Chapter 431 - 431 Counterplot

When Yu Dong returned behind Qu Moying, her expression had calmed down, appearing nonchalant. However, as she positioned herself behind Qu Moying, her restless feet moved twice.

Qu Moying smiled and asked Qi Xiangyu, “Lady Qi, may I go outside for a walk?”

“Of course, that’s fine, but I…” Qi Xiangyu hesitated. She had just formed a rapport with Qu Moying and genuinely wanted to befriend her. Glancing at her own grandmother, she found herself in a dilemma. “I might not be able to accompany you.”

As the hostess of the event and the only young lady of the family, she couldn’t simply leave. She had to stay behind and entertain the other young ladies. Talking to Qu Moying on the side had already been quite impolite. If she were to leave with Qu Moying, her grandmother would be angered.

Qi Xiangyu knew she wasn’t the Duchess’s biological descendant, so she wasn’t as favored as Liu Jingyu. Any misstep on her part would undoubtedly lead to blame.

Qu Moying understood Qi Xiangyu’s predicament and smiled, taking the initiative to explain, “Lady Qi, as the hostess, you certainly can’t leave. I’ll just take a casual stroll outside. I’ve been inside for a while and I’m starting to feel a bit suffocated. I won’t go too far and will return soon.”

Hearing Qu Moying’s words, Qi Xiangyu smiled knowingly and silently nodded. She was pleased with Qu Moying’s considerate nature. If Qu Moying truly had a connection with her family, she was willing to accept it and even liked the idea.

The reason she spent time conversing with Qu Moying was twofold. On one hand, she realized that Qu Moying was indeed a good person. She had previously been skeptical, believing that rumors always had some basis, but now she discovered that these rumors had no credibility at all. Qu Moying’s intelligence and wit were evident; if she was considered dull, then true intelligence didn’t exist in the world.

Qu Moying was not only exceptionally clever but also knowledgeable. Regardless of the topic, she could handle it with ease. Her sincerity and understanding made her an excellent confidante.

As for the other reason, it stemmed from the ancient zither named “Feng Yuqin”!

Just a moment ago, Qi Xiangyu repeatedly inquired about the origin of this ancient instrument, and Qu Moying provided an answer. However, it was just a vague response, stating that it was part of her mother’s dowry from the Yue family.

Of course, it was not convenient to make a fuss and ask further questions, as this matter didn’t seem so significant.

Qu Moying and Qi Xiangyu bid their farewells. As Qi Xiangyu smiled and watched them leave, they walked towards a nearby pathway with Yu Dong following closely.

Once they reached the pathway, Yu Dong glanced around to ensure no one was nearby and promptly retrieved a sachet from her pocket. Her face displayed a hint of nervousness as she succinctly said, “Lady, I found this in the other flower hall on the opposite side.”

She turned and gestured, “There’s another flower hall over there, prepared for a banquet. It seems that there will be a feast arranged in that hall as well.”

During their conversation earlier, Qi Xiangyu had briefly mentioned the banquet, stating that it would take place in the opposite flower hall.

“Then that must be the flower hall designated for men!” Qu Moying pondered for a moment and immediately understood the arrangement made by the Mansion.

The flower hall on their side was not small and had fewer female guests. It could easily accommodate them. If there was a banquet in the other hall, it wouldn’t be intended for the women.

The two flower halls were separated by a flower garden, clearly distinguishing them. One side would host the women’s banquet while the other side would be reserved for the men. It was the ideal arrangement.

Yu Dong handed the sachet to Qu Moying, who took it and examined the colors of the flowers embroidered on it. The colors were familiar, triggering her memories.

“Qu Xuexin embroidered this, but I designed the pattern. It truly resembles my embroidery.” Qu Moying commented as she glanced at the sachet. The smile on her lips faded, and she spoke with certainty.

There was a word in her name that couldn’t be ignored, confirming that she was the one who indeed embroidered this sachet herself.

“Lady, I believe there is something inside.” Yu Dong reminded her.

When Qu Moying had pinched the sachet earlier, she sensed that there was something within it. She examined the thread on the sachet, carefully pulled it open, and retrieved a folded note from inside. Surprisingly, it was made of “Chengxin paper.”

This type of paper was not commonly used by ordinary households.

As she unfolded the note, she discovered it was written in neat regular script, with well-executed strokes and horizontal lines. However, beyond that, she couldn’t discern any other details. In other words, such handwriting could be produced by anyone who had practiced for a few years, making it impossible to determine the author.

Qu Moying sneered at the words written on the note. It contained a highly ambiguous poem, expressing a woman’s longing, filled with alluring implications that portrayed the woman as affectionate and sentimental.

Although the verses were beautifully crafted, a closer analysis revealed the woman’s frivolous nature, disregarding the teachings of proper behavior for women.

Thus, this became undeniable evidence of her defiance against traditional female virtues. Regardless of who had found it, this would be proof of her involvement with another man. If that man insisted on their relationship, her only option would be to become his concubine.

Alternatively, there was a possibility to prove her innocence through death.

Of course, it was also possible for the man who found it to claim it was a coincidence and had no connection to him. However, even if it had nothing to do with him, there would still be someone associated with her, and she would be equally unable to defend herself when the time came.

It could be said that this sachet was concrete evidence of her disregard for the teachings of a proper lady, even if the identity of the man involved remained uncertain, her own involvement was certain!

After listening to Yu Dong’s words, Qu Moying could confirm that both Liu Jingyu and Qu Qiuyan were involved in this matter. One of them had thrown the sachet there, while the other had stuffed a poem inside.

Qu Qiuyan’s actions seemed more accidental. Even though she had prepared the sachet, she hadn’t planned to include such an ambiguous poem. This prompted Liu Jingyu’s response to ensure her own demise. Even Qu Moying’s people had to take action to secure her fate.

“Remove a hairpin for me.” Qu Moying instructed Yu Dong.

Yu Dong immediately understood Qu Moying’s intention and carefully plucked a sharp hairpin from Qu Moying’s head.

Qu Moying took it, pondered for a moment, and then picked a few threads from the inscription on the sachet. However, despite the picking, the faint traces were still discernible, including the character “Ying”.

After some thought, Qu Moying created several similar marks on the picked traces.

Satisfied with the result, Qu Moying handed the hairpin to Yu Dong, who delicately secured it back in place.

“Throw this sachet back!” Qu Moying commanded, placing the note back inside and tightly fastening the sachet.

Yu Dong took it, turned around, and hurriedly ran back. She had to seize the opportunity when the maid wasn’t paying attention to throw the sachet back into that corner.

Qu Moying continued walking nonchalantly. However, to Qu Moying’s surprise, upon turning a corner, she caught sight of Qu Qiuyan’s figure in the distance and halted her steps.

Qu Qiuyan was conversing with the rarely seen Young Master Yongning, Xu Lipeng?

Qu Qiuyan had her back turned, so she couldn’t see Qu Moying. However, Xu Lipeng spotted Qu Moying from afar, hesitated for a moment, bid farewell to Qu Qiuyan, and actually headed towards Qu Moying.

Qu Qiuyan was in the midst of a conversation with Xu Lipeng when he suddenly bid her farewell and walked away. After a brief pause, she turned around and saw Qu Moying approaching with measured steps, unaccompanied by any maids. Where did Yu Dong go?

A flicker of delight flashed in Qu Qiuyan’s eyes. She glanced at Qing Ju, then turned and walked away as if she hadn’t noticed Qu Moying approaching.

She had already hinted to Xu Lipeng earlier. Xu Lipeng wasn’t stupid; he must have understood her intentions. Initially, Qu Qiuyan had merely sought a disreputable young man, preferably one who was already married, to insinuate that Qu Moying had lost the sachet. By emphasizing Qu Moying’s extraordinary beauty, she could easily capture the attention of such a wayward playboy. Once he found the sachet, he would undoubtedly claim it was a gift from Qu Moying.

These kinds of playboys were the easiest to handle.

Qu Qiuyan intended to stroll outside, hoping to encounter a suitable person near the gate. However, before she reached the gate, she unexpectedly encountered Xu Lipeng. This was truly an unexpected surprise.

If anyone hated Qu Moying, it would be Xu Lipeng.

It was said that Xu Lipeng was currently in an unfavorable situation. If the sachet fell into Xu Lipeng’s hands, he would surely not let Qu Moying off the hook. She would face a tarnished reputation.

For now, Qu Moying and Xu Lipeng were left alone in this situation. When the time came, Qu Moying would find it even harder to explain herself. What did it matter to send a sachet at this moment?

Qu Qiuyan felt as if the heavens were on her side, and a self-satisfied smile appeared on her face…

Indeed, Xu Lipeng was going through a rough patch, or rather, everything was going against him!

Since the cancellation of the engagement with the Qu family, he had hardly experienced any favorable situations. The position he was supposed to take was only a matter of time before he could start his career, but in the end, it was taken away. Rumor had it that someone from the Duke Qi’s Mansion had persuaded the decision-makers. Xu Lipeng had no idea how he had offended the people from the Duke Qi’s Mansion.

First Young Master Qi had a good temper. Whenever they met, he praised Xu Lipeng excessively. The two sons of the mansion had a good relationship with him, so it was unlikely they would hinder him. As for the esteemed Duke Qi, he was not easy to meet, and Xu Lipeng couldn’t think of any reason to offend him either.

However, it was the someone from the mansion that decided to intervene and obstruct the matter.

To Xu Lipeng’s surprise, even the Crown Prince, who had previously shown him kindness, did not respond at all. It seemed as if he had misunderstood the prince’s intention to nurture him.

But how could he have misunderstood? The Crown Prince had clearly wanted to recruit him, so why was he now disregarding him?

The incidents involving Yu Qingmeng, Second Lady Duan, and various other matters had tarnished his reputation. He was no longer the pure and flawless Young Master Yongning, known for his deep sense of loyalty. Many of his genuine friendships had also fallen apart. Even Second Master Yan, who used to be his closest ally, had started to distance himself from Xu Lipeng. They hadn’t been in contact for a long time now.

Whenever he thought about all of this, Xu Lipeng couldn’t help but blame Qu Moying for everything. How could a woman be so disregardful of societal norms? Even if she wanted to take a concubine, what harm would it do? Even if he had some private affair with Yu Qingmeng, so what? At most, it would be just a concubine. How could she not even tolerate that?

If it weren’t for Qu Moying insisting on breaking off the engagement, Xu Lipeng might have already entered official service. He could have even secured a favorable position and perhaps even been recruited by the Crown Prince. He wouldn’t have lost the Crown Prince’s favor just because he hadn’t joined the court. The Crown Prince now considered him incapable and useless.

Xu Lipeng felt an unexplained sense of anger and resentment towards Qu Moying. He felt suffocated and unfairly treated.

He couldn’t understand why his downfall had happened so inexplicably, with no other way out. All his pent-up frustration was directed towards Qu Moying. When he saw Qu Moying approaching, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He approached Qu Moying and decided that he would confront her. He had never taken the initiative to break off the engagement, which was already fair to Qu Moying. Why did Qu Moying treat him like this?

Since they had encountered each other, he had to clarify things…