Chapter 25: Home-style Tofu (Part Twenty-Five)
Qin Hehuan didn't want to hear two more matters—not even two more words.
Yet, these two people held her weaknesses in their hands, and as fate would have it, one was utterly fearless while the other was both inventive and decisive...
Qin Hehuan weakly squeezed out a single word, "Speak."
Jing Yi leisurely sucked the greasy tips of his fingers and said unhurriedly, "These are three rather dreadful matters... First, you were beaten yesterday, yet to this day, you still don't know why you were beaten."
"It was Zhang Chong who..."
Jing Yi amiably waved his hand, "Truly, it wasn't. On the way to Dali Temple Prison just now, Sun Dacheng and Zhang Chong's grandfather's apprentice were crouched in a crate cursing at each other. As they went on, they ended up blurting out everything—both what should and shouldn't have been said. Setting aside the emotional and tonal expressions... Sun Dacheng's general meaning was that he hadn't heard anyone mention discovering a body in the kiln, so he assumed Zhang Chong had been completely reduced to ashes. Not finding the money pouch on Zhang Chong, and recalling what he had secretly overheard you instructing Zhang Chong, he simply told his cousin that you and Zhang Chong had engaged in indecent acts in the street, after which you gave him the money pouch. It was because of this that his cousin rewarded him and had you beaten."
Qin Hehuan stared with her mouth agape, unable to utter a sound for a long while.
It wasn't that she didn't want to refute Jing Yi; it was just that his words, though seemingly casual, left no room for dispute. She had no idea what to say. At this moment, only four words echoed in her mind.
Ungrateful and unjust.
Neither Jing Yi nor Leng Yue spoke those four words aloud, but she knew all too well that they described her most fittingly.
"Then..." Qin Hehuan's voice softened and grew more desolate as she spoke again, "I'll send a letter to the Qin family, telling them to stop making trouble... If you need that money pouch as evidence, I'll send some silver to Zhang Chong's family instead. I'll do anything you ask, only please, I beg you, never reveal in public that I am from the Qin family..."
Her voice trembled slightly when she uttered the word "Qin."
Leng Yue watched Qin Hehuan while chewing on a steamed bun, the taste in her mouth unpleasant, the feeling in her heart even more so.
She probably understood Qin Hehuan's feelings better than anyone, and she had originally intended to discuss this matter with her, but with Jing Yi here...
There were things Jing Yi wouldn't tell her, and there were things she would never tell Jing Yi.
Leng Yue simply swallowed the words she had prepared on the way along with the bun.
"Take your time to ponder and handle these matters. While you're at it, you must also attend to the second matter..." Jing Yi seemed completely unaware of Leng Yue's unease. He bent down, picked up the stack of stiff paper packages he had casually set aside earlier, and handed them to Qin Hehuan's trembling hands, still speaking amiably, "Drink all this medicine."
Qin Hehuan, still reeling from the earlier shock, stared blankly at the medicine packages in her hand, "Drink... drink medicine?"
"Ah, drink medicine..." Jing Yi pondered seriously for a moment, "That is, put the black stuff inside these paper packages in water, boil it, strain out the liquid, and then drink it. Twice a day. Understood?"Qin Hehuan's originally tangled and chaotic emotions were completely replaced by a feeling of being burnt black on the outside yet tender inside. Her deathly pale face faintly took on a darkish glow as she cast a deeply sympathetic glance at Leng Yue, who hadn't finished her steamed bun yet. The look made Leng Yue feel like stuffing the remaining bun into Jing Yi's mouth.
She knew it—no matter how serious the topic, once it came from Jing Yi's lips, it would inevitably go off track within three sentences...
Under Jing Yi's earnest and patient gaze, sensing his unspoken "I'll wait until the end of time if you don't answer" determination, Qin Hehuan had no choice but to steel herself and reply, "...Understood."
Jing Yi nodded with satisfaction, slightly narrowing his eyes. His voice carried a meaningful tone, "Good that you understand. After this matter is settled, you can proceed with the final task..."
Just from his tone, Leng Yue could vaguely guess what Jing Yi was about to say next.
So before Jing Yi could finish, Leng Yue quickly finished her bun in a few bites and decisively cut him off, "The moment you see Xiao Yunde, have him come to my residence immediately to see me."
Jing Yi raised an eyebrow but remained silent, ultimately responding with an increasingly amiable smile and a nod of agreement.
Hearing Xiao Yunde's name, Qin Hehuan tensed up, her back straightening involuntarily. Her previously dull eyes inexplicably brightened, and her voice grew tense, "Why?"
"He's gotten into some trouble and offended people he shouldn't have..." Leng Yue said lightly, "Just do as I say, otherwise he'll face bloodshed."
Jing Yi nodded in agreement once more.
"Alright, alright... then, is there anything else I can do?"
Jing Yi chose a response for Leng Yue, "Eat well and sleep well."
"Okay..."
After leaving Xiao Yunde's residence, Leng Yue went to An Wang's manor. This time Jing Yi didn't follow—at least, not until she returned home under the moonlight did she see him appear from somewhere.
Finally, Leng Yue found Jing Yi by the fish pond.
Jing Yi sat cross-legged by the deathly still fish pond. From behind, his white clothes were like snow, his black hair like a waterfall, completely motionless—looking every bit like a haunting apparition.
Leng Yue walked over and gently patted the "ghost" on the shoulder, "Did you just climb out, or are you thinking of jumping in?"
"Hmm..." Jing Yi turned his head, lifting a face pale from the moonlight's reflection on the water. His clear, watery eyes held a pitiful expression, "Thinking of jumping in."
"His Highness said the chief judge doesn't have to be you. Still thinking of jumping?"
"Then I won't jump."
Leng Yue rolled her eyes in exasperation and sat down beside Jing Yi. Before she could settle properly, the person next to her leaned over and lay down without a word.
Not only did he lie down, but he also rested his furry head on her lap.
Leng Yue's body stiffened, and Jing Yi took it further by turning halfway, burying his face against her abdomen.
"...Get up from me!"
Leng Yue's shout was loud enough to be heard by the neighbors. Despite her yelling, her body remained completely still.
Jing Yi, emboldened, rubbed against her a few times, forcing Leng Yue to hold her breath and tighten her abdomen, her face turning red from the stifled air."My third brother came by." Jing Yi spoke leisurely, as if they were an old married couple chatting about daily life. "He brought the sword you left at the Old Master's residence. I had a scabbard made for it and left it in the bedroom. Go take a look later—if you don't like it, I'll get you another one."
Leng Yue had already seen the scabbard when she returned to her room earlier. It was elegant, refined, and classically stylish, catching her eye instantly. She had practically fallen in love with it at first sight. Whether it was for Jing Qian or Jing Yi, she ought to say thank you, but with Jing Yi acting like this...
She couldn't bring herself to push him away.
So Leng Yue had no choice but to stiffen her face, hold her breath, and force out a reluctant "Mm."
"Mmm... Also," Jing Yi's voice carried a hint of cheerful laughter, "after we left Zhang Lao Wu's place this morning, Xu Qing delivered that stack of bowls, plates, and soup pots to the Old Master. I don't know what he said to the gatekeeper, but now everyone at the main residence knows that Third Brother spent tens of thousands of taels on a pile of broken bowls and pots that had been used for over a decade. The Old Master laughed so hard his stomach cramped, and when Third Brother came by, Second Brother was still at home massaging it for him."
"..."
"Also, Third Brother asked me where Xiao Yunde went."
Leng Yue froze, forgetting to hold her breath, and looked down at Jing Yi, who was comfortably pillowed on her lap. "Why did he ask that?"
Jing Yi shook his head, and Leng Yue nearly lost her mind.
"...Stop moving your head!"
"Oh..."
Leng Yue took a few deep breaths before saying sternly, "Then what did you tell him?"
"I said you were looking for him too. Once you find Xiao Yunde and give him a thorough beating, if he's still breathing, I'll have him go see Third Brother."
Leng Yue was taken aback. "I'm going to beat up Xiao Yunde?"
Jing Yi blinked innocently at Leng Yue. "You said it yourself to Qin Hehuan—he offended someone he shouldn't have, and if he doesn't come see you, he'll face a bloody disaster. Doesn't that mean he provoked you, and if he doesn't show up, you'll kill him?"
Leng Yue raised an eyebrow slightly. That was indeed what she meant, though since joining the magistrate's office, she could no longer phrase it so bluntly.
Qin Hehuan clearly hadn't caught on, and she had assumed even Jing Yi was fooled.
"Was I that obvious?"
Jing Yi nodded firmly, and Leng Yue stiffened again.
"...I'll cut your head off, believe it or not!"
"I don't believe it." Jing Yi wore a teasing smile and deliberately shook his head again, enjoying the sight of Leng Yue blushing furiously while fuming with rage. "You even felt sorry for Zhang Lao Wu and Qin Hehuan—you'd never commit such a heinous act as murdering your own husband."
"Who felt sorry for them!"
"If you didn't feel sorry for Qin Hehuan, why didn't you list her as a witness and let the presiding judge ask those questions during the trial? Wouldn't that be easier? If you didn't feel sorry for Zhang Lao Wu, why did you stop Xu Qing? Letting him explain why he hid the corpse and why Zhang Lao Wu came to the kiln in one go, then having both master and apprentice take a beating for intentionally concealing a body—wouldn't that be more just and honorable?"
Leng Yue choked, staring in surprise at Jing Yi, who was still comfortably resting on her lap. "You... Weren't you gone by then? How do you know all this?""Xu Qing told me this himself. The moment he stepped into the cell, before the prison door even closed properly, he'd already figured it out. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to me. I kept trying to be polite with him for quite a while before he finally explained those kowtows were meant for you..."
Leng Yue felt a warmth in her heart.
It must be Zhang Chong's spirit watching from above. That dull, rough man had actually managed to decipher her subtle intentions.
"I'll at most slap Xiao Yunde a few times, I won't go too hard on him. Someone like him will face divine retribution... Heaven sees what people do - do you believe that?"
Jing Yi resolutely shook his head, shaking it with such force that Leng Yue nearly jumped.
"...Don't think I won't actually slap you!"
Jing Yi looked at Leng Yue with considerable determination. "Even if you slap me, I still won't believe it."
"..."
Jing Yi tilted his head up slightly, gazing at the moonlit night sky with sparse stars, and sighed softly. "If it were really true that Heaven sees what people do..."
He paused, his thin lips pressed together, brows slightly furrowed. Seeing this made Leng Yue's heart ache inexplicably, and she suddenly remembered why Jing Yi was sitting by this fish pond in the middle of the night.
Yes, Jing Yi had reason not to believe those words.
He hadn't provoked or offended anyone, yet his cat, and this pond of koi fish...
While other people's cases had been resolved, she had nearly forgotten that there was still this pond of wronged souls in their own courtyard.
Before Leng Yue could figure out how to comfort him, she heard Jing Yi sigh mournfully while rubbing against her abdomen.
"Is my father still worried about not having a grandson now..."
"...Get up!"
This time, Leng Yue really did push him up with one hand. With a stern face, she grabbed one of his ears and started marching toward the bedroom. "Since the Old Master wants a grandson, I might as well give him a big one!"
"...!"Being dragged by his ear by his wife, striding under the gentle moonlight, Jing Yi had a premonition that was a mixture of all sorts of feelings."
Tonight would be sleepless.
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