TL: Hua
Early in the morning, Mu Yu was washing clothes when he suddenly heard a loud clamor. The sound came from outside the gate, sounding like men yelling and a woman crying.
Such situations were rare in Xu Family Village. At least, in Mu Yu’s opinion, the families in Xu Family Village generally got along very well. Sometimes, when Mu Yu walked through the village, people would often greet him.
However, hearing the commotion, he had no intention of joining the crowd. He wrung out the clothes from the basin and refilled it with clean water. The next moment, Mu Yu heard a loud bang—someone had kicked their main gate open.
The gate crashed against the wall, making a particularly sharp noise. Mu Yu immediately frowned; his young master had not yet risen.
Before Mu Yu could react, he saw a middle-aged man, pulling the long-unseen Miss Yueyao, forcefully storm into the courtyard from outside.
“Who are you, and why are you breaking into our courtyard?” Mu Yu immediately put down the clothes in his hands and quickly stopped the middle-aged man who intended to go further.
The middle-aged man had a fierce and menacing look. Seeing Mu Yu block him, the expression in his eyes grew even more savage. He raised his hand to push Mu Yu: “You, a mere servant, how dare you speak to me? Get your young master out here! I want to see your young master!”
Mu Yu was usually honest and gentle, and in this situation, he only wanted to stop the man: “My young master is still resting. If you have business, please come back later. If you continue to cause trouble like this, I will have someone throw you out.”
“Get lost! Don’t be so shameless! Call your young master out now!” The middle-aged man’s face was repulsive. No matter what Mu Yu said, he continued to be stubbornly unreasonable.
Wen Jing strode out of his room. Having served the emperor for so long, despite his usual gentle demeanor, he displayed an imposing presence when confronting the middle-aged man.
He didn’t bother speaking to the man directly but turned to Mu Yu: “Young Master is still asleep. What’s going on?”
Mu Yu was a little nervous: “Young Master wasn’t woken up by the commotion, was he? This person is very strange; he not only kicked down our door but also insisted on seeing the young master.”
Wen Jing scoffed, looking up at the man, his eyes full of contempt: “Just an ignorant brute, dreaming of seeing the young master. How utterly delusional!”
As he said this, Wen Jing not only looked at the middle-aged man but also at Li Yueyao behind him.
The man’s face instantly turned extremely ugly after being ridiculed by Wen Jing. He furiously reprimanded the two: “You’re just two servants, yet you dare to talk back to me! Quickly call your young master out! I want to see your young master! If he doesn’t come out, I don’t mind making this a scandal known throughout Xu Family Village!”
Li Yueyao, behind the man, turned pale. After hearing Wen Jing’s words, her face became even more strained. She desperately pulled at her father’s arm, trying to stop him from causing more trouble, but her father paid no heed to her wishes.
“Go call the guards from next door to drag these people out.” Wen Jing was accustomed to dealing with such superficially compliant people. Judging by the man’s attitude, he clearly intended to scheme against their young master, so Wen Jing simply told Mu Yu to call for help.
In fact, Mu Yu didn’t even need to go out to call for help. The burly guards from next door, having heard the commotion, were already waiting outside the gate. As soon as they heard Wen Jing’s words, they rushed in to drag the middle-aged man away.
The middle-aged man had no idea Wen Jing would do this, nor had he expected to not even meet the master of the house. So, he raised his fist to shove and punch Wen Jing.
The courtyard instantly descended into chaos. A corner of Wen Jing’s clothes was torn. Several guards rushed to pull the man away, but the man simply sat on the ground and imitated the attitude of a difficult woman, wiping his tears and crying, “I’m going to see the county magistrate! I’m going to report your young master for defiling a common girl!”
“Watch your mouth.” Wen Jing’s face had turned extremely grim now. He directly raised his leg and kicked the middle-aged man with surprising force, yet still wore a faint smile: “You want to slander our young master? Your petty schemes aren’t enough.”
The middle-aged man was kicked hard and instantly went berserk, like a madman. Li Yueyao tried to pull her father up, but her father just raged even more fiercely.
The door creaked open, and Xu Yanqing walked out of the room. He coldly watched the farce in the courtyard. At some point, Taoist Xuanchen also walked to his side, one hand skillfully placed on the young master’s waist.
“You want to see me, but I don’t recognize you.” Xu Yanqing felt that while he might be a bit of a salted fish, he didn’t want anyone to throw such mud at him.
The man froze for a moment upon seeing Xu Yanqing and Yin Yanjun. Especially Yin Yanjun, who, despite wearing a Taoist robe and appearing to be an ordinary Taoist, possessed an exceptionally stern and imposing aura that made the man vaguely feel intimidated.
A flicker of panic crossed the man’s eyes, but soon he suppressed his inner turmoil and blustered, “You may not recognize me, but you should recognize my daughter! Wasn’t my daughter’s pure and innocent body defiled by you?”
This person was clearly the most ill-mannered country brute. Xu Yanqing raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Li Yueyao, who was pulling at the man: “I certainly know Miss Yueyao, Brother Lin’s sister-in-law. However, I cannot agree with the latter half of what you said.”
“So, the young master from the capital also does shameful things and dares not admit it! You did such a filthy deed, and now you’re pretending to be a gentleman!” The man opened his mouth, wanting to curse Xu Yanqing, but the Taoist beside the young master gave him a cold look, so he could only stop talking in dissatisfaction.
“Uncle, you should know that slandering others casually can lead to me sending you to see the authorities,” Xu Yanqing scoffed, not expecting that someone as leisurely as him would be accused of being a beast in human clothing.
The man, upon hearing this, instantly exploded: “See the authorities? You did such a thing, and you still dare to make me see an official! My daughter must have been defiled by you! Even if you haven’t taken her body, her pure reputation has already been ruined by you!”
“Dad, don’t say any more! It’s simply not true!” Li Yueyao cried out, reaching out to pull her father. But her father suddenly exerted force, pushing her away, and continued to curse angrily in the courtyard with a dark face.
“Uncle, I’ve said it before, Miss Yueyao and I are innocent, and we have never had any improper affairs. If you keep making trouble, I will really send you to see the authorities.” After all, out of consideration for the man’s identity, Xu Yanqing initially didn’t intend to argue with him. But now, it seemed the other party was holding onto him and refusing to let go.
Xu Lin and his wife, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, pulled away the unreasonable man and helped Li Yueyao, who had fallen to the ground, up.
After comforting her cousin well, Qiao Xiu’er then turned to talk to the man her husband had pulled away: “Uncle, don’t make any more trouble. Yueyao has stayed here with me for so many days. I know very well whether she has had any private dealings with anyone.”
“Now that you’re married into Xu Family Village, you’re naturally siding with the Xu family’s relatives! Your cousin still has this man’s handkerchief! If there wasn’t something improper, how would such a private handkerchief fall into your cousin’s hands?!” The middle-aged man desperately pushed away Xu Lin, who was restraining him, and lunged towards Xu Yanqing, looking menacing and frightening.
Xu Yanqing was unable to dodge and retreated two steps under everyone’s gaze. In a flash, Yin Yanjun wrapped his arm around the young master’s waist, shielding him behind himself.
The young master, shielded by Taoist Xuanchen, only heard a tearing sound, and then the man was already pinned to the ground by the reacting guards.
The young master peeked out from behind the Taoist and immediately checked on the Taoist’s condition. However, he saw that the Taoist’s incomparably handsome face had several bloody marks—scratches from the man’s sharp fingernails.
In an instant, Xu Yanqing’s face turned extremely grim. His gaze towards the man became sharper than ever before: “You said Miss Yueyao has my handkerchief. Then please, Miss Yueyao, produce the handkerchief first.”
Li Yueyao looked up, trembling slightly, at Xu Yanqing, but the exquisite and handsome young master’s face was now icy cold. Her tears fell incessantly, and she just shook her head repeatedly.
Seeing this, Xu Yanqing turned to the guard holding the man down and said, “Search him.”
The guards paid no mind to the struggling man on the ground. In a few swift motions, they pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the young master.
Xu Yanqing scoffed, “Alright, report it to the authorities. Tell them, This man forcibly entered a private residence, slandered the master of the house with baseless accusations, and even physically assaulted him.”
“Why are you reporting me to the authorities? That handkerchief is the evidence! You have the evidence, and you still want to report it?!” The man, held down by the guards, struggled desperately but couldn’t break free.
“Otherwise, Miss Yueyao, tell us, where did you get this handkerchief?” Xu Yanqing’s icy gaze once again fell on Li Yueyao.
Li Yueyao trembled all over: “I picked it up when I encountered Young Master in town that day. I just didn’t have time to return it to you before you disappeared.”
“You little wench! You’re lying! You said before that you had an affair with the handkerchief’s owner…” The man cursed incessantly, calling her a “little wench” and “money-loser” with every other word, completely disregarding Li Yueyao as his daughter.
“This handkerchief was borrowed from Taoist Xuanchen. It even has the Taoist’s mark on it. You’ve slandered me with baseless accusations and even injured the Taoist. Do you really think I have such a good temper?” Xu Yanqing gave the man a cold look, then turned and pulled Taoist Xuanchen back into the room.
The commotion in the courtyard continued. Wen Jing directly ordered someone to stuff a piece of rag into the man’s mouth. He took out a token from his sleeve and handed it to one of the guards: “Take this token and escort him to the authorities. Tell them he injured the token’s owner. I’m sure the county magistrate will decide accordingly.”
The guard took the token, directly tied up the still-struggling man with hemp rope, and dragged him outside.
Finally, Wen Jing’s gaze turned back to Li Yueyao: “Miss Yueyao, you’ve certainly made quite the calculation, but I’m afraid you’ve calculated yourself into trouble with someone you can’t afford to offend.”
Li Yueyao just kept trembling in Qiao Xiu’er’s embrace, her tears falling incessantly, as if she didn’t understand Wen Jing’s words.
“What does Taoist Wen Jing mean by that?” Qiao Xiu’er was confused. She looked up at Wen Jing and explained, “My great-aunt passed away early, and Yueyao’s father is an unreliable man who favors sons over daughters, so he’s always been especially harsh on Yueyao. It’s not surprising that he would do something like this today.”
Wen Jing disdained explaining to Qiao Xiu’er now; he just coldly watched Li Yueyao, finally saying meaningfully, “I’m afraid Miss Yueyao’s scheme will ultimately come to nothing.”
—
Soon after, the courtyard became quiet. Inside the room, the young master firmly pressed the Taoist into a chair: “With so many guards, they couldn’t even protect me, yet you, a seemingly helpless Taoist, have to protect me?”
At this moment, the young master, in his haste, seemed to have completely forgotten the Taoist’s true identity, only feeling that his Taoist was a soft and weak man. Now, even a country brute could injure him, and even injure that immortal-like, jade-like face, which made the young master’s heart ache terribly.
Yin Yanjun, a large man, sat obediently in the chair with his eyelids slightly lowered. Hearing the young master’s words, his long eyelashes gently fluttered, making him appear truly “weak, innocent, and pitiful.”
This appearance made the young master feel even more distressed. He took out the fully equipped medicine box from the cupboard and placed it on the table, then gently cupped the Taoist’s chin.
The Taoist’s clear and handsome eyes gazed at him, giving the young master the illusion that he was teasing a respectable man, and so that little mischievous streak hidden in his heart resurfaced.
He gently rubbed the smooth skin of the Taoist priest’s jaw with his fingertips and couldn’t help but say jokingly, “Taoist Master’s face is fresh like green bamboo. If it were truly disfigured, it would be utterly heartbreaking.”
Yin Yanjun felt his heart flutter. He stared intently at the young master for a moment before speaking, “So Young Master only feels heartache for this face of mine.”
Hearing this, the young master paused, then quickly reacted, “Indeed! Taoist Master’s face is truly capable of toppling kingdoms. A young master like me, who cherishes beauty, naturally feels endless heartache.”
Yin Yanjun chuckled, his eyes gentle, “Since that’s the case, I hope Young Master will show a little pity.”
“Haha, Taoist Master, I think I’m corrupting you!” The salted fish young master couldn’t help but laugh aloud. This person, who was usually as serene and pure as an immortal, now not only learned to tease him but even learned to joke and play along.
The young master reached into the medicine box, took out a bottle of medicine, and gently wiped the Taoist’s slightly red and swollen scratches with a clean gauze soaked in the medicinal liquid.
That man, sprawling on the ground without a care, crying and rubbing dirt all over his hands, then turned and scratched these marks on the Taoist’s face—it was truly hateful to the extreme.
Gently blowing on the Taoist’s wounds while wiping them, he didn’t forget to comfort him: “Taoist Master, bear with it. That man’s hands were filthy, so the wounds need to be cleaned thoroughly before applying medicine.”
Yin Yanjun’s view was obscured by the young master’s figure. He caught a glimpse of the young master’s serious face as he blew on his wounds, and his heart softened, even uncontrollably wanting to be closer to the young master, closer than they already were.
Xu Yanqing threw the blood-stained gauze onto the table and replaced it with a fresh one. After wiping three times, he then took another bottle of medicine and applied it to the Taoist’s face.
Staring at the Taoist’s medicated face, the young master still couldn’t help but feel indignant. For a figure as ethereal as the Taoist to be injured by such a crude brute, it made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable. He wished he could use his father’s and brother’s influence to have Mu Yu send word to the local county magistrate, have that man beaten half to death in prison, and then kept there for a few more years.
This protective instinct was very unfamiliar to the young master, so he subconsciously ignored this sudden emotion.
Outside, Qiao Xiu’er helped Li Yueyao back home. Seeing her cousin’s eyes red and swollen from crying, she lovingly poured hot water and wrung a cloth to wipe her face.
Once Li Yueyao seemed much calmer, Qiao Xiu’er slowly began to ask, “What exactly happened today? Why did your father suddenly cause a ruckus at Young Master Xu’s courtyard and even say such shameless things?”
Li Yueyao lay in Qiao Xiu’er’s embrace, her eyes red: “That day in town, I found Young Master Xu’s handkerchief but couldn’t catch up to him. Later, on a whim, I kept the handkerchief as a memento, knowing Young Master Xu wouldn’t be interested in me. But the day I returned home, my father thought I had gotten something from the cousin-in-law’s house, so he searched my bag when I wasn’t in the room.”
Qiao Xiu’er patted her cousin’s back, encouraging her to continue.
“My father called me back this time because he wanted to marry me off as a second wife to a widower in his fifties. I naturally refused, so when he suspected I had an affair with someone, I didn’t defend myself.” Li Yueyao cried again, shaking her head as she wept, “I really didn’t mean to throw this slander onto Young Master Xu, but I don’t know how my father found out that I often went to Young Master Xu’s place while I was staying in Xu Family Village, which is why he made such a scene.”
Saying this, Li Yueyao tightly gripped Qiao Xiu’er’s hand: “Sister, I really don’t want to marry that widower in his fifties as a second wife, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”
“Yueyao, don’t worry. Sister won’t let you marry that widower. I’ll personally go to Young Master Xu to apologize. If I go enough times, I’ll surely be able to appease him.” Qiao Xiu’er thought a lot in that moment. She also recalled the puzzling words of Taoist Wen Jing when they left the small courtyard. She hesitated for a moment, but seeing her cousin’s red eyes, she ultimately chose to firmly believe Li Yueyao.
—
In the evening, after dinner, Yin Yanjun accompanied the young master on a walk around the courtyard for six or seven laps. Today, the young master didn’t act spoiled or refuse to walk, and after their stroll, he even pulled the Taoist back into the room.
Reapplying medicine to the Taoist’s facial wounds, the young master spoke earnestly: “The weather is hot now, Taoist Master, you really must take this seriously. Otherwise, if it gets infected and leaves a scar, and then it’s discovered by other officials at the grand court assembly, they might even speculate whether you did something inappropriate to get such facial injuries.”
The young master never avoided his true identity, so Yin Yanjun went along with it: “They rarely look up at me normally, and even if they do, they wouldn’t look this closely.” And no one would dare joke with him about such a matter.
The salted fish young master didn’t care. He meticulously wiped away the excess ointment from the Taoist’s face, then pushed him out of the room: “Taoist Master, you don’t need to accompany me tonight. An injured person needs good rest, and don’t keep staying up late to deal with those memorials.”
Yin Yanjun felt that the scratches on his face weren’t as serious as the young master made them out to be, but he did have some matters to attend to. So, he went along with it and returned to his own room.
Soon, Wen Jing pushed the door open and walked in. He knelt down to apologize to the emperor; ultimately, he had failed to protect Young Master Xu and caused the emperor to be injured.
“Go back to the palace and accept your punishment. Having lived in Xu Family Village for so long, your vigilance has significantly decreased.” Yin Yanjun’s tone was indifferent. Then he asked, “Have you found out anything?”
Wen Jing nodded: “Li Yueyao lost her mother early, and her father favors sons over daughters, treating her merely as merchandise to be sold for money. He had previously intended to marry his daughter as a second wife to a widower in his fifties, so Li Yueyao set her sights on the young master.”
First, she deliberately let her father discover that handkerchief and then subtly hinted that she had an affair with a wealthy young master, which incited her greedy and incompetent father to become covetous. That’s why he rushed to Xu Family Village to extract information and finally set his sights on the young master, who he thought was an easy target.
“She has made two plans. If her father really lets her marry the young master, it would be a good thing. But she also knows that the possibility is not high. So she plans to kill with a borrowed knife. She wants to use the young master to get rid of her father and then ask Qiao Xiu’er for help to find a good family to marry.” Wen Jing’s eyes were cold. As a eunuch, he naturally had countless ways to make someone tell the truth. Li Yueyao had unfortunately fallen into his hands, not only almost harming his little prince, whom he had hoped for for years, but also injuring His Majesty.
“Since she doesn’t want to marry a widower, then grant her wish,” Yin Yanjun said indifferently, while reviewing the memorials in his hand. “If she doesn’t want to marry, she won’t have to marry for the rest of her life. Just send her to shave her head and become a nun!”
Wen Jing nodded: “Your subordinate understands.” If His Majesty had no other instructions, then there was too much room for maneuver. Simply letting Li Yueyao become a nun would be too lenient; he was certainly not such a kind-hearted person.
The door creaked open, and Wen Jing quietly left the courtyard. In a dark, dilapidated house, several burly men guarded Li Yueyao.
Li Yueyao lay weakly on the ground, a few red, swollen scratches marring her delicate face, looking utterly pitiful.
“You were originally a pitiful person. If you had genuinely sought the young master’s help, he might have, with a kind heart, lent you a hand. But you were ill-intentioned, plotted against the young master, and even caused my master to be injured. That would truly be a heinous crime deserving death.” Wen Jing raised a blood-stained wooden board and casually patted Li Yueyao’s face, his tone utterly flat: “It’s a pity the master, being benevolent and virtuous, spared your life, which can be considered as accumulating good karma for the young master.”
Wen Jing spoke the last sentence very softly. Li Yueyao could not hear clearly, but her whole body was shaking. The man in front of her seemed kind and gentle when he was with Young Master Xu, but she never expected that this man was so terrifying in his bones.
Wen Jing slowly stood up and motioned to the two burly men: “Take her away!”
The two strong men, without a word, immediately lifted Li Yueyao. As for where she would be taken, Wen Jing had no further concerns.
Under the candlelight, Yin Yanjun’s gaze rested on the memorial in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, his entire aura exceptionally cold.
After thinking for a long time, he indifferently placed the memorial back on the desk, quietly rose from his seat, walked out of the room, and then stood outside the young master’s door.
Just when Yin Yanjun was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly heard a faint sound coming from inside. It was the young master mumbling in his sleep with a tinge of fear.
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