Chapter 96 More than being devoted, she thought he was foolish…
Leng Cuizhu thought about it and decided not to let Tu Si Zi and You En go back with her. After all, this was a feud between her and Yin Yuan, and involving them too much would not be good for either of them.
She simply told them that she was going south to do business with Lu Miaolian and would be staying there for ten days to half a month.
"Couldn't you have come back sooner..." Dodder hugged her, tilting her head up with a hint of grievance, "That Xiaolian, do you worry about her that much? I don't even feel like dressing up when you're not home."
"Oh dear," she said, patting Dodder's head. "If things are handled quickly, I'll come back early and won't keep you waiting too long."
Dodder: "Will you come back and celebrate National Day with us?"
"Uh, you mean Mid-Autumn Festival?" She nodded. "He should be back by then."
“Eun, I’ll have to trouble you with all this from now on. If you encounter any difficulties with collecting debts, go to Uncle Li. He’s experienced in this area.” She handed the ledger to the man beside the bed.
“Yes, Miss.” Eun nodded, took the ledger, glanced at the moonlight outside the window, and said, “It’s getting late.”
Upon hearing this, Cuscuta slumped onto the bed as if she had developed rickets, yawning incessantly.
"Hmm...is it my turn today?" he muttered as he burrowed deeper into the covers. "Hurry up and go to sleep, host. You have to get up early to leave tomorrow, so don't be late."
“Hey, didn’t you just…”
She looked up and met the man's gaze.
Eun said softly, "Miss, I'll be going now."
“Wait,” she suddenly called out to him, turning her head to glance at the huge bed, “This bed is quite big…it can actually fit three people together.”
"I disagree!"
“Oh, okay,” she raised an eyebrow. “Then you can sleep here and get some rest. Eun and I will switch rooms so as not to disturb you.”
"Hey, no!" Dodder tugged at her dress, fidgeting. "If we're going to sleep together, then we'll sleep together. You can sleep in the middle, okay?"
The three of them lay on the same bed, with Leng Cuizhu sleeping in the middle, embraced by the two people beside her, making it a bit cramped.
Dodder hugged her for a while, then smiled and burrowed into the quilt.
She half-closed her eyes: "Go to sleep early, you're all very tired."
As she spoke, she groggily rolled over and snuggled into Eun's arms, sniffing the strands of hair on his pillow.
Dodder suddenly threw off the covers, his eyes wide open: "Didn't you say you wanted to—" He realized something, closed his lips, and was filled with shame and indignation.
After lying back down, I tried to hug her again, but she had already shrunk into someone else's arms. I could only angrily hold her shoulders, my two bright eyes glaring at her.
Leng Cuizhu: "You two must get along well at home and fight less."
"Especially you, Cuscuta, don't be so combative, don't always act like a jerk in front of others, you can't beat them in a fight... If the hair on your back is plucked bald in the future, no one will help you apply medicine."
Dodder rolled its eyes, but still obediently replied, "Okay."
"I will definitely get along well with Brother Eun and we will never fight."
Ewan smiled and replied, "I will too."
Before dawn the next day, Leng Cuizhu and Yi Yinwan boarded a carriage together and set off back to the Yin residence.
Because of Yin Yuan's promotion, the Yin family moved from the county town to the western suburbs of the capital. That street was inhabited by either imperial relatives and nobles or officials of the fourth rank or above. The capital was much farther than the county town, and such a long journey would take at least ten days to half a month. Fortunately, Yi Yinwan and her family had ample time to plan their next move.
"I'll give you a small portion of this poison first, so you can get used to it."
She took the porcelain bottle: "How...how do I adapt to this?"
“If you take it, the poison will spread from the inside to the skin. When you are intimate with him, he will unknowingly ingest the poison on your skin,” Yi Yinwan said. “That’s why I insisted on asking you for help, since only you can get close to him.”
"Of course, this poison will cause some damage to your body, but not much. If you can't accept it, we can renegotiate the terms, or..." She glanced at the autumn scenery flashing past the car window, "...it seems you have no way to turn back, right?"
"It's alright." She shook her head. "Madam, I can accept it."
"Oh..." Yi Yinwan looked her up and down. "I knew it. They all said you lived and ate with demons in the deep mountains and forests, and ate passersby. It seems it's true. No wonder you look younger than before. Does eating human flesh really make people young again?"
Yi Yinwan's words were both right and wrong. Knowing she couldn't explain herself, she replied, "...I guess so."
"Alright, alright," Yi Yinwan sighed, "I won't ask you any more of this nonsense. You should think about it yourself, so you don't get stage fright later."
"The relationships in the capital are complicated, so you shouldn't reveal your past relationship with Yin Yuan to the outside world, lest it cause controversy. I'll just say to others that you are my distant cousin. Anyway, you look so young now, no one will suspect anything."
“What about Yin Yuan…” Leng Cuizhu frowned, “Should we introduce him like that too?”
"Of course that's how it should be said, but..." Yi Yinwan smiled and said, "Everyone knows the truth, and of course he recognizes you."
"To be honest, it's easy to find a woman who looks like you. I've also brought a few women who look like you to meet him, and every time he would act like someone in his family had died... and then sadly leave everyone behind, regardless of the occasion. Men who only think about love and romance all day long are really scary, and they don't understand what it means to be dignified or have any sense of propriety."
"So I gave up and instead asked someone to inquire about your whereabouts."
"I see..."
This wasn't the first time Leng Cuizhu had been commissioned to do something like this. She naturally understood that those people approached her and asked her to do things not because of her beautiful appearance or gentle voice, but simply because she happened to be the obsession in those men's hearts, whether out of resentment or guilt... She just didn't understand why Yin Yuan, who had insisted on driving her away and refused to forgive her, would remember her for so long.
More than her infatuation, she thought he was foolish, which gave her the opportunity to take his life.
Besides, she hadn't witnessed him being particularly devoted to her when she was suffering; he wouldn't even help her carry a bucket of water. If these men's affection meant causing a woman seeking peace of mind to suffer, she'd rather not have it.
Upon arriving in the capital, Yi Yinwan first settled her in an inn, paid for three days' accommodation, and then took her to the streets to buy clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics.
This was Leng Cuizhu's first time in the capital. She had never seen such a grand spectacle in the county town before. Everywhere was brightly lit and bustling with people drinking and feasting. The pedestrians on the street were all dressed in gold and jade, exuding wealth and luxury.
"The clothes you brought are too plain and outdated. I'll take you to buy some trendy ready-made clothes this year, and also some fabric to make clothes later."
Yi Yinwan turned her head and pulled her forward, who had stopped to watch the acrobatics: "I told you to stick close to me, you country bumpkin! Haven't you ever seen acrobatics before? It would be funny if you got separated and were tricked by those barbarians!"
"I'm sorry, Madam..." She lowered her head sullenly and let Yi Yinwan pull her away.
They strolled around the night market for several hours, until the vendors packed up and the acrobats packed up to close, before reluctantly leaving with their purchases.
Yi Yinwan returned to the Yin residence by carriage, and then carried a large bag of clothes and jewelry back to the inn.
Back at the inn, she first went to her room to change into her newly bought clothes and jewelry. She looked at herself in the mirror again and again, and had to admit, the clothes sold in the capital were indeed different from those she had bought before—the styles were beautiful, the workmanship exquisite, and the prices reasonable. The rose-pink dress accentuated her fair and radiant skin.
She styled her hair in a languid, snake-like bun, adorned it with a pink velvet flower, and went downstairs to find something to eat.
Even though it was late, the restaurant next door was still bustling with activity, with many customers coming and going and a lot of work to be done.
She found a secluded corner table in the lobby, took the menu from the waiter, glanced at it, and stared in disbelief.
"What's wrong, my wife?"
"Nothing much, haha..." she replied sheepishly to the waiter, "Let me think about it..."
She didn't recognize a single word on the menu.
The script was very unfamiliar to her; she had only seen it on coins. Tu Si Zi said it was something like... Small Seal Script, but she didn't know how he knew it.
Leng Cuizhu had no other choice. Thinking that people from all over the world probably ate similar things, she just randomly pointed to a few items on the menu.
I was worried it would be too expensive, so I pointed to two.
A moment later, the waiter brought over a plate of pickled vegetables, followed by a musician.
"My lady, the pickled vegetables and the guqin music you ordered have been served."
"Ah, ah?" Her face flushed red. "Thank you."
Since she ordered it herself, she couldn't blame anyone else. She could only sit and eat pickled vegetables while waiting for the musician to play a tune for her.
The musician, holding his guqin, sighed and closed his eyes in distress.
"My lady, may I rest for a while before playing again? My chest hurts terribly."
"It's alright, you should rest first." She nodded. "You're working so late, it must be hard on you."
"Thank you for your understanding, Madam." The musician breathed a sigh of relief. "I just came out of the private room. I played the zither for the Prince and his entourage for almost three hours without a break. Sigh..."
"The Prince?"
She asked, "But that prince who has so many concubines and so many daughters?"
"Yes, yes, I heard that another daughter is getting married soon, and they're looking everywhere for a suitable young man. Just tonight, they held a banquet to meet the only son of a third-rank official, and they're discussing the possibility of him marrying into the family with his elders."
The musician angrily pounded his knee: "These rich people really have nothing better to do... It's exactly like what they say in the book, like 'the pork rots'!"
"Uh," she chuckled awkwardly, "You sit here and rest for a bit, I'll go order a few more dishes."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, she went upstairs, eavesdropping on passersby as she climbed the stairs. She learned that the Prince's private room was on the sixth floor, and hurried up the stairs. Although five years had passed, she still remembered Princess Anning and was always uneasy at night, feeling indebted to the princess.
Even if she couldn't personally avenge the county princess, she still wanted to meet the princess's biological father. If she could reveal the inside story of what happened back then to him, her guilt would be lessened.
Upon reaching the sixth floor, she followed a group of maids, thinking that with so many people rushing to the same place, it must be the Prince's private room.
As she followed along, she realized something was wrong.
He found himself following the maids into the washroom.
While the maids were busy removing their makeup, she hurriedly went out the door. Before she could even see the road ahead, she bumped into a passerby, which made her dizzy and her forehead throb.
"Tsk, watch where you're going!" the man cursed. "I was just smoking a cigarette by the door, and you rushed in and bumped into me. Who's going to pay if you get burned by the cigarette butt? I don't have any money to pay you." He reeked of smoke and had a slightly intoxicating smell of alcohol on him.
She bowed deeply, apologizing repeatedly: "Sir, I'm so sorry, so very sorry! It was my fault for not watching where I was going. It's not your fault, it's mine..."
"Of course it's yours!"
The man stubbed out his cigarette, spotted a familiar face, and waved, "Brother Yin! I'm here, I'm here!" His voice was very loud, and as soon as he spoke, everyone in the aisle turned to stare at him.
Brother Yin was no exception.
Yin Yuan stood by the railing, looking down at the hurried pedestrians below. Hearing the call, he wearily raised his eyes, and suddenly froze the moment his gaze fixed on them.
Then, a look appeared in his silent eyes, but it was only a blank, boundless sorrow and melancholy.
"Brother Yin!" The man rushed to Yin Yuan's side, only to find that Yin Yuan's gaze was still fixed on the same spot. Confused, he turned his head, looked at Leng Cuizhu, and then at him.
"Brother Yin, do you know this lady?"
Unexpectedly, Leng Cuizhu met Yin Yuan again so suddenly. She lowered her head and took a breath, not knowing how to deal with it.
"I don't know him," Yin Yuan replied, turning to walk back.
"Hey! Wait for me, Brother Yin!" The man hurriedly followed behind him.
Leng Cuizhu was left standing there. She stared blankly at the man's back until he walked around the corner and disappeared from sight, at which point she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Yin Yuan, like the man smoking in the corridor, is probably here for a social engagement, right? He might even be attending a banquet hosted by the Prince.
It seems that this place is not suitable for us to stay any longer. We can look for the Prince later. It would be bad if Yin Yuan caught her and caught her off guard. Yi Yinwan has repeatedly reminded her that all actions should be discussed before implementation.
She returned to the inn, asked the innkeeper for a few white flour cakes to fill her stomach, and then went back to her room to take a bath.
She had only been soaking in the bathtub for a short while when the innkeeper knocked on the door, saying, "Madam, a guest is looking for you. He seems quite anxious!"
"Huh?" She thought to herself that she was unfamiliar with this place and that it could only be Yi Yinwan who came to see her in the middle of the night. It might be something important. So she replied, "Okay, I'll be right there. Please ask her to wait a moment."
She stepped out of the bathtub, not even bothering to dry herself, and casually picked out a bathrobe to put on, pulling the collar tight.
"Yi..." she pushed open the door, "Yin?"
She stared wide-eyed, stammering and unsure what to say, while the man closed the door and went into the room.
Before he could say anything, he bent down and hugged her, burying his face in her neck and shoulders.
"I miss you so much."
Cool tears streamed down her neck and dripped into her chest, mingling with the half-dried watermarks.
“I…” she raised her eyebrows and said, “I miss you too.”
"Why did you come back again..."
“Because I miss you, I can’t bear to part with you,” she whispered. “I don’t want to leave you again. From now on, let me stay with you, okay? Don’t send me away again. We’re not young anymore, and we don’t have that much time to waste…”
He scrutinized her features for a long time before answering, "I need you to swear an oath."
"Okay, I'll send it..."
Before he could finish speaking, a barrage of kisses rained down on her, from her lips to her neck, then tearing open her robes to kiss her trembling back, all the way to her thighs.
She lay down on the couch, looked up at the roof beam, and her eyebrows trembled slightly.
Before taking her bath, she swallowed the small half-bottle of poison; it was almost time for it to take effect...
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Author's Note: This is almost finished; updates will be every other day after that. [Rabbit head with upright ears]
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