Lanting - Kapitel 138
Madam Lu seemed to have aged considerably in an instant. She waved her hand weakly, "This matter must not be mentioned to anyone."
"But Madam?" Xu Yun asked anxiously.
Madam Lu said, "Go down."
Xu Yun left the painting hall, feeling very puzzled. Given Lu Qingfeng's behavior today, the Madam should have punished him, so why did she let him go? The more Xu Yun thought about it, the more confused she became.
As if trampled by a thousand hunting horses, Madam Lu collapsed in agony onto the soft couch; as if a huge boulder were pressing on her chest, she leaned against the brocade pillow, gasping for breath. Tears flowed like a raging river, unstoppable and irrepressible.
In the evening, Xu Yun entered with two maids. Xu Yun ordered the maids to light candles and add some charcoal to the bronze incense burner. Xu Yun helped Madam Lu up, took the hot towel handed to her by the maids, and helped Madam Lu wipe her face and wash her hands.
"I have asked the kitchen to prepare a five-ingredient porridge. Please, Madam, have some."
Mrs. Lu said sadly, "I don't want to eat anything."
“Madam, you must pull yourself together,” Xu Yun urged. “You can’t stay like this. And what happened during the day still makes me very uneasy. Lu Qingfeng is trying to murder you. Madam, you absolutely cannot let this go unpunished. You must hand this matter over to the Lord of the Fortress.”
Madam Lu remained silent.
Xu Yun continued, "Lu Qingfeng and Qing Jianyue have a very close personal relationship. Madam knows this, and the entire Lu Family Fortress knows it. Who is Liu Mei? A traitor. Is she worth Lu Qingfeng taking such a risky step for? He did it for Qing Jianyue. With this as an excuse, even the Fortress Master has nothing to say."
"You may leave," Madam Lu said coldly.
Xu Yun asked anxiously, "Madam, you?"
"Didn't you hear me tell you to get down?" Madam Lu lay down. "I want to sleep a little longer."
Seeing this, Xu Yun had no choice but to leave the painting hall with her maids. She was utterly perplexed; what was going on? Why wouldn't Madam Lu punish Lu Qingfeng? Using Lu Qingfeng as an excuse would have been a much better way to get rid of Qing Jianyue. Even Lu Qingcheng would have had nothing to say. But why wouldn't Madam Lu accept it?
After dismissing Xu Yun, Madam Lu sat up again. Everything that had happened during the day filled her with intense inner conflict. Time slipped away like sand through an hourglass. In the middle of the night, the wind whistled outside the window, and the snowflakes rustled softly—how quiet it was, yet her heart was far from at peace. She couldn't sleep a wink all night; her mind felt as if it had undergone a thousand and one struggles.
In the early morning, after Xu Yun helped her wash and dress, Madam Lu took her seat and instructed, "Have someone serve breakfast." Xu Yun was quite surprised. Madam Lu then added, "After breakfast, have Qing Jianyue come to see me."
Xu Yun looked at her suspiciously, "Madam, what I reported to you last night, have you made up your mind?"
Madam Lu didn't even look at her and said, "No need to ask any more questions, just do as I say."
Xu Yun, not getting the answer she wanted, left dejectedly. After breakfast, Qing Jianyue was led into the painting hall, accompanied by another guest, Madam Cai. Clearly, Lu Qingcheng was uneasy but dared not accompany her without her mother's permission, so she had invited Madam Cai instead.
“Qing Jianyue, you must answer me truthfully. If you dare to utter even half a lie to me, I will immediately expel you from Lujiabao.”
Madam Lu's threatening tone drew a hostile glare from the white fox.
Kiyoshi Tsuki said, "Yes, please ask, Madam."
"Do you hate your mother? She was so unfaithful and immoral, betraying your father and abandoning you. Don't you want to kill her to avenge her?" Madam Lu asked.
Kiyomi Tsuki froze for a moment, then remained silent.
"Luo Buqun killed your father, bringing him shame and taking away your only sister, making you strangers from then on, never to see each other again. Don't you hate him? Don't you want revenge?"
Kiyomi Tsuki slowly lowered her head, still remaining silent.
"And then there are Li Tieying and Zhao Wuyang. They seized your home, leaving you destitute, starving, and freezing to death on the streets. Don't you hate them? Don't you want to take back what's rightfully yours? If you had the chance, wouldn't you want revenge?"
Madam Lu, Madam Cai, Xu Lan, and Xu Yun—four pairs of eyes, eight gazes—were all fixed on Qing Jianyue. Outside the hall, Lu Qingcheng, Qingfeng, Cai Bo'an, Cai Zhonghe, Su Haibo, Lei Yongxiang, and Xiaoqian were all present, listening intently.
Kiyomi Tsuki said calmly, "I don't hate her."
"You don't hate her? Does 'her' refer to your mother?" Madam Lu asked.
Kiyomi Tsuki said serenely, “My mother is dead. She went with my father on the day he died.”
Madam Lu angrily said, "If she is dead, then who is the woman in Luo Buqun's room in the Sky Eagle Sect?"
“Reporting to Madam, that is Luo Buqun’s wife,” Qing Jianyue replied.
Madam Lu glared at Kiyoshi Tsuki.
Kiyomi Tsuki said, "That woman has no relation to me. She just happens to share the same name as my mother and looks similar to her."
Madam Lu raised her voice without realizing it, "You're talking complete nonsense."
Outside the painting hall, Xiaoqian trembled with worry. Du Ping looked at her with pity, unsure how to comfort her. Cai Zhonghe's gentle voice, like a spring breeze, came over, "Don't worry, everything will be alright." Xiaoqian gave him a grateful, shy smile, and Cai Zhonghe smiled back. Du Ping felt a pang of unease.
“Madam, I will repeat myself. My mother is dead. She went with my father on the day he died.” Kiyomi Tsuki said firmly, her tone leaving no room for doubt, “That woman has no relation to me whatsoever.”
Madam Lu felt as if she had been struck hard in the heart, and her hand on the brocade pillow unconsciously clenched slowly.
"Whether you believe me or not, I must explain. I do not hate her. To hate someone brings sorrow; to resent someone brings injustice. Resentment breeds revenge, which harms oneself, others, and countless innocent people, causing lifelong suffering and unrest." Qing Jianyue declared loudly, "That's why I say I do not hate her, because she doesn't deserve it. Who is Luo Buqun? What is Li Tieying? What does Zhao Wuyang do? What does it have to do with me? I came here not for revenge. I am not here for anyone else, only for myself, for the thousands of lives lost in Lujiabao. For the sake of preventing houses from burning down, property from being looted, men, the elderly, and children from being killed, and women from being raped. I am not here for them. Here are people I love and people who love me. For me, the people here are the most important. As for them, in my eyes, they are no different from the people walking around on the street."
Madam Lu's face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if it had been covered in ashes.
Madam Cai smiled kindly, and Xu Lan looked at Qing Jianyue with a strange gaze, while Xu Yun glared at him with hatred.
Outside the painted hall, Lu Qingcheng's love deepened even further. Qingfeng seemed lost in thought. As for the others, their respect was palpable. Xiaoqian smiled with joy and pride, her smile so beautiful and pure against the backdrop of the swirling white snowflakes.
Cai Zhonghe thought to himself: She is as gentle as a white lotus, no wonder Jian Yue treats her differently than others.
Xiaoqian noticed Cai Zhonghe looking at her again, and two red clouds instantly appeared on her face. She lowered her head shyly and embarrassedly, looking just like a shy white lotus flower.
Du Ping inwardly cursed his bad luck. If Cai Zhonghe was interested in pursuing her, even ten of him couldn't compete. What should he do?
"Do you really not want revenge?" Madam Lu thought for a long time before asking again, "Are you willing to accept that your father died such a tragic death?"
"That's why I want to live happier than anyone else, including my father and those who died tragically. I will live well in their place. Even if I only live for one day, I will live happily. Even if I live now and die the next moment, I will make myself the happiest person in the world."
"Where's your sister? Don't you want to be with her anymore?"