Chapter 210: Qi Zhaohua (Part II)

By the shores of Luzhou Lake.

Qi Zhaohua walked out from the stone path with her head bowed; several officials had already disembarked from their boats for some time.

Commandant Yan Yu, the official who had engaged in the most discussions with her regarding lake affairs over the past two years and was the firmest supporter of this project, had long been craning his neck in anticipation.

Behind him were the three Commandants of Merit, Granaries, and Households, along with another man who was fair-skinned and plump, possessing a calm demeanor—the Changshi of Bowang.

This was indeed a major event worthy of the attention of the entire Prefecture Office.

Qi Zhaohua softly greeted them one by one, then handed over a bag and said, "The contract with the Seven Serpents has been signed. Would you lords please verify it—I assume you have brought the silver?"

Yan Yu took it, passed it to the Commandants behind him, and sighed with a smile, "You insisted on full payment in silver; it was indeed quite difficult for a while, but fortunately, Changshi Fan put in the effort."

Qi Zhaohua looked toward the Changshi, nodded with a faint smile, and cupped her hands in a bow.

Yan Yu glanced at her. This woman, who usually possessed such a delicate and keen mind, seemed so exhausted that she appeared almost discourteous; with the Changshi present in person, she hadn't even said an extra word.

Changshi Fan, however, took the initiative to say, "I have read the policy proposal from Laywoman Qi; it is indeed sound. To secure this year's construction schedule, spending a little more is of no concern."

At this moment, the three men behind them finished verifying the contract. The Commandant of Households reported this, then turned to go and authorize the payment of the silver.

Qi Zhaohua nodded, "Then that is settled. With the money and land cleared, can construction begin tomorrow?"

"Over the next two days, we will clear out the Five Lakes Gang, simultaneously summon corvée labor, and hire cultivators. We will break ground on the third day."

Qi Zhaohua nodded, "Then I shall have to trouble you lords."

Seeing that the woman had little interest in conversation and that the matter was already set in motion, the group bid farewell, boarded their boat, and returned toward Bowang Garden.

The lakeshore grew quiet. The sound of the autumn water gently swaying the reed clusters and the sound of it splashing against the bank were exceptionally cold and bright.

Qi Zhaohua watched the small boat gradually drift away. It was as if the invisible wooden pole supporting her back had suddenly snapped. She staggered back a step and slowly leaned against the tree trunk behind her. Then, she gradually relaxed her body, surrendering all her weight to it, her entire person becoming like a set of powerless bones.

Yan Yu did not know that the exhaustion he saw in her eyes was actually the woman exerting all her strength to keep up appearances. Now that this shell of "fatigue" had also fallen away, what was revealed was a desolate and fragile core.

Her exquisite hair bun was squeezed askew and soiled by the tree trunk, but the woman did not notice at all. She stared blankly at the lake surface, her whole being appearing as if she had lost her soul.

This lasted for about a quarter of an hour. Once this sense of collapse from letting go had subsided slightly, the woman's eyes moved, and she raised her hand to rub her brow with effort.

She braced her body, walked to the lakeside, and scooped up a handful of cold lake water to rub onto her face. The powder and rouge washed away, rippling into colorful, greasy streaks on the lake surface.

Qi Zhaohua washed her face clean with several handfuls of water; the softness and radiance were also washed away entirely. After the crimson faded, her lips were almost colorless, pale and dry, with faint, uneven marks visible on the inner side—one could not know at what moments the woman had bitten down on her lower lip so hard. Dark circles were also pressed under her eyes, the marks left by many sleepless nights.

With this colorless face revealed, the woman's spirit actually felt lighter beneath the lake water. She straightened up, undid her askew hair bun, removed several exquisite little ornaments, and shook out her long hair, which fell like a black waterfall.

The sound of stepping on mud came from nearby. Qi Zhaohua turned her head to see a white egret walking over, crowding against her side to beg for food.

These creatures with thin legs and white feathers seemed to have walked out of a painting; their beaks were like ink, their legs like stone, their white feathers like a ball, and their long necks like tied white silk. Compared to cranes, they lacked a sense of elegance and height, but possessed more of a shuttle-like lightness and agility.

This egret either recognized her, or, being half-tame and half-wild, it simply did not fear people, knowing that if it let travelers pet it a little, it could easily get some food.

Qi Zhaohua untied a white silk ribbon from her hand, smoothed her hair, and then slightly raised her head to tie it up simply. Yet the egret still refused to leave, circling her side and pecking gently to beg for food.

"You come begging whenever you see people. When there is no one to feed you, don't you live just fine on your own?" The woman glanced at it and scolded lazily.

The egret pecked gently at the small pendant on her waist.

"Since you can catch insects and fish yourself, why must you rely on a good appearance to beg whenever you see someone? Others treat you as a hermit of the Water-Cloud Realm, yet you insist on acting like a prostitute selling her looks."

But the egret clearly had no such awareness, nor did it feel ashamed. Seeing that there was truly no food here, it elegantly paced toward the reed mud to search. Before long, the white bird stood still in the shallow water, then its long neck darted out, swift and beautiful as a white sword light. When it raised its head again, it was already holding a small, silver-bright fish, and crystalline water droplets splashed like pearls in the sunlight.

Qi Zhaohua washed her hands clean and stood up. Her gaze swept over this scene, and she murmured, "That's right. Whether the feathers are white or dirty, whether the actions are noble or base, it is all just the perspective of outsiders. What does it have to do with you? Finding food is the real business."

The woman smoothed her dress; mud and water inevitably stained her shoes and hem. Paired with her desolate and weary expression, it was exactly the same as that time in front of Bai Sibing's door.

——

On the Egret-Watching Platform.

There was a silence. The old man seemed to be holding a sharp knife, mercilessly peeling away the mask of this high-reputation Seven Serpents true disciple layer by layer.

Before today, this young nobleman had always maintained an image of being approachable and magnanimous, never stingy with his smiles. There had indeed been occasional vague rumors, but as soon as one saw him in person, those preconceived notions in one's heart would melt like thin snow.

Yet, in just the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the old man's words about him being "arrogant" had left everyone dumbfounded, and now came "cunning and venomous." For a moment, many people looked at each other, suspecting that something must be wrong with their own eyes or ears.

Facing this questioning, Qijiao Shang Huaitong remained silent for a moment, his face showing no panic: "My lord, since you see the killing intent and venom in my sword, you should also see my grand and upright spirit."

Sui Zaihua nodded.

"That is exactly it," Qijiao Shang Huaitong said. "A person is like their sword. My lord, I am precisely a volume of 'Grass-Pulling Chapter'."

"What is 'Grass-Pulling'?"

"Since they are grass, whether I burn them, drown them, or cut them, I use any means necessary; I just pull them out. Since they are enemies, whether through maneuvering, venom, or uprightness, I simply kill them. I have no preference for the means."

Sui Zaihua was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes faintly, immediately grasping the sharpest question: "Then, what is your enemy? Righteousness and evil, or profit?"

Qijiao Shang Huaitong straightened his body and cupped his hands: "Distinguished by profit, then righteousness against righteousness, and evil against evil."

Sui Zaihua stared at him without moving. Qijiao Shang Huaitong calmly met this gaze. After a long time, Sui Zaihua withdrew his gaze and smiled: "That sounds like the truth. I ask you, if the Sword Academy refuses to accept you because of this answer, how will you conduct yourself?"

Qijiao Shang Huaitong lowered his eyes in silence, then said slowly: "The Sword Academy is a cloud ladder for climbing mountains, but the heights of the sword are not necessarily reached only through the Sword Academy. My standing in the world does not depend on the nobility of my credentials, but on three feet of iron. Even if they abandon me, the vast world will always have a place for me to act."

"'Even if they abandon me, there will always be a place to act'..." Sui Zaihua was slightly startled and curled his lips faintly. "Good, very good. Evil spirit suppressing righteousness, harmonious on the outside but arrogant on the inside. Qijiao Shang Huaitong, you are not fit to be a hero of a generation, nor can you be a grand gentleman, but you could be a killing general on the battlefield, or a hunting owl in the court. You are a talent of our Great Tang—"

"Lord Sui." A voice rose from the arena.

This was the first time someone had interrupted this lord's speech.

Sui Zaihua raised his eyes and saw that standing under the tree was the green-clad young girl with the light and agile sword from just before—the very True Disciple of Cuiyu who was at daggers drawn with the Seven Serpents.

"My lord said your eyesight was poor; it turns out you were not being humble."

Li Piaoqing looked at this Supervisor. Even though she had just gained hope of entering the academy, there was not the slightest sign of compromise in her brow; she had spoken with cold mockery.

Sui Zaihua smiled indifferently and gestured for her to continue.

"Using righteousness against righteousness, and evil against evil, Qijiao Shang Huaitong, that you can keep your face completely unreddened is truly breathtaking." Li Piaoqing looked straight at the man's back. "I ask you, are Xu Gu and Zhang Junyu also evil?"

Qijiao Shang Huaitong turned his head to glance at her, then stood straight and calm, saying nothing, as if he had no intention of answering at all.

Sui Zaihua raised an eyebrow, glanced at Qijiao Shang Huaitong, and said with interest to Li Piaoqing: "If there are any twists and turns, tell them all."

Li Piaoqing cupped her fists and recounted one by one how Qijiao Shang Huaitong had deceived the woman's feelings to win the winter competition, extracted intelligence on the two counties of Zheng Shou and Xu Gu, and finally harmed them without mercy.

"Zhang Junyu was gentle and loved to smile by nature; she never got angry with anyone." The young girl said faintly, "My lord, Qijiao Shang Huaitong truly has no choice of means, and he truly distinguishes enemies by profit, but it is not some 'righteousness against righteousness, evil against evil'—he is a pure villain who is greedy for profit and stops at nothing. If someone blocks his path, even if it were an innocent infant, he wouldn't look twice when twisting its neck."

The arena fell silent.

This was an extremely severe accusation, and the events the young girl recounted were another version they had never heard before—Zhang Junyu and Gu Guang, the two people whose murder had failed, had actually become total victims in the mouth of the Young Master?!

Sui Zaihua listened and was silent for a moment, then turned his head to look at Zhao Zhang: "Is this true?"

Zhao Zhang also had a solemn expression and said hesitantly: "... There is indeed such a matter, but what I know is another version."

He then recounted how Zheng Shou and Xu Gu had allied to seize the sect quota, and then, still worried they could not defeat Qijiao Shang Huaitong, had attempted to frame him.

Sui Zaihua laughed: "This is completely reversed."

Zhao Zhang shook his head and stopped answering.

In reality, this version did sound more reliable; plotting against the strong from a position of weakness, with a clear motive, was for the grand plan of the two counties. But what the young girl said was simply too sinister and venomous—three duels a year; with Qijiao Shang Huaitong's aptitude, he would win the championship sooner or later. Why, just to be a little earlier, would he kill a woman who loved him and cripple a gentle big brother he had never met? What kind of vicious and heartless heart would that take?

This was precisely why, despite the best efforts of Cuiyu and Xu Gu to promote it, this version remained difficult to spread—it sounded too dark, almost like a fabrication.

But Sui Zaihua did not show any bias at this time, perhaps because he had indeed seen more bizarre and dark things. The old man did not rashly dismiss the young girl's accusation. He turned his head and looked at the officials behind him: "If any of you know anything, feel free to speak."

However, only Bai Sibing stood up and bowed: "This subordinate is willing to stake thirty years of reputation to prove that Cuiyu has absolutely no intention of framing him."

Others had only heard it in idle chatter after tea, and the judicial department had long ago closed the case, naturally with the same content as Zhao Zhang's version.

Sui Zaihua nodded and turned to look at the civil and martial arenas: "What about you all? If you have seen anything, feel free to speak."

However, there was still no dissent. Except for a few people who were closely related to Cuiyu and Xu Gu, almost everyone agreed with Zhao Zhang's statement. And this was the version everyone had long accepted.

Sui Zaihua listened and turned to Li Piaoqing: "You may continue to refute."

"..." Li Piaoqing lowered her head slightly. "What I had to say, I have said entirely. The discussions in Bowang have long been polluted by the eyes and ears of the Seven Serpents. I have exposed the facts to the public, and that no one will believe it is within my expectations."

Yes, on this Egret-Watching Platform, where public opinion had been firmly controlled by Qi Zhaohua, the young girl had known she would be isolated and helpless when she stood up.

"No evidence?" The old man continued to ask.

"There has long been no evidence."

Sui Zaihua nodded, turned his head to look at Qijiao Shang Huaitong: "Even if the majority leans one way, I still doubt you. Do you have anything to say?"

From beginning to end, Qijiao Shang Huaitong's expression had not changed in the slightest. At this moment, he said calmly: "The public opinion of Bowang is clear in its logic; there is no room for framing. I will only say one thing—Miss Li, if I wanted to harm people to win, why wouldn't I harm your senior brother Bai Yuliang, and why would I harm these two?"

"..." Li Piaoqing's throat moved, and she was speechless.

This was indeed a powerful and irrefutable statement. You could talk around the point, but you couldn't produce an equally powerful explanation to counter it head-on.

Yes, during the spring competition, Bai Yuliang was a more competitive opponent, and Qijiao Shang Huaitong had indeed eventually lost to him.

But Qijiao Shang Huaitong had indeed done nothing to harm Bai Yuliang.

Everyone realized this point; this was a locked crux that allowed the man to steadily extract himself from the accusation.

And people were truly willing to believe—as the face of Bowang, Young Master Shang was talented, gentle, and polite, and more importantly, subconsciously, people knew he and Laywoman Qi were a perfect match.

The so-called gentleman does not associate with villains, not to mention the rescue just now and the poem praising the thirteen white egrets.

Through the meticulous design, preconceived notions, and subtle influence of these days, relying on the pearl-like reputation of Qi Zhaohua, the name Qijiao Shang Huaitong had long been clean, upright, respectable, and lovable in people's hearts.

Although the old man had just revealed his two faces, the man had admitted them frankly, exposing his heart.

——A genius arrogant in his heart, polite on the outside; speaking frankly for profit, but righteousness against righteousness, evil against evil.

He had always been upright, it was just that others had once thought he was a gentlemanly white crane, and now the man had told people himself that he was a golden eagle that looked down on everything.

Both were guests flying high in the sky, definitely not carrion-eating vultures.

Qijiao Shang Huaitong stood on the Egret-Watching Platform with an extraordinary demeanor. The previous accusation had not caused his body to tense in the slightest. Since coming onto the stage, the man had been consistent in word and deed, his heart open and honest.

The young girl's silence was the best annotation for the result of this accusation.

And just at this moment, she heard soft footsteps behind her. Turning her head, a slender woman was standing behind her.

Li Piaoqing had not expected this scene at all and opened her mouth in astonishment.

This was the core figure of the Luzhou Poetry Gathering, Laywoman Qi, who was as high as light clouds and had a great reputation. But because of their different stances, she had not approached Cuiyu today. The disciples of Cuiyu also looked up at her in doubt and surprise. The woman's face was pale, and at this moment, she appeared somewhat lazy due to weakness.

Pei Ye raised his head and gently supported her: "Finished?"

The beautiful woman gave a weak, low smile: "There is nothing more exhausting than the end of a matter—can you leave me a place to sit?"

"You can't sit now." The young man was like a strict supervisor, raising an eyebrow, "You have to stab the knife out first."

"Yes..." The woman sighed weakly, "I meant in a while."

The young man then smiled and shifted his position.

Then, the woman stepped out of the Cuiyu formation, and two hundred pairs of eyes gathered on her.

Qijiao Shang Huaitong also just raised an eyebrow and looked over, his expression relaxed, the corner of his mouth even holding half a smile—when the woman appeared, this matter was completely settled.

No one believed that lies would come from these lips.

Qi Zhaohua took a light breath, looked back at him, and also revealed a gentle, faint smile: "Young Master Shang, you told me that night that Zhang Junyu was as easy to deceive as a stupid pig; was that a lie you made up?"

A lie, an absolute lie.

Qijiao Shang Huaitong thought stiffly.

Although I'm 40 minutes late, I added 400 words, everyone will forgive me, right?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 211 =====