The fishbone in his throat was gone, but speaking would produce a nauseating onion stench. Wang Daxia took a sip of wine, hoping to fight poison with poison to get rid of the taste, but the Huadiao wine seemed to give the onion stench a soul, making it even more intense.

Wang Daxia felt somewhat embarrassed. Wei Caiwei took the tea leaves out of the teapot and had him hold them in his mouth.

With tea leaves in his mouth, Wang Daxia, who was usually the most talkative, rarely maintained his silence.

After Ding Wu and Lu Ying finished their secret discussion, Wang Daxia rowed the boat to shore. It was almost curfew time, but given their status, curfew was just empty words to them – they just needed to show their waist badges. Wang Daxia could rely on his face alone, as his father was still the Commander of the North City Military Commission.

Wang Daxia rowed the boat close to the dock. At the same time, another pleasure boat was also heading toward the dock. Both boats arrived almost simultaneously. Wang Daxia jumped off first and tied the rope to a stone pillar. Someone also disembarked from the other boat.

This person was dressed as a foreigner, with all the stray hair at his temples shaved clean. His long hair was braided into small plaits like centipedes, gathered at the back of his head and tied into a ponytail with a red silk ribbon.

This person was tall and sturdy, with a round face and round eyes, a slightly flat nose bridge, and wore a finger-thick gold collar around his neck that gleamed in the dark night, clearly indicating wealth.

The man tied up his boat, stepped with one foot on shore and one foot on the boat, extending his hand to help the woman disembarking. “Be careful.”

The woman extended a hand carved like white jade, placing it on the man’s wrist.

What a beautiful hand, it looked somewhat familiar. Wang Daxia couldn’t help but follow the hand upward to look at the woman’s face. Oh, it really was an acquaintance.

Seeing Wang Daxia’s unrestrained gaze, the man glared fiercely and made a threatening gesture. “What are you looking at?”

The beauty quickly stopped him. “Duos, this is the friend I told you about, the one who generously lent money to help me redeem myself.”

It was indeed the former courtesan Jin Ying. She was still dressed simply, in blue clothes and a head wrap.

Upon hearing this, Duos immediately lowered his fist and cupped his hands toward Wang Daxia in Han etiquette. “Thank you, Young Master Wang.”

This was Wang Daxia’s first time meeting this man. “Miss Jin Ying, this gentleman is…”

Jin Ying said, “This is my cousin, his name is Duos.”

Duos said, “I’m her cousin, and also her fiancé.”

Duos might as well have written a note saying “She is my fiancée” and pasted it on Jin Ying’s forehead.

Faced with Duos’s obvious wariness, Wang Daxia returned the courtesy. “So it’s Brother Duos.” He thought to himself: I’ve never heard Jin Ying mention having a cousin, and being engaged, and to a foreigner no less!

However, since her cousin was so wealthy, wearing such a thick collar, why did he let his cousin fall into the world of courtesans?

Wang Daxia was full of doubts.

Jin Ying explained, “I encountered villains who kidnapped and sold me through various hands to the brothels of the capital, losing all contact since then. Thanks to Young Master Wang’s help, I regained my freedom and sent word to my cousin, finally making contact.”

So Jin Ying wasn’t from the Central Plains.

Looking more carefully, Jin Ying’s features showed characteristics of multiple ethnicities – black hair and snow-white skin, a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes. Besides foreign blood, she should also have Central Plains ancestry.

It seemed Jin Ying was a young lady from a wealthy foreign family who was targeted by villains and trafficked thousands of miles to the capital.

Wang Daxia was genuinely happy for Jin Ying. “Your suffering has ended sweetly, finally reunited with family. Congratulations!”

Jin Ying appeared quite calm. “My luck was bad – I was kidnapped by villains. My luck was also good – I met Young Master Wang who helped redeem me.”

Duos said, “The two thousand taels of silver you lent my fiancée, tomorrow I will repay with principal and interest, visiting your home personally.”

Wang Daxia hadn’t expected the money to be returned so quickly and hurriedly said, “No need for interest, just the principal will do. Helping a friend, I wouldn’t worry about interest.”

It had only been borrowed for three months, not much interest anyway, no need to take it. If it were borrowed for over a year, I’d charge some interest.

Jin Ying glanced at the pleasure boat. “Young Master Wang is also dining with friends tonight?”

On the boat, since there were outsiders, Lu Ying and the others found it inconvenient to show themselves, wanting to wait until people dispersed before coming out. Now that Jin Ying was asking, if no one came out for a long time, it might arouse suspicion. Wei Caiwei thought that since Jin Ying had seen her before, she signaled to Lu Ying and Ding Wu to stay put, then sprinkled some Huadiao wine on herself and stepped out of the cabin reeking of alcohol.

“So it’s Miss Jin Ying.” Wei Caiwei pretended to be drunk, her steps somewhat unsteady, nearly falling into the lake before Wang Daxia caught her waist and steadied her.

Wang Daxia had once asked Jin Ying to help Wei Caiwei, who was still a suspect at the time, change her name and leave the capital, but Wei Caiwei had refused with the reasoning that “the upright need not fear a crooked shadow.”

Now seeing Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei’s somewhat intimate actions, drinking together on the pleasure boat at night, Jin Ying guessed their relationship was unusual, seemingly ambiguous.

But this no longer had anything to do with her.

Jin Ying bowed in greeting. “It’s late, curfew is about to begin. We need to hurry home. We’ll catch up tomorrow.”

Jin Ying and her fiancé disappeared into the night, and only then did Lu Ying and Ding Wu emerge from the pleasure boat.

Everyone knew about Wang Daxia’s rescue of the courtesan, all thinking he was foolish and deceived by a woman of the world. They hadn’t expected Wang Daxia to have such keen judgment – Miss Jin Ying had such a wealthy fiancé, clearly of significant background, definitely from a wealthy Western Regions family.

In her previous life, Wei Caiwei had never heard Wang Daxia speak of his youthful “romantic affairs.” This great beauty Jin Ying seemed not to exist at all.

In this life, because Ding Wu came from Tieling to the capital, we were able to hold discussions on the pleasure boat and happened to encounter Jin Ying and her fiancé. In this lifetime, because of me, many people and events had changed. The future was gradually becoming unpredictable.

However, Wei Caiwei thus understood why in her previous life, when Wang Daxia encountered great misfortune and castrated himself with a knife, Jin Ying hadn’t helped him.

Because Jin Ying had left the capital with her fiancé and returned to their homeland. Judging by their appearance, they should be from the Western Regions. With such great distance, naturally she wouldn’t know what Wang Daxia had encountered and couldn’t help.

Thinking of this, Wei Caiwei felt relieved. So in the previous life, Wang Daxia’s naive rescue of the courtesan wasn’t without result.

Jin Ying had returned the money to him, and he had inadvertently helped reunite a pair of separated cousins.

So his naive righteousness hadn’t been betrayed. How wonderful.

The three first bid farewell to Lu Ying, who lived in the Middle City, by the lake. Then Ding Wu and Caiwei parted with Wang Daxia at Sweet Water Lane, and the two returned home.

Ding Wu said, “Commander Lu is a woman going home alone at night. It would be good if we could escort her.”

Wei Caiwei laughed, “Setting aside who Commander Lu’s father is, Commander Lu herself could take on at least ten Brother Dings. You’re worried about her?”

That was true, though the blunt truth didn’t sound good. Ding Wu felt somewhat dejected. He had once tried hard to learn martial arts and medicine, but he had absolutely no talent in these areas. No matter how hard he tried, it was useless. He could only read books, but his exile status meant he couldn’t take the imperial examinations and could only be a minor clerk.

A scholar is useless in all practical matters. I hope this time I can do my utmost to help her root out the White Lotus sect’s nest.

The next day, Ding Wu went to Toutiao Alley, tore down the “Shop for Rent” red strip, and negotiated prices with the agent. According to Lu Ying’s observation that this shop had been empty for a long time without finding new tenants, he pressed hard on the price and finally made a deal at a bargain rate.

Ding Wu got the keys and busied himself with hiring carpenters to measure the building for cabinets and furniture, negotiating purchase prices with several major medicine shops and processed medicine shops in the capital, and using the excuse that the warehouse was too small, began digging a basement.

The shop underwent major renovations with great fanfare. Ding Wu also brought gifts to visit the neighboring Wanhuo Trading Company owner. “We’ve been somewhat noisy recently, working day and night. Please bear with us, neighbor.”

Next door basically changed owners once a year, sometimes twice, none lasting long. The owner was used to it, thinking here comes another sucker, accepted the gift, exchanged pleasantries, and served tea to see him off.

As soon as Ding Wu left, the owner immediately changed from his amiable money-making face to a suspicious expression, instructing his trusted aide, “Go investigate this person’s background and see what he’s about.”

After several inquiries, Ding Wu’s background was laid out before the owner.

He was actually the son of former War Minister Ding Rukui, a fallen noble’s son and an exile, originally banished to Tieling.

But Ding Wu had a widowed sworn sister. This young widow was remarkable – originally a traveling physician, she had attracted the private son of Jinyiwei Commander Lu Bing, Commander Lu, with her beauty.

This young widow tirelessly whispered sweet nothings, and Commander Lu, blinded by lust, actually summoned the exiled Ding Wu from Tieling to the capital!

Commander Lu was completely bewitched by the young widow. During the Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat races on the moat, the young widow suddenly fainted, whether from heatstroke or pregnancy.

Commander Lu, disregarding propriety, picked up his lover in full view of everyone and carried her into the military tent!

Not only that, Commander Lu bought up all the ice bowls from vendors at the scene, transporting expensive ice blocks into the military tent like they cost nothing – truly spending lavishly.

It was said that the Jinyiwei won first place in the dragon boat race as usual that day, but when Lu Bing received congratulations from other garrison commanders, his smile was quite forced.

Later, the young widow who should have been living in Sweet Water Lane didn’t appear for nearly a month, with the main gate tightly locked. It was said she had miscarried on Dragon Boat Festival day and was being kept by Commander Lu, recuperating in a secluded place.

Over a month later, the young widow and sworn brother Ding Wu returned to Sweet Water Lane, and Commander Lu never appeared again. It seemed the two had severed relations.

Another month later, people from the palace’s Ceremonial Directorate brought good news to the young widow, saying she had passed the examination for palace physician and should await imperial summons.

It was rumored that it was Commander Lu’s father, Lu Bing, who recommended the young widow to take the palace physician examination.

People generally speculated: the young widow and Commander Lu’s separation was Lu Bing breaking up the lovebirds. Lu Bing proposed recommending the young widow for the palace physician examination, but the condition was that she must sever all ties with Commander Lu.

Obviously, the young widow chose her future over her lover. Because given her status, she could never marry into the Lu family – not even as a concubine. The young widow realistically chose her career.

So Commander Lu never came to Sweet Water Lane to find the young widow again.

The subordinate’s eyes lit up with excitement as he recounted the new neighbor’s romantic affairs with relish: “…This young widow really has some means. She just kicked Commander Lu aside and is now hot and heavy with Wang Yanei, one of the Four Scourges of North City!”

“I heard this Wang Yanei goes to find the young widow almost every night. They say it’s just for dinner – who believes that? What he’s eating is clearly the beauty herself. This Ding Wu relies on his sworn sister’s connections, returned from exile to the capital, got money, and relying on the young widow being a palace physician and gynecology expert, brazenly opens a medicine shop to make more money. Oh, how shrewd and mercenary he was when bargaining with the agent! What high official’s son – he’s just a common merchant.”

Author’s Note:

Readers’ view of Wei Caiwei: Goddess of revenge, inspirational life, defending her virtue.

Gossipmongers in the book’s view of Wei Caiwei: A flirtatious pretty widow who slept her way to success.

Readers’ view of Wang Daxia: A slutty but cute little wolf dog.

Gossipmongers in the book’s view of Wang Daxia: A backup man.