Chen Ye did not take the main roads. Instead, he deliberately picked his way through narrow, secluded backstreets and alleys.
His talent for scaling roofs and walls made him a favored child of the night. He darted between rooftops and walls without a sound, as swift as a passing gust of wind.
Once he entered the northern part of the city, there were noticeably more guards on night patrol, but they posed no threat to Chen Ye now.
Often, Chen Ye sensed a patrol while it was still a hundred meters away and avoided it in advance.
Before long, the towering rear garden wall of Vice Minister Lu's residence appeared before him.
Chen Ye tapped his toes against the ground and sprang up like a wildcat, silently vaulting onto the wall.
He cocked his ear and listened for a moment. Only after confirming there were no dogs barking or night-patrolling servants' footsteps inside did he climb over.
This was the Lu residence's rear garden, with jagged rockeries and lush flowers and trees.
Chen Ye did not linger for a moment, moving swiftly through the shadows of the trees and flowers.
When he reached the residence ahead, Chen Ye leaped onto a roof and proceeded cautiously through the shadows along its ridge.
Building regulations in this era were strict. A residence had to match its occupant's status, with no room for the slightest mistake.
Vice Minister Lu was a high-ranking court official. Even if his second son had not yet entered officialdom, he would surely have been assigned a quiet courtyard of his own.
Following this line of thought, Chen Ye soon settled on a target.
It was an elegant little courtyard with its own entrance. Several stalks of green bamboo grew inside, and the study in the main building was brightly lit.
This should be the place.
Chen Ye quietly made his way to the rear of the study roof. Hooking his legs over the eaves, he hung upside down, steadied himself, and peered through a crack in the window.
Behind the desk, a man in a plain long robe was engrossed in a scroll.
Though Chen Ye could not see his face clearly, the outline of his back suggested he was a young master.
Just then, a young book attendant entered with a tea tray and said softly, "Second young master, it's late. Have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself."
"Put it there," the man said without looking up, his voice very gentle. "You should turn in early too. There's no need to stay here."
"Yes, second young master." The young attendant answered respectfully, set down the teacup, and withdrew.
Hearing him addressed as second young master, Chen Ye felt reassured. He knew he had found the right person.
Judging by his gentle treatment of the servant, this second young master Lu was probably a decent man. It really would not be right for a man like him to marry that woman Lin Yan.
At that thought, Chen Ye took the letter he had written during the day from his robes, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it straight through the window.
With a patter, the ball of paper landed squarely on Second Young Master Lu's desk.
"Who's there?"
Lu Jingcheng jumped in fright and immediately rose to look out the window.
But outside there was only the deep darkness of night. There was no one to be seen.
The young book attendant also heard the noise and hurried in.
"Young master, what happened?"
"Nothing!" Lu Jingcheng waved a hand, signaling the attendant not to panic. He then picked up the paper ball on the desk and unfolded it, only to discover that it was a letter. When he opened it and looked, his expression immediately became a sight to behold.
The letter described in detail how Lin Yan, the Lin Family's third young lady, had secretly met her lover in the rear hall of Fayuan Temple before the New Year.
Every detail was written down clearly, as though the writer had seen it with his own eyes.
At the end of the letter, a sentence had been deliberately added: if he did not believe it, he could secretly investigate at Fayuan Temple. The Lin Family was marrying off its daughter in such haste very likely because Lin Yan was already pregnant.
The more Lu Jingcheng read, the darker his expression grew.
His initial shock and doubt gave way to half-belief, and by the end his entire face had turned ashen. The hand holding the letter trembled violently from the force of his grip.
He was no fool.
Though the letter had appeared out of nowhere, what it said instantly opened his eyes.
The Lin Family's marriage proposal had been strange in every way. Although the two families were well matched in status, they had not had much contact before. When the Lin Family came to propose, they had been exceedingly humble, and the wedding date had been set in such haste, as though they feared that a long night would bring many dreams.
At the time, his father had thought the Lin Family valued his learning and was eager to make the match. But looking at it now, how was that valuing him? They had clearly picked him to be their living cuckold!
He spent every day in his study, poring over the books of the sages and keeping himself pure, without ever setting foot in a pleasure house. Yet for no reason at all, he was to marry a woman who had long since lost her chastity and might even be carrying another man's bastard...
Lu Jingcheng's vision darkened in waves, and he was nearly angry enough to cough up blood.
A monumental disgrace!
An utter, monumental disgrace!
If not for this letter that had fallen from the sky, would he not have unwittingly ended up wearing a gleaming green hat, raising another man's son, and becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital?
For a scholar who thought highly of himself, this was worse than death!
"Lin Family! What a fine Lin Family!"
Lu Jingcheng trembled all over with rage. No longer caring how late and quiet it was, he turned and headed for his father's study.
Chen Ye was hiding in the shadows along the roof ridge. Watching Lu Jingcheng's furious retreating figure, he could not help letting out a long breath.
He knew his plan had already succeeded for the most part.
After all, few men could endure such an insult.
So what if the letter he had sent contained no hard evidence? Once the seed of suspicion was planted, no force could stop it.
The Lin Family wanted to take the Lu Family for a sucker, but had they not considered whether the vice minister of personnel earned his rice for nothing?
He was a newly risen court official, at the height of his influence. How could he let a century-old noble family grind his face into the dirt?
At the thought, Chen Ye felt a surge of satisfaction.
He did not stay any longer. If the Lu residence's guards spotted him, it would only mean more trouble.
Chen Ye's figure flickered, and like a wisp of smoke, he silently vanished into the vast darkness.
Meanwhile, in the study of Vice Minister Lu's residence.
The room was brightly lit, and sandalwood incense curled through the air.
Lu Ying, the current vice minister of personnel, was nearly fifty. He had a lean face and deep-set eyes, and his many years in high office had given him a bearing that commanded respect without anger.
He held the letter, now somewhat crumpled from his son's grip, and read it word by word. Unlike the furious Lu Jingcheng, his face was as still as an ancient well, betraying not the slightest ripple of emotion.
"Father! This... this is a monumental disgrace!" Lu Jingcheng stood beside him, his chest heaving and his voice trembling.
"Our Lu Family has been beyond reproach for generations, and I have kept myself pure, never daring to take a single wrong step. How dare the Lin Family deceive me like this! How dare they humiliate me like this?"
Lu Ying put the letter on the desk and looked up at his son. Then he slowly asked, "So what do you intend to do?"
"Father, I can't swallow this insult!" Lu Jingcheng gnashed his teeth, his eyes nearly spitting fire.
"This engagement must be broken! And not only that, I'll make sure everyone in the capital knows what a fine thing the Lin Family has done!"
Lu Ying nodded. "I understand."