Ink Burns

Chapter 301 Bad People Get Their Retribution (Part 1)

Cheng Xingyu was honored to be presented to the emperor for his contributions to epidemic prevention, and even had his biography written about him, which was something Shan Yue had never expected.

Upon hearing this, Shan Yue froze in place. After a long while, she turned her head to look at the porch, where the warm winter sun poured down, its gentle light, like ripples on water, illuminating a carefully tended clivia.

Beside the orchids, a small red clay stove was lit, with finely split firewood burning inside.

A little bit of heat can bring this delicate orchid back to life.

After Cheng Xingyu passed away, in accordance with his last wishes, his body was not returned to its roots, but was instead burned to ashes, and the remaining fragment was buried in the pot of orchids that he had brought from Fushou Mountain.

The orchid was well cared for by Shan Yue, with lush leaves and deep stems. It came from the mountain stream, but took root in the capital.

Shan Yue gazed calmly at the potted orchid. After a long while, her eyes welled up slightly. She turned her head and used her fingertips as a cloth to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. This was the first time she had felt joy for worldly merits.

Throughout history, there have always been those who rejoice and those who grieve.

Within a day, the Wuding Marquis's residence was plunged into a state of anxiety. Cui Yulang, who always presented himself as a refined and elegant gentleman, stumbled and fell heavily as he stepped on the hem of his court robes on the steps of his residence after returning from the court assembly.

The groom beside him went to help, but Cui Yulang nodded and gritted his teeth, saying, "Keep your dirty hands away from me, you horse handler!"

The sleeves that had been touched by the groom seemed to have been stained with an indelible horse stench.

Cui Yulang entered the corridor, glanced at the coachman leading the horse outside the door, lowered his eyes, and his personal servant Li Musheng, limping and trembling, came forward.

"Is this the groom that the Marquis usually uses when he returns to the capital?" Cui Yulang asked.

Li Musheng hunched his neck and shook his head in denial.

"Then drag him out, chop his hand up, and make him watch with his eyes open as he feeds the dog his own arm flesh!"

Cui Yulang lifted his robe and walked straight into the inner courtyard. The fire he had been suppressing was burning ominously in his heart, rising up his chest, his anger desperately seeking an outlet.

"boom--"

Cui Yulang pushed open the door to the inner courtyard and saw Fu Mingjiang lazily leaning back on the warm couch, her belly protruding high. The room was warm and cozy, with precious silver charcoal burning in all four corners. The daffodils on the side table even seemed to think that spring had arrived, blooming to welcome it.

Cui Yulang had never found Fu Mingjiang so disgusting.

This woman seems like a giant rat that easily gains wealth and leisure by devouring the flesh and blood of others.

When Jing'an was still alive, she parasitized her own mother; after Jing'an died, she sucked his blood and ate his flesh!
They couldn't even give up a tiny bit of useful flesh!
The antidote for the "Traction Point" was completely useless and became a piece of waste paper—it was everywhere in the city! Everywhere! Even beggars had one in their hands!
He's a joke!

It's a complete joke!
Last night, when he recalled the words he had spoken to Yuan Wenying and his ministers, using coercion and enticement, he felt a burning pain on his face!
At today's court assembly, Yuan Wenying waited for him outside the arched gate, his eyes dark and unfathomable, but the indifference in his eyes was a blatant mockery!

He proudly held the prescription that even beggars wouldn't want, and pretended to be profound among the group of old foxes.
Cui Yulang has lived half his life seeking only the word "respect." Whether it was his strict guard against his father's other children when he was young, or his current indulgence and pretense towards Fu Mingjiang, he gritted his teeth and endured hardship like a monk, all to reach the extreme that no one in the world could reach. He lowered his pride to please his father, Jing'an, and Fu Mingjiang, all so that he could hold his head high in the future and make all these people kneel at his feet!
Now, however, he is despised by the mere Yuan Wenying!

At that moment, his face was torn apart by the contemptuous and sharp gaze, and he was immediately immersed in the unease and overwhelming hatred.

Upon hearing that the antidote formula came from the Cheng family of Songjiang Prefecture, he instantly understood the key to this scheme: it was Shan Yue, Shan Yue, who was gradually undermining the foundation of "Qing Feng's" existence.

She's almost there!

She's almost there!
She arrived step by step from Songjiang Prefecture, like a demon stepping into the underworld, devouring all the achievements that "Qingfeng" had accumulated over decades, leaving only a hunter in Cui Bainian's palm.

He felt a surge of pride and honor.

At the same time, a sense of urgent curiosity arose: How would she deal with Fu Mingjiang? How would she deal with Cui Bainian? And how would she deal with herself?

Cui Yulang's restless unease and overwhelming hatred instantly transformed into a restless curiosity and a sense of satisfaction at having lost a battle from afar—the mountain moon, his mountain moon, his bright moon hanging in the sky like a pure white moon, so pleasing to the eye yet unattainable.

Only a woman who is exceptionally intelligent, resolute, tenacious, willing to defy convention, and leads by example is worthy of him.

“Yu Lang!” Fu Mingjiang propped himself up on his elbows, his gaze intense.

Cui Yulang suddenly came to his senses and saw this stupid, ugly, and sticky rat laughing stupidly in the luxurious bedchamber, its clothes slipping down its shoulders to reveal its greasy crevices and disgusting yellowish-brown stripes.

In an instant, Cui Yulang desperately wanted to grab Fu Mingjiang's hair and tear it back violently, along with her bloody scalp, into pieces.

But he can't.

He needs to confirm some things.

Besides the antidote, did Jing'an leave any other life-saving measures for his daughter?

Cui Yulang forced a smile: "Linniang—" He paused, lowered his head, paced back and forth hesitantly for a moment, and then asked: "That prescription, Mother-in-law, has it been circulated?"

Fu Mingjiang was taken aback and turned to look at the lady-in-waiting Fu Ruren behind the screen.

"Your Highness, no." Madam Fu's voice trembled. She had worked her way up from the bottom of the Six Ministries, and her instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm told her that a storm was brewing. She wanted to retreat, but the gold ingot that the Grand Princess Jing'an had given her when her father was seriously ill had cut off all her escape routes. "Since she didn't give it to anyone, then Emperor Yongping was deliberately cutting off our escape route."

Cui Yulang spoke softly as he sat halfway on the soft, luxurious couch, gently brushing aside a strand of hair that had fallen across Fu Mingjiang's cheek. He then recounted in detail the heavy snowfall that had blanketed the capital city that day, a consequence of the "antidote."

Cui Yulang then frowned slightly, his voice tinged with apprehension as he inquired, "Since the antidote formula can no longer subdue the monstrous 'Qingfeng,' Linniang, with the Northern Frontier Army currently engaged in battle abroad, the two of us are like fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others—"

Cui Yulang stretched out his hands and grasped Fu Mingjiang's hands: "Linniang, now that the 'Tethering Inducing' poison is no longer effective, can we suppress those old ghosts? Think it over carefully, does your mother-in-law have left anything else that might be useful?"

Fu Mingjiang was somewhat stunned, unable to understand Cui Yulang's meaning for a moment. The dimples at the corners of her mouth had long since turned into shallow lines due to the excess fat on her cheeks. Fortunately, her voice was still clear: "Suppress? Why suppress? 'Qingfeng' was established by my mother. Fu Mingbo is a cripple, so I am my mother's rightful successor. When imperial power changes, all that is needed is the imperial edict. The court officials will not force the successor to prove that they have something that can suppress the old ministers!"

You know that's imperial power!

Are they an imperial power?!
If there's no other way to keep them in check, why would they be so loyal?

Moreover, the "Azure Phoenix" is now weak and its people are restless. If we don't take strong measures, the group will disperse and they will become easy targets!

At least he still has the surname Cui.

The blood he shed in his childhood has now become a life-saving artifact—no matter how much Cui Bainian despises him, he must still be wary of him being the only heir of the Cui family!
Cui Yulang turned to look at the lady-in-waiting Fu Ruren beside him, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he asked pointedly, "Ruren, what do you say—"

Madam Fu quickly glanced at Cui Yulang. Having struggled in the palace for years, how could she not understand the implication: if Fu Mingjiang had no more trump cards, how the Cui family would treat her would depend entirely on their conscience.

What conscience can a clan have that betrays its own race and colludes with other races to seek power?
Your Highness! Your Highness!

You died too young!
He left his daughter alone to face the pack of wolves!
Madam Fu's voice choked with emotion: "The Princess is, after all, a member of the imperial clan, and now she is six months pregnant. You are the only son of the Marquis of Wuding. Once the Princess gives birth to a son, won't your position be even more secure? Just for the sake of the eldest grandson, the Marquis will surely treat you with even more affection and trust."

So that means there isn't one?

Fu Ruren and Fu Mingjiang are different in that they have different identities, different circumstances, and most importantly, different intellect.

In short, Madam Fu is the brain that Jing'an left for Fu Mingjiang.

Madam Fu was able to immediately understand his intentions, so naturally she would no longer hide anything from him at this time.

The smile on Cui Yulang's face gradually disappeared, and a hint of coldness slowly surfaced in his pupils.

Cui Yulang's expression changed, but Fu Mingjiang didn't notice at all. She still glared at Madam Fu with dissatisfaction and muttered sternly, "What do you mean by close and trustworthy? Yulang and I have been friends for many years. Having a child is the icing on the cake. How can you describe it as a lifeline?"

Turning back to Cui Yulang with a relaxed expression, she said, "Emperor Yongping was clever enough to lift the prescription ahead of time. Although we are in a bit of a predicament, it's not a hopeless situation. Mother has mentored and supported many students. Does that mean they will become disobedient without the 'guiding force'? Yuan Wenying was the poor scholar Mother supported the most. When he was taking the imperial examination, he ate cold rice porridge every day in a small cubicle. It was Mother who sent him two bowls of chicken soup. Does such kindness disappear without the 'guiding force'?"

"If that's the case, Mother-in-law, why did you set a trap for Yuan Wenying?"

Cui Yulang slowly loosened his clenched fist and moved his body backward inch by inch.

This question left Fu Mingjiang speechless.

Cui Yulang leaned back in his chair expressionlessly, his shoulders spread wide, his hands casually resting on the armrests. His eyelids were forward, and his gaze swept slowly over Fu Mingjiang. After a while, a soft, intermittent chuckle escaped his throat.

"Let's stop making silver thread charcoal for now."

Cui Yulang slowly stood up: "The harsh winter is almost over. The princess is kind-hearted and plump, and her fat skin and shiny flesh can withstand this snowy winter."

Fu Mingjiang thought she had misheard: "What, what did you say?"

Cui Yulang smiled and reached out to flick the drooping skin on Fu Mingjiang's arm.

The skin was fair and tender, indeed like a fat man dripping with oil.

"Look at you, you look like a pig now."

Cui Yulang took out a silk handkerchief and slowly wiped the sticky residue from his fingertips: "Your mother was as thin as a rope before she died. She crashed into the rocks on the shore, breaking off a piece of her waist, a piece of her neck, and a piece of her arm. It took a long time to piece together a complete corpse, oh—"

Cui Yulang seemed to suddenly remember something and corrected, "I heard that in the end, they were still missing the right ankle and three fingers on the left hand."

"Look at you, you're not even filial anymore."

"Your mother was emaciated and died a mangled corpse."

"You, however, are like a pig, lying in your room all day, eating and waiting to die."

Cui Yulang's expression returned to that of a gentle and affectionate gentleman. He bent down slightly, lifted Fu Mingjiang's chin with his index finger, but his eyes fell on Fu Ruren beside her.

Madam Fu was older than them all, and having spent many years moving between the six departments of the palace, the corners of her mouth, which were tightly pursed every day, already showed signs of anxiety.

Cui Yulang, however, spoke with great interest and a flippant tone: "It would be better to let the lady be your mother's daughter, my woman—at least she's not a fat pig that does nothing but produce."