Chapter 24 Public humiliation—what a strange thing to happen in life…
A flock of grey and white birds flew past in the clear blue sky, drawing Le Jin's gaze to the eaves and brackets of the pavilion not far away. Their sharp, jagged edges, like dog teeth, seemed to pierce the sky.
Le Jin leaned lazily against the red-lacquered pillar, arms crossed, boredly counting how many small stone beasts were on the eaves of the pavilion.
Although Qisheng was arrogant, he was still just a boy. A proper apology and a few words of coaxing were enough to soften his arrogance.
Le Jin managed to get the details of the memorial arrangements for Meng Shutai from him. She had hoped to intercept him and "bump into" him once or twice along the way, but the man was very vigilant, and every place they went to was packed with people.
In addition, since she was from out of town and a "runaway" criminal, most people in the temple looked down on her. She couldn't even enter the main hall or the prayer and chanting pavilions, let alone enter the main hall. She could only wait outside.
The ethereal chanting of Buddhist hymns finally came to an end. Le Jin stomped her aching feet, pinched the soft flesh of her cheeks with both hands, and forced out a sweet and charming smile.
Sigh, I hope she doesn't bite her guts out with those "dog teeth" from the scripture pavilion.
Just as Le Jin lowered her hand, she was suddenly hit hard on the shoulder.
"Aww!"
The carefully crafted expression shattered instantly, and Le Jin grinned, looking just like a little mythical beast on the eaves.
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, my dear, are you alright, my wife?"
The man who bumped into her was a burly middle-aged man dressed as a servant, but his clothes were made of very fine material and he had a dignified appearance. His master must be someone important, and he was probably in a hurry because he had something important to do.
Le Jin forced a smile and reassured him, "I'm fine."
The man looked carefully at Le Jin, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and understood the young woman's tolerance towards him. His expression was filled with gratitude, and he bowed to her with his hands clasped in thanks.
Some movement came from the highest point of the pavilion. The two looked up and saw Meng Shutai, dressed in plain clothes, slowly descending the stairs after finishing her chanting and prayers. Her clothes fluttered as she went down, like a fairy coming from the clouds.
No sooner said than done, Le Jin lifted her skirt and rushed up to see him.
Unexpectedly, the man who had hit her earlier was faster than her.
Meng Shutai's people?
Oh dear, I should have just stuck with him earlier... My conscience got in the way.
The man strode forward to greet Meng Shutai, bowing respectfully as he served him.
“My lord, we have already sent people to search all around the capital.”
"There are indeed signs of a fight between bandits, and we've also found this..."
The man pulled out several tattered pieces of printed paper from his pocket. “The land deeds for the shops of the Yue family in Shuzhou. There are more than one or two on that piece of land in the woods.”
"It seems the Le family has really sent people. But..."
The man's words were neither too loud nor too soft, but they fell right into Le Jin's ears.
What he held in his hand was the dowry that Le Zhao had prepared for her, and it was also the reason why she could refuse Meng Shutai later.
My eyes hurt like they were being pricked with needles, and my heart ached as well.
She was forced to abandon Le Zhao and the others, but fortunately it wasn't a major offense, and she was able to get them back.
The system repeatedly warned Le Jin that as a character in the book, she should have the self-awareness expected of someone in the book, but Le Jin was reluctant to give up her humanity.
She strode up the stairs in a few steps, stood with her hands on her hips in front of Meng Shutai, and said, "See, I told you I was Le Jin!"
The man holding the contract stared in astonishment, stammering and unable to speak.
"You...you...?"
His expression was anxious, his eyes darting back and forth between Meng Shutai and Le Jin: "The young master of the Le family has disappeared... there is no survivor at the scene."
"What!"
Can't find Yue Zhao?
Le Jin grabbed the man's arm. "He's a living, breathing person! Have you really searched everywhere? Have you seen a maid who's about my age, around this height..."
She was busy comparing things to herself, but Meng Shutai's gaze slowly swept over her anxious expression, finding something interesting.
"When we first met, didn't Lady Yue say that she cared about me far more than her own brother?"
"Are you lying to me?"
Meng Shutai's voice was cold, full of doubt and probing, like an ice cube falling into the back of Le Jin's neck, running down her spine and making Le Jin tremble.
Of all the things I said that day, is this the only one you remember?
Releasing the man from her grasp, Le Jin turned her head and stared intently at Meng Shutai, her heart pounding in her throat, a forced smile on her face.
"How could that be? My heart is full of you, how could I bear to lie to you!"
If I could just take action, do you think I'd want to keep going in circles with you like this...
“With you here, how could I care about my brother? Anyway, he's a lucky man and will be protected by heaven... I'm just worried that if something happens to him, our wedding will be delayed.”
This statement is particularly consistent with the old-fashioned image of Le Jin as a heartless, ungrateful, and stupid female supporting character.
But Meng Shutai is so intelligent that he's almost supernatural; once he becomes suspicious, he might not be so easy to fool.
Le Jin gritted her teeth and, in front of the monks behind Meng Shutai, the servants on both sides, as well as the chess player and the man who came, put her hand on Meng Shutai's forearm.
He once held a dagger and ended her forearm with a single stroke.
"Shutai, are you jealous?"
Le Jin's eyes sparkled with springtime joy as she smiled at Meng Shutai.
Those around them gasped in astonishment, and Qisheng stared wide-eyed, scolding her: "Let go of our lord, that's disrespectful!"
This woman's madness has returned; she was perfectly fine just a few days ago... Qisheng regretted it repeatedly, realizing he had almost fallen for her trap!
Compared to the others who were still in shock, Meng Shutai himself was quite calm and composed.
He gently brushed Yue Jin's hand away, a slight smile curving his lips.
"Lady Le is beautiful as a flower and as beautiful as the moon; she could easily topple a kingdom."
"but……"
He suddenly hesitated, as if he couldn't bear to speak.
Descending one step of the stairs and getting closer to Lejin, Meng Shutai still stood high above.
His body still bore the marks of incense and candle smoke from the scripture pavilion, mixed with his own sandalwood incense, giving it an inexplicably pungent and menacing scent.
He leaned close to Le Jin's face, just inches away, and spoke in a low voice, making sure only Le Jin could hear him.
In those dark, jade-like eyes lurked a demon who had shed its painted skin.
"I will never be jealous of you."
On her strikingly beautiful face, a naked contempt was faintly visible.
Le Jin stood frozen in place, her heart sinking as if it were about to plummet into some desolate place, and a chill ran through her body.
He... stopped pretending?
However, Meng Shutai swayed slightly, donned the immortal's feather robe once more, and gently advised:
"I have been in charge of the Meng family for many years, and I have lost all hope of harmony between husband and wife. It is already difficult for Lady Le to come to Luoyang, traveling thousands of miles. If she returns home soon, the two elders of the Le family can rest easy."
"you……"
Le Jin's chest heaved as he provoked her.
When they didn't know her, they suspected she was impersonating someone else. Now that they've confirmed her identity, they're kicking her out?
"We are clearly engaged!"
She can't leave.
This time, she won't arbitrarily change the plot no matter what.
Le Jin wrapped her arms around Meng Shutai's arm, displaying an air of determination that she wouldn't leave until Meng Shutai acknowledged her as his fiancée.
"engagement?"
As if he had finally heard what he wanted to hear, Meng Shutai sighed and smiled, "So Lady Le still remembers our engagement..."
His eyes glanced at the middle-aged man almost imperceptibly.
The man immediately understood, nodded, and said:
“My wife and my cousin once stayed at an inn in Shuzhou. After hearing firsthand about the romantic escapades of Lady Le in Shuzhou, they also witnessed the young master of the Le family drawing his sword at the inn, directly at the lover who had taken Lady Le away from home… Lady Le was also present at the time.”
If a gust of wind were to blow at this moment, Le Jin would probably be blown away and reduced to ashes.
It's true what they say, life is full of unexpected encounters... She woke up at the inn and overheard two women downstairs gossiping about "Le Jin." It turned out they were connected to the Meng family...
No wonder the middle-aged man was so frightened when he realized she was Le Jin that he stammered.
A gentle and kind young girl, a rebellious and dissolute woman—no one would ever put these two together.
"Does Lady Yue have anything else to say?"
Meng Shutai tilted his head slightly, still maintaining his graceful and dignified bearing.
It was as if publicly humiliating Le Jin had nothing to do with him.
"I still need to copy scriptures for an old friend, please make yourself at home, Madam Le."
After he finished speaking, he casually brushed past Le Jin, and the sound of chess pieces followed closely behind him as he passed her, shaking his head.
The monks treated Le Jin as if she were invisible, their robes fluttering as they left like clouds.
Meng! Shu! Tai!
He's getting more and more annoying!
When you were seventeen, you at least knew how to pretend to be kind and easygoing, but now you don't give me any face at all?
Le Jin stomped twice in the direction he had gone, grinding her feet into the ground in a fit of rage.
It tasted as bitter as if a bowl of bitter melon juice had been poured over her head; Le Jin was depressed.
This task was thrown into a pit before we even got started.
My goodness, how much longer do we have to go?
Le Jin felt completely exhausted and plopped down on the stairs of the scripture pavilion.
With her hands supporting her drooping head, she searched her mind for all the clichéd romance novels she had read over the years.
If she pursues him passionately but he doesn't eat, then... she'll retreat as a tactic, feigning pitifulness?
A note from the author:
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