Chapter 26 The Marquis of Jinyang's upbringing is not very good.

Achan knew she had misunderstood, but she didn't feel embarrassed.

"Since I brought it up myself, I'll take responsibility for whatever the outcome." She tentatively asked, "Does the master agree to this proposal?"

There's a saying among humans: misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. Since she wanted to take advantage of Bai Xiuming, she was naturally prepared to pay the corresponding price.

She's already gotten herself into trouble; now that the opportunity has come, how can she give it up so easily?

Those who are timid and hesitant are destined to grasp nothing.

"I accept."

Achan smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling. She looked at the tall man in front of her and thought, "It doesn't matter if we don't have a connection, I can build one."

Bai Xiuming was living in her lies before, but now they've become reality.

Of course, that's not all.

"My lord." This "my lord" was addressed with an exceptionally sweet tone.

Bai Xiuming lowered his eyes, waiting for her to speak.

Achan blushed slightly, her cheeks flushed: "I know you are a man of your word, but... could you pay me first?"

"Don't push your luck."

Achan completely ignored his indifferent attitude and stretched out her hands in front of him.

“Sir, look at the wounds on my hands. They were all inflicted during this time. I used to not even know what a stove looked like, but now I’m so desperate to spend every penny. If life hadn’t been so difficult, I wouldn’t have dared to ask you for help.”

Ah Chan spoke with such sincerity that her eyes welled up with tears.

The injuries on her hands were real, of course, but some were blisters from chiseling the willow branches before, which hadn't fully healed yet. The other fresh wound was from when she accidentally cut herself while cutting chicken a couple of days ago.

It's all for the sake of making a living, so it's not exactly lying.

The injury on her hand is not easy to heal, but it only looks alarming; it is not actually serious.

But when it comes to playing the victim, you naturally say whatever makes you seem as pitiful as possible.

Bai Xiuming looked at her slender, white fingers and suddenly remembered that night when he held her hand and felt its soft, delicate touch.

He looked away: "When do you want me to go?"

Achan's eyes lit up: "Is tomorrow okay?"

"Are you in a hurry?" Bai Xiuming didn't say no.

"It's urgent," Achan asked him expectantly, "Sir, is it alright?"

"……good."

"When does Your Excellency plan to go? I'd like to join in the fun." Achan made no attempt to hide her desire to see the Jin Yang Marquis's mansion suffer misfortune from Bai Xiuming.

"Tomorrow at 1-3 PM."

"It's a deal."

Ah Chan was in a good mood, having already gotten the benefits, but of course she couldn't forget the important matter at hand.

She said seriously to Bai Xiuming, "I will give you a list in a moment. Please prepare the materials according to the list. I think you should have some dragon bones on hand."

"have."

"That's good. Besides the items on the list, just give me a piece of dragon bone, grind it into powder, and give it to me."

Bai Xiuming's request is perfectly acceptable.

Achan suddenly realized that she didn't have paper and pen at home, so she hurriedly ran to the bookstore next door to borrow some from Mr. Xu. Mr. Xu readily prepared paper and pen for Achan.

Just before she put pen to paper, Bai Xiuming walked into the bookstore. Upon seeing him, Achan paused in her writing and then wrote down several materials and their approximate quantities on the paper.

Her handwriting is very delicate, in the small regular script commonly used by young women.

After writing, she picked up the paper, blew on the ink, and handed it to Bai Xiuming: "Keep this safe, sir."

Bai Xiuming glanced at it, folded the paper, and put it away.

After saying goodbye to Boss Xu, A Chan and Bai Xiuming walked out of the bookstore. Seeing that he seemed to be about to leave, A Chan suddenly called out to him.

"grown ups."

"Is there anything else?" Bai Xiuming turned around.

Achan blinked her clear eyes and asked him, "If one day your enemy comes after me, will you save me?"

"I will not save useless people."

"Can't you really make an exception?"

Bai Xiuming was too lazy to answer anymore and turned to leave.

Tsk, heartless.

Ah Chan hummed to herself, thinking that there would be more excitement to see tomorrow, and her steps on the way home became much lighter.

The next day at noon, she went to the Marquis of Jinyang's residence without even having lunch.

Before it was even 11 PM, she had already found an excellent viewpoint nearby: the third floor of a teahouse facing the street, from which she could see the gate of the Marquis of Jinyang's mansion.

Achan pointed out a spot, ordered a pot of tea, and three kinds of tea snacks. The waiter then attentively led her to the window on the third floor.

There weren't many people on the third floor at this time. Most of the guests were scholars who gathered in twos and threes. Ah Chan listened to them recite poems and paint, which was quite enjoyable.

Unbeknownst to Achan, she was admiring others, and in their eyes, she was also a beautiful sight.

In a private room not far from Achan, separated by a screen, several young men were looking in her direction through the gaps in the screen.

These men are all sons of officials. They heard that the tea ladies at this teahouse have exceptional tea-making skills, so they came specifically to join in the fun.

After giving Ah Chan a few comments, the group withdrew their gaze. Given their status, they had seen all kinds of girls, so there was no need to fixate on one.

Only one person kept turning their head and staring.

"Mu Lin, judging from her outfit, she's just an ordinary girl. If you really like her, you can go and get to know her. Maybe you can become a groom tonight, haha."

The speaker was Yan Cheng, the son of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Mu Lin, whom he mentioned, was the second son of the Minister of Rites.

In terms of status, Mu Lin should theoretically be a cut above Yan Cheng, but Yan Cheng has a maternal grandfather who is the Marquis of Zhenbei, has outstanding military achievements, and is extremely protective of his own. Therefore, although Mu Lin was dissatisfied with Yan Cheng's attitude, he tolerated it.

Another young master from the Dali Temple, sitting at the same table, laughed and said, "If Mu Lin is interested, he might as well get to know that young lady, lest he regret it later."

Mu Lin was somewhat tempted by what he said, and after hesitating for a moment, she stood up and walked towards A Chan's location.

A group of people watched with smiles behind him, but Yan Cheng gave a forced sneer.

When Mu Lin walked over, A Chan was eating a piece of Bazhen cake. The Bazhen cake at this teahouse was very sweet and fragrant, and she was thinking that she could buy some to take home when she left.

"I hope you are well, young lady."

Hearing the sound, Achan turned her head and saw a person standing by the table.

He was a young man, probably not very old, with a youthful innocence still lingering on his face, but his eyes were clear, not like a spoiled brat.

"Is there something you need, young master?" Achan put down the pastries in her hand and asked in confusion.

Mu Lin's cheeks flushed slightly as he thought to himself, "This girl's voice is really beautiful."

He bowed to Achan and said, "My name is Mu Lin, son of the Minister of Rites. May I ask if I may sit here?"

Achan glanced around and saw that there were empty seats.

However, after the young man finished speaking, his face turned completely red. She found it amusing and nodded, "Please sit down, young master."

Mu Lin was overjoyed. He had just sat down and was thinking about what to say when he saw A Chan turn her head to look out the window.

He looked over as well and saw a group of Mingjing Guards riding dragon-blood horses stop outside the Marquis of Jinyang's residence.

Achan saw Bai Xiuming riding on the largest dragon-blood horse at the very front of the group.

Today he was dressed in a bright red official robe, with a golden crown binding his hair and a long sword at his waist, which made him look even more dashing and handsome.

Bai Xiuming sat on his horse, and his subordinates who were following behind him stepped forward and knocked on the door.

When the gatekeeper heard that the group of people had come to see the Marquis, he dared not delay and hurriedly ran into the mansion.

At this moment, the Marquis of Jinyang was in his study checking his son Xue Zhao's homework when he heard the steward say that the Mirror Division's envoy had arrived with his men. His heart sank, and he put down the paper in his hand and hurriedly left.

Xue Zhao followed behind.

Bai Xiuming didn't have to wait long before he saw the Marquis of Jinyang, dressed in ordinary clothes, come out together with his nominal stepson.

The two not only look alike, but their walking postures are also extremely similar. If you said they weren't biological father and son, probably no one would believe it.

Xue Zhao was young and had never seen such a scene before, so his face remained tense, while Marquis Jinyang appeared much more composed.

Seeing that Bai Xiuming remained seated firmly on his dragon-blood horse after he came out, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of the Marquis of Jinyang, but he concealed it well: "May I ask what brings Lord Bai here today?"

"I have been entrusted by someone to ask the Marquis for something."

"Oh? What is it?"

"The Marquis's first wife, Lin's dowry."

Marquis Jinyang's expression changed immediately, and he looked at Bai Xiuming with suspicion and uncertainty.

"Lord Bai, are you joking with me? By what right do you come to ask for my deceased wife's dowry?"

"Is it unreasonable for me to come on behalf of Ji Chan to ask for her deceased mother's dowry?"

Marquis Jinyang frowned, seemingly surprised that his daughter, who had been kicked out of the house, possessed such abilities, managing to persuade Bai Xiuming to join her.

Marquis Jinyang remained silent, but Xue Zhao could no longer contain himself. He stepped forward and shouted, "Lord Bai is being unreasonable! Ji Chan is the daughter of Lin Shi and another man. What right does she have to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Zhao was sent flying backward. The Marquis of Jinyang's expression changed, and he exchanged a blow with Bai Xiuming from a distance before finally catching his son.

However, as soon as Xue Zhao was put on the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

Bai Xiuming dismounted and lightly brushed the dust off his sleeves: "The Marquis of Jinyang's family upbringing is not very good."

Marquis Jinyang's face turned ashen; his son had been seriously injured, and the other party was still making sarcastic remarks.

He held back for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Why should Lord Bai lower himself to the level of a mere child?"

Bai Xiuming chuckled lightly: "Your son must learn the lesson that loose lips sink ships, don't you think, Marquis of Jinyang?"

Seeing that the Marquis of Jinyang did not answer, Bai Xiuming's smile turned cold: "It seems that the Marquis of Jinyang wants to have a match with me?"

"Lord Bai is too kind." Marquis Jinyang picked up Xue Zhao, paused, and finally spoke, "Since Lord Bai has come to collect his deceased wife's dowry, please come into the manor."

Bai Xiuming led his men into the Jinyang Marquis's residence. When the Marquis's wife, Madam Xue, received the news, she rushed over and saw her unconscious son, trembling all over.

"My lord, what's wrong?"

"He has suffered internal injuries. Have the steward fetch a doctor."

Madam Xue hurriedly summoned the steward, and after everything was in order, she looked at the fierce-looking guards of the Mingjing Division not far away and asked the Marquis of Jinyang in a low voice, "My lord, who are these people?"

After a long silence, the Marquis of Jinyang replied, "They have come to collect Lin's dowry. Take her dowry list and check everything out, making sure nothing is missing."

Madam Xue asked in bewilderment, "Why? Why would they want Madam Lin's dowry?"

When Lin married, the Lin family was at its peak, and her dowry was quite substantial. After Ji Chan was expelled from the Marquis's mansion, all of these things fell into the hands of Xue.

Even though the Xue family has gradually prospered over the years, Xue's dowry is still less than one-tenth or one-twelfth of Lin's. How could she bear to give away such a large sum of money?

"It's all because of that wretched daughter Ji Chan..." When Marquis Jinyang saw Bai Xiuming looking over, he stopped talking, but Madam Xue's expression changed.

She remembered what Ji Chan had said to her on the Flower Festival.

Madam Xue was indeed fooled by those words at the time, but when Ji Chan stopped making a move, she thought she had been deceived by a young girl.

To everyone's surprise, in just one month, Ji Chan actually managed to get Bai Xiuming to come to her door.

What a shameless slut! Madam Xue clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth in hatred.

Madam Xue persisted in her persuasion, saying, "My lord, that's a large sum of money. You need a lot of money for your cultivation lately. If you give it to us... outsiders might think you're afraid of that Lord Bai."

Xue believed that Marquis Jinyang was a fourth-level expert. Although he was injured in his early years and his cultivation level was only at the third level, he had rich combat experience and might not be inferior to Bai Xiuming.

If we back down without a word today, we will inevitably be ridiculed in the future. How will the Marquis of Jinyang's mansion maintain its standing in the capital then?

Xue's idea was quite good, but the Marquis of Jinyang glared at her fiercely and scolded her in a deep voice: "Stop talking nonsense and quickly have the maids and servants count Lin's dowry."

"But..." Madam Xue wanted to say more, but when she met the fierce gaze of the Marquis of Jinyang, she dared not say anything more and could only agree.

Madam Xue led her maid to the courtyard where Madam Lin's dowry was locked, but Marquis Jinyang stood still. If possible, did he want to hand over a large sum of money to someone else?

It is widely rumored that Bai Xiuming is only at the third level, yet he can kill opponents at the fourth level, demonstrating his unparalleled talent.

Only he himself knew the extent of his cultivation; how could he possibly be a match for Bai Xiuming?

Ji Chan...

The Marquis of Jinyang repeated the name to himself, and finally sighed.

Madam Xue led the guards of the Mingjing Division to inventory the dowry, but Bai Xiuming did not go with them. Instead, he summoned the steward of the Marquis's residence and asked him to take him to the courtyard where Ji Chan used to live.

Although Ji Chan was driven away, her former courtyard was still there. It wasn't reserved for her, but rather because the two young masters of the Marquis's mansion both disliked the place for its bad luck.

There was also a cleaning maid in the courtyard. The steward said she used to be Ji Chan's personal maid.

The maid seemed to have suffered a lot; her face was numb. When she heard from the steward that a high-ranking official had come, she knelt down and began to kowtow.

"Get up," Bai Xiuming said, urging the man to rise. "I have some questions for you. Just answer truthfully."

"Yes," the maid replied softly.

What kind of person is Ji Chan?

The maid paused for a moment, then said, "Miss is a very kind person, and she is always very good to us servants."

This answer clearly did not satisfy Bai Xiuming, so he changed his question: "Do your girls like to cry a lot?"

The maid shook her head: "Miss rarely cries, but... whenever she is sick, she secretly cries and looks for her parents."

At this point, the maid's lips curled into a smile, as if she were recalling something from the past.

She then added, "But even when he was sick, the Marquis rarely came to see you."

"Is she literate?"

"Of course I can read."

Bai Xiuming took a piece of paper from his sleeve and unfolded it: "Look, is this her handwriting?"

The maid nodded repeatedly after seeing the words clearly: "This is the young lady's handwriting. She taught me before, but unfortunately, I'm clumsy and can't write well."

"Are there any words she wrote here?" Bai Xiuming asked.

"Yes." When the maid saw that Bai Xiuming wanted to see it, she opened the door and went inside to get a stack of papers. There were many words written on them, large and small, as if they had been scribbled down when she had nothing to do.

The words on these papers are exactly the same as the words on the list she made.