It has to be said that Heaven is watching what people do. Look at Zheng Fangjing and Lin Yaxian, they got their comeuppance, didn't they?
After Qingyin finished eating the dried meat in her hand, Songzhi cleverly brought over a plate of milky-scented melon seeds. Qingyin distributed a handful to each of them, and the three of them happily watched the commotion below.
While cracking sunflower seeds in her hand, Qingyin couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if all the opera performers were present, she thought regretfully.
Speak of the devil, and he appears; the empress and his wife arrive.
A tall woman in a plain dress, with upright features and an air of righteousness, walked over, leading two children, one big and one small. Her clothes were patched, but both the children's clothes and her own were clean and tidy. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a pleasant appearance. At first glance, she seemed like a woman with great integrity and self-confidence.
"Zheng Fangjing, you heartless man!" A clear and loud female voice rang out, and the crowd that had been crowding just moments before brightened up and tacitly made way for the woman, allowing this woman, who appeared to be a wife who had endured hardship, to make her way.
Although this woman was not as haggard and pitiful as the legendary "rough wife," she aroused even more excitement among the onlookers, who also developed a greater liking for this simple yet neat woman.
As expected, the woman walked up to Zheng Fangjing and slapped him hard across the face. The force was so great that a bright red handprint instantly appeared on the man's fair face. The crisp "smack" silenced the crowd for a moment.
But the woman who had just hit him suddenly burst into tears, her voice trembling yet loud, “Zheng Fangjing, you’re not a man! Your family moved to the village to escape famine, you’re an orphan and a widow. My parents took pity on you and gave you our old house to live in and wear. Your mother is seriously ill, and we paid for all her medicine and school fees. I gave birth to my first child while you were taking exams, and after I gave birth to my second child, you were living a carefree life in the capital. If I hadn’t come, would you have married another lady from a prestigious family? How can you face my father, whose legs are crippled from working, and my calloused, rough hands?”
Before the words were finished, the loud cries of two children rang out, followed by the heart-wrenching sobs of a woman holding her two children, which echoed through the sky.
The sound of her grief and the weakness of her fall stunned the onlookers. After a while, the young woman and the older woman, who were not easily moved to tears, were already wiping away their tears. Some kind-hearted men and women helped the woman and child who had fallen to the ground.
Qingyin, sitting upstairs, had an amazingly bright eye. Damn, well done!
Watching the woman who had been crying for a long time while holding her child, Qingyin bowed her head and gave Dongmei some instructions. However, just when Qingyin thought there was no more drama, an even more lively commotion came from downstairs.
Qingyin looked up and exclaimed, "Holy crap!" The area where the onlookers were gathered had turned into a murder scene. Lin Yaxian, who had just been gently complaining and blaming Zheng Fangjing, was now acting like a madwoman, smiling as she viciously stabbed the man's throat with the silver hairpin in her hand. The ferocity was evident in the blood on the face and body of the man standing closest to her.
The situation happened too fast. By the time everyone stopped the delicate young lady, the man had already collapsed to the ground in agony, clutching his throat and unable to even scream. The bright red blood dripping onto the ground silenced everyone, and even the way they looked at the woman was filled with fear and dread.
However, the commotion soon alerted the government offices in the capital. Seeing that the Lin family had arrived even before the government offices, everyone quickly moved away, no longer daring to watch the spectacle. Qingyin, having watched the show to her heart's content, returned to the General's Mansion.
Completely unaware that a tall, slender figure stood in the window of the restaurant across the street after she left. The man, with a charming yet not effeminate appearance, was elegantly fanning himself with a folding fan, his long, slender, white fingers pointing at the departing figure through the opposite window.
A young girl in a light blue gauze dress leaned against the railing, her bright and charming face still chubby with baby fat. Her gaze was fixed intently on something, like a ripe peach exuding a sweet fragrance, beckoning someone to pick it. The man recalled that scene, his eyes filled with interest.
"Xiyao, was that Shilan just now? It's been so long since I've seen her, she's grown into a beautiful young lady!" The man looked back at the two people in the room. The slender, refined, and aloof man was none other than Qingyin's older brother, Nian Xiyao. The man sitting next to him was the most handsome. His exquisitely sculpted face had eyes like stars and a face as white as jade. His elegant and upright figure exuded a refined and otherworldly temperament. He was truly a gentleman, like jade, unparalleled in the world.
Although Nian Xiyao was also surprised that his sister, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, had become so beautiful, he was most concerned about warning his friend about his ulterior motives. He frowned and said, "Lin Ducheng, you'd better keep your mind to yourself. My sister already has a fiancé."
Upon hearing this, the charming man, Lin Ducheng, froze for a second. Even Jiang Feng, the man sitting inside, darkened his gaze as he looked at the tea. Their actions were inconspicuous, but Nian Xiyao, who seemed to sense something was amiss, accurately told him that something was wrong with his two friends.
Thinking of his younger sister's crush on Prince Yong, Nian Xiyao took a sip of tea and said, "My sister likes Prince Yong, and you should all know what that means."
Lin Ducheng chuckled, "Hey, alright, alright, it was just a compliment to Sister Shilan, Brother Xiyao is really nervous."
Nian Xiyao, Lin Ducheng, and Jiang Feng met and became friends at the college. The three had very different personalities, but they got along unexpectedly and became good friends over the years.
Lin Ducheng was the illegitimate son of Grand Tutor Lin, but he was idle and unambitious, and relied on the Hanlin Academy to become a court official who compiled historical records.
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