The wine had gone through three rounds, and the dishes had yielded five flavors.
The atmosphere grew livelier still.
Several girls from the entertainment trade took turns stepping forward, cups in hand, to toast Commander Zhao in their warbling voices.
They plyed him with so much wine that his head spun, and he floated in a daze, scarcely knowing where he was.
As the drinking reached its height, Commander Zhao loosened his tongue. His face full of pride, he said, "I received an invitation yesterday. Can any of you guess who sent it?"
An older man from the official trade beside him immediately played along. "Oh? Whose happy occasion could be important enough for you to hold in such high regard, Commander Zhao?"
Commander Zhao chuckled and drained his cup before saying proudly, "It came from Vice Minister Lu of the Ministry of Personnel. His second son is about to take a wife, and the date has been set for ten days from now. The invitation was delivered into my hands personally. That's the Ministry of Personnel's heavenly official we're talking about!"
The Ministry of Personnel controlled the promotion, transfer, appointment, and reassignment of officials throughout the realm. Its authority was far beyond that of any ordinary government office.
Thus, a vice minister of personnel was undoubtedly a major figure in the capital.
For such a figure to send Commander Zhao an invitation showed just how much regard he commanded.
For a time, flattery surged in like the tide. Commander Zhao grew dizzy from all the praise and became more pleased with himself than ever.
Listening to the sickening flattery from his seat in the corner, Chen Ye found it dreadfully boring.
He would have been better off spending the time practicing his movement techniques at the abandoned city wall.
He lowered his head and sipped his wine, taking stock of what he had gained that day.
His Deft Hands skill had risen from level seven to level nine, and his Swift Blade contest with Yang Ze had raised that skill by two levels as well.
Chen Ye opened his system panel.
[Name: Chen Ye] [Profession: Rooftop thief (lv2)] [Talent: Light as a Swallow (your body becomes lighter, greatly improving your jumping and balance, and allowing you to land silently)] [Skills: Deft Hands lv9, Swift Blade lv8, Running on Eaves lv2]
After more than a month of practice, his rooftop thief profession had also advanced one level, but Chen Ye still felt the progress was rather slow.
He knew it was because he had focused solely on practicing skills and had done no work befitting his profession.
To put it plainly, he couldn't just bury his head in skill practice. He needed practical experience too.
Just as Chen Ye was considering finding a wealthy, heartless merchant to practice on in a couple of days, Commander Zhao suddenly lowered his voice. "Do you know which family's young lady Second Young Master Lu is going to marry?"
How could they know? Everyone shook their heads.
That was exactly the response Commander Zhao wanted. He chuckled, looked around the table, and finally said, "The Lin Family's third young lady."
With that, he couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration. "Now that's a union of two great powers. The Lin Family is a century-old distinguished family, and Lord Lu is a rising star at court. I hear Second Young Master Lu is also overflowing with talent and writes with clarity and insight. His future is sure to be as brilliant as brocade. This match is enough to make others green with envy!"
The others took it for yet another marriage alliance between great families and chimed in, their words full of envy.
But to Chen Ye, it was like a thunderclap.
The Lin Family's third young lady? Lin Yan!
Damn it, it's that woman!
A sense of absurdity welled up in Chen Ye, and he even felt some sympathy for Second Young Master Lu, whom he had never met.
She hadn't even entered his household yet, and a bright green hat had already been tailored to fit him.
After all, before the new year, Chen Ye had seen her go to a temple for a secret meeting with her lover with his own eyes.
Wait, something's wrong!
Remembering what had happened at Fayuan Temple before the new year, Chen Ye suddenly realized something was amiss. Only a month had passed since then, so why had news of the Lin Family marrying off a daughter suddenly come out?
That wasn't how a great and distinguished family like the Lin Family did things!
And the wedding had been set for just ten days from now. Why such a rush?
Given the Lin Family's wealth and standing, marrying off a legitimate daughter should have required at least half a year of preparations, spreading the news throughout the city and hosting a lavish banquet for their guests.
Yet this time, the marriage had been arranged without a sound, and on such a tight schedule, as though they feared that the longer the night, the more dreams there would be.
Everything about it smelled wrong, as if... the Lin Family was in a hurry to get rid of this daughter named Lin Yan!
Why such a hurry?
A startling thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Could it be... that Lin Yan is pregnant?
Once that thought occurred to him, all his questions had reasonable answers.
Only that reason could explain everything abnormal about the Lin Family's behavior.
To cover up this enormous scandal, they had been forced to resort to this desperate measure: marry Lin Yan off at once and find some unlucky fool to take her off their hands!
At that thought, Chen Ye's sympathy for Second Young Master Lu deepened.
But at the same time, Chen Ye grew excited.
He had suddenly realized there was a possibility.
A chance to strike back hard at the Lin Family.
The night had grown deep, and the clamor in the restaurant gradually died down, leaving only a mess strewn across the floor and a heavy smell of wine. Commander Zhao had long since gotten dead drunk and been helped home.
Chen Ye and his companions also returned to the shared courtyard. Fang Tao, who had drunk a few cups of wine, was still very excited and lavished praise on Chen Ye.
Everyone else, including those who had stayed behind at the courtyard, also learned what had happened that day and naturally held Chen Ye in great admiration.
Chen Ye smiled and responded to each of them.
After a long day, everyone was tired, so they chatted for a little while before returning to their rooms to sleep.
Chen Ye didn't go to the city wall to practice his movement techniques that day either. He lay in bed and thought over what he needed to do tomorrow before finally sinking into sleep.
The next day, once the sun was well up, Chen Ye left the shared courtyard and first went to a ready-made clothing shop in the eastern market to buy a scholar's long robe. Once he put it on, his whole bearing changed, transforming him from a common young man of the streets into a handsome young scholar.
Then, dressed in his new outfit, he strolled toward the northern city.
Unlike the bustling southern city, where people from all walks of life mingled, the northern city was noticeably more imposing and austere. Its streets were broad and clean, and the residences lining them all belonged to wealthy, prominent households, with gray brick walls, dark tiled roofs, and mighty stone lions standing at their gates. Patrols of soldiers could also be seen passing by from time to time.
This was where the capital's high officials and nobles lived, a place ordinary people seldom visited.
But Chen Ye's scholar's garb proved his best protection. When the patrolling soldiers saw him, they took him for some family's young master or a scholar studying in the capital and didn't question him closely.
It didn't take Chen Ye much effort to find the residence of Vice Minister Lu of the Ministry of Personnel.
Its vermilion gate was flanked by two imposing stone lions, and a gilded plaque reading "Lu Residence" hung above the entrance. It was a magnificent sight.
He didn't approach. Instead, like an idle scholar traveling for his studies, he wandered leisurely through the streets and alleys around the Lu Residence, waving a folding fan.
His gaze seemed to be taking in the scenery, but in truth, it was like a ruler, swiftly measuring everything around him.
The height of the rear courtyard wall, whether it was made of gray brick or rammed earth, which sections of its top lay in the blind spots of the patrolling household guards...
He committed every detail to memory, building an accurate three-dimensional map in his mind.
Only after thoroughly scouting everything did Chen Ye turn and leave at an unhurried pace.
Before returning to the shared courtyard, Chen Ye also visited a stationery shop and bought the cheapest paper and brush he could find.
Then he found a quiet, deserted corner, took off his long robe, and carefully folded it into his bundle before making his way back at a leisurely pace.
That night, after everyone in the shared courtyard had gone to sleep, Chen Ye pushed open his window. Seeing no one around, he sprang out and leaped into the deep night.