Chapter 53 "A prostitute is better than a lover."

When Yin Yuan led his subordinates in, Si Qing was sitting on the couch, sipping tea, with a silk curtain drawn behind her, separating the bedroom from the outside.

"Lord Yin, I have failed to provide adequate hospitality," Si Qing said with a smirk, showing no remorse whatsoever. "I have kept you waiting in the sun for so long."

"Please take a seat, sir."

Yin Yuan glanced indifferently at the scene in the room, still standing: "Stop pretending, I know she's here with you."

"Release her now."

"she?"

Who is she?

Si Qing rested her chin on her hand and smiled, "Could it be your wife?"

"Madam Yin is missing. Shouldn't you be going home to look for her? What are you doing here with this junior?"

"Huh?" Yi Yinwan poked her head out from the crowd, walked up to Yin Yuan, and held a flintlock pistol in her hand. "Who called me just now?"

Si Qing was momentarily surprised, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "...Is this Madam Yin?"

Yi Yinwan straightened up and bowed to Si Qing: "Greetings, Lord Marquis."

"I am usually ignorant about these things. It's perfect that you two can chat inside. I'll take my subordinates and go out to wait for you. With so many people, let's not disturb you."

In an instant, the expressions of the two men facing off inside the room turned grim.

Si Qing laughed and said, "Oh, so he's a mistress without any official status."

"Then I'm even less likely to let you meet."

“That day at the city gate, the prefect was really furious, even I was startled,” he said, reaching out to stroke the chipmunk standing on the railing. “Little Candle is sick and can’t withstand such a fright. So, in order to prevent her from being traumatized, I can’t let Yin’s husband meet her.”

"If Yin Pingfu has a lot of liver fire, he should eat more bitter melon. Getting angry every day is not good for his health."

Yoon's lover.

Yin Yuan stared at the man sitting down, at his face as smooth as jade and his eyes as black as lacquer, at his cloak embroidered with gold phoenixes, and at the gold necklace worn by the chipmunk beside him.

This added to his melancholy.

He could replace all the handsome servants in the mansion, and he could flaunt his wealth and power in front of her other lovers.

The young ones aren't as rich as him, and the rich ones aren't as handsome.

He has to win at least a little, right? Just a little is enough to put his mind at ease.

But now, his gaze lingered on Si Qing for a long time, yet he couldn't find the one thing he desperately needed.

He only realized that his position seemed to be teetering on the brink of collapse, and if he fell any further, he would be reduced to dust from a lover.

He used to pride himself on being aloof and looking down on everything, but now he is jealous of many men, and even women—Ling Niang doesn't love him, so he can only struggle with this meaningless thing.

"No matter what, I knew her before you did."

So he started talking about their remaining bargaining chip, sentiment, even though Ling Niang hated it the most.

"That's hard to say."

"I told you, I met you at a brothel more than ten years ago. Back then, she often wandered around the different floors with her pipa. How can you be sure she didn't kiss me through the door before she went into the private room to play for you? Don't you think about whether her lipstick smudged a few times?"

"...You still think this is something to brag about? So shameless, I don't know how she could have fallen for a whore like you."

"I am indeed less experienced than you, and my feelings for her were not based on lust, but rather on the exchange of affections, with the affections outweighing the lust."

"But at least, I truly loved her for several years."

Upon hearing this, Si Qing spoke more hastily: "Even a prostitute is better than a lover. Could it be that she was with you and had your child because you were so shameless? No, right? I guess it's because you were somewhat attractive when you were young that she reluctantly let you take her place. Now that you've lost your looks, you're still quite shameless when you're being sarcastic."

"Sure enough, people will do anything when they have nothing left, but I can't do that."

"I don't think it's a takeover. Even if it is, so what?" Yin Yuan said calmly. "It's just raising two biological children, one for your father and one for your mother."

Leng Cuizhu sat on the bed, frowning as she listened.

Gazing at the two figures in front of the silk curtain, the tense atmosphere seemed to seep in through the curtain, making her feel uneasy as well.

...Won't they start fighting?

She thought to herself, "I'll just sleep it off." She buried her head in the soft pillow and rubbed her scalp.

The noise outside was still deafening, and the words were becoming increasingly vicious and offensive; she could hardly bear to listen anymore.

At that moment, she finally understood the meaning of reading and studying poetry—it was simply a convenient way to get jealous.

Unable to sleep due to the noise, she lay flat on the bed staring at the green agate bracelet on her wrist.

Come to think of it, this bracelet does resemble her previous red agate bracelet.

No, they're not just similar, they're exactly the same, only the colors are different.

Why did Si Qing give her this bracelet? Was she perhaps hinting at something?

Could he be the distinguished guest who gave her the red agate bracelet at the opera troupe that day?

Or did you buy this bracelet at a shop, and is this kind of thing fashionable now?

She didn't care much about either one.

Why should she try to decipher his metaphors? The problem is that he doesn't just say it directly, making her guess and taking himself too seriously.

They were no longer seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls or boys; they were in their thirties and no longer suited to this kind of romantic atmosphere.

If you hit it off, just go to bed with her. If you always play hard to get and keep your feelings hidden, how long will it take to get a result?

She used to be keen to glean something from Yin Yuan's every move, but now it seems like she was just being a busybody.

He had worn away all her youthful feelings, so she could no longer find any solace in the words and actions of the man she loved.

Feeling a bit thirsty, she got out of bed to get some water, but her hand trembled and she dropped the glass on the floor.

The floor was covered with a carpet, so the water glass didn't break, but it made a dull thud.

The noise outside the curtain suddenly stopped.

Two pairs of eyes remained fixed on her, their attention keenly focused on her every move.

Even so, she still poured herself a cup of tea and drank it all.

“Lingniang,” it was Yin Yuan’s voice, “the chicken you raised has caught fowl plague.”

Aren't you going back to see them?

"Huh?" She hurriedly lifted the silk curtain and peeked out. "What happened? Why is he sick?"

"He ate unclean food," Yin Yuan said gently. "He's been lying on the ground these past few days, I'm afraid he won't live much longer... Aren't you going back to check on him?"

"It is currently staying at the Yin residence."

“Chickens with excessive liver fire are prone to fowl plague,” Si Qing said with a smile. “Sister, it’s alright. Just have Lord Yin go back and grind some mung bean powder for your chickens to eat. If that doesn’t work, just send them to me and I will treat them.”

"But if it's some other kind of illness... it's still advisable to see a doctor if you're sick."

"Really?" Her gaze shifted to Si Qing. "You can even treat chickens?"

Si Qing smiled and took her hand, just about to speak.

Yin Yuan: "Leng Zhen got into a fight and was sued."

"What happened?"

Leng Cuizhu hurriedly asked, "What was he fighting with? Who did he fight? How did he get sued?"

"He sold pokeweed as ginseng to patients. When he was discovered, he got angry and got into a fight. He lost the fight and was even dumped at the gate of the government office by the patients."

“It happened to be my shift at the time, so I used money to settle the matter temporarily and let him rest in the prison. The patient said he would appeal in a few days.”

Where are they now?

"Still locked up in jail."

"He kept cursing me to die, but I ignored him."

She quickly pulled her hand away and grabbed Yin Yuan's arm: "My lord, I'll go back with you!"

Yin Yuan smiled and replied, "Yes."

"I'll have them prepare horses and take you down the mountain."

Yin Yuan pulled her toward the door, but Si Qing caught up and said, "Sister, you're not well yet. What if you leave now and suffer from the long journey? Rest here a little longer... You wanted 'that,' didn't you? I won't give it to you if you leave."

He pouted, feigning innocence.

"But……"

She looked at Yin Yuan, whose face was full of sorrow, and then at Si Qing, whose eyes were streaked with tears, unsure of what to do.

Forget it, the land deed is more important than my son!

"Um... my lord, I think I'll stay and not go back yet..."

She hooked her finger around Yin Yuan's and said timidly.

She knew her request was unreasonable and that Yin Yuan would definitely not agree, but she was determined to stay, no matter how much he humiliated or scolded her.

Not for anyone else, just for the land title deed.

Yin Yuan: "Okay, then I won't go back either."

"Lord Si, you should at least fulfill your duties as host. If you are unwilling, I will not force you. Just have my subordinates park the carriage in your courtyard."

“If the Prefect wants to stop, that’s fine,” Si Qing said, her gaze fixed on her without looking up. “However, I have a habit of taking the tiger I keep at home out for a walk in the yard whenever I have nothing to do. I hope the Prefect and your wife won’t mind?”

"Of course not."

"Madam Yin enjoys firing her gun for several hours every day. If she accidentally injures anyone, I hope the Marquis will be equally magnanimous."

"ah?"

She looked up in surprise.

The scene is getting more and more chaotic... It looks like a bloody battle will break out if she doesn't go back today.

“Uh, my lord,” she smiled at Yin Yuan, “I’ve thought about it, and I think I’ll go back with you to see how Zhenzhen is doing in prison, and then I need to go back and take care of my chickens…”

"Um."

She and Yin Yuan walked into the courtyard, where Yi Yinwan was sitting on her horse playing with peacock feathers. When she saw the two of them come out, she told her idle subordinates to mount their horses.

"Lady Leng, come on up." She pulled Leng Cuizhu onto the horse.

Leng Cuizhu was startled. She looked down and saw Yin Yuan turn and walk back. She asked in a daze, "Madam, isn't he going back with us?"

Yi Yinwan rolled her eyes: "They probably haven't argued enough."

"So I'll take you back first. Hold on tight, or you'll blame me if you fall."

Madam Yin's horsemanship was much better than Yin Yuan's; she was fast but not wild. Leng Cuizhu sat behind her, holding her belt very steadily.

"What's your relationship with that marquis?"

"Huh?" Leng Cuizhu was caught off guard. "We're good friends..."

"The last noblewoman who told me about her friendship with a man was drowned for having an affair with her groom."

"To be honest, you've become quite famous in the county these past few days. I don't know who spread the rumor, but they say you're a woman who serves two husbands, one of whom is the county magistrate. I only found out about this when other ladies asked me; otherwise, I would have been kept in the dark."

"The other one must be this Marquis, right?"

"Huh?" She almost fell off her horse. "I...I...I'm famous now?"

Oh no, oh no, oh no... What on earth happened?! How did her affair with Yin Yuan and Si Qing get out? Now the whole county, from the elderly to the women and children, could drown her with their spit.

"Congratulations! Now you can buy goods and set up a stall on the street to sell. I guarantee someone will buy them."

"By the way, your son is in jail again, did you know that?"

“I know… he’s always been like that, so it’s not surprising.”

"By the way, Madam, I heard from the master that my chickens are at your residence. May I take them to your residence later? I'll bring them back with me."

"Chicken?" Yi Yinwan turned her head and glanced at her. "What chicken? There are no chickens in the manor. Chicken droppings are smelly. I don't raise chickens. Only country folk do."

"It's just a rooster that got fowl plague..."

"No."

"It's been so cool and rainy these past few days, where did this chicken plague come from?"

Yi Yinwan moved forward a little and covered her nose: "Do you have chicken plague? Stay away from me."

Yin Yuan actually spread rumors about dodder?

He actually made up a rumor about a chicken?

This completely overturned her perception of him.

Yi Yinwan left her at the doorstep.

Along the way, she encountered many people. Several of them recognized her and looked up at her curiously, as if they wanted to come up and ask her something, but seeing the crowd, they all retreated.

She felt very uncomfortable.

Leng Cuizhu's greatest fear in life was being the center of too much attention.

Rather than being the center of attention, she prefers to be ignored and hidden in a corner where no one notices her.

After she pulled out all the weeds in front of her house, she was about to go inside when she caught a glimpse of Xiaoyu and Fang Yazi coming out from next door, chatting and laughing.

"Hey, my wife?"

"Xiaoyu?" she asked, bewildered. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on the mountain..."

“Hi! It’s like this,” Xiaoyu scratched his head and pointed to the empty house next door, “The Marquis is moving here tomorrow morning, so he asked me to come and scout it out first.”