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

Chapter 96 The Official Gets Taken Advantage Of

The madam instantly collapsed into a puddle of mud, as if all the bones in her body had been pulled out. Her eyes glazed over, and her mouth stammered. After a long while, she managed to utter a few broken words through gritted teeth:
"No... I dare not trouble you, sir... This Gui-jie... I'll offer it to you as a token of my respect and apology... I only beg... I beg you, sir, to show mercy and grant me a way out..." She was completely swayed, hoping that Ximen Qing would be lenient.

The man then stopped his chilling sneer and lightly tapped the madam's shoulder with his gold-flecked fan: "Oh, madam, you've misunderstood me. That's too formal! We're old acquaintances. I'm the most reasonable man in Qinghe County! If I were to force you to have my beloved, wouldn't I become a lawless bandit?"

Having said that, he slowly and deliberately took out a ten-tael pure silver ingot from his sleeve, and with a clang, like throwing a broken brick or tile, slammed it onto the ground in front of the madam.

"These ten taels are a deposit. As for the person, he will be cared for by you. Take good care of him, and make sure he is not shortchanged in any of the proper manners! In a few days, a sedan chair will come to take him away. If even a single hair is missing..." He paused, his eyes flashing with cold light, "Mother, you are a sensible person, you should know how I am."

The madam stared at the silver ingot on the ground, its cold light still gleaming in the muddy soup, and her heart felt utterly shattered. Ten taels… not even a fraction of that!
This wasn't buying a person; it was blatant robbery! And they wanted her to pay for their food and support them for free! But could she dare utter a single "no"? She could only force out a smile more pathetic than a grimace, and kowtow like a groveling worm, thanking them profusely: "Thank...thank you for your kindness, sir..."

Li Guijie, who was supposed to be the courtesan of Lichun Courtyard to compete with the two most beautiful courtesans in the capital and make a name for herself, hid behind the back wall of the house, straining her ears to hear every word inside.

Her heart instantly burned like boiling oil, and she felt so happy that her whole body felt lighter. She tightly gripped her handkerchief in her small hands and thought to herself, "Aunt, don't blame your niece for being heartless! Anyway, the master is still unwilling to marry you, and he can't tolerate a grain of sand like you in his eyes."

"Those empty main rooms in the West Gate mansion need to be filled by a respectable person! We shouldn't let the wealth go to outsiders. Rather than letting those wildflowers benefit from it, we might as well let this immense fortune fall into my niece's hands!"

She secretly thought that she should practice the skills of serving men that she had learned since elementary school, and that she should be able to take the rightful place of the man as soon as possible.

inside the room.

Ximen the Great Master feigned brushing off some non-existent dust from his robe sleeves, not even bothering to glance at the grieving madam and the distraught Li Jiao'er on the ground, and waved to his gang of thugs: "Let's go!"

Surrounded by a crowd, Ximen Qing, reeking of alcohol and exuding a menacing aura, swaggered out of the room and stood before the vermilion gate of the Lichun Courtyard.

Ximen Qing and his companions bowed to each other and rode away on horseback.

They watched as Ximen Qing walked away.

Earl Ying suddenly stopped, his gaze sweeping over Xie Xida, Chang Shijie, and their group of sycophants, a knowing smile creeping onto his lips. He slightly beckoned with his finger, and the sycophants immediately surrounded him with fawning smiles, crowding together in a huddle.

Earl Ying lowered his voice, his eyes calculating, and gritted his teeth as he whispered, "Although Wang Sanguan has been released, how can this matter be left unresolved? You guys, go and do something..." He gave him these earnest instructions.

Upon hearing this, Earl Ying's two small, beady eyes immediately gleamed with a sly light. He slapped his thigh, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed, crooked teeth, and chuckled:

“My dear brother! You can rest assured! This kind of business is exactly what we brothers are good at! These penniless bastards, their ancestors' graves once emitted auspicious smoke, but now they are just empty shells, yet they value their worthless reputation and face more than their own lives!”

Xie Xida winked and grinned maliciously as he chimed in, "Sure! Block his gates and curse his ancestors for eight generations until they jump out of their graves. That feeling is worse than having his heart and liver ripped out! I guarantee that Wang Zhaoxuan's two vermilion gates won't dare to open their main doors to the sun for three years! He'll be so ashamed he'll die!"

Chang Shijie, Zhu Shinian, and the others patted their chests and swore an oath: "Brother, don't worry! We'll take turns, and even if it rains knives and hail from the sky, we won't stop for a single day! We'll curse them so badly that even the rats in their mansion won't dare to dig holes!"

Only Hua Zixu quietly shrank behind the crowd. He didn't dare to lay a hand on the person who was being hit earlier, but now he was being blocked at the door and hurled insults like a shrew. The Hua family was a respectable family in Qinghe County, and he couldn't bring himself to do such a despicable thing.

Remembering that there was still a lot of food and drinks left to eat, and that the newly ordered prostitute was still waiting, she secretly ran back to her room.

As soon as Ximen Qing emerged from Lichun Courtyard and mounted his horse, the draft that swept through the courtyard made him dizzy from the alcohol.

Behind them, Dai'an and Ping'an stood guard on either side of the horse.

The horse's hooves clattered on the bluestone path as it slowly and leisurely made its way to the entrance of its alley. As it passed the black lacquered gate of Hua Zixu's house next door, a sweet, cloying scent of perfume suddenly wafted from the pair of dim yellow lanterns hanging under the eaves!
"My lord, please wait a moment~~~" A sweet, coquettish voice called out, its tone like a honey-soaked bayberry, sweet with a hint of sourness, the last syllable swirling as it drilled into the lord's ears.

Ximen Qing reined in his horse, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, and saw a woman standing gracefully in the shadows of the porch, holding a small silk lantern. It was Li Ping'er. The lantern's limited light hazily enveloped her, adding to her mystery and shyness.

Ximen Qing waved his hand, signaling Dai'an and Ping'an to go inside first.

When Li Ping'er saw that there were no outsiders around, she approached, which startled the official.

She wore a loose, sheer white gauze blouse, revealing a water-red bodice embroidered with twin lotus blossoms underneath. The bodice swelled and trembled, partially concealing her figure.

Below, she wore a bright green lace skirt with an extremely high slit. As she walked, a section of her fair and plump calves was visible, along with her soft satin slippers embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water, which were so blatantly eye-catching!

A newly picked crabapple blossom was tucked behind her ear, her face was lightly powdered, and her large, watery almond eyes, filled with spring dew and hiding a hook, stared straight at the official.

When she saw Ximen Qing looking over, she quickly lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes, and two faint, barely noticeable blushes rose on her cheeks, just like newly opened peach petals.

She carried a lantern in one hand, while the other unconsciously twisted a silk ribbon hanging from her waist, her fingertips turning slightly white, revealing her inner tension. Her voice was soft and gentle, with a barely perceptible tremor:

"This servant...this servant saw you riding by, sir. You must have just returned from a social engagement. It's late, sir...please watch your step." Her words sounded concerned, but her eyes, like those of a startled deer, quickly scanned his face and body before hurriedly lowering them. A hint of shy, watery tenderness lingered in her eyes, making one's heart itch.

Who was she? Although the woman tried her best to conceal it, the deliberately created "chance encounter" and her attire truly made the phrase "trying to cover up the truth" come out perfectly!

Especially those shy, hesitant, and alluring eyes that seemed to whisper secrets—he knew it all too well. His stomach churned with the taste of alcohol, but he feigned ignorance, and, mounted on his horse, deliberately feigned drunkenness as he chuckled:

"Oh? It's so late, and you're still looking out the door. Are you waiting for your beloved to return home? How virtuous, how truly virtuous!"

"My lord, please don't mention him!" The voice was still not loud, but it carried a hint of sobs. "That...that good-for-nothing! Today he actually secretly took some important items from the house and pawned them!"

She paused, as if furious, her chest heaving slightly, the lotus pattern on her bodice trembling gently, particularly noticeable in the lamplight. She glanced quickly at Ximen Qing, then lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper, filled with unspeakable shame: "She must... she must have exchanged the money and gone to that place to get him drunk again!"

"Look, do you see? I already instructed two maids to prepare two large copper basins of ice-cold well water! Just waiting for that drunkard to come back, we'll pour it over his head and give him a good soaking! Let's see if he'll wake up from his donkey-like streak! And whether he'll dare to do it again!" After saying that, she shouted at the door, "You're done here, go back to sleep!" The two maids shrank their necks and slipped away.

As she got into the heat of her rant, she suddenly realized something was amiss and quickly toned down her fierceness. Her gaze, however, swept across Ximen Qing's face like a honey-dipped brush, and her voice abruptly shifted, becoming both coquettish and resentful:
"To be honest, sir, my relationship with him... was merely a pretense of marriage, done at Eunuch Hua's behest. I'm just a widow in name only! As a woman, I'm easily embarrassed and have no one to rely on. Escaping this hellhole is incredibly difficult..."

As she spoke, it was all the truth, and her eyes actually reddened. She touched the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

Ximen Da Guanren sighed, "He'll get tired of playing around and change his mind one day!" He laughed heartily, deliberately making his voice hoarse and husky, with a strong hint of alcohol.

As he spoke, he made a move to dismount.

Just when it seemed that Master Ximen was as steady as a mountain, Li Ping'er, as if she had been waiting for this moment, cried out sweetly, "Master, be careful not to fall!" and pounced on him like a swallow returning to its nest! But she really didn't intend to help him up.
Two smooth, soft jade hands, without missing a beat, tightly embraced Ximen Qing's thigh that had just been pulled out of the stirrup! The force, the position, the ten slender fingers, through the silk trousers, pressed right on the firm, hot muscles of his thigh, and even almost brushed against it!
"My lord, stand firm..." Li Ping'er's voice rang out in the darkness. Although she was the one taking advantage of the man, her voice was thick with nasal tone and she couldn't hide her shyness. Her hand, which was holding his, wanted to pull away but didn't, so she could only stiffly maintain this position, while her little hand kept groping around.

Ximen Qing lowered his head, and by the dim light in the distance, he could see that her head was bowed, revealing a section of her fair and beautiful neck, and her ears were already as red as agate.

(End of this chapter)