Chapter 194.2: Coincidence

Li Hong Yuan simply ate a little, putting down the chopsticks, “Take it down and divide it amongst yourselves.”

“Thanking master for the bestowment.” An Yi replied, going out momentarily and bringing the other brothers in together, swiftly having everything on the table taken care of cleanly. For the people below, this wasn’t their master’s leftovers, but rather a magnanimous bestowment. Without their master issuing the word, after clearing the table, the people in the back kitchen can only secretly drool. After all, the things brought before Li Hong Yuan, even if just a small cabbage, that is still something that’s meticulously grown, not the same as the ordinary. And further don’t need to mention the rest, all the materials used were all of the highest quality. Some dishes, there was just that one, and even if they work in the back kitchen their entire life, they still wouldn’t be able to make enough money for the ingredients, so how could they not covet.

And on Eunuch Mu’s side, the results from the interrogation already came out. It was just a coincidence.

That gardener had the ‘heart of a bear and guts of a leopard’, having long fallen for Qing Shi. However, he knew that she was master’s person, thus could only bitterly repress his emotions. But who knew that yesterday, he would actually inadvertently overhear Qing Ge talking to a certain guard in the gardens. The general idea was blurry, but the inherent meaning he understood. Afterwards, he just excitedly ran out to look for Qing Shi. But master’s courtyard, he didn’t dare intrude, thus could only anxiously wait outside. Even if he’d already confirmed that Qing Shi was in the main building, he was still fretful and uneasy the whole time, waiting all the way until night before finally seeing Qing Shi come out. Because he’d waited for too long, from the start worrying about whether or not Qing Shi will reject him, to then worrying about whether she already had someone else in her heart or not, thus when seeing the person, his mind completely blanked, directly going forward.

That’s why, the gardener from the start just never considered the question of whether or not Qing Shi was still a virgin. Even if she wasn’t, he won’t mind either.

Qing Shi actually carried a bit of ‘smashing an already broken jar’ mindset, pretty much thinking of whoever she encounters was whoever it’ll be, else she wouldn’t have procrastinated until nighttime either. The gardener’s appearance was outside of her expectations, and at the time, she was thinking, having someone take the initiative also avoided the awkwardness of her asking. Afterwards, things just fuzzily happened just like that. Qing Shi finally realized certain problems in hindsight, but now, it was also too late to regret, thus just thought of finding a chance to explain to master, just Li Hong Yuan asked first.

Eunuch Mu used all of the somewhat extreme measures, and then combined a few people’s testimonies, but he was unable to find any holes.

Even so, that ‘newly made’ lover of Qing Ge’s unexpectedly didn’t notice someone listening in on Qing Ge’s conversation with him. Regardless whether it was because he’d heard something overly shocking, or because his attention was all on Qing Ge, he’d failed in his duties and needed to face punishment. And Qing Ge was thus treated as guilty by association. As for Qing Shi, due to oversight, just ‘running with’ the person before fully understanding the circumstances, that was just an even more unforgivable offense. Thus, these two pairs of ‘mandarin ducks’, not a single one was let off. The most miserable was the gardener. He’d just been tortured by Eunuch Mu, and had already lost half his life, directly collapsing before Li Hong Yuan, unable to get up. Even so, he still heavily knocked his head against the ground, begging Li Hong Yuan to not punish Qing Shi, the punishment for two, he was willing to bear alone.

Li Hong Yuan was infatuated with Jing Wan, but this didn’t mean that seeing other infatuated people, he will produce compassion. How others were, it was never within the scope of his consideration. He didn’t give an extra glance, directly getting up. Eunuch Mu was just about to follow after, when Li Hong Yuan suddenly stopped and turned around, “Twenty beatings.”

Eunuch Mu inwardly shivered. He felt he was very wronged, yet didn’t dare beg for forgiveness. “Yes.”

For Li Hong Yuan, it was completely because he was already used to Eunuch Mu. If switched with someone else, one that didn’t understand his temper, it would only be even more troublesome.

When Li Hong Yuan walked far, Eunuch Mu’s expression was somewhat gloomy, lifting his foot and kicking it towards the gardener. However, at halfway, he just got blocked by Qing Shi. That’s right, Shi, Ci, Ge, Fu, the four servant girls, all weren’t delicate. They all have a foundation in martial arts to a certain extent.

(T/N: The four servant girls names Qing + 诗(shi)词(ci)歌(ge)赋(fu) comes from the four forms traditional literary writing, and they’re named after Jing Wan’s servant girls.)

Li Hong Yuan didn’t need that kind of delicate and weak servant girl. When needed, he can have women treated as men, and have men treated as horses[1]. He won’t because of age, or because the other party was a woman, just give birth to tender feelings inside. For him to have tender feelings towards, it was forever just that one.

Eunuch Mu getting blocked, his complexion darkened even more, yet he also just glared at Qing Shi, having no other means.

He was Li Hong Yuan’s personal attendant, and was the Jin Qinwang Manor’s head steward. These were all true. But, for the people by Li Hong Yuan’s side, the phenomenon of flattering the high and stepping on the low was the lightest, because wanting to give others ‘eye ointment’[2] in front of him was impossible. As such, the master wasn’t biased. Even if your inherent power was big, it was still useless. If internal strife happens, Li Hong Yuan is able to have it all cooked in one pot[3]. The ones that Eunuch Mu was able to step on as he pleased were also just those that can’t appear before Li Hong Yuan. Thus, Eunuch Mu could only storm off in a huff.

When it was just the two of them left, Qing Shi finally had the person helped up. She was feeling quite complicated inside. Originally, in this lifetime, she didn’t count on finding a good husband, yet such an infatuated person suddenly appeared. “Taking the punishment for two people, your little life will all be gone. You want me to find another one after you die?”

The gardener blanked, “Then, then I’ll just help you shoulder a portion? Just enough that I won’t die. In the future, in the future, just let me take care of everything, Qing Shi, alright?”

Qing Shi stared at his face that can only be considered delicate and pretty, that serious expression that carried a bit of nervousness. She suddenly laughed with a ‘pfft’.

Li Hong Yuan went to the Luo family’s place, not hiding from anyone, very much calm, and completely didn’t worry whether someone will suspect him of trying to rope in the Head Minister of Appointments Luo Pei Shan. Then again, Luo Pei Shan was very much developing in lone official direction. Asking you, if one wants to support someone up, was it possible with just a Head Minister of Appointments?

Li Hong Yuan entered the Luo family gates, even more leisure and carefree than entering his own home. Those who don’t know would even think this was his home.

Luo Pei Shan felt he was very unpleasant to the eyes, and Jing Wan was also a bit speechless inside. Wangye, you just came last night, so you completely don’t need to come this diligently.

Li Hong Yuan in the end still left Luo Pei Shan some face, and didn’t completely ignore him, having his attention focused on Jing Wan, and moreover, had the conversation placed on those tea leaves, expressing that he wanted to have a look.

Luo Pei Shan’s expression finally improved a little. Afterwards, carrying a bit of intention to show off, he brought some out, just a shallow box that was less than half a palm size. The tea inside appeared pitifully little, “Just this bit?”

“Of course not.” Luo Pei Shan impatiently responded.

[1] The term 牲口 refers to domesticated animals used for physical labor, for example bulls used to plow the fields, and so on.

[2] This phrase is a very northern chinese saying, meaning making things difficult for someone; the same as the idiom ‘giving someone little shoes to wear’.

[3] Meaning towards everything and everyone involved, all handled in the same manner