Everyone says men conquer the world, and women conquer men! Looking at the tearful Madam Qin, though she hesitated to speak, her words had already stirred up significant animosity towards Zhan Feiyu.
"I don't know what's wrong, but I feel uneasy, as if something is about to happen," Madam Qin murmured tearfully. As she spoke, she clutched her chest, the loose white mourning dress indenting slightly, revealing the curve of her bust.
Huang Bin was a distant relative of the Qin family's collateral branches. Orphaned, he had to rely on his aunt, who was married into the Qin family. At five, he entered the Qin family's clan school. Because of his scholarly talent, he was jointly suppressed and bullied by the Qin family disciples in the school.
Madam Qin had also studied in the clan school with her cousins. Upon learning of this situation, she chose to protect Huang Bin. Unlike other Qin family disciples, Madam Qin was the eldest daughter of the main branch, and her father was the head of the Qin family. With Madam Qin's protection, Huang Bin's life finally improved.
Later, Madam Qin was beaten until her palms were swollen by her father and the clan elders for wanting to study and participate in the imperial examinations to inherit the Qin family. She was also confined to the ancestral hall. After that, she no longer attended the Qin clan school, and the Qin family disciples resumed their bullying of Huang Bin. Fortunately, Huang Bin was already ten years old, and Madam Qin's "residual influence" still held sway, so they dared not go too far. Madam Qin secretly gave Huang Bin money to find a martial arts master to apprentice with, and from then on, he became proficient in both literary and martial arts.
Logically, with Huang Bin's scholarly talent, he could have relied on the Qin family to participate in the imperial examinations and later establish his own career. Unfortunately, during the imperial court's inspection, he found cheat sheets in his examination basket. To protect its reputation, the Qin family dealt with the matter severely, stripping Huang Bin of his qualification for the imperial examinations and cutting off his path to success.
"Zhan Feiyu is somewhat strange." Having interacted with people from all walks of life over the years, Huang Bin's expression turned serious when he mentioned Zhan Feiyu. "Whether it's her scholarly talent or her demeanor, she doesn't seem like someone who grew up in the countryside."
"If she's targeting me, then losing my life is nothing. I'm just worried about the two children..." Madam Qin choked back, lowering her head. Tears fell, instantly dampening a small patch of her white mourning dress.
Even though Huang Bin disliked the two children, he knew Madam Qin's kindness. When she was so young, seeing several children beating him, she had rushed forward and shielded him with her arms.
"Qingqing, don't overthink it. I will handle this," Huang Bin said, placing his hands on Madam Qin's shoulders. The slender feel of her shoulders made Huang Bin's heart ache, wishing he could marry Madam Qin immediately and ensure she never cried again.
Looking up, Madam Qin spoke with tear-filled eyes, "Don't be impulsive. Zhan Feiyu is a disciple of Scholar Gu, and she is protected by Prefect Zhang in Nanxuan Prefecture. Don't risk yourself for me. After she achieves fame, she will surely leave Nanxuan Prefecture, and perhaps she will forget someone as insignificant as me."
This statement might have fooled others, but Huang Bin had seen too much darkness and bloodshed over the years. Zhan Feiyu targeting Qingqing was likely to avenge Zhao Jiaoyu. Even though Wan Yunhao was dead, Zhan Feiyu had not stopped. If she were to gain power in the capital later, she would surely seek revenge on Qingqing. Rather than being in a passive state then, it was better to strike before Zhan Feiyu became too powerful!
"The groom by Zhan Feiyu's side is a master. You don't need to take the risk!" Madam Qin said urgently, grabbing Huang Bin's hand. Tears streamed down her face, filled with worry and unease.
He clasped Madam Qin's hand in return, his thumb affectionately caressing the smooth, jade-like back of her hand. He softened his voice to comfort her, "I won't act directly." Huang Bin knew that he couldn't kill Zhan Feiyu through force, so he had to resort to cunning. Poison was the best method, but colorless and odorless poisons were hard to find, and these secret medicines were held by powerful families.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the quiet courtyard.
"Quick! Don't let the thief escape!"
"Third brother, you guard the wall..."
Inside the room, Madam Qin and Huang Bin stood up abruptly. They exchanged glances, and an ominous premonition struck them. Why would there be thieves here all of a sudden?
"I'll leave first!" Huang Bin opened the window, intending to jump out. It was late at night, and being discovered by the authorities with a woman would completely ruin Qingqing's reputation.
Zhan Feiyu tilted her head to look at Yin Wuyan, her dark eyes shining with excitement. She actually enjoyed watching the commotion! But as he met Zhan Feiyu's clear and bright eyes, Yin Wuyan flicked his wrist, and Huang Bin, who was about to jump out the window, landed with a thud on the ground.
The thud naturally alerted the constables in the courtyard. "The thief is in the house!" With this shout, four or five constables immediately changed direction and surrounded the area. Almost simultaneously, one guarded the door, another the window, and the remaining three rushed into the room.
Huang Bin knew he had been ambushed, but his right leg hurt as if his bones were broken. Before he could think further, three constables had already broken down the door. With a series of bangs, the room became chaotic due to the fight. Huang Bin was already pinned to the ground with his arms twisted by two constables, unable to move.
"Captain, have we caught the thief?" a constable searching outside the courtyard called out loudly, leading the remaining six or seven men into the courtyard. However, when the candlelight illuminated the scene, over a dozen constables were stunned.
Constable A held the lantern closer to Huang Bin and shone it on him. "Boss, isn't this Ma Shun?"
"Are you stupid? This is definitely not Ma Shun!" Constable B habitually slapped Constable A on the back of his head, looking at the handsome Huang Bin. "We've arrested the master of the house. You idiot, hurry and let go. It's all a misunderstanding."
"Shut up!" Constable Zhang glared at his two foolish subordinates. Constable A rubbed the back of his head and looked up at the courtyard. "Boss, I remember there was a white lantern hanging at the main entrance. This is the Wan residence, isn't it? Didn't Scholar Wan die..."
Adulterer! Instantly, over a dozen constables' gazes swept towards Huang Bin, and then uniformly looked up at the pale-faced Madam Qin. In their haste to catch the fugitive Ma Shun, they had forgotten this was the Wan residence. Now they realized they hadn't caught a thief but an adulterer!
The sudden turn of events left Madam Qin's mind in a chaotic mess. She knew the best solution at the moment was to portray Huang Bin as a rapist who had broken in to assault her out of lust. However, Madam Qin dared not speak. If she used this excuse, she could escape, but Huang Bin would be charged with rape and adultery. Coupled with her being a daughter of the Qin family and Wan Yunhao's recently deceased wife, Huang Bin might be sentenced to death. Would he still be willing to bear all the blame alone then? Thinking of the illicit things Huang Bin had done for her over the years, Madam Qin dared not take the risk.
"Madam, what's wrong?" Madam Hao's anxious and distressed shouts echoed from outside the courtyard. She hurried over and was stunned to see Huang Bin being held by the constables. Then, Madam Hao cried out and lunged forward.
"You beast, how dare you insult my madam!" Madam Hao suddenly pulled out a silver hairpin from her hair and, before anyone could react, violently stabbed it towards Huang Bin's chest. "I will kill you, you beast..." Unfortunately, her foot slipped, and Madam Hao stumbled forward. The hairpin missed his chest and instead pierced his abdomen.
"Audacious!" Constable Zhang roared, kicking Madam Hao to the ground as she attempted to attack again. Two constables immediately stepped forward and restrained Madam Hao.
"It's a pity the heavens did not cooperate, or you would not have escaped my grasp today!" Huang Bin suddenly raised his head, his sinister gaze filled with resentment and unwillingness, looking at Madam Qin, who was leaning against the doorframe to avoid falling. "As long as I don't die, one day you will fall into my hands!"
Madam Qin seemed terrified, tears streaming down her face. She swayed precariously, her emotions too intense to speak.
"My poor madam, how could you have been targeted by this wolf in sheep's clothing..." Madam Hao, kneeling on the ground, cried out mournfully. She struggled angrily, as if still wanting to kill Huang Bin, the rapist. Hearing this, the constables understood. This was not an adulterer, but a villain driven by lust!
In the room, Zhan Feiyu deliberately knocked over a cup, the "smash" sound making everyone in the courtyard freeze.
"Could Ma Shun really be hiding in the room?" Constable A muttered, then darted into the room. A moment later, several constables emerged from the room with strange expressions, having found no sign of the fugitive Ma Shun. "Boss, come and take a look." Constable Zhang, not understanding, frowned. Logically, it was inconvenient for him to get involved, but since they had caught the adulterer, Constable Zhang gritted his teeth and walked into the room.
"These clothes in the wardrobe," Constable A said, his voice strained. Meeting Constable Zhang's idiotic gaze, Constable A became displeased and retorted stubbornly, "Boss, these clothes do not belong to Scholar Wan. Scholar Wan was a scholar, tall and slender. The waistline is clearly two inches larger, and these undergarments are also two and a half inches longer. These are clearly the clothes of the adulterer outside!" As the only son of a cloth shop embroiderer, Constable A had been dealing with fabrics and clothes since childhood. He could tell at a glance whose clothes were whose size.
"Boss, and this," another constable said awkwardly, pointing to a small box in the corner of the wardrobe. Constable Zhang, not understanding, opened the box. Upon seeing its contents, Constable Zhang, an old man with three children, blushed with embarrassment. These were items used by courtesans. Why would Madam Wan, a recently widowed woman, have such things?
Constable B glanced out the window and crouched down to pick up two broken teacups. "Boss, when I was guarding the window earlier, I glanced inside. There were two teacups on the table. Look, there's still tea leaves and water in the cups." Although the teacups and teapot were overturned during the fight, there was residual tea water in the cups. Moreover, it was already the hour of the rat, late at night. Madam Wan couldn't possibly be making tea for herself, could she? She was probably entertaining an adulterer.
The constable standing by the door muttered softly, "Madam Wan's mouth is still swollen." As men, even if some were unmarried, the constables at the yamen often exchanged lewd jokes. Everyone understood why the woman's mouth was swollen.
The next day, the constables, having failed to catch the fugitive, instead apprehended Madam Qin's adulterer. This news spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys of Nanxuan Prefecture early in the morning.
"I heard it was a villain driven by lust. Seeing Madam Wan living alone, he sneaked into the Wan residence late at night," a woman related to the Qin family whispered in defense. Madam Qin's reputation was ruined, which meant the reputation of all the married and unmarried young women of the Qin family was also tarnished, and even the Qin family's relatives were affected.
A woman carrying a bamboo basket to buy groceries chuckled sarcastically. "Come on, only you would believe that. If it were really a villain, why wouldn't she have screamed? I heard that Madam Wan didn't utter a sound until the constables broke down the door." Another elderly woman, naturally sharp-tongued, sternly rebuked, "Such an unchaste woman should be drowned in a pig cage! Her husband's bones are barely cold, and she's already looking for men. What kind of noble lady is she? She's worse than us common folk!"
"Aunt Ai, you and Xiao Feng are good friends. You tell us," the woman who was called looked helplessly at the others. They were all neighbors living in the same alley. Even if she didn't say anything, she couldn't hide it from them, so why offend them?
"What? There were also the adulterer's clothes in the wardrobe?"
"Her mouth is swollen..."
"If the constables had been any later, wouldn't they have caught this pair of adulterers in the act!"
Regardless of how the affair between Madam Qin and her adulterer was being spread on the streets and alleys, Qingya Academy remained unaffected. The clear sound of reading emanated from the academy onto the small path.
"Big brother, I feel like I'm not visiting the Ming family, but rather challenging Qingya Academy," Zhan Feiyu said, looking at Yin Wuyan walking beside her. Even with his face disguised, his elder brother's icy gaze could surely scare a child into crying.
"You must not cause trouble again next time!" Yin Wuyan's words caused Zhan Feiyu to nod her head vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice. The items the constables had found in the wardrobe last night... Zhan Feiyu had suggested getting some clothes or perhaps some letters, but Chongguang had actually procured some aphrodisiacs from a brothel. Fortunately, he hadn't told Zhan Feiyu, otherwise, she wouldn't just be lying in bed with a bruised face and unable to move; she'd probably have broken limbs.
The guard at the entrance was Ming Er's eldest son, Ming Yongxi, ten years old. Dressed in a blue scholar's robe, he exuded the elegance of a scholar. He spoke formally, "Greetings, Miss Zhan. My grandfather has been waiting for a long time. Please come this way, Miss Zhan." If an ordinary young lady were visiting, she would naturally go to the back courtyard, and Yin Yuanhui could have come to greet her. However, Zhan Feiyu was visiting Headmaster Ming, so she had to go to the front courtyard. Ming Er, as a tutor, had classes in the morning. Ming San was free, but he was being temperamental and unwilling to greet her, so Ming Yongxi had to be sent.
After returning the greeting, Zhan Feiyu followed Ming Yongxi into the academy. Unlike the Huang family, where medicinal herbs were planted, the front courtyard of Qingya Academy was only planted with pine and cypress trees and bamboo. The towering branches formed a dense canopy, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere.
"Are you the top scholar from Shangsi County?" Suddenly, a voice rang out abruptly. Zhan Feiyu looked up and saw a chubby child in a blue long gown walking quickly from the moon gate. He was half a head shorter than Zhan Feiyu, but he deliberately carried himself with the air of a scholar, walking with measured steps, which looked quite adorable at first glance. As the child walked out first, with a whoosh, over a dozen other young children in similar blue robes followed behind him. The youngest looked only six or seven years old, while the oldest was probably eleven or twelve. The group completely blocked the covered walkway.
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