Chapter 44 Magpie on Branch (Part 4) It smells so good.
It was dark below the steps, but bright above.
"Miss Ye."
Jiang Si lifted his foot to walk towards her, the hem of his crimson official robe swaying.
But Ye Mu's steps did not stop; she merely glanced at him indifferently when he spoke.
Calm, detached, indifferent.
Like looking at the stone lions on the steps and the lanterns under the eaves, looking at a lifeless object that had nothing to do with him, Ye Mu then very naturally withdrew his gaze, turned to the side, and walked straight into the alley next to him.
Her back was slender and straight; she walked away decisively, without any hesitation.
Jiang Si paused, then chased after him without hesitation.
"Lord Jiang!" A follower behind him tried to follow.
"Don't come any closer," Jiang Si instructed. "Unless I give the order, don't approach."
The side alley was narrower and deeper than the main street, flanked by high walls on both sides. The moonlight could only stingily let down a few pale rays, casting shadows on the slippery stone pavement.
"Ye Mu".
Jiang Si's voice rang out in the alley, less warm and gentle than when he was outside Fuyou Pavilion, and more subdued.
With his long legs and swift steps, he closed in within a few strides, stretching out his arm so that his wide, crimson sleeves almost blocked Ye Mu's path.
Ye Mu finally stopped.
She didn't turn around completely, only turned half her face to the side, the moonlight shining obliquely, illuminating her tightly pursed lips.
"Lord Jiang," her voice was colder than the wind blowing through the alley, "this place is secluded. Your unauthorized following may cause controversy and damage my reputation. Please stop here."
The moonlight slanted into Jiang Si's eyes, slightly diminishing the gentle smile he usually wore in front of others.
That foolish woman, Zhou, acted rashly and short-sightedly, completely disrupting his more composed and dignified plan to approach her. However, meeting in this way tonight is quite appropriate.
But he had expected to see her panic and try to hide, to see her feigned composure in such a disheveled state. After all, a woman expelled from her family, to be seen by him, the newly appointed top scholar, in such a place of pleasure, should be utterly ashamed.
But she didn't.
Her eyes were empty, devoid of hatred, resentment, or even the slightest ripple, as if Jiang Si were nothing more than a complete stranger to her.
Moreover, reputation?
"Ye Mu, have you forgotten which door you came out of? You're talking to me about reputation?"
Jiang Si seemed to have heard an extremely absurd joke, letting out a short, cold laugh, and said angrily, "You mean, being with me is even more shameful than being in that brothel you were just in?"
"yes."
Ye Mu answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation or ambiguity.
She slowly turned around to face him directly. The moonlight illuminated her entire face, revealing not shame or anger, but calmness and undisguised disgust.
She still had doubts when the top scholar paraded through the streets. She felt that he was not a very smart person. How could he become the top scholar in one exam in this lifetime?
Thinking back to his past life, Jiang Si took the exam once before marriage and twice after marriage. He spent countless hours in the study burning out lamp oil and wore out countless pens before finally managing to squeeze onto that narrow bridge and pass the imperial examination.
As his wife at that time, she could clearly see the hardships he endured. Back then, he devoted all his energy to the imperial examinations, unlike now, when he has no spare time to help others with exam questions or give lectures.
In this life, he passed the high school entrance exam on his first try. Not only was he riding high, but he also openly predicted the exam questions and gave pointers to students before the exam, displaying the demeanor of a master who was confident and in control.
This is simply outrageous. Rather than his sudden enlightenment, she would rather suspect that he was also reborn.
Tonight, in this dark alley, as their eyes met, she finally caught conclusive evidence in his eyes.
Those who have long held positions of power feel that everything is within their grasp and that they are destined to succeed.
This look in his eyes is exactly the same as when he was a high-ranking official in his previous life, wielding power.
Either his innocent demeanor at first sight was a carefully crafted disguise, or, in this brief period of separation, he, like her, was suddenly awakened from that absurd dream of a past life and returned to this world.
Regardless of which one, the conclusion is clear.
Jiang Si has indeed returned.
There's no point in hiding my disgust for him.
Looking at him, Ye Mu felt as if she were seeing her painful past again.
She chuckled very softly, "But Lord Jiang, you overestimate yourself. You're more than just incompetent; standing next to you..."
Ye Mu's gaze slowly swept over him from head to toe, finally settling on his gloomy eyes, and she uttered the words like nails, "Disgusting."
"It's disgusting to see your face, hear your voice, and even breathe that feels like it's being defiled."
Her words contained no hysteria, only the coldness of stating facts, yet they were more lethal than any screaming or cursing.
The pretense on their faces had now been completely ripped off.
Jiang Si's pupils contracted slightly, and the slight anger on his face caused by the offense was gradually replaced by a more dangerous emotion. Instead of being deterred by her cold words, he moved closer.
He suddenly chuckled softly.
"Very good." After a while, Jiang Si twitched the corners of his mouth, with the interest of watching prey grow sharp teeth and claws. "Ye Mu, you are indeed very different now. You are no longer that little girl who would only hide under the covers and cry. This is very good."
"Disgusting?" He chewed the word between his teeth, taking steps closer and forcing her back into the shadows of the wall. "You think that by being reborn, you can regain your innocence? What part of your body haven't I seen? Your name is written in my Jiang family genealogy, you've slept with me countless nights, your joys and sorrows are all tied to me. And now, you say disgusting?"
He tried to bind her with the most explicit aspects of their past, disrupting her current clarity of mind.
Jiang Si raised his hand, not to touch her, but to lightly and very slowly trace her neck with his fingertips, across the air, from her tightly pursed lips to her slender neck, and then to her collarbone, which rose and fell with her breath... following the curves he knew so well from his past life.
"Ye Mu," Jiang Si leaned down slightly, his lips almost touching her earlobe, and said softly as if reluctant to part with her, "Every inch of your body was touched, kissed, and possessed by me in my past life. Can you wash that away? You were my lawfully wedded wife in my past life, and that can't be changed in this life either."
"Do you want me to help you remember..."
"So the Ye Mu you're talking about is already dead." She calmly cut him off before he could finish his vulgar rant.
Even as the intense humiliation burned through her very being, she still managed to abruptly raise her hand, pull out the ebony hairpin from her hair, and slash it across his neck as he tried to lower his head to kiss her lips.
Filled with her hatred, she acted without hesitation or mercy!
The dull thud of fabric dissolving into skin/flesh.
Ye Mu's hand was frighteningly steady. The hairpin's end cut a thin gash about an inch long on the side of his neck. Unfortunately, Wen Kong had polished the hairpin too smoothly, so although the wound bled, it didn't go any deeper.
Jiang Si groaned, suddenly feeling pain. He instinctively clutched his neck and staggered backward, his back slamming heavily against the cold, damp brick wall behind him.
Unexpectedly, the wall was covered with thorny wild roses growing wildly from the cracks. In the dim moonlight, the tiny thorns were completely hidden in the shadows of the wall and difficult to detect. Upon impact, the sharp thorns instantly pierced through his official robe and into his flesh.
A burning pain shot through his neck, and a dense, stinging sensation ran down his back. Caught off guard, Jiang Si's muffled groan turned into a short gasp. His body stiffened against the wall, and the slightest attempt to move caused the wooden splinters, deeply embedded in his flesh, to be pulled apart. Sharp thorns, seemingly appearing from nowhere, would then pierce into the uninjured soft flesh.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Jiang Si's forehead. He was temporarily trapped by the pain from both sides and could not move.
“I didn’t expect Lord Jiang to still be thinking about his ex-wife’s body, which had long since turned cold,” Ye Mu took two steps forward and stopped just inches away from him. “Unfortunately, that body was eaten clean by a flock of crows on the roadside during her exile in her previous life, before she even reached the Northern Desert.”
By the dim light, Ye Mu slowly and carefully wiped the bloodstains from the hairpin with the sleeve of his crimson official robe. His movements were gentle, as if he were cleaning a beloved piece of jewelry, rather than the murder weapon that had just injured someone.
She held the cleaned hairpin up to her eyes and looked at it. "I, Ye Mu, am just someone with the same name as your ex-wife who died young. This body has long since grown new flesh and blood, containing a completely different soul. I have not a single resemblance to the ex-wife you remember who was at your mercy."
“Moreover,” Ye Mu raised her hand and tucked the ebony hairpin back into her slightly disheveled long hair, “I already have someone I love.”
The moonlight, like water, flowed quietly across her lowered profile, highlighting her delicate eyelashes and elegant nose. A slight smile played on her lips, a smile bathed in the soft moonlight, hazy and gentle.
"The hairpin that just pierced you was made for me by him. I urge Lord Jiang to take good care of himself in this life."
Jiang Si's heart suddenly clenched. He didn't know if it was because of her hurtful words or because of the sharp pain in his back that suddenly intensified. He subconsciously tried to move and grab her wrist, but the moment his muscles tensed, more thorns pierced into his skin, causing him to let out a suppressed groan of pain.
Ye Mu stopped looking at him and turned to leave.
"Ye Mu!"
Jiang Si called out to her in a hoarse voice, a vein throbbing painfully on his forehead. He was trapped here, unable to move forward or backward, utterly pathetic. He closed his eyes briefly, finally managing to squeeze out a low plea through clenched teeth, "Could you... call someone for me?"
He had just dismissed his men, even though he knew they were probably waiting not far from the main street entrance and would come at a mere shout. Yet, for some reason, a masochistic test lingered in his heart; he wanted to see if she could truly remain unmoved by his situation.
Surely there can't be absolutely no affection left, not even the slightest bit? She couldn't possibly have someone she likes; she must be lying to him!
"Fourth Sister!"
He remembered that in his past life she was the most soft-hearted and the one who couldn't bear to hear him call her name in such a low voice.
Sure enough, Ye Mu paused and turned around.
The lingering, self-loathing hope in Jiang Si's heart, like extinguished embers, suddenly ignited into a tiny spark. He knew it; how could she really…
Under the moonlight, the smile on her face remained unchanged, and even seemed brighter.
"Okay," she replied with unusually quick agreement.
Immediately afterward, as Jiang Sishang sensed something was wrong, she suddenly raised her hand, pinched her nose with two fingers, took a deep breath, and jerked her head back, letting out a shrill scream completely different from her usual clear and cold voice, "Help! Help! The newly appointed top scholar, Lord Jiang, has abducted a woman—!!!"
The sound, filled with terror and helplessness, instantly shattered the silence of the alley and carried far away.
"You!" Jiang Si's pupils shrank sharply, and his face turned ashen instantly. He seemed to lose all feeling of the stinging pain in his back, leaving only the fury that rushed to his head.
Not far away, the sounds of footsteps and voices could be heard, and people were hurrying towards this direction.
Ye Mu lowered his hand, regained his original voice, turned his head and smiled at him, his gaze stern.
“Lord Jiang, you see,” she said softly, “in this life, you have even less to lose to than I do.”
After saying that, she didn't linger. She turned around and quickly walked deeper into the alley. After a few turns, she disappeared at the other end of the bend.
That night, in the courtyard of Yuqian Lane.
Ye Mu immersed herself in a wooden tub filled with hot water. The slightly hot water enveloped her cool skin, and she couldn't help but shiver slightly before slowly letting out a long breath.
The water rippled gently, reaching above Ye Mu's shoulders and neck. The rising steam blurred the simple roof beams in front of her, but made the scenes in the alley at dusk even clearer in her mind.
When Jiang Si called her from outside Fuyou Pavilion, and when she heard footsteps catching up behind her, Ye Mu knew that there was no way to escape; the difference in strength was too great, and she couldn't fight him head-on.
Panic will only make you fall into the trap faster. Why not enlarge the trap and let this bastard fall in too?
Ye Mu's steps were not hurried; in fact, she deliberately slowed down a little, leading him towards the side alley she was familiar with. Deep in the alley, on that old wall covered with wild roses, she had seen several children from next door playing there, crying loudly from the sharp thorns they had pricked. The sharp thorns, hidden in the shadows, were perfect helpers.
Choosing that location was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
As he drew near, Ye Mu knew she only had one chance. When he reached out to stop her, she feigned a struggle and retreated towards the wall, intending to crash into it—a move she had secretly calculated.
Little did she expect that the hairpin in her hair would become the first blade to draw blood.
Yun Niangzi's absence was within her expectations.
The reason why Lady Yun was able to stop the drunken Lord Li in the hall was because Lord Li held an insignificant and idle position in the court. Why not do a favor that was easy to do?
But Jiang Si was different; he was the newly appointed top scholar, a close advisor to the emperor, and was at the height of his fame.
Even if Lady Yun heard the commotion in the alley from inside the gate, she would never offend such a rising star for the sake of a mere accountant like herself.
Ye Mu understood this clear-headed assessment, so she harbored no resentment. On the contrary, she felt grateful for Yun Niangzi's protection of her in the pavilion, which was an extremely rare act of kindness.
Ye Mu closed his eyes, held his breath, and submerged his entire body in the wooden tub until the hot water completely covered his head.
The world was instantly enveloped in a warm silence, attempting to wash away Jiang Si's humiliating words. The water rippled in the ears, emitting a low hum, isolating all external sounds.
She is neither a block of wood nor a saint.
The words "wife," "body," and "pleasure" that were uttered were like barbed hooks that pierced her flesh. It wasn't an instantaneous, sharp pain, but rather a slow, painful ripping out of old wounds buried deep in her memory. Naturally, she could feel the heartache.
But that's all.
Like throwing a red-hot iron block into ice water, with a "hiss," the white steam dissipates, leaving only a harder shell.
With a splash, water sprayed everywhere.
Ye Mu lifted his head from the water, leaned over the edge of the tub, and breathed heavily. His soaked black hair clung to his smooth back and cheeks, and water droplets rolled down his forehead, nose, and chin. But his eyes, wet with water, were clearer and calmer than ever before.
She raised one arm from the water and held it up to her eyes.
Warm water droplets slid down my wrist, flowed over the clear lines of my wrist, and dripped back into the water. Delicate and powerful, it turns out, are not contradictory.
Her fingertips had thin calluses from years of holding a pen, and the lines on her palms were clear and strong.
Ye Mu looked at this hand, a hand that once only knew how to play the zither and embroider, but in this life it has learned to hold an abacus, copy books, and even tonight hold a hairpin to fight for a way out for itself.
She cheered for her resilience; she had indeed grown new flesh and blood, just as she had said.
Ye Mu's gaze shifted to the edge of the bucket, where the ebony hairpin rested quietly on the plain handkerchief. The jade ginkgo at the tip of the hairpin was moistened by the water vapor, making it even more lustrous.
She reached out and picked it up, carefully washing the hairpin with the water in the bucket. It was as if she could touch another pair of slender, dry hands through its texture, hands that once held a carving knife, concentrating on the small space, carving intently under the lamp, polishing the ebony again and again to make it smooth, afraid that she might damage her hair.
After washing it, she raised the hairpin to her lips and kissed it very lightly. "Good boy, all thanks to you."
She murmured softly, her voice filled with tenderness.
-
For several days in a row, Ye Mu could hear rumors about Jiang Si in Fuyou Pavilion.
"Have you heard? Lord Jiang has taken leave, saying he caught a cold..."
"It's not a cold! My cousin was drinking at Fuyou Pavilion that night and saw it with his own eyes. There was a bloody gash on his neck. Tsk tsk, the location was quite convenient."
"Not only that, there was a commotion in the alley that night, and many people heard it... Abducting a woman? I really can't believe that someone like Scholar Jiang, who looks so refined and honest, would do such a thing."
These whispers slipped out from the cracks in the doors of private rooms as guests sipped their drinks, reaching the ears of the waiters, who then embellished them and relayed them to teahouses, taverns, and streets far and wide.
The common people love to hear about the romantic escapades and embarrassing stories of such noblemen. In just a few days, the story of "the top scholar forcibly abducting a woman in the middle of the night but being injured by the virtuous woman" has spawned several erotic or thrilling romantic secrets that are quietly circulating in the capital.
Even Zijing couldn't hold back her words. Although she had promised her master not to mention Jiang Si again, the rumors were rampant outside, and everyone was gossiping about it. She was itching to speak out.
"Girl, have you heard?" Zijing finally couldn't help herself. One evening, while sewing her menstrual belt, she leaned closer and said, "That girl who likes to smell stinky socks, she raped someone in the alley a few days ago!"
Ye Mu was reading a book at the time. He paused for a moment, holding the scroll, thinking about who it was that liked to smell smelly socks. He realized what was going on and smiled.
She looked at Zijing with great interest. "Oh? Is that so? Tell me, what happened next?"
Seeing her master respond, Zijing perked up even more. She put down her needlework, sat up straight, and began gesturing, "Luckily, the girl opposite is no ordinary woman; she's a trained fighter. She reacted quickly, catching the smelly sock off guard—"
She swung her hand sharply, making a diagonal thrust, and "in a flash, a gash appeared on his neck! Blood gushed out immediately!"
Ye Mu wanted to laugh when she heard the word "martial arts expert," so she simply closed the book and asked, "And then?"
"That guy who smelled the stinky socks was still not satisfied after being hurt, and even tried to force himself on her, which shows how beautiful that girl must be to make people so infatuated with her," Zijing said excitedly. "But the girl remained calm in the face of danger and threw another hidden weapon! It stuck in the thief's back!"
The young woman gathered her strength and shouted, "In broad daylight, how dare this scoundrel act so presumptuously here!"
"Hahahaha..." Ye Mu finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, leaning on the table and shaking his shoulders.
She never imagined that the perilous confrontation that night, once it reached the common people, would become such a dramatic tale of a chivalrous woman punishing evil, and that she herself would become a highly skilled and extraordinary woman in this story.
Zijing was a little embarrassed by her master's laughter. She scratched her head and chuckled as well. "The rumors outside are quite exaggerated. They say that the girl has amazing lightness skills. After injuring the thief, she lightly touched the roof with her toes and disappeared into the moonlight, leaving the guy who was smelling the stinky socks standing there. The officials who rushed over saw it all. Even the guests in Fuyou Pavilion were alarmed and ran out to ask him if he wanted to report it to the authorities."
"What did the one who smelled the stinky socks say?" Ye Mu laughed so hard he couldn't straighten up.
“He waved his hand and said, ‘Officials? Aren’t all the officials here? Who should I report this to?’ Zijing said, ‘If you ask me, the more vague and hesitant he is, the more suspicious he seems! This matter is probably confirmed.’”
After laughing, Zijing looked at her mistress's slender figure and couldn't help but worry again. "Miss, to be honest, you should go home earlier in the future. Staying up so late every day, what if you encounter a wicked scoundrel like this on the road? You don't know martial arts, what should you do? How about I pick you up from the shop where you work from now on?"
"No way." Ye Mu immediately shook his head, his expression becoming serious. "Mother needs someone to take care of her; she can't be left alone. What if there's an emergency at home? How can you not be there for her?"
She couldn't bring herself to say the deeper reason. She didn't tell Zijing that she made a living at Fuyou Pavilion. Ye Mu wasn't afraid to tell her, but he was worried that she might accidentally let it slip to her mother, so he simply didn't tell her.
Ye Mu wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "Don't worry about me, A-Jing. Tomorrow I'll discuss with the master whether I can go back earlier."
On the afternoon of the thirteenth, Ye Mu found Ye Niangzi.
She carefully chose her words and explained her purpose, "Miss Yun, from now on I would like to go home earlier every day. For the accounts that I haven't sorted out yet, I can make a copy to take home and continue working on them at night, so that I won't miss the opportunity to check them the next day. Is that alright?"
Lady Yun assumed that she was still shaken by what happened that night, so she naturally agreed.
She put down the gift list she was checking and paused. "I saw him follow you into the alley that day. I thought that as the newly appointed top scholar, he should at least consider his reputation. Besides, as you can see, there is some connection between them. I was wrong. I didn't expect him to lose his composure like that."
She naturally knew that it was Ye Mu who shouted that. The morning after the incident, she paid special attention to Ye Mu and saw that she looked normal and was quick and efficient, which put her mind at ease.
Ye Mu gently shook his head, "Miss Yun, there's no need to take it to heart. In that situation, it would be inconvenient for you to step in. The fact that you pretended not to know is already an act of protection."
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," said Madam Yun, her tone sincere. She took a small purse from the drawer and pushed it in front of Ye Mu. "Please keep this; it's a small token of my appreciation. I'll also ask Accountant Wang to be more lenient with things in the pavilion from now on."
Ye Mu did not refuse, but generously accepted it and thanked him again.
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, she took the opportunity to bring up another matter, "There's something else. There's a Dharma assembly at Baoxiang Temple on the sixteenth of this month. I'd like to ask for a day off to go and offer incense."
Upon hearing this, Lady Yun nodded in agreement, "It would be good for you to go and clear your head. You don't need to come that day; just settle the accounts over the next two days."
December 16th, the Winter Solstice Dharma Assembly.
Inside Baoxiang Temple, pilgrims thronged the temple grounds, chanting Buddhist prayers filled the air, and prayer flags fluttered in the breeze.
Ye Mu followed the crowd into the scripture hall, his heart beating a little faster than usual for some reason.
Today she specially changed into a new pleated skirt, with a moon-white jacket over it, and the ebony and jade ginkgo hairpin was neatly placed in her hair, which was both polite and made her look more radiant than usual.
The young novice monk, with palms together in greeting, led her to a slightly secluded spot on the west side of the prayer hall, where a seat was set up by the window.
Outside the window, the gnarled branches of an old plum tree leaned into view, with tiny buds the size of rice grains already swelling on the tips, standing silently under the clear winter sky.
This location offers an excellent view, allowing you to avoid the most crowded areas while still getting a clear view of the altar in front of you.
Her gaze immediately locked onto the reddish-brown figure in front of the altar.
Wen Kong, dressed in an ordinary kasaya, stood slightly to the side behind the abbot, his hands clasped together, his eyes lowered, and he was chanting scriptures in a low voice, led by the presiding monk.
His profile was exceptionally clear amidst the swirling smoke; his nose was straight, his lips were pressed into a straight line, and his brows were sparse and ethereal.
Ye Mu's heart seemed to be stirred by the wisps of incense smoke. She knelt quietly on the prayer mat, but her gaze never left him.
What if this quiet chanting was not at the solemn altar, but beside her bedside?
Ye Mu thought for a moment and sighed, "Why are we chanting scriptures when we're already by the bed?"
She grinned, and it would be best if she removed her cassock, wearing only a plain white undergarment, and knelt on the couch to speak with her.
His voice was already clear and melodious; if he spoke close to her ear and held her in his arms, would it sound even better through the vibrations in his chest?
The thought was already thrilling enough, but Wen Kong seemed to sense something at that moment, turned his head and looked over.
I noticed her flushed cheeks immediately; they were soft and delicate.
It smells good.
Wen Kong was stunned, his soul seemed to leave the sky. How could he recall her scent the moment he saw her?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Author: They're already right next to the tatami mat, what are you still saying?!
Thanks for reading and adding to your favorites! More to come in the next chapter! [Sunglasses]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com