《Yu Ren》


 CH 1

    How would you spend your fleeting life if you knew since you were three years old that the year you turned eighteen, you will die?


    Bai Fu Ling states, ¡°I am going enjoy all the riches of the world and keep all the attractive men and women close to me. To live my utmost arrogantly!¡±


    ¡°How are such days a life of human?¡±


    ¡°Those are clearly a deity¡¯s life, ah¡­¡±


    Bai Fu Ling sniffed the smell of fresh water and lotus and exclaimed in satisfaction.


    In this hot summer, others are being baked in the sun rip of their skin. She is lying alone in a small boat on the lake. Above her head was many green lotus leaf that layered upon each other, blocking the blazing sun as the small boat rocked with the waves along the lake. In the distance there are girls seen gathering water chestnut and in the lake, lotuses filled with aromatic fragrance floats around.


    Lying under her body is agarwood board, under her neck is a violet colored silk pillow stuffed with goose feather, and next to her was a jade incense burner emitting wisps of smoke around her.


    The spices in the furnace is specially prepared for her by the renowned physician Xin Yi. The mild smell of Magnolia is used to repel insects and is a thousand time stronger than the ordinary ones, but of course also a thousand times more expensive.


    Just these few items on the boat was enough to feed an ordinary family of five for a lifetime.


    Bai Fu Ling stretched lazily, while at the same time picked a flower still in bloom. Its white petals was tinted with a hint of pink and had a yellow-green center. The gorgeous flower would cause anyone to feel attracted.


    Just when Bai Fu Ling is in an infinitely good mood, in her ears came a nagging voice: ¡°Miss, you¡¯re dressed like this, what will we do if people see you?¡±


    Not far from the boat another small boat revealed itself. On the boat sat two beautiful young woman. One is wearing a pale blue short dress with tight sleeves, another is dresses in a neat gray purple dress. The one who spoke is the one in the pale blue dress. She looked while frowning at Bai Fu Ling on the boat who is wearing a soft, thin and white silk dress. Her expression is full of disagreement. What¡¯s the difference of this thin clothes with not wearing anything? If she is seen by a man, what name or reputation are left?


    Bai Fu Ling rolled her eyes. She refused to answer the question to this issue. The weather is hot like hell. She only wear a little on her own territory and didn¡¯t reveal any place which shouldn¡¯t be revealed. Talking like that is like she is walking naked on the streets.


    That woman saw that miss didn¡¯t listen to her good advice, she wanted to continue to persuade, but the woman in gray purple became impatient and coldly: ¡°If someone saw just dig his eyeballs out. Yang Mei, why are you so wordy?


    Bai Fu Ling turned and laughed: ¡°Bai Shao, you haven¡¯t been a killer for many years how come you are still thing about this fighting and killing things, ah? You are so fierce, won¡¯t your husband be bullied to death? Yi¡­¡­what did you bring for me to eat?¡±


    Yang Mei has obviously been scared by Bai Shao¡¯s bloody words. She didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. She didn¡¯t know Bai Shao for long, but she knew that Bai Shao is definitely not an ordinary woman. She witnessed how Bai Shao beat an eight feet brawny man to the ground. Really a shrew! Miss is right! Bai Shao¡¯s husband is really pitiful, ah¡­¡­He is not as lucky as her husband to marry such a talented and gentle woman like her.


    Bai Shao didn¡¯t say anything and lifted the food container. With only one step she landed on Bai Fu Ling¡¯s boat. The boat sank slightly, not even the sound of shaking can be heard. Such qinggong1 is really rare.


    ¡°Osmanthus jujube soup and also iced melon sent from the city this morning.¡±


    Bai Shao opened the food container exposing the fine white porcelain bowls inside. Inside the crimson soup floated ice and small pink yellow sweet scented osmanthus. It really has a cooling effect.


    From the other boat Yang Mei took out a white jade ice bucked with melon ice. The drops of water on the ice are drying. She cut it into pieces and handed it to Bai Shao.


    Bai Fu Ling unceremoniously drank and then called Yang Mei and Bai Shao: ¡°I can¡¯t eat all of the melon. You accompany me to eat it.¡±


    After serving miss to eat, Bai Shao and Yang Mei packed up the dishes. Yang Mei looked at the green leaves and suddenly sighed: ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯m late. If I was a few months earlier, I will be able to see the beauty of the flowers blooming.¡±


    Bai family¡¯s manor is Bei Guan City¡¯s Bai Li Mountain. This area is great. Ten years ago, when the Bai family saw it, they moved here. They raised a large number of craftsmanship, divided it into a few range according to the soil of the environment and planted it with different kinds of flowers and trees. Each season large flowers can be seen blooming as this Lotus like. There¡¯s also the Peach valley at the east, the snow plum flowers hillside at the north, the chrysanthemum ground on the west, maple trees and etc.


    Usually taking care of this flowers and trees will need nearly hundred people. Sometimes they even need to temporarily hire people to help. Such large project and daily expenses was just because one ¡°like¡± from Bai Fu Ling. No wonder her extravagant reputation is as loud.


    ¡°Yi, I remember clearly that you say you like plum flowers more.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling remembered the origin of Yang Mei¡¯s name and laughed.


    The Mei in Yang Mei¡¯s name is the same mei in plum flowers (mei hua)


    Yang Mei originally has no formal name and was called the same as her rank in her family Yang Er Niang (Er means two, so she is probably the second daughter). After being sold to Bai family and becoming Bai Fu Ling¡¯s personal maid, in order to show loyalty and also to please miss, she specifically asked Bai Fu Ling to name her. Because she likes plum flowers, Bai Fu Ling named her Yang Mei and she (BFL) also not so kindly said: ¡°Sour like this really suits you.¡±


    Yang Mei really is against this not so elegant name. Her intestines are blue from regret. But it¡¯s her that begged Bai Fu Ling to name her. She can only grit her teeth and swallow the blood back and accepted the fact.


    In a blink of eye Yang Mei this name followed her for many years. She slowly got used to it and didn¡¯t change her name back.


    ¡°Right, ah, but to wait for plum flowers to bloom will need to wait for at least half year. The snow plum is for a third white, snow plum has a really good fragrance¡­¡­Really want it to be winter immediately.¡±


    Yang Mei remembered the snow plum¡¯s beauty at Bai family¡¯s manor, suddenly she felt poetic. She began to brag.


    ¡°But I think peach is more delicious than the sour plum.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling remembered the sweet, juicy peaches, her eyes shone and determined the peach flowers are lovelier than plum flowers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the taste of lotus seed, but lotus fruit is really delicious! The leaves can also be used to cook rice. It¡¯s more useful than those Yao Huang, Wei Zi, Mo Ju and Shi Zhang Zhu Lian!¡±


    Bai Fu Lin casually put those varieties of peonies and chrysanthemum which are valuable in everyone¡¯s eyes as useless.

 CH 2

    Yang Mei said frustrated: ¡°If uncle Niu heard this, he¡¯ll be so heartbroken that he won¡¯t be able to eat¡­¡­¡±


    There are many of those useless ¡®famous flowers¡¯ from Bai Fu Ling¡¯s mouth in Bai family¡¯s manor. Uncle Niu is the head gardener of Bai family¡¯s manor. His favorite thing is to cultivate rare flower species. These famous flowers are his life.


    But Bai Fu Ling never have good feeling for those famous flowers who needs to be tended. She prefers the ones which doesn¡¯t take much effort to cultivate and with real value. This is also the spirit that she carried on when looking at people.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I can save money of a few meals,¡± Bai Fu Ling said.


    Yang Mei has been defeated by this elegant miss who hold grudges. She suddenly remembered something her husband told her. She said: ¡°Husband said that recently yahang1 received some goods. There¡¯s a lot of new stuff. He is asking if miss will go to the yahang to take a look and at the same time check the accounting books.¡±


    After Bai family¡¯s yahang began to operate in business, the management is left to Yang Mei¡¯s husband Bai Shang Lu. Bai Fu Ling rarely ask after it. As long as the money she receives every month is increasing, that¡¯s proof that Bai Shang Lu is doing his job well. Then that¡¯s enough. On contrary, it¡¯s Bai Shang Lu who often chased after her in a businesslike manner to report all the matter and also to remind her to check the accounting books.


    Bai Fu Ling have some interest the ¡®new stuffs¡¯ from Yang Mei¡¯s mouth. And beside after dinner it¡¯s suitable to go bully the men and dominate the women as a little exercise.


    ¡°I also have not been out for many days. This afternoon, let¡¯s make a trip toyahang. Didn¡¯t Bai Bing zi2 said that center of the city, there¡¯s a Huang shi furen who has a beautiful face and also a good hand for embroidery work? We can go and get her here!¡±


    ¡°Miss, the selling (slave) contracts in your possession is almost more than the paper money. For what do you want to get so many people?¡±


    Yang Mei helplessly said that. Even though she and her husband freed themselves, but their slave contracts has remained in Bai Fu Ling¡¯s possession. She (BFL) said it¡¯s a souvenir. She (YM) really doesn¡¯t understand what kind of strange hobby is this.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy!¡± (this is sarcastic. She means that as long as she is happy she can do anything)


    Bai Fu Ling lazily lay on the boat and rolled her body over. She lowered her head and looked down at the lake. She playfully held a handful hair scratching the surface of the lake. The circle ripples quickly attracted a few bold fish. They wanted to chase ¡®food¡¯.


    Bai Fu Ling saw that the stupid fishes has been fooled by her hairs, she laughed heartily.


    On the boat, there¡¯s a girl covered in thing clothes revealing her smooth curves. She has a delicate and graceful posture. Yang Mei even as a girl couldn¡¯t help but be in daze. She couldn¡¯t help but think about the painting of a fairy that she saw in the yahang. She felt that the girl in front of her is really beautiful and is livelier than that painting of the fairy. This is really a talent, a perfect living real treasure. Relying only on this beautiful appearance, don¡¯t know how many man will willingly bow under her skirt. Unfortunately, her temper is so strange. Where would there be a man who¡¯ll dare to marry such a girl, ai?!


    And this year miss will get the hairpin ceremony (turn fifteen years), if it was another girl who has such a beautiful appearance and the same wealth, the matchmakers will be already flocked to Bai family¡¯s manor. They won¡¯t be like her. Now in the present, no one dared to come to propose marriage. Even the maids are hundred and hundreds of times better than her! The most intolerable thing is her miss¡¯s attitude! Faced with such a dilemma, she is not ashamed. She still going every few days with her maids and servants on the streets. She really doesn¡¯t know how to retrain herself.


    Bai Shao sat quietly at a side watching Bai Fu Ling play with the water without manners. Such a leisure life, if put it to fifteen years ago, she wouldn¡¯t even have dreamed about it. And all the changes is because of this girl¡­¡­.


    Bai Shao put away the distant memories. She stood up and wanted to leave. She suddenly remembered something. She turned and specifically reminded: ¡°When you go out this afternoon, remember to bring Bai Shi San3 and the others with you.¡±


    ¡°I know la. Which time when I go out isn¡¯t it guarding at the front and wrapped at the back? Really like when an emperor make a tour.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling continued with her funny fish game and answered casually. These people at her side are her maids and servants, but everyone loves to order her around. Really doesn¡¯t understand who the master is. It must be because usually she is amiable, approachable, gentle and low key!


    Bai Fu Ling blew hard on the reflection on the water. On the calm water immediately arose ripples. The beautiful reflection became messily distorted.


    ¡°Recently some people may be against northern army¡¯s general. His martial arts is high and he has many subordinated by his side. There¡¯s no guaranty that others can get to him so they will start with you instead.¡±


    Bai Shao couldn¡¯t help but say it more clearly to let Bai Fu Ling has a better understanding.


    Those people of the court couldn¡¯t stay still anymore and wants to touchdage4?


    Bai Fu Ling sat up and took the handkerchief that Yang Mei handed over. She dried her hair and sighed somewhat depressed.


    Half a day has passed. Inside Bei Guan City it¡¯s really busy. The road is full of businessmen. From the south came a clear sound of camels and penetrated in the voices. It added some short of charm to the bustle of the city.


    The residents of the city heard the sound of the camels, their eyes lit up. They unconsciously looked towards the camel sound. From far away four white camels can be seen. Eight black horses surrounded a mighty ebony carriage and went in the direction of the east. On each camel sat a beautiful maid. On the eight horses sat eight brawny men in black with a wooden stick around their waist. It¡¯s Bai Shi San and the others.


    Bai family¡¯s has a complex background. In the manor, aside from miss Bai Fu Ling, the ones with a surname Bai, there¡¯s Bai laoye5 high above to a small child on the lower level.


    Everyone knows martial arts. There¡¯s no shortage on high skilled ones. It¡¯s just that they usually don¡¯t show it. They are the elite guards of Bai family.


    Bai family¡¯s laoye and furen6 fear all day long that something will happen to their daughter. So the moment Bai Fu Ling leave the range of the manor, behind her will be a bunch of maids and guards. Bai family¡¯s troop take around ten plus people. All of them have a beautiful body. Just pick one out, she¡¯ll be beautiful. If the clothes are changed and if you say that they are ladies from good families or from the jianghu7, nobody will doubt it.


    Next to the entourage, followed a white horse. One the white horse is a handsome youth. He is Yang Mei¡¯s husband Bai Shan Lu and also Bai family¡¯s head steward.


    Such an entourage, needless to say everyone in the city knows that this is no other than Bai family¡¯s miss Bai Fu Ling!


    The ebony carriage of Bai Fu Ling is also very famous. It¡¯s made under her personal guidance by a dozens of craftsmen. They spent a full six month on it. On the outside it looked plain, but it¡¯s said that on the inside the luxury level is comparable to the carriage of the empress. But those are only rumors. The one person who have the opportunity to use the carriage is only miss Bai.

 CH 3

    Aside from being comfortable, Bai Fu Ling¡¯s carriage is not like what outsiders might think. It¡¯s not luxurious and layered with gold. The most special thing about the carriage is that there are many small hidden mechanism. The carriage also has a unique design. It will let people work freely and rest comfortably inside. For example in the front of the carriage, beneath the driver¡¯s seat, there¡¯s a diagonal ice tank which has a vent. While the carriage moved, wind poured from those small openings to the inside of the carriage, letting the chill from the ice come inside. The people sitting inside won¡¯t feel the heat of outside. Even the coachman will feel cool.


    Bai Fu Ling is now sitting half lying inside the carriage. She is counting the thick pile of slave contracts while murmuring: ¡°With these, it¡¯s a total of eight thousand six hundred ninety-nine. With the one from today, it¡¯s a total of eight thousand seven hundred. There¡¯s still short of one thousand three hundred¡­¡­.there¡¯s still three years¡­¡­it should be more than sufficient.¡±


    The carriage quickly reached their destination on the east alley. Bai Shang Lu and Bai Shi San jumped from their horses. Four guards stepped forward to help the maids down the white camels. The other three went with Bai Shi San and knocked hard on the broken wooden cottage.


    Nearby the carriage, they are surrounded by a bunch of people watching with twinkling eyes. One said while speculating: ¡°Ai? Isn¡¯t this scholar Li¡¯s home? Can it be that miss Bai has set her eyes on his wife Huang shi?¡±


    The four maids beside the carriage began to work. One of them took out wooden funny looking chair from the saddle bag on the camel. Another came with a silk umbrella. Another pulled out a small wooden ladder under the door the carriage. The last one pulled the curtain, stretched out her hand and helped Bai Fu Ling come down from the carriage.


    All eyes involuntarily concentrated on door. Some couldn¡¯t help but make sounds of swallowing. All of Bei Guan City knows that miss Bai is a rare stunning beauty!


    A small white hand stuck out from the door. Then a green silk sleeve came into view. Under sun that hand seemed translucent like white jade. There isn¡¯t any traces of fine line or pores. It seemed boneless while it was put on the maid¡¯s hand. Exquisitely carved, indescribably beautiful.


    The not even fifteen year old Bai Fu Ling still looked somewhat like a child. Between the eyebrows there¡¯s a bright red birthmark. She seemed the daughter of the Jade Emperor of the legends. So beautiful that she doesn¡¯t seem like an earthly human.


    For a moment Bai Fu Ling couldn¡¯t get used to the sunlight. Her narrowed eyes slowly opened. The people felt that that clean and dark pair of eyes is looking at him.


    The maid who helped her, Bai Guo neatly sat her (BFL) on the already prepared seat. Then she began to fan her (BFL).


    The maids have been well trained and they have the looks and the aura. They are not less compared to the ladies from the capital. They are even a little more graceful than them. Around them are so many people but they are still very calm and composed as if next to them are only dogs and chickens. But ladies won¡¯t be like them and show their faces in public.


    Bai Fu Ling doesn¡¯t mind in the slightest bit about being surrounded by onlookers under such circumstances. She is such a rare beauty, why need to be afraid to let people see? Standing out is to beautify the environment plus she has never done a good deed without leaving her name. Today she is doing such good thing, the more people the better!


    She is now only concerned about one thing. She doesn¡¯t know if that competent and capable Huang shi from Bai Ping¡¯s mouth is really that good. Otherwise, she came out in this scorching sun to ¡®pick up people¡¯, it would really be a loss. With her fame, everyone knows that she, Bai Fu Ling only snatch handsome men and beautiful women.


    At that side, Bai Shi San knocked on the door for quite a while. The door finally opened before a crunching sound from almost collapsing. A skinny scholar dresses in green yellow clothes opened the door. Seeing so many people outside, he was immediately startled. Not waiting for him to speak, he has been grabbed by Bai Shi San at his collar and dragged to the front of the carriage.


    The scholar looked up just to see not far away under an umbrella the fairy like Bai Fu Ling. His eyes lightened and he stared in daze.


    Bai Shang Lu took two steps and blocked his line of sight. He looked at the scholar from the top to the bottom. His eyes showed some contempt. He took out a paper and asked: ¡°You are Li Duan Fang? Huang shi is your wife?¡±


    Scholar Li looked somewhat jealous at the bright light, the handsome face of a young man in front of him. He cursed in his heart: He is but a slave, putting such an air, bah!


    But his mouth didn¡¯t dare to neglect and softly said: ¡°Yes, yes¡­..¡±


    Bai Shang Lu nodded: ¡°My master wants to buy your wife Huang shi as a servant. The price is ten liang1. This is the slave contract, you can sign it.¡±


    Scholar Li was somewhat taken aback and said stuttering: ¡°This, this little scholar, didn¡¯t, didn¡¯t say that I want to sell my wife, ah.¡±


    Before Bai Shang Lu said something, Bai Shi San already approached and gave the scholar a punch in his stomach. Scholar Li was beaten on spot, he held his stomach and curled on the ground and screamed in pain.


    ¡°My master wants to buy, even if you don¡¯t want to sell, you still have to sell! Or is it that you don¡¯t want to drink wine of a toast but want to drink wine of a punishment?¡±


    Bai Shi San played with his big hand with an extraordinary enthusiasm. No wonder Bai Fu Ling likes to bring him every time she go snatch people. Really partners in vile habits ah!


    With Bai Shi San¡¯s vicious strength plus next to him there are seven same dressed ¡®thugs¡¯, only a fool will come out and try to be courageous. Beside those people from other towns don¡¯t believe that the beautiful like a fairy miss Bai will condone her underlings to do evil.


    The subsequent development is completely contrary to their expectations. Bai Fu Ling didn¡¯t even blink her eyes, not to mention restraining her underlings, two of her maids escorted by two guards broke into that broken cottage of scholar Li. In a blink of eye, they brought out a timid beautiful young wife.

 CH 4

    Although the young wife looked like she just passed twenty, but she looked haggard. With just one look, you¡¯ll know that she lived a hard life. Many people recognized that she is scholar¡¯s Li¡¯s wife Huang shi.


    That young wife was brought before Bai Fu Ling. Bai Fu Ling glanced once carefully at her. Although her clothes are shabby with many patches, but they are clean and neat. One pair of silky pale hands which doesn¡¯t belong to a young woman is now on her abdomen.


    Right, ah! Bai Ping zi said Huang shi is pregnant. For the child¡¯s sake, she took the initiative to seek help from them. Then, it can be considered that she saved one more person. It¡¯s eight thousand seven hundred and one.


    The more Bai Fu Ling looked at Huang shi, the more satisfied she is. She turned, looked at Bai Shang Lu and asked with determination: ¡°Is she the one Bai Ping zi is referring?¡±


    Bai Shang Lu nodded.


    Bai Fu Ling glanced impatiently at scholar Li on the ground who is crying in pain endlessly. She frowned and said: ¡°Then finish it faster. Later we still need to go to the yahang. En, and also remember to let him sigh the divorce papers.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Bai Shang Lu promised and gave the slave contract to a guard beside him named Bai Shi Er (12). At the side Bai Shi Yi (11) already took out a brush and ink stamp pad from the saddle bag. Then he also pulled out the divorce papers.


    Because Bai Fu Ling¡¯s hobby is buying people, this type of contracts has been always carried by Bai family¡¯s servants for in cases of need. Depending on the other party, they will fill the corresponding name, price and other things. The signature of the other party will be the confirmation.


    Scholar Li was rolling on the ground when he was suddenly pulled up at his collar. A brush was stuffed into his hand. Bai Shi San shouted at his ear: ¡°Sign quickly! If you let daye1 be late see how I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    Scholar Li shuddered a bit, gritted his teeth and said stubbornly: ¡°I won¡¯t sign it!¡±


    Pa! A slap in his face, making scholar feel dizzy and his ears ringing.


    ¡°Sign or don¡¯t sign?!¡±


    Bai Shi San held his hand grinningly up and said that ferociously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sign¡­¡­I¡¯ll sign¡­¡­¡±


    Scholar Li looked left and right. Everyone is only looking with folded arms. He is afraid that if he doesn¡¯t agree, he¡¯ll really be beaten to death by them.


    Trembling, he put his name on the slave contract and divorce papers. He also obediently put his fingerprint on them.


    Before him is now a silver ingot. He raised his head and saw his wife being led away by Bai Fu Ling¡¯s two beautiful maids. Seeing that Bai Fu Ling was about to go back in the carriage, don¡¯t know where scholar Li got the strength, he climbed two steps forward and shouted: ¡°In broad daylight, you are robbing a man¡¯s wife, can it be that in your eyes there¡¯s no law?¡±


    Just then from the side of the road came two soldiers wearing the northern army¡¯s uniform. Several angry out of towner¡¯s let out a relieved sigh. In Qi country who doesn¡¯t know the fame of the northern army? They are disciplined, brave and fierce. Since they were stationed at Bei Guan City, the barbarians didn¡¯t dare to come and cause a nuisance anymore. In the eyes of the citizens of Qi country, they are the embodiment of justice!


    The two northern army¡¯s soldiers heard the noise at this side and walked over. They looked around and immediately understood the situation. But they didn¡¯t act according the law; stopping Bai Fu Ling from forcing a man to sell his wife, instead they kicked scholar Li and shouted: ¡°Yell, yell, what are you yelling about?!¡±


    When the out of towners saw this scene they found it unimaginable. This is the northern army! They are the heroes of Qi country, the disciplined northern army. How can they do such an evil thing?


    After Bai Fu Ling heard scholar Li¡¯s question, she wanted to laugh. It¡¯s really dramatic. In these troubled time, there¡¯s still actually someone who will come out and ask her about the law! If there¡¯s law here, how can she continue her deeds?!


    The most important thing is when this shitty scholar Li abused he wife, why doesn¡¯t he talk about the law then?


    She turned around and walked to scholar Li. She smiled sweetly: ¡°Don¡¯t you know that in this Bei Guan City, ben xiaojie2 is the law?!¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect that she can one day say such ¡®visionary¡¯ words. The feeling is really not ordinary! In particular when this is the real truth!


    To thank scholar Li for giving her the opportunity to say those words, she decided that today she will reluctantly beat him one round less.


    On the scene, aside from a limited number of out of towners, everyone thought that this is a matter of course. This also included scholar Li who is being beaten on the ground. He seemed to have finally understood the situation. He picked up the silver ingot and stayed on the ground. He doesn¡¯t dare to utter even a half word more.


    The two northern army¡¯s soldier stepped forward. Their expression was like the spring. They smiled and graciously bowed at Bai Fu Ling: ¡°No need to let miss came forward for such people. If you say one word to us brothers, won¡¯t the person be directly send to the manor?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling smiled and nodded: ¡°Next time. Next time, I¡¯ll definitely ask you soldiers for help!¡±


    But in her heart she is saying: Such impressive thing as robbing people on the streets, if I let you do it, what more fun can I have?


    The two northern army soldiers chatted a little with Bai Shang Lu and Bai Shi San. After they decided where and when to have a dinner party, did they leave. From start to finish, they didn¡¯t spare scholar Li any more glances.


    Bai Fu Ling let Bai Shang Lu gave the divorce paper to Huang shi and have her kept them save. Then she walked to the carriage to journey to the next destination.


    The leaving crowd pointed fingers at scholar Li on the ground and began gossiping.


    A merchant said: ¡°Did you see? Did you see? The four maids at miss Bai¡¯s side, gee, so full of life¡­¡­They should be approaching a marriageable age. I got to go back and calculate my assets and then go propose marriage¡­¡­¡±


    Several out of towners are shocked. Miss Bai is an evil woman robbing a wife on the streets and they are actually only caring about if her maids are beautiful or not. And also have the mind to marry her maids¡­¡­And maids, if he wants them, he can just lift them away, why the need to go ask for marriage? What kind of people are this Bai family?


    Merchant Yi said: ¡°Pei Pei, with your looks, you dare to dream about miss Bai¡¯s maids? You¡¯re more likely to marry a rough water!¡±


    Merchant Bing said: ¡°Compared with miss Bai, her maids can at most be considered pretty¡­¡­¡±


    The crowd jeered and said: ¡°Are you insane, you dare to set your eyes on miss Bai?! Marrying such aggressive and arrogant woman, do you still have a place to stand? If you doesn¡¯t serve well, kneeling on top of the abacus can be considered light. Even if you¡¯re killed, you died in vain!¡±


    Merchant Bing¡¯s eyes immediately showed a look of unconvinced.


    A woman passing by said: ¡°Ai, Huang shi¡¯s life is really good to have miss Bai take a fancy on her. Why doesn¡¯t miss Bai take a fancy on me? If she wants to buy me, even if I have to pay ten liangs, I¡¯ll still be willing.¡±


    Another passerby said: ¡°Take a look in the mirror. With your appearance you want the same grace? A barrel like figure, someone so stupid that she can¡¯t even lift two needles. Unless miss Bai has gone blind, then she will set her eyes on you! Even if you want to pay, she will still not want you!¡±


    The woman got angry and picked up a stick to beat the passerby¡­¡­


    The street immediately turned into a mess.

 CH 5

    Being robbed is called ¡®good life¡¯ and can¡¯t wait to be sold into slavery? What kind of morals are these?!


    Even the northern army was mixed with evil as though there were black sheep among people. Times really have changed.


    In the carriage, Bai Fu Ling looked carefully at Huang shi¡¯s slave contract. She said with satisfaction: ¡°Eight thousand seven hundred and one!¡±


    Near the alley, at a floor in a restaurant, a Yang Hang dressed like a wealthy young master saw what had just happened. He frowned, looked at the ebony carriage that was departing and sneered: ¡°Bai family¡¯s miss? Really imposing!¡±


    Scholar Li Duan Fang¡¯s wife Huang shi¡¯s maiden name was Huang Qing and she was the only child of a poor teacher at Gui Hua town. Because her mother was seriously ill and because of poverty, her father married her secretly to scholar Li of the neighboring village in exchange for a dowry to cure his wife. But it turned out that Huang shi¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t able to get well. During her daughter¡¯s second year of marriage, she passed away. Old Huang was heartbroken and he no longer had anyone taking care of him. After half a year, he also died from illness.


    At the beginning, this scholar Li was fairly normal. Later on, he was badly influenced by his fellow villagers and became addicted to gambling. Two years ago, he¡¯d lost all his possessions to gambling and then fled with Huang shi to Bei Guan City to hide from the debt collectors. After he¡¯d arrived here, he didn¡¯t change. He took Huang shi¡¯s hard earned money from doing embroidery and gambled it away. He also began to beat and scold Huang shi.


    Originally, Huang shi felt that marrying a chicken, she should follow the chicken and accept her fate, but a few days ago, she suddenly found out that she was pregnant. Normally, this was a happy event, but Huang shiinadvertently learned that scholar Li had made a secret agreement with the people of the gambling den. If it¡¯s a son, they will sell it to pay off his gambling debts. Huang shi felt like she had been struck by thunder and was determined to protect her unborn child. She¡¯s a weak woman who naturally can¡¯t do much. Under some tradeoffs, the head of the embroidery house found Bai family¡¯s steward Bai Ping zi. That¡¯s why the scene ¡®robbing one¡¯s wife¡¯ had occurred.


    After Yang Hang heard the information he had ordered his subordinate to find out, he slowly started to roll the jade ring on his left hand. He said to the adviser Lie Dang by his side: ¡°It seems that this miss Bai has a heart of the Buddha. What is the thing between her and the northern army?¡±


    Another spy came forward and said: ¡°According to the rumors from the marketplace, the general of the northern army Lu Ying and her have a relationship of brother and sister. Their relationship is very intimate. These past two years, the court failed to grant the northern army with pay and food. These were provided by miss Bai. She even took care of the disabled soldiers and widows and orphans of the soldiers. Her prestige in the northern army is no less than Lu Ying¡¯s. It¡¯s said that the northern army obey her every command. Lu Ying is also no exception.¡±


    When Yang Hang heard that Bai Fu Ling had provided the pay, the hand playing with the jade ring paused slightly. Coldness and irritation flashed through his eyes.


    ¡°Aside from this miss Bai, who else does the Bai family has? Does Bai family have other supporters or are close with any other people?¡±


    The spy said: ¡°Bai family moved to Bei Guan City ten years ago. No one knows where they had come from. Bai family has Bai laoye Bai Chou andfuren Mu shi. The two only have Bai Fu Ling as an only child. It¡¯s said that this couple really dotes on this daughter and miss Bai has the final say in everything that happens in Bai family.¡±


    Talking till here, the spy paused and then continued: ¡°Bai family runs the largest yahang of the entire northwest area. Every year, the dealings with the neighboring countries and the barbarians are countless. They¡¯re wealthy as a country but only the people at the border know their reputation. Every servant or stewards have a slave contract in miss Bai¡¯s hands. How big the yahang is, no outsider knows. But I also didn¡¯t hear that Bai family is closely related to any party.¡±


    Time is limited. Before Yang Hang came, he only collected the northern army¡¯s general Lu Ying¡¯s information. He did not pay attention to any other matter. Now ordering his spies to go find out about miss Bai and they are able to get this much information, is already not easy.


    Bei Guan City was located far away from the capital. How the situation is here, the capital wouldn¡¯t know. They only knew that after Lu Ying became the general of the northern army, they had plunged the barbarian¡¯s army over and over again. The northern territory was safe and without incident for two years. Those high officials and royals were beginning to think about things like ¡®shaking the one at power¡¯, ¡®military has much power¡¯. After the emperor thought it through, he had decided to send someone in private to check the northern army, to see if Lu Ying had given birth to a heart of treason and to also make early preventions.


    After the collision of different powers, the result was to let the unfavored sixth prince Yang Hang become the secret emissary of this mission. Yang Hang also knew that this trip wasn¡¯t in demand and that it was very dangerous and yet he couldn¡¯t not come.


    Right now, da huangxiong1 and er huangxiong2 were fighting to the bitter end. If he revealed his power too early, he was afraid that he would immediately become the two¡¯s target. Maybe to draw him to their side or to murder him. The latter was certainly not good. The former was nothing but forced to make a wedding dress for the other with the power he got with difficulty. So he chose to keep a low profile and pretend to be forced to accept this task. To Yang Hang, crisis may become a turning point. Now in the capital, the two sides are battling nonstop. Temporarily being away was also a good thing. He¡¯s not interested in siding with one of them. These past few years, fuhuang3was healthy and vigorous. If there¡¯s no accident, he would sit on the throne for at least three or five years. Showing that you¡¯re eyeing the throne now, there wouldn¡¯t be a good end.


    Unfortunately, da huangxiong and er huangxiong didn¡¯t seem to understand this point. Or it could be that they were confident in their forces and thought that the place of the crown prince was only between them. Therefore, they were only thinking on how to defeat each other.


    Yang Hang was now only interested in how to complete this task and also to let fuhuang have a satisfactory result. This was a very important point. That¡¯s why, on the way here, he had thought about what kind of result fuhuang would like to see the most.


    He thought of several possibilities, but the important thing now was to find out Lu Ying¡¯s attitude. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t expect that he hadn¡¯t come in contact with Lu Ying yet, but would instead see the beautiful but arrogant and domineering woman at Bei Guan City. Her relationship with Lu Ying was not simple. Her background itself was very intriguing¡­¡­.


    He waved his hand to let his subordinates withdraw. When there¡¯s only him and Lie Dang left, Yang Hang asked: ¡°It seems that this Bai family is the tyrant of Bei Guan City¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Such heart should be punished!¡±


    Lie Dang slowly spit out those five words full of hidden blood.

 CH 6

    Yang Hang nodded to let Lie Dang continue. Lie Dang said: ¡°This sort of behavior from Bai family is simply like they see Bei Guan City as their own. Miss Bai¡¯s actions are beyond belief. At such a young age, she dared to speakconceited nonsense in public. And those soldiers of the northern army weren¡¯t surprised by her outrageous words. It can be seen that she usually also acts like this. And the northern army along with the citizens of the Bei Guan City only know that there¡¯s Bai family and forgot that there¡¯s still an emperor.¡±


    Lie Dang kept saying that Bai family is this and that. Apparently, he didn¡¯t believe what the spies had said earlier ¨C that miss Bai had the last word on the matters of Bai family. But it¡¯s no wonder, who would believe that the tyrant of Bei Guan City was actually an arrogant girl who hadn¡¯t received the hairpin yet.


    ¡°But,¡± Lie Dang pondered for a while before continuing, ¡°If we can convert Bai family for our own use¡­¡­¡±


    He raised his eyes to look at Yang Han who was sitting in front of him. From the information of the spies, it seemed miss Bai Fu Ling was a key player who could influence Lu Ying and Bai couple. As long as they had this girl in their control, many problems could be solved.


    His master was famous in the capital for being a loose man. Although on the surface, he had no job or power and only had noble royal blood, but he was the dream lover of many ladies in the capital.


    That miss Bai¡¯s origin and status was but an ordinary merchant¡¯s daughter. Although she acted arrogant and vicious, but from what they heard, her relationship with Lu Ying was close and her family was really wealthy. Her looks were also something rare in this world. Making her become master¡¯s qiewas something possible. An ordinary merchant¡¯s daughter could become theqie of a prince, for her parents and household, it¡¯s a glory that they couldn¡¯t even beg for.


    Marriage has always been a way to combine power. If marrying a girl could affect the attitude of the general of the northern army Lu Ying, then this could be considered as ¡®the thing is worth its value¡¯.


    Yang Hang understood his meaning and smiled: ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you also liked to joke. Do you also think that someone with such an identity like Lu Ying would be ordered around by a little girl?¡±


    His impression of Bai Fu Ling wasn¡¯t very good. She may be beautiful but she was too arrogant. She doesn¡¯t know how to keep face and doesn¡¯t know the virtues of a woman. He didn¡¯t know how Bai family taught their daughter. Although his character was that of a loose man, but it¡¯s not like the moment he saw a beauty, he¡¯d want to make her his own.


    Yang Hang shook his head. In his mind flashed that arrogant and proud expression of Bai Fu Ling. It¡¯s the first time he saw such beautiful woman who also liked to show off. Have to admit, compared to the ladies in the capital, she seemed more fresh. The process of taming such a woman must be interesting.


    Thinking like that, Yang Hang¡¯s lips slowly turned up in a small arc.


    Bai Fu Ling and her entourage arrived at ¡®Tong Cai yahang¡¯. The people of the yahang had received a message in advance that miss would come take a look. The shopkeeper as well as the laborers lined up at the front for a grand welcome.


    The so-called yahang, in ancient times, is where buyers and sellers make transactions, where they assess the quality of a product and also act an intermediary for the prices. It¡¯s somewhat similar to the intermediary companies of modern times, but the business was more flexible. Satin, jewelry, antiques, furs, food or animals could be sold using a yahang as an intermediary. The letter ¡®ya¡¯ means interaction, however, Bai Fu Ling, Bai family¡¯s eldest miss, had a more direct and terrible explanation: The so calledyahang was a place where you will be ruthlessly bitten when you come in!


    This exclusive explanation of Bai shi¡¯s is like a rule in this yahang¡­¡­


    Tong Cai yahang was located at the busiest street of Bei Guan City, the north-south street. Not to mention how impressive yahang¡¯s front was, just in front of the entrance, a ten square feet small-scale stone-paved plaza showed its position in Bei Guan City. Compared to the government office of Bei Guan City, this yahang was only a tiny bit smaller. In front of the yahang, on the small-scale plaza, there was a three feet high flagpole with the name Tong Caiyahang on it. Lining in front is a pair of glittering giant lions with mighty claws. Compared to the government office, the front even surpassed it. Indeed, this was the biggest yahang of the frontier.


    Originally, Bei Guan City was just only a small city at the frontier. There were no formal local officials. There were only the generals of the military who protected the people¡¯s livelihood. On horse, they were a soldier, off the horse they were an official. It¡¯s just that only in recent years, it had developed into a bustling place for business people. Tong Cai yahang could be so arrogant, it¡¯s suffice to say that the relationship with the northern army¡¯s general Lu Ying is like iron.


    Because of Bai Fu Ling¡¯s arrival, yahang had officially posted a notice. Today at weishi (1-3pm), they would not receive any guests. Even the carriages of the merchants on the small-scale plaza were driven away. The small-scale plaza was now full of people of Tong Cai yahang.


    When these people saw that the carriage of miss had arrived, they all bowed. Really a lively scene. If someone didn¡¯t know the truth, they would think that the imperial family had arrived.


    The businessmen who¡¯d originally come to yahang today, didn¡¯t mind the little delay. Instead, all of them went to a nearby restaurant to stick their heads out and look around. All of them wanted to see how this ¡®prestigious¡¯ Bei Guan City¡¯s Bai family¡¯s miss looked like.


    Bai Shang Lu personally escorted Bai Fu Ling into the yahang. After some visiting around the counter hall, they went into the accounting room at the backyard to rest. He commanded someone to go get the key of the warehouse. After Bai Fu Ling checked the accounting books, he wanted to go with her to the warehouse to let her pick out some fresh stuff to bring home to play with.


    Bai Fu Ling stared at the pile of accounting books in front of her and looked at the businesslike Bai Shang Lu next to her who was planning to explain the accounting books to her. She looked around and said: ¡°The moment I see these, I get a headache. Ding Xiang, Ma Lian, you two check!¡±


    The two maids standing behind her looked at each other silently.


    Bai Shang Lu said with a fierce look: ¡°Miss!¡±


    ¡°I raised you all till you are all so big so you can get the burden off me and to work like an ox and a horse. It¡¯s not to let you chase me to work!¡±


    Bai Fu Ling said that righteously. She didn¡¯t bother about the fact that if she¡¯d just picked one of the people she had ¡®raised¡¯, they would all be older than her.


    The other stewards were accustomed to their miss¡¯s manners. All of them pulled a long face and maintained the same expression¡ª-no expression.


    If they dared to laugh, the moment they turn around, they would be scolded by the head shopkeeper. It¡¯s said to not be afraid of the magistrate but must be afraid of the shopkeeper in charge. They all were making a living under head shopkeeper Bai. Naturally, they couldn¡¯t tear down their superior¡¯s stand.


    But if they helped head shopkeeper Bai ¡®persuade¡¯ miss, their fate would only get worse. Miss¡¯s ways of tormenting people were always new and never the same.


    At such a time, the best way to keep their lives was not to help either party. Close their mouth and pretend like they were furniture.


    ¡°I remember that miss once said in the past that with insufficient ability, wealth won¡¯t come.¡±


    Bai Shang Lu didn¡¯t move an inch.


    ¡°I also said using people don¡¯t suspect, suspecting people don¡¯t use,¡± Bai Fu Ling said slovenly.

 CH 7

    Bai Shang Lu fell silent, but that did not mean he was convinced. He was just too lazy to use his tongue anymore and converted to a silent protest.


    ¡°That, I said before that the first half of this year, you need to widen the business of yahang to the sea and form a relationship with the sea merchants, did you do it?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling suddenly talked about business so Bai Shang Lu didn¡¯t dare to neglect and sternly replied: ¡°Fortunately, it went well. I left the steward in charge of traveling with horses at the south-east, Su Mu is responsible for this matter. All is going well. The five largest sea merchants have come to an agreement with us. Su Mu is also discussing with some small sea merchants to build a force fleet to form a relation with Zhu Dao Country at the South East Sea and also to open up some new routes. Early next year, the first shipment should be able to set off.¡±


    ¡°En, en, aside from the new routes of the sea and the expanding business of the sea, this year¡¯s earnings of yahang need to be doubled again, can you do it?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling nodded and asked.


    ¡°By the middle of October, this goal can be reached.¡±


    Bai Shang Lu answered with a straight face. The other stewards in the room raised their heads and stood upright, showing off how proud they were.


    Since the day yahang was established, the annual growth of the earnings was incredible high. But this year, the famine continued to grow. Over the years, the situation had gotten worse. To gain a double in a year that¡¯s worse than normal, it¡¯s easier said than done!


    But they did it. Not only did they do it, but they had also achieved it ahead of the deadline! The people of yahang were worthy to be proud of.


    ¡°Right, ah. Everything I asked you to do, you did it. What more do is there to not feel at ease about? Well then, I only need to wait to receive money.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling once again put out the face full of mischievous smiles.


    Bai Shang Lu was dumbstruck and didn¡¯t know what to say anymore.


    Bai Fu Ling raised her head, her eyes swept over the many senior stewards and said smilingly: ¡°Everyone has worked hard. What yahang has achieved more than the goal will be everyone¡¯s bonus. The remaining half year, asking everyone to work hard. Make more money and have a good year!¡±


    After everyone heard that they were happy, didn¡¯t know who it was that began to cheer, but the accounting room suddenly burst with a thunderous applause. Only Bai Shang Lu had a face as if someone owned him one million liang and didn¡¯t want to pay him back.


    Bai Fu Ling waited until they had calmed down and smiled: ¡°I have something to discuss with your head shopkeeper. You all go back and do what you have to do.¡±


    After everyone went away and the scene was completely clear, Bai Shang Lu didn¡¯t hold back anymore. He stood up and said: ¡°Miss, you¡­¡­you, how can you¡­¡­¡±


    Bai Fu Ling smiled innocently: ¡°Don¡¯t get excited, don¡¯t get excited. Keep cool! Do you want to say that I¡¯m a wastrel?¡±


    ¡°This is what miss yourself said.¡±


    Bai Shang Lu put out a coffin face. With his eyes, he accused Bai Fu Ling¡ª¨Cso you have self-knowledge!


    ¡°Money is something you can¡¯t earn it all. Yahang¡¯s earnings doubled this year. It¡¯s enough for me and Bai shi to consume till next year. Talent and people¡¯s heart is the most valuable thing in the world. Spending the extra income to buy people¡¯s heart and recruit their talents is what will make a business stand in the long term. It¡¯s more advantageous than throwing money to build a fleet and to open new routes. Don¡¯t be so narrow-minded! The share you get is the biggest, oh! You putting such a face, if someone didn¡¯t know any better, he would think that I¡¯m mean to you and let you work without payment.¡±


    There were no others here now. The handsome man with a black expression in front of her was one of her most trusted people.


    Bai Fu Ling recklessly climbed onto the table.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it as you say!¡±


    Bai Shang Lu was somewhat moved, although his mouth continued to not show it.


    ¡°I know you want to leave some money to build the sea routes as soon as possible, to let Bai family¡¯s business in the capital and the mainland expand faster, but have you thought that developing too fast may not necessarily be a good thing? Our business flourishes in a towering tree, but there are not enough roots so the wind will destroy it! At Bei Guan City, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. Dage cares about our brotherly relationship and lets me mess around, but what about other places? If we develop too fast and too obvious, attracting the court¡¯s attention, our good days will be gone.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling explained seriously to Bai Shang Lu.


    ¡°I also want to expand the business to the bustling places of the capital, but those high royal officials are all blood sucking leeches. I¡¯m afraid that our business haven¡¯t even settled yet, but we are already drained by them. Although there are some of our people in the capital, but they are only middle or low officials who only have a few years of foundation compared to the high officials and the imperial family. If something really happens, the places where they can help us are limited. We should, step by step, stabilize our business at the sea. After a few years, tens of years, when our people are at power in the court, our hands will have enough talent and strengths. By that time, what can we not do?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling painted the bright prospect with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve understood.¡±


    Bai Shang Lu took a deep breath. What miss said made sense. Perhaps it¡¯s because these past few years went too well, so it made him less more anxious.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve understood. The accounting books, I¡¯ll let Ding Xiang and Ma Lian check them for me. They are also old enough. Should let them do more work. You accompany me to the warehouse!¡±


    Bai Fu Ling stood up, straightened out her dress, and tugged at Bai Shang Lu¡¯s sleeves while she said that.


    Bai Shang Lu shook his head helplessly: ¡°Right, ah. It¡¯s time to take the burden away from you and work like an ox and a horse.¡±


    ¡°En, en, let them learn more from you. The best ox and horse under me is you!¡±


    Bai Fu Ling said with a brightened face.


    Like that, Bai Fu Ling left two pitiful lives at the accounting room to work like an ox and a horse. She and the rest of her entourage followed Bai Shang Lu to the big warehouse of yahang.


    Bai Shang Lu took care of yahang for so many years. His eyes were not usual.  The things that went into his eyes, just pick one and it¡¯ll be a treasure.


    Bai Fu Ling was even more critical than him. They stayed till shenshi (5pm), before they left satisfied.


    In the middle, Bai Shang Lu was called away to go ¡®receive the guests¡¯. After hearing his subordinate come to report that miss was preparing to leave, he excused himself in front of the merchant and went to send her away.


    He¡¯d just arrived at the front room of the yahang, when he heard a male voice with a distinct accent say loudly: ¡°All the people here say that Bai family¡¯s miss have good eyes and her mouth can chop off people. You look at how much daye1 is worth. If the price is reasonable, daye will stay and serve miss really well! Haha ha!¡±


    This person specifically said ¡®serve very well¡¯ loudly. It was clear that there was another meaning to the words. They were obviously taking liberties with a woman.


    However, aside from the few people who had come with him and were laughing together with him, the other people were looking at the man who had spoken as if they were looking at someone crazy.


    They had clearly come to search for trouble. Bai Shang Lu put on a sullen face and walked fast into the room. He saw Bai Fu Ling with her guards and maids standing in the center of the room. Seven or eight brawny men, full of beards and with naked upper bodies, blocked Yahang¡¯s entrance.

 CH 8

    On the necks of the brawny men who were blocking the way hung thick golden necklaces with gems. Leather skirts tied at their waists. Even standing in front of the group of fancy dressed merchants, they were still very eye-catching. With such a dress code, they were obviously the Nu barbarian merchants of the northwest. Only recently have they begun to do business at Bai Guan City. The main thing they were selling was leather. Their custom was to wear all of their worth on their bodies. As long as they had some money, they would go out to buy silver and gold jewelry and hang it on their body. Such a way of dressing really attracted thieves. Fortunately, most of them had bigger bodies than normal people and they liked to travel in groups. That¡¯s why thieves didn¡¯t dare to have any ideas about them.


    Then again, in Bei Guan City, only these ¡®new people¡¯ would not be afraid and dare to run on the ¡®mouth of the gun¡¯ of miss Bai.


    Although the sun had already set, there were still a lot people moving in and out of yahang. They were blocking the entrance. The people inside yahangcouldn¡¯t get out, the people outside yahang couldn¡¯t get inside. Very seldom will someone dare to cause trouble at the number one snake nest of Bei Guan City. Everyone was opening his or her eyes wide and with a heart to watch a play to see how this person who was searching for death will end.


    Bai Shang Lu stepped forward to drive these barbarians away, but then he saw the head maid Bai Guo next to Bai Fu Ling blink at him. It was clearly indicating for him not to come forward right now. Bai Shang Lu knew that miss Bai¡¯s vicious nature must have flared up and that she wanted to play tricks on people. Anyway, here was Bai family¡¯s territory. Besides miss, there were many guards. If something really happened, the one who will suffer would not be her, so he will stand at one side with a peaceful mind.


    Bai Fu Ling¡¯s eyes swept once over that barbarian and said: ¡°To know what you¡¯re worth, we will need to see where you are sold. If you¡¯re sold to my Bai family, you are worth one hundred twenty silver liangs.¡±


    Nowadays, a family of five needs two silver liangs for food and clothing. Because there was a disaster again this year, there were refugees everywhere. That¡¯s why in Qi Country, you could buy a healthy young man as a slave for ten silver liangs. Bai Fu Ling offering a hundred twenty silverliangs would really make people¡¯s heart be moved.


    The barbarian didn¡¯t think that Bai Fu Lin would give him such a high ¡®evaluation¡¯. At the Nu barbarian¡¯s, hundred twenty silver liangs could buy at least thirty young slaves. Of course, this barbarian was not selling his body for money, but because of Bai Fu Ling¡¯s ¡®compliment¡¯, he laughed.


    ¡°On your neck, there are three golden necklaces with gems. Two pairs of earrings. A leather belt around the waist. The gold is just general; it¡¯s worth eighty liangs. The material of your leather belt is not bad, but when you go to a pawnshop, the price will depreciate. At most, you¡¯ll get two liangs. The big knife in your hand with the precious stones on the scabbard, the price will be barely thirty-eight liangs. Altogether, a hundred twenty liangs.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling counted the barbarian¡¯s net worth with an icy tone of a pawn shopper.


    The barbarian was somewhat taken aback. After seeing the crowd around him first begin to whisper and then laugh out loudly, he turned and looked behind him at a loss. He seized a companion and asked: ¡°Why are they laughing?¡±


    The companion also didn¡¯t understand and just shook his head.


    The head maid behind Bai Fu Ling, Bai Guo chuckled: ¡°What our family¡¯s miss means is that only the things on your body have some value. As for the person, you¡¯re worth nothing!¡±


    The barbarian suffered public humiliation. Under his anger, he took out his big knife. He groaned some curse in the barbarian language and went forward to attack Bai Fu Ling.


    How could Bai Fu Ling get hurt? She didn¡¯t even blink her eyes. Bai Shi San and the other guards behind her jumped forward, took out their swords and fought with the barbarian full of anger.


    Their moves were simple but very effective. All was directed at the important parts. After ten rounds of ¡®kacha¡¯ sounds, the eight barbarians are lying on the ground shouting in pain. From the unnatural bending of their hands and feet, the crowd was afraid that the joints had been cracked.


    Bai Shi San and the others quickly dragged out these losers and dumped them in a nearby street. The tables and chairs, which had been overturned because of this fight, in a blink of eye, everything returned as if nothing had happened.


    Not even the slightest trace of blood could be found on the ground. However, the people who had witnessed this scene of violence, when they looked at Bai Fu Ling, their eyes involuntary showed fear.


    Beautiful like a fairy, vicious like a demon!


    Bai Fu Ling swept over the people and sighed helplessly: ¡°Ai, fighting and killing are most annoying!¡±


    Bai Shang Lu began to feel pain in his temples. He smiled with force at Bai Fu Ling and whispered, ¡°You coming less often to yahang was right. If you came a few more times, I¡¯m afraid that no one would dare to come here anymore!¡±


    ¡°Those guys didn¡¯t come to do business! You send someone clever to watch those two people and send someone else to inform my dage¡¯s underlings that spies have come.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling pointed without a trace at two tall men in the crowd who were leaving.


    Bai Shang Lu¡¯s expression turned cold. He quickly called over two clever men to do the jobs. Then he escorted Bai Fu Ling to the door. This time when the people saw her, they went out of her way and didn¡¯t dare to block her.


    ¡°How do you know that those two people are spies? Just now, did you deliberately let Bai Shi San use a heavy hand on those barbarians?


    While Bai Shang Lu was walking, he asked in a low voice.


    Bai Fu Ling smiled slyly: ¡°Just now, when those barbarians were blocking my way, I noticed that their leader would unconsciously look back. Especially when he felt like he was very impressive. I knew then that someone else had ordered them to make trouble and that the person was standing behind them.¡±


    ¡°I paid attention for a moment and saw that behind them, there were two people who were acting strangely. Their eyes were obviously different from those who came to watch, en¡­¡­. very calm. Although their mouths followed along and booed, their eyes didn¡¯t have the excitement of the people watching. And their hands were on their chest but deliberately hidden in the sleeves. Now the weather is so hot, I¡¯m itching to roll my sleeves up. They huddled their hands, something must be in the sleeves. Hidden weapons or something like a dagger? Usually spies wouldn¡¯t dare to carry swords openly on the waist. The sleeves are the most common location to hid weapons. They may not necessarily intend to attack anyone, it¡¯s just a habitual action¡­¡­While on a task, a hand on the chest and touching the self-defense weapon, their heart would feel more at ease.¡±


    There were many similar people at Bai family in the past. Bai Fu Ling would recognize them at one glance.


    Bai Shang Lu was convinced. His miss¡¯s ability to see people, over the years he had long become accustomed to it.


    While talking, the two had arrived at Bai Fu Ling¡¯s carriage. Bai Fu Ling said: ¡°The target of those people was most likely not our Bai shi, but dage.¡±

 CH 9

    ¡°How come? Are they the barbarians¡¯ spies? Was it for this reason that you let Bai Shi San make rubbish of them?¡±


    Bai Shang Lu¡¯s eyes deepened. Under the northern army¡¯s general Lu Ying, there was no war in Bei Guan City these past few years. The citizens of Bei Guan City could be considered to be living in peace and working happily. If the barbarians tried to invade again, even if the northern army gained victory, Bei Guan City would be in chaos for quite a while.


    ¡°Such a fool with not well-developed limbs and who¡¯s especially stupid, how could he be a spy? Even if the barbarians are stupid enough to send them over as spies, they would have kept a low profile, how could they risk their exposing their true identities and cause trouble?¡±


    ¡°Humph! In Bei Guan City, there are those Nu Barbarians who are so stupid and don¡¯t know how high the sky is and how thick the ground is. Where the people who would dare to come here and cause trouble at our Bai family¡¯s business? Do they really think their lives are too long? Besides, there is no benefit for the barbarians to go against our Bai family. Although they are stupid, but they would not be so low as to waste so much effort to do such a stupid thing. The other party deliberately bribed the barbarians to cause trouble; first it¡¯s to create a confusion, second I¡¯m afraid that the wine¡¯s lover¡¯s heart is not in the cup,¡± Bai Fu Ling said in disdain.


    ¡°Your meaning¡­¡­is that the court wants to deal with general Lu. That¡¯s why they sent people to test us first?¡±


    Bai Shang Lu didn¡¯t quite understand what ¡®wine¡¯s lover¡¯s heart is not on the cup¡¯ meant, but from the experience of so many years of interacting with Bai Fu Ling, he probably could guess what she meant.


    He had also recently heard some rumors saying that some people at the court were dissatisfied with the general of the northern army. They might have taken some action against him. The position that Lu Ying is sitting on, the low-ranked people didn¡¯t dare to provoke and there¡¯s no need to provoke. The only ones who would take action against him would be the parties from the top.


    In Bei Guan City, just randomly grab a person and ask: who does the general of the northern army have the have the best relationship with, eleven out of ten people will say Bai family especially Bai family¡¯s miss. Lu Ying has a very clean image in the army and his reputation is excellent. If they wanted to go against him, the breakthrough would be through his relationship with Bai family.


    ¡°It should be pretty close. Those stupid Nu barbarians at first just started to mock and provoke, deliberately creating disturbance and wanted to stall for time so that some important people would arrive at the scene. The other party probably wanted to provoke the so-called person behind the scenes of Bai family. Dad and mother are very low key and stay at home most of the time and I¡¯m just a little girl. Everyone thinks that Bai family must have a person behind the scenes. Even if ordinary merchants are curious, they would not have been too concerned about it and they would not have been so bored as to send people over to provoke. But those people of the court always have a very rich imagination. Maybe they¡¯re now thinking that different army forces are colluding with an unknown party.¡±


    If Yang Hang and his adviser Lie Dang are here now and hear Bai Fu Ling¡¯s reasoning, probably their expressions would have been really colorful.


    Bai Shang Lu smiled helplessly: ¡°Since miss already guessed the other party¡¯s identity, why did you still use such a heavy hand?¡±


    After all, they are just some merchants who depended on Lu Ying¡¯s power. Although they also have their own power, but that power could not be brought out on the surface. Some things can¡¯t be done too excessively, otherwise it¡¯ll be the same as bringing trouble to Lu Ying.


    Bai Fu Ling raised an eyebrow and said: ¡°I hate other people using this method to cause mischief in front of me. Besides, if they are truly people of the court, could it be that they will condemn dage just because I beat a few barbarians?¡±


    ¡°The most important thing is¡­¡­Fang Hai¡¯s medical center has not had a big business in a long time! If this continues, in what month or year will he be able to buy back his slave contract?¡±


    Speaking of this, Bai Fu Ling smirked.


    Fang Hai is also someone Bai family raised. His slave contract is unfortunately in the hands of Bai Fu Ling. According to the rules as long as he earned enough money, he can buy off the contract and recover his identity as a citizen.


    Although on the surface Fang Hai had sold himself to Bai family, at the same time he was the proud disciple of a genius doctor. After learning, he opened a medical center at Bei Guan City. Because there hadn¡¯t been a war at Bei Guan City for such a long time and he is still so young, it¡¯s very difficult for patients to trust him. So he usually only treats some small ailments like cold. Fang Hai¡¯s medical expertise is skillful and he is too soft hearted. Often he would treat patients free of charge, resulting in the medical center being difficult to operate and he hardly made ends meet.


    Not mentioning about buying back his contract, even the money Bai family lent him to open the medical center, he couldn¡¯t even pay back. A disciple of a genius doctor becoming like this, it could be considered as one of a kind!


    ¡°Can those barbarians still be treated?¡±


    Bai Shang Lu was somewhat dumbfounded. From what he saw, he was afraid that even their joints had been broken by Bai Shi San and the others.


    ¡°Can be treated, ah. Bai Shi San and the others are very measured when using their hands. The barbarians just look miserable on the surface. Now some people should have already sent them to Fang Hai. Treating one is five hundred liang. In the package included, they can walk and move after one month. After half a year, they will be the same as reborn from the dead and can move about freely. Fang Hai having such living advertisements, would the road to the wealth not come directly?! See, not only have I recycled rubbish, I also took care of Fang Hai¡¯s business. This is called one move, two gains!¡±


    Bai Fu Ling said that proudly.


    Bai Shang Lu was lost for words. His miss made business with living advertisements¡­¡­really vicious! Don¡¯t know if after the barbarians understood the cause and effect will their outside wounds be treated but they got so angry that now they are suffering from internal injuries?


    Bai Fu Ling went into the carriage with the help of maid Bai Guo. She turned and smiled at Bai Shang Lu: ¡°You have a face cold as ice, but in the end you are really softhearted. All this time, you were thinking about the injuries of those morons. Are you at ease now?! It must have been a tough job for Yang Mei to jump through the appearance and see your innate character and insisted on devoting her life to you. You are indeed someone who came from my hands! The eyes are very good!¡±


    Having said that, regardless of Bai Shang Lu¡¯s awkward expression, she departed.


    This time, she went to the largest restaurant Tong Yun Lou. Every time Bai Fu Ling came to Bai Guan City, she would go to Tong Yun Lou to eat before going back to Bai mansion at Bai Li Mountain.


    The boss of Tong Yun Lou Huang Bo also came out of Bai family. Five years ago, he bought back his slave contract. Bai family had always taken care of these people plus the fact that this boss was Bai family¡¯s cook. The dishes he made was very much to the taste of Bai family. Therefore, it also became the first choice where Bai Fu Ling would dine in the city.


    Huang Bo had received the news early. He left the entire third floor empty and let people clean and wash it carefully. He is now just waiting for miss Bai to arrive.


    Bai Fu Ling¡¯s ebony carriage arrived in front of the restaurant. Immediately, a waiter came forward to settle the carriage and lead the troop to the third floor.


    The weather was bad after midday. Not long after Bai Fu Ling sat down, dark clouds came from the horizon. In a blink of eyes, lightning flashed. The thunder rumbled. Raindrops as large as a soybean splashed down from the sky. Pedestrians fled. The street became a mess.


    Bai Fu Ling leaned against the window and laughed to the maids beside her: ¡°Do you know why my mood is so good?¡±


    The maids shook their heads. They were not the worms in her stomach. Who will know why you are suddenly smiling?

 CH 10

    ¡°You all look at how sorry those figures of the people below us are. We are sitting here comfortably; no need to avoid the rain, no need to hurry. And soon there will also be delicacies brought here. Don¡¯t you feel very fortunate? Don¡¯t you all suddenly feel very good?¡±


    The maids suddenly realized that she was taking joy in the calamity of others! They should have realized it sooner; miss¡¯s happiness is based on the sufferings of others!


    Just at this moment, Huan Bo personally came in to serve with a servant.


    Bai Fu Ling and the four maids sat by the window together. They sat across Bai Shi San and the others through a white screen.


    The dishes are very rich in flavor, but the portions were not big. Especially at Bai Fu Ling¡¯s side. Although it¡¯s eight dishes with one soup, but each dish is very ¡®delicate¡¯. It¡¯s just the right amount for five women. It¡¯s Bai Shi San¡¯s side that had big platters of food.


    Although the amount is not the same, but clearly the dishes on Bai Fu Ling¡¯s side is prepared with more thoughtfulness.


    Huang Bo bowed to Bai Fu Ling and wanted to have a chat with her, but Bai Fu Ling waved her hand impatiently: ¡°There¡¯s a good business outside waiting for you to do, why are you still here chatting? Go finish the thing below and then you can come back and talk.¡±


    Now it¡¯s dinnertime and also coincided with a heavy rain. The guests are more than usual. The two floors below are already full. It¡¯s a busy time now. Huang Bo knows that his miss doesn¡¯t like polite etiquettes and being here pointlessly. He didn¡¯t dare to say anything more and obediently went back to work.


    Bai Fu Ling really disliked it when she is having a meal and there¡¯s a crowd around her. So not only did she reserve the whole third floor, she didn¡¯t even let the servants stay.


    Bai Guo took over the silver chopsticks and put the dishes on Bai Fu Ling¡¯s plate. Then she put down the chopsticks and left with the other maids to Bai Shi San¡¯s side to have their meal.


    Every time they went out with miss, they will have a good dinner to eat. Bai Shi San and the others have long waited till they were swallowing their saliva. Once they heard that they could start, they immediately flocked to the dishes. A wind swept the grounds, while they pushed down the dishes into their stomach.


    In contrast, Bai Fu Ling is more elegant. Bai Fu Ling glanced over and muttered: ¡°You are like hungry wolves. If someone didn¡¯t know any better, they would think that I usually don¡¯t give you a full meal to eat!¡±


    Ma Lian smiled: ¡°In these words, where are the hungry wolves that are so fat? Their personality is like this. Don¡¯t let it turn off miss¡¯s appetite.¡±


    Just then, sounds of dispute suddenly came from the stairs. And then a burst of footsteps could be heard. From the stairs, ten servants in grey clothes swarmed inside, followed by two fifty-something (female) servants and four teenage maids who are surrounding two beautiful young women.


    The two women who came in last are wearing expensive clothes. Their hair are full of pearls. One is wearing a navy blue dress. On the dress, there are plums and peonies embroidered. The other is wearing a light yellow jacket with narrow sleeves. She is also wearing a light green floral dress. A jade green brocade covered half of the sleeves of the girl¡¯s dress. Unfortunately, just now it rained. The bottom of the dress is soiled because of the rain, making her look a sorry figure.


    From the moment they heard movements, Bai Shi San and the others have dropped the fatty meat that was about to enter their mouths and jumped to the entrance to block them.


    A middle-aged maid among the other party came forward. Her eyes swept over the vicious Bai Shi San and the others. Her vision went as far as looking at Bai Fu Ling, who was sitting by the window with her back towards them. Then she looked at the four maids by her side who have already stood up. She immediately knew that the leader of this group of people is the only female who¡¯s still sitting on the chair.


    Not mentioning the eight shiny guards, every maid beside the girl is beautiful like a flower. The ornaments and clothes on their bodies and hairs are something that even rich families wouldn¡¯t be able to afford. They didn¡¯t look like maids. Just with their looks, they surpassed many ladies of good families! Although this middle-aged maid didn¡¯t want to admit, but the looks of these few maids wouldn¡¯t lose to her miss and cousin miss. Really don¡¯t know how people at this border city can get such girls as maids.


    It seems that the other party also has some powers¡­¡­but just thinking about her guye¡¯s identity, she immediately put aside her little hesitation. She raised her eyebrow and said: ¡°There¡¯s heavy rain, please, can this lady make it easy for us by giving us a few seats so my family¡¯s furen can take a rest? As for the cost of reserving this floor, my family¡¯s furen is willing to pay half.¡±


    She is speaking quite politely, but every word braces the meaning of being not negotiable. The third floor is spacious. It can put seven, eight tables for ten people. Now, Bai Fu Ling and the others only used two table to occupy this whole floor. The woman felt that her requirements and conditions are very reasonable.


    Huang Bo was at the back looking for Bai Fu Ling¡¯s dessert. After hearing from the servants that people had actually broken into the third floor, he was immediately anxious. Three steps became two steps. He hurried over.


    He ran up the stars and was just in time to hear the woman¡¯s words. The moment he heard that, his heart called ¡®this is bad¡¯. He didn¡¯t dare to say that he really understood his miss¡¯s temper, but he knows about fifty to sixty percent. These people broke into the third floor had already broken miss¡¯s taboo. And their attitude is actually strong, wanting miss to give up a few tables. Most importantly, what they shouldn¡¯t have said is about splitting the fee. He seemed to almost be able to foresee how miss would humiliate these people¡­¡­.


    ¡°Guest, this floor has already been reserved. A guest in a private room downstairs is about to check out, can you wait for a moment downstairs? This small shop will clean the place as soon as possible.¡±


    Huang Bo persuaded first before Bai Fu Ling can open her mouth. He hopes that he can quickly, really quickly, bring these people downstairs, to avoid people getting hurt¡­¡­not that he is afraid that his miss will get hurt, he is afraid that these outsiders, who he doesn¡¯t know where they came from,  will get hurt!


    But some people completely don¡¯t understand his good intentions. That young maiden beside the lady whispered: ¡°Biaojie, in this Bei Guan City, biao jiefu2is the biggest. If someone needs to leave, it¡¯s them. If we let it go, in the future if this is spread out, won¡¯t it let people laugh at biao jiefu?¡±


    This young maiden saw that the ostentation of Bai Fu Ling didn¡¯t lose to that of them, she got angry. And after seeing those beautiful maids, she got angrier. She can be considered to have seen something of the world. Although the other party has many servants, the ostentation is also not small, but she is apparently not from a family of officials. Since she (BFL) is just a commoner, then what does she (young maiden) need to worry about? And also counting on their backers, she does not believe that there is someone else in this Bei Guan City who has a stronger backer than her¡­¡­biaojie!


    After furen heard that, her heart also moved. They came from the capital. Normally they saw more elite officials than dogs. Even her big brother¡¯s official post is not small, but they still have to live holding their tails. Now that they had come to this border, do they still need to be patient and accept this and that? Thinking like that, she lost the interest to go downstairs. Even if the private room is free and convenient for them to rest, she will still need to occupy this floor!


    Huang Bo saw that this group of people didn¡¯t even move an inch, his heart couldn¡¯t help but get anxious. He was about to persuade some more, when he suddenly heard Bai Fu Ling say: ¡°Boss, here is none of your business, go down!


    The moment Huang Bo heard this, he knew he couldn¡¯t say more. He looked with some sympathy at this group of people who are acting recklessly. He shook his head and went down while he commanded the servant to absolutely let no one else come upstairs and no matter what happens upstairs, he must not meddle.

 CH 11

    After Bai Fu Ling drove Huang Bo away, she slowly turned. The moment the people who are causing trouble saw her looks, they involuntarily gasped. They almost suspected that it¡¯s a fairy who came down to earth. In particular, those several male servants. They looked at her in a daze.


    Bai Fu Ling was already accustomed to this, so she didn¡¯t care. She gave Bai Guo, who is standing beside her, a glance. Bai Guo understood and said to that furen: ¡°Since you know that this floor has been reserved by my miss, please leave. When my miss is eating meals, she doesn¡¯t like nuisances at her side.¡±


    Those words were very rude. The middle-aged maid, who originally lost her soul because of Bai Fu Ling¡¯s looks, got her soul back. Her expression immediately changed and she sneered: ¡°Do you know who my furen is?¡±


    Bai Guo, being Bai Fu Ling¡¯s subordinate, cannot be said about other things, but she is good at quarrels. After she heard that remark, she immediately got happy: ¡°You don¡¯t even know who your furen is and still come to ask me? You go back and ask, then we can talk.¡±


    Ding Xiang and Ma Lian couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    That middle-aged maid was so angry, she trembled. She is greatly humiliated in front of her owner. She wanted to retort but was afraid that the more she talks, the more mistakes she will make. Just as she was about to break out, another middle-aged woman came forward, pulled her sleeves and said loudly: ¡°Why waste words on these countryside commoners? Not drinking wine of a toast but wants to drink wine of a punishment!¡±


    After saying that, she waved her hands. The male servants immediately came forward and began fighting.


    Although Bai Shi San and the others have an appearance of not to be trifled with, but these people who came from a family of generals, in the eyes of this trained servant, Bai Shi San and the others are just a bunch of ordinary vicious people. They rushed forward without care. They thought that in just a moment after taking down Bai Shi San and the others, they might have a chance to get their hands on Bai Fu Ling and those beautiful maids. So they put more effort in fighting. But from the moment they started, they found out that they were wrong. The people before them seemed to have changed in a blink of an eye¡­¡­. but it¡¯s already too late.


    Bai Shi San and the others moved fast and hard and the martial arts they practiced have always been designed for the crucial points. It¡¯s nothing fancy.


    In a blink of an eye, five of the servants have been taken down. Although the remaining three are barely standing, they have become pale. Their pairs of hands are hanging softly beside their bodies. They are clearly dislocated. There are two completely free of injuries, but that¡¯s because they happened to be the ones responsible for guarding the six women, so they didn¡¯t rush forward and were lucky to survive.


    This is also the result of Bai Shi San and the others being lenient. They received the hint from Bai Guo, so they didn¡¯t use the stick. Otherwise, Fang Hai¡¯s medical center would have received a few more ¡®living advertisements¡¯.


    Although these servants aren¡¯t as good as Bai Shi San and the others, but they are also very powerful and didn¡¯t even cry or shout.


    The two middle-aged maids were stunned by this unexpected scene. All the way here, they had encountered some things. They always saw how their family¡¯s servants beat the opponents until they covered their heads and sneak away like a rat. How could they have thought that today, the situation would be reversed.


    The furen, protected in the middle, has paled but still remained calm. The young maiden next to her was scared until she had lost all color. She covered her mouth with force. She almost screamed out loud.


    Bai Fu Ling¡¯s eyes swept over them while smiling faintly: ¡°If you want to tyrannize, you also need to look who the opponent is, get away quickly! Can it be that you are waiting for us to let you stay for food?¡±


    That furen patted on the young maiden¡¯s shoulder to indicate that she should calm down. She straightened her waist and looked once at Bai Fu Ling. She said coldly: ¡°Don¡¯t know what miss¡¯s name is.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling ignored her, turned around and said to her maids: ¡°Let¡¯s eat! Don¡¯t bother with those loitering people. The dishes have turned cold. Really spoiling the mood!¡±


    Such obvious ignoring is like a slap to that furen¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t say a word, leaned on the maid beside her and headed down the stairs. That young maiden turned around and said viciously in Bai Fu Ling¡¯s direction: ¡°You offended my biaojie, you will regret it! Do you know who my biao jiefu1 is?!¡±


    Why can¡¯t this girl learn how to behave? Bai Guo could no longer bear it and smiled: ¡°You go home and ask who your biao jiefu is and then come make a scene. It wouldn¡¯t be too late.¡±


    This time, even Bai Shi San couldn¡¯t hold it in and burst out laughing.


    That furen, seeing her biaomei being ridiculed, in her heart she is blaming her for disgracing herself. She turned around and grabbed her to leave.


    Those servants, who had been knocked down or dislocated and sprained their muscles, helped each other. While twisting, they went down the stairs.


    At the second floor, the guests are all staring with big eyes with a look of ¡®watching a play¡¯. These people were so embarrassed that they want to dig a hole to bury themselves. Many of these guests are regulars at Tong Yun Lou. They knew that the one on the floor above is Bai family¡¯s miss. When these people went upstairs to search for trouble, they already guessed that this would have been the outcome. They laughed while waiting to watch this play.


    That furen and miss have never received such shame before. They rushed all the way straight down to the first floor. They let the servant bring their carriage. They went into it and got away.


    That miss went into the carriage and cried tears full of grievances. She said to the furen: ¡°Biaojie, why did you stop me from speaking biao jiefu¡¯s name? I don¡¯t believe that after that little bitch hears biao jiefu¡¯s name, she will still dare to be so arrogant!¡±


    That furen¡¯s face turned cold and she said: ¡°Turning like this, still have the nerve to put out your biao jiefu¡¯s name! If this got out, even my face will turn red!¡±


    She is feeling remorseful for not stepping down when the shopkeeper came to persuade and listened to her biaomei. In the end, she didn¡¯t even figure out the identity of the other party but already has lost such a big face.


    Of course, such a loathsome girl who dared to humiliate her, she will definitely not let her go. When she sees her husband, she must let her husband take revenge for her. By that time, see how she¡¯ll tear down that loathsome girl¡¯s proud face! It¡¯s just, she must absolutely not let her husband see that girl¡­¡­at such a young age, her appearance is already like a fox¡­¡­.


    At Tong Yun Lou, Huang Bo let two servants put the chairs and tables back to their place. He repeatedly apologized to Bai Fu Ling for failing to stop those people. After that did he retreated.


    Bai Fu Ling sighed: ¡°Is it because recently I did too many good things or does my face look like someone easy to bully? How come that today I went out, one after another, people will come looking for trouble?¡±


    The four maids looked at each other. This is really strange. These few years, at Bei Guan City, miss¡¯s ¡®evil name¡¯ can be considered to have spread far and wide. There¡¯s only she who bullies people, who will not be afraid and dare to come provoke her, ah? It just so happens that today, they encountered two.


    Ding Xiang said: ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s by coincidence. I heard that recently, there¡¯s a lot more merchants in town.¡±


    Ma Lian blinked and said: ¡°The people who came such now don¡¯t seem like merchants. Dressing like that, they don¡¯t look like someone simple. Don¡¯t know which family¡¯s furen and miss they are.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling drink some white fungus soup and said: ¡°It¡¯s my dage¡¯s family.¡±

 CH 12

    ¡°What?!¡± This time even the silent maid Ma Lan exclaimed, only the sturdy Bai Guo was serving Bai Fu Ling some cabbage.


    Ding Xiang ate, ¡°So, that lady is, is the family of General Lu?¡± No wonder it¡¯s such a big show¡­(this is a translateindo.com translation)


    ¡°It¡¯s the wife of Big Brother.¡± Bai Fu Ling remained motionless as if offending her first sister-in-law was just a trivial matter.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t report their names, nor did they bring their family members to the General¡¯s Fu. Why are you so sure, Miss?¡± It is impossible for her servant girl to have too much contact with General Lu Ying of The North Garrison. However, the General¡¯s Fu has a simple population and a limited number of family members often go to Bai Family Village, from time to time. Many people in Bai Family Village recognized General Fu¡®s people. However, those family members just now, regardless of their clothes and appearance, are very strange. Otherwise, Bai Shi San wouldn¡¯t fight so easily.


    (Fu = mansion/ home, usually house of nobility.)


    ¡°The two ladies just now had good clothes, and their jewelry was exquisitely crafted and of special style. They were totally unlike ordinary people. They were well-trained and apparently from large families. This Bei Guan city borders on the barbarians. Although there have been few wars in recent years, the situation is unstable. Most of the people living in this area are businessmen. The wealthy and powerful people are unwilling to live in such a dangerous place. Bei Guan city has no one to support such a family besides our Bai family, and the male owner of their family is certainly not a native.¡± At Bai Fu Ling¡¯s analysis, several girls nodded.( not reading at Translateindo? it¡¯s been copied without permission)


    ¡°There are ten of them alone. Ordinary people only visit relatives and friends locally, they will not bring so many people with them. Most of them have traveled a long way, so they have to take so many people to escort them. They have just arrived in Bei Guan City and have not found a place to live. ¡± Bai Fu Ling heard the audience perk up their ears and spoke more vigorously.


    ¡°Miss, you don¡¯t take fewer people out than they do!¡± Ding Xiang couldn¡¯t help but laughing and change the subject.


    Bai Fu Ling glared at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s good of me to take you out to see the world and look around so that you don¡¯t feel sad and bored every day looking at the flowers and trees in the village. I won¡¯t take you next time if you have any comments.¡±


    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m wrong. Go on, go on with what were you saying!¡± Ding Xiang rushed to beg for mercy.


    ¡°Humph! The two women, in all their flowering branches swaying, did not seem to be in a hurry. They were obviously about to arrive at their destination. They attached great importance to the people they were going to meet. They wanted to dress up carefully for fear of being rude. But unfortunately, because of heavy rain, they had to stop halfway, and wait for the rain to stop and clearing up before meeting people.¡±


    (»¨Ö¦ÕÐÕ¹ [hu¨¡ zh¨© zh¨¡o zh¨£n] =The flowering branches shake to give notice; used to describe the beautiful dress of a woman/ be seductively dressed/ gorgeously dressed to get attention.)


    ¡°There are no male family members around them. If they want to meet an older man or someone trivial, they wouldn¡¯t be so attentive. That¡¯s not only for the Madam. Even the young lady is dressed like she is going to meet a lover. Obviously, they are going to meet someone who is very important and attractive to them. And certainly, a man!¡±


    Several maids thought about the dress of the two women just now. It was not the ordinary dress someone would wear to visit relatives and friends. They were convinced by Bai Fu Ling¡¯s statement.(if your NOT reading at Translateindo, this chapter has been stolen from our site)


    ¡°Someone in Bei Guan City, very rich and powerful. Having good conditions, attractive, not a member of the family that they haven¡¯t seen in a long time. Besides my elder brother, who else could it be?!¡± Bai Fu Ling concluded.


    Ding Xiang took the lead and applaud. She said, ¡°Miss is really smart, observing deeply and seeing thousands of miles ahead¡­¡±


    Bai Fu Ling smiled at her praise and then said, ¡°The most important thing is¡­¡±


    Is? The curiosity of several servant girls was aroused.


    ¡°The most important thing is that the jade token hanging on the waist of the lady is clearly a pair with that of General Lu¡¯s, on which the word ¡®Lu¡¯ is clearly engraved in white! It¡¯s so clear, you can see it carefully. ¡± Bai Fu Ling didn¡¯t speak, but Bai Guo, the maid beside her did.


    ¡°Ah? So, that¡¯s how!¡± Several maids¡¯ admiration for Bai Fu Ling was instantly taken back.


    Bai Fu Ling grabbed the peanuts from the small dish and threw them at Bai Guo, laughing and scolding, ¡°Sure, you just can¡¯t stay with me for too long¡­ They were all so into it. Just had to rain on my parade!¡±


    (TN: stay with me for too long = she means, Bai Guo knew her too well.)


    Several people laughed and giggled, but the two sisters Ma Lian and Ma Lan were grimacing and said, ¡°How is that okay? That lady is Miss¡¯s sister-in-law! Miss, you know, how¡­ how could we do this¡­ We also injured their family members¡­ Miss, we should go quickly and make amends with General Lu¡¯s wife. It¡¯s all a misunderstanding¡­¡±


    Bai Fu Ling snorted at this and said, ¡°What wrong needs compensation? Why don¡¯t you tell me, what did I do wrong?¡±(translateindo.C0m does not post chapters any where else)


    How dare these maids insinuate that she was ¡®abusing power¡¯?!


    Bai Fu Ling Spoke: ¡°She was asking for a fight herself, was I wrong when I didn¡¯t do what she wanted? Besides, Bai Guo scolded them, didn¡¯t Bai Shi San fight to defend us? What did I do wrong?¡±


    Bai Guo turned her eyes superciliously: ¡°Clearly you motioned me to scold them. How could you push it all on me?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! I just looked at you. Even if my eyes could talk, they couldn¡¯t talk to you in that detail!¡± Bai Fu Ling grimaced at Bai Guo.


    ¡°Good! You can send me to the General¡¯s Fu to make amends.¡± Bai Guo acts aggrieved.


    ¡°You¡¯re my family. Do you have to make amends to that kind of woman?¡± Bai Fu Ling hummed and said, ¡°I was really worried that the two women could not hold back and pulled out Big Brother¡¯s name¡­  Ignorance can be forgiven!¡±


    Bai Guo didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°I have long thought about it. If they really said that they were North Garrison General ¡®s family members, I would insist that they were fake and they wanted to try every trick to mislead the public. Hit first, ask questions later!¡±


    Bai Fu Ling immediately looked at her with a new understanding and said, ¡°Great! It¡¯s really great! Bai Guo, you¡¯re getting smarter and smarter!¡±


    ¡°Miss taught me well!¡± Bai Guo was very modest this time, and the two master and servant looked at each other and laughed. The other three maids could only look at each other in dismay, and coincidentally think of a four-character idiom ¨C One hand washes another!


    (ÀDZ·Îª¼é [l¨¢ng b¨¨i w¨¦i ji¨¡n] = wolf and dog support each other in villainy; to collude in doing evil; backing each other up when doing a bad deed.)


    The rain outside the window is getting thinner, the sky is dark. Looking out from Tong Yun Lou, the outline of the whole city was obscure. Dark clouds dispersed, revealing a crescent moon. Under the silver moonlight, the night breeze brought a bit of coolness. Bai Fu Ling heart suddenly felt that something was off, after casually drinking a sip of tea. ¡°Go home!¡±


    On the way back, Ding Xiang rode her camel near Bai Guo and whispered, ¡°Sister Bai Guo, Miss seems to hate Madam Lu very much. Why is that?¡±


    Bai Guo quipped: ¡°Who likes a woman like that?¡±(translateindo.C0m did not give other site permission to PDF this)


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she meet Madam Lu for the first time? Did Madam Lu ever offend her?¡± Ding Xiang feels that it is a duty and responsibility of a competent maid to know her master¡¯s preferences. She takes the opportunity to consult her predecessor.


    Bai Guo said, ¡°You may as well tell me. Do you know how General Lu met Miss?¡±

 CH 13

    Ding Xiang shook her head: ¡°Seems to have heard that the young lady saved General Lu¡­¡­¡±(we do not translate 4 other websites besides translateindo)


    Bai Guo raised her head, look at the crescent moon in the sky. ¡°Yes, Brother also told me. Miss was very sick from childhood, even unable to speak. She was raised to three years old. She became more and more seriously ill and almost lost her life. The Master and Madam searched all over for famous doctors and elixirs, but could not cure her. Later, Madam took her to the temple to pray to Buddha. Saying that she is willing to give their life for Miss. Pleading to Buddha to save Miss¡¯s life. Buddha really appeared.


    Suddenly, the lady was better, and she could speak. Madam was very happy. She took Miss home. On the way, she saw a little boy in ragged clothes, fall on the side of the road. He was kicked and beaten by several old beggars. The Madam did not want to pay any attention to it. Miss insisted on saving him, saying that it was to build up virtue for oneself. The Madam agreed as soon as she heard it.¡±


    ¡°That boy is the present General Lu Ying. His family is a hereditary military household. His father died of serious illness and exhausted his family wealth. His mother took him to the capital to join his father¡¯s friend and relatives, the Cui family. Unexpectedly, the Cui family despise the poor and curry favor with the rich. When they saw their mother and son in a terrible state, they both were driven out. General Lu¡¯s mother had run out of money and had to beg all the way home with her son. It was not long before they left the capital that they were separated by accident. General Lu, a thirteen-year-old child, went to the streets to beg for money and almost lost his life. Miss saved him and asked the Master to teach him how to practice martial arts. After a few years, General Lu went to join the army. However, his household registration documents were in his mother¡¯s hands. He could only start from a small soldier. He was also lucky and skilled. With the help of noble people, he stepped up to today¡¯s status. In consideration of the Bai family¡¯s favor, he volunteered to guard this Bei Guan city. ¡±


    Ding Xiang listened for a long time and finally couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°That¡­ What does that have to do with Miss¡¯s dislike of Madam Lu?¡± General Lu¡¯s history is legendary. But the Bai family has many examples of Bai Fu Ling pulling someone out of desperate situations and slowly leading them to a better life. Like just now, Huang Bo, from Tong Yun Lou is an example. Ding Xiang herself has yet to reach this point, but their achievements and fame are not as good as Lu Ying¡¯s.


    Bai Guo glared at her and said, ¡°Because this so-called Madam Lu was betrothed to General Lu by the Cui family!¡±(No, seriously.. why are you reading it here? please support translators at Translateindo.com)


    ¡°Ah? Didn¡¯t they annul the engagement?¡± Ding Xiang was surprised.


    ¡°Humph! The snobs in that family; seeing General Lu¡¯s fame and achievements, I don¡¯t know what dirty tricks they used ¡­They had the audacity to mention that they are relatives and forced their daughter on to General Lu! Don¡¯t know why, but General Lu agreed. It¡¯s really annoying!¡± Bai Guo rushed angrily.


    Ding Xiang nodded and said angrily, ¡°No wonder Miss hates that woman! If I knew, I would go up and scolded her just now! What a shame!¡±


    Bai Guo, seeing her indignation, suddenly was not angry and snickered, ¡°So you say ah¡­ how could General Lu blame our Miss for ¡®disrespecting her sister-in-law¡¯, for such a woman?¡±


    In the ebony carriage, the little gauze lamp swayed slightly along with the carriage. Bai Family¡¯s Miss, who had just taught a bad woman a hard lesson, had no smile on her little face. She conveniently pulled out from her bosom a piece of green glittering and translucent Jade pendant to play. She gently said: ¡°What if you don¡¯t like her anymore? She¡¯s already your rightful wife¡­ What a nuisance! It was clearly stated that he would be my husband of choice¡­¡±(want to copy to read offline? try asking nicely at Translateindo.com¡­ thanks)


    Under the lamplight, the jade is very similar to the one worn by Madam Lu. It seems to be a pair.


    Returning to the boundary of Bai Family Village, it was time for the carriage to enter Bai Li Mountain and meet Bai Shen, the housekeeper.


    Bai Fu Ling opened the door with a warm heart, Bai Shen took two steps to sit by the edge of the door. The speed of the ebony carriage did not slow down one bit, and Bai Shen¡¯s posture at the door is very natural, clearly, his skills weren¡¯t shallow.


    Bai Fu Ling went over and took his arm and complained, ¡°my parents are waiting for me again? Didn¡¯t Uncle Shen persuade them for me? I¡¯m already so old, I wouldn¡¯t be lost! There are so many people following me. ¡±


    Bai Shen is an old servant of the Bai Family. He was a few years older than Bai Family¡¯s Master. Having never married or had children his whole life, he watched Bai Fu Ling grow up. He thinks of her as his own daughter. This intimacy was very comforting, smiling he said: ¡°Uncle Shen didn¡¯t sleep until he saw you safely. Not to mention Master and Madam? Fortunately, you have someone with you. Otherwise, you would suffer some loss today. ¡±


    In other words, he has heard the news of what happened to Bai Fu Ling today.(this is a translateindo.com translation)


    Bai Fu Ling wasn¡¯t surprised by his information: ¡°The yahang is our Bai Family¡¯s territory. Even if I don¡¯t have a person with me, and nobody can bully me. Tong Yun Lou is opened by Huang Bo. If something really needs to be done. I won¡¯t be the one to suffer.  ¡±


    (yahang= ancient pawnshop.)


    ¡°Always be cautious. ¡±


    Bai Fu Ling kept silent, pulled a small drawer on the side, and carefully took out a pair of; slightly larger than the duck eggs, ivory puzzle ballsout, and handed them to Bai Shen, saying, ¡°Dad said Uncle Shen¡¯s palm skills are very good. I happened to see this in the yahang today and wanted to bring them for Uncle Shen to play with.¡±


    (Puzzle balls = Chinese puzzle balls are ornate decorative items that consist of several concentric spheres layered, each of which rotates freely in another, carved from the same piece of material. Expert craftsmen made them without opening/breaking the ball¡­ from outside to the inside. Source: My dad has one XD)


    Bai Shen took it and put it on his palm. He saw that the surface of the two puzzle balls was very smooth, only a slight cloud pattern. There were thirty-six holes in the ball. From these holes, one layer could be seen after another. It had more than twenty layers. Each layer was smooth and could rotate freely, and each layer was thinner than the one before. What kind of skilled craftsmen can have such craftsmanship?!


    Such a thing can be destroyed when it was held in your hand with the slightest bit of negligence, let alone used for turning and playing? Bai Shen only thoughtfully knew that this was a gift from the young lady to practice his skills.  To turn the ivory balls freely on his palm, he must grasp every point and inch of his strength with great precision. Such a precious thing¡­ but he was also thankful to Miss for willing to let him try it.


    Bai Shen put the two Ivory puzzle balls back into the box, laughing bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful to you, Miss. Uncle Shen will accept these two ivory balls.¡±( not reading at Translateindo? it¡¯s been copied without permission)


    Bai Fu Ling laughed.  ¡°Uncle Shen is so powerful, what are these two puzzle balls? Soon, even ten or eight©` Uncle Shen would be able to solve freely. It¡¯s just a matter of finding a few more identical ones, but it¡¯s going to take some time. ¡±


    Bai Shen reluctantly said: ¡± Ten or eight? ¡­ Uncle Shen doesn¡¯t know how long it will take to get started with these two. ¡±


    They talked, laughed, and soon felt the carriage stopped. Bai Shen personally helped Bai Fu Ling out of the carriage and stepped back two steps to accompany her into the front hall. Master Bai has only one such baby daughter in his life. Seeing her close to other uncles, even if he didn¡¯t say anything on the surface, surely, he would be very jealous.

 CH 14

    Yu Ren Chapter 14 It was not easy to look like this


    The man and the woman sitting in the hall were the parents of Bai Fu Ling, master Bai and madam Bai. The bright hall was somewhat scary under the ¡®powerful aura¡¯ of these two.


    People who had seen this Bai couple would generally be frightened to a certain extent. It was really amazing that two of such ugly people existed in the world and were also a married couple.


    The maiden name of madam Bai was Mu Pei Lan. She had a sharp mouth and monkey cheek. Her forehead and cheekbones were protruding. She had deep sunken eye socket and cheeks, and her body was tall and plump. At first glance, she looked like a big female monkey who had put on clothes.


    The surname of master Bai was Bai and his name is Chou (means ugly). It was truly not just in name only but also in reality. He was the best example of this!


    As the saying goes, however strong you are, there is always someone stronger. There¡¯s no ugliest, only uglier! On the level of ugliness, he was like the mountain that is higher than the high mountain that Mu shi was. His facial features were like being washed by a washboard. It was crooked where none of the facial features were in normal shape and stayed where they were supposed to be.


    Those who had seen Bai Fu Ling couldn¡¯t dare to imagine that these two super ugly people ¡®joining force together¡¯ would give birth to such a stunning daughter. This was simply a miracle that violated the laws of heredity. It was so hard to believe that two top-notch toads could actually give birth to a phoenix!


    If it wasn¡¯t because Bai couple loved their only daughter like their own life, others would think that Bai Fu Ling wasn¡¯t their biological child but was stolen from somewhere.


    When Bai Fu Ling was a child, she didn¡¯t dare to look in the mirror and to her reflection for a long time for fear that she would be frightened to death by her resemblance to her parents. Until she found out that it was a false alarm. The first thing she woke up every day was to look in the mirror to make sure she wasn¡¯t dreaming. She looked really different from her parents and was an absolute topnotch beauty.


    Bai Fu Ling ran into the hall. She clung onto her father directly and sweetly called him ¡®father¡¯. Then she walked into her mother¡¯s embrace and called her ¡®mother¡¯. After listening to that, the two¡¯s taut faces immediately softened. They carefully looked at their daughter confirming that she was safe and in good condition. Only after having asked some questions about if she had enough food and warm clothes, health and other issues did they feel reassured to go back to their room to rest.


    After Bai Fu Ling had calmed down her overstressed parents, she took a long breath and returned to her yard to wash and sleep.


    The small courtyard where she lived was arranged very cozily. A hot spring pool was built behind the yard. This pool wasn¡¯t big but the whole pool was dug from a huge piece of white jade stone. Not even in the imperial palace would they do such a thing.


    The water of the hot spring was filled with medicinal things of nourishing and calming effect. After Bai Fu Ling soaked for a while in there, she became somewhat drowsy. It wasn¡¯t good for her health to be soaked for too long in the hot spring. After she got up and dried her body, she pulled at a small rope on the side. A sharp and clear sound of the bells spread out. After a while, a woman of about forty or so came in.


    The woman was dressed in a clean dress, holding a wooden basket in her hand. She had soft facial features but there were no expression in her eyes. This was a blind person who had been blind for many years. Bai Fu Ling was startled by her: ¡°Aunt Fang, why is it you? Isn¡¯t aunt Liu coming over today?¡±


    Aunt Fang smiled and said: ¡°The daughter of sister Liu is ill. She has to look after her, so I changed the day with her.¡± As she spoke, she made an accurate courtesy in the direction of Bai Fu Ling.


    Bai Fu Ling nodded, got up and went behind the screen to lay on a soft couch. Aunt Fang familiarly walked to the side of the soft couch. She placed the basket on the small table next to the couch, opened the lid, skillfully took out the cloth towel and wiped her hands carefully. Afterwards, she opened a bottle and poured a little ointment in the hand. Then, she put her hands on the back of Bai Fu Ling and skillfully massaged all the way down from the neck and shoulders.


    Bai Fu Ling exclaimed comfortably. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the professional services, while not forgetting to praise: ¡°Aunt Fang, you will be the best masseuse in the capital for sure if you stays in the capital.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also because of miss¡¯s grace. I¡¯m old. It¡¯s best for me to stay at my son¡¯s side,¡± Aunt Fang smiled. She was proficient in her movements and didn¡¯t hesitate at all because of her blinded eyes.


    Aunt Fang had come to this place countless times, and the furniture were fixed here. At the beginning, she had to be led by the maid. She remembered every step by heart. Afterwards, she no longer needed anyone for guidance. She was able to walk freely in this place.


    Aunt Fang had already bought back her slave contract from Bai family for several years. Her son was Fang Hai. In the early days, Bai family had bought many blind people like her who had no food and clothing or were abandoned by their families. Even finding professionals to teach them massage skills and opened massage parlors in the capital to serve rich families.


    The point that they couldn¡¯t see anything with their eyes had in fact become an advantage in the eyes of the high official and noble persons. Because even if such a person was brought into the house, they weren¡¯t afraid that they (blind people) did ridiculous things or saw things that shouldn¡¯t be seen. In addition, Bai Fu Ling would let Fang Hai, the great disciple of the genius doctor Xin Yi, make new healthy massage ointments every season. Over the past few years, other copycat massage parlors in the capital had been unable to compete with them.


    After trying their massage skills, many masters and ladies from official¡¯s families were full of praise. They tried any means to buy them (blind people) home to serve them, but Bai Fu Ling wasn¡¯t willing. She only sent them (blind people) to their (officials) houses to serve. Then, they (blind people) received a reward according to the number of times they went. After they earned enough money to buy back their slave contract, Bai Fu Ling would annul their slave¡¯s contract and get rid of their slave status.


    Bai Fu Ling never do business that loses money. The money to redeem themselves was extremely high, often dozens or even hundred times higher than the price they were sold. However, these people had absolutely no complaints and were in fact full of gratitude.


    Bai family didn¡¯t only give them skills to support themselves but also gave them the best opportunities. After they had bought back their slave contracts, they could still continue to work in the massage parlor and received a generous fee.


    At that time, aunt Fang was sold for one silver liang. When she bought back her slave contract, she spent a full hundred liang. But she earned this one hundred liang back after she had worked two years in the capital¡¯s massage parlor.


    ¡°Teach Fang Hai how to make some money when you have time. Not only does he not have the money to buy back his slave contract, he still owned me two hundred silver liang that he borrowed for the opening of the medical center.¡± Bai Fu Ling took the chance to complain to Fang Hai¡¯s mother.


    Aunt Fang didn¡¯t really care about her son¡¯s delay in buying back his slave contract and said, ¡°This child is someone stubborn, but miss will look after him, so, I¡¯m not worry. The medical center earned eight hundred liang today¡­.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it eight hundred liang?! It should be four thousand liang!¡± Bai Fu Ling got up abruptly and said agitated. She clearly said to charge each one of those eight barbarians five hundred liang!


    Aunt Fang was startled by her sudden movement. She stopped the massage and explained, ¡°Those eight people were seriously injured. Hai put their bones back in place and put on medicine for them. After that, he told them about the medical fees. But they all said that they had come from far away and had lost more than half of the goods on the way. They hadn¡¯t found a buyer yet for the rest of the goods. They only had eight hundred liang with them and asked Hai to make an exception. When Hai saw them so pitiful, he did¡­.¡±

 CH 15

    Yu Ren Chapter 15 The arrival of madam


    Bai Fu Ling was so furious like there was a fire in her eyes and said angrily, ¡°Bullshit with their pitifulness! I didn¡¯t completely crippled them because I wanted to let Ah Hai earn some money. Five hundred liang isn¡¯t even enough to pay for the ¡®replenish of the tendons and the bones ointment¡¯ that was used to treat the injury of these eight barbarians! During this period of time, we even have to provide food and shelter for them. Charging them only eight hundred liang is truly a big loss! Fang Hai, this guy! This really infuriates me!¡±


    Aunt Fang also knew the temper of Bai Fu Ling and didn¡¯t dare to defend her son. She could only laugh bitterly.


    After scolding a few words, Bai Fu Ling realized that the one that ought to be scolded the most wasn¡¯t here. She immediately deflated like a balloon and laid back on the couch. She angrily said, ¡°Fang Hai, don¡¯t even think about getting back your slave contract in this life! Humph!¡±


    Aunt Fang knew that her (BFL) temper came quickly and went away quickly. She continued to massage her (BFL), while saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just let him handle the matters for miss. He won¡¯t suffer any losses having mis looking after him.¡±


    The problem was she (BFL) didn¡¯t have many years left to live. Why couldn¡¯t these people let her have a peace of mind?!


    Bai Fu Ling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let Fang Hai go out and says that he knows me! It¡¯s too humiliating! After having studied so much, he¡¯s actually fooled by a few barbarians! If he was heartless enough and insisted to accept the medical fees, not to mention five hundred liang each person, they can even take out thousand liang per person! Didn¡¯t he see that those guys were all covered in gold and silver?¡±


    Aunt Fang also understood her son¡¯s temperament, but what could she do?


    Bai Fu Ling was plotting how to incite the staff of the medical center to squeeze money out from those barbarians. The only sound left in the quiet bathroom was the running water of the hot spring.


    While she was enjoying the massage service comfortably, it was chaos at the residence of the northern army¡¯s general.


    Madam Lu, Cui shi, and her little cousin sister had lost big face at Tong Yun Lou. In the rain, with several disabled soldiers, they rushed to the general¡¯s residence that was at the north side of Bei Guan City. There was no spectacle welcoming scene of maids and servants as they had imagined, but only the housekeeper Shi Wei with two servants and two elder maids waiting on the bench.


    Cui shi had already sent a family servant, Cui Wu Fu, to come and arrange beforehand. At this moment, Cui Wu Fu was sitting restlessly on the side, lest the madam blamed him for slacking in his work. He also felt wronged. This morning, he ran to the residence of the northern army¡¯s general. The gatekeeper Shi Zhu first looked up and down at him, and then went to call out the housekeeper Shi Wei.


    After Shi Wei met him and heard him say that the madam would arrive tonight, he (SW) was startled. He (SW) said that they had returned the letter saying that it was not peaceful at the border frontier and asked the madam not to come. Why did she suddenly come now? The general had gone on patrol, and it would take a few days at the earliest to return etc., etc.


    Cui Wu Fu was also a quick-witted person, so he kept bowing and asked Shi Wei to arrange the things for the arrival of madam as soon as possible.


    Shi Wei was specially invited by Lu Ying from his (LY) hometown. He also knew a few things about Lu Ying¡¯s past. He didn¡¯t like this madam Lu from the bottom of his heart. But she was the official wife of Lu Ying after all, so they couldn¡¯t neglect her too much. After asking what kind of people Cui shi had brought with her, he ordered people to clean up two good rooms in the house, and arranged the accommodations of the servants. In addition, he ordered a banquet from a nearby restaurant and let them delivered it later. After all that, he waited with a peace of mind for the arrival of Cui shi.


    Lu Ying spent more than half of the year on patrolling and training the troops. Whenever he returned to Bei Guan City, he would often stay at Bai mansion at the Bai Li Mountain. He had spent very little time at the general¡¯s residence. So, he didn¡¯t consider renovating of the house at all. Hence, the famous northern army general¡¯s residence wasn¡¯t as majestic as its name. The whole residence covered an area of less than one mu, which already included both the front courtyard and back courtyard. The front courtyard was to handle work matters and the back courtyard was for living. The size of both courtyards was similar. There were never family staying at the general¡¯s residence, so the inner courtyard where female members were put to live was even left out.


    In the back courtyard, there was the main building with two side rooms. In addition, there were three wings each in the east and west. In order to accommodate the sudden arrival of the madam, the housekeeper Shi Wei and four other servants had no choice but to move to the front courtyard where the gatekeeper Shi Zhu lived. He (SW) then asked people to go to Tong Cai yahangto borrow two old maids. After they were busy for half a day, the house was barely clean enough.


    Cui shi didn¡¯t know that she hadn¡¯t arrived yet but was already resented by the general¡¯s servants who were accustomed to the comfortable living.


    The heavy rain didn¡¯t stop when the carriage of Cui shi and her companions arrived at the general¡¯s residence, but the rain was weaker. All the people of the residence just thought secretly that it was bad luck. They had no choice but to carry the luggage for Cui shi in the rain and made tea, and so on.


    Shi Wei saw that half of the servants that Cui shi had brought with her were injured. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they had encountered bandits on the way. However Cui shi didn¡¯t mention anything about it, and he didn¡¯t feel like to ask about it too. He ordered the remaining five strong men to help carry the luggage.


    The front courtyard of the general¡¯s residence was where Lu Ying handled his work matters. It was mainly a big hall to discuss military affairs with his military subordinates, and a room to store weapons and other documents etc. It was already crammed after Shi Wei and the other servants moved to the free rooms at the front courtyard. So there were no rooms left for the servants that were brought by Cui shi. Hence they were taken to a small house next to the general¡¯s residence that they rented at the last moment. At the other side, Cui shi and her little cousin sister occupied each a room of the east wing building. The two old maids and two young maids were temporarily placed in the side room of the main building close to the east wing building.


    The two old maids borrowed from Tong Cai yahang were very quick-witted, and worked quickly and neatly. Although they arrived only half a day earlier than Cui shi, they quickly got the hang of the situation. One of them helped the maids of Cui shi with the placement of goods, while the other prepared snacks and tea, and also prepared hot bath water for Cui shi and her little cousin sister.


    The maiden name of Cui shi was Zhen Yi. She was the daughter of Cui Zhang Yun, a high third-ranked right-hand assistant minister of the Ministry of War. At home, she was already accustomed to order people by pointing the chin. She was originally angry and thought that the housekeeper Shi Wei was deliberately neglecting her. But after having entered the back courtyard, she found that the general¡¯s residence really consisted of only this many people. The anger in her heart lessened. She was even surprised especially after seeing that there wasn¡¯t even a young maid in the house.


    Look at the room where she was staying¡­sigh. In the general¡¯s residence at the capital that was bestowed by the emperor, the rooms of the servants were even more elegant than here. If it weren¡¯t for the prosperous future of the Cui family, she wouldn¡¯t have come to such a wild land to suffer!


    However, her heart couldn¡¯t help but skipped a beat at the thought of Lu Ying. At the time, the emperor granted the marriage to them. After the two just performed the wedding bows, Lu Ying left in a hurry because of an urgent military situation. He didn¡¯t even have time to enter the room to see her at their wedding night. However, she had peeked at him more than once behind the folding screen in their room. He was really a handsome and great man. Moreover, he was personally appointed as the general by the emperor. He was a good match to her family background.


    She hoped that this time she could grab a hold of his heart¡­.


    Just as she was letting her imagination roam freely, her little cousin sister barged angrily in. Her little cousin sister didn¡¯t wait for her to speak and said furiously, ¡°I¡¯m really angry! Big cousin sister, those lowly slaves are really bullying people too much!¡±


    Cui Zhen Yi frowned slightly. She regretted a bit why she agreed with her mother to bring such a little cousin sister who didn¡¯t know when to advance and retreat as helper. She bashed sideways and colliding straight without care that she would become a joke.

 CH 16

    Yu Ren Chapter 16 People buy things, I buy people


    ¡°What happened?¡± Cui Zhen Yi gave a look to the maid beside her. All the maids then retreated from the room, leaving the two cousin sisters to speak.


    Little cousin sister was a family from Cui Zhen Yi¡¯s mother¡¯s side. Her surname is Liu and is named Zhen Zhen. She stamped her feet and pointed at the opposite west wing, and said, ¡°Previously, they said that there are military documents in the main building and without cousin-in-law¡¯s permission, no one is allowed to enter. Not even big cousin sister, the official wife could enter. Just now, I want to see the west wing. That damn old slave actually said that cousin-in-law has reserved those rooms for an honorable guest and I was also not allowed to go in! Could it be that big cousin sister is even lower than a guest?!¡± It was clear that Liu Zhen Zhen wanted to see the west wing building herself. After saying those words, it seemed as if Cui Zhen Yi wanted to see the west wing.


    Cui Zhen Yi didn¡¯t expose her (LZZ) little scheme and said: ¡°Did you ask housekeeper Shi Wei who this honorable guest is?¡±


    Liu Zhen Zhen didn¡¯t think of this at all. Just now, she was only thinking about getting angry. She was stunned for a moment and said, ¡°No¡­.¡±


    Cui Zhen Yi frowned. The custom of the current dynasty was that the female family members were generally placed in the west wing and underage young masters in the east wing. She also noticed it previously. There were quite some exquisite flowers and plants put in the west wing corridor while there were only a few pots of half-dead bonsai in the east wing corridor. Could it be that there was really something off about this west wing?


    She was curious but she wasn¡¯t sure how important housekeeper Shi Wei was to Lu Ying. She hadn¡¯t seen Lu Ying yet. She didn¡¯t want to offend Lu Ying¡¯s housekeeper when she had just arrived here. She turned to Liu Zhen Zhen and said, ¡°Go order your maid Ju Hong to sweet talk the other servants of the residence and asks who this honorable guest of the west wing is.¡±


    Liu Zhen Zhen nodded and said, ¡°Right! I really didn¡¯t expect that the residence of cousin-in-law, the magnificent northern army¡¯s general, is so small. It didn¡¯t even have proper maids¡­.¡± It was even worse than her Liu family! The two old maids who serviced them just now, were actually borrowed temporarily. After helping with tidying up for them, they said goodbye to the housekeeper and left.  The rewards that big cousin sister had given to those two were really given in vain! Humph!


    Cui Zhen Yi felt dispirited and said, ¡°What can we expect from this kind of wild land?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what cousin-in-law is thinking. There has been no war here for years. Couldn¡¯t he ask to transfer back to the capital? Instead, he insists on staying in this kind of place, leaving big cousin sister alone in the capital¡­.¡± Liu Zhen Zhen¡¯s words seemed as she was feeling unfair for Cui Zhen Yi but it wasn¡¯t without testing. She wanted to know whether the relationship between her big cousin sister and cousin-in-law was really like the rumors, that they were only courteous to each other.


    Cui Zhen Yi¡¯s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly and didn¡¯t speak. Regarding the matter about why Lu Ying went to Bei Guan City and didn¡¯t return to the capital these past few years, not even during the Mid-Autumn festival, it was said that he was assembling his personal army to overthrow the current emperor. But there was also some rumors about that he was wholly devoted to his work matters and had forgotten his personal affairs. Cui Zhen Yi and her mother were well aware of what the Cui family had done to him in those years. Although they later brought up the marriage again by various means and Cui Zhen Yi also became his official wife, they knew that he certainly had some dissatisfaction in his heart.


    They had once secretly speculated that he deliberately didn¡¯t want to see Cui Zhen Yi. Of course, this kind of thinking only flashed by. The mother and daughter (CZY) thought that what was done couldn¡¯t be undone. The marriage was bestowed by the emperor himself. Therefore, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t divorce his wife in this life and would one day give in.


    However, these reasons were difficult to say openly to people. Cui Zhen Yi could only pretend she didn¡¯t hear Liu Zhen Zhen.


    Liu Zhen Zhen also lost the interest to ask anymore as she saw that her big cousin sister was ignoring her. She twitched her mouth and changed the subject, ¡°Cousin-in-law will be back in a few days. Let¡¯s decorate the backyard. A lonely man like him in this kind of place with nobody to take care of him, he will surely be happy if he sees big cousin sister being so considerate for his sake.¡±


    Cui Zhen Yi did have some interest in this and nodded, ¡°The things that we brought are limited. Let¡¯s have a good rest tonight and go to the city tomorrow to see what needs to be bought. In addition, ask the housekeeper to buy the nearby houses. Renovate it and connect them to the residence. We also have to live comfortably. Otherwise, after buying two more maids, we wouldn¡¯t have any place to put them¡­. This residence is indeed a bit too shabby.¡±


    As soon as Liu Zhen Zhen heard that they were going to buy things, her eyes brightened but she said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that nothing in this small place can enter big cousin sister¡¯s eyes.¡±


    Cui Zhen Yi smiled aloof and ordered a maid to come in to serve her to bed. Liu Zhen Zhen also went back to rest.


    At this moment, Lu Ying was patrolling a hundred miles away. Unaware that the last person he wanted to see had already entered his house and even brought him a ferocious guest.


    Bai Fu Ling was certainly an unusual woman. For example, her biggest hobby in life wasn¡¯t to buy things but to buy people!


    Since she had recovered from her serious illness at the age of three, she had only focused on three things. The first was to make money, the second was to buy people, and the third was to enjoy. And making money was all about enjoying and buying people. So, when she found out that her people had been able to make a lot of money, she focused on enjoyment and buying people.


    Early this day on June 16th, Bai Fu Ling ordered all the bodyguards of the Bai family to stand by and prepared the carriage. She brought a large amount of money to go to the market. This was no ordinary market but a ¡®human market¡¯ on the west of Bei Guan City.


    The so-called ¡®human market¡¯ was a place where people buy and sell human beings. Since the arrival of Lu Ying in Bei Guan City, he had banned the sale and purchase of Qi¡¯s citizens. Later, because of the trade with neighbouring ethnic groups, some barbarians who were used to doing business in Qi began to sell slaves to Bei Guan City. As long as they weren¡¯t selling Qi¡¯s citizens, Lu Ying didn¡¯t bother with them. Over time, the wasteland on the west side of Bei Guan City had become a place where barbarians sold their slaves on the second and sixteenth of the month.


    Outside Bei Guan City, there were more than twenty large and small tribes of different ethnic groups. Among them, there were strong and weak ones. The smallest tribe only had a few hundred people. The Qi people were too lazy to distinguish them (the tribes), so they (Qi people) referred all those tribes as barbarians. These people lived a nomadic life without a fixed territory. The tribes often attacked each other to seize better grassland sites. Most of the slaves the barbarians brought to Bei Guan City to sell were looted from the defeated tribes.


    These slaves were barbarians. The features of their face were totally different from that of Qi people. In addition, most of them wouldn¡¯t do anything weird (after buying them) because of the language barrier. Most of them were born sturdy and more hardworking than the citizens of Qi. In one sentence, they had a fully developed body and a simple mind! Therefore, they were very popular with some Qi businessmen. Even in the capital of Qi, barbarian slaves could be seen.


    Bai Fu Ling was already a regular customer of this human market. With a large number of guards swaggering through the city, many barbarian businessmen were rushing to talk to them to sell their slaves.


    Because the character of people here was complicated and Bai Fu Ling was planning to do ¡®business¡¯, so it was rare for her to restrain herself and let Bai Shao change her face and looks before she came here. At this moment, she looked like a small malnourished maid with ordinary looks that people would forget easily. The long bangs had succeeded in covering that pair of crystal clear eyes. Standing quietly beside Bai Ping Zi, the flashy Bai family¡¯s famous second-in-charge housekeeper, made one even more impossible to feel her existence.

 CH 17

    Bai Ping Zi is the kind of man who is not only handsome but also likes to look beautiful and show off shamelessly. He likes to be praised for his handsomeness. He can catch the eyes of others instantly wherever he goes.


    There is a saying on the streets: to be able to serve around Miss Bai, even if not very competent, one must be very good-looking. In the Bai Family, where beautiful men and women gather together, he is still as conspicuous as fireflies in the darkness. Bai Ping Zi is the second-in-charge housekeeper. One can imagine that both his looks and abilities are superior to others.


    He often accompanies Bai Fu Ling to the market to buy people. Those barbarian traffickers; who have no clue, think that he is the main decision-maker. They don¡¯t know that the real master is the little maid who has no sense of existence beside him.


    ¡°What do you think of this one?¡± Bai Fu Ling asked Bai Ping Zi in a low voice, pointing to a young slave brought out by a human trafficker.


    ¡°Not good. Look at his sharp head, he¡¯s easy to get into prison. He¡¯s impatient and has curly hair. He¡¯s fierce and vicious. The most important part is that the ridge of the nose is horizontal, solitary and hard to make friends, strict character, hard to break. This kind of person is clearly a disaster bringer!¡± Bai Ping Zi shook his head, his words were very professional.


    Most Barbarians have curly hair.¡­ Bai Fu Ling wanted to think, but she decided to give up this thought. Although she was not very convinced of the art of Face Reading, she did not want to take the risk of getting a hard nut to crack.


    (Face Reading = This method uses the facial features of an individual to deduce certain personality traits.)


    ¡°What about this one?¡± Bai Fu Ling referred to a barbarian girl who is locked in a wooden cage to her left. In fact, she prefers to buy girls. First, girls are relatively gentle and easy to teach. Second, if a girl falls into the hands of some scum buyer, she will encounter much worse than a male slave.


    ¡°Thick brow bones, eyebrows heavy and weak breath. Clearly, she is a laborer.¡± Bai Ping Zi twitch his mouth. The girl was still pretty, but at first glance, you can see she does manual labor all the year round. With rough skin and a tired look, it reduced her good looks by a few points.


    ¡°Good!  Great! A hard-worker is great! Come on, buy her!¡± Bai Fu Ling immediately thought that people who are laborers are people that worked hard. She pulled Bai Ping Zi¡¯s sleeve and urged.


    Bai Ping Zi shrugged and went to ask the trafficker next to the girl for a price. When the barbarian girl saw Bai Ping Zi¡¯s beautiful peach blossom face, her eyes lit up. She could understand a tiny bit of Qi country¡¯s language and knew that Bai Ping Zi was going to buy her. She turned red with excitement and swept away her previous sadness.


    The trafficker also recognized Bai Ping Zi and knew that he was a big customer. He was fluent in the Qi country¡¯s language: ¡°This girl is beautiful and sensible. One person can do two or three girls¡¯ work. If you want her, I¡¯ll sell you cheaply. Five liang!¡±


    Five liang?! This kind of barbarian slave is worth at most three liang!


    Bai Fu Ling cooperated with Bai Ping Zi many times and didn¡¯t need to signal each other anymore. She shouted directly, ¡°Gongzi, such a girl is so coquettish and expensive. Are you going to buy her back to be a concubine? Watch out for madam¡¯s temper!¡±


    (¹«×Ó [g¨­ng z¨«] = young master/ young sir.)


    Bai Ping Zi immediately cooperated and showed a hesitant look and faked an angry but fearful expression: ¡°Nonsense! What concubine? Don¡¯t speak carelessly in front of your madam!¡±


    Bai Fu Ling said, ¡°Gongzi, that one is just three liang¡­ And it¡¯s much more honest and clever.¡± She glanced at the barbarian woman with a slight disgust and pointed her finger to the other side. There happened to be a savage businessman who was selling some of his slaves. She could not see from a distance what he looked like.


    Three liang is indeed a reasonable price. The trafficker saw Bai Fu Ling already trying to pull Bai Ping Zi there. He was in a hurry and shouted, ¡°Slow down! Slow down! The price can be negotiated. Don¡¯t go, Gongzi!¡±


    The barbarian girl next to him was more anxious. The patrons here were full of potbellied pigs. Her eyes looked terrible. There was no such thing as valuing chastity among the barbarians. The slightly younger slaves knew what their fate would be. But if the other side was such a beautiful young man, she would feel much better.


    As Bai Fu Ling pretended to pull him away, Bai Ping Zi had hesitation on his face, and the trafficker tried his best to detain the guest. Then, he gritted his teeth, and reduced the price to three liang. Bai Ping Zi was also followed by Bai Shi Wu; who came forward with the money.


    (Bai Shi Wu = Bai fifteen)


    The rope on the barbarian girl¡¯s feet was untied and she was brought to Bai Ping Zi. Without a word, she knelt down and kowtowed. Bai Ping Zi picked her up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Me, Name, Nuva.¡± The barbarian girl¡¯s face was full of joy and a little shy. Bai Ping Zi saw this expression and waved Bai Shi Wu to take her to the carriage outside the market.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, if she was free¡­ I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll show me how she feels without the money involved!¡± Bai Ping Zi triumphantly said. A good-looking man is a man who takes advantage.


    Instead of paying attention to him, Bai Fu Ling uttered a completely irrelevant remark: ¡°Green eyes!¡±


    ¡°What green eyes?¡± Bai Ping Zi followed her line of sight. It turned out that after the barbarian girl had just been taken away, it revealed another barbarian slave tied up under a wooden fence not far behind her.


    The man was scarred, and a cut on his calf was bloody and deep, showing his bone. He looked like a trapped animal or something. Due to the lack of necessary treatment, he had already begun to show signs of ulceration. The other injuries were also very bad. He was half leaning on the wooden fence, barely breathing. His messy, slightly long hair covered most of his face, and his eyes drooped. She could not see clearly what he looked like. If his chest didn¡¯t fluctuate, she would have thought he was dead.


    ¡°He just opened his eyes, they were green!¡± said Bai Fu Ling.


    ¡°Bah. There are a lot of green eyes in Zhuangzi.¡± Bai Ping Zi objected. The ¡°green-eyes¡± he spoke of were all ferocious dogs raised by Bai Fu Ling.


    The barbarian trafficker, who was talking to other guests, turned around and found that they had not left yet. He hurried up and said, ¡°Does Gongzi have any other preferences? Ah! Well, uh¡­ He¡¯s strong and robust. He¡¯s a good worker!¡±


    Under Bai Ping Zi¡¯s disdainful eyes, the more the trafficker spoke, the lower his voice became. Finally, he felt guilty and said: ¡°it¡¯s just a little hurt. That¡­ Gongzi bought one from me just now. I¡¯ll offer a little discount, just ¡­  just five liang!¡±


    ¡°You call someone dying just ¡®a little hurt¡¯?! Do you see the wound on his leg? Not to mention the cost to cure him, looking at his injury, he might lose that leg! You aren¡¯t even ashamed to offer me five liang?! Give him to me for free and I¡¯ll think about it!¡± Bai Ping Zi said angrily.


    With a bitter face, the slave peddler said, ¡°Gongzi, I brought this man all the way here, and there¡¯s always a small charge¡­¡± He also knew very well that Bai Ping Zi was telling the truth, but he could not give one away in vain.

 CH 18

    When the trafficker rushed to the wooden fence, he didn¡¯t care about the dirt. He pulled the slave¡¯s hair with one hand and patted his face and shouted a few barbaric words. He saw the slave slowly open his eyes. It was indeed green. Under the cover of the bleak eyes due to injury and illness, there was cold anger and despair. But after a glance at Bai Fu Ling and Bai Ping Zi not far away, they closed again.


    She didn¡¯t know why; Bai Fu Ling had a strange feeling in her heart. It seems that there was a voice constantly urging her to buy this person. She asked Bai Ping Zi in a low voice, ¡°what do you think of this man? It¡¯s not like six clashes, six evils, robber and murderer, is it?¡±


    (Áù³å & Áùº¦ [ Li¨´ ch¨­ng & li¨´ h¨¤i] = feng shui terms, Liu Chong means the 6 clashes of the 12 branches, where everything opposes everything so nothing good is left. Liu Hai means the 12 branches harm each other, so it¡¯s evil to each other branch, making it unlucky in any aspect of life.)


    Bai Ping Zi was stunned when he saw the slave¡¯s hair pulled up, revealing his true face, and did not notice her question at all. Bai Fu Ling had to reach out and poke him in the arm. Bai Ping Zi suddenly jumped up as if he had been electrocuted. Bai Fu Ling looked at him a little strangely. It was just a pair of green eyes.


    When the human trafficker saw Bai Ping Zi staring at the slave in his hand; he thought he had a chance and was about to raise the price again, when suddenly there was a pain in his hand. He lowered his head, and it turned out that the green-eye slave had bitten his hand hard!


    The trafficker cried out in pain, desperately trying to retrieve his hand. The green-eyed slave did not let go, he bit half to death as if he was willing to bite off a piece of him.


    Two companions of the trafficker jumped up and punched and kicked the green-eyed slave, and finally made him let go.


    ¡°This man¡­ It¡¯s the face of a tyrannical monarch!¡± Bai Ping Zi regained consciousness and whispered to Bai Fu Ling.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t see him bite someone, you wouldn¡¯t call him a bastard. If you were tied up here, you would be fiercer than him!¡± Bai Fu Ling glared at him and signaled that he should stop the traffickers¡¯ atrocities quickly. The green-eyed slave had only half his life left, and he would surely die.


    (Íõ°Ë [w¨¢ng ba] = bastard/ tortoise; Íõ°Ô [w¨¢ng b¨¢] = tyrannical monarch/ overlord/lord king. Same sound, different pinyin.)


    ¡°Not tortoise¡­ Forget it!¡± Bai Ping Zi smiles and laughs, but he feels a little awed. A slave¡­ with a monarch¡¯s face? How is that possible? He shook his head with a bitter smile, jumped over the wooden fence and pulled away several traffickers. He said, ¡°Forget it, this man still has one breath left. You¡¯ll have to find a place to bury him when he¡¯s killed. I¡¯ll buy him with two silvers and accumulate some virtue.¡±


    The head trafficker was bitten and was in great pain. Looking at the green-eyed slave on the ground, he really looked like he could die at any time. He spits bitterly and said, ¡°Okay, money is money, bah! Cheap! you cheap slave, if it wasn¡¯t for this man buying you¡­ Humph! I wouldn¡¯t care if lose money, I would kill you and drag you to feed the wild dogs!¡±


    Bai Ping Zi stepped forward, looking down at the wounds of the green-eyed slave. While blocking the eyes of several traffickers with his body, he tapped at several acupuncture points on him quickly. The green-eyed slave only saw the darkness before his eyes and lost consciousness.


    On the way back, Bai Fu Ling asked someone to bring him to the Fang Hai Medical Center. Because the green-eyed slave was seriously injured, Fang Hai treated his wounds and decided to return to the Bai Family Village with Bai Fu Ling.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tell me¡­ you actually like men.¡± Bai Fu Ling leaned out of the carriage and called Bai Ping Zi, who rode a horse by the side of the horse-drawn cart, with a strange expression on his face.


    The green-eyed slave was sleeping on the cart. Bai Ping Zi kept staring at his face as if to see a flower on his face. Bai Fu Ling had to suspect this seemingly flirtatious fellow; who had not yet married a wife. Have you been concealing your ¡®real¡¯ self? Although the green-eye slave was dirty, he showed a standard ¡®Knife Cutting Face¡¯¨C a face with a sharp outline and strong lines.


    This questioning about his ¡®man¡¯s nature¡¯ prompted Bai Ping Zi to wake up from his trance and argue loudly, ¡°What?! It¡¯s only because he has a strange face that I look at him more often.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange?¡±  Bai Fu Ling was only impressed by those green eyes, and there was nothing special about other places at all.


    ¡°He ¡­ he clearly has the face of a monarch. Such a rare face could also be one of a tyrant. How did he end up here?¡± Bai Ping Zi looked at it for so long that he was sure he was right.


    ¡°You say he has a monarch¡¯s face?¡±


    Bai Ping Zi hesitated for a moment and finally nodded affirmatively.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never asked you to read me, what do you think I look like?¡± Bai Fu Ling smiled but did not laugh.


    Bai Ping Zi laughed happily and said, ¡°Is that all right? My young lady is naturally a fairy who makes the fish sink and wild geese fall; covers the moon and makes the flowers shy!¡±


    (³ÁÓãÂäÑã [ch¨¦n y¨² lu¨° y¨¤n] =makes the fish sink and wild geese fall; so beautiful animals are stunned.)


    (±ÕÔÂÐß»¨ [b¨¬ yu¨¨ xi¨± hu¨¡] = be so beautiful that the moon hides its face and the flowers blush from shame at the sight of her)


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to emphasize things that everyone knows. I am so humble and low-key, how embarrassed I am to hear that ah!¡± Bai Fu Ling was serious, without even half of an ashamed look on her face. Bai Family escorts around her carriage listened to their flattering and boastful remarks. Not even an inch of their expression or a beat of their hearts changed. Even the corners of their mouths and eyebrows did not tremble. They had obviously been tested for a long time.


    Bai Fu Ling really wanted to try Bai Ping Zi¡¯s skill. She retracted to the carriage and took the medicine prepared by Bai Shao for her. She carefully removed all the makeup on her face. Then she looked out of the window again and said to Bai Ping Zi, ¡°Take a good look at it today, don¡¯t make fun of it. ¡±


    Bai Ping Zi looked at Bai Fu Ling and began to blush. He turned away from her face and coughed twice. After watching her for so many years, he still couldn¡¯t focus his heart; even though the woman in front of him is really beautiful, she has yet to reach adulthood. What kind of craze for beauty did he grow up with? Damn it!


    After a pause, Bai Ping Zi hardened his mentality. He turned his head again to look closely. His brows wrinkle slowly, and the more it wrinkled the tighter it got.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Bai Fu Ling was curious about her appearance¡­ What can he see?


    Bai Ping Zi opened his mouth and finally said, ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    Bai Fu Ling reached out and grabbed the jade pendant tassel hanging from his belt with one hand and pulled it toward her side. Bai Ping Zi was afraid of pulling her down to fall with him, and even more afraid that she would break his belt due to too much pulling. Then he would really be humiliated. He hurriedly took his horse to the side of the carriage and begged for mercy: ¡°Young lady, stop it! The belt will break!¡±


    He has a grandiose temperament and likes to dress up. The belt he uses is made of jade and jewelry. It is very beautiful, but it is not as stable and durable as ordinary leather belts. If Bai Fu Ling continues to pull, it will definitely make him make a fool of himself on the spot.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk! Miss, let go first!¡±  Bai Ping Zi finally surrendered.


    ¡°Say it and I¡¯d let go. If you dare to lie and skimp, humph!¡±  Bai Fu Ling stopped pulling the tassel but refused to let go.

 CH 19

    Bai Ping Zi hesitated for a while, and when Bai Fu Ling almost started to pull, he finally whispered, ¡°The young lady¡¯s face is very good, with both luck and wealth, with the help of noble people, leisure and prosperity, smart and beautiful, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Bai Fu Ling questioned, threatening to tug at the tassels in her hands.


    Bai Ping Zi mutter and mumble, ¡°It¡¯s just clear Qi exposed, three portions are uneven¡­ Yes, it¡¯s an early death¡­¡±


    (Æø  [ qi] = lit. gas; what is meant here is something like an aura.)


    Bai Fu Ling was stunned, but it didn¡¯t surprise her and she wasn¡¯t angry. She asked, ¡°In your opinion, when is it?¡±


    Bai Ping Zi closed his eyes forcefully and said quickly, ¡°There are still three years, maybe five years¡­ It must be that I am not good at learning this art and have misread it. Miss, don¡¯t take it seriously¡­¡± As for Bai Fu Ling¡¯s ¡®short-lived destiny¡¯, he had noticed it many years ago when he first came into contact with the Art of Face Reading, but for some reason it was not clear. Over the years, he has made great progress in his ability to see someone¡¯s destiny by their faces, but he has always subconsciously avoided looking closely at Bai Fu Ling¡¯s face. Today, he can¡¯t help but be horrified.


    Bai Fu Ling felt a tremor in her heart and loosened the tassels in her hands, but she soon recovered and smiled, ¡°You also know you¡¯re not good at learning it, huh! Don¡¯t go to my parents and say these words, or there will be a bloody disaster waiting for you!¡±


    Bai Ping Zi saw that she really didn¡¯t take his words to heart. Ha-ha, he gave a hollow laugh and said, ¡°How would I dare, the Lord would chop me into minced meat and feed me to those green-eyes you raised.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know! I¡¯m tired and I¡¯m going to sleep. You can continue to look at your tortoise.¡± Bai Fu Ling Road, laid down on the soft mattress in the carriage while lowering the curtain.


    Bai Ping Zi gawked at the shaking curtain of the carriage window and mumbled in a low voice: ¡°I wish I was wrong ¡­ is the ancestral book a fake?¡±  His Face Reading art was learned from a physiognomy book left by his ancestors. The book also didn¡¯t explain who the author was. Bai Ping Zi thought that his parents had passed the book to him as a treasure before he died, so he often looked through it at leisure and remembered the physiognomy mentioned above thoroughly. He watched people¡¯s faces playfully almost every day, according to the description in the book. He found that it was almost similar, so he studied it more and more seriously.


    Bai Fu Ling always takes him out to buy people. She also had the intention of picking people with his physiognomy. Although she doesn¡¯t believe in it very much; if there was such a person around her, it¡¯s a waste not to use him. It¡¯s also good to have more points of views.


    Now Bai Fu Ling; who was lying on a soft mattress, is beginning to believe that Bai Ping Zi¡¯s physiognomy may really have some insight¡­


    ¡°What you¡¯re trying to say is that I only have three years left to live¡­ Is that green-eyed man outside really a monarch?¡± Bai Fu Ling began to plan to save the tortoise. No!  It was getting a monarch for cheap.


    It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t care about her life, but that she knows the result, or that she has been preparing for it since she was three years old. The only thing that she couldn¡¯t let go now is her parents. If anything happens to her, if her parents ¡®sends her off to the afterlife in mourning¡¯ first, it will be strange if they didn¡¯t die of grief ¡­ Ah, it¡¯s really a headache ¡­ She wants to be honest with them, but She¡¯s afraid they will start to worry and feel sad.


    The more Bai Fu Ling thinks about it, the more complicated it becomes. She simply puts it aside for the time being and considers another big event instead.


    Today, she bought 30 barbarian slaves. That is to say, she saved 30 people. In addition, she has rescued 8735 people; one after another, in the past few years. There are still 1065 people missing. At this rate, she can accomplish the task of rescuing 10,000 people in the next one to two years. But, she still has to save a little more for insurance so that she won¡¯t suffer bad luck because of several failures. In the past, she couldn¡¯t believe that she could do such a thing, almost like a Goddess. Indeed, the potential of human beings are infinite.


    Bai Fu Ling was thinking in a daze and soon fell asleep in the swaying carriage.


    Suddenly the carriage stopped. Bai Fu Ling got up and heard the voice of Bai Ah Liu, the guard outside, saying, ¡°Miss, someone was seriously injured on the road ahead. ¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±  Bai Fu Ling patted her little face, pulled her clothes together, pushed open the carriage door and jumped out. She saw two or three zhang¡¯s ahead. Fang Hai and Bai Ah Wu were squatting on the roadside grass to give simple treatment to an injured person.


    (Á¿ [ zhang] = length equal to 3.58 meters or 11 feet 9 inches))


    Fang Hai is a delicate 20-year-old young man. But he has done his best to study the true teachings of the Divine Doctor Xinyi, and he isn¡¯t as cunning as his master. With both a benevolent mind and heart, he rushes to rescue someone as soon as he hears that someone is injured.


    Bai Fu Ling walks over to see a man in grey-blue clothing in a sea of waist-tall grass. He has two iron darts on his shoulders and arms. The darts may be poisonous and are seeping black blood. There are also several knife wounds on his body, which aren¡¯t too deep.


    ¡°How did you find him?¡±  With such tall grass covering him, a person shouldn¡¯t be able to notice someone in the grass.


    ¡°He made some noise himself. I thought there were some beasts or idiotic bandits.¡± Bai Ah Wu was responsible for clearing the road ahead. He was the one who found the man.


    ¡°Save first, then talk! When it¡¯s done move him to the green-eyed tortoise¡¯s cart. ¡± After Bai Fu Ling told him that, she turned around and saw Bai Ping Zi coming over.


    Fang Hai skillfully pierced needles into the blue clothe man to stop the bleeding, turned him over, and stuffed a detoxifying pill into his mouth. Bai Ah Wu took a water bag and filled the man with two mouthfuls of water, allowing him to swallow the pill.


    These antidote pills are made by Fang Hai. They are many times more effective than those used by ordinary Jianghu people. As long it isn¡¯t the Blood Seal Throat poison he can suppress it a little, but if it really is the Blood Seal Throat poison, it¡¯s too late to take any medicine.


    (½­ºþ [ji¨¡ng h¨²] = the martial arts society.)


    When Bai Ping Zi saw the blue clothed man¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but give out a surprised cry and leaned over to look at it again. Bai Fu Ling; who now somewhat believed in his physiognomy, asked, ¡°What? Is the man¡¯s face strange?¡±


    Bai Ping Zi; with a constipated expression, choked for a long time: ¡°If I said it, you wouldn¡¯t believe me¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it first¡­¡± Bai Fu Ling became even more curious.


    ¡°This man¡­ also has the face of a monarch¡­¡± When Bai Ping Zi said this, he found it hard to believe himself; believing that there were so many monarchs and he happened to meet two of them in one day.


    The Bai Family guards who had just heard the strange story of ¡®Green Eye Tortoise¡¯ burst out laughing.


    Even Bai Fu Ling couldn¡¯t help but laugh out wildly. The little reverence she had just had for his physiognomy vanished. She wiped away her tears and said, ¡°Oh Great White Spirit, what do you think this place is? A tortoise in every corner!? We don¡¯t have to make such jokes to entertain ourselves!¡± This is not a capital city where there are as many powerful people as there are dogs on the streets. Even if it was, there are very few powerful people who can be called a monarch.

 CH 20

    ¡°I ¡­ I mean it!¡±  Bai Ping Zi¡¯s inability to insist caused even crazier laughter.


    Bai Fu Ling waved her hand and smiled, ¡°all right, all right¡­ Take this tortoise to the green-eyed tortoise cart and let them be companions, just like a pair.¡±


    Bai Shi San whipped his horse to get near Bai Ping Zi even more and said: ¡°Great Spirit Bai, read me. I should at least be an Emperor. Hahaha, when I become Emperor, I will make you a Buddha!¡±


    Bai Family is situated in a border town. The local tyrant is used to bad jokes coming out of his mouth. A group of guards are laughing happily. No one thinks it¡¯s wrong.


    Bai Ping Zi pounded Bai Shi San on the shoulder and scolded, ¡°F**k you! After you become a pig head then you can be an emperor too! After ten reincarnations it still won¡¯t be your turn.¡±


    (after becoming a pig then you can become an emperor after 10 reincarnations = this is a play on an old legend where ¡°Zhu Bajie¡± or ¡°Monk Pig¡± in ¡°Journey to the West¡± said he only became a Pig by luck, where all his past reincarnations were human. Highly-Unlikely. Because it was actually an accident.)


    Between laughter and jokes, Fang Hai had handled the man-in-blue¡¯s injuries. Bai Fu Ling looked curiously at the so-called monarch. Then she got up and concluded, ¡°I see, the second-housekeeper in my family is saying that whoever looks handsomer than him has to be a monarch!¡±


    ¡°How can that be?! How is he more handsome than me?!¡± Bai Ping Zi isn¡¯t happy. It doesn¡¯t matter if someone questions his physiognomy. It¡¯s unbearable if someone questions his own features. As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and brushed the sleeves of his robe. He raised his head and puffed out his chest to display the best form of a handsome nobleman.


    It has to be said that Bai Ping Zi is really very good-looking. And with a special emphasis on attire, at first glance, he is unexpectedly a handsome young sir.


    Unfortunately, the audience was too familiar with him. Nobody would take the time to appreciate his beauty. They carried the injured man in blue to put him on the cart where the green-eyed slave lay. They all set off again, without giving him even one look.


    Bai Ping Zi posed for a long time but nobody paid any attention to him. He felt that he must have had bad luck today. Everything was not going well. Maybe there was something wrong with his eyes. Why did he happen to meet some ¡®strange¡¯ people like that?!


    (translateindo does not post chapters on any other site. Please support by reading at translateindo.com)


    Until he returned to Bai Family village, Bai Ping Zi was still immersed in serious self-doubt.


    Because of Bai Fu Ling¡¯s ¡®hobby¡¯, Bai Family Village is very experienced in receiving and dealing with the slaves bought back. When the vast convoy enters the Bai Family Village, some people will pick up the slaves, wash, dress, then feed and wait for the next day; where they will be arranged by the relevant stewards. Those with minor injuries will stay in the village. Ordinary doctors took over, and the two seriously injured people moved to the awaiting hospital, to be cared for by Fang Hai.


    Bai Fu Ling goes to see her parents first. It has been a habit for many years. Although the Bai¡¯s couple never restrict their daughter¡¯s actions, they can¡¯t rest assure until they see her every time she comes home.


    She had suspected more than once that her parents were upset because they knew her secret, but she never mentioned it to anyone. How could they know?


    When Bai Fu Ling came to her parents¡¯ yard, her father; Bai Chou was reading a lot of news letters from all over the country, while her mother Mu Pei Lan was sitting, sewing new clothes for her. Even though the Bai Family has an embroidery house, Mu Pei Lan still insists on making clothes for her daughter. The two are ugly and horrible in appearance, but sitting in a cluster of flowers did not give people a bad impression, at least in Bai Fu Ling¡¯s eyes, this scene is the most nostalgic in her life.


    Bai Chou has a good sense of hearing. First, he raises his head and smiles, then beckons his baby daughter to come. Bai Fu Ling came to him, poured tea for her parents and asked with a smile, ¡°what is dad looking at? So entranced¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not these things¡­ I¡¯m afraid there will soon be a big mess in Qi State¡­¡± Bai Chou put down his newsletter and sighed.


    Although he ignored Bai Family¡¯s business, he still managed all kinds of news channels for the Bai Family.


    Bai Family¡¯s business on the surface is mainly in Beiguan City, which began to develop along the coast this year. But the underground business and related industries are widely distributed, there are people in the capital and many other cities and towns.


    One is the foundation of Bai Chou and his wife; Mu Pei Lan before they retired from the Jianghu. Another important one is the network gradually developed from 12 years ago on the advice of Bai Fu Ling.


    (½­ºþ [Jianghu] = the martial arts society.)


    Over the years, Bai Fu Ling¡¯s ¡®purchases¡¯ have been trained to redeem themselves. Some have embarked on the imperial examination, some have become local officials through Bai Family¡¯s relations, and more have become small businessmen, craftsmen, warriors, or household stewards and maids. Basically, there are all kinds of them. Some people stayed in the Bai Family and became the core of Bai Family¡¯s business.


    These people may not have high statuses, but they are widely distributed. Bai Fu Ling is well aware of the importance of unobstructed information to her business, and under her intention to run it, people who went out of the Bai Family regularly gather some of the information collected into the hands of Bai Family in various forms. Bai Chou, on the other hand, is responsible for sorting out the collection with a group of trusted people.


    There are all kinds of news, ranging from rural anecdotes, strange craftsmen, food and vegetable prices to the appointment and removal of government decrees, even the direction of the wind. Bai Chou combines them with the news from his team and often finds many things that insiders do not necessarily know.


    Bai Fu Ling heard her father say so, knowing that something must have happened for some reason, she asked, ¡°Dad, is someone going to rebel?¡±


    Bai Chou smiled and laughed: ¡°Some people rebel every year, but this year there will be more and more rebellions. I see these news items. In recent years, because of natural disasters, many places in Qi State are short of food and money, the national treasury can allocate enough money and food for disaster relief. Local officials are corrupt and the victims cannot get relief. Small groups of peasants have been rebelling and rebelling all over the country. When the civil rebellion becomes a climate, there will be real drama to see. Beiguan City has not received any reimbursement from the court for two years. Even the government officials in the capital owe reimbursement from time to time. Today, His Majesty only likes to linger. The Prince¡¯s position is still uncertain. The Eldest Prince and the Second Prince are fighting with each other in court for the position of Crown Prince. Any of these troubles can lead to the destruction of the country and the family. Besides, aren¡¯t they all happening at the same time?¡±


    He spoke with a relaxed air, and though he looked worried, he spoke entirely in an outsider¡¯s tone of voice. But it¡¯s not unexpected, Beiguan City is far from the Emperor. Even if the Qi State had a real mess on their hands, it would not mess things up here. Beiguan City is still Beiguan City, where barbarians are everywhere. People here still need to dress and eat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that anymore. Ling¡¯er, here are some skilled craftsmen they have found recently. The details are here. Take your time. If you like someone, Dad will find a way to get them for you. ¡±

 CH 21

    Bai Chou handed over a stack of paper, and Bai Fu Ling took a few simple flips. There were the names, ages and places of residence of these craftsmen. More detailed descriptions of their skills were given. The language was simple and straightforward so that even a layman could understand the general meaning at a glance.


    Mu Pei Lan frowned at Bai Chou¡¯s words and said, ¡°What are you talking about, husband? How would people think Ling-er behaves? What do you mean ¡®If you like someone, Dad will find a way to get that person for you¡¯? You two, father and daughter, are talking ambiguously. It makes people speechless.¡±


    Bai Chou chuckled and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t there no outsider here?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling said, ¡°Mother, this is our place. What would happen if I¡¯m heard?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your dad who gets you use to being lawless¡­¡± Mu Pei Lan was very angry but felt it was ridiculous. But she didn¡¯t know how suddenly something occurred to her. She didn¡¯t say any more. She shook her head and raised her hand to sew the other half of her clothes. The needle continued to fly.


    Bai Fu Ling was next to her father. While they were reading the letters on the desk, they exchanged opinions with each other. Mu Pei Lan was listening. Unknowingly, her movements became slower and slower. Suddenly, she stopped and tried to say, ¡°There is a letter from the capital. It says my mother wants to see Ling-er and me.¡±


    She wanted to say it before. After hesitating for a while, she finally couldn¡¯t help it.


    Bai Chou¡¯s hands shook, dropped the letter on the table, and changed color. ¡°You¡­ You still have contact with those people in the capital?!¡±


    Mu Pei Lan looked down and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s my mother after all. She has nothing to be sorry at me for. She was helpless that year¡­¡±


    Bai Chou immediately relented when he saw her like this, got up and went over to her and took her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, I¡¯m just afraid that those people will have ideas about you. Weren¡¯t they bad enough to you back then?¡±


    Mu Pei Lan looked up and smiled. ¡°What else can I do for them now? I look like this, at this age ¡­ do you think I am still the first beauty of the capital?¡±


    Bai Chou hugged her shoulder and said, ¡°No matter what you look like, at what age. You will always be the first beauty in my heart.¡±


    Without looking at how they look, it¡¯s still very touching. But even if it¡¯s her biological parents, Bai Fu Ling had a hard time wiping out the frightening image and stopping herself from running in the opposite direction.


    Bai Fu Ling felt embarrassed looking at them, only feeling thunder rumbling in her ears and a crow passing in front of her. She intuitively felt that she was already quite narcissistic. Compared with her mother and grandmother, she was humble to the degree of humility.


    (thunder rumbling& a crow passing in front her = literally speechless.)


    Her mother grew up like that, but she dared to call herself the first beauty in the capital! What would she be? The first beauty in the universe? Oh, my god! Is it because people in the capital have an abnormal aesthetic appreciation that they love her biological mother¡¯s tall and strong form?


    Bai Chou and his wife were tender and sweet for a while and finally found out that there was something wrong with their daughter. They coughed twice; embarrassed, looked at each other, and asked, ¡°Do you remember when you were a child?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling rubbed her head comfortably on her mother¡¯s arm. Although her mother¡¯s face and figure were somewhat frightening, she liked the soft warm fragrance on her mother¡¯s body the most. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything before I was three years old. Only most memories after I was three years old,¡± she said lazily.


    This is her consistent statement. The couple never seemed to doubt all sorts of irrational things about her, so Bai Fu Ling is too lazy to hide them.


    She remembered that when she was three years old, she first saw her mother and the old monk in the temple. Later, she went home with her mother and picked up Lu Ying. At that time, there was only her mother, Uncle Shen and other people in the family. Although her mother did not say anything, she was restless every day. After a few days, her father suddenly came back bloody in the middle of the night. They thought Bai Fu Ling was asleep and didn¡¯t know anything. In fact, she hadn¡¯t been asleep all the time. As soon as her father entered the door, she woke up and pretended to sleep and secretly watched the scene.


    Since then, there has been a smile on her mother¡¯s face. Apart from when her father went out to ¡®do business¡¯, the three of them lived in the capital city. Only a few years later, something happened before they decided to leave. They immediately moved to Beiguan City, which is thousands of miles away from the capital, to start anew.


    According to Bai Fu Ling¡¯s observation, her father must have done something for a certain court force in secret. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s something that¡¯s not very righteous. The family rarely mentioned the past days in the capital, and the Bai couple never mentioned the Bai Family¡¯s origin and Bai Fu Ling¡¯s relatives. Bai Fu Ling also doesn¡¯t ask, seems like she thought that her parents jumped out of stone and were free without any strings attached.


    (TNnote: so¡­ your parents are Monkey King or Sun Wu Kong, birthed from stone? XD)


    Everyone has secrets. Her parents have many things that they have never mentioned to her. She also has a big secret hidden in her heart. A secret she will take to the grave. As long as everyone is happy together, why must we seek it out?


    If her parents knew that their daughter died young, as early as three years old, and that she was just a lonely soul from modern society, what would they think?


    If they knew that she can only accompany them for 15 years instead of their daughter, will they feel sad and unwilling for her?  Will they feel uneasy and distraught in the fear of losing her from the moment they knew?


    Therefore, some secrets are only said to increase worries, destroy stability and unity, harmony and happiness of the happy life. Or¡­ let them rot in her stomach!


    From the moment Bai Fu Ling came to this world, she heard the ugly woman she now called her mother; holding her tightly in front of the statue of Bodhisattva, saying that she was willing to sacrifice everything and pay for her daughter¡¯s safety. Bai Fu Ling decided to forget her previous life. She wanted to start anew. She wanted to enjoy the maternal love she had never felt before.


    The couple hesitated for a moment and finally did not mention the past. They just avoided the heavy burden and joked about some interesting childhood stories of Bai Fu Ling. Mu Pei Lan sighed, ¡°Ling-er was like an adult when she was a child, but she began to act like a child in recent years.¡±


    ¡°Mother, what are you saying? It clearly means that the more I live, the more I regress!¡± Bai Fu Ling¡¯s mouth was full of discontent and protest, but her heart knew what her mother meant.


    When she first came to this world, fortunately, her mother believed the old monk¡¯s words in the temple. He said that she was blessed by Bodhisattva and it opened her mind. So, she was extremely intelligent and sensible. Otherwise; without this foreshadowing, when she did not speak and do things like a three-year-old child, she would have been regarded as evil.


    Over the past few years, she has seen that the things she wanted to do are almost done. With the influence of her body and environment, she felt relaxed. She became more and more like a child, and more and more like a real 14 or 15-year-old girl.


    Mu Pei Lan hugged her by the shoulder and said: ¡°Mother likes Ling-er¡¯s appearance now. I am happy when you look happy ¡­ Ah, this year you¡¯re going to have to stop playing with Bai Ping Zi and wait for mother to pick a good husband and son-in-law for you. Then you¡¯ll have a little grandson for your parents in two years.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling went green as soon as she hears this. She has only three years left to live. Why bother with all this mess? So, she pouted and said, ¡°Mother hates me and thinks I¡¯m old. She wants to marry me out and only wants a little grandson!¡±


    Bai Chou spoke, ¡°Who says she¡¯s going to marry you out? We¡¯ll bring home the one you like!¡±


    Mu Pei Lan nodded. They were reluctant to marry their daughter off, so they could recruit a son-in-law. They could watch their darling every day in the future, and they won¡¯t be afraid that their daughter would be bullied by her husband¡¯s family. Although they doubted that someone would dare to bully their daughter, it¡¯s good enough that she doesn¡¯t bully someone.


    Bai Fu Ling listened to their tone, becoming more and more excited. She hurriedly stops them, saying she was tired from walking around in the city for a day, and hurriedly retreat


    Looking at her graceful figure disappearing behind the gate, Bai Chou held his wife¡¯s hand and continued the previous topic: ¡°Pei Lan, I don¡¯t want to be cruel, but the water in the capital city is too deep. We had a hard time leaving ¡­ I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you, and I don¡¯t want Ling-er to get involved in those things.¡±


    Mu Pei Lan, with reddish eyes, whispered: ¡°I understand that. It¡¯s just my mother who is alone in the capital. I don¡¯t know how much she has suffered over the years ¡­ I have you and Ling-er, and I feel sorry for her ¡­¡±


    Bai Chou hugged his wife and did not speak. He just patted her on the shoulder and comforted her silently. In any case, he will not let his wife and daughter get involved in any more risks. In this life, they will live in Beiguan City in peace.


    (please support translators by reading at Translateindo.com)


    When Yang Heng began to regain consciousness, the first thing he heard was a man¡¯s voice saying, ¡°Ah, this is clearly the profile of a monarch. How can I be wrong?  Is the book really a fake? It doesn¡¯t make any sense! Looking at everyone else¡¯s face before this, I was absolutely right! Strange ¡­ It¡¯s really strange ¡­¡±


    He also heard another man¡¯s voice with obvious helplessness. ¡°Second steward, if you don¡¯t help, can you leave? The patient¡¯s poison is not simple. If I don¡¯t treat him, he may hurt his roots.¡±


    Poison?! Yang Heng was shocked, and he suddenly remembered what had happened before he fell into a coma. He negotiated with Lie Dang and planned to send spies to spy on his barracks while Liu Ying was out on the patrol. However, he continued to stay in Beiguan City in disguise. Lie Dang went out of the city early in the morning and planned to visit Bai Family in person to find out all the ins and outs of the Bai Family. In the afternoon, he suddenly received a secret letter from the spies. It said that they found that someone had paid a large sum of money to buy his life from the well-known killer organization ¡®Yi Dao Lou¡¯. Yi Dou Lou had already taken over the business and would probably kill him within one or two days. He was requested to move to a safe place as soon as possible.


    (Ò»µ¶Â¥ [Y¨©d¨¡o l¨®u] = One Sword/Knife/Blade? Tower.)


    He carefully observed that there were unknown people around the inn, and it seemed that a situation was ready to start. He had to retreat temporarily because of his limited manpower. He would meet Lie Dang first and then make a long-term plan. He didn¡¯t think the number of people sent by the other party was far beyond his imagination, either in quantity or martial arts. He fought and fled with the guards, and eventually got lost.


    He is also a master of martial arts in the Jianghu, but there were so many people besieging each other. He tried his best to break through and was hit by two poisonous darts. With his internal force, he managed to suppress the poison. Although he finally threw off his pursuers, he was already losing consciousness.


    Hiding in the grass beside the road, he tasted the despair of impending death for the first time. In the haze, he heard the sound of carriages passing by. Knowing that there was only death awaiting, he decided to gamble, grinding his teeth and moving his body to make a noise, and get help.


    Listening to what the man said, it seems that the man was sure of curing his poisonous wounds. Who on earth saved him?

 CH 22

    Yang Heng has not had any medicine on him, he was unable to open his eyes and speak. He can only try to analyze the information in their words and try to understand his current situation. What did another man say before about ¡®the profile of a monarch¡¯?  Who is he talking about?  Is it ¡­ is it he; Yang Heng?


    ¡°Fang Hai, as long as you are not dead, he can be saved! You are the proud disciple of the Miracle Doctor Xinyi!¡± The man who spoke earlier spoke again.


    Yang Heng felt relieved when he heard these words. He also heard of the name of the Miracle Doctor Xinyi. He is not only famous in the Jianghu, but the common people in Qi state also knew that he has superb medical skills in raising dead people¡¯s flesh and bones. The oldest qualified doctor in the palace; Han Taiyi, also claimed to be far inferior in medical skills. He did not expect that he could meet that person¡¯s disciple. It seems that there is no need to worry too much about his injury.


    He was only awake for a while, then he heard some good news that cheered him up, so his heart was calm. He had no energy to listen to what they said next and fell asleep again in a daze.


    When he woke up again, Yang Heng felt as if he had some strength. He tried to open his eyes and saw that he was sleeping on a wooden bed. The room was furnished with all kinds of furniture, but there was no decoration. White walls and semi-new and neat furniture, it looked simple and clean.


    It was already bright outside the window. He lay quietly for a while and tried to turn around with his inner force. Although he was weak in strength, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with him, but his hands and feet were numb and unable to move.


    It was very rare for him to be poisoned. Just as he was secretly glad, he suddenly heard a creaking sound. The door was pushed open and a handsome young man, about 14 or 15 years old, dressed as a servant came in.


    ¡°You really did wake up; would you like some water?¡± The handsome young man came up.


    Yang Heng¡¯s throat was dry as a desert and nodded. The teenager came up, squatted down, grabbed the handle under the bed and shook it gently. Yang Heng did not know why, but soon, he felt the bed moving, and his upper body was lifted up with the bed board just a little. In a few moments, he changed positions from lying down to half-seated.


    The young man turned around and poured a cup of clean water to his mouth. Yang Heng forgot about the mechanism under the bed and opened his mouth to drink the water.


    He felt his throat was better, so he asked a classic question: ¡°Where is this place?¡±


    The teenager poured him another glass of water and replied, ¡°This is Bai Family Village. My young mistress rescued you. My name is Gan Lan and I am responsible for looking after you. Just a moment, I¡¯ll ask Doctor Fang to see you.¡±


    (¸ÊÀ¶ [gan lan] = wild cabbage)


    After that, he went out without waiting for Yang Heng¡¯s reaction. Yang Heng¡¯s heart thought, Bai Family Village? Miss? Did he happen to be saved by that arrogant little girl?!


    Fang Hai arrived soon and asked Yang Heng how he felt. He said, ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ After two days¡¯ rest, it would be fine. The other wounds on your body are not deep. Somebody will change your dressing every day. You can tell Gan Lan what you need, but¡­ If it¡¯s not very necessary, don¡¯t.¡±


    Yang Heng couldn¡¯t understand it. What does he mean ¡®don¡¯t say it, if it is not very necessary¡¯?


    However, he soon understood the reason why Fang Hai said all of that; the treatment here isn¡¯t free! And it¡¯s expensive!


    Two days later, Yang Heng was able to get out of bed and Gan Lan gave him an envelope for him to read slowly. He could ask him if he had any questions, and then he left for work. Yang Heng opened the envelope curiously and found a thick stack of paper filled with ¡®items fee¡¯. From the fare for transporting him to the Bai Family Village, to the fee for seeing Fang Hai. Medicine, the accommodation fee for living in Bai Family Hospital, Gan Lan¡¯s ¡®service fee¡¯ for taking care of him and the price of the clothes he wore, etc¡­ There were dozens of pieces of silver, large and small. It was a total of 528 pieces of silver.


    (TLNote: welcome to modern medical service industry! enjoy your stay¡­ no money? rest in peace¡­)


    Among them, Fang Hai¡¯s outpatient fee is the main one, totaling 452 for three times!


    At the bottom was the seal of Bai Family Village.


    Yang Heng suddenly realized why Fang Hai never came back after visiting him once that day when he had just woken up. Why did he say such a strange thing? He always felt that this Miracle Doctor¡¯s disciple wasn¡¯t very responsible. It turned out that that guy was kind enough to save money for him.


    Yang Heng had never seen such a blatant demand for money after saving a life in his life. He was in distress at the moment. He was born in the Royal family. Although he was not the most favorite, he was also a real prince.  He did not take hundreds of taels of silver to heart. However, the problem was that he did not bring too many taels of silver to Beiguan City in his disguise this time.


    And it¡¯s not appropriate to reveal his identity now¡­ Yang Heng raised his eyebrows and smiled lightly. It seems that he is going to eat and drink for nothing in this Bai Family villa as an awful guest.


    Bai Family Village covers a vast area. The Bai Family Village that belongs to the Bai Family, was all over the Bai Family Mountain area. Two courtyards have been built along the gentle mountain terrain near the mountain gate. One is called Qun Courtyard, which is the place for the newly bought slaves who are ready for training. The other is called Daixing Courtyard, which is mainly for the temporary stay of some wounded and sick people. Most of them are rescued by Bai Fu Li. Yang Heng lives in Daixing Courtyard.


    ( Ⱥ԰ [Qun yuan] = crowd courtyard/ herd garden; ´ýÐËÔº [Daixing Yuan] = Waiting Hospital/ awaiting in flourish courtyard.)


    From the names of the two courtyards, he can fully see Bai Fu Ling¡¯s bad naming sense. The former means to herd oxen and horses in the courtyard, while the latter means to leisurely waste in the courtyard. In short, the front will be inhabited by her oxen and horses, and the back will be inhabited by the people who ¡®waste resources¡¯, such as the wounded and sick to be treated and rehabilitated.


    There are special stewards in both places. At the moment, Bai Ji, the steward of the Bai Fei Hospital, is explaining the situation of Yang Heng to Bai Fu Ling. It can be simply summarized as one sentence¨C I have nothing but my single life.


    (°Ù·Ï [Bai fei] = A hundred wastes.)


    ¡°He said his name is Peng Tie, because he met a villain, he was cheated, and his family and friends had died and separated. He was the only one who was hunted down by his enemies. He has only a few dozen pieces of silver and nothing else.¡± Bai Ji simply conveys Yang Heng¡¯s statement. He is about the same age as Bai Shang Lu and Bai Ping Zi. A chubby man with a friendly face, a very good gentleman, but if anyone regards him as a good old man, they are doomed to suffer!


    The most important thing that Bai Fu Ling wants from someone who supervises the Hospital is not compassion, but the ability to calculate accounts. All the thick bills Yang Heng received came from his pen. Bai Fu Ling has always saved people and asked for money. She wants to save people, but she cannot accept any loss of money.


    Bai Fu Ling frowned at Bai Ji¡¯s words and said: ¡°I thought he was a rich man with thin skin and tender flesh ¡­ what a nuisance!  Bring him in this afternoon. I¡¯ll see what he can do and let him return the money before leaving. Fang Hai is a poor man with serious personal problems. I had a hard time finding patients for him, now, it turns out that man is also a poor man beyond treasures.  Medical expenses should be paid from the bank account first.¡±


    (ϸƤÄÛÈâ [x¨¬ p¨ª n¨¨n r¨°u] = thin skin and tender flesh; describing someone as well maintained and fair; usually talking about someone spoiled in life; like boudoir women, or rich noble youngsters.)


    Bai Ji heard the nondescript adjective ¡®thin skin and tender flesh¡¯ to describe an adult man; coming out of the mouth of a beautiful girl under the age girl of 15. He could not help but shake his head twice. His resistance was weak, and he could not completely get used to the ¡®language style¡¯ of the young lady for so many years. However, he did not have the courage to correct the inappropriate words and deeds of the young lady, and he could only nod and retire back very quietly.


    Yang Heng had no idea that his first formal meeting with Bai Fu Ling was in such a situation; where he was totally at a disadvantage¡­ The stubborn girl in front of him became his lifesaver and debtor!


    But even so, Yang Heng is still in a good mood to see a beauty.


    He has to say, from a close point of view, this woman is even more beautiful. Although she is only 14 or 15 years old, her appearance is still somewhat childlike and immature, but she has already had a truly touching charm.


    She was sitting in a delicate bamboo pavilion beside the cold spring. She wore a pink butterfly embroidered half-arm white narrow sleeve top, blue silk dress, and the colorful butterflies embroidered on the arm were very delicate and vivid. Every one of the butterflies had different lifelike gestures. It seemed that it would take off from her clothes at the next moment. Her black hair was loosely pulled up, revealing her slender and beautiful swan-like neck, with only a silver hairpin with a thumb-sized sapphire embedded in it. It was very plain and had a refreshing and comfortable beauty.


    The most touching were those black jewels like eyes. The landscape behind her seems to melt into these eyes, which were very fickle and pure.


    Yang Heng looked at the beauty in front of him almost impudently. Bai Fu Ling has seen many people, especially men, who like to look at beauty for granted. Anyway, she also looked back unceremoniously.


    Tsk tsk! Not mentioning if this guy looks like a monarch, he still looked really good!  On that day, he was poisoned and injured, and his face was pale and twisted. She still couldn¡¯t understand it. But today, he is washed and cleaned up and stood in front of her refreshed, making him shine at the moment.


    The man¡¯s appearance is gentle and graceful. Bai Fu Ling saw a deep and mysterious sharp air from his narrow and transparent pair of phoenix eyes, reminding her of the silent and dormant lion. As long as he feels the time is ripe, he would show his fierceness and tough claws, giving all those who dare to neglect him a fatal blow.


    Yang Heng looked at Bai Fu Ling with calm and polite eyes, but Bai Fu Ling felt that it was full of aggression. Her heart involuntarily beats a little faster, which made her even more uneasy than looking into the colorful eyes of an average man.


    An alarm sounded almost immediately in Bai Fu Ling ¡®s head. This man, whether he really had the profile of a monarch or not, would not be a simple person. It¡¯s better if she didn¡¯t provoke him easily.


    This kind of imposing manner is not something an ordinary Jianghu man would have!


    The two stared at each other for a while. Bai Fu Ling broke the strange silence and said, ¡°have you seen enough?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been rude.¡± Yang Heng thought of him standing on someone¡¯s turf and smiled, and took the initiative to give in.


    Bai Fu Ling pressed down her strange feeling, picked up the bill left by Bai Ji and glanced at it. ¡°You still owe me 528 taels. ¡±


    Yang Heng¡¯s polite smile was filled with a touch of shamelessness: ¡°As the old saying goes, do not expect kindness to be returned ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you express gratitude to your benefactor and repay me like an ox and horse, but I can¡¯t lose money from saving you.¡± Bai Fu Ling spoke eloquently.


    How cunning shrewish! A little wildcat who refuses to eat even half a loss! Yang Heng laughed in his heart.

 CH 23

    When he thinks of the various fees and charges listed in the bill, apart from the medical expenses, other expenses are really not that outrageous, and even the medical expenses are ¡ª to be fair, well worth the money. Miracle Doctor Xinyi is a hard to find doctor. His ¡®proud disciple¡¯ received only 452 yuan for three visits, which is actually very affordable.


    Besides, Fang Hai¡¯s medicine is really very effective, in two days the poison has almost been completely cured. His other lighter sword wounds have improved significantly. At least he can stand up and walk, this kind of good medicine couldn¡¯t even be found in the palace.


    Yang Heng didn¡¯t really care about the hundreds of taels of silver, but he couldn¡¯t help but tease the beautiful girl in front of him. No matter how bad the impression he got of her before, it¡¯s really hard to reject and hate a woman sitting in front of him like a beautiful jade with vivid colors.


    ¡°Bai Ji says you are not in a good position now. You can choose to work for me and pay off your debts, or you can also leave the debts to be repaid later.¡± Bai Fu Ling felt that she had been polite as much as possible, and she would not easily offend anyone she thought she should not be provoking.


    That¡¯s why she likes Beiguan City because there are so few people she can¡¯t provoke, so few that it can be ignored, and she can offend anyone if she wants to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do to help this Miss?¡± Yang Heng was also curious about what kind of work Bai Fu Ling would let him do to repay his debts. He was not completely ignorant of the sufferings of the people. He also knew clearly that it would not be easy for ordinary people to earn more than 500 taels of silver.


    Since he accidentally arrived at Bai Family Manor, there was no reason to return empty-handed. Lu Ying and the Bai Family are closely related. If he stays here, he can avoid the pursuit of the unknown forces and continue his official duties. So, why not?


    However, at the thought of the rumored ¡®close relationship¡¯ between Lu Ying and the girl in front of him, Yang Heng couldn¡¯t help but frown. The two were not siblings. Lu Ying was also a famous national hero ¡­


    Bai Fu Ling didn¡¯t think what he meant was that he wanted to stay and work to pay off debts. He looked like he was the ¡®dignified and privileged¡¯ sort. What part of him looked like he was the type of man to labor for pay? Wouldn¡¯t that be something else?


    She squinted. ¡°It depends on what you do,¡± In fact, around 500 silver yuan is not much for her, but she is not used to losing money, especially in her own territory! (please support translators by reading at Translateindo.com)


    She glanced at Bai Shao and said, ¡°Since you have decided to stay for the time being¡­  Bai Shao, go and tell Bai Ping Zi to arrange a place for him.¡± Bai Shao understood that Miss Bai actually meant. It was to tell Bai Ping Zi to be careful of this person. With a bow, he went first.


    Bai Fu Ling didn¡¯t want to talk anymore with Yang Heng and motioned for Gan Lan who was accompanying Yang Heng to take the man away.


    Yang Heng has not tried this kind of feeling of being able to come and go freely for a long time. In fact, apart from his father in the palace, even his big brother and his second brother who are in power wouldn¡¯t openly treat him like this. Now, he wasn¡¯t even taken seriously, by the daughter of a small businessman ¡­ Yang Heng is laughing inside. If he wants to hide his identity and stay in Bai Family Manor; this kind of situation is bound to happen frequently in the future. It¡¯s very likely that an ordinary steward in the manor would also shout at him, and which should be a brand-new experience.


    Now he is just hoping to get in touch with Lie Dang as soon as possible and find out what¡¯s going on outside.


    In reality, the people who want to lay hands on him is none other than his big brother or his second brother. Over the years, he has been very low-key. Apart from a few people who he intended to get close to, most people¡¯s impression of The Sixth Prince of Qi State is limited to his handsome appearance and elegant demeanor. He is a very popular romantic figure among high-ranking women in the capital. To put it bluntly, he is an embroidered pillow with noble blood.


    (Ð廨ÕíÍ· [xi¨´ hu¨¡ zh¨§n t¨®u] = a person who has a beautiful appearance but no knowledge.)


    He asked himself if he had ever offended anyone which made the other party felt like it was worth accepting the serious crime of killing someone from the imperial family. That person would be put to death. The only reason for that person to be so concerned must be related to his job this time, and that if he died at this time; it would bring considerable benefit to the other party.


    He did not doubt Lu Ying. When the imperial court sent an envoy to investigated his affairs, Lu Ying could not have known. But if the imperial envoy died on his territory, whoever did it would be great trouble for him. Unless Lu Ying really intended to rebel, there was no need to take such a risk. If that guy really wanted to take the risk, he doesn¡¯t have to ask Yi Dao Lou to send out so many masters to assassinate him. When Beiguan City gates were closed, he can¡¯t escape, he would already be doomed.


    And as he watched Beiguan City these days, Lu Ying really didn¡¯t seem to be a rebellious traitor. Beiguan City is not at all like a military town, more like a prosperous town near the capital, where businessmen from all walks of life gather. The Qi State people and the barbarians don¡¯t have any tension between them at all. They do business in a lively way.(please support translators by reading at Translateindo.com)


    Lu Ying, together with his town¡¯s northern army, are very low-key, and there are no positive or negative rumors. In Beiguan City, it was the Bai Family¡¯s reputation that was prominent. Everywhere, people can hear all kinds of rumors about the Bai Family. Among them, the most talked about is the Bai Family¡¯s treasure, the most brilliant; Bai Fu Ling, the big lady of the city. She is famous for her beautiful appearance as well as her arrogant and luxurious style of conduct.


    Lu Ying; on the other hand, was like an ordinary diligent general, silently drilling the army and spent more than half a year patrolling the border to wipe out the vagrant bandits and barbarian robbers nearby. He neither expanded his territory to the surrounding area nor engaged in personal worship in the army; that was turning the national army into a private army. Yang Heng did not see any hint of the intention of turning Beiguan City into a state within a state.


    Yang Heng thought his behavior was very strange. It was not like a military general who had the intention to build a successful career. Lu Ying acted as if he was going to spend his whole life in Beiguan City.


    Lu Ying is only in his twenties and already had such meritorious prestige. It¡¯s time for him to make full use of his talents, why does he suddenly stop and refuse to go further?


    Despite Lu Ying¡¯s weirdness, only his two ¡®good¡¯ brothers could benefit from his death. (please support translators by reading at Translateindo.com)


    If by any chance something happened, Lu Ying would be the first one to be impacted. Even though Lu Ying had no relationship with his two brothers before, this time he would have had to choose one of them to stay alive.


    His Eldest Brother was born from Mao Shi; she is the granddaughter of Grand Marshal Mao Mutong, who aided in laying the foundation of the monarchy as the first-generation God of War. Despite several generations of Emperor¡¯s deliberate feoffment and promotion; the Mao family has been able to mobilize a very limited number of troops through several generations. Mao Mutong; father and son have too high of prestige in the army and are implicitly the leaders of the military generals in the court.


    (ÊÏ [shi] = lit; Surname. Saying that the woman is from the Mao family/clan in the above paragraph.  They rarely use full names to call a woman, especially a married one. Usually saying their family name and adding ¡®shi¡¯.)


    His Second Brother was born from Empress Xia, who could suppress Mao Shi and become the Empress. Naturally, she wasn¡¯t simple either. The Xia family had produced two cabinet graduates, three ministers, two first-place winning scholars, twelve scholar candidates, and numerous people. They were the most famous family since the founding of Qi State. From the first Emperor to today¡¯s Emperor, the Xia family is the patriarch of the civil servants.


    In recent years, with the frequent emergencies in the border areas, the country is using its troops, and the position of military generals are also rising. In order to keep the power of the central government, the Xia family began to attract some generals who had no deep relationship with the Mao family.


    Lu Ying happened to have nothing to do with the Mao family or the Xia family. In a few years, he rose to fame. the Mao family and the Xia family all wanted to attract him, but he was neither friendly nor aloof to both sides.


    This time if he, Yang Heng; a Prince, died on Lu Ying¡¯s territory. No matter the Xia family or the Mao family, they may take advantage of this to gain some benefits. It¡¯s really depressing to think of it. He is a Prince of a country, but in the eyes of those people, his position is probably not as good as that of a new noble military general. But Yang Heng was not discouraged about it. Instead, he was grateful that the less they looked at him, the better it was for him. (please support translators by reading at Translateindo.com)


    It is imperative for him to find out the plans of his two brothers so that he can make the best choice for himself. As he thought these things, Yang Heng walked back to the hospital with Gan Lan.


    (translateindo.C0m did not give other site permission to copy this!)


    When he returned to his room, Bai Ping Zi arrived. He looked at him with very strange eyes, shook his head and began to ask politely about his skills.


    As soon as Bai Ping Zi opened his mouth, Yang Heng recognized that this was the man who said he had ¡®the face of a monarch¡¯ when he was in a coma. Yang Heng felt a stir in his heart. He resisted the impulse to question and repeated his previous life story.


    He had a close little eunuch who was from Duanzhou. Since he entered Beiguan City, he had been imitating the local accent that the little eunuch had in his speech to conceal his identity. He still did after waking up in the Bai Family Village.


    This story has been hammered out many times by him. Peng Tie is a real person and these are real stories. But the real Peng Tie is actually a secret guard close to him. He is similar in age and few have seen him in person. Even if someone intends to check his identity according to his words, they won¡¯t find anything wrong for a while.


    Bai Ping Zi listened to him and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re just a common Jianghu person?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Steward Bai means by that?¡± Yang Heng appropriately expressed some surprise and puzzlement.


    Bai Ping Zi snorted softly: ¡°I believe I am not mistaken. You are by no means an ordinary person. It doesn¡¯t matter if you refuse to say it. As long as you don¡¯t do anything bad to the Bai Family and our Miss, I won¡¯t ask you about your personal affairs.¡±


    Yang Heng said calmly: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Steward Bai, although I am not a noble gentleman, I won¡¯t do anything to return kindness with ingratitude.¡± He really doesn¡¯t intend to do anything against the Bai Family. Considering taking their big miss back to the capital to marry shouldn¡¯t be a bad thing ¡­


    ¡°That is for the best! You have to rest here for a few days, and when the injury is healed, I will arrange for you to do something. You can walk around Bai Li Mountain at will, but the beasts on this mountain are not vegetarians, so don¡¯t go to the back hill. The southern part of Heling Lake and the area of the cold spring where you have been before are occupied by women. There are not only predators but also deadly schemes inside. You must go in there.¡± With that, Bai Ping Zi got up and left.


    Why are there predatory animals in the place where the women live?  What on earth is this Bai Family village?

 CH 24

    Three days later, Yang Heng received the first job of going to the school to teach slaves to read and write.


    There is a difference between good and lowly, even an ordinary good citizen is ashamed to associate with slaves, not to mention teaching them to read. Thinking it was a deliberate humiliation of him from Bai Ping Zi, an angry look flashed in Yang Heng¡¯s eyes and he asked Gan Lan, who had come to inform him: ¡°Is this an errand from Steward Bai?¡±


    (Á¼¼úÓбð [Li¨¢ng ji¨¤n y¨¯u bi¨¦]= There is a difference between good and lowly; meaning different social class should mingle differently.)


    Gan Lan nodded and said: ¡°Yes, your body isn¡¯t fully healed yet, so it is more appropriate to take a light and economical job. Bai Family Village has a monthly salary of 3.2 taels of silver, deducting the cost of food and lodging, and the remaining 2.2 taels are used to cover the previous medical expenses. ¡°Some of the words that he said were business-like and understated, as if he didn¡¯t feel the resistance from Yang Heng at all.


    Yang Heng; in the face of this unmovable boy, suddenly felt weak. He wasn¡¯t worried about getting tired at work, let alone how much he was being paid!


    After squinting, Yang Heng tried to calm down and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to see Miss Bai, please pass it on.¡±


    Gan Lan nodded his head and put down his little bundle. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Miss if she has free time. This is the textbook for the class; please prepare first.¡± While still ignoring the anger in Yang Heng ¡®s eyes, Gan Lan didn¡¯t seem to see that he didn¡¯t want to take the job, put it down and turned away.


    He didn¡¯t know if Yang Heng was lucky or not. But, more than half an hour later, he met Bai Fu Ling, who had just made a round in the hospital and checked the progress of her family¡¯s ¡®Ox and horses.¡¯ Hearing Gan Lan saying that Yang Heng was very dissatisfied with the job assigned to him, she took the time to see Yang Heng.


    The meeting place was under the big trees on one side of the courtyard, and the thick shade fended off the hot summer sun. It was cooler than anywhere else.


    Before coming, Yang Heng had already thought about it. His current status is just a commoner, and he still owes Bai Fu Ling the kindness and money. In fact, he has no position to oppose her arrangement, but it does not mean that he will ¡®wait for his doom¡¯.


    It is an affair to choose beauties in the border areas. Educating slaves and untouchables is not a touching deed. If it comes out in the future, the chance of becoming a laughing stock is 100%, and a bad one will be used by political opponents as a starting point to attack and embarrass him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to teach my servants to read and write?¡± Bai Fu Ling was in such a good mood today. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t embarrassingly uncover what Yang Heng was thinking. Just now Yang Mei told her that another group of slaves could be redeemed soon, and that the newly-learned in the school would be added to their original posts so that she would have dozens of new forfeited contracts in her hands.


    Today, she was wearing a pink and yellow lotus leaf dress. Her long hair pulled up in a turquoise green hair band, several strands of long hairs fell, fresh and delicate as the new white lotus in the spring. Yang Heng looked at her in secret and praise in his heart while his anger dissipated involuntarily.


    ¡°None of them will be slaves all their lives, and they will all redeem themselves as good citizens in the future. You don¡¯t have to worry that their identity will affect your future reputation. All the ¡®official-slaves¡¯ I buy are literate and don¡¯t need to be taught.¡± Bai Fu Ling smiled without waiting for him to answer. In the past, she met many people who refused to be hired to teach slaves to read even though she paid a high price. Therefore, she fully understood the concerns of these people.


    The so-called ¡®official-slaves¡¯ refers to the Qi State government¡¯s household registration records as slaves. Many of these people are children and family members of high ranking criminals. Once they become ¡®official-slaves¡¯, their children and grandchildren will be inferior slaves for generations unless they are granted amnesty.


    There are also people who are sold into slavery for various reasons. As long as they meet good owners that are willing to let them be redeemed, they can still become civilians again. These people are called ¡®private-slaves¡¯. The deed of sale of a private slave is divided into a red deed and a white deed. The red deed is stamped with the seal of the government and is officially approved. On the other hand, the white deed is only marked by the signatures of both the buyer and the seller, and there may not even be witnesses. The white deed is also legal, but if there is a conflict between the red deed with the same slave and the different buyer of the white deed, the red deed will prevail.


    Whether official slaves or private slaves, the state has an express order to limit the number of household slaves that each family can have, nor can it trade in private at will. It is only that no one has carried it out, and the rich and senior officials have unscrupulously raised slaves.


    This Peng Tie claimed to be a Jianghu person. He shouldn¡¯t care too much about this. If he cares so much, this further proves Bai Fu Ling¡¯s speculation about his identity. However, out of her evil delight, she was happy to pretend that she didn¡¯t know. She happened to be messing with this seemingly gentle but arrogant guy.


    This is why, Bai Fu Ling decided to get Yang Heng to teach slaves. The more he didn¡¯t want to, the more she wanted to force him to do it!


    After she moved to Beiguan City these years, her life has been very smooth. Especially after Lu Ying; the big supporter, arriving. She was even more unscrupulous. Therefore, she knew she shouldn¡¯t do some things, knew she was playing with fire, but still can¡¯t help doing it. If she had known the troubles that would follow in the future, she would have stayed away early this morning and would never have offended Yang Heng.


    But, is there any medicine to cure regret?


    Yang Heng listened to her words; he got a big shock. He asked, ¡°Since they would be redeemed sooner or later, why bother to teach them how to read?¡±


    ¡°If they can¡¯t read and don¡¯t have the ability to settle down, in a world like this, in the blink of an eye, they would sell themselves again as slaves in order to make a living. Isn¡¯t it a waste of my family¡¯s good intentions? The people who redeem themselves from my Bai Family must not only be literate, but also have some skills, so it won¡¯t be a problem for them to make money and stand on their own feet. ¡± When Bai Fu Ling said what she was most proud of, she looked even more glamorous.


    ¡°So, the Bai Family is doing good deeds, the merit is boundless.¡± Yang Heng doesn¡¯t think so. He¡¯s not a three-year-old, and he says, ¡°at the beginning, the intentions are good.¡± He doesn¡¯t believe that anyone would give money for no reason and do good deeds without fear of trouble. Moreover, he has never seen any family that has accumulated good deeds; raise a large group of vicious slaves who are too skillful. They also collude with local officials and claim to represent the law of the land.


    Bai Fu Ling did not seem to understand the irony in her words, raising her little face and saying, ¡°well, we Bai Family never ask for anything in return for doing good deeds.¡±


    Regardless of the strange look from Yang Heng, she pressed step by step: ¡°will you do or won¡¯t you do the job of teaching people to read and write? As you said, this is a rare opportunity to do good and accumulate good deeds! You are a Jianghu person, shouldn¡¯t you be more informal?  Not to mention you still owe me 528 liang, plus accommodation for these days ¡­¡±


    Yang Heng knew he was at a disadvantage, and the result would only be worse if he went on. Moreover, Bai Fu Ling mentioned his current status intentionally or unintentionally in her words ¡­ Although he could refuse on the grounds that his body had not recovered, on second thought, he might find out more about Bai Family and Lu Ying if he contacted the servants of Bai Family, and most importantly, Lie Dang left that day intending to go to Bai Family Village to find out the actual situation in person. He had to contact Lie Dang and contact others even more, so he agreed with a wry smile.


    Bai Fu Ling won a complete victory, looked at the faraway figure of Yang Heng, pulled the passing Bai Guo to her side; with a sneer: I going to tell you a secret!  I won¡¯t tell just anyone!¡±


    Bai Guo rolled her eyes and asked helplessly, ¡°What secret?¡±


    ¡°Blessed are the students in the school in the coming days!¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling kept her voice down mysteriously and said, ¡°they will be the students of His Highness the Sixth Prince of the Qi State.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Bai Guo¡¯s voice suddenly went up an octave, scaring the birds on the trees in the yard to fly away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get excited. Don¡¯t get excited¡­ Do you want all of Qi State to know that you are so loud?¡± Bai Fu Ling patted Bai Guo sympathetically and smiled sweetly.


    Bai Guo was aware of the seriousness of the matter, lowered her voice and said: ¡°Miss, you ¡­ you said that Peng Tie was His Highness the Sixth Prince?¡± As she spoke, her eyes swept around. There were many people coming in and out of the courtyard. Her heart was anxious, and she did not care about being superior or inferior. Before Bai Fu Ling could answer, she went to the Lengquan yard.


    (ÀäȪ [l¨§ngqu¨¢n] = Cold spring)


    Bai Fu Ling walked with her, and she was in the mood to say something irresponsible: ¡°Bai Guo, you might as well carry me back. It¡¯s hot and sunny. I¡¯m walking slowly. I¡¯m so tired.¡±


    Bai Guo looked back and glared at her, but she bent down, shouldered the lazy Bai pig, and went to Lengquan with her qigong skill.


    (ÇṦ [qigong] pronounced chee-gong = lightness skill; it¡¯s a skill to defy gravity with swift movements as if flying.)


    Each of the maids with the Bai Family surnames around Bai Fu Ling are skillful; Despite the weight, her steps are still very stable. In less than half an incense time, they returned to Lengquan courtyard.


    Bai Fu Ling easily jumped off and leaned against the marble reclining chair under the shade of the spring. She felt so comfortable that she almost wanted to roll on the spot. It was always better to be in her own nest.


    Bai Guo was not so easy to get rid of. She went up and stared at her and said, ¡°tell me clearly, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The day before yesterday Dad received a letter, the court sent someone to Beiguan City to reward the northern army of the town. It was the Sixth Prince. Although there was no specific description of his appearance, but from the age and manner, it¡¯s very close to this Peng Tie.¡± Bai Fu Ling just shrugged.


    Bai Guo also wanted to ask more, but Ma Lan had come over with fruit refreshments, so she had to be quiet for a while.


    A cup of chilled fresh grape juice and a large bowl of various fruits cut into small pieces and mixed with yogurt. Bai Fu Ling smiles and eats happily, while Bai Guo could only look on with envious eyes. Ma Lan only handed her a cup of warm tea and said, ¡°sister Bai Guo, you just ran all the way here. It is easy to get a bellyache if you eat ice. Let¡¯s just take a sip of tea and talk.¡±


    ¡°My Ma Lan really takes care of people. Bai Guo, you can drink your tea at ease.¡± Bai Fu Ling deliberately slurped to tease them.


    Bai Guo threw her a supercilious look full of envy, jealousy, and hatred. She dismissed Ma Lan with a few words, then she continued to ask: ¡°A young man with a straight face and a monarchs¡¯ profile is rare in Beiguan City, but it is not absolutely impossible. You knew he is His Sixth Royal Highness? His Duanzhou accent is not like a person from the capital. Moreover, even if the imperial envoys have to travel in private, they always have to bring some guards with them. How come he was on the verge of losing his life in the wild, alone?

 CH 25

    ¡°You have to ask him about it. I just feel that this guy is definitely not just someone from the Jianghu. We rarely see a real Jianghu person. At least they should look like Bai Ah Da. They either have a tough face or vicious to their bones. They will never look like a white-faced scholar. His bearing is clearly a person who has lived in a high position for a long time, and didn¡¯t Bai Ping Zi say he had the face of a monarch?¡± Bai Fu Ling thinks everything is possible in this world because of her peculiar experience. The doubts put forward by Bai Guo were nothing.


    Bai Guo listened to all her conjectures and was frustrated: ¡°Why did you suddenly believe in the Second Steward?¡±


    ¡°I have always trusted him.¡± Bai Fu Ling looked innocent while eating fruit.


    ¡°You keep lying to others like this.¡± Bai Guo, with a snort, sat cross-legged beside the reclining chair and drank two sips of warm tea slowly. Finally, she could not help but say: ¡°You obviously doubt his identity, why insist on doing things this way? What good will it do us to provoke these noble people to bear grudges and resentments? You¡­ this temper, ah ¡­¡±


    ¡°He wants to travel incognito and conceal his identity, so I just cooperated with him. If you don¡¯t know, it¡¯s not a crime ¡­¡± Bai Fu Ling refused to admit that it was because of her bad habit. And somehow, she always felt that Yang Heng wouldn¡¯t really care about these ¡®small things¡¯ and put it against her. People who have the image of a monarch wouldn¡¯t be too restrained by small things, after all, they saved his life.


    The ancient society paid more attention to moral reputation than modern society. The more famous some people are, the more afraid they are to do such things. Although the Bai Family is only a merchant family, her brother Lu Ying is an important official in the imperial court and a general guarding one side. No one is willing to risk their reputation for a little resentment, especially His Royal Highness; Yang Heng, who is still just an ordinary Prince. It¡¯s too late to attract Lu Ying.


    The more Bai Fu Ling thinks about it, the more she feels that there will be no problem in doing so. So, she whispered to Bai Guo: ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone what I told you, including the Second Steward!¡± Bai Ping Zi, though capable, was accustomed to it. It¡¯s better not to tell him first. He isn¡¯t a very proud person, he would be the first one to bow down to The Sixth Prince.


    Bai Guo knows she can¡¯t change Bai Fu Ling¡¯s decision. She nods her head and promises to keep it secret. Ah ¡­ under the circumstances, only the big saying of ¡®the ignorant is not guilty¡¯ can be used to resist. Therefore, the ignorant should firmly pretend to be ignorant.


    When Yang Heng returned to the room, he turned over the teaching materials sent by Gan Lan casually. What was on it was not the enlightenment of ¡®Three-Character Sutra¡¯ and ¡®Thousand-Character Text¡¯ and so on, which were commonly used in daily life. It was a very practical pure character learning book. In the beginning, it was writing numbers ranging from one to ten. Then there are some simple ways to implement appellations and other words, embedded in the commonly used text and expressions, from shallow to deep, very practical. When this book is learned, there is no chance for a child to pass a scholarly test, but the general letters and text can already be fully understood.


    The strangest thing is that the book Yang Heng got was not manually copied, but printed!


    There are hundreds of pages in this book, and it has never been seen in the market. Most of them are written by the Bai Family. What does Bai Family want to do?


    The next day, Yang Heng appeared on time in the t-shaped hall of the school with many doubts. There were already ten servants dressed up in the hall. Boys and men aged from early teens to 30 or 40 were waiting. Everyone had a small case in front of them with the ¡®teaching material¡¯ that was no different from his own.


    Yang Heng¡¯s head is full of incredible absurdity, and silently receives their greetings and begins to teach them how to read. Gan Lan once said that these slaves had learned the penultimate article. Yang Heng was asked to substitute for one month, just one afternoon a day; because something had happened at their teacher¡¯s family.


    Yang Heng suppressed his unhappiness and depression and began his class. Last night, he turned over the whole textbook and reached the third to last. In front of him, the slaves should have known at least a thousand common words. He asked random questions to investigate the degree of these ¡®students¡¯ and looked through their lessons. Although most of the words were crooked, they were rarely written incorrectly. Obviously, the former ¡®teacher¡¯ taught very carefully, and Yang Heng¡¯s unhappiness slowly turned into surprise.


    At first, he didn¡¯t believe what Bai Fu Ling said. He thought she was just boasting. He thought that those who had the chance to read were key slaves that the Bai Family is training; they might be in charge in the future. But he watched that almost every day the ¡®class¡¯ had new faces, and the progress of the course was different. Yang Heng¡¯s strange feeling in his heart grew stronger and stronger ¡­ Even in the imperial palace, no one would teach ordinary eunuchs and maids to read and write. Being able to read and write is very rare. While even in the capital, in a scholarly family like the Xia family; the slaves who can read and write are limited to the handful who serve their masters personally. In the Bai Family, these slaves who come to learn Chinese characters do all kinds of things. Many of them are just ordinary slaves who take care of flowers and plants.


    Thinking back, Gan Lan and other servants who care for their patients in the Xingyuan hospital. They are all are tactful and obviously literate. Although Bai Family is not a laughing stock or a learned scholar, it is definitely no longer a ¡®Bai Ding¡¯.


    (°×¶¡ [ b¨¢id¨©n¨À] = commoner/ unlearned person; I think this was meant as a pun of their name.)


    Yang Heng became more and more curious about the Bai Family, but now he can only come into contact with the servants of the Bai Family. These people are respectful to him and answer all his questions. However, most of them have stayed in the Bai Family village for only half a year and know very little. If he wants to go further, Yang Heng has to wait for his injury to heal completely and try to get in the groups and await investigation outside the two¡¯s courtyards.


    Just as Yang Heng was contemplating his future plans and had no help, Lie Dang found him.


    Seeing Lie Dang brought into the room by Gan Lan, Yang Heng was overjoyed. As soon as Gan Lan left, Lie Dang said, ¡°Peng Tie, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here!¡±


    Yang Heng listened to his address and knew that he is worried that the walls have ears, and the conversation between the two people would be eavesdropped on, so he goes along with it: ¡°Yes, I was pursued by the enemy outside Beiguan City, almost killed. Fortunately, Miss Bai and her party rescued me. How did you get here?¡±


    Lie Dang laughed and said, ¡°This old man came here to find relatives, but I did not have enough money to spend. When I heard that the Bai Family wanted someone to teach their slaves how to read, I came to earn some money to make ends meet.¡±


    The two men gave a half-hearted account of their experiences after parting, then Yang Heng made up an excuse that the room was stuffy and went out for a walk with Lie Dang. The two of them went to an empty place and exchanged some news in a hurry. Only then did they separate.


    The defense of Bai Family Village is tight on the inside and loose outside. Apart from the high security of the residence where the Bai Family¡¯s master and his wife live; other places are not very restricted. Yang Heng walked around grandly. In a few days, he almost walked around the front of Bai Li Mountain. He had to say that this place is just like a fairyland. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that such a beautiful place could exist in the borderlands.


    He became more and more curious about the Bai Family. It was hard to imagine where the Bai Family¡¯s money came from with such expenses. A small Yahang has such a rich income that it cannot only support the huge courtyards and swarms of slaves but could even pay the North Town¡¯s army expenses all together?! This Bai Family¡¯s financial resources and business are obviously more than what someone can see on the surface.


    (Yahang = pawnbroker.)


    If you can recruit the Bai Family to your side then ¡­ The most important thing is that the cute little cat with sharp teeth and sharp mouth would also belong to him. Yang Heng suddenly felt that this trip to Beiguan City was really worth it!


    These days, he and Lie Dang made secret contacts with his people. Now he can only wait for a suitable opportunity to reveal his identity. Yang Heng is very interested to know what kind of expression will the kitten and the Second Steward of the Bai Family, who said that he has the profile of a monarch make; when they know of his identity.


    Bai Ping Zi has always been very kind to him. Although he is very curious about what Bai Ping Zi meant by ¡®the face of a monarch¡¯, it wasn¡¯t convenient for him to ask it out right now.


    Any ambitious man; especially one who has not only ambition but also the conditions to achieve said ambition, will be very enthusiastic about such things.


    The opportunity Yang Heng wanted soon came ¡­


    Today, he was walking slowly on the mountain road when he saw from a distance a cloud of dust flying north of Bai Li Mountain. More than a dozen riders galloped all the way to the front of the mountain before reining in and slowing down. Although they raced all the way, they were in a neat formation and did not waver. Yang Heng looked at them from a distance and only felt that although their numbers were small, their momentum was not inferior to that of a hundred thousand cavalry soldiers.


    The horsemen were all dressed in the blue-gray uniforms of the North Town¡¯s army. The leading one was dressed in a General¡¯s uniform. They were far apart and could not see each other¡¯s faces clearly. Yang Heng had guessed that the first one should be Lu Ying, the North Garrison General who returned from patrolling. Behind him should be his qinbing guards, the famous ¡®North Town¡¯s 18 Riders¡¯.


    (Ç×±ø [q¨©nb¨©ng] = bodyguard of a senior official)


    Yesterday, he received the spy tip, saying that General Lu Ying had not yet returned to the city. Today, he saw him travel-stained at Bai Li Mountain. Did he pass-through the city to come here instead of entering it? Coming straight to the Bai Family first; How good is his relationship with the Bai Family?


    Lu Ying, a frequent visitor to Bai Family Village, did not have to be led by a servant. He waved to his subordinates behind him, signaling them to go rest, and rode alone to the Bai Family House.


    These soldiers are used to seeing the Bai Family Village as their second home. They greeted and laughed with all the people in the lane, and went all the way to their guest houses to clean up and rest. The conditions here are much better than those in the barracks, so when they heard that the general would go to the Bai Family Village before he stopped in Beiguan City; they did not complain at all, instead, 100% willing.


    Lie Dang; did not know when, appeared beside Yang Heng and looked at the scene from a distance and said: ¡°Since Lu Ying has already appeared, when does the Lord intend to reveal your identity to him?¡±


    Yang Heng smiled: ¡°The earlier, the better¡­

 CH 26

    Lu Ying went to see Bai Chou and his wife first. When he heard that Bai Fu Ling was out and would to come back in the afternoon, he was slightly disappointed and had to go to the guest house to wash and eat first then have a rest. The servants of the guest house knew his habits very well, and they had already prepared everything in advance when they heard of his arrival. After Lu Ying bathed, he soon fell asleep on the bed of the guest house and slept much more soundly than the ¡®home¡¯ of the General in the city.


    It was noon after waking up, his bodyguard Nan Tang gave him a letter saying that someone had just sent it. Lu Ying¡¯s heart felt strange. When he opened it, there was only a small piece of paper on which there was simply four big characters; ¡®inspection on behalf of heaven¡¯.


    These four letters are usually engraved on the imperial seal! Lu Ying raised his eyebrows and asked Nan Tang, ¡°where is the messenger?¡±


    Nan Tang said: ¡°He already left. My subordinates recognize that it was the man from Daixing Courtyard. his name is Gan Lan.¡±


    Lu Ying thought about it, got up and took Nan Tang and another bodyguard straight to Daixing Courtyard.


    Bai Fu Ling went back to Bai family village to see her parents and went to see Lu Ying in the guest house, but the bodyguard said that Lu Ying had gone to Daixing Courtyard. She was very depressed. If only she had just passed through the gate, she would not have to go back and forth.


    She sent other guards and maids and forced Bai Guo to carry her to Daixing Courtyard as a footman. She went straight to the garden as the servant had said. And indeed, she saw Lu Ying¡¯s two bodyguards guarding the intersection. Nan Tang grinned at her and went forward with a salute. ¡°The General is talking to someone in the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The person seems to have some status. I¡¯ll go in and let him know.¡± Nan Tang took the initiative to turn around and run in. He knew the importance of the Bai family¡¯s Miss in the General¡¯s heart. Even if the General is now seeing the Emperor of Heaven, he should go to report immediately. The General said ¡®no one is allowed to disturb¡¯ but this ¡®on one¡¯ never included Miss Bai.


    Bai Fu Ling raised a pair of crescent eyebrows and immediately thought of ¡®Peng Tie¡¯.


    Since the day Bai Fu Ling forced Yang Heng to be her own servant¡¯s teacher, she never dealt with him anymore. She heard Bai Ping Zu say that, although he walked around Bai Li mountain, he didn¡¯t go to any places he shouldn¡¯t. As for other suspicious places, they would not care if he didn¡¯t intend to bring harm to the Bai family village.


    Lu Ying, who was talking to Yang Heng and Lie Dang, heard that Bai Fu Ling was coming and had not yet said anything. He heard Yang Heng say: ¡°Miss Bai is the host. Please invite her to come here.¡±


    Lu Ying looked up at him and said in a deep voice, ¡°Your Highness, forgive me. Men and women are different. It¡¯s inconvenient. ¡± His tone seemed to say that he regarded Bai Fu Ling as his close family member.


    ¡°General Lu is worried too much. Miss Bai saved Bengong only a few days ago. She had to meet with me once, but I was forced to hide my identity from her because of the situation, so I should apologize to her face to face.¡± Yang Heng turned around and walked back and forth with a smile. He wanted to see for himself how close Lu Ying was to Bai Fu Ling.


    (±¾¹¬ [b¨§ng¨­ng] = I, this palace; this person from/a part of the palace. Mostly use by women of the palace in other novels, but could also be used for a Prince too.)


    Bai Fu Ling stood by the path and waited for Lu Ying, but when Yang Heng arrived, she paused and pretended to be confused. ¡°Eldest brother met with you? Do you know my brother? Who the hell are you?¡±


    Lu Ying caught up with him, took Bai Fu Ling¡¯s arm and drew back a few steps. He whispered, ¡°Ling¡¯er, don¡¯t be rude. This is His Royal Highness, the Sixth Prince. The Emperor sent him to Beiguan City to reward the visiting minister.¡±


    Indeed, as expected, he really is a ¡®Tortoise¡¯? Bai Ping Zi is right? He could be a sage! Originally, there was still some doubt that Bai Fu Ling had with Bai Ping Zi¡¯s skills that time, and then immediately thought of another green eye ¡®tortoise¡¯ who was saved on the same day. That Shi Jiu might also be some barbarian prince or something ¡­


    (Íõ°Ë [w¨¢ngba] = tortoise/ bastard; sounds the same as Íõ°Ô [w¨¢n¨À b¨¤] of monarch/ruler.)


    (TN: Shi jiu = nineteen. She might have named him this, same as her guards. I can¡¯t find any other meaning. Might be explained in the future¡­)


    Yang Heng and Lie Dang saw that Bai Fu Ling listened to Lu Ying but did not greet him. They were just lost in thought. They did not know what she was thinking, and their hearts were not happy. She knew his identity and still dared to ignore him. It was so rude! Did she really think Beiguan City belongs to her?!


    Lu Ying patted her on the shoulder and warned: ¡°Greet his highness, quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Greeting¡¯s Sixth Highness!¡± Bai Fu Ling reluctantly bent her knees to salute. Fortunately, in addition to formal occasions, kneeling ceremonies were not popular here, otherwise, she would feel depressed to death!


    Yang Fu Heng just wanted to see her unwilling appearance. Only when she had finished the ceremony did he say with a smile: ¡°Miss Bai is excused.¡±


    Put on airs! Hump! Bai Fu Ling was not happy in her heart, and she hated even more is that when she looked at his face, it had a faint smirk. With a pout she dodged behind Lu Ying, she didn¡¯t notice the flash of cold light in Yang Heng¡¯s eyes because of her obvious resistance to him.


    Bai Fu Ling was sure that Yang Heng could not see her at all, so she said: ¡°Your Highness and brother have some business to talk about. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Without turning back, she left with Bai Guo, leaving only a slim back.


    Had she known that she would run into Yang Heng¡¯s public identity, she would have stayed in the guest house and waited for her elder brother.


    After the two walked out and made some distance, Bai Guo saw that Bai Fu Ling did not intend to leave Daixing Courtyard, and could not help but ask: ¡°Miss, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Going to see another green-eyed ¡®tortoise¡¯, what kind of barbarian Prince is Shi Jiu. Let¡¯s quickly cured him to charge a good price! Save us some trouble!¡± Bai Fu Ling is excited at the thought of how much that ¡®green eyes¡¯ is worth, which slightly diluted her depression just now. An extra ¡®tortoise¡¯ is already very annoying for no reason. If you have two, double the trouble. It is better to make a move as soon as possible.


    Lu Ying watched Bai Fu Ling leave, turned to Yang Heng and said, ¡°My little sister is young and doesn¡¯t understand. it¡¯s disrespectful! Please pardon, Your Highness.¡±


    Yang Heng said casually, ¡°the General¡¯s surname is Lu. Why did the Bai Family¡¯s Miss become the General¡¯s sister? This is really interesting.¡±


    Lu Ying spoke, ¡°Miss Bai is the adopted younger sister of this lower official.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I heard that General Lu¡¯s wife came to visit the General from the capital. Bengong will not disturb the reunion of the General and his wife. Please consider what was mentioned before.¡± Yang Heng deliberately changed the topic and mentioned Lu Ying¡¯s wife. Seeing his face with a look of surprise, it is clear that he didn¡¯t know the news of his wife¡¯s sudden arrival ¡ª that is to say, he really came back to Beiguang city without even entering his own house, and directly came to the Bai family.


    Of course, Yang Heng is not exactly kind enough to remind people to go home and see their spouse. He just deliberately jabbed at Lu Ying to stop thinking about his ¡®beautiful little sister¡¯.


    The Cui family where Lu Ying¡¯s wife came from, is loyal and reliable to the eldest Prince. Her sudden travels to such a wild place in the eyes of people in the capital, obviously wasn¡¯t just because of her love for her husband.


    Yang Heng nods to Lu Ying and turns away with Lie Dang. Remembering the legendary indifference of Lu Ying to his wife¡¯s family, he secretly felt lucky. However, when he thinks of Lu Ying¡¯s close relationship with Bai Fu Ling, he can¡¯t help but feel upset.


    Lu Ying is ten years older than Bai Fu Ling. He is more steady and resolute than other men of his age. With his sword-like eyebrows and tiger eyes, he looks like a man of iron blood. He has been promoted from an ordinary soldier to a General of the unified army in less than ten years. He is the commander of the second army. Of course, he has extraordinary luck. However, Beiguan City¡¯s radical reversal since his appearance has proved to the world that his strength is far greater than his luck.


    Such a person, even Yang Heng; who is also a man, cannot help but praise. Let alone a young girl in her prime of life ¡­ Are Bai Fu Ling and Lu Ying, really only brother and sister?


    (if your NOT re$ding at Translateindo, this ch4pter has been stolen fr0m our s1te)


    Yang Heng went back to his room in Daixing Courtyard with a frown. After a meal, he heard someone knocking at the door. It was Bai Ping Zi and Gan Lan. Bai Ping Zi¡¯s eyes glistened as soon as he saw Yang Heng, bowing down and saluting, ¡°I didn¡¯t know the identity of Your Royal Highness, the Sixth Prince, and I have sinned a lot. Asking His Highness to come with this lowly one to He Ling Lake pavilion.¡±


    Knowing his identity, she immediately improves treatment? Yang Heng was amused at the thought of the feral cat that was almost defeated that fled. He nodded and asked Gan Lan to take some sundries from the room for him, and took Lie Dang to follow Bai Ping Zi.


    He doesn¡¯t know what attitude the kitten will adopt when meeting him next time. Will you please him in every possible way like the noble daughters of the capital and give him shy and warm eyes? He hopes that she won¡¯t disappoint him. Women who are too easy to conquer are not interesting.


    (TN: I dislike him already¡­ hope he improves.)


    In fact, he thinks Bai Fu Ling is too sensible. She did not know how to entertain him, only Lu Ying would move him. It was actually the Bai couple who thought about the reception for the imperial envoys.


    After Lu Ying and Yang Heng separated, he immediately sent someone to urgently report to Bai Chou and his wife. For an imperial envoy to come; it was no small matter. They just didn¡¯t know before. Now they knew, they must dedicate their hospitality to the highest standard. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the Emperor. At the lightest would be banishment, at the heaviest; it would be a great crime punishable by decapitation and seizing all their property.


    Bai Chou and his wife are both people who have seen the world. They immediately decided to send Bai Ping Zi to invite the person. They instructed their servants to clean up the most luxurious house on Bai Li Mountain and prepare it as a temporary base for the imperial envoys.


    Unfortunately, this house is on the bank of He Ling Lake, Bai Fu Ling¡¯s favorite summer place.


    While leading the way for Yang Heng¡¯s master and servant, Bai Ping Zi also secretly congratulated himself that he did not really offend the ¡®monarch¡¯ because his eyes were bright and knowledgeable. Otherwise, the Bai family would be in great trouble.


    Yang Heng has never set foot near He Ling Lake before. Looking at the lush lotus flowers in the lake, and then look at the swing, bamboo couch, tea stove, zither, and so on under the willow shade beside the lake. Yang Heng can¡¯t help but secretly lament that the Bai family really knows how to enjoy life.


    Bai Ping Zi led Yang Heng¡¯s master and servant to a luxurious mansion near the north of the lake. The Bai couple have been waiting for him in the front courtyard. Yang Heng self-boasted that he was knowledgeable and had a good mental focus of ¡®even if Tai Mountain collapsed in front of him, he wouldn¡¯t budge¡¯, but suddenly; he was shocked to see this pair of extremely ugly people.


    Looking at Bai Fu Ling; her parents¡­ even if they weren¡¯t the ¡®Dragon and Phoenix among people¡¯¨C They shouldn¡¯t be like this! No wonder they were so low-key and seldom go out¡­ Yang Heng was a little shaken and excused them while full of doubts.

 CH 27

    Behind the couple, there were also ten servants, each of whom had a smart, fresh and good appearance ¡ª (especially outstanding against the couple in the background). Their eyes, nose, and heart focused, without any eyes wandering and looking at each other. Yang Heng was satisfied and went into the house first.


    (Ñ۹۱DZǹÛÐÄµØ [ y¨£n gu¨¡n b¨ª, b¨ª gu¨¡n x¨©n] = Eyes, nose, and heart/mind/character. Concentration in all aspects i.e. they bowed with respect and focus.)


    To his surprise, the Bai Family couple were ugly but generous in demeanor, without the humble cowardice of ordinary people in the face of the royal family, which made him a little more curious about the background of the Bai couple.


    Bai Chou and his wife knew that their appearance was easy to cause adverse reactions, so they left early. Yang Heng deliberately kept Bai Ping Zi and let them go.


    After all the people left, Yang Heng took a look at Bai Ping Zi and asked with a smile, ¡°I heard that Second Steward Bai is proficient in physiognomy, can you have a look at Bengong?¡±


    Bai Ping Zi saw him behave like this and knew that he must have known that he had said that he had the face of a ¡®monarch¡¯. He spoke with a dry smile: ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m proficient in it, just an insignificant skill. Nothing to bet on.¡±


    ¡°The is only the three of us, speak honestly. No matter what you say, no one would spread the word out. If you say something wrong, I¡¯m sure the Lord won¡¯t blame you.¡± Said Lie Dang.


    Bai Ping Zi knew that it was useless to make excuses. He had to tell Yang Heng the prediction according to what was said in his family heirloom.


    Yang Heng seemed calm on the surface, but he was overjoyed in his heart. He said quietly: ¡°What this gentleman said is good advice. But, this kind of thing is too big. Please be careful with your words and deeds.¡±


    Bai Ping Zi nodded repeatedly, in his heart, he thought: Had I known it was so accurate, I wouldn¡¯t have said it all over the place!


    Bai Fu Ling doesn¡¯t know that her place to play had been occupied. She is pulling Fang Hai to look at the ¡®green eyes¡¯ she bought that day in the ¡®public ward¡¯ behind the Daixing courtyard and asking when his injury would be cured.


    ¡®Green eyes¡¯ woke up the next day. He kept silent as if he were mute. He didn¡¯t ask anything. Even seeing a beauty like Bai Fu Ling didn¡¯t change his expression.


    Fang Hai examined him carefully and then said to Bai Fu Ling, ¡°Miss, he is in good condition. The wound on the leg is good, he can walk after half a month¡¯s rest. After half a year¡¯s training, he should be able to recover to his previous strength.¡±


    After hearing this, ¡®green eyes¡¯ suddenly looked up and looked at Fang Hai in disbelief.


    Bai Fu Ling smiled and said, ¡°eh? Do you understand us? Do you speak the language of the Qi State?¡±


    ¡®Green eyes¡¯ slowly nodded, his eyes didn¡¯t move away from Fang Hai. His injuries are very serious. He was wrapped in white cloth into the shape of a mummy, and couldn¡¯t move freely. Otherwise, he may have jumped up with excitement.


    ¡°Will my leg, really ¡­ be okay?¡± ¡®Green eyes¡¯ is not fluent in the Qi language, with a unique difficult to understand accent. It sounds heavy as wine, like chanting, a little hazy, but very pleasant to hear.


    Bai Fu Ling smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s fine. If Fang Hai said it¡¯s okay, then it would be okay! You should listen and rest!¡± The more she looks at those green eyes, the more pleasing he looked. The chiseled jawline is a bit exotic and handsome as the sexy European model she saw in her last life. He is wild and charming. Most importantly, he is still a ¡®tortoise¡¯ who is worth a lot of money!


    Bai Fu Ling looked at him like she was looking at a ton of gold. She is not short on money, but she could buy a super valuable top-quality product with only a small amount of silver coins. What¡¯s the difference between that and winning the first prize in the lottery? Who doesn¡¯t love such good luck?!


    (TN: are you a bargain-hunting aunty? girl¡­. please.)


    ¡®Green eyes¡¯ was in despair but suddenly found hope, it took a while to calm his excited mood. As long as his legs were not wasted, he will one day regain all that should belong to him! Find the people who killed his father and then killed them one by one.


    He raised his head and looked carefully at the two life-saving benefactors in front of him. Before that, he was so disillusioned that he didn¡¯t even notice what the people around him looked like. At this moment, he was stunned.


    ¡°You are so beautiful, like a fairy on the snow mountain.¡± ¡®Green eyes¡¯ said very sincerely. His eyes were as warm as fire.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Bai Fu Ling is generous in accepting the praise without blushing at all. Fang Hai, who was quietly listening in, only had a wry smile at her cheeky and straightforward ¡®flirt¡¯ with ¡®green eyes¡¯.


    ¡°My name is Bai Fu Ling. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Ciguo Weimao.¡±


    Wei mao?  Bai Fu Ling paused and refrained from laughing. Ciguo is a surname among the barbarians outside the north area, but their tribe is quite far away from Beiguan City. She only heard Lu Ying mention it, and Beiguan City seldom sees the Ciguo people.


    (TN: The ÎÀì [w¨¨im¨¢o] from his name means the ¡®winged spindle tree¡¯; while the Ϊë [W¨¨i m¨¢o] she thought of means ¡®for hair¡¯.)


    Trying to recall the information about the assassins, a polite knock came from the door. Bai Fu Ling turned around and saw Bai Ji standing there nervously as if he had something to say.


    Bai Fu Ling walked up to him and asked, ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Bai Ji whispered: ¡°Bai Jin ran into the courtyard at Heling Lake. The second steward is asking the young lady to take it away quickly.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t bite people casually. What is he afraid of? I¡¯ll go back later.¡±


    ¡°No, His Highness lives there now ¡­¡± Bai Ping Zi just sent an urgent letter with a carrier pigeon, specifically mentioning not to disclose the matter of an imperial messenger in the Bai Family village for the time being, so his voice dropped to a whisper.


    Bai Fu Ling thought of Yang Heng¡¯s conduct back then and said happily, ¡°It didn¡¯t scare him? he he¡­ ¡±


    Bai Ji, with a bitter face, urged, ¡°Miss, please go quickly.¡±


    Bai Fu Ling knew that she couldn¡¯t offend someone from the royal family like Yang Heng at random, especially since he was still an imperial envoy. So, she gloated over the disaster and hurried over honestly.


    Bai Gu is carrying her on her back and running on the mountain road, feeling very sad¡­ She is indeed the Miss¡¯s horse and ox! Always carrying her all over the mountain, is there any other hard-working servant girl like her?!


    Bai Ping Zi did not know what bad luck he had. Unexpected accidents occurred frequently today and he has been in a mess of tidying up after himself.


    When he and Yang Heng; master and servant, discussed physiognomy, the atmosphere was just right. Suddenly, he heard a roar from outside of the villa. The thundering sound made people¡¯s eardrum ache. A sharp and murderous sense could be felt. Bai Ping Zi¡¯s face changed and he said: ¡°Terrible! Why is that guy coming?¡±


    Yang Heng and Lie Dang looked at each other in disbelief. The sound ¡­ it was clearly a roaring tiger!


    Bai Ping Zi spoke with a bitter face. ¡°Please be careful, Your Highness. Don¡¯t go out of this house for the time being ¡­¡± As he said that, he ran out without hesitation.


    Yang Heng frowned and walked out of the hall with Lie Dang. The courtyard was full of people. All the servants they had just met; although they looked a little shaken, did not have the tense look of fear for their lives. Some even looked out of the courtyard with excitement.


    The gate of the yard is half-open. A big white tiger outside the yard is shaking its tail, squinting its ice-blue eyes and staring at the yard. Looking like it was ready to rush in at any time. Bai Ping Zi stopped at the door, waved his hand as a driving-away gesture, and shouted, ¡°Go go! The young lady is not here!¡±


    The white tiger is a legendary auspicious animal. Yang Heng once saw one in the auspicious animal garden in the royal palace. It was presented five years ago from the southwest Cai prefecture. His father was greatly delighted and rewarded the relevant officials in Cai prefecture. However, that one was kept in a small courtyard all the year round, with a dull and bored expression. Compared with the one in front of him, both his body shape and power were far apart.


    People didn¡¯t know if the white tiger understood Bai Ping Zi, It was not satisfied and still refused to leave.


    The servants in the courtyard looked at the white tiger with great care, and the expression on their faces became helpless. Looking at it, Yang Heng and Lie Dang thought that the people here are obviously familiar with the white tiger, and they know that it would not hurt people at will, that¡¯s why they were so calm. Listening to Bai Ping Zi¡¯s words¨C was the tiger looking for the Bai family¡¯s Miss?


    Bai Ping Zi refused to leave when he saw the white tiger. The two sides faced each other for a while. He turned to Yang Heng helplessly and said, ¡°the beast is ignorant. It has offended Your Highness. Please don¡¯t blame it, Your Highness. Just wait for the Lady to come and take it away.¡±


    Li Dang smiled and said; ¡°It¡¯s a great auspicious omen to welcome an auspicious animal at the door, Sir Bai doesn¡¯t need to worry.¡± When he said this, he secretly sent a purposeful look at Yang Heng.


    Yang Heng asked, ¡°is this white tiger raised by Miss Bai?¡±


    ¡°No, it lives on this mountain. It¡¯s very spiritual. It usually stays at the back of the mountain. It doesn¡¯t hurt people at will. It likes to be close to Miss.¡± Bai Ping Zi doesn¡¯t know how to explain it. In fact, they have long found that not only the white tiger but any animal that had some intelligence also liked to be close to Bai Fu Ling.


    Over the years, they have gotten used to all kinds of strange things that appear because of the young lady, and have never thought about carefully exploring the reasons. She is the emissary of the Bodhisattva, the king of the lands. Therefore, the animals will feel peaceful when they are close to her who had the light of Buddha.


    Bai Ping Zi confessed that he was not familiar with Bodhisattva, so he did not dare to provoke and drive-away the white tiger. He only hoped that the young lady arrives sooner to take the evil spirit away.


    The white tiger is so fierce that even if everyone knew that it would not easily attack people, few dare to walk up to it. People outside the yard have long ran away from it. No one in the yard dares to go out. Bai Ping Zi turned back and sent away the servants who were peeking. ¡°Can¡¯t go out for the time being. You should do what you should do in the yard for now.¡±


    The servants spread out to work seemingly in unison. Bai Ping Zi closed the door and bolted it, and gave Yang Heng; master and servant a quick hollow laugh: ¡°truly rude!¡± In his heart, he secretly scolded the white tiger outside the door for its stupidity. Today, he was really inviting bad luck. Even a damned animal came to mess with him!


    Without leaving Heling Lake, the white tiger was sprawled in front of the courtyard with a gesture of planning to die here. Bai Ping Zi complained in his heart and asked Yang Heng; master and servant, to return to the hall to rest as naturally as possible.


    Yang Heng suddenly asked, ¡°When you said that the Heling Lake and the Cold Spring had wild animals, did you mean this white tiger?¡±


    Bai Ping Zi sighed and said: ¡°Not, Bai Jin ¡­ I mean the white tiger outside; it usually only moves around in the back mountain. There are a few big dogs in Heling lake and Cold Spring ¡­ they are all moved to the Cold Spring area just now.¡±


    ¡°Did Miss Bai raise them? Miss Bai¡¯s hobby is very unique.¡± But was in her unruly and vigorous temperament. Yang Heng thought of seeing Bai Fu Ling again soon, he had some expectation in his heart. He didn¡¯t have to worry about Bai Ping Zi anymore, so he went back to the hall to have a rest.

 CH 28

    As soon as Bai Fu Ling arrived at Heling Lake, the white tiger noticed her. The fierce and impatient look immediately disappeared, the big cat rubbed against Bai Fu Ling.


    It was on all fours, and the height of its head was even with Bai Fu Ling¡¯s chest, which almost pushed her to the ground. Fortunately, Bai Guo, the servant girl who came later, grabbed her and held her.


    Bai Fu Ling reached out her hand and poked the white tiger between the eyebrows. She scolded it like a cat or dog: ¡°Bad boy!  Don¡¯t you know how strong you are?¡± The voice was as clear and pure as a jade song and seemed to have a little bit of whining and pettishness. Yang Heng, who came after hearing the news, was not aware of the ripples in his heart.


    The white tiger is sitting in front of her face innocently, it was even more obedient than a domestic cat or dog, completely without the murderous look it had just now. Bai Fu Ling rubbed its head again and asked, ¡°what are you doing here all of a sudden? You don¡¯t know how valuable your fur is, you¡¯ll be miserable if you meet bad people!¡± While speaking, she glanced at the direction of the gate intentionally. The ¡®bad person¡¯ in her mouth, needless to say, was Yang Heng; who she showed kindness to and refused to repay her kindness, but also put on airs with her. She heard rumors that rich and powerful people like to use rare fur to spread on mattresses and chairs to show their identity. White tiger skin is undoubtedly the best of them.


    No matter how spiritual the white tiger is, it can¡¯t speak human words. It just growled and suddenly fell down to reveal its belly. Now everyone can see clearly that there is a wound about the size of a palm at the joint of its left forelimb and chest. The wound is not deep, and it has stopped bleeding for a long time. However, the recovery is very bad, with obvious suppuration. Nobody knew what hurt it.


    Bai Fu Ling immediately understood the reason why the white tiger suddenly came here when she saw it. It wanted to find her to heal its wounds!


    Yang Heng and Lie Dang were very surprised when they looked at this scene. The abdomen is the weak spot of most animals. The white tiger showed its abdomen voluntarily in front of Bai Fu Ling. This is not only liking being close to her, but it also regarded her as a close companion.


    Bai Fu Ling was taken aback and immediately ordered Bai Guo to fetch the medicine and prepare hot water and strong liquor. The white tiger refused to let others approach. Bai Fu Ling had to personally help him heal the wound. Fortunately, she has seen many of Fang Hai¡¯s technique in treating wounds. Following the techniques, she managed to become a veterinarian although she was not skilled.


    Yang Heng has never seen a weak woman daring to approach a beast, nor has he ever seen a pampered daughter heal a beast herself; without fear of blood and dirt. He quietly watched Bai Fu Ling clean up the wound with a face of concentration. She also warned the white tiger ¡®not to move¡¯ from time to time and comforted it with words like ¡®soon it won¡¯t hurt¡¯. In his heart, he felt it both absurd and magical. The beautiful girl seemed like a mystery, including the Bai Family, which seemed to hide untold secrets ¡­


    Bai Fu Ling was sweating all over. Finally, she cleaned up the wound for the white tiger and applied medicine. Her delicate yellow dress was stained with a lot of blood. The white tiger leaned over and rubbed her carefully. Then he stood up and shook his tail with a growl and left.


    Bai Guo saw a bit of sourness nearby and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him for medical expenses and treatment?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling gave her a sideways glance and said, ¡°ok, I¡¯ll send you to ask for it. Don¡¯t come back to see me until you get it!¡±


    ¡°Miss, I was wrong. Miss, you are so gentle and kind, with high morals. How can you vulgarly care about that little amount of money?!¡± Bai Guo flattered her.


    Yang Heng listened to the conversation between the two master and servant and couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud. When Bai Fu Ling saw that it was him again, she felt unhappy, wrinkled her nose and gave a reluctant salute: ¡°This little woman is stained with blood. She doesn¡¯t dare to disturb Your Highness because she doesn¡¯t want to be described as disheveled. She will retire first.¡± After saying that, she just wants to go back to Lengquan and wash up.


    Yang Heng didn¡¯t intend to let her go like this. He deliberately said: ¡°There are auspicious animals here. Asking Miss Bai to please be a guide and take Bengong around¡­¡±


    Bai Fu Ling thinks this man is really annoying. Can¡¯t he see that she doesn¡¯t want to deal with him anymore? Besides, he has been to almost every part of this place except the desolate back mountain these days. He has never been lost or dragged home by wolves, tigers and leopards as a snack. But now, he is whining about traveling with a guide. What¡¯s his intention?!


    But who made this guy someone she can¡¯t openly offend?


    She hates these types of royalty the most! He¡¯s hiding in the border town countryside, but he still has to jump out to annoy her!


    Bai Fu Ling condescended Yang Heng and bowed to Yang Heng in an obedient manner. She respectfully said, ¡°please pardon Your Highness, this little girl is weak and can¡¯t stand the rugged mountain path. It is better to ask General Lu to accompany you, so as not to spoil Your Highness¡¯s pleasure. ¡±


    Yang Heng looked at the petite and exquisite girl in front of him inch by inch. Although she was trying to be tame and docile with her head down, he could not help but send out a little smile: ¡°General Lu¡¯s wife came thousands of miles from the capital to meet with General Lu. How can I be such an unreasonable person and disturb the family reunion? Miss Bai might as well go back and have a good rest today and accompany this Lord tomorrow.¡±


    He specially mentioned Madam Lu Ying, not without meaning to test Bai Fu Ling¡¯s reaction. Even fools can see Lu Ying¡¯s care for this adoptive sister. A young hero and a beautiful woman are like jade. Although the beautiful woman is still young, it is unavoidable to make people think more about it.


    Bai Fu Ling knew about this earlier and even Madam Lu; Cui Shi, had already ¡®crossed paths¡¯ with her before she entered the city. It was no surprise to hear Yang Heng¡¯s words, but she was angry at his insistence on enslavement and harassment of herself.


    ¡°Well, this little girl excused herself!¡± Bai Fu Ling bowed with gnashing teeth and said goodbye. Yang Heng spoke without any intention to give her any room for rebuttal.


    Yang Heng saw that she didn¡¯t seem to care about Lu Ying¡¯s wife, and thought that tomorrow he could let the girl stay with him all day long. He was in a good mood and didn¡¯t embarrass her anymore, so she left with her maid.


    Bai Ping Zi has been paying close attention to Yang Heng. He himself is also a romantic person. As soon as he sees it, he knows that Yang Heng is mostly teasing Bai Fu Ling. He cannot help but frown. This person is not a good match for Miss. But, he so happens to be a real Prince, even Lu Ying is helpless. This is really troublesome.


    Bai Fu Ling went back to the Lengquan courtyard and washed herself from beginning to end. Ding Xiang came to report that General Lu had been waiting for a long time in the Flower Hall outside. She thought of Yang Heng and walked to the hall with a sigh.


    Lu Ying is sitting under the window looking out at the flowing spring water in a trance.


    Bai Fu Ling tiptoed over to him and stretched out her hand to pat him on the shoulder. ¡°Older brother, what are you doing here?¡±


    Lu Ying turned to look back and saw that she ran out with her long, half wet hair. She frowned and said, ¡°this side is closer to the cold spring. It¡¯s cooler than the outside. What would you do if you catch cold like this?¡±


    Lu Ying was very strict in his discipline and never joked. When the northern army saw him, none of them dared to laugh. Even the old General, who had more than ten years of experience in combat, dared not be a little presumptuous in front of him. This frown, in the barracks, would immediately frighten a general officer to kneel down, but for Bai Fu Ling is useless.


    She just shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯m not that weak!  You have known me for so long, have you ever seen me sick?¡± What she said is the truth. Since she recovered from a serious illness at the age of three, she has never had any illness or even minor illness. However, only she knows the reason.


    ¡°Girls shouldn¡¯t be that reckless.¡± Lu Ying habitually wanted to rub Bai Fu Ling¡¯s head, but suddenly remembered something, and stopped halfway.


    ¡°Eldest brother is unhappy. Is it because you know that your wife had come to Beiguan City?¡± Bai Fu Ling went straight to the point.


    Lu Ying¡¯s eyes darkened and he said, ¡°it¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Humph! If you are happy that she is here, then it will be my turn to be unhappy!¡±


    Bai Guo, who came in to change the tea, just heard this ¡®clear love and hate¡¯ declaration, and almost couldn¡¯t help but want to cast a side-eye: after all, it¡¯s your adoptive brother¡¯s wife. Aren¡¯t you afraid of being misunderstood!?


    ¡°Ling¡¯er¡­¡± Lu Ying¡¯s heart felt bitter. He has many words he wanted to say to Bai Fu Ling, but he also knows that she is choosing to give in. On the day he married Cui Zhenyi, he is no longer qualified to say these words to Bai Fu Ling.


    Bai Fu Ling smiled nonchalantly and giggled. ¡°Older brother, you don¡¯t have to take the things we said as children to heart. I saved you, but you have been good enough for our family over the years. Although I want to depend on you to take care of us like this all my life, I must admit that you don¡¯t owe us anything anymore. ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your wife, just because she is not a good person. She wouldn¡¯t be sincerely good to you. My older brother is indomitable and worthy of the best woman in the world, but it happened that he was forced to marry such a woman. I am angry!  If older brother couldn¡¯t see that and really liked her, I¡¯m even more depressed.¡± Bai Fu Ling spoke with an undisguised provocation for the couple¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°How can older brother like her¡­¡± Lu Ying said with a wry smile, in his heart, she was the only best woman in the world.


    ¡°Humph! You came to tell me that you are going down the mountain, right?¡± Bai Fu Ling pouted.


    ¡°Yes, older brother really will go down the mountain tomorrow morning. Anyway, she is my wife in name. I want to see why she suddenly took the trouble to run to the borderlands. The most important thing is that older brother should go back to Beiguan City as soon as possible and be ready to take over the relevant matters so that His Royal Highness Prince Liu would leave Bai Li Mountain as soon as possible.¡± Lu Ying does not have Bai Ping Zi¡¯s rich practical experience, but with his concern for Bai Fu Ling, it is not difficult to see Yang Heng¡¯s ¡®bad intentions¡¯. How can he rest assure when that man is in Bai Family village all the time?


    The best way, of course, is to get him to Beiguan City as soon as possible.


    Bai Fu Ling knew what he said was right, so she didn¡¯t want to detain him. She just stretched out her hand toward him and said, ¡°where is my gift?¡±


    Lu Ying smiled and gently took out a colorful colored glass flower from his chest pocket and put it into her hand. ¡°Do you still like them?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Is it colored glass?¡± Bai Fu Ling took over and looked carefully from left to right. This colored glass flower is very exquisite and elegant, with extremely high transparency and an even and clear color. It is a treasure no matter the era. Compared with those seen in the past, it is simply not the same.

 CH 29

    Every time Lu Ying goes out to patrol the border, he brings back some rare things for Bai Fu Ling.


    The so-called patrol, to be frank, it¡¯s actually a threat; showing force to oppress the other side. With Lu Ying and Bai Family joining hands, Beiguan City has become the most prosperous commercial and trade place in the northwest frontier, with many businessmen trudging from the western regions, thousands of miles away.


    Although barbarians have not dared to invade Lu Ying¡¯s territory easily in the past two years, they will not be polite to these foreigners or even businessmen from other tribes. There were often small bands of bandits, robbing merchants passing. These bandits are ferocious in temperament, and their men never leave people with their lives, passers-by turn pale at the sight.(if your NOT re$ding at Translateindo, this ch4pter has been stolen fr0m our s1te)


    Lu Ying, under the proposal of Bai Fu Ling, will lead troops outside of the border to hunt down these bandits from time to time. Firstly, they could train in actual combat, and secondly, he can rely on the stolen goods collected from bandits to supply the town¡¯s northern army. Bai Family¡¯s through the yahang provides a coordinated process of selling stolen goods. The whole town¡¯s northern army is willing to go out with Lu Ying to ¡®patrol the border¡¯. Although taking risks is unavoidable, every harvest is plentiful.


    Bai Fu Ling sent Lu Ying away, playing with the colored glass flower, temporarily forgetting the depression of being forced to accompany the ¡®tortoise¡¯ to the mountain tomorrow.


    Bai Guo brought snacks and melons and looked at her in a good mood. She couldn¡¯t help but gossip: ¡°Miss, what kind of childish words did you say to General Lu when you were young?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling glanced at her and said, ¡°can you guess?¡±


    ¡°Why would I ask Young Miss, if I could guess??¡± Bai Guo was curious as hell in her heart. Something that could get General Lu to act unswervingly toward the Bai Family, this must be something out of the ordinary!


    Bai Fu Ling then said, ¡°I would let him marry me when I grow up.¡±


    ¡°No ¡­ no!¡± This Young Miss is really too much, she dares to say those words when she was only a few years old? She dared to flirt with a half-grown man ten years older than her?!


    ¡°Of course not!¡± It¡¯s so na?ve to be scared so easily!


    Bai Guo patted her chest and said, ¡°You scared me ¡­¡±


    (if your NOT re$ding at Translateindo, this ch4pter has been stolen fr0m our s1te)


    The next morning, Lu Ying took his leave of Yang Heng and the Bai Family; and returned to Beiguan City with his 18-member northern cavalry bodyguards. They wanted to enjoy a few more days at the Bai Li Mountain guest house, but they did not expect to return to the city after one night. Their mood was a little depressed. However, when they looked at the General¡¯s dark expression, who dared to hesitate?


    Lu Ying returned to the General¡¯s courtyard at the north of the town to hand over the matter of welcoming the imperial envoys. As usual, officials and staff in the front yard and the city finished processing the documents accumulated over the past few days. Then he called Shi Wei, the housekeeper, and asked about Cui Zhenyi.


    Shi Wei didn¡¯t add fuel to the flames either. He actually told everything concerning Cui Zhenyi one by one. Finally, he asked, ¡°Madam said that she plans to stay in Beiguan City to reunite with the General. The General¡¯s courtyard is too narrow. She wants to buy houses nearby and expand the backyard of the General¡¯s courtyard.¡±


    Lu Ying spoke without looking up: ¡°No, I will arrange for her to return to the capital as soon as possible.¡± When Shi Wei heard this, he immediately put down the worries in his heart. Truthfully, he likes the quiet life and can¡¯t stand Cui Zhenyi temperament, if Cui Zhenyi really wanted to stay here for a long time, his life will be sorrowful.


    He and Lu Ying lived in Beiguan City for a few years, and their days have been very quiet. Lu Ying just wanted someone he could trust to take care of the chores. He stayed in this house for short periods, and it¡¯s not that he is too rich to be waited on by others; He usually does many things himself and seldom let the old housekeeper work hard.


    But Cui Zhenyi is not the same. Although she is polite to him on the surface, Shi Wei can tell that the lady is dissatisfied with him. She thinks he is not as diligent and sensible as her Cui family¡¯s servants, decent and nimble, but when she first arrived, she did not treat him very well.(if your NOT re$ding at Translateindo, this ch4pter has been stolen fr0m our s1te)


    Cui Zhenyi was born in a large family, and there were more than a dozen servants and maids who attend to her needs from an early age. All of them bowed before her, fearing that they would be punished and deducted monthly money for any mistake. She has never seen such an undisciplined housekeeper such as Shi Wei. If she hadn¡¯t been afraid of offending Lu Ying, she would have sent Shi Wei out and let one of her cronies take charge.


    Yesterday, Jia Ding; brought by Cui Zhenyi, heard from the front courtyard that Lu Ying had returned to the city with troops. She was delighted and fussed to let Shi Wei set a banquet and dressed carefully to give her husband a surprise. She didn¡¯t expect Shi Wei to hesitate and say that the General might have other important things to do and would not necessarily return home.


    She thought Shi Wei wanted to be lazy again. She smiled, turned around and asked a servant woman to go to the restaurant and order to prepare the banquet. As a result, Lu Ying was still missing in the middle of the month. She called Shi Wei to ask. Shi Wei only spoke vaguely that the General often did not return to the house for a night on the day he returned to the city, but refused to say why.


    Cui Zhenyi paled and has been angry after waiting a full day. Seeing Shi Wei again is making her even angrier. She secretly said: when my husband comes back, see how I will clean up this sly servant!


    In recent days, she has not left the General¡¯s courtyard in the north of the town, except once with her cousin. She has just sent her staff to inquire about Lu Ying¡¯s various preferences and so on. This inquiry made her heart turn cold. Everyone in Beiguan City knows that Lu Ying¡¯s closest friend is his sister Bai Fu Ling. Legend has it that Lu Ying was so obedient to this sister. What¡¯s worse is that she was almost certain that it was this very person who severely humiliated her at the Cloud Tower restaurant that day. And the west wing, which is locked and free of people, is also reserved for this ¡®adoptive-little-sister¡¯. No one has lived there all this while.


    Cui Zhenyi and Liu Zhenzhen are no longer concerned with the trivial matter of how to find a room for this ¡®adoptive-little-sister¡¯. They only thought of one thing; no wonder Lu Ying refused to return to the capital since he arrived in Beiguan City. It turned out that this terrible place has a truly beautiful unctuous ¡®adoptive-little-sister¡¯ in it!


    Is Bai Fu Ling really Lu Ying¡¯s adoptive sister?(if your NOT re$ding at Translateindo, this ch4pter has been stolen fr0m our s1te)


    Cui Zhenyi¡¯s cousin has been used to men¡¯s lewd and greedy eyes since childhood. They simply can¡¯t believe that there would be a man with a fairy and stunning beauty beside him, but still sat on his hands and only act with courtesy.


    Cui Zhenyi has repeatedly calculated her relationship with Lu Ying. In the face of the beautiful adoptive sister, if she takes the position of a true wife to confront her, she will inevitably suffer. She is not optimistic enough to think Lu Ying will forget what they did when he married her. Therefore, the only way to do this is to be generous and virtuous as much as possible, be patient on everything. Let Lu Ying feel her kindness, and then lean towards her bit by bit.


    Fortunately, Bai Fu Ling is just a girl who has not entered adulthood. Even if she is beautiful, she is still a bit immature. She is definitely not as knowledgeable as she is.


    Cui Zhenyi thought about it all night and finally figured it out. The second day; early in the morning, she got up and heard that Lu Ying had returned home and was dealing with government affairs in the front yard. She suddenly felt refreshed. He came back so soon, proving that she had not lost to the coquettish little fox!


    She hastily called servant girls to wash and dress, and told them to prepare tea and breakfast. She waited for Lu Ying to meet her. She waited until noon.


    Lu Ying heard about the matter and turned to the backyard. He almost thought he was in the wrong place. He saw that the original simple courtyard porch was covered with bonsais and embroidered curtains, and several refined and unsophisticated gauze lanterns were hung under the eaves. Fortunately, the main room and the west wing room were locked under Shi Wei¡¯s efforts to protect the rooms, which should not be affected by the ¡®refurbishing¡¯ storm.(if your NOT re$ding at Translateindo, this ch4pter has been stolen fr0m our s1te)


    The east wing has changed the most. From a distance, there are many flowers and rich scenes. As soon as the two servants saw him, they bowed down and saluted, saying, ¡°Seeing Your Lordship!¡±. This is also Cui Zhenyi¡¯s special reminder. She is now a member of the Lu family, so her servants are also the Lu family¡¯s people. They can no longer call Lu Ying as ¡®Guye¡®; as they did at the Cui family home.


    (Guye [¹ÃÒ¯] = young mistress¡¯s husband / honored ¡®live in¡¯ son-in-law)


    Lu Ying did not say anything in response, motioning with his hand, ¡°please come to the main room, Wife.¡± He also doesn¡¯t want to admit Cui Zhenyi¡¯s identity, but a fait accompli, he is not going to embarrass her in front of other people. This is the marriage made by his father, the daughter-in-law approved by his mother, and even a marriage personally bestowed by the Emperor. Even if he is not satisfied, she is still his lawful wife. As long as she does not do anything too outrageous, he is willing to give the other party enough respect, but that¡¯s all, there will be no other.


    Cui Zhenyi took her maid; delicate and gracefully, to Lu Ying¡¯s personal study for the first time. The couple met formally for the first time. They greeted each other and were as polite as strangers.


    After taking a seat, Lu Ying also asked Cui Zhenyi whether she was used to Beiguan City¡¯s climate or not and then directly said: ¡°Beiguan City is a key place in the front line. My wife has seen me, so pack up and return to the capital tomorrow.¡±


    Cui Zhenyi had expected that he would expel her, but she didn¡¯t expect that he would be so cruel. He asked her to go back as soon as they met. Fortunately, she was also prepared. She tactfully said mildly, ¡°I have been married to you for several years, but I haven¡¯t served you as a wife. Before, it was because it was inconvenient to leave the capital because I wanted to be filial to mother-in-law. Now that the filial period has passed, how can I allow my husband to suffer alone in the border city?  I just want to be with my husband and share the joys and sorrows. Please don¡¯t drive me away.¡±


    She said so with a tearful face. No matter how hard you are, you can¡¯t refuse the plea of such a weak woman.


    Lu Ying looked at her lightly and after a while, he said indifferently, ¡°life in the border town is hard, unlike the capital city, which is rich with luxuries and slaves. Since you must stay, then stay. I hope you don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    Cui Zhenyi felt a twinge of joy and said, ¡°thank you, Husband!¡±


    Lu Ying waved his hand and said, ¡°I still have some business to do. Go back to your room first.¡±


    Cui Zhenyi meekly withdrew in accordance with the words, but her hand hidden in her sleeve had long been clenched into a fist.

 CH 30

    Ju Hong served Liu Zhenzhen since she was a child, and her future laid with her. Therefore, knowing that the journey was hard, she volunteered to follow her. Seeing her so angry at this moment, she was afraid that she would turn against Cui Zhenyi in a rage. She hurriedly urged in a low voice: ¡°Miss, you still depend on her, so bear with it first.¡±


    ¡°Depend on her? Cousin-in-law doesn¡¯t respect her at all. What¡¯s the use of depending on her?¡±


    ¡°Miss¡¯s cousin, after all, is General Lu legally married wife. I can¡¯t tell you to do anything else, but if Miss wants to get a prestigious position, she can definitely do it.¡±


    Qi State Law stipulates that concubinage is not allowed for the common people. A man with a high official position must obtain the consent of his lawful wife; in addition to having a legitimate reason to report to the government for approval. Although the law has existed for a long time, officials in the imperial court will not violate it if they want to keep their good reputation and not caught by others.


    However, not taking formal concubines does not prevent them from getting more servant girls and mistresses, and they also save the procedure of going to see the government officials.


    Liu Zhenzhen can¡¯t be an unknown concubine, so it¡¯s inevitable to rely on Cui Zhenyi in the end. Knowing that Ju Hong¡¯s words are reasonable, she bit through two brocade handkerchiefs and endured.


    At dinner, Liu Zhenzhen finally met Lu Ying, the well-known General of the North Garrison. She had heard that Lu Ying was young and handsome. Today, when she saw him, she was sure of that. When she thought about his position, she was even more moved. Thinking of how her cousin; Cui Zhenyi became his legal wife, while he in his early twenties became a senior official, and many official wives would bow their heads and knees when they saw her, her mind suddenly filled with all kinds of envy, jealousy and hatred.


    Although Lu Ying had a cold face from beginning to end, Liu Zhenzhen did not say a word or even look at him, except for the casual nod when Cui Zhenyi introduced Liu Zhenzhen, but Liu Zhenzhen still believed that this was a good start.


    Lu Ying didn¡¯t even remember the taste of the food after the meal. He hastily took a few bites and dropped his rice bowl. He went to the front yard to ask the night-watch officials how the preparations were going for the imperial envoy, and whether they could find out how far the ceremonial attendance of the imperial envoy was from Beiguan City. He did not want the Sixth Royal Highness with that licentious face of his to stay on Bai Li Mountain for longer than he has to.


    Yang Heng and Lie Dang live in another courtyard beside the Heling lake. They are more and more curious about the Bai family. The Bai Li mountain seems to be a paradise with a beautiful environment. There are many things that they have never seen before, ranging from a chair¡¯s design to a house design. Not to mention the toilets, showers and even the servants of the Bai family It¡¯s very different from elsewhere.


    They are all courteous and considerate. Yang Heng, who was used to being served by eunuch and maids when he was young, can¡¯t pick out any mistakes. However, they always feel that behind their courtesies there is a kind of unswerving alienation, which is totally different from the common ¡®inferior people¡¯.


    Yang Heng¡¯s good luck with women seems to have disappeared since he came to Beiguan city. Not only Bai Fu Ling evaded and resisted him, but even his little servant girls, who were sent to serve him, all of them; looked like they were just doing their jobs. They didn¡¯t put on fake faces at all. He teased a few words as if they were true. Those servant girls blushed, and then he didn¡¯t hear anything, and they even started to hide from him.


    Yang Heng is not obscene even though he is a romantic. He is not interested in trying to embarrass these servant girls, but he is a little frustrated.


    This Bai Li Mountain of the Bai family is very strange. It¡¯s not only strange things but also strange people! Yang Heng thought bitterly.


    After breakfast, Bai Fu Ling sent Lu Ying away, dressed in fresh and easy-to-wear clothes, and went to report to Yang Heng. Although full of reluctance, the situation is better than that of others. It doesn¡¯t matter how she dominates Beiguan City, because the mountain here is high and the Emperor is far away, and there is no stronger person than her Elder Brother.


    The situation is different now. For the sake of her Older Brother and for the sake of the Bai Family, she cannot neglect or offend Yang Heng willfully. Yang Heng can¡¯t say anything in front of the Emperor, nor is he a prince in favor with real power, but the difference in status is there. He may still have some difficulty in dealing with Lu Ying, but he can easily deal with the Bai Family.


    The Bai Family does have the ability to resist, but the price is too high. She is not willing to take the risk for a single moment. So, before she went to meet Yang Heng, she was prepared to endure it from the beginning.


    Yang Heng played a gentle and polite gentleman today. Apart from insisting on letting Bai Fu Ling accompany him, he did not do anything out of line and did not make any verbal provocation. He just picked out some relaxing topics about the scene before him. Bai Fu Ling walked with him along the Heling lake for a while and her mood relaxed involuntarily.


    Yang Heng is absolutely a rare beautiful man. It¡¯s very difficult for a ¡®wanton person¡¯ like Bai Fu Ling to hate him completely.


    And after a conversation, Bai Fu Ling changed her thoughts a little on Yang Heng.


    Originally in her eyes, Yang Heng was a Royal Son who thought himself a romantic, arrogant and haughty. However, after some small talk, she found that the man had a ravine in his heart, which was not as simple as the rumor said. When she thought that Bai Ping Zi said that he had ¡®the profile of a Monarch¡¯, she felt that this man was of great value and might be worth making friends with.


    It¡¯s better to ¡®send coals out when snowing than to add flowers to embroidery¡¯. Now Yang Heng is just an ordinary prince with no power. It¡¯s unknown if he will soar to the sky in the future. Her life is not long, but there are still more than three years left. If she can find a big supporter for her parents and Lu Ying, she will feel more secure even if she leaves in the future.


    (Deliver coals out when snowing/xu¨§zh¨­ng-s¨°ngt¨¤n [Ñ©ÖÐËÍÌ¿] = timely help.)


    (Add flowers to embroidery/j¨«nsh¨¤n¨À-ti¨¡nhu¨¡ [½õÉÏÌí»¨]=embellish what is already beautiful/add brilliance to one¡¯s present splendor)


    Just cooperating with him rashly in this way will also bring considerable risks. Bai Fu Ling did not forget that it is the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince who are in power now. When Yang Heng arrived in Beiguan City, he was almost killed by someone secretly. It is obvious that he is still in danger, and she was afraid that even before the harvest comes, her family would be buried under these high-level struggles.


    Bai Fu Ling struggled for a while and finally gave up the idea of cooperating with Yang Heng.


    While she was secretly observing Yang Heng, the other party was also watching her. Yang Heng and Lie Dang were reluctant to believe that Bai Fu Ling is the person in charge of the Bai Family. However, from what they have seen in Bai Family village these days, it seems that everyone¡¯s attitude towards Bai Fu Ling, as well as the details of words and deeds; this was indeed the case.


    Yang Heng once wanted to bring the Bai Family and Lu Ying into his camp. When he first arrived in Beiguan City, he also imagined various conditions for cooperation. But when he came into contact with them, he found that the conditions he wanted to put forward seemed to have limited appeal to the other party.


    Bai Family has plenty of money, is not well-known and is not keen on power. Like Lu Ying, they seem to be very satisfied with the present situation of being settled in this little Beiguan City!


    If he hadn¡¯t come here personally, Yang Heng¡¯s head would have spun around, not understanding the reason why they were so ¡®unwilling to seek progress¡¯. Fortunately, he came, Yang Heng took one look at the stunning young girl not far away ¡­ his mood somehow got better.


    He discussed with Lie Dang last night and finally re-listed the conditions that the other party might be interested in. However, he is not sure whether it is really better to talk to the 15-year-old girl in front of him, or to invite the Bai couple to talk.


    ¡°Can we take a rest in the pavilion?¡± Yang Heng asked Bai Fu Ling with a smile.


    Bai Fu Ling is feeling hot and tired. She is used to enjoying life. She seldom walks outdoors under the big sun in the midsummer. When she heard this, she nodded.


    The pavilion was built on the lake, just a short walk through a corridor. Bai Fu Ling and several maids were all dressed in wooden shoes. A few people walked on the corridor. the corridor immediately gave off a pleasant buzzing sound. it was heavy and clear. Like bells ringing a bit more brightly. Yang Heng was surprised. Did such an ordinary corridor have a mechanism also?


    Li Dang, who was following him, was also confused and asked, ¡°Miss Bai, where is the sound coming from? Is there anything unique under the corridor?¡±


    Bai Fu Ling laughed: ¡°Ah, there is a special water tank under this Tung wood corridor. The tank is filled with different amounts of water. when people walk on it and knock on the board, the water tank will sound.¡±


    ¡°Bai Family Manor has many unique things, I really don¡¯t know what kind of master craftsman has that many fantastic ideas.¡± Yang Heng praised, half sincerely and half intentionally. There are too many things in Bai Family Manor that they have never seen or heard of, and all of them are specially designed. Although it is not complicated after all, it is not easy to think of these things.


    If only in terms of luxury, Bai Family Manor is far from the manors in the capital and rich places in the south of the Yangtze River, but no manor can be compared with the Bai Family Manor in terms of the comfort and contentment of the residents.


    Bai Fu Ling¡¯s arrogance in Beiguan city has the demeanor of a nouveau riche and tyrant. This Bai family Manor is a unique scene of paradise.


    ¡°Some of them are thought of by this little woman, and some of them are thought of by others talented people.¡± Bai Fu Ling didn¡¯t care much. In fact, everything was done according to her requirements. However, the specific details and implementation methods were left to the skillful craftsman under Bai Family Manor to worry about. Just like this Tung wood corridor, she only remembered that she had seen an introduction before and said that there was a ¡®ringing corridor¡¯ in the Guanwa Palace built by Fu Chai for Xi Shi. Therefore, she held several discussions with the craftsman. The craftsman tried many times and ordered nearly 100 different types of water tanks before finally achieving the desired effect.


    (TNote: Xi-Shi/Surname Xi; is the first of the legendary four most beautiful women in china. said to be so entrancingly beautiful that fish would forget how to swim and sink below the surface upon seeing her reflection in the water.)


    Otherwise, Bai Fu Ling, who can only move her mouth, can¡¯t even design a single wooden bridge; let alone a ringing corridor.


    If he was just an ordinary rich son, he would probably praise Bai Fu Ling for her exquisite mind, but Yang Heng saw the way out: ¡°the craftsmen of Bai Family Manor must be able to come out in large numbers.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness really knows his goods! If Your Highness likes it, in the future, when you renovate a mansion, I can introduce some craftsmen to Your Highness.¡± Bai Fu Ling got along with him for a while, and found that he did not put on airs as the imperial envoy; and spoke freely.


    ¡°Those craftsmen are not from the Bai family?¡±


    ¡°They have long been redeemed and set up their own family. Anyone who can afford the price can ask them to do some work.¡±

 CH 31

    As they spoke, a few maids brought over iced fruits, osmanthus pickled plum soup, and warm tea. The tea and soup were normal, however those fruits are rarely seen in the capital. Yang Heng and Lie Dang ate a little of each. They felt it was sweet and fragrant, simply compared to the usual fruit, it¡¯s a world difference.


    The maid specially brought out yogurt and poured it on one of the bowls of chopped mixed fruits. This is Bai Fuling¡¯s favorite way to eat and it¡¯s similar to yogurt fruit salad, but the taste is not everyone¡¯s favorite. Yang Heng and Lie Dang tried a bit and didn¡¯t particularly like it, but they were curious about the origin of yogurt.


    Although Bai Fuling didn¡¯t intend to side with Yang Heng, she also wanted to have a good relationship with him. Earlier, she had saved his life. She had then treated them with hospitality. If something happened in the future, he would retain some sentiments and affections. So it¡¯s rare for her to take the initiative to introduce them to the names of various exotic fruits. When she heard them ask about the yogurt, she simply said: ¡°This was made by the barbarian herdsmen outside the city. It¡¯s made by fermenting cow¡¯s milk and can also be made by sheep¡¯s milk. But I don¡¯t really like the strong taste of sheep¡¯s milk. Yogurt is very nourishing, my parents and I both like it very much. Although the barbarians are poor and backward, they also have many good things.¡±


    Bai Fuling understands the principle of making yogurt, but she knew nothing about what to use to ferment and how to ferment the milk to a suitable level. She left it to luck when she sent people to the barbarians to find yogurt. They asked many tribes and by chance, she was able to find a herdsman from a small tribe who knows how to make it. Immediately the method was brought back and from then on, the Bai family have been eating yogurt.


    Mu Peilan wasn¡¯t used to it at first. She reluctantly ate it for a while under her daughter¡¯s coaxing and pestering. She gradually became accustomed to the taste and found it to be quite delicious. Now, this kind of yogurt is also made in Tongyun Lou in Beiguan City, it has quite a support among the guests, especially in the summer, where it¡¯s often in short supply.


    After listening to Bai Fuling¡¯s introduction, Yan Heng repeatedly nodded and said: ¡°No wonder the Bai family settled here. Living in paradise, able to eat rare fruits and exotic delicacies. Really living the life of an immortal.¡±


    Bai Fuling replied, ¡°Yes, brother also likes it here. We all want to stay here forever.¡±


    Finally reaching the main point, Yang Heng thought and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this is not easy¡­.¡±


    ¡°Why is it not easy?¡± Bai Fuling pretended to be innocent and naive. She had the advantage of being young, no matter what shouldn¡¯t be asked, she could use the excuse of her youthful ignorance to push it all away. Others would find no fault as they would be embarrassed to argue with her, a young woman.


    Yang Heng feigned helplessness: ¡°Wherever the Bai family want to live, it¡¯s possible as long as it doesn¡¯t obstruct the imperial court law. But General Lu is an official appointed by the court and a military general. He would inevitably be subject to being dispatched to fight. How can he stay here forever?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like that ah! Are there ways that allow my brother to stay? He isn¡¯t the only general. With my brother here, barbarians won¡¯t dare to make trouble and everyone would have a better life.¡± Bai Fuling continued to be naive and delicate.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Bai Fuling aked.


    Yang Heng deliberately maintained the suspense: ¡°It¡¯s better to talk about this with General Lu.¡±


    Bai Fuling pressed her mouth and said nothing. The first bout was a big defeat. She glanced at Yang Heng who was eating a honeydew. She cursed in her heart: ¡°It¡¯s best that you are not used to it, so that you will vomit and have diarrhea.¡±


    After resting for a while, Yang Heng continued with today¡¯s itinerary, and this time the destination is directly to the Lengquan Courtyard where Bai Fuling currently resides.


    The main house of the Bai family mansion is built on the hillside in front of Baili Mountain and the Bai couple would normally live here. The main house was built in a simple manner, apart from the high walls and the quite-large entrance. It was exactly the style of a countryside landlord¡¯s mansion.


    In addition there are several ¡°scenic spots¡± designated by Bai Fuling, there are several side courtyards were smaller in scale with different styles and characteristics. Because of the flat and spacious terrain by the banks of the Heling Lake, the courtyard built there were the largest and the most exquisite and naturally used to entertain Yang Heng. The Lengquan Courtyard is the smallest. It is a small house made of bamboo and wood. The Lengquan perched by the side of the stream and is specially used for a summer escape. There is a water wheel beside the house, constantly bringing the cascading cold spring water to the side terrace¡¯s awning. The spring water continued to flow through the awning and once again back into the spring. The sound of the water is like the jingling of bells. You can imagine how cool and relaxed it will be to sit under the terrace.


    When Yang Heng first met Bai Fuling, he had seen this house from afar. At that time, he was secretly impressed by the craftsman¡¯s ingenuity, he asked to visit here today was not for a clear look of the bamboo house. He deliberately walked to the seat where Bai Fuling was sitting that day and sat down. He smiled gently and elegantly. ¡°There¡¯s something Bengong always feels weird about.¡±


    People can¡¯t beat the circumstances, Bai Fuling had no choice but to obediently sit on the stone bench. She answered with a fake smile: ¡°I wonder what it is?¡±


    ¡°If Bengong is really short of money, how long does it take Miss to arrange work to Bengong to pay off that 528 taels?¡±


    Sure enough, he¡¯s here to overturn old debts. Could it be that these royal princes are cheapskates? Bai Fuling couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°As expected, those who owe debts are more arrogant than those who collect them!¡±


    Bai Fuling¡¯s voice was low, and Yang Heng, who had internal force, could clearly hear it. He secretly smiled and intentionally asked, ¡°What did Miss Bai just say?¡±


    ¡°This little girl said that His Highness is well versed in the pen and sword, equivalent to a first class talent. Not to mention earning five hundred taels, even more than five thousand taels is easy.¡± Bai Fuling smiled flatteringly, but she could not hide the indolence and anger in her eyes. She had been arrogant in this world for more than ten years and had almost become used to it. It¡¯s really hard for her to adapt to humbling herself to please others.


    Yang Heng knew that she was already very upset, but he continued to quibble, ¡°I¡¯m grateful to Miss Bai for her kindness, Bengong is curious, is it possible to further explain it to Bengong?¡±


    Can she say ¡°no¡±? Bai Fuling snorted coldly in her heart and pondered for a while, ¡°There are many ways, only depending on which one His Highness prefers.¡±


    Yang Heng gave Bai Fuling an expression of listening intently and motioned her to speak freely.


    ¡°The first method is very fast but also a bit dangerous. My family Tongcai Yaxing also provides some merchants with temporary escorts and bodyguards for hire. Based on their skill, they received different remunerations, ranging from ten liangs to tens of taels per person per trip. With His Highness¡¯ ability, as long as you make a few more trips, you are able to earn the money back very quickly. As the intermediary that provides labor and guarantee, we take a tenth of the proceeds as a commission fee.¡±


    ¡°The Bai family¡¯s Yaxing is really attentive. From what Miss Bai said, it seems there are other methods?¡± Yang Heng praised and amazed by how Bai Fuling seized every opportunity to make money.


    ¡°The second method is also fast and much more safe. Fang Hai could teach you a set of internal techniques that could open meridians and help people to quickly recover from their internal injuries. His Highness then travel to several big factions in Jianghu, relying on this technique, as long as one or two people are cured, the rewards will be more than five hundred taels. If you cure three people, it¡¯s enough to pay off the tuition fees.¡±


    Although Fang Hai knows this kind of technique, none of the people in the clinic meet the required internal force. There are people that meet the requirement in the Bai family manor and also have learned this technique. But it¡¯s inconvenient for them to show their faces and some are plagued with mundane affairs. How could they have the leisure to go and toiled for money?


    Most of the big factions in Jianghu engaged in some high-risk high-reward businesses. They had plenty of money and this kind of skill was exactly what they needed the most.


    Hearing this, Yang Heng smiled and nodded: ¡°What else?¡± The Bai family really has some background in the Jianghu, why else would she have thought of this. Having seen Fang Hai¡¯s medical skills, Bai Fuling¡¯s method is indeed feasible. But this lass¡¯ scheme is really terrifying, she still didn¡¯t forget to charge a fee. Listening to her tone, he has to pay hundreds of taels of silver to learn. Although it¡¯s worth the money, it seems really difficult.


    ¡°The third method is the easiest and the quickest.¡± Bai Fuling raised her head and looked at him, her big eyes full of cunningness and provocation.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Yang Heng was aware of a pitfall, but he couldn¡¯t help but to jump into it.


    ¡°Find your men and ask them to send money to you.¡± Bai Fuling said as she turned her head and faintly smiled at Lie Dang. The meaning is obvious, your subordinate¡¯s here and he had money. You should pay back the debt!


    Yang Heng couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. The straight-laced Lie Dang couldn¡¯t help but let out a wry smile and honestly took out six official bank notes of one hundred taels of silver from his sleeve and handed them to Bai Fuling. ¡°Your great favor can¡¯t be thanked by words. These are six hundred taels, Miss Bai please accept it.¡±


    How great it¡¯s to be tactful and sensible beforehand?!


    ¡°Many thanks!¡± Bai Fuling was not polite and Bai Guo stepped forward to take the official note and put it in her sleeve.


    Yang Heng raised the teacup made from a bamboo tube in his hand and took a sip of the fragrant tea. He suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°I heard that Miss Bai has raised quite a few ¡®fierce beasts¡¯ . Can you take me there to have a look?¡±


    Bai Fuling smiled strangely and said, ¡°Since His Highness wants to see it, this little girl should let them come here. But I¡¯m afraid they are wild and untamed. If they frighten and offend His Highness, this little girl will have to bear all the blame with her death.¡±


    ¡°Young lady worries too much, Bengong is not easily frightened.¡± Yang Heng knew that Bai Fuling was deliberately mocking him. The few ¡°beasts¡± that¡¯s going to appear later are probably going to be ferocious and very fierce. But he wants to see how this little girl handles the extravagance show. He had already seen the white tiger, what could be more fierce than that?


    Bai Fuling pretended to be reluctant and said, ¡°Okay!¡±


    She raised her index and thumb to her lips, along with a clear whistle, a roar that resembled a wolf howl came from a distance. There were several long, sharp cries, in broad daylight, it made those that listen feel cold.

 CH 32

    The beasts of Bai Fuling did not disappoint them. In the air, a dark shadow flashed by and a pair of giant eagles nearly ten feet long spread their wings out and rushed like the wind in front of several people. They spread their wings and streak across in half arcs in the air. They stopped and perched on the branch of a big tree two chi away. When their wings swept in front of them, a strong gale rose and was like a sharp blade that could split the sky, it was imposing and full of murderous spirit, they are definitely not the common, domesticated fowls.


    At the same time, more than a dozen vicious dogs of all sizes roared from all directions. The big dogs were smaller than the white tiger they saw yesterday, their breed was unknown. Their heads were the size of two or three human heads. Split open their mouth reveals a set of thick and ghastly white teeth, just a single bite could break the neck of a living man. The smallest one is half human tall, its body is highly trained and nimble, with one glance, this fellow is hard to deal with.


    The dozen dogs ran ten feet away from Bai Fuling and others and obediently stopped. Pairs of faint green eyes continually measure the bodies of Yang Heng and Lie Dang, as if they¡¯re asking Bai Fuling: Are these two strangers our feast today? Can we start eating?


    Raoshi, Yang Heng, and Lie Dang are very brave but they couldn¡¯t help but tremble when they saw these dozen or so beasts. They were secretly thankful that they¡¯re not Bai Fuling¡¯s enemies, otherwise if they wanted to return in one piece, they dreaded that they would experience a bloody battle.


    Yang Heng calmly smiled and swept over the dozen dogs in front of him one by one. His gaze was not deliberately cruel, but those vicious dogs slowly settled down when facing those profound, sinister eyes. The unbridled fierce looks gradually turning into vigilance¡ª¡ªThe person in front can¡¯t be trifled with, they fear they would get indigestion after eating them.


    Just as the two sides were silently confronting each other, a ¡°meow¡± sound was suddenly heard, and a big cat with long golden fur and a round head held its head up and walked over slowly. Every step carried the unique elegance and arrogance of a feline. It¡¯s as if more than a dozen of its natural enemies to the side were made out of paper. Without glancing at them, it correctly arrived in front of Yang Heng, it skilfully and lightly jumped on his knees and let out an extremely charming ¡°meow¡±.


    Bai Fuling saw her pet actually turned against her and threw herself to the arms of the beautiful man. Her small face immediately turned serious and reproached, ¡°Xiao Lihua, get down!¡±


    The big golden cat named Xiao Lihua raised its head aggrievedly and gave Yang Heng another ¡°meow¡±. Yang Heng rarely saw such a friendly and lovely animal here, so he reached out to touch its soft fur. He smiled and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, she called Xiao Lihua? This is the first time Bengong has seen a cat not afraid of dogs¡­ ah!¡±


    He had yet to finish his words when there¡¯s a sudden pain in his hand. He was bitten by Xiao Lihua and the blood was flowing. The golden shadow flashed before his eyes and the biting cat jumped onto the big rock more than ten zhang away.


    Bai Shao skillfully took out the wound medicine and dressing, and then brought spring water to wash Yang Heng¡¯s wound. Lie Dang hurriedly took over the dressing and began to treat him.  ¡°Just now, there wasn¡¯t enough time to warn you, Xiao Lihua is the fiercest and she hates people mentioning ¡®dog¡¯ in front of her¡­.Well, His Highness is broadminded, surely you won¡¯t make a fuss with a kitten, will you?¡±


    Xiao Lihua is the smartest, she found a way to avenge her, no wonder she didn¡¯t love her in vain!


    Yang Heng looked at the arrogant big cat, who was sitting on a rock and waving her tail. Then he looked at the beauty with crystal-bright eyes by his side, who¡¯s complacent and secretly delighted at his pain. He¡¯s in a good mood and found it laughable in his heart:  Sure enough, she¡¯s like her master, crafty and untameable. The cat of an unknown breed, its movement is so nimble and fast. No wonder it didn¡¯t take those vicious dogs to heart.


    Xiao Lihua is indeed not an ordinary domestic cat. It¡¯s the result of a pair of famous cats brought to Qi by a foreign merchant. These cats have a nickname ¡°Golden Lightning¡± in that region, and are far more agile than average animals. They are also extremely aggressive and even surpass dogs in terms of loyalty and intelligence.


    Bai Fuling consciously let out a sigh of relief, lest Yang Heng change his mind and want her to be held accountable, she waved her hands and sent all the beasts away without waiting for him to speak.


    Now that the sun has risen to the top of the head, Ding Xiang came and announced: ¡°The main manor has prepared a meal, Master and Madam would like to invite His Highness to eat with them.¡± Having lunch with the Bai¡¯s was proposed by Yang Heng.


    With a smile on her face, Bai Fuling sent Yang Heng and the other two off. She called Xiao Lihua and held her in her arms to shower her with praise. Only then did Bai Fuling go to the bamboo house to change her clothes and go to the main manor to eat.


    When she arrived at the Bai couple¡¯s place, Yang Heng hadn¡¯t arrived yet, so he must have gone back to change his clothes and freshen up again. Bai Chou pulled his daughter and in a low voice asked, ¡°Did His Sixth Royal Highness make things difficult for you?¡± The couple had been on high alert ever since they heard that the Sixth Highness had asked Bai Fuling to accompany him to Baili Mountain. The scene of Bai Fuling and Yang Heng together today had been reported to them in detail, but he still had to ask his daughter personally to be at ease.


    Bai Fuling shook her head, she complacently smiled and said, ¡°Xiao Lihua is so clever, she helps me vent!¡±


    Seeing that she really didn¡¯t look like she got bullied, they didn¡¯t ask any further questions. The family of three only spoke a few words and Yang Heng had arrived. He had changed into a gorgeous peacock-blue ornate shenyi, with a silver sash around his waist. He uprightly entered the hall with such presence and demeanor that even the ugly Bai couple couldn¡¯t help being a little stunned when they saw him. Wearing such a garish color coupled with a dignified and imposing manner, it could only truly be done by someone with a strong airs.


    ****TLN: shenyi is a iconic Han rope; it¡¯s a long robe which is created when the ¡°upper half is connected to the bottom half to cover the body fully¡±, english translation would be deep garment because it means ¡°wrapping the body deep within the clothes¡±


    Lie Dang¡¯s demeanor is also extraordinary, and he is also a handsome uncle, but following Yang Heng, his sense of presence is suddenly reduced a lot.


    Bai Fuling also felt her heart beat race, and secretly scolded ¡°Peacock Man¡±, then got up and saluted with her parents.


    Yang Heng smiled and supported Bai Chou up, warmly said ¡°Bengong is not an imperial envoy currently. The virtuous couple need not be polite.¡± His imperial envoy insignia and confidants were still on the way. It¡¯s reasonable to say that he¡¯s still currently a prince.


    You¡¯re not an imperial envoy but you¡¯re still a ¡°bengong¡±. Why are you pretending to be amiable and approachable ah¡­.Bai Fuling on one hand silently criticized him while helping her mother to her seat and then sat at the end.


    Many kinds of dishes were soon served and they were full of delicious mountain delicacies produced by Baili Mountain. There were two maids that stood beside each of them, pouring wine and announcing dishes, delivering towels and handkerchiefs, etc. which were all standard etiquettes of aristocratic families in the capital. Yang Heng secretly felt something strange. He didn¡¯t know the origin of the Bai family, not only was the host full of courtesy and elegant  demeanor, even the behavior of the good-looking and well-mannered maids were all in line.


    Bai Fuling usually eats with her parents and doesn¡¯t have many rules. Under the hint of the two maids, naturally there would be no errors with her manners. Only that it¡¯s uncomfortable while having the meal. Yang Heng casted an ambiguous look at her from time to time, which made her heart accelerated and lost her appetite. She only hoped to quickly finish the meal and be disbanded.


    The ugly Bai couple were watching Yang Heng¡¯s demeanor throughout the meal. His attention toward their daughter, whether it¡¯s intentional or not, couldn¡¯t escape their eyes. It was not because of their arrogance, it¡¯s because their daughter was born too beautiful. If they did not keep an eye on her, they were afraid that some random brat would steal her away. Now, Yang Heng¡¯s attitude toward their daughter is clearly ambiguous. Both husband and wife have felt that His Sixth Royal Highness is not a good son-in-law candidate and his expression didn¡¯t match his thoughts. They already began to plan in their mind how to isolate this dangerous element as soon as possible outside the scope of their daughter¡¯s activities, preferably hundred zhang away.


    The etiquette of a noble family was to eat and sleep without saying a word. There was no conversation at the dinner table, only the occasional clatter of the tableware. The four people present, plus Lie Dang, were silent, but there was an indistinct undercurrent surging.


    With great difficulty, the meal was finished under this strange atmosphere, everyone left the table and took their respective seats. Bai Chou offered to take Yang Heng on a tour of Baili Mountain. Yang Heng and his servant understood that the other party did not want Bai Fuling to accompany them again, so he smiled and said that his injury required recuperation as a reason to politely decline Bai Chou ¡°good intention¡±.


    Accompanying a beauty even if occasionally getting a few supercilious looks and being bitten by a kitten was interesting. But accompanied by a grotesque uncle to tour the mountain, then it needs to be excused. Yesterday, he took advantage of the absence of the Bai family and ordered Bai Fuling to accompany him. He had already slightly overstepped the etiquette. With his noble status, once he had said something, others wouldn¡¯t refuse, this kind of thing couldn¡¯t be done again.


    The interaction of males and females of this dynasty is not as strict as the previous one. Decades later after establishing the country, the atmosphere of the common folks gradually became unconstrained and open-minded. They could bring their attendants along, even traveling together with an opposite gender wouldn¡¯t suffer too much criticism. But Bai Fuling, after all, is the beloved daughter of the host. If he repeatedly invited the other to accompany him, once it got out, it wouldn¡¯t do their reputation any good.


    Yang Heng took advantage of the opportunity to make an appointment for Bai Chou to have tea in the evening, and left with Liedang first. When he walked to the door of the hall, he suddenly felt blessed and his mind took a sharp turn. When he turned around, he saw Bai Fuling¡¯s grimace that had no time to change. He was amused and deliberately made a serious solemn expression at her. Seeing that she was stunned for a moment, he turned around with a smile and left.


    This little beauty¡¯s temperament can be summed up in two sentences¡ª¡ªTo impose upon those who are kind and fear those who are severe.    And to use one¡¯s powerful connection and position to bully others.


    He could see that she had limited affection for him, but she still had to be patient to entertain him. In the end, it was just because of his status as a prince. She knew that she couldn¡¯t afford to offend him, so she tried her best to suppress it. For other people whose status is inferior to hers and unpleasant to her eyes, she would have already sent her group of servants to beat them.


    He had seen her glorious deeds when she bought a wife in the middle of the street in Beiguan a few days ago and instructed her subordinates to beat up Scholar Li, and how she made the barbarians of the Nu tribe crippled with a few blows. He knows how fierce and ruthless her way of handling things is.


    What an interesting and amusing lass!


    The more ¡°interesting¡± things have yet to come¡­¡­He and Lie Dang returned to the villa by Heling Lake just in time to receive a letter from his subordinate. It¡¯s mainly to inform the current whereabouts of his imperial envoy insignia and entourage, including some secret information, especially the urgent news coming from the capital. The two took a walk to digest and then went all the way to the lake forest to decipher the letter and discuss countermeasures.


    The person responsible for assassinating Yang Heng has not been confirmed yet, but several serious incidents had occurred in the capital. After a long discussion, the two men came to a conclusion and were about to go back to rest at the courtyard. Suddenly they heard a sound of footsteps approaching from afar.