Chapter 23 Yin Yuan's tears, for her...
Leng Cuizhu refused to be weak any longer.
I no longer want to be manipulated by others.
So she picked up the boning knife on the table and plunged it into the man's chest.
It was so deep; she could even hear the sound of bones cracking.
Fresh blood gushed from the wound, staining her hands and splattering half her face.
Yin Yuan did not dodge.
Even after being stabbed, he did not move.
He just sat quietly, looking down at the blood flowing from his chest, staining his outer robe.
That outer robe was made by her for Yin Yuan.
It happened seven years ago. Back then, Leng Zhen was just a mischievous child who always liked to play in the stream.
At that time, she still loved him, but he always remained silent.
It feels like a lifetime ago.
The man forced a weak smile, but the tears that had been welling up in his eyes rolled down and dripped onto the fingertips of her hand holding the knife.
"You've come in."
"Touch it, it's so hot, it must be throbbing, just like you."
"We are the same. I'm not heartless, I just..."
The man suddenly cupped her cheeks.
Leng Cuizhu trembled slightly, slowly withdrew her hand, and haphazardly wiped the bloodstains onto her skirt.
"I just..."
The man lowered his eyes, his neck feeling as if it were being choked, and he choked up, unable to utter a single word.
It was clearly him who needed to be inserted.
He became obsessed with invading her body, seeking and confirming his desires. But she didn't need such treatment; she was constantly expressing her love and hate.
He, on the other hand, is the one who needs his lover to reach into his body, touch his beating heart, and feel its warmth.
Even if it means breaking his heart, I'm willing to do it.
At least she'll know that his heart is burning hot, just as hot as hers.
"Let me go."
She simply said lightly, "Yin Yuan, you're crazy."
Just like that night when Yin Yuan slapped her and angrily called her a madwoman.
She also said he was crazy.
To destroy a person's entire emotions, struggles, and hopes, a simple "You're crazy" is enough.
This is what Yin Yuan taught her.
Leng Cuizhu flung away his hands that were cupping his face, pulled the boning knife from his chest, and cried out, "Help! Master is injured!"
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why?"
Yin Yuan kept questioning her, but she tore off the blood-stained hem of her skirt and flung it at the man's face.
Tears soaked the blood-stained fabric.
"Don't go..."
She took a few steps back, turned around, and walked out of the pavilion.
"Don't go."
"Don't go."
“Ling Niang…”
She turned and looked back at the man on the steps in front of the pavilion.
Yin Yuan collapsed to the ground due to excessive blood loss, clutching her clothes tightly in his hand, his eyes fixed on her.
She used to always try to understand something from those empty, dark eyes.
The eyes of men today finally have a sparkle, and even glistening tears are welling up.
Unfortunately, she no longer needs it.
Yin Yuan's tears were worthless to her.
That evening, Yi Yinwan came to find Leng Cuizhu and asked about what happened in the pavilion during the day.
"I don't know either..."
She answered softly, "As soon as I turned my head, I saw my husband lying on the ground with a knife in his chest."
"I only wanted to dine with him, I never expected..."
Yi Yinwan interrupted her: "You'd better be."
"The master has been stabbed to death, so he can no longer have a meal with you."
"ah?"
Leng Cuizhu's eyes widened, an indescribable emotion spreading from her lower body to her heart, only to be forcefully suppressed just before it was about to erupt.
Yi Yinwan: "I made that up."
"He is unconscious and has not yet woken up. The doctor said he is not in any danger."
"But, if you get stabbed again, who knows if you'll survive. Leng Cuizhu, you understand what I mean, right?"
"Understood." Leng Cuizhu lowered her head.
Madam Yin was warning her.
At that time, there were only her and Yin Yuan in the pavilion. Anyone could see that she was up to something, and Madam Yin could not help but suspect her.
Yin Yuanfei made her do the acupuncture, so it can't be entirely her fault.
That guy should ask for trouble himself.
"Madam, I would like to ask when the guards at the gate of the mansion take their rest..."
"You want to sneak out while the master is unconscious?"
"The guards at the main gate work in shifts, so you can't get out."
"oh……"
"Who do you think you are? Why do you insist on using the main gate and can't you use the dog hole?"
Yi Yinwan's words were like a wake-up call.
Yeah, it's not like she has to walk out openly and honestly to be considered good. She can climb through dog holes, scale walls, there are plenty of other ways.
"Madam, could you please not tell my husband..."
"If you don't return within half a day, I will report you."
After listening to Yi Yinwan's words, Leng Cuizhu took advantage of the fact that everyone in the mansion was busy taking care of Yin Yuan the next day, and sneaked out of the mansion through the dog hole to go to the yamen.
She certainly couldn't go to prison by herself; she had to go to Lord Chen Xun and beg him.
It was noon, and the constables had all gone to eat. She easily slipped into the yamen, wondering how to find Chen Xun, when she heard a soft call in her ear.
"My wife."
The man rested his chin on her shoulder: "What are you looking at?"
Leng Cuizhu was startled, then suddenly opened her arms and touched her shoulder.
"My lord...you..."
"To see your son?"
Noticing her unusual behavior, Chen Xun explained, "My lady, I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't seen a woman in a long time, and I haven't spoken to a woman in a long time."
"My colleagues are all big, burly men."
If she hadn't explained, fine, but Chen Xun's explanation only made Leng Cuizhu more uneasy.
...Are you that thirsty?
"……Oh well."
She lowered her head and awkwardly twisted her handkerchief.
The man stroked his beard and sighed, "I'll take my wife with me."
Leng Zhen was not locked up in the temporary small jail at the yamen, but was taken to a secluded mountain forest in the suburbs. The prison there was the largest in the county, surrounded by barbed wire and copper bells hanging high, making it an inescapable net.
With the county government officials leading the way, Leng Cuizhu followed behind without any obstacles. After passing through numerous checkpoints, she arrived at the prison with Chen Xun.
This was her first time in prison.
It can be said that we owe it all to Leng Zhen.
It was mealtime, and the prisoners in the cell were very restless. When they saw someone passing by, they all reached their hands out of the iron bars to beg for food.
Feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze of countless eyes, Leng Cuizhu slowed her pace.
Several irritable prisoners yelled at her, which frightened her so much that she hunched over, lowered her head, and walked close to the wall, her cloth shoes treading on the damp, muddy floor.
“My wife, it’s alright.” The man turned around and took her hand without any hesitation. “I’ll pull you along. These prisoners think we’re the nannies who bring them food. They have no taste. It’s alright, they can’t break through.”
"Actually, I originally wanted to carry you away, but I'm sure my wife wouldn't agree, right? My cold wife seems to be easily embarrassed." He covered his lips and chuckled.
Leng Cuizhu held his hand, somewhat dazed.
If it weren't for that incongruous beard, Lord Chen would be extremely handsome.
Actually, even with a beard, he was already very handsome. Especially his every smile and frown; his face was never still for a moment, but those slightly exaggerated expressions suited him exceptionally well.
Indeed, men need to be young; when they're young, they can act however they want.
Now, the two walked side by side in the aisle, and as Chen Xun kept talking, Leng Cuizhu's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.
"When I was twenty, I entered officialdom and was just a minor official in charge of bookkeeping. But I was very energetic every day. After returning to my small room, I could cook a few dishes and have a good dinner."
"Now that we have a big house, it's been a long time since we've cooked at home."
"...Lord Chen is not married?"
"Of course not."
“I lost my mother when I was young, so who will arrange my marriage? Some of my subordinates have introduced me to girls before, but I dare not accept the girls they recommend.”
"And your father doesn't care?"
“I don’t have a father either.” The man smiled. “I lost both my parents when I was young, but it doesn’t really matter whether my father is alive or not. He didn’t give birth to me; I was conceived by my mother. My body and hair are all from my mother. So I only told you that I didn’t have a mother growing up. My wife, I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”
"Please forgive me?"
Leng Cuizhu's true feelings were not related to Chen Xun at all.
She found Lord Chen's behavior inexplicable. She confirmed some of his words, and that was all. Was she supposed to develop feelings for a man just because he spoke up for a woman?
She wasn't interested. The two walked to a cell at the end of the corridor, intending to go forward, but saw an unexpected scene.
Leng Zhen was talking to a nanny through the iron bars.
"Auntie, if you're tired, come and rest here. Zhenzhen wants to see you."
Leng Zhen leaned against the railing, smiling sweetly.
His black hair cascaded down his thin back, and he wore only a tattered undergarment. His face was deathly pale, and the mottled little moles on his face were unusually alluring, making his sweaty smile even more charming and captivating.
The old woman looked to be about fifty years old. She smiled and reached out to scratch his chin. He obediently tilted his head back and let her scratch him, revealing a section of his slender neck.
"Oh, Zhenzhen, your aunt will come to see you again later." The old woman took a hard-boiled egg from the basket and threw it into the cell through the hole in the ground.
Leng Zhen bent down, and the egg was stuck in the hole. He lay down to reach it, and with great difficulty, he reached the cracked egg and held it in his hand.
He looked up and met the woman's bewildered gaze.
Leng Cuizhu frowned deeply: "Leng Zhen, what were you doing just now?"
She braced herself on the railing and questioned him sharply.
Seeing her mother arrive, Leng Zhen showed no emotion on her face. While peeling an egg, she said, "Are you suggesting I do nothing and just wait for you to come to me?"
He had only peeled half the shell when he couldn't wait to stuff the egg into his mouth, the egg white pinched by his dirty fingertips and covered in dust.
"The way you looked just now was exactly like..."
Leng Zhen interrupted her: "Like what? A prostitute? Just like you?"
"That's perfect, you've given birth to something just like you."
Leng Cuizhu couldn't hold on any longer and turned to lean against the railing with a sigh.
That's not what she meant at all. Leng Zhen is no longer listening to her, and no matter how she tries to explain, it's useless.
Chen Xun leaned over and patted her shoulder, whispering comfortingly, "Wife, maybe he's just making friends, just like you and I..."
Leng Zhen: "You've even hooked up with him?"
"How can you have such poor taste?"
Chen Xun couldn't hold back any longer: "Hey, you brat, where would you get a single room without me? You act all high and mighty, do you really think everyone in this world owes you something? Are you the only innocent and pitiful one?"
"I'm really going to teach you a lesson today. You really annoyed me that day at the yamen."
He pulled out the key from his waist, opened the cell door, and went in to teach Leng Zhen a lesson, but unexpectedly slipped and fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Leng Zhen quickly pulled off Chen Xun's hairpin and held it across the man's neck.
Seeing that something was wrong, several prison guards in the distance quickly ran over, and Leng Zhen had already stood up and taken Chen Xun hostage.
"Let me go, or I'll kill him!"
Chen Xun was slightly shorter than Leng Zhen, and his long hair was disheveled after his hairpins were removed. His chest was pressed against an arm, causing him to frown in discomfort. He raised his hand and pointed to the helpless Leng Cuizhu outside the cell, then shouted to the jailer, "Quick, grab her! Don't worry about me!"
"If he threatens you again, just kill his mother. I'll take full responsibility for the consequences!"
"If he still doesn't obey, I'll cut off his mother's hands and legs, leaving no trace of her body!"
The series of deterrents actually worked.
As Leng Cuizhu was being held by the jailer, she caught a glimpse of a pair of moist eyes in the darkness of the cell.
Leng Zhen blinked, gritted her teeth, and shouted, "If you want to kill her, then kill her! It has nothing to do with me..."
"You're actually still afraid she'll leave you, aren't you?"
“No matter how much you resent or hate her, you can’t live without her.” Chen Xun smiled and said, “Child, are you going to just watch her die? She washed her hair and wore a brand new dress to see you today.”
"Don't blame her, Mom. There's only one of her."
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as Leng Zhen murmured, "...Mother, really? Is it really true?"
"Why did you only come to see me now... I've been waiting for you, waiting for so long. I was so afraid that I wouldn't see you for a whole year. I was so afraid that you would really abandon me."
"You know what? This place is so damp, and my body aches so much. When I was little, my knees hurt, and you would massage them for me... There's no you here, no mother, only rats."
"Just pretend I stole all those things... Mother, I know I was wrong, I want to go home..."
Seeing Leng Zhen moved, Leng Cuizhu felt nothing in her heart.
She can't possibly be saddened by some earth-shattering mother-son relationship for the rest of her life.
Moreover, Leng Zhen was no longer the gentle child she remembered.
He became someone she couldn't recognize.
It was a monster, a lump of rotten flesh wrapped in human skin.
With each approach, the decaying flesh beneath her skin writhes, seemingly ready to burst forth and devour her at any moment.
She didn't want to live in fear and anxiety anymore.
She didn't want another lump of rotten flesh.
She had wanted to have sex with him more than a decade ago, when he was still in her womb.
"I originally thought that you would get better after taking the medicine."
She pursed her lips and raised her tired eyes: "I didn't expect you to still have the same illness."
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