Chapter 1 The Clever and Quick-witted Miss

The capital city was bitterly cold at this time of year, with the first snow falling and crows circling the branches. Near Niupi Lane, a man wearing a felt hat stood in front of an inn. Seeing the sky growing increasingly dark, he turned around to lock the door and close it.

Unexpectedly, as he turned around, he heard a weak voice behind him, "Sir..."

The man took a worn-out lantern and hung it over. After a few moments, he looked them over and saw that they were two women who were not dressed very well.

"Are you two ladies looking for a room?" The man asked with a smile, taking half a step forward. "It's cold outside, and I see you two look quite chilly. Shall we prepare a nicer room for you?"

The shorter woman, named Wang Xiuli, stood in the wind and snow, looking troubled. "May I ask, sir, what is the...the lowest grade of room...?"

The man suppressed his smile and withdrew the half-step he had taken, his tone instantly turning colder than the glaring snow, "No money? What kind of hotel do you stay in if you have no money?" With that, he raised his arm and closed the door.

"Wait, sir!" Another woman stepped forward to stop the man. She appeared weak and reached out to grasp the man's wrist. "The woodshed, sir, we can stay in the woodshed too."

This woman was called Yu Niang. She looked older than Xiuli and was not as coy as Xiuli. She was willing to fight for herself.

The man raised one eyebrow and stared intently at Yu Niang, his gaze sliding down to her slender waist. He then pinched it. "Alright, I'll do a good deed today. The woodshed in the backyard is dusty and not very clean, but I think the two of you can manage for the night. Please come in."

After a moment, he led the two to the door of the woodshed. The man put on a smiling face and said, "Since we're going to do a good deed to the end, I'll have someone bring some hot water."

Yu Niang smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, sir."

After closing the door tightly, Xiuli finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yu Niang plopped down on the pile of straw. "At least we've made it all the way to the capital. If we find your nephew tomorrow, you won't have to suffer from the cold and hunger."

Xiuli was from Luxian County. She was going to the capital to visit her nephew. Yu Niang was a woman she met on the way. She said she was going to the capital to visit relatives, so the two traveled together.

After listening to Yu Niang's words of comfort, Xiuli still felt it was inappropriate to stay here. Just as she was about to speak again, she suddenly heard the man outside say, "Ladies, the hot water is here."

"Coming, coming." Yu Niang smiled slightly, changed her expression, and opened the door eagerly.

It was already pitch black. With her back to Xiuli, Yu Niang couldn't see what Yu Niang and the man were doing. She only saw Yu Niang move aside and let the man bring in hot water.

After setting the hot water aside, the man calmly returned and went out.

Yu Niang hurriedly beckoned Xiuli to come closer, "Don't just sit there like an idiot, go wash first."

For some reason, Xiuli felt uneasy. Her body, which had been stiff with cold, relaxed when she touched the warm, moist air. Recalling the man's lingering gaze on Yu Niang, she had no choice but to ask Yu Niang to hold the door for her. A moment later, she also held the door for Yu Niang.

Just as her limbs and body were feeling comfortable, Xiuli started chatting with Yu Niang. "Sister Yu, you said the family you're visiting lives in the north of the city, but my nephew lives in the east. Tomorrow, when I see my nephew, I'll ask him to send someone to fetch a sedan chair to take you there."

The dim firelight shone on the dusty wall. In the stillness, Yu Niang's shadow on the wall moved, and her voice came from behind Xiuli's ears, "If your nephew becomes rich and powerful, will you forget your elder sister?"

Xiuli became shy, shaking her head and laughing, "My sister has been so tolerant of me all this time, how could I forget her?"

Perhaps the hot water was warm enough, her beautiful, smooth back leaned against the edge of the wooden tub, her eyes gradually revealing a hint of longing, completely unaware of the approaching figure behind her.

"Is that so?" Yu Niang met a pair of eyes through the crack in the door, gently placing her hands on Xiuli's head, her tone suddenly changing, "But elder sister prefers to have those things herself!"

Before Xiuli could react, her head was forcefully pushed into hot water, filling her ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. As she struggled, she could only vaguely hear Yu Niang scolding in a low voice: "Get in here and help me hold her down!"

After a moment, Xiuli fell silent. Yu Niang glared at the man, annoyed, and scolded, "You lecher! You think I didn't know you were peeking at me from outside?"

It turned out that this man and Yu Niang were in cahoots. The two of them ran an inn in this remote part of the capital and had long since figured out some tricks of the trade.

The capital city is never short of wealthy people. Whether they are merchants or officials, they all have a few poor relatives. Most of these poor relatives come from the countryside and have never met the wealthy families in the capital more or less.

Yu Niang then devised a plan. She followed the clues to find out where her poor relatives were. Some of her close friends and rascals were even waiting in front of the rich man's house. This time, she found out that the gatekeeper of the Wang family in the east of the city had let slip that a young lady was going to stay at the house.

Therefore, Yu Niang went to Luxian County early on, became familiar with Xiuli, gained her trust, listened to Xiuli talk about her past, and then tricked Xiuli into coming to the inn to kill her. The next day, she even arranged for her own people to impersonate Xiuli and enter the Wang family.

How many years has it been since the Wang family last saw Xiuli? They no longer recognize her face. With a fake Xiuli smuggling valuables out of the Wang family's house, who knows how long that would last for her and the man to live off each other.

This tactic has never failed, since Yu Niang has always targeted people who will no longer have any contact with their hometown.

The man touched Yu Niang's waist and raised his chin to remind her, "Bury her first. I noticed she has a mole on her face. It's better to have the men be careful."

Under cover of darkness, the two rolled up a mat and dragged away Xiuli's body. When they returned to the inn, the fake Xiuli was sitting at a square table waiting. Yu Niang, following her memory, dotted a mole on her face and impatiently waved her away.

The couple then went into the house and were thoroughly aroused. They were both panting heavily. After a while, they reached their peak and fell asleep in each other's arms, saying that when they woke up, money would fly into their hands.

In the middle of the night, Yu Niang suddenly felt short of breath in her sleep. She thought it was because the man was holding her too tightly. She tried to raise her hand to hit him, but instead grabbed a damp, cold patch of earth.

Yu Niang opened her eyes in shock, shoved the man beside her, and found that the two of them were lying in a pit in the woods outside the city, and there was a person standing by the pit. Yu Niang stared at him and her heart skipped a beat!

Who else could it be but Xiuli, who was completely naked, with a pale face, and staring intently at her with her head down?

"Ah—!" Upon hearing this, the women sitting around a table in a teahouse on the banks of the Qinhuai River opened their mouths and cried out in surprise. They saw the oil-bearded storyteller acting mysteriously, as if hesitant to speak. They hurriedly urged him, "Has that beautiful girl turned into a vengeful ghost to claim our lives? What are you doing! Speak up! Don't keep us in suspense!"

The storyteller glanced lightly at the audience below and said with a smile, "This is Jinling Xiaohongdou's latest work. I only have the first half of it. It's not that I'm not going to continue the story, but I don't know when the second half will be available for sale."

"Little Red Bean of Jinling?" The women looked at each other, seemingly hearing the term for the first time.

A woman at the next table chuckled, "Aunties, you don't often come out to listen to storytelling, do you? This Jinling Little Red Bean specializes in writing these kinds of stories. Coincidentally, I have the first few volumes. Given Jinling Little Red Bean's unpredictable nature, I really can't guess how she'll write about Yu Niang and her husband in the second half. These volumes I have are rather gruesome; if you aunties are interested..."

He patted the bench and said, "Come sit down and watch with me."

The women immediately surrounded him. The storyteller glanced at the door of a private room upstairs, smiled, shook his head, and stepped off the stage, disappearing into the distance.

It was dusk, and the last rays of the winter sun shone through the wide-open window onto the square table in the private room. Chen Chao, the owner of Yinbaoge, shifted his posture, crossed his legs, and casually rolled up his sleeves. He looked at the beautiful figure leaning against the window and smiled guiltily, "Miss Qian, after being out in the wind all day, shouldn't your anger have subsided by now?"

Qian Yingyi's gaze fell lightly upon him, making it impossible to discern whether she was pleased or angry.

Upon first glance, Qian Yingyi's bright eyes appeared clear and sparkling, like ice beads in winter.

Her pale skin was lightly rouged, her eyebrows were like willow leaves, and below them were two full, bright red lips, just like crabapple blossoms in spring.

After a long pause, she said, "Mr. Chen, we've been doing business for three or four years. I told you before the new year that we would discuss the second part of the book after the first month of the lunar calendar. Are you making such a big show of force to pressure me?"

Chen Chao was in the business of printing books and also ran a number of bookstores. He was a very shrewd man. When he heard Qian Yingyi speak, he knew that she had calmed down. He quickly got up and went over to her, took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, and placed it in front of her.

"The batch of storybooks printed last year sold extremely well in the Yangzhou area. Before the New Year, Miss said that we would discuss the second volume after the first month of the lunar calendar. It's my fault for not keeping quiet and letting it get out. These are the orders placed by the bookstore owners in Yangzhou. Miss heard it today too. Everyone outside is waiting for the second volume!"

"I was thinking..." Chen Chao curled up a smile that he thought was flattering to hide the shrewdness beneath his skin, "It doesn't matter if it's a little earlier. The reason I invited you out today is to let you hear firsthand how popular this storybook is."

Qian Yingyi picked up the paper with her fingertips, carefully scanned the number of books ordered on it, fanned her thick eyelashes, and said nothing.

Chen Chao gritted his teeth, glanced at Qian Yingyi, and thought to himself that she was also a miser! He immediately smiled with a pained expression and said, "Same as always, Miss gets four, and I get six."

The person in front of him then looked up and stared at him. After a moment, he raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "Since Mr. Chen is in such a hurry, I might as well speed things up."

"It's Miss's thoughtfulness." Chen Chao led Qian Yingyi to sign another contract for their transaction, his thoughts drifting back to four years ago.

It is said that Qian Yingyi was not from Nanjing. He was born in the capital eighteen years ago. When he was ten years old, his mother passed away due to illness. At the same time, the court was in turmoil, so his father requested to be transferred back to Nanjing and became the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works in Southern Zhili.

At that time, Qian Yingyi was closest to her grandfather, so she disregarded everything and came to Jinling with her grandfather, leaving behind her parents in the capital and her older brother and sister.

When Qian Yingyi first arrived, she talked too much and offended several young ladies in Jinling. As a result, the young ladies intentionally or unintentionally refused to accept her.

The second uncle's family lived with Old Master Qian, but the second uncle had a son, and Qian Yingyi disdained to talk to him, spending her days only sketching on paper.

Even after she found several good friends in Nanjing, Qian Yingyi still maintained this habit.

At the age of fourteen, Qian Yingyi suddenly had the idea to write a number of terrifying supernatural and strange stories. He secretly found someone to print about a hundred copies and sold them in a bookstore. Surprisingly, the people who loved listening to stories and reading books read them with great interest.

Even worse, some people would hold up a silver lamp on the kang table in the middle of the night and become so engrossed in it that they almost fainted from fright.

Later, the storybook eventually fell into Chen Chao's hands. He keenly sensed the scent of copper coins, but was troubled by not knowing who this "Little Red Bean of Jinling" was, and paced back and forth in the Seal Pavilion in a hurry.

Chen Chao still remembers the absurd and bizarre feeling he had when Qian Yingyi took the initiative to come to his door and told him that she was "Little Red Bean of Jinling".

In storybooks, it is often written that monsters suck the vital energy of bad people, drink their blood, and tie their intestines into knots to make hammocks. Chen Chao could not reconcile the clever young lady in front of him with the descriptions of bloody people.

Chen Chao had also considered swindling Qian Yingyi, but he never expected that she would be so well-prepared at such a young age. After some negotiation, they reached an agreement on mutually beneficial terms: Qian Yingyi would provide the story, and Chen Chao would be responsible for printing the book.

Surprisingly, it sold quite well as always.

Four years have passed, and Chen Chao has been treating Qian Yingyi like a precious gem. The secret that Qian Yingyi is the "Little Red Bean of Jinling" has naturally become known only to Chen Chao, except to those close to her.

But greed knows no bounds; if he could, Chen Chao would be willing to take the full 100%.

While his thoughts were racing, Qian Yingyi had already put pen to paper. Chen Chao remained expressionless, only smiling as he rolled up the contract and tucked it into his sleeve.

Qian Yingyi did not want to stay any longer, feeling a little tired from getting up early. However, she was tripped up by a commotion in the courtyard on the other side of the river.

Looking back, a familiar old woman was leading a large group of servants into the courtyard.

Xia Ling, the maid following behind, recognized her with sharp eyes and exclaimed in a low voice, "Miss, isn't that the wet nurse who serves the young mistress of the Lin family?"

Chen Chao quickly chimed in, craning his neck to glance at the courtyard, a smug smile on his face. "I just remembered, Miss knows the young mistress of the Lin family. But the young mistress's father-in-law is the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, and her own father is the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture. What urgent matter would warrant sending her wet nurse to the courtyard to arrest someone?"

"...Arrest someone?" Qian Yingyi turned to look at him, then quickly grabbed her skirt and rushed over to ask, "What does Boss Chen know?"

Chen Chao was quite pleased with himself, finally having something he knew first in front of Qian Yingyi. After showing off for a while, he said, "Miss, who else do you think is worth such a grand effort to capture Young Mistress Lin? Naturally, it's her husband, Lin Yuhu. Young Mistress Lin comes from the Yan family, and I know that Miss's relationship with her is just so-so. So, Miss knows some of these trivial matters faster than I do. Does Miss remember Yan Sanlang?"

Qian Yingyi frowned slightly. "I remember, Sister Yan's younger brother. I've heard of him, but I've never met him. I only know that he passed the imperial examination and went to take up his post in Linhuai County, Fengyang Prefecture."

"Lin Yuhu has always been a dissolute man. Young Madam Lin has made a scene several times. Since her father and father-in-law work together, such matters are naturally suppressed by the elders of both families, and Young Madam Lin has no choice but to endure it again and again."

Chen Chao said mysteriously, "Fortunately, there was news a few days ago that Yan Sanlang will soon be transferred back to Jiangning County. Since the elders don't want to get involved, the younger brother will support him. That's why Young Madam Lin had her wet nurse come to the brothel to show some backbone."

He shook his head repeatedly and clicked his tongue, "This has blown up big time. Both the Lin and Yan families have lost all face!"

Although Qian Yingyi was not very close to Yan Wenying, she used to greet her with a smile and a curtsy. She would blink a few times and exchange glances with the maid Xia Ling before turning her back to Chen Chao to say goodbye.

As she lifted her skirt to descend the stairs, Qian Yingyi spoke indignantly: "If you ask me, Lin Yuhu deserves to lose face. It's not like he's the one having fun outside with Sister Yan. Sister Yan is just fulfilling her duty as a wife by having someone take him away, and he's actually giving her face!"

Xia Ling quickly followed behind her, echoing, "That's right! That's right!"

As Qian Yingyi left the teahouse, she happened to run into Lin Yuhu, who was being held by the hand by his wet nurse on the other side of the river.

Seeing that he looked like he had just come from some woman's arms, Qian Yingyi couldn't help but turn her face away in disgust and walked towards the corner where the servants and guards were waiting.

Before they even reached the carriage, a young man approached them excitedly and softly called out, "Yingyi..."

Qian Yingyi immediately took two steps back, as if facing a formidable enemy, "Wu Niansheng! Why did you follow me again!"

The nineteen-year-old boy had a refined-sounding name, but his actions were far too direct.

Wu Niansheng's grandfather and Old Master Qian were respectively the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Works in Southern Zhili. At a spring banquet last year, Wu Niansheng fell in love with Qian Yingyi at first sight. To this day, he always feels that the fact that their grandfathers worked in the same place is a blessing from heaven for the two of them, so he has always been entangled with her.

“I know you’re having tea here and don’t want to see me, but that’s okay, I can come see you…” Wu Niansheng blushed, her face as thin as paper.

Qian Yingyi secretly rolled her eyes, hurriedly avoided him, and slipped into the carriage, not forgetting to glare at the guards, "If you still can't stop him, you don't need to follow me anymore! Go home!"

The guards froze, then bowed their heads in embarrassment, admitting their mistake, "Miss... we were just afraid of hurting Young Master Wu..."

Xia Ling followed closely behind and squeezed inside, glaring at the guards as well. "Is Miss more important or Young Master Wu? Can't you even tell the difference between what's important and what's not? Useless!"

Qian Yingyi leaned against the car wall to catch her breath before saying, "Let's go home."

Before long, he changed his mind again: "No, let's go to the Lin family's gate in Shigu Lane."

Although she had a casual relationship with Yan Wenying, she had a close friend who was very close to Yan Wenying. Now that she knew about this sordid affair, and since she happened to be out, she decided to go and see if Yan Wenying was alright.

As the last wisp of twilight, like yellow silk, faded from the horizon, a light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.

In Xinghua Lane, which is separated from the Lin residence by a road, someone stared indifferently at the Lin residence through a crack in the door.

The man was tall and imposing, with a distant and indifferent expression. His taut, thin lips revealed a hint of impatience. His face was sharply defined, with two small moles on his high, straight nose.

The cold rain fell, and the sky grew increasingly foggy and gloomy. The shadows of his eyelashes under his eyes softened his stern and cold aura.

After a long pause, he turned around and told the men behind him, "In another quarter of an hour, Lin Bianhong will be off duty and going home. Let's get started."

The man behind him was also quite handsome, but he remained motionless for a long time, his tone hesitant, "Commander, is this really how it should be?"

The man gave him a cold glance and said, "You're so long-winded."

The man shut his mouth in embarrassment.

In the struggle for imperial power, many things are overturned and started anew. In recent years, the new emperor has consolidated his throne and is gradually settling accounts with his officials. The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Qin Lizheng, has been assigned by the emperor to conduct a thorough investigation of officials in the Jinling area, crack down on corruption, and preferably eradicate it completely.

There are too many officials in this vast city of Jinling, unknown to others, but the Yan and Lin families are already under thorough investigation.

Qin Lizheng has risen to power in recent years through ruthless means, and only works for the emperor. Therefore, no one in Jinling has recognized his identity yet. Qin Lizheng is preparing to lie low in the residence of Lin Bianhong, the prefectural magistrate.

The Yan family and the Lin family are related by marriage, and Yan Yu's official rank is higher than Lin Bianhong's. In the hierarchy, the person with the lower rank usually handles the affairs. The more affairs they handle, the more secrets they can uncover.

This is precisely why Qin Lizheng chose the Lin family.

As the second-in-command of Yingtian Prefecture, Lin Bianhong was known for his love for the people.

They chose this place not to be too ostentatious, but there were still a few scattered pedestrians passing by. If someone was seriously injured and collapsed at the back gate of the Lin family, Lin Bianhong would bring them back to his residence no matter what.

At that time, Qin Lizheng will take the opportunity to stay in the Lin family as a guard under the pretext of repaying the debt, and he will surely uncover the secret step by step.

"Boom—"

A series of thunderclaps rolled across the sky, dark clouds rolled up on the horizon, and raindrops slammed down with a crackling sound.

Without further hesitation, the handsome man twirled his sword, perfectly controlling the angle, and thrust it into Qin Lizheng's ribs.

Qin Lizheng gasped in pain, then turned around, opened the door, and pretended to be very unsteady on his feet, stumbling towards the back door of the Lin residence.

The evening rain made Jinling even colder. Pedestrians hurried to take shelter from the rain. Gradually, only Qin Lizheng remained on the road. The falling rain seemed to seep through his skin and flesh into his bones, eroding his wounds. At first glance, he looked pale and seriously injured, quite pitiful.

After walking a few more steps, Qin Lizheng found a spot to lean against at the corner of the back gate of the Lin residence, then closed his eyes and waited quietly for Lin Bianhong to return home later.

He had been staking out the place for several days and had already figured out that Lin Bianhong would pass by this place every day on his way home, and then go around to the alley entrance to buy a cup of hot wine.

Qin Lizheng let the rain pelt him, letting the raindrops hang on his eyelashes.

The sky was filled with heavy dark clouds, and the rain was getting heavier. The houses around us closed their doors, and one by one, dim lights were turned on.

The faint sound of axles rolling could be heard in the distance. Qin Lizheng remained standing still, calmly counting in his mind.

A moment later, the rain that was hitting us stopped.

The noisy sound of raindrops pelting the oil-paper umbrella forced Qin Lizheng to open his eyes, but the figure standing in front of him was not Lin Bianhong.

What came into view was a pair of phoenix-head shoes with intertwined floral patterns, above which was a light blue silk skirt with cloud patterns. Standing in front of him was a pretty young lady holding an umbrella for him, her eyes sparkling and full of curiosity.

Qin Lizheng's thick eyebrows furrowed, and he turned over. "Get out of here."

Xia Ling hurriedly held an oil-paper umbrella over Qian Yingyi's head, afraid that her mistress would get wet in the rain.

The man's movement as he turned over splashed mud, and rainwater flowed down his body into his clothes. Because he was covering his ribs, the blood flowing from between his fingers appeared even more intense.

Qian Yingyi instinctively felt disgusted, took a few steps back, and stared at the red patch beneath him.

She had just arrived at the Lin residence when a sudden downpour forced her to abandon her plan to inquire about Yan Wenying's situation. She ordered the carriage to turn back home, but as she passed through the alley, she saw a figure lying slumped over. Only after being reminded by a guard did she realize that it was an injured and bleeding man.

This man speaks in a rather fierce manner.

Seeing that he still had the strength to drive her away, Qian Yingyi immediately turned around and walked towards the carriage.

The maid Xia Ling glanced back at him, noticing his impatient and fierce expression was quite typical. She glanced at the guards beside the carriage, her dark eyes darting around, and immediately whispered to Qian Yingyi, "Miss, he's injured. Why don't we rescue him and become his saviors..."

"Look at his physique, isn't he much stronger than the guards in our manor?"

"Our guards wouldn't dare offend Young Master Wu, but judging from this guy's demeanor..."

Even as the rain began to fall, Qin Lizheng clearly heard the girl's plan. He felt it was absurd, but his expression remained cold. He opened his eyes again and scanned the young lady, his gaze sharpening.

But then the young lady took a step forward with her umbrella, and her eyes, whether at the suggestion of her maid or for some other reason, became even more sparkling and bright.

The oil-paper umbrella that had once sheltered him from the rain was now protecting him again. Amidst the dense and noisy sound of raindrops falling on the umbrella, she smiled and spoke.

"Hey, you're injured, do you want me to help you?"

A note from the author:

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The story of the delicate flower and the big wolfhound: First, a reading guide:

1. In the synopsis, the female lead's liking for the second male lead refers to his appearance, not to any deep connection or soul resonance.

2. The synopsis says the second male lead is handsome, while the male lead isn't handsome, but he's the cold and ruthless type of handsome.

3. The unrequited love trope will gradually shift to an open and entangled relationship in the middle stages.

4.1v1 dual carry~[rainbow praise]

By the way, please also check out my pre-order novel in my column, "When I Abandoned the Pure-Hearted Prince" [poor thing], I hope you'll add it to your favorites!

Note: "行院" had two meanings in the past. Initially, it referred to the place where actors of variety shows lived, and later it referred to a brothel. Here, it refers to the latter.

Southern Zhili: During the Ming Dynasty, when Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing, the prefectures and states under the jurisdiction of the Beiping Provincial Administration Commission were directly under the six ministries and were called Northern Zhili; the original capital area was renamed Southern Zhili.