Chapter 014

Chapter 14: Will You Admit You Don’t Know Much?

A voice snapped at him: “Young Master Du had just returned and already knew Miss You went to Leaning Plum Courtyard, so how could you not know a scheming thief showed up in the manor today?”

Du Zi Heng was speechless.

He did know there had been a thief. The steward had given him a quick summary the moment he came home. But when he heard that You Bing Yue had come to Leaning Plum Courtyard, he instinctively assumed his parents were going to make things hard for her. [He could think of nothing else except protecting the one he liked from being bullied.]

He frowned and asked: “What does this have to do with these filthy things?”

Yu Zhi Yi stepped forward, picked up a piece of talisman paper, and folded it carefully before saying: “This is not filthy trash. It is a Formation Talisman I developed to replace the usual Formation Flag.”

She explained, calm and clear: “A Formation Flag is an important tool used by members of the Mystic Sect to set arrays.”

She added, steady and sure: “Using these Formation Talismans, I set up a defensive array. Every night, a Protective Barrier forms above Chancellor’s Manor. Except for the front gate and a few side gates, the rest of the manor is covered by the barrier. No one can enter through any irregular route.”

Madam Yao looked enlightened and asked: “So Du Lin did not fall from the wall because he slipped, but because of this formation?”

You Bing Yue scoffed, her tone cold as ice: “Ridiculous. A defensive array? There is no such thing in this world. To draw attention, you even throw away your shame? How dare you tell such a silly lie?”

Yu Zhi Yi gave a light smile and said: “Just because you have not seen it does not mean it does not exist.”

You Bing Yue flushed with anger. [This gold-digger dares call me ignorant? The fine things I have seen are beyond what this long-haired, short-sighted gold-digger could imagine in a lifetime.]

Yu Zhi Yi no longer bothered with her and said to Chancellor Du: “Father, if you want to know whether the array is real, we only need to put these two talismans back.”

Then she turned to You Bing Yue with a friendly smile and said: “Since Miss You and Du Sheng do not believe, let the two of you test it.”

Chancellor Du had no objection.

Du Zi Heng wanted to speak up, but this was not his turn to talk.

Soon, everyone arrived at the base of the outer wall.

Yu Zhi Yi replaced the talismans, accepted the handkerchief Zi Yuan handed her, and wiped the dirt from her fingers, then said evenly: “All right, Miss You, go ahead.”

You Bing Yue snorted and said: “Stop pretending. Fake is fake. No matter how calm you act, in a moment you will be rolling on the ground and kneeling to beg for mercy.”

With that, she tapped her toes and shot toward the top of the wall like a sharp sword.

Du Sheng shouted, his blood up: “Good!”

Admiration warmed Du Zi Heng’s eyes as well. He had been captivated by her skill from the start. There were many beautiful women in the Capital, but only she both moved well and dared to break old rules.

The thought had barely formed when he and Du Sheng stared, eyes wide. Before her foot could land on the walltop, You Bing Yue seemed to hit something invisible. She bounced back and crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Yu Zhi Yi smiled with crescent eyes and asked: “Miss You, do you believe it now?”

You Bing Yue shot her a glare, said nothing, and rushed the wall again.

This time she did not make one big leap. Instead, she moved like a leopard, using the wall as a brace and climbing hand over foot until she reached the top.

And then, nothing. She could not jump down no matter what. There was nothing visible in front of her, but it felt like a wall stood there. No matter how hard she tried, she could not break through and land outside Chancellor’s Manor.

She refused to accept it. [There cannot be such a thing as a formation. And even if there were, there is no way that weak, fake young madam of a gold-digger could do it.]

Du Zi Heng and Du Sheng searched for a weak spot too, but came back empty-handed.

Yu Zhi Yi spoke to Zi Yuan with an easy tone: “Go prepare three chairs. This may take a while.” She paused, then added: “And bring some late-night snacks. After all this fuss, Father and Mother must be hungry.”

Zi Yuan agreed with a smile.

Before long, servants carried over a table and chairs. Soon after, dishes were brought out and set down.

Yu Zhi Yi invited Chancellor Du and Madam Yao to eat, and she picked up her chopsticks to taste the food herself. Watching a monkey show while enjoying good snacks truly was one of life’s little pleasures.

After a full round of trying and failing, the three climbers came back. Not only had they failed to find a way out, they were dusty and out of breath. You Bing Yue felt stifled with anger. When she saw how relaxed Yu Zhi Yi and the two elders looked, she nearly fainted from rage. [How dare they! I am the queen of the night, and they treat me like a zoo monkey?]

Yu Zhi Yi finished a piece of pastry, took a sip of tea, then asked with a smile: “Miss You, will you admit you have a narrow view now?”

Already annoyed, You Bing Yue almost exploded when she heard that: “You…”

Du Zi Heng stepped forward, shielding her with his arms, and frowned at Yu Zhi Yi as he said: “You do have some skill. But that does not give you the right to abuse power and kill servants as you please. Du Sheng grew up in Chancellor’s Manor and has been loyal. To say you can dispose of him any time you want is too much.”

Yu Zhi Yi blinked, a trace of confusion on her bright face, and asked: “Loyal, as in skimming silver every time he goes out to buy supplies by using his position? Or loyal, as in knowing Miss You is the one you hold dear and still coveting her beauty?”

Chancellor Du and Madam Yao sat up straight at once. After seeing what Yu Zhi Yi could do, they did not doubt her words. Now they were angry and curious at the same time. To be honest, the curiosity was winning.

You Bing Yue tore herself out of Du Zi Heng’s arms. He, a tall grown man, staggered and almost fell.

She snapped, eyes blazing: “You are a woman too. Do you not know how cruel it is to spread dirty rumors? How can you smear me like this?”

Yu Zhi Yi looked even more puzzled and said: “I only said he coveted your beauty. I never said you responded to him. How is that a dirty rumor? Why are you angry?”

You Bing Yue went silent: “…”

Du Sheng jumped up and shouted, red-faced: “Young madam, even if you truly have ability, you cannot fling wild claims at us! Other than the fact that Miss You once helped me, there is nothing between us. We are clean and innocent!”

Du Zi Heng’s face sank as he added, voice hard: “Do you not know slandering a woman like that can push her to death? How can you be so vicious?”

Yu Zhi Yi ignored him and kept her eyes on Du Sheng as she said: “You really dodge the main point well. About skimming the manor’s silver, you say not a word. You only hurry to clear yourself and Miss You.”

She clapped once, her expression full of ironic praise.

Du Sheng roared, his anger boiling over: “Young madam, mind your words! I am loyal to Chancellor’s Manor. I would never do such a thing!”

He sputtered on, stubborn as a mule: “Skimming money or coveting Miss You’s looks, both are made-up lies! If you keep framing me… I… I can only prove my innocence with my death!”

Yu Zhi Yi did not flinch and said: “Dying will not help you. The evidence you left will not disappear just because you kill yourself.”