Chapter 306: Chapter 123 Birthday Gift_2
A thin sheet of paper, like a light leaf, flew into the flame of an oil lamp and instantly turned to ash.
"Do you really not intend to hand it over to the Court of Judicial Review?" he proposed again.
Lu Tong’s heart, which had just relaxed a bit, immediately tightened again as she said coldly, "No."
"I don’t want to hear their insincere apologies."
The justice achievable under the current laws was just too trivial. Capital punishment could be commuted to a lesser sentence, and lesser sentences could gradually become acquittals. Even if the truth came out, Lu Tong did not believe that the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion would let Qi Yutai pay with his life for a life taken. At most, he would receive some superficial punishment, compensate her with some money, and perhaps even pretend to weep and show sincere repentance in front of her door.
Truly disgusting.
Pei Yunmeng watched her thoughtfully.
Lu Tong stood amidst the mess, her dress stained with mud, and her hair braid had become disheveled during their previous argument, so she simply removed the silk ribbon and let her jet-black hair cascade down, making her shoulders look even more fragile.
A frail woman, challenging the son of the high and mighty Grand Preceptor in the Imperial City, was like an ephemeral mayfly shaking a mighty tree, or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
But Lu Tong was not as weak as she seemed on the surface. Many had died by her hand, just like earlier in the room when she whispered close and looked at him with intelligent, autumnal eyes. Had it not been for his instinctive sense of danger in that moment that made him draw his sword, it was uncertain whether he would now be a fresh mound of soil under that plum tree.
He was fully convinced that his name, "Pei Yunmeng," appeared on that piece of paper because if he ever obstructed her path of vengeance, he would become her next enemy. Just as she had silently done away with Liu Kun, Fan Zhenglian, and Ke Chengxing.
She was by no means a weakling.
Pei Yunmeng suddenly said, "Miss Lu San."
This address made Lu Tong start, "What?"
"Tonight, I was not here, and you did not see me," he averted his gaze looking out the window, his tone seemingly laced with a warning, "In the future, I will not shield you."
This was to set clear boundaries, an indication that if her quest for revenge backfired, Pei Yunmeng would not turn a blind eye for the sake of past relations.
Lu Tong smiled faintly, "I am already very grateful that the Marshal would take such a step back."
She wasn’t lying with that comment.
She had thought that tonight, either she or Pei Yunmeng would surely die—no, perhaps both. But this way, when Yin Zheng sobered up from the drink tomorrow and walked into the room to witness this New Year’s tragedy, she would likely faint from shock. And Renxin Medical Hall, which Du Changqing had struggled so hard to rebuild, would probably suffer a terrible decline, burdened with the reputation of a murderous house.
Contemplating these scattered thoughts, she found herself absurd to the point of laughing briefly.
The stray fireworks outside lit up her face, and her smile actually seemed quite captivating.
Pei Yunmeng also saw that smile.
He gazed at her deeply for a moment, "You..." he began, seemingly wanting to say something, but then he changed his mind. Finally lowering his gaze, his tone was ambiguous, "Forget it, just do as you see fit."
Lu Tong turned back around, and saw that he had sheathed his sword and walked out the door.
Lu Tong was startled for a moment and then, looking down, suddenly noticed that she was still clutching the silk handkerchief Pei Yunmeng had given her. The silver eagle on it was crumpled into a ball, and blood had dyed the eagle’s wings red, spreading like blooms.
Just as she was about to call out to Pei Yunmeng to return the handkerchief, the person who had just walked into the courtyard paused as if he had remembered something, turned, and walked back.
Lu Tong instinctively tightened her grip on the poison powder hidden in her sleeve.
Maybe in the short walk, Pei Yunmeng had reconsidered; men’s hearts were as inscrutable as the ocean’s depths, the compassion of the powerful could not be trusted, nothing was more important than his own prospects.
If he came closer, she would blind him with the poison while he was off guard and then kill him.
Pei Yunmeng came to a halt in front of her.
Lu Tong was on alert.
The purple-red robe he wore took on a lustrous shine in the bright, colorful glares from outside the window, and his eyes sparkled with a deep, unfathomable light as he watched her silently.
After a moment, he took out a small wooden box from his bosom and placed it on the table.
The box, only as long as a palm and exquisitely detailed, had a beautifully carved longevity figure on the lid.
Lu Tong didn’t understand what it was and looked up at him hesitantly.
Pei Yunmeng massaged his forehead, reminding her, "Midnight has passed; it’s New Year’s Day."
Lu Tong was somewhat bewildered, not understanding what he meant.
Pei Yunmeng observed her for a while, exhaled a sigh as if he had finally come to terms with the fact she indeed hadn’t remembered, and tossed the wooden box into her arms—suddenly laughing.
"It’s New Year’s Day," he emphasized once more, "Miss Lu San, a birthday present."