Chapter 87: Spicy Pot (Part 13)
Jing Yi narrowed his eyes and let out a soft yawn, nodding somewhat absentmindedly.
"My life is enough to keep the Crown Prince running in circles—they wouldn't be so quick to convict me... It's just a pity about all those fine things..."
Leng Yue couldn't tell whether Jing Yi was speaking truthfully or just casually remarking. She frowned imperceptibly but didn't probe further, merely nodding lightly before continuing, "Then have you ever wondered since then—what exactly did the Late Emperor want to say when he suddenly summoned all of you to the palace?"
Jing Yi seemed to be suffering from a severe headache. He rubbed his head against the pillow a few times without finding relief, and eventually couldn't help raising his hand to massage his temples. As he rubbed, he shook his head with some regret and sighed softly, "I can manage to guess the Crown Prince's thoughts, but as for the Late Emperor's intentions—you'd have to ask my Old Master about that..."
Jing Yi's understanding of medical matters seemed limited to theoretical knowledge, becoming utterly useless when applied to living beings. Watching him haphazardly knead his own head, his brows growing increasingly furrowed with each press, Leng Yue felt a pang of heartache and swatted his hand away.
"Stop poking at it, or you'll make dents in your head."
"..."
Leng Yue rose and sat at the head of the bed, shifting Jing Yi's head from the pillow to rest on her lap. Starting from his hairline, she began applying firm but gentle pressure along several acupoints, moving from front to back.
Jing Yi's hair wasn't very long yet—it had all grown during the time she was away from the capital. It was darker and glossier than before, with a silky resilience to the touch. In another year or so, he would undoubtedly regain his title as the Number One Young Master of the Capital, capable of captivating both young maidens and mature women alike.
But to her, the title of Number One Young Master of the Capital was all in the past.
Now in her heart, he was a hero—just like the men who fought alongside her father on the borderlands, risking their lives to protect the nation. He was the greatest hero of them all.
Yet while heroes on the battlefield were known and celebrated by all, he was here alone, enduring silently for a battle that could never be revealed to the public. If he failed, he would bear the eternal infamy of a traitor; if he succeeded, he would merely be acquitted without charges. Commoners accustomed to wrongful convictions would hardly praise him for what appeared to be a reasonable house arrest.
Perhaps among those whose lives Jing Yi had saved by risking his own to switch the tea canisters, some were now curled up in soft beds, casually making disparaging remarks about Young Master Jing the Fourth to the beauties in their arms.
She had once somewhat agreed with comments like "Young Master Jing the Fourth is just a pretty pillow"—after all, at the age when she first took a liking to him, all boys her age were pillows, but at least his was embroidered with flowers.
But now...
Most boys their age were still just pillows, while he had quietly transformed into gold-inlaid jade at some point, yet never bothered to discard that embroidered pillow cover she had fallen for.
As these thoughts crossed Leng Yue's mind, she unconsciously murmured aloud, "How come I never noticed before..."Leng Yue realized too late that she had muttered her thoughts aloud. Jing Yi had already lifted his eyelids, his penetrating gaze falling on her thin-skinned face, instantly evoking an alluring blush that left Jing Yi utterly baffled. He couldn't help but press further, "Did you notice something?"
"Your head doesn't seem particularly round."
"..."
Before Jing Yi could detect that this was a hastily concocted excuse, Leng Yue slightly increased the pressure of her hands. Jing Yi winced in pain with a soft groan, furrowed his brows, and closed his eyes again.
While her hands continued their methodical massage, Leng Yue's heart raced uncontrollably. Gazing at the person peacefully resting with closed eyes on her lap, memories that felt lifetimes away suddenly surged to the forefront of her mind. Stirred by emotion, she couldn't resist whispering, "There's one more thing I want to ask you..."
Jing Yi, like a cat being comfortably petted, didn't open his eyes but merely emitted a lazy hum through his nose as acknowledgment.
"I remember you said you knew why I married you..."
Leng Yue clearly felt the head on her lap stiffen momentarily before relaxing again. Yet Jing Yi still didn't open his eyes, this time not even bothering to hum in response.
Assuming he was too dazed by headache to recall, Leng Yue prompted, "It was that Mid-Autumn night when you were completely drunk. You even thanked me..."
Jing Yi hummed softly again with closed eyes, indicating remembrance.
"You truly know?"
After a long silence where Leng Yue nearly thought he'd fallen asleep, Jing Yi finally murmured dreamily without opening his eyes, "That night you sent me to plant cucumbers in the backyard, the wind was rather strong. I worried you might forget to close the window while sleeping, so I sneaked a glance..."
Leng Yue's fingers froze, nearly poking a dent in Jing Yi's head.
"Ouch—"
Jing Yi's pained cry was abruptly muffled by Leng Yue's hand covering his mouth.
Someone had entered the courtyard.
Calmly signaling Jing Yi to remain silent with a gesture, Leng Yue moved his head from her lap back to the pillow, deftly tucked him in, straightened her own clothes, picked up the empty bowl from the bedside, and walked out without looking back.
Lying in bed with closed eyes, Jing Yi let out a faint, bitter sigh.
This might be the "I know" he'd regret most in his entire life...
As Leng Yue walked out carrying the empty bowl, Uncle Qi had just reached the center of the courtyard. Seeing Leng Yue emerge, Uncle Qi stopped in place, smiling amiably. Only when Leng Yue approached did he speak in a hushed, polite tone, "Did the young lady enjoy the meal?"
"Thank you, Steward. It was still rather unpalatable, so I gave the remaining half bowl to Young Master Jing Si as a favor." Leng Yue stated composedly, handing the bowl to Uncle Qi while dusting off her perfectly clean palms with practiced elegance. With a hint of impatience, she added, "After all this commotion through the night without a moment's rest, I need to renegotiate with General Leng."
Uncle Qi nodded with complete understanding. "General Leng promised you nine hundred taels, correct?"
Leng Yue nodded. "Correct."
Uncle Qi reached into his robe, retrieved two five-hundred-tael banknotes, and handed them to Leng Yue with a beaming smile. "You've worked hard, young lady. One thousand taels - please keep them safe."Leng Yue guessed that Uncle Qi, having seen her as someone who valued money over face last night, likely wanted to use silver to keep her there. So, without hesitation, she extended her fair hand, took it, and tucked it into her bosom. "Thank you, Steward."
After expressing her thanks, Leng Yue immediately turned to leave, leaving Uncle Qi momentarily stunned. It wasn't until she brushed past him that he snapped out of it, hurriedly catching up and stopping her at the courtyard gate.
"Young lady..." Uncle Qi's smile was strained. "I've already paid your wages. Where are you still planning to go?"
"Wages?" Leng Yue exaggeratedly furrowed her brows. "It was General Leng who hired me for this task, so of course she should pay me. What wages are you giving me?"
Uncle Qi's forehead darkened faintly. "You just accepted the banknote—don't try to weasel out of it."
"How am I weaseling out?" Leng Yue raised her voice a notch, growing louder with each word. "Did you say it was wages when you gave it to me? Didn't you say I'd worked hard? If you offer me money and I don't take it, wouldn't I be a fool?"
Now that was what it meant to value money over face.
Fearing the commotion might be heard by those inside the room, Uncle Qi grew flustered and frantically waved his hands, promptly having the guards escort Leng Yue out as quickly as possible.
Waiting at the entrance, Leng Yan's heart trembled sharply when she saw Leng Yue being escorted out by the soldiers. But the second glance fell on Leng Yue's face, which was clearly suppressing a laugh, and the trembling instantly rose to the corners of her lips.
Only after riding a good distance away did Leng Yan say with a cold expression, "You ventured into a wolf's den and still had the leisure to mess around?"
Since entering the capital's gates last night, Leng Yue hadn't felt as lighthearted as she did at this moment. With a smile that radiated from within, she replied nonchalantly, "I didn't provoke any wolves—just kicked a few guard dogs..."
As she spoke, Leng Yue slowed her horse slightly and looked at Leng Yan with a hint of apology. "Second Sister, before we return, I need to go see someone."
Leng Yan was slightly taken aback, her brow arching lightly. "Grand Tutor Jing?"
Seeing Leng Yue's face suddenly fill with "How did you know?" Leng Yan sighed softly. "Last night, right after you left, the Crown Prince told me that after you came out from Jing Yi's place, you might ask to see Grand Tutor Jing, so he had me prepare in advance."
With a master like that, Leng Yue truly didn't know whether to cry or laugh for Jing Yi.
Leng Yan said gravely, "I've made arrangements on that street, but the two of us going together would still be too conspicuous... At the intersection ahead, dismount and go on your own. Be careful, and make it quick."
"Thank you, Second Sister."
After handing her horse to Leng Yan, Leng Yue kept close to the walls, head lowered, and took the deserted alleyways at a steady pace.
The streets were already quiet on a deep winter morning, and with the recent restrictions in the capital, it wasn't until Leng Yue reached an alley just one lane away from the Jing family mansion that she encountered someone under the eaves at the corner.
Though it was a person, if not for sensing their presence, Leng Yue would have mistaken them for a pile of discarded rags left by someone's doorstep.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, the bundle of clothes stirred uneasily, shaking off a few specks of accumulated snow from the tattered padded coat. A head streaked with gray hair slowly lifted from between the knees, revealing a face so grimy its original features were hard to discern.This was a man, past middle age but not yet elderly, with dim yet clear eyes and a thin but not withered frame. He seemed like someone who hadn’t had a proper meal in some time, yet not as though he had never eaten well in his life.
Leng Yue vaguely felt she had seen him somewhere before, but couldn’t quite recall where. It wouldn’t be strange if she had—this area was the busiest part of the capital, and beggars were common here, usually living quite comfortably. Likely, the recent city-wide curfew had driven this one to the brink of starvation.
"Young lady…" The old beggar’s gaze lingered on Leng Yue’s face for a moment. His lips, purple from the cold and chapped, trembled as he spoke in a hoarse, heart-wrenching voice, uttering words that deeply unsettled her. "I have medicine…"
"...I’m not sick."
The old beggar’s dull eyes were filled with sincerity. "Take it, and you will be…"
"…"
Leng Yue assumed the old beggar had lost his senses from hunger and cold. Though she knew she shouldn’t linger in public with her current appearance, she couldn’t help but stop in front of him, intending to fish out a few coins for him.
She wondered if it was too late to accumulate some virtue now…
It was only when she reached into her waistband that Leng Yue remembered—after changing into Leng Yan’s clothes last night, she hadn’t brought any money with her. All she had now was that thousand-tael banknote. Without hesitation, she pulled out one of the five-hundred-tael notes from the pair.
This street was often frequented by free-spending young nobles, and there had likely been precedents of tossing banknotes to beggars. The old beggar accepted the five-hundred-tael note as calmly as if it were a piece of steamed bread. After tucking it into his robe, he actually retrieved a grimy little paper packet from his tattered padded coat and held it out to Leng Yue with a grateful expression.
"Medicine…"
Leng Yue tucked the packet, wrapped like rat poison, into her sleeve. All the way to the tightly shut main gate of the Jing family mansion, one thought occupied her mind:
The virtue she had just accumulated ought to be enough to save the entire world.
As it turned out, that bit of virtue wasn’t even enough to save herself.
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