Chapter 848: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter Ends (Part II)

Strangely enough, even after Ishizukuri no Miko and the Right Minister had left, Fujiwara no Fuhito still did not arrive.

Kaguya asked Lingyun with some curiosity: "Teacher, could it be that Fujiwara no Fuhito has given up?"

"Do you think that is possible?" Lingyun asked.

"This, I think it is impossible." Kaguya remembered the look of determination in Fujiwara no Fuhito's eyes when he left; he absolutely could not have given up on his own.

"In other words, he is plotting something?" Kaguya knew that Fujiwara no Fuhito, who could manage a family into a top-tier clan, was certainly not a simple person.

When Fujiwara no Fuhito left, he made quite a scene; many people who came to see him off watched as he boarded a ship and set sail into the vast ocean.

Just as Lingyun and the others were feeling quite puzzled, Yakumo Yukari suddenly emerged from a Gap: "Lingyun, I have something to tell you!"

"What is it?" Lingyun asked.

"I just saw a large ship enter the harbor. I heard from those people that Kuramochi no Miko has returned from overseas with the Mount Penglai Jade Branch! Now, many people are gathered at the port, wanting to catch a glimpse of Kuramochi no Miko who has returned from overseas."

"Returned from overseas with the Mount Penglai Jade Branch?" Lingyun and Kaguya exchanged glances, already having their own calculations in mind.

"I understand. Since Fujiwara no Fuhito has returned, then this grand drama should also come to an end," Lingyun said.

"Teacher—" Fujiwara no Mokou looked at Lingyun with some worry.

"Rest assured, I have my own sense of proportion," Lingyun said with a wave of his hand.

Fujiwara no Fuhito feigned the appearance of someone exhausted from a long journey, ordered his men to place the Mount Penglai Jade Branch—which he had secretly had his subordinates craft—into a box, covered it with silk and brocade, and hurried toward Lingyun's Bamboo Forest.

Because Fujiwara no Fuhito made such a grand spectacle, more and more people came to watch, and people said one after another: "Kuramochi no Miko has returned with the Udumbara Flower."

"What a truly grand spectacle!" Seeing this scene through Yakumo Yukari's Gap, Kaguya could not help but curl her lip.

To show his sincerity, Fujiwara no Fuhito did not even change his clothes, and carrying the imitation Mount Penglai Jade Branch, he arrived before Lingyun's Bamboo House.

On his way here, he had already heard about the affairs of Ishizukuri no Miko and the Right Minister, and he could not help but feel a bit anxious in his heart. But now that the arrow was on the string, it had to be fired, and he could only brace himself and carry on.

However, Fujiwara no Fuhito also had his own confidence; the Mount Penglai Jade Branch in his hand had been crafted by the top craftsmen in the country who had spent a great deal of effort on it, which was completely incomparable to the situations of the other two. Moreover, this crafted Mount Penglai Jade Branch was exactly the same as the real one, almost to the point of being indistinguishable from the genuine article; this was where his confidence lay.

Fujiwara no Fuhito came before Lingyun and opened the box in his hand. The moment the box opened, dazzling brilliance shot out from within. Kaguya's gaze turned toward the box; inside lay a magnificent jade branch that could almost capture everyone's attention.

"How beautiful!" Inaba Tewi looked at the Mount Penglai Jade Branch in the box and could not help but exclaim.

Seeing this scene, Fujiwara no Fuhito felt even more delighted. As long as Kaguya accepted this Mount Penglai Jade Branch, he would be able to win the beauty. If he succeeded, even if Kaguya found out in the future that this Mount Penglai Jade Branch was fake, the deed would already be done, and she would have no choice but to submit to him.

Kaguya did not speak, but instead turned her gaze toward Lingyun.

Lingyun looked at the Mount Penglai Jade Branch in the box and asked: "Lord Fujiwara, this jade branch is so beautiful; I wonder where you obtained it?"

Hearing Lingyun ask this, Fujiwara no Fuhito's heart trembled. He knew that the outcome depended on this one move; if Lingyun saw through the flaw, then all his previous efforts would be wasted.

He collected his thoughts and then began to recount how he had gone out to sea to find the Mount Penglai Jade Branch. It must be said that Fujiwara no Fuhito, having delayed a bit of time and made full preparations, was quite skilled at storytelling. Although the things he told were all fabricated, he was able to make the listener feel as if they were there, as if he had truly experienced all these hardships. When mentioning Penglai Mountain, he described it so vividly that one could not help but wonder if such a place really existed in this world. If not for knowing the truth, even Kaguya might have been deceived by him.

"Sigh, Lord Fujiwara has truly gone through thousands of hardships and dangers on this journey!" Lingyun sighed and said.

A hint of joy appeared on Fujiwara no Fuhito's face; he was now waiting for Lingyun's next sentence.

Just at this moment, a servant suddenly walked into the Bamboo House: "Lord Fujiwara, there is someone outside looking for you."

Hearing this, Fujiwara no Fuhito's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding arose.

"To have someone looking for Lord Fujiwara at this time, it must be an important matter," Lingyun said. "Why don't I go with Lord Fujiwara to see them?"

"Very well." Fujiwara no Fuhito nodded, the sense of foreboding in his heart expanding rapidly.

When he saw the person outside the Bamboo House, his pupils instantly shrank to the size of needle points. The person who appeared outside the Bamboo House was none other than the one he had hired to craft the Mount Penglai Jade Branch.

The leader stepped forward and bowed to Fujiwara no Fuhito: "The six of us were hired by you, my lord, to craft the jade branch. We went through thousands of hardships and spent who knows how much effort, taking over a thousand days to succeed. Now we are exhausted, yet we have not received a single cent of our wages, and our lives are about to fall into despair. We hope Lord Fujiwara can pay our wages as soon as possible so that we can distribute the payment and get out of this predicament."

Seeing this scene, Lingyun quietly gave a thumbs-up to the servant behind him, then his expression suddenly darkened: "Lord Fujiwara, I think you owe me an explanation!"

The servant waved his hand at Lingyun and then quietly sank into a shadow and disappeared.

"This, this..."

Sweat appeared on Fujiwara no Fuhito's forehead, and he spoke incoherently. He had calculated everything, but he had overlooked these craftsmen. Now that the matter was exposed, even though he was eloquent, he could not say anything in front of Lingyun.

In the end, under Lingyun's supervision, Fujiwara no Fuhito promised to pay all the wages in the shortest possible time. Having received Fujiwara no Fuhito's promise, the craftsmen naturally went home with joy on their faces; the wages they received this time were enough for them to live a good life.

After the craftsmen left, Fujiwara no Fuhito also bid farewell to Lingyun and slunk away from the Bamboo Forest. With the scam exposed, marrying Kaguya naturally became a pipe dream. As for the servant who had come to find him earlier, he was now in no mood to pay attention to him.

"Whew, finally gone." After Fujiwara no Fuhito left, Kaguya slumped onto the table, losing all her composure.

"Teacher, Father, he..." After Lingyun returned, Fujiwara no Mokou looked at Lingyun with some worry.

"Although he has suffered a blow, he should not be one to give up on himself," Lingyun said. "If anything unexpected happens, I will pull him back at the critical moment."

"Thank you, Teacher." Hearing Lingyun's words, Fujiwara no Mokou also felt relieved.

With this, all five men who proposed to Kaguya were out of the running. After others learned of this, they also shied away from Kaguya, and no one dared to propose to her again. The grand and spectacular Tale of the Bamboo Cutter finally drew to a close.