Where the Mask Ends - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Shoucheng, tell me—my lead in the race against Han Liao was so obvious, yet Fourth Miss placed her wager on me. Could it be that she has a bit of interest in me?"

On the way to Penglai Pavilion, Qi Zhongkai deliberately dragged Lu Zhuo to the back. He grabbed a cherry pastry from Lu Zhuo’s plate, devouring it greedily while his tiger-like eyes shone bright.

Lu Zhuo said coolly, "I recall that she is quite put off by your loud voice."

Qi Zhongkai almost choked, suddenly remembering how he had startled the Fourth Miss at the city gate.

He rubbed his Adam’s apple, his burning heart quickly cooling. Such a delicate, fairy-like beauty—if she were to like anyone, it should be someone like Lu Zhuo. How could she possibly have eyes for him?

"Then why did she bet on me?" Qi Zhongkai couldn't fathom it.

Lu Zhuo glanced at the figure of Wei Rao, faintly visible below, and said, "Among the six of us, you are the only one she is slightly familiar with."

Qi Zhongkai slapped his forehead. "That must be it! Besides, the wager prize goes to the winning team anyway. Since I can't keep it, I'd bet on someone I know too."

Lu Zhuo smiled.

He suspected that Wei Rao simply did not want him or Han Liao to win.

Back in the Misty Mountains, though he had kindly saved her, he had also lectured her harshly. Since Wei Rao had the skill to protect herself and did not need his help, she naturally only remembered his rebuke. Resentful in her heart, she would not want to see him and the Divine Martial Army basking in the spotlight. As for Han Liao, Lu Zhuo had learned from idle chatter among the elders that Han Liao had once proposed marriage to Old Madame Shou’an’s eldest granddaughter, only to be rejected. Given this, Wei Rao would never bet on Han Liao and undermine the Old Madame.

"By the way, regarding those prizes earlier, do you know who that golden walnut belongs to?" Qi Zhongkai asked with great envy.

Lu Zhuo replied, "The Emperor."

Qi Zhongkai’s tiger-eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Lu Zhuo answered, "I didn't know at first, but once you asked, I guessed it."

Among the nobles in the Star-Plucking Tower, the person Qi Zhongkai encountered most often was Emperor Yuanjia; he would only be familiar with the items the Emperor used frequently.

Qi Zhongkai was convinced. "The Emperor’s right hand developed some issues from long-term memorial reviewing, so he uses a pair of golden walnuts to relieve the discomfort. You brat, just returning to the capital and already receiving an imperial gift—you’re much better off than me."

Lu Zhuo said, "There is one left; you could try for it."

Qi Zhongkai scoffed. "If I took that one, wouldn't I be a matching pair with you? Better to let Grand Tutor Xie write a few more poems to butter up the dragon, and maybe he can win the other one to give to the Sixth Miss, so you two can be a pair."

Lu Zhuo smiled and asked him, "You are a year older than I; has your family not arranged a marriage for you yet?"

Qi Zhongkai scratched the bridge of his nose. "They’ve been pushing since I returned to the capital. The Old Madame, my mother, my sister-in-law—they’ve all introduced me to girls. I’ve gone on four or five viewings, and I didn't like any of them. I don't know which girl’s family hates me and deliberately spread rumors about me, causing other girls to be afraid to meet me. My mother and the others are just anxious for nothing."

Lu Zhuo had been back in the capital for only a short time and had not heard the relevant rumors. "What do they say about you?"

Qi Zhongkai said angrily, "They say my standards are higher than the heavens and that I look down on anyone who isn't a celestial beauty. They claim I pick apart the eyebrows and eyes of even ordinary beauties. With things spread like that, what family would dare let their daughter go on a blind date with me?"

Lu Zhuo asked, "Why didn't you like those four or five previous candidates?"

Qi Zhongkai replied, "None of them were beautiful enough. Either their eyes were too small, their lips were too thick, their faces weren't pale enough, they were too short, or too thin—something was always missing."

Lu Zhuo looked at him. "The Old Madame and your aunt wouldn't introduce ugly women to you. Perhaps you are indeed overly picky."

Qi Zhongkai glared at him. "You say it easily! It's because you’re engaged to the Sixth Miss Xie, whose reputation for beauty is no less than Fourth Miss Wei’s. If I truly found an 'ordinarily beautiful' one for you, you’d be just as picky."

Lu Zhuo said, "Even the most beautiful person will one day grow old. I value a wife’s character more."

Qi Zhongkai scoffed. "Hypocrite, acting all high and mighty after getting the better end of the deal."

Upon arriving at Penglai Pavilion, Wei Rao returned to the side of Old Madame Wei.

The Old Madame questioned her granddaughter with her eyes.

Wei Rao smiled to indicate that all was well.

The banquet seats were separated by gender. Because she had taken a liking to Qi Zhongkai, Wei Rao paid special attention to the female guests from the Marquis of Pingxi’s mansion.

The female relatives of the Marquis of Pingxi present today were Qi Zhongkai’s grandmother, Old Madame Qi; his mother, the Marchioness of Pingxi; his eldest sister-in-law, Madame Deng; and a four or five-year-old girl who must have been Qi Zhongkai’s niece. She looked exactly like the Qi family, with heroic brows and large eyes. Even as she sat quietly by her mother’s side, she didn't look like a quiet, virtuous child, but rather like she was being forced to act that way by her elders.

The Qi family was small; Qi Zhongkai’s father was an only son, and Qi Zhongkai had one older brother and one younger sister who had already married.

Wei Rao was very satisfied with this point.

Withdrawing her gaze, Wei Rao focused on keeping her grandmother company. If other female guests came to speak to them, Wei Rao would greet them with a smile.

The banquet began, and palace maids brought out the dishes one after another.

Because the surrounding flowers and plants were lush, small bees would occasionally fly over. To swat at them would appear undignified, so the best course of action was simply not to touch the dishes the bees had visited.

Suddenly, a yellow butterfly flew over the table next to the Wei family’s. It hovered for a moment and then came over to the Wei table.

Butterflies were far more pleasant than bees. Just as Wei Rao waited patiently for the butterfly to fly away, it actually flew toward her, passing before her face and up over her head. Wei Rao couldn't see it anymore, but she judged from the gazes and whispers of the surrounding ladies that the yellow butterfly had landed on the silk begonia flower pinned to her hair.

"With so many young ladies here, why did it land on her?"

"She must have done something to the silk flower. During today’s race, all the participants were the cream of the six armies. She’s deliberately using such fox-like methods to attract attention."

"She truly is a poppy of the human world."

"Just like her mother—shameless."

Wei Rao lowered her eyes to eat, acting as if she had heard nothing. Wei Chan, however, was red with anger, though it was unclear if she was angrier at the gossiping tongues or at Wei Rao for shaming them by association.

The butterfly soon flew away, and the murmurs around them gradually faded.

"Rao'er, taste this. The fried little yellow croaker is quite good." Old Madame Wei smiled and placed a piece of crispy fried fish for her granddaughter.

Wei Rao gave her grandmother an apologetic look. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have worn the silk flower and would have avoided unnecessary trouble.

Old Madame Wei did not blame her. It was something no one could have predicted; those foolish women were just jealous of her granddaughter’s beauty. They didn't stop to think that if her granddaughter truly wanted to compete for beauty, she wouldn't need to rely on external items.

"Miaomiao, what’s wrong!"

A sharp, trembling voice suddenly came from ahead. Wei Rao and the others looked up to see Qi Zhongkai’s sister-in-law, Madame Deng, holding the shoulders of her daughter, Qi Miaomiao, and asking anxiously. Qi Miaomiao’s fair little face was flushed bright red, and she grabbed at her throat, unable to speak.

"Is she choking? Give her water to wash it down!"

"Water won't help! Turn her head down, grab her feet, and pat her!"

"What do you know? Go call the imperial physician!"

The women were all chattering at once. Madame Deng was already terrified and out of her wits; she first tried to force a bowl of tea into her daughter’s mouth, and when that didn't work, she prepared to hold her daughter upside down. Poor Qi Miaomiao was struggling for breath, which made even unrelated onlookers ache for her.

Wei Rao suddenly remembered when she was practicing martial arts in the mountains with her master. They had encountered an old farmer leading his seven or eight-year-old grandson to gather firewood. There were wild dates in the small mountain, and the little boy had picked a handful and tucked them into his shirt. As he ate while walking, he tripped, and a wild date lodged in his throat. Her master had immediately rushed forward...

Thinking of this, Wei Rao quickly left her seat and ran to Madame Deng’s side at the fastest possible speed. Ignoring the shock of Madame Deng and the others, Wei Rao snatched up Qi Miaomiao, who was being held upside down, and stood her back against herself. Wei Rao wrapped her arms around Qi Miaomiao from behind, placed a fist against the spot above her navel and below her ribcage, gripped it with her other hand, and forced it upward with rapid, powerful thrusts.

This was the method her master had taught her, but Wei Rao had never had a chance to use it, which was why she hadn't reacted immediately just now.

A crowd had gathered; some tried to pull Wei Rao away. Wei Rao heard nothing and gave them no opportunity to succeed, hugging Qi Miaomiao and repeating the technique her master had taught her. At that moment, Wei Rao didn't know if she could save Qi Miaomiao, but she believed in her master and believed in the scene she had witnessed.

She didn't know how much time had passed—it might have been very fast—but to Wei Rao, it felt incredibly long. With one more thrust of force, Qi Miaomiao, who had been silent for so long, suddenly spat out an object and began to cry loudly.

Wei Rao was drenched in sweat behind her back, her sideburns dampened by perspiration. As soon as the child cried, Wei Rao loosened her grip, and the little girl was snatched away by Madame Deng.

Old Madame Wei quickly pulled Wei Rao to her side.

"The Empress is here!"

Old Madame Wei looked up and saw the Empress, the Princess Consort of Duan, and others rushing over upon hearing the news. Behind them followed the Marquis of Pingxi and his two sons, all with solemn expressions. If not for the constraints of status, the three men might have rushed over much sooner.

"Daddy!" Qi Miaomiao, sobbing on Madame Deng’s shoulder, cried even louder when she saw her father.

"What happened?" Qi Zhongkai’s older brother, Qi Bowei, could no longer hold back and strode over.

Madame Deng was sobbing uncontrollably. The Marchioness of Pingxi, still relatively calm, explained what had happened.

Another palace maid picked up the object Qi Miaomiao had spat out. It was a large cherry, bitten in half, the remaining half still the size of a thumb.

"How are you watching the child?" Qi Bowei, full of paternal love, glared at Madame Deng and reprimanded her.

Madame Deng was so terrified her legs went weak; she hung her head and cried silently without refuting him. Her daughter was already five; she had eaten cherries by herself at home before without incident. Who could have known this would happen today? She had been whispering to her mother-in-law about Wei Rao’s attire and hadn't been paying attention for a moment when the accident occurred.

"It’s good that she spat it out; be more careful next time," the Empress said, clutching her chest in lingering fear. The dragon boat race was only held every three years in the palace; if anything had happened to a child of the nobility on such a fine day, it would have been like pouring a bucket of cold water over Emperor Yuanjia’s head.

Everyone was busy comforting Madame Deng and her family. The Empress and others who arrived late hadn't seen the process. For some reason, none of the ladies and young girls who had witnessed Wei Rao’s rescue effort mentioned it. It wasn't until the Empress and the Marquis of Pingxi’s party had left that the Marchioness of Pingxi expressed her gratitude to Wei Rao and took off a bracelet from her wrist to give as a gift of thanks.

Although it was an expression of gratitude, the Marchioness of Pingxi’s attitude was extremely distant, clearly indicating that once the gift was given, the two families would have no further ties; she had no intention of continuing to build a relationship.

Young girls might not have noticed, but the married ladies present knew in their hearts—the Marchioness of Pingxi looked down on Wei Rao.

Old Madame Wei stood smiling in front of her granddaughter and said to the Marchioness with a pleasant expression, "We accept your kind heart, but it is the Wei family’s tradition to perform a kindness without seeking a reward. We absolutely cannot accept this gift. Besides, Rao'er has a kind heart; even if she saw a child on the street suffer such a thing, she would have stepped forward to help. You really need not be so polite."

Having said this, Old Madame Wei took Wei Rao’s arm, and the grandmother and granddaughter retreated with grace, returning to their seats.

The Marchioness of Pingxi looked at the bracelet in her hand, pursed her lips, and put it back on her wrist.

As the banquet concluded and the guests were about to disperse, a little maid threaded through the crowd of gossiping women and came before Wei Rao. Holding a silk begonia flower in her hands, she said, "Fourth Miss, your silk flower fell to the ground when you went to help just now. My Old Madame ordered me to bring it to you."

Wei Rao was stunned. She hadn't even realized the flower had fallen from her hair.

Accepting the flower, Wei Rao asked the little maid to thank the kind Old Madame on her behalf.

The little maid smiled and turned to leave.

Wei Rao watched her curiously, only to see the maid walk lightly through the crowd and stop before an elderly lady with white hair and a youthful complexion.

Wei Rao was astonished; this kind Old Madame was none other than the Duchess of Ying, Lu Zhuo’s grandmother.

Seeming to sense Wei Rao’s gaze, the Duchess of Ying turned her head and gave her a slight smile.

Wei Rao suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.

Among this pack of noble ladies in the capital who prided themselves on their status, while some were snobs, not all were like that.

Wei Rao did not ask for everyone to praise her or change their opinions of her because of today’s event. But as long as there were people willing to believe in her kindness and believe that she had saved someone without any ulterior motives, Wei Rao felt that the world of human sentiment was not quite so cold after all.