, would I even need to feign madness?"
The stratagem of feigning madness could indeed perfectly explain why Wang Yu couldn't completely mimic Zhao Yu, resulting in discrepancies between his past and present conduct. Li Yunxiu had considered using that excuse before.
But if that were the case, it would mean Zhao Yu, before even reaching the age of ten, had already been a deeply calculating young prodigy capable of duping the entire imperial court with his acting!
Never mind that Li Yunxiu didn't believe the original Zhao Yu had possessed such ability; even the transmigrated Wang Yu wouldn't dare claim he could pull off that level of cunning and intellect.
Therefore, that excuse could never be used. It was far better to rely on the explanation that his father's sudden death had thrust heavy burdens upon him overnight, forcing him to mature in a short time. Not only could this account for traits different from Zhao Yu's, but it also allowed him to indulge his true nature of being "perverse in temperament and flagrantly arrogant" whenever he wished.
Yan Ziyu did not overthink it. After all, Wang Yu had lived sequestered in the capital; without encountering trouble, he naturally wouldn't have displayed his abilities. With the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor backing him, as long as it wasn't the capital crime of rebellion, he truly had no need to give anyone face.
With that thought, Yan Ziyu couldn't help but nod. "Your Highness sees things clearly."
Those at the same table cupped their hands one after another. "Your Highness sees things clearly!"
Wang Yu laughed heartily, then waved his hand to urge them on. "Keep at it, everyone! Eat, eat, don't be shy!"
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of pork and placed it in Yuan Feifei's bowl. "Man is iron, food is steel—skip a meal and hunger's what you'll feel. Miss Yuan, now that your great vengeance has been exacted, your family should be comforted in the Netherworld. Surely they would not wish to see you moping, unable to eat or drink each day, would they?"
"Thank you, Your Highness," Yuan Feifei murmured her thanks, but her brow remained furrowed in sorrow. "It's all because of me. If only I hadn't brought Ding Xian home..."
"Hey!" Wang Yu waved his hand, cutting off Yuan Feifei's self-reproach. "Better to blame others than reflect on yourself. Besides, this matter had nothing to do with you in the first place."
"Huh?" Yuan Feifei was bewildered.
Wang Yu said, "Didn't Madam Ziyu just say it? Behind the Ding family stood Rong Qingying, and they had set their sights on the Yuan family long before. Even if you hadn't brought Ding Xian home, they would have found other means. Far from wallowing in guilt and self-blame, you survived falling off a cliff, met Senior Wei and Madam Ziyu who aided you, and exacted great vengeance for the Yuan family. You should actually feel proud and elated!"
Wang Yu concluded, "The Yuan family's downfall was not your fault; the Yuan family's vengeance was all thanks to you!"
Yuan Feifei was slightly dazed. "Is that so?"
Though something felt off about it, it sounded remarkably convincing.
Yan Ziyu stroked Yuan Feifei's hair. "Of course it is. If you still felt guilt before, after Rong Qingying showed herself, even that last bit of self-reproach should be cast aside. This truly was not your fault."
"Thank you, Auntie," Yuan Feifei said softly.
Li Yunxiu smiled faintly and picked up some food for Yuan Feifei. "Your complexion looks poor, little sister, likely from brooding in sorrow these past days. Now that the knot in your heart is untied, eat a bit more."
Qianqian also smiled, placing a morsel of fish into Yuan Feifei's bowl. "Get a good night's sleep tonight."
Li Yunxiu extended an invitation. "If you do not mind, please stay at the prince's manor. It will be much more comfortable than an inn outside."
Wei Gutong nodded. "Then we shall trouble you."
……
The wedding banquet at Qianliu Manor concluded amidst general rejoicing. Aside from the manor lord and his family—who offered no opinions on the matter—everyone was thoroughly satisfied.
Zhao Yingjie remained behind with two guards to clean up the aftermath. It amounted to directing manor servants to shroud the corpses of Ding Jianshen's family of three, and then taking inventory of the Ding clan's collateral branches, farmlands, and wealth to await subsequent handover—or rather, appropriation.
Chapter 24