Chapter 19
Qin Chen let it go in one ear and out the other.
He was an illegitimate son, and Qin Luo had never looked down on him, but that didn't matter, since they weren't born to the same mother.
That's right. The rules of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion are that not only the title, but everything in the mansion can only be obtained by the legitimate son, supposedly in this way to ensure the Qin family's continued wealth and status. As for the illegitimate sons, after the division of the family property, each of them will receive at most a thousand taels of silver and have to fend for themselves.
Normally, the illegitimate son only received a monthly allowance of two taels of silver, which wasn't even enough to afford a brothel or gambling den. The Qin family didn't need to worry at all that the illegitimate son would be idle and cause trouble outside.
Qin Chen didn't care whether he could get a share of the gold and silver shops; he just didn't want to be a useless person, just loafing around in the mansion and waiting to die.
He wanted a job so he could secretly save money to buy a house and bring his concubine to live with him when the family divided their property later.
A few years ago, when the Crown Prince was selecting a study companion for his grandson, the Crown Prince was eager to get Qin Luo into the Crown Prince's palace so that he could accompany Qin Luo to the selection.
Before his departure, the Crown Prince gave him many instructions, telling him to deliberately find fault with Qin Luo in the palace to argue and quarrel with him, so as to show Qin Luo's composure and humility, and to make Qin Luo stand out in front of the Crown Prince.
This was the first time he had disobeyed the Crown Prince's orders.
He wanted this opportunity too!
Unfortunately, he was just a son of a concubine, and the Crown Prince ultimately did not choose him. After returning to his residence, he was severely beaten and almost lost his life.
The young master, having somehow obtained the information, personally went to the Jing'an Marquis's residence and brought him out.
From then on, he was able to stay in the Eastern Palace.
Qin Chen straightened up and replied calmly, "No need for Fifth Brother and the Heir Apparent to trouble themselves."
Qin Luo pointed at him with his riding crop and started to curse: "You're not still reluctant to part with your master, are you...?"
"Qin Wu!" someone interrupted him, "If you keep dawdling, the Red Beauty Pastry will be sold out."
"You promised Miss Xian'er to bring her some 'Red Beauty Pastries,' so if you don't manage to buy them, be careful that Miss Xian'er won't let you in."
"It's possible that Brother Saturday will win first place."
They chatted back and forth, and then burst into laughter.
Fairy Maiden of Zangxiang Pavilion has been the top courtesan in the capital this year. Many young men who hang out together are betting on who will win Fairy Maiden's favor and be the one to do the hair and makeup for the beauty.
Zhou Liulang picked up his fan and sat lazily on his horse.
I'd heard before that in the Jing'an Marquis's mansion, even illegitimate sons were treated worse than servants, and I never imagined it was true. This man is, after all, Gongzi Chen's man; even if we don't respect him, we should at least give him some face. Listen to the nonsense Qin Wu is spouting; if he continues, they might all be implicated.
To be a good playboy, one should live a peaceful life of eating, drinking, and having fun, and the most important thing is to stay away from the imperial court, absolutely not.
He shook his fan and continued to steer the conversation toward romantic matters, saying with a light laugh, "Qin Wu, if you can't win over Miss Xian'er, I won't let you off the hook."
Qin Luo panicked upon hearing this.
Xian'er was both beautiful and charming, especially her gentle and alluring nature, which he absolutely adored.
If he could style Fairy's hair, then he would have lived a worthwhile life.
Qin Luo, as expected, didn't bother with Qin Chen anymore. He pulled on the reins and went straight to the front of the line. The people in line dared not speak out, for fear of accidentally offending these young masters and getting whipped for nothing.
Qin Luo didn't even dismount his horse, and said, "Give me ten boxes of 'Red Beauty Pastries'."
Ten boxes?!
The waiter's eye twitched, but he smiled naturally, appearing cheerful and easygoing: "Sir, that's all. Please come again tomorrow."
Qin Luo frowned slightly: "Then five boxes."
The shopkeeper said, quite annoyed, "Don't even mention five boxes, we don't even have half a box."
Qin Luo frowned even more: "Really not?"
"That's all." The shopkeeper, not daring to provoke him, smiled humbly and bowed, saying, "The filling for the Red Beauty Pastry is very difficult to make. We only bake it once a day. The last two boxes were bought by that customer. Sir, we still have duck fat pastry and pine nut lily pastry here. Would you like to take a look?"
A young man teased, "Qin Wu, you're finished. Miss Xian'er is sure to ignore you."
Qin Luo's face fell. A thought struck him, and he pointed at Qin Chen, who hadn't gone far, and asked, "Did he buy the last two boxes?"
The waiter smiled and agreed, then quickly and efficiently greeted the other customers.
So Qin Luo shouted, "Third Brother, wait for me!"
Qin Chen pretended not to hear and walked even faster.
Unfortunately, two legs can't outrun four, and the horse caught up with him in a few leaps.
Qin Luo dismounted and patted his shoulder: "Give it to me."
Qin Chen looked completely bewildered.
"Give me the Red Beauty Pastry you have." Qin Luo arrogantly took out a piece of silver and threw it over. "I won't take yours for nothing. I'll buy some from you."
The loose silver pieces landed on Qin Chen, slipped down his clothes, fell to the ground, and rolled to his feet.
Qin Luo naturally extended his hand to him.
Qin Chen pursed his lips tightly, said nothing, and walked past him.
"stop."
Qin Luo blocked his way.
Qin Chen smiled and said, "Fifth brother, are you trying to rob me by force?"
Qin Luo said impatiently, "I've already given you the money." He's utterly ungrateful.
"Not for sale."
Qin Luo wouldn't let him leave, and explained in what she thought was a very kind tone, "I promised Miss Xian'er that I would bring her the Red Beauty Pastry."
Qin Chen had just returned to the capital and had no idea who this fairy maiden was. His answer was simply: "Not for sale!"
"You're asking for it!" Qin Luo cursed angrily, grabbed a riding crop, and lashed out with it.
Qin Chen nimbly dodged, missing the first lash, but then came the second.
Qin Chen tried his best to suppress the urge to kick him, telling himself over and over that he had to endure it. He had no choice; his aunt was still in the hands of his stepmother.
This is never going to end! Qin Chen finally made up his mind and didn't dodge the third lash.
Back when they were in the manor, it was always like this; Qin Luo would only be satisfied after being beaten.
*Crack!* The whip struck hard, and Qin Chen let out a muffled groan.
Qin Luo felt better after venting his anger, and sneered, "Third brother, is that all you've got? I thought you'd improve a bit after following that person, but back in Liang Kingdom, all you learned was to wag your tail like a dog and beg for your life."
After saying that, he raised the hand holding the whip again.
Qin Chen's narrow eyes suddenly turned cold.
If Qin Chen didn't want to take it to heart just now, he's like a wolf baring its fangs now.
He grabbed the whip tip, pulled Qin Luo close with his arm, and kicked him in the stomach.
ah!
Qin Luo screamed and shrank back like a shrimp.
In front of so many people, he was actually beaten by a son of a concubine.
"court death!"
Qin Luo clutched his stomach, clenched his teeth, and drew the sword from his waist.
The thin blade gleamed with a chilling light in the sunlight, stinging Qin Chen's eyes. Caught off guard, he held up the oil paper package in front of him. The sharp blade fell, cleaving the package in two, spilling the rosy pastries inside onto the ground, the pastries completely shattered.
Qin Chen slapped his forehead in frustration. He couldn't eat now.
"You did this on purpose!" Qin Luo shouted angrily.
He would rather throw away the beauty pastry than give it to her; he deliberately wanted to embarrass himself in front of Fairy!
This illegitimate son is just as annoying as ever.
As soon as Qin Luo made his move, his sword was aimed directly at Qin Chen's chest, each strike aimed at a vital point. Qin Chen retreated repeatedly, then suddenly threw away the torn oil paper in his hand, nimbly tilted his body to the side, took a step forward, and reached back to snatch the sword.
Unexpectedly, Qin Chen stepped on a piece of red-faced pastry that had fallen to the ground. His foot slipped, and he fell forward uncontrollably, his neck hitting the tip of the sword.
He was doomed! He could almost feel the chilling cold and excruciating pain of the sharp blade piercing his skin.
Only one thought occupied his mind: Miss Gu's calculations are incredibly accurate!
It really is a bloody disaster!
"Murder!"
The people on the street screamed and scattered in chaos.
"Oh no!" Zhou Liulang rushed over, shouting, "Qin Wu, don't do anything rash!"
Even if they fight and end up with bruises and swelling, it's nothing. Nobody would bother to file a complaint over such a trivial matter.
But what if someone dies...
"stop!"
"So what if a son of a concubine dies!" Qin Luo chuckled coldly and thrust the sword forward: "Go to hell!"
Zhou Liulang could hardly bear to watch.
He tilted his head slightly, and the next moment, his pupils contracted sharply.
His pupils reflected a black arrow hurtling through the air, whistling sharply, which struck Qin Luo's right hand as he held his sword.
Qin Luo winced in pain, and the longsword slipped from his hand.
The arrow pierced his palm, and the lingering force caused Qin Luo to stumble and fall to the ground.
Blood dripped from his palm, and Qin Luo's face contorted in pain.
Who is it!
He looked up and saw a girl carrying a black bow walking briskly from one end of the street.
The Qin family and the Gu family are related. Qin Luo recognized her by staring at the veil on her face.
"Hey, you surnamed Gu, stop right there!"
His voice was sharp and shrill.
"You slut... mmm mmm."
Zhou Liulang, covered in sweat, rushed over from the side and tightly covered his mouth.
Gu Zhizhuo ignored him and walked without stopping for a moment before arriving in front of Qin Chen.
Qin Chen lay face down on the ground, motionless, his face and neck covered in blood.
Gu Zhizhuo's heart skipped a beat. She gently kicked his arm with her toe and asked, "Young Master Qin, are you still alive?"
"Live, live..." Qin Chen, lying on the ground, managed to utter a sound with difficulty.
He thought he was going to die! He's really lucky to be alive.
Qin Chen struggled to sit up, clutching his neck. Blood flowed uncontrollably through his fingers, and in no time his clothes were stained red with blood, and a pool of blood had formed on the ground.
His face was deathly pale; it was hard to tell whether it was from fright or from excessive blood loss.
Gu Zhizhuo squatted down, took out the brand-new needle case from his sleeve pocket, and picked out a long needle.
She said, "Let go of my hand."
Qin Chen obediently released his hand from his neck, and as soon as he did, the blood started flowing even faster, gushing out in a stream.
This set of needles contains only nine long needles, taken from the saying, "Nine needles represent the great number of heaven and earth, beginning with one and ending with nine." (Note)
Gu Zhizhuo picked up the needle and inserted it.
Her movements were steady and quick, and the bleeding stopped after nine needles.
Qiongfang assisted her, carefully wiping the blood off Qin Chen's neck with a fine cloth brought from Baijitang. A three-inch-long wound was clearly visible, almost piercing through the entire neck.
The wound was deep, and the flesh was torn open. The only saving grace was that the sword had not severed the neck vein.
As long as the neck vein is not severed, even the most serious injury is just a superficial wound. If the bleeding is stopped in time, it will heal with rest.
"hand."
Qin Chen stretched out his right hand, looking at her expectantly.
Gu Zhizhuo placed three fingers on his pulse, his brows furrowed as he carefully examined it.
A few breaths later, she patted his shoulder, her brows relaxed, and said, "Congratulations, you're alive."
Qin Chen was still in shock when he heard this and nodded subconsciously. As soon as he moved his neck, he twitched in pain.
"Don't move around," Gu Zhizhuo said seriously, trying to scare him. "You can die if you bleed too much."
"Don't remove the needle yet, you've lost too much blood and your yang energy is insufficient."
As soon as she said that, Qin Chen immediately sat up straight and behaved very obediently.
No matter what, if you can live, nobody wants to do something reckless.
"Miss Gu, is my bloody calamity over?"
He asked the question cautiously.
"It's in the past!" Gu Zhizhuo replied easily.
Qin Chen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and his stiff shoulders gradually relaxed.
This is really... huh?
Wait a minute, Qin Chen thought for a moment. Just now, Miss Gu cut off her left hand and replaced it with her left hand, and then did some calculations for a long time. Could it be that she had actually foreseen that her great calamity would be today?
A note from the author:
Note: From *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), Chapter 9, "Nine Needles".
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