Chapter 425 The Lecher
"Who gave you this?"
Yan Yan saw the note, rubbed her eyes to look at it carefully, and then asked Lin Yuesha.
"It was the lady of the No. 1 house upstairs. When she learned that I had nowhere to stay in the capital, she was willing to lend me her dowry courtyard temporarily."
Lin Yuesha brought her parents, Liu Quan's family, two nannies, and maids, a total of more than ten people. It wouldn't be good for them to stay crammed into the inn forever, so they needed to get a courtyard as soon as they arrived in the capital.
Liu Ya's words make some sense. Right now, the capital is full of scholars taking the imperial examinations, so it's hard to find a decent inn.
"This is the heart of the inner city, and the lady upstairs is no ordinary person."
Yan Yan was surprised to see the location on the note. This place was where all the high-ranking officials of the third rank and above were gathered, and it was not far from the Lin residence.
Both the Yan and Bai families were considered low-ranking in the capital, located on the outskirts of the inner city. This was the result of generations of accumulation.
If some poor families became officials in the capital, they could only find a place to live in the outer city and could not squeeze into the inner city at all.
Did the lady say what her last name was?
Yan Yan remained silent for a moment, then asked Lin Yuesha.
The Yan family practiced medicine and frequently traveled to various residences. Although she didn't know many people, she knew a little about them.
"Her surname is Zhuang. I don't know if it's her original surname or her husband's given name."
Lin Yuesha had long recognized that Zhuang was no ordinary person. Even though she was dressed simply, her overall demeanor was impressive, and she possessed a graceful and dignified air.
"Aunt Zhuang had a kind face and was about forty years old. She had a red cinnabar mole between her eyebrows."
Lin Yuesha pointed to her brow. At first, she thought that Zhuang had put it on herself, but upon closer inspection, the cinnabar mark was slightly off-center and not in the exact center.
"If she has a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows and her surname is Zhuang, then she can only be the wife of the Left Censor-in-Chief."
Yan Yan admired Lin Yuesha's good fortune. As the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Lin Yuesha held the second rank and was responsible for impeaching officials and clarifying injustices. As a close advisor to the emperor, she was the object of flattery among officials in the court.
Lady Zhuang was a devout Buddhist and kept a low profile, rarely associating with the wives of officials. However, her husband held a high official position, and she was also a second-rank lady. She made donations year after year, and was therefore highly respected in the capital.
"Sister Yue Sha, you're so lucky."
As long as he can be associated with the Zhuang family, he might be able to find better doctors or even imperial physicians to treat Xiao Chenggui.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that Lady Zhuang was willing to lend her family's courtyard to Lin Yuesha shows that she had caught Lady Zhuang's eye.
"Liu Ya said that there was a funeral in Zhuang's family, so she had to travel a long way back from the capital."
Lin Yuesha pondered that she wanted to curry favor with the Zhuang family, but the timing was wrong.
Our side needed to continue on our way, while Liu Ya suggested that the Zhuang family and their group should rest in Yingcheng for two days. The two sides were not traveling the same route.
The group left the next morning, so she didn't have a chance to speak with Madam Zhuang. There would be plenty of time in the future; she could express her gratitude once she arrived in the capital.
"That's right. Madam Zhuang has seen all kinds of situations. Being too obsequious will only make her feel disgusted."
Yan Yan is not good at dealing with people, but she thinks Lin Yuesha is right, and that some things are better in excess.
The two chatted for a while longer, and most of the snacks on the plate were gone. Yan Yan ate until she was full, and then went back to her room satisfied.
Raindrops fell on the windowpane, making a crisp, pattering sound; it was another rainy night.
Lin Yuesha opened the window, and a gust of damp wind immediately greeted her. Across the street from the inn lived the wealthy families of Yingcheng, and even on rainy nights, a few lanterns illuminated the area, casting twinkling lights from afar.
Downstairs was quiet, with only the occasional innkeeper coming and going in a hurry, draped in an oilcloth.
"Miss, it's a chilly rainy night, you should put on another layer of clothing."
Bai Cha was about to put a coat on Lin Yuesha when Lin Yuesha closed the window first.
"It's okay, it won't be cold if we close the window."
Lin Yuesha estimated the time and asked the innkeeper for hot water to take a bath. She was feeling tired and yawned.
"Alright, I'll go right away."
With seafood pancakes and snacks as a way to get in touch, the innkeeper treated Lin Yuesha very politely. When he learned that she had asked for hot water, he immediately sent two strong women to deliver it. In the conversation, he also praised Lin Yuesha's cooking skills.
"White tea, Sister Ziyuan gave me fragrant dew, please help me find it."
Lin Yuesha took off her clothes and entered the bathtub. During this process, she did not send Bai Cha away, but entered the bathtub wearing only a bellyband.
The wooden flower tattoo on her chest was covered by a bellyband and could not be seen.
Bai Cha brought over the fragrant dew, and suddenly, a cold wind blew in through the inn's window.
Lin Yuesha was stunned when she saw the water stains by the window, but then she pretended not to see them and continued playing in the bathtub.
"Miss, you didn't close the window properly just now."
A cold wind blew in, and Bai Cha shivered, hurriedly going to close the window.
Lin Yuesha sighed inwardly. She had clearly closed the window just now. Even if there was a strong wind, the window wouldn't suddenly open, and besides, the wind outside wasn't strong.
Someone came in; there were water stains by the window, a small detail that Bai Cha didn't even notice.
Who is this person? What is their purpose? Is it some lecherous man who came to peep at her while she is bathing?
Lin Yuesha was scared, but she pretended to be calm and deliberately ignored the extra person in the room.
With only her and Bai Cha by herself, Lin Yuesha dared not make any rash moves. She wanted to hint to Bai Cha to go out and find Qingxing and Qi'er, so she said, "Qingxing's fish balls taste good. It seems she left some with her."
At this point, Bai Cha should take the initiative to ask the two maids for something, and given Qing Xing's personality, she will definitely follow along to take a look.
"It's not as good as what you make, Miss."
Bai Cha ignored her mistress's meaning and said with a smile, "Miss, I told you that I would be on night duty tonight so that Qingxing and Qi'er could get a good night's sleep. They have already gone to bed by now."
The implication is that it's not appropriate to go and call someone now.
Lin Yuesha: ...
One sentence blocked her path, and the master and servant had zero understanding.
Noticing the slight noise inside the room, Lin Yuesha twitched her face. She decided to put on her clothes before thinking about running away. In her current attire, she would be even more embarrassed outside than inside the room.
"Miss, why aren't you taking a bath? Let me wipe you down."
After Bai Cha finished speaking, she turned around and took out a piece of coarse cloth.
Lin Yuesha: ...
The inn's rooms were small, with an outer room and an inner room. Lin Yuesha originally wanted to wash up in the inner room, but she was afraid that the bedding would get damp, so she asked the old woman who was carrying water to put the bath tub in the outer room. What a mistake!
Although her body was submerged in water, she could sense that the lecherous man was lurking right above her, which was one of the reasons why Lin Yuesha dared not make any rash moves.
The person was soaked by the rain, and water dripped from their body, splashing around her bathtub.
It's likely that the other person also knows she's discovered them, and the two of them are now pretending not to know, burying their heads in the sand, and keeping to themselves.
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