The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 57 Xue Pan Comes to the Door
Ximen Da Guanren laughed and said, "I was just out drinking late and didn't want to wake you. Don't overthink it."

"A sweeping attack only resulted in a few blows from the bamboo cane, and it was only your fair flesh that was being hit. What kind of illness could there be?" Master Ximen laughed.

As he spoke, he carefully pulled down half of her pants, revealing several faint red whip marks on her fair, smooth skin, which, against her snow-white complexion, looked like a painting.

No sooner had the clothes been removed than the slightest touch occurred, and Jinlian cried out in alarm, as if stung by a scorpion. Her whole body trembled, tears streaming down her face, and she sobbed, "Father, it hurts so much!"

The official, hearing her sobbing so realistically, dared not move.

He carefully put his pants back on.

His large hand landed on Pan Jinlian's disheveled hair, ruffled it, and he sighed, "Alas, it seems you were really hurt that night. Your injury should be rested and not rubbed. If I don't know my own strength, I might end up hurting you."

He withdrew his hand, straightened his sleeves, and, remembering how he had rescued Xiangling from Xue Pan, could only say, "You should rest and recover for a couple of days, and don't move around too much. Once your wound has healed properly, I will come to see you again another day. I will have the maid bring some of the best wound medicine to apply."

Having said that, she actually turned around, lifted the curtain, and walked out, her footsteps quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Pan Jinlian lay on the bed, her aggrieved and seductive expression instantly freezing, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head. She never imagined that her carefully planned self-inflicted injury would result in such a fate!
Did I overact?

A wave of immense disappointment washed over her. As the footsteps faded into the distance, she abruptly sat up halfway in bed, not caring whether the pain in her buttocks was real or feigned. Her pretty face turned deathly pale with anger, and her chest heaved violently.

The person who was angry was not someone else, but himself, who was acting so convincingly.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound rang out sharply in the quiet room.

But Pan Jinlian raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face!

She gritted her teeth and muttered to herself, "Useless slut! Serves you right for pretending! Serves you right for being so pretentious! Now look what you've done! You've overdone it! You've even scared Father away! 'Come back another day'? Another day, another day, when will that be? There are so many sluts in this Ximen courtyard, they'll all be able to steal Father's soul!"

Frustrated, she slumped back onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow. This time, she was truly angry and anxious, tears streaming down her face, completely ruining the redness in her eyes that she had deliberately rubbed earlier. The injury on her buttocks also seemed to be starting to ache again from all the commotion.

Jinlian was annoyed for a while before she straightened up, pounded the bed and pillows, and got out of bed, walking straight to the food box.

But the food box had clearly been moved again! Chopsticks were scattered here and there, leaving it in a mess!
Seeing this scene, Jinlian couldn't help but feel angry. She gritted her teeth and kept sneering, as if she wanted to throw the chopsticks in her hand.

What a shameless, gluttonous glutton! Are you too scared to steal other people's food?
So you're targeting me alone?
Even this lowly thief in prison bullies me in this courtyard!
Just then, the maid she had befriended ran in and whispered something in Jinlian's ear.

It is said that Uncle Bian is going to host a banquet for Master and Senior Brother in the evening.

"A grand feast?" Jinlian thought to herself, "With such a grand display, people coming and going in the kitchen, and the steam rising everywhere, that thieving prisoner will surely be unable to resist and will come out to look for food."

This is the perfect opportunity to catch a thief red-handed! Thinking this, her eyes lit up. "I must keep my eyes glued to that jade flute and examine it carefully!"

A cold laugh escaped his throat again.

These old scores haven't even piled up high yet, so don't let them fall into my hands.

Then it was said that Master Ximen walked out of the bedroom with a frown on his face.

Why haven't you come yet?
This Xue Pan, this arrogant tyrant, can he really resist the temptation of a single pill that would lead to a life of debauchery like that of the Chu tyrant?

At this moment, the servant boy came in from outside the door.

"Father, Mr. Xue, who claims to be your brother, is here outside the gate. He's in a hurry to see you!"

Before long, Xue Pan staggered in. Good heavens! In just one night, he seemed like a completely different person: his eye sockets were sunken and dark, as if they had been smeared with soot, his face was sallow and swollen, and his energy had been completely drained. He had clearly overindulged and his body was exhausted.

Before Ximen Qing could even ask a question, Xue Pan suddenly knelt down at Ximen Qing's feet with a thud. Ignoring the cold ground, he grabbed Ximen Qing's legs and began to wail like a pig being slaughtered: "My good brother! My dear Master Ximen! Please save me! My life is in your hands!!"

The official was taken aback!
Could it be that this clueless fool has caused someone's death at the brothel? He hurriedly tried to help him up: "Brother Xue, what happened? Let's talk this out, what kind of behavior is this!" All the maids and servants in the room lowered their heads, pursing their lips, not daring to laugh.

Xue Pan refused to get up, his snot and tears smearing Ximen Qing's robe as he cried out, "Brother! Last night at the Lichun Courtyard, you were so happy! So majestic! I... I've never had such... such a commanding presence, so free and unrestrained, since I was born!"

"From commanding troops on the battlefield to leading Han Xin's army, I have truly achieved great success! Brother, Father, I now understand that all those years I wasted was wearing this human skin, not knowing what true humanity is like! I beg you, brother, to have mercy and spare me some of those celestial elixirs! No matter how much silver it costs, I will give you my entire fortune."

Seeing his disheveled and wailing appearance, Ximen Qing was both amused and exasperated. He pretended to be embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Alas, Brother Xue, aren't you making things difficult for me? That thing is extremely precious and hard to come by. I myself don't have many left. Besides, once it's used, it's gone. How can it last forever?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Pan felt as if his heart had been ripped out. He hurriedly pulled out his money from his pocket and shoved it into Ximen Qing's hand: "Brother! Here's three hundred taels of silver, consider it a token of my gratitude for your hospitality last night! As for these pills, please sell me a few, no more, ten or nine will do, or even three or five if you really can't! I... I'm counting on taking them to the capital to show off my power and let those young masters, princes, brothers, and nephews open their eyes! As the saying goes: 'Carriages and horses at the gate are not true wealth, but a red tent and spring breeze are true heroism.' I want to let them know who the real hero is!"

(End of this chapter)