Feeling guilty, Zhao Quan tried to play the role of a chivalrous protector: “Xingzhou, didn’t you have her background investigated long ago? She’s just a respectable woman who learned some martial arts from her mother. She’s still delicate and fragile, all show and no substance. When she was on her way to marry in the capital, she was kidnapped by bandits and became that rebel’s wife. It’s quite pitiful… Now her meridians are unstable, showing signs of amnesia and blood deficiency. She has no recollection of her past… After capturing the rebel, how do you plan to deal with her?”
Cui Xingzhou seemed unwilling to dwell on this topic. He simply stood up and said indifferently, “She’s the daughter of a criminal and the wife of a rebel. Why should Brother Zhao worry about her?”
With that, he took his leave.
Zhao Quan watched the Prince of Huaiyang’s retreating figure with a sigh, lamenting once more: What a pity for such a beautiful woman to have such ill fortune. First kidnapped by bandits and losing her virtue, then falling into the hands of the unsentimental and ruthless Prince of Huaiyang, who knows nothing of cherishing delicate flowers…
He sighed heavily, feeling partly responsible for the lady’s misfortune.
He hoped that after Cui Xingzhou suppressed the bandits, his mood might improve, allowing him to show mercy. At that time, Zhao Quan resolved to ask for Liu Miantang to be given to him as a concubine, ensuring her a comfortable life.
With this thought, Zhao Quan felt somewhat relieved and began to drink alone. Unlike Cui Xingzhou, who was a pillar of the court, Zhao Quan, as an idle marquis, had devoted his life to studying medicine and enjoying fine wine.
Now, with the crescent moon high in the sky and the vast river before him, he had good wine in hand but lacked the company of a beautiful woman – truly one of life’s regrets!
Meanwhile, as the Prince of Huaiyang reached the docks and was about to board his ship, he suddenly paused. After staring at the water for a moment, he instructed his servant, “Prepare a carriage to return to Lingquan Town.”
When the carriage arrived back in Lingquan Town, it was already past the first watch of the night. The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. Lanterns were hung in front of the tiled-roof house on North Street.
When Cui Xingzhou’s servant Mo Ru knocked on the door, it startled Li Mama who opened it.
She certainly hadn’t expected the master to return.
Before she could speak, Miantang’s voice came from the inner courtyard: “Li Mama, is that my husband returning?”
The small house couldn’t hide sounds from the front door. Li Mama glanced at the prince’s expression and could only reluctantly reply, “Yes, the master has returned!”
At that moment, there was a rustling sound from the inner courtyard, and Miantang’s slightly flustered voice called out, “Husband, please wait a moment. The room is in disarray. Let me tidy up…”
But before Miantang could finish, Cui Xingzhou had already lifted the curtain and entered.
Miantang was soaking her feet in a wooden basin, her hair loosened, wearing a loose sleeping robe, looking somewhat disheveled.
She had just heard the sound at the gate and was about to quickly dry her feet and make herself presentable to greet her husband. She didn’t expect him to enter so swiftly with his long strides.
Before entering the room, Cui Xingzhou had planned to interrogate this woman thoroughly.
Since she remembered the skill of striking pressure points, could she have regained some of her memory?
If Liu Miantang had indeed recovered her memory, she would either try to escape or attempt to harm him while staying by his side.
Either way would work for him. If she tried to escape, he could track her movements and have someone follow her discreetly.
If she intended to assassinate him, he would give her ample opportunity to expose herself. Then, they could dispense with the charade, and he could extract information about the rebels from her through interrogation…
Cui Xingzhou had always been a decisive person. He already had a plan for how to interrogate this woman.
But his cold gaze faltered upon entering the inner chamber.
Before him was a vision of beauty, dressed only in a plain white loose robe, her thick black hair cascading down. Her face seemed smaller framed by her hair, and her long legs, half-exposed in the wooden basin, were so fair they captivated the eye…
Miantang didn’t bother to dry herself now. She quickly slipped on her shoes, gathered her long hair, and came forward to greet him, bowing as she said, “I didn’t know you’d be returning tonight, husband. I haven’t asked Li Mama to prepare a meal. Have you eaten anything outside?”
Her greeting posture was proper, but it was evident that her legs lacked strength, making her movements somewhat awkward.
After all, since waking up, her limbs had been useless. She couldn’t move as nimbly as before. It was hard to imagine how she had managed to subdue three grown men earlier that day…
After her greeting, her husband remained silent for a long time. Feeling guilty about the trouble she had caused during the day, Miantang cautiously looked up to gauge his expression.
Cui Xingzhou observed her attempt to conceal her actions. He removed his cloak, took a nearby chair, and sat down, asking calmly, “Did you enjoy your outing today?”
Miantang felt that if one dares to act, one should dare to face the consequences. Moreover, although she had acted decisively in the alley, she had left trouble for her husband. Upon reflection, she realized it was indeed her fault.
So, after serving her husband a cup of tea, she honestly recounted the day’s events.
Of course, she omitted the part where she had cruelly forced people to eat excrement, to avoid her husband thinking she was a vicious woman.
After Miantang finished speaking, Cui Xingzhou’s brow remained unmoved. He lowered his gaze, blowing at the tea leaves floating in his cup. His handsome face was as calm as still water, showing no ripples of emotion, quite inscrutable.
Seeing that her husband wasn’t angry, Liu Miantang felt somewhat relieved, thinking that the trouble she had caused might not be too serious.
She then moved with small steps to the desk, retrieving a petition she had painstakingly written after waking up in the afternoon, and presented it to her husband.
If that young man knew he was in the wrong and swallowed his pride, there would be no issue. But if he relied on his uncle’s power to cause more trouble, they would need her husband to file a complaint with the prefecture to prevent the garrison commander from accusing them first.
Cui Xingzhou hadn’t expected this fallen lady to have the leisure to write a petition after such an eventful day. He finally raised an eyebrow slightly and reached out with his long fingers to take the document.
To be frank, the handwriting was… quite ugly. It was hard to tell what this young lady had excelled in while waiting to be married, as she seemed unskilled in both needlework and calligraphy.
However, upon closer inspection, although the characters looked like writhing earthworms, the language was sharp. Each sentence pinpointed the weaknesses of the town’s garrison commander, from tolerating his relatives harassing women on the streets to affecting the Prince of Huaiyang’s authority. Every word expressed concern for the country and its people.
While her husband was reading, Liu Miantang brought over pen, paper, and inkstone, spreading out the letter paper before saying, “My handwriting is ugly and not presentable. Please, husband, take the trouble to rewrite and polish it for me, so we can submit it to the prefecture.”
Cui Xingzhou shifted his gaze from the letter to the writing materials laid out before him. He thought that although this woman had lost her memory, she still carried some of her man’s bandit spirit.
He wondered how Lu Wen, that rebel, could have been so blinded by lust and indulged this woman to the point where she acted so presumptuously and lawlessly.
With this in mind, he gently put down the letter and said, “Didn’t you injure the garrison commander’s nephew? If we were to discuss this in detail, you might end up having to pay for that young master’s medical expenses…”
Upon hearing that money might be involved, Miantang finally frowned slightly and said softly, “Although I’ve heard that the Prince of Huaiyang is upright and loves the people, it’s indeed disadvantageous for a commoner to sue an official. We don’t have much money left. If that scoundrel extorts our savings, it would be terrible… Husband, I was wrong. Please punish me…”
At this point, Miantang truly looked distressed, her eyes reddening slightly. Like a child who had done wrong, she looked timidly at Cui Xingzhou.
However, the Prince of Huaiyang hadn’t rushed back at night to play house with her. He focused on the key points and asked gently, “Your skill in subduing that young master was impressive. Who taught you that?”
Those who didn’t know Cui Xingzhou well would think him a mild-mannered and reticent person, never showing his emotions, whether joy or anger – the epitome of a gentleman.
Since returning home, Liu Miantang had been worried about the trouble she had impulsively caused. But seeing that her husband Cui Jiu showed no signs of disgust or loud reproach, she once again secretly rejoiced that she had married such a gentle and refined man.
Now, hearing his question, Miantang answered honestly, “Doctor Zhao left me a book on massaging acupoints. The points are marked in it. Today was just luck that I hit the right spot on the first try, without compromising my virtue…”
She was telling the truth. When she first woke up, she could only lie in bed all day. Wanting to chat with someone to pass the time, she found that due to the Cui family’s misfortunes, there were fewer servants around, sometimes not even able to call someone for a drink of water.
Fortunately, Doctor Zhao was a kind person. Seeing her boredom, he brought her some books for entertainment and gave her a medical text on self-massage to improve blood circulation.
To prove she wasn’t lying, she retrieved the books Doctor Zhao had given her from her bedside to show her husband. She had even had Li Mama wrap them in cloth to protect them, as she treasured them greatly.
Her answer greatly surprised Cui Xingzhou. As he flipped through the book, he indeed saw his friend Zhao Quan’s annotations. Several lethal points on the neck were even marked with cinnabar.
Liu Miantang moved closer to her husband, her slender finger pointing at the small characters, saying, “I asked Doctor Zhao to mark these for me. At first, it was just to pass the time out of boredom. I didn’t expect to use it today. The ancients were right when they said ‘opening a book is always beneficial’!”
Having just finished washing up, she carried a fresh scent of soap. As she leaned close, the faint fragrance stirred inexplicable anger in Cui Xingzhou.
How could this be called a medical text? With Zhao Quan’s detailed annotations, it was a manual for killing! Even a weak woman could follow these instructions to kill with a hairpin!
Although he knew Zhao Quan to be thoughtless, Cui Xingzhou still felt an urge to throw his foolish friend into prison and thoroughly interrogate him with hot pincers and branding irons, to see if it might knock some sense into him.
With this thought, he couldn’t help but coldly glance at Liu Miantang, who was helping him turn the pages.
In the flickering candlelight, Miantang’s face, framed by her black hair, seemed to glow enticingly. Her almond eyes looked at him with a smile, appearing utterly charming. No wonder Zhao Quan had lost his senses, blinded by her beauty.
But Liu Miantang, unaware of Cui Jiu’s internal cursing, asked again eagerly, “Are you hungry, husband? Should I ask Li Mama to cook you a bowl of noodles?”