The fish bone in his throat was gone, but speaking would release a pungent onion breath. Wang Daxia took a sip of wine, hoping to counteract the odor with something stronger, but the Huadiao wine seemed to have given the onion stench a soul, making it even more intense.
Wang Daxia felt somewhat embarrassed. Wei Caiwei took some tea leaves from the teapot and told him to hold them in his mouth.
With the tea leaves in his mouth, Wang Daxia, who was usually the most talkative, remained unusually silent.
By the time Ding Wu and Lu Ying finished their private discussion, Wang Daxia rowed the boat ashore. It was almost curfew, but given their status, the curfew was nothing more than a piece of paper to them—a flash of their waist tokens was enough. As for Wang Daxia, his face alone sufficed, since his father was still the commander of the Northern City Military Command.
As Wang Daxia rowed the boat toward the dock, another decorated pleasure boat also approached. The two boats arrived almost simultaneously. Wang Daxia jumped ashore first and tied the rope to a stone pillar. From the other boat, another person disembarked.
This man was dressed in the attire of foreign tribes, with the stray hairs at his temples completely shaved off. His long hair was braided into small, centipede-like plaits, gathered at the back of his head and tied into a ponytail with a red silk ribbon.
The man was tall and robust, with a round face, round eyes, and a slightly flat nose bridge. Around his neck hung a gold necklace as thick as a finger, gleaming brightly in the darkness—clearly a man of wealth.
After tying his boat, the man placed one foot on the shore and the other on the boat, extending a hand to help the woman disembark. "Be careful," he said.
The woman placed her hand, carved like white jade, on the man's wrist.
Her hand was truly beautiful and somewhat familiar. Wang Daxia couldn't help but follow the hand upward to see the woman's face. Oh, it really was an acquaintance.
Noticing Wang Daxia's unabashed gaze, the man glared fiercely and made as if to strike him. "What are you looking at?"
The beauty quickly intervened, "Duo Si, this is the friend I told you about—the one who generously lent me money to help me buy my freedom."
It was none other than the former Top Courtesan, Miss Jin Ying. She was still dressed simply, in plain blue clothes and a Fujian headscarf.
Hearing this, Duo Si immediately withdrew his fist and clasped his hands in a Han-style salute to Wang Daxia. "Thank you, Young Master Wang."
This was Wang Daxia's first time meeting this man. "Miss Jin Ying, who is this...?"
Jin Ying replied, "This is my cousin. His name is Duo Si."
Duo Si added, "I am her cousin and also her fiancé."
Duo Si might as well have written "She is my fiancée" on a slip of paper and pasted it on Jin Ying's forehead.
Faced with Duo Si's obvious defensiveness, Wang Daxia returned the salute. "So it's Elder Brother Duo Si." He thought to himself, I've never heard that Jin Ying had a cousin, let alone that they were engaged—and he's actually from a foreign tribe!
But if her cousin was so wealthy, with such a thick gold necklace around his neck, why had he let his cousin fall into the world of pleasure?
Wang Daxia was filled with doubts.
Jin Ying explained, "I encountered evildoers, was abducted and sold repeatedly, and ended up in the pleasure quarters of the capital, losing all contact. Thanks to Young Master Wang's help, I regained my freedom and was able to send word to my cousin to reconnect."
So Jin Ying was not from the Central Plains.
Thinking more carefully, Jin Ying's features bore traits of multiple ethnicities: black hair, snow-white skin, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes. Besides foreign ancestry, she likely had Central Plains heritage as well.
It seemed Jin Ying was a young lady from a wealthy family among the foreign tribes, targeted by evildoers and trafficked all the way to the capital.Wang Daxia was genuinely happy for Jin Ying, "After enduring so much hardship, you've finally been reunited with your family. This calls for celebration."
Jin Ying remained remarkably calm, "I was unlucky to be kidnapped and sold by villains. Yet I was fortunate enough to encounter Young Master Wang, who helped redeem me."
Duo Si said, "Regarding the two thousand taels you lent my fiancée, I will return the full amount with interest when I visit you tomorrow."
Wang Daxia hadn't expected the money to be repaid so soon and quickly responded, "No need for interest, just the principal will do. When helping friends, one shouldn't calculate interest."
After all, it had only been three months - the interest would be negligible, better to waive it. Had it been over a year, I might have accepted some interest.
Jin Ying glanced toward the decorated pleasure boat, "Young Master Wang is also dining with friends tonight?"
Inside the boat, because there were outsiders present, Lu Ying and the others couldn't conveniently show themselves, planning to wait until the crowd dispersed before emerging. Now that Jin Ying had asked, if no one appeared for too long, it might arouse suspicion. Wei Caiwei thought that since Jin Ying had met her before, she signaled to Lu Ying and Ding Wu to stay put, then sprinkled some Huadiao wine on herself and stepped out of the cabin reeking of alcohol.
"So it's Miss Jin Ying." Wei Caiwei pretended to be drunk, her steps unsteady as she nearly fell into the lake, but Wang Daxia caught her by the waist and steadied her.
Wang Daxia had previously entrusted Jin Ying to help Wei Caiwei - who was still a suspect at the time - change her identity and leave the capital, but Wei Caiwei had refused, citing "an upright person fears no shadow."
Seeing Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei's somewhat intimate behavior, drinking together on the pleasure boat at night, Jin Ying guessed their relationship was unusual, seemingly somewhat ambiguous.
But this had nothing to do with her anymore.
Jin Ying bowed in greeting, "It's getting late, and the curfew will soon be in effect. We need to hurry home and can catch up tomorrow."
As Jin Ying and her fiancé disappeared into the night, Lu Ying and Ding Wu finally emerged from the pleasure boat.
Everyone knew about Wang Daxia's rescue of the courtesan, all thinking him foolish for being deceived by a woman of pleasure. No one expected Wang Daxia to have such discerning judgment - Miss Jin Ying actually had such a wealthy fiancé, indicating she must come from no ordinary background, likely a wealthy Western Regions family.
In her previous life, Wei Caiwei had never heard Wang Daxia mention any "romantic affairs" from his youth - as if this great beauty Jin Ying never existed.
In this life, because Ding Wu came from Tieling to the capital, they could meet on the pleasure boat to discuss matters, leading to this chance encounter with Jin Ying and her fiancé. Because of her, many people and events had changed, making the future increasingly unpredictable.
However, Wei Caiwei also understood why, in her previous life when Wang Daxia faced great changes and castrated himself, Jin Ying hadn't come to his aid.
Because Jin Ying and her fiancé had left the capital and returned to their hometown. Judging by their appearance, they were likely from the Western Regions - being so far away, of course they wouldn't know what had happened to Wang Daxia, and thus couldn't offer help.
Thinking of this, Wei Caiwei felt relieved. So in their previous life, Wang Daxia's naive rescue of the courtesan hadn't been fruitless.
Jin Ying had repaid him the money, and he had unintentionally helped reunite separated cousins.
So his naive chivalry hadn't been in vain after all. How wonderful.
The three of them first saw off Lu Ying, who lived in the central city, by the lakeside. Then Ding Wu and Caiwei bid farewell to Wang Daxia at Sweetwater Lane, with the two returning home together.
Ding Wu remarked, "Commander Lu, a woman walking home alone at night - it would have been better if we could have escorted her."Wei Caiwei laughed, "Never mind who Commander Lu's father is, just Commander Lu herself could take on at least ten Brother Dings by herself. And you're worried about her?"
That was true, though the blunt truth wasn't pleasant to hear. Ding Wu felt somewhat sullen. He had once diligently studied both martial arts and medicine, but he had no talent in either area. No matter how hard he tried, it was useless. He could only read books, but as an exile, he was barred from taking imperial examinations and could only work as a minor clerk.
A scholar is useless in all practical matters. I hope I can do my best to help her eradicate the White Lotus Sect lair this time.
The next day, Ding Wu went to Head Lane, removed the "Prime Shop for Rent" red notice, and negotiated the price with the agent. Following Lu Ying's observation that the shop had been vacant for a long time without finding a new tenant, he drove a hard bargain and finally secured it at a cheap price.
After obtaining the keys, Ding Wu hired carpenters to measure the building for custom cabinets and furniture, visited several major raw and prepared medicine shops in the capital to discuss supply prices, and began excavating a basement under the pretext of insufficient storage space.
With the shop undergoing extensive renovations, Ding Wu brought gifts to visit the owner of the neighboring Myriad Goods Trading Company. "We've been rather noisy lately, working day and night to meet deadlines. I hope our neighbor can be understanding."
The neighboring shop had changed owners at least once a year, sometimes twice, never lasting long. The owner was accustomed to this and thought another sucker had arrived. Accepting the gifts, he exchanged a few polite words before serving tea to signal the end of the visit.
As soon as Ding Wu left, the owner switched from a business-friendly demeanor to a suspicious one, ordering his confidant, "Investigate his background. Find out where he comes from."
After several inquiries, Ding Wu's origins were laid bare before the owner.
He was actually the son of former Minister of War Ding Rukui—a down-and-out scion and an exile originally banished to Tieling.
But Ding Wu had a widowed adoptive sister. This young widow was remarkable! Originally a wandering physician, she had used her beauty to attract Commander Lu, the illegitimate son of Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Lu Bing.
This young widow tirelessly whispered in Commander Lu's ear, and he, besotted by her charms, actually summoned the exiled Ding Wu to the capital!
Commander Lu was utterly infatuated with the young widow. During the Dragon Boat Festival races on the moat, when the young widow fainted—whether from heatstroke or pregnancy—Commander Lu disregarded propriety and, in full view of everyone, carried his lover into the military tent!
Not only that, Commander Lu bought out all the ice buckets from the shaved ice vendors on site, transporting expensive ice blocks into the tent as if they were free, truly spending extravagantly.
It was said that the Embroidered Uniform Guard won the dragon boat race as usual that day, but when Lu Bing accepted congratulations from other guard commanders, his smile was strained.
Later, the young widow who should have been living in Sweetwater County disappeared for nearly a month, her doors tightly locked. Rumor had it she had miscarried on Dragon Boat Festival day and was being kept by Commander Lu in a secluded location to recuperate.
Over a month later, the young widow and her adoptive brother Ding Wu returned to Sweetwater Lane. Commander Lu never appeared again—it seemed the relationship had ended.
Another month passed, and someone from the palace's Directorate of Ceremonial delivered joyous news to the young widow: she had passed the examination to become a palace female physician and was awaiting imperial summons.
It was rumored that the one who recommended the young widow to take the palace female physician examination was Commander Lu's father, Lu Bing.It was widely speculated that the separation between the young widow and Commander Lu was due to Lu Bing's forceful intervention. Lu Bing offered to recommend the young widow for the Palace female physician examination, but on the condition that she must sever all ties with Commander Lu.
Clearly, the young widow chose her career over her lover. Given her status, it was impossible for her to marry into the Lu family—not even as a concubine. The young widow made a pragmatic decision to prioritize her future.
Thus, Commander Lu never visited the young widow in Sweetwater Lane again.
With gleaming eyes, the subordinate excitedly recounted the romantic affairs of their new neighbor's sworn sister, "...This young widow is quite cunning—she just dumped Commander Lu and is now getting cozy with Wang Daxia, one of the Four Pests of the North City!"
"I heard this Wang Daxia visits the young widow almost every night. They say they just share meals, but who believes that? It's clearly the beauty he's feasting on. This Ding Wu managed to return to the capital from exile and even acquired wealth by leveraging his sworn sister's connections. Relying on her status as a Palace female physician and Gynecological Master, he openly set up a pharmacy to earn more money. His shrewd, calculating haggling with brokers—what son of a high official? He's just an ordinary merchant."
Author's Note:
How readers view Wei Caiwei: Goddess of Vengeance, inspiring life journey, protector of womanhood.
How the gossipers in the book view Wei Caiwei: A charming, flirtatious widow who sleeps her way to success.
How readers view Wang Daxia: A flamboyant, cheeky but adorable young rogue.
How the gossipers in the book view Wang Daxia: The rebound guy.
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