Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 192: Past

Liu Yu came to a halt, for through the decorative floral screen, she had already seen the person speaking—it was Liu Yanzheng, along with the person Madam Hong referred to as Xi Mingyue.

The moment she heard the name Xi Mingyue, Liu Yu almost felt as if she had never escaped this cage. It was as though her rebirth, finding her aunt, opening a embroidery shop, and marrying Lu Chengxiao were all just a dream.

But she quickly snapped out of it, realizing that even in her previous life, at this point in time, she had never been pushed to the forefront by Madam Hong.

However, what she couldn’t understand was why Liu Yanzheng was already in Yangzhou, and who exactly was Xi Mingyue? It was this latter question that held her in place.

It was as if some invisible hand was guiding the situation. Just as Liu Yu wondered who Xi Mingyue was, Madam Hong turned her head and called for Mingyue.

Liu Yu’s gaze followed, and she saw the person who responded with a smile and gracefully approached. Before Liu Yu could react, a voice echoed her thoughts.

“Is she not Wei Lianxing?”

Liu Yanzheng’s eyes narrowed for a moment, his tone carrying a hint of icy sharpness that was hard to detect.

Wei Lianxing frowned at first, but upon seeing Liu Yanzheng’s attire, she quickly composed herself, walked up to him with poise, and smiled, “You’re joking, young master. How could a star vie with the moon for radiance? There’s no Wei Lianxing here.”

Liu Yu: “…”

She never imagined that in this lifetime, after her rebirth, Wei Lianxing would become Xi Mingyue.

Her confusion now resolved, Liu Yu had no attachment to the identity of Xi Mingyue. Whoever wanted to take on that role could have it. Finally, she regained her composure from that brief moment of shock and whispered to Xiao Yuniang, “Could you help us leave through the side gate?”

She knew the way, but she couldn’t afford to show that she did.

Xiao Yuniang nodded and led the two of them away from the scene.

Meanwhile, Liu Yanzheng, who was being engaged in conversation by the former Wei Lianxing, now “Xi Mingyue,” looked up in surprise as soon as he heard Liu Yu’s voice. He turned toward the source, only to see a screen and a few shadowy figures disappearing beyond it.

The voice was faint, but it was just like the one from his dreams—the voice of a woman whose face he never managed to see. Without hesitation, he rushed to chase after it.

But by the time he circled around the screen and passed through a doorway, the large garden was already empty.

Unwilling to give up, Liu Yanzheng searched the area again, especially since his arrival in Yangzhou confirmed that the Liuxian Pavilion did exist, and there was indeed someone named Wei Lianxing. Although he couldn’t understand why the names didn’t match, everything seemed to suggest that the strange dream he had might be real, and the brutal revenge he executed in that dream might also be true.

If all of this was real, then why?

Who was he avenging?

Liu Yanzheng stood in a daze, staring at the inner garden of the Liuxian Pavilion, listening to the music and the lively chatter. He had no idea where the truth lay.

Chen Fang came running after Liu Yanzheng, looked around, and asked curiously, “Yanzheng, what’s going on?”

Liu Yanzheng also wanted to know what was going on. His eyes still instinctively scanned the garden, but there was nothing there.

He shook his head without saying a word.

Chen Fang laughed, “If there’s nothing, then let’s go. You really don’t understand romance, leaving the young lady there all alone. Come on, come on, it’s your first time out; let’s listen to some music.”

Their voices gradually faded away.

Not far from where Liu Yanzheng had been standing, inside a dimly lit room, Lu Chengxiao held Liu Yu’s cold hand, and for the first time, there was a hint of worry between his brows.

Xiao Yuniang looked at their expressions. Although the room was quite dark, she could still sense that something was off.

Earlier, both Xiao Yuniang and Lu Chengxiao had noticed Liu Yu’s unusual behavior. When Liu Yu suggested leaving through another exit, and they were about to turn from the front hall to the back garden, Xiao Yuniang noticed the person Liu Yu had been watching was following them. She instinctively felt that Liu Yu was trying to avoid this person, so she quickly opened the door to a nearby storage room and pulled Liu Yu inside.

Naturally, Lu Chengxiao followed Liu Yu, and shortly after they hid, they saw Liu Yanzheng through the window, chasing after them.

Xiao Yuniang was no stranger to the ways of the world. With someone hiding and someone chasing, and then seeing the man’s forlorn expression, it was easy to draw some conclusions.

She glanced at Liu Yu with concern, and only after confirming that the man had left did she say, “Let’s go.”

They walked toward the side gate of Liuxian Pavilion, and neither Liu Yu nor Lu Chengxiao spoke until they bid farewell to Xiao Yuniang at the exit.

On their way back to the inn, Lu Chengxiao glanced at Liu Yu several times, noticing her hands were trembling slightly.

He wasn’t sure if it was out of concern or something else, but Lu Chengxiao took both of Liu Yu’s hands, warming them in his palms.

It was clear to everyone that something was amiss. Lu Chengxiao understood, and so did Liu Yu.

If Xu’er and Xiao Yuniang were the ones Liu Yu was trying to save from her dreams, then what about that man? Xu’er and Xiao Yuniang clearly didn’t recognize Liu Yu, so why had that man chased after them? And why was Liu Yu so afraid?

Liu Yu’s face was somewhat pale. Initially, she had stopped because she had suddenly heard Liu Yanzheng’s voice. More importantly, she had heard her own name. In that moment, stopping to pay attention was an instinctive reaction.

Avoiding Liu Yanzheng was also instinctive. There were too many entanglements in her past life, and she did not want to encounter him again.

Liu Yu had not expected Liu Yanzheng to chase after her.

She had already panicked while hiding in the storage room at Liuxian Pavilion, and as Lu Chengxiao led her out, she grew even more anxious. Liu Yu didn’t know how she could explain all of this to Lu Chengxiao.

Lu Chengxiao looked down at her. In the dark, it was hard to tell, but under the shop’s lights, Liu Yu’s face was especially pale.

After a moment of silence, he asked softly, “Did you see him in your dream?”

Liu Yu raised her eyes. For the second time, she felt how difficult it was to speak about her past. Even though in her previous life, she and Liu Yanzheng had only played music, sung songs, and played games of strategy, she knew it was not the same… This was even harder to tell Lu Chengxiao than admitting that she, too, had been sold to Liuxian Pavilion in her dreams.

Liu Yanzheng, in a way, had been her client, and in fact, the only client she had ever known.

In her past life, Madam Hong treasured her, grooming her as the next star of Liuxian Pavilion. Before officially entering the trade, she was rarely allowed to appear before others. Even when playing music or singing, it was after Madam Hong had carefully chosen the audience, and Liu Yu herself had agreed. Every time, she wore a veil, as Madam Hong believed that the more mystery she maintained, the more precious she would be, and her value would only rise.

In the first couple of months when Liu Yu began performing, she would only sing a song every three to five days.

That changed with Liu Yanzheng. He was invited by a wealthy merchant from Yangzhou, Master Meng. When he first met Liu Yu, he was unexpectedly captivated. He paid a hefty sum, two thousand taels a month, and declared that Liu Yu was not to entertain any other clients. Her performances were to be for him alone.

Such treatment was rare, even for the most sought-after courtesans, let alone for a girl who had not yet been fully introduced to society. At that time, not even the most popular courtesan, Xiao Yuniang, enjoyed such attention. This led to a lot of envy among the other girls in the pavilion, especially from Wei Lianxing, Liu Yu’s rival. Both had entered Liuxian Pavilion around the same time, but while Wei Lianxing had started entertaining clients early on, Liu Yu was kept under wraps until she was over sixteen, and even then, her singing was considered precious. Yet, despite only playing the zither and singing, someone was willing to pay two thousand taels a month just so she wouldn’t perform for anyone else.

Such a wealthy patron, who wouldn’t even let her sing for others, clearly wouldn’t allow anyone else to touch her either. If Liu Yu could win him over, redeeming herself from the pavilion would not be a difficult task.

It was like falling into a pit of fire, yet still having a chance to leave unscathed.

But the irony was that this wealthy patron was invited by none other than Master Meng, who was a benefactor of Wei Lianxing.

How could Wei Lianxing not be jealous?

~

The past flashed through her mind in just an instant.

Liu Yu wanted to answer Lu Chengxiao, but she found it hard to open her mouth.

Her mind was in chaos. She didn’t know what had gone wrong or why Liu Yanzheng had chased after her. Liu Yu truly didn’t understand.

The protective shell she had built around herself in this new life seemed to have shattered completely in that moment. Embarrassed and distressed, she nodded, struggling to find the words, but Lu Chengxiao had already pulled her into his arms. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just a dream,” he said gently.

He stroked her back, whispering softly, “You don’t have to tell me. Just forget about it.”

Burying her face against Lu Chengxiao’s shoulder, Liu Yu’s eyelashes became wet with tears.

Lu Chengxiao… he must have been afraid of hearing the truth as well.

Liu Yu understood, and she dared not say it.

She hugged Lu Chengxiao back, thinking she would allow herself this moment of weakness, just this once.

Two men embracing on the street naturally drew attention. Liu Yu wiped away her tears on Lu Chengxiao’s shoulder, then stepped back, smiled at him, and said, “Let’s go back to the inn.”

Lu Chengxiao smiled in return, and they shared an unspoken agreement to treat this as just an ordinary dream. They would turn around, forget it, and after a few days, it would blur in their memories, leaving no trace at all.

Another unspoken agreement: neither Liu Yu nor Lu Chengxiao wished to linger in Yangzhou any longer.

Early the next morning, Lu Chengxiao went to the pawnshop, retrieved the clothes he had left there, hired a boat at the pier, bought provisions for the journey, and rented a carriage to take Liu Yu and Xuer to the dock.

This time, Liu Yu was dressed as a woman, wearing a veiled hat that completely concealed her face. After boarding the boat, they waited for about half an hour. Just before noon, a green-cloth mule cart arrived at the pier.

Xiao Yuniang stepped out, dressed plainly without any makeup, carrying two large bundles by herself, without a maid in sight. She glanced around, looking nothing like the famous courtesan of Yangzhou she was known to be.

Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu had been keeping an eye on the activity at the pier. Upon seeing Xiao Yuniang, the couple stepped out of the cabin and waved to her.

Recognizing Lu Chengxiao and spotting the veiled woman beside him, whom she knew to be Liu Yu, Xiao Yuniang’s face lit up with joy, and she quickly made her way onto the boat.

The boat was moored by the pier, and Liu Yu stepped forward, extending her hand to Xiao Yuniang. Since the previous night, she had been troubled, but at this moment, she finally showed a genuine, radiant smile.

It was a smile of heartfelt happiness.

The wind lifted the thin veil of her hat, and seeing this, Lu Chengxiao’s worries were finally eased, and the corners of his lips curved into a slight smile.

The boatman cast off the moorings, raised the anchor, and the small boat drifted away from the shore, carried by the current.

The famous courtesan who had captivated Yangzhou for years left the city quietly, embarking on a new chapter of her life.

Sansukini: We only have 20 chapters left. These few chapters will now close the retributions.

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