"Returning to Before Husband's Castration" 《回到老公自宫前》Chapter 15

 Seeing Wang Da Xia still wanted to cause trouble at the embroidered uniform guard office, Mu Baihu quickly advised: “There is no need to be impolite over such little damage to the house, the embroidered uniform guards are handling the case, don’t inconvenient them, this has nothing to do with you.”

If Wang Ya Nei listened to advice, he wouldn’t be a Ya Nei.

Wang Da Xia said: “How is this nothing to do with me? Last night the embroidered uniform guards chased me from Wanping to Daxing! If the Shuntian prefecture yamen didn’t prove my innocence, I would have already died under the embroidered uniform guard Chen Qianhu’s private punishment! Today they’ve torn my house apart, if I don’t seek compensation, won’t the embroidered uniform guards squat over my neck in the future and shit over me!”

Lu Ying said: “I didn’t know it was your house, also, can’t you speak more cleanly? Who wants to squat over your neck---”

Lu Ying clenched his fists and stopped speaking, he was after all the nephew of Commander Lu Bing of the embroidered uniform guards, he came from one of the most noble families in the capital, he couldn’t speak like a dandy, Lu Ying had a baseline unlike Wang Da Xia.

“I will say what I want!” Wang Da Xia opened his mouth, “La---wu!”

Mu Baihu promptly covered Wang Da Xia’s mouth, “If you don’t shut up, I will take you to your father.” 

Mu Baihu was too anxious: before that Chen Qianhu and your father were of equal position, both hereditary Qianhus, your dad can still come out and support you. Right now it’s Commander Lu Bing of the embroidered uniform guards! A member of the emperor’s inner circle, you dare to provoke his nephew, your dad won’t be able to save you!

Actually Wang Da Xia knew he couldn’t offend Lu Ying, but he was worried about the young widow suffering at the embroidered uniform guard office alone, so he acted deliberately. 

After all, that dead rat which caused problems was his fault.

Lu Ying saw more and more people were standing around watching, if the embroidered uniform guards and the northern city military started fighting again in public, it wouldn’t be good for anyone, in the end, this was their territory, so he waved his hand saying: “Officials always see the embroidered uniform guards like the King of Hell, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone offer to drink tea at the embroidered uniform guard office. Wang Ya Nei, please! If you don’t dare to go, you shouldn’t be called Wang Da Xia, change your name to Wang Wang Ba!”¹

Wang Da Xia couldn’t lose in a battle of words, “I’ll go! One I don’t kill people, two I don’t commit arson, three I don’t break down widows’ doors, four I don’t go doing searches, I have a clear conscience, what don’t I dare do.”

Wang Da Xia followed after Lu Ying.

The embroidered uniform guard office was far, it was on the Jiangmi lane of Daishiyongfang at the south of the city, they had to cross the capital from north to south, the early summer sun was vicious, Lu Ying switched to sitting in a carriage, and brought the suspect Wei Cai Wei into the carriage as well.

Wang Da Xia had been following on horseback, but seeing Lu Ying call the pretty young widow into the carriage, a man and woman alone, warning bells began to ring in his mind, urging the horse on, he shouted at the carriage window: “Hey, I also want to sit in the carriage, it’s too sunny outside.”

Lu Ying coldly said: “There isn’t a place for you in the carriage, if you don’t dare to go to the embroidered uniform guard office just say, there’s no need to find an excuse, if you want to go then go.”

Wang Da Xia followed closely, and extended his neck, like a tortoise he looked through the carriage window, “Men and women are different, Leader Lu what is your meaning by keeping a young widow alone by your side? It’ll harm the widow’s reputation.”

With such words, Wei Cai Wei’s heart warmed, forgiving Wang Da Xia’s previous words “if you want to beat a dog you need to check with its owner”.

Damn husband can still be saved.

Lu Ying has seen a lot of characters but has never seen someone like Wang Da Xia who doesn’t know his own limits, an annoying troublemaker dandy.

“Get lost!” Lu Ying pushed Wang Da Xia’s head back out of the window with a hand, “Being in the same carriage as me will affect her reputation? Then being in the same carriage as a dandy like you who sold your deceased mother’s dowry farm to help a prostitute redeem herself, wouldn’t that affect her reputation even more?”

The embroidered uniform guard office was far in the south of the capital, it seems the tale of Wang Da Xia helping a prostitute had travelled from north to south, it was “well-known” throughout the capital.

Wang Da Xia didn’t feel shameful, thinking he was honourable, “I saved Miss Ying Ying from untold miseries, I lent her two thousand silvers, our relationship is pure, you are the ones with dirty minds, seeing a man and woman you start thinking filthy thoughts, how is that my fault?”

Lu Ying felt he heard the funniest joke in the capital, “You and the number one prostitute of the Hongxiu brothel are innocent? You’re lying to ghosts.”

Wang Da Xia scoffed, “Believe it or not.”

Wei Cai Wei who was silent all this time suddenly opened her mouth saying: “I believe.”

Since the two of them had spent the night together yesterday with Wang Da Xia’s intense chastity behaviour, he really wasn’t a womaniser, he ought to only have been deceived by Miss Ying Ying, he naively squandered two thousand silvers on a bad investment.

Wang Da Xia supported: “Did you hear that? You don’t believe me but there will be people who do.”

Lu Ying glanced at Wei Cai Wei, “She is your tenant who relies on you, of course she’ll speak well of you.”

Wang Da Xia knocked on the carriage window, “I can not get in the carriage, but the window has to remain open, I need to keep an eye on you, don’t think of taking advantage of the young widow.”

Actually it was so hot, the window was already open, Lu Ying said: “You have bad intentions that’s why you think all the men in the world lust after women.”

Wang Da Xia wanted to say if Leader Lu wasn’t lust after women does he lust after men? But after thinking about this, the carriage had already left the northern city, they were no longer in the northern city military’s jurisdiction, no one would help him clear up his mess if anything happened, he couldn’t do as he wanted, he swallowed down the mocking words, changing his tune he said: 

“I also hope Leader Lu is a gentleman, you mustn’t fail to live up to my expectation!”

Lu Ying sat opposite Wei Cai Wei, Wei Cai Wei carefully observed this young embroidered uniform guard, he was far more than a gentleman, so much so he was a little old-fashioned.

On such a hot day he was still wearing a tight collared gown, the collar’s jade dragonfly button was fastened straightly, the originally stiff collar had been softened by sweat yet he still didn’t unfasten the button to cool down.

Gorgeous clothes without a single loose thread, sitting upright, both legs spread apart doing a horse stance, both hands placed over his knees, Lu Ying even wore boots which went over his lower leg! The black leather boots were spotless, he was someone who paid attention to detail.

Dressed like this, even Wei Cai Wei felt hot for him.

Fortunately he was sitting in the carriage, if he was outside on horseback he would have gotten heatstroke.

Wei Cai Wei reached her hand into her thin, tough silk bag, Lu Ying grabbed hold of her right hand, “What do you want to do?”

Wang Da Xia saw through the window, crying aloud: “Didn’t Leader Lu flaunt that he’s a gentleman? A gentleman would touch a young widow’s hand? Let go of the widow!”

Lu Ying raised Wei Cai Wei’s right hand, “She wanted to attack me.”

Wang Da Xia said: “She wants to use that medicinal pill to attack you?”

Lu Ying stared, it was indeed a green medicinal pill.

Wei Cai Wei said: “This is my homemade refreshing pill, the pill has been made with all kinds of ingredients which clears internal heat and honey, the outside has been rolled in crushed dried peppermint, if placed under the tongue, it’ll help with sweat and calm heat, I see Leader Lu’s brows are beaded with sweat so I took a pill out for lord to relieve heat.”

Surprisingly she had good intentions?

Lu Ying was so hot right now his clothes were soaked through, but thinking about that rat which was either kicked to death or poisoned to death, he didn’t dare take it, saying: “No need.”

“You don’t want it, I do!” Wang Da Xia reached his long arm through the window, snatching the refreshing pill, placing it in his mouth.

The moment the refreshing pill entered his mouth, it melted like a piece of ice, first the strong peppermint dispersed the mugginess, coming through his nose, even his throat felt cool like rainfall, then the sour and sweet plum taste dispersed, it was even more comforting than drinking sweet-sour plum soup.

“It’s so good!” Like a cow chewing on grass, Wang Da Xia finished it in a few mouthfuls, he then reached out his hand towards the window, “I want more.”

Wei Cai Wei took out an oil paper bag, strictly in a business manner, “One for twenty coins, one bag contains ten, in total two hundred coins.”

Wang Da Xia was a dandy, he didn’t find it expensive, giving Wei Cai Wei a tael of silver, “I want five bags.”

Lu Ying watched the two of them, at first he thought there was something going on between the landlord and tenant, but from this, the two of them seemed to simply have a money relationship.

Wang Dai Xia ate two at once, he was crying out in satisfaction, making Lu Ying in the carriage salivate and gave Wei Cai Wei one tael of silver, “I also want five bags.”

Lu Ying gave out four bags of refreshing pills to share amongst the embroidered uniform guards, seeing nothing happened to them, he then placed one in his mouth.

After this one pill he couldn’t stop, when they reached the embroidered uniform guard office, the entire bag had been finished.

The embroidered uniform guard’s coroner performed an “autopsy” on the dead rat, the conclusion was of course not poisoned, it was crushed to death.

Wei Cai Wei asked: “Leader Lu, can this woman leave?”

Wang Da Xia said: “Hurry up and let her go, she still needs to run her medicine business.”

Lu Ying nodded, “Go.”

Wei Cai Wei said: “This woman will take her leave.”

Seeing Wei Cai Wei’s figure disappear at the door, Wang Dai Xia lightly knocked on the table, “We ought to figure out our debt.”

Lu Ying wanted to get rid of this pest immediately, he said: “I’m very busy, I don’t have time to deal with such trivial matters, go find a workman to fix the house, fix wherever its broken then give me the receipt, however much will be compensated, it won’t cost you a single penny.”

Wang Da Xia was given an inch but wanted a mile, “Mere verbal statement cannot be taken as proof, Leader Lu hand over a part of the compensation first, what if I spend a lot of money on repairing the house then you end up not acknowledging the debt?”

Lu Ying threw down ten taels of silver like swatting away a fly, “Advance payment, hurry up and leave!”

Wang Da Xia was a money grubber, tucking the money inside his sleeve he left.

Lu Ying instructed his subordinates, “Send someone to watch Wei Cai Wei, see if she has an accomplice, she came to the capital and Chen father and son died, it can’t be that much of a coincidence, let her go for now, see if we can catch a bigger fish.”

Wei Cai Wei had just left the coroner's room, Wang Da Xia caught up after her, “Wait a minute!”

Wang Da Xia gave the entire ten taels of silver compensation to Wei Cai Wei, “The black gauze hat on your head, the thin, tough silk bag, the gynecology and miracle doctor flags, as well as your rotating tiger palm, give them to me, this ten silvers ought to cover it.”

“It’s enough.” Wei Cai Wei asked: “What do you want with these things?”

Wang Da Xia said: “Mu Baihu is still waiting outside the office, he wants to take me home and put me under house arrest, I want to pretend to be a wandering doctor to escape and lay low.”

At this moment Wei Cai Wei was no longer angry at her husband, she was rather worried, asking: “Where are you going?”

Wang Da Xia thought about it, “The plan for now, I can only seek shelter from Miss Ying Ying.”

“I won’t sell!” Wei Cai Wei exploded in anger.

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1 Turtoise.^↩