Chapter 133
Chapter 133: At Worst, We Both Go Down
Xia Meng Yan already knew who the culprit was, but the Yamen was under the Zheng Family’s thumb. Even if they caught the real one, the Zheng Family could find a stand-in, and it would change nothing. She believed that, for now, knowing the truth was enough; whether she could take revenge would depend on her own strength.
Duan Yi Chen was so angry he wanted to sneak into the Zheng estate that very night and shave Zheng Ming Lan’s head.
Xia Meng Yan stopped him with a look as she said: “Don’t fool around. We can’t tear our face with the Zheng Family yet.”
Duan Yi Chen frowned as he asked: “You’re worried about the Salt License, right?”
Xia Meng Yan nodded and laid it out as she said: “The Zheng siblings tried to frame me, and I turned it around. Lord Zheng knows he is in the wrong. Toward the Lin Family, he will give a light warning, not a deadly blow. But if Zheng Ming Lan gets her head shaved, that will be another story.”
Duan Yi Chen puffed up as he said: “What’s there to fear? I can write to my imperial uncle and find a reason to deal with the Zheng Family.” Since childhood, he had gone in and out of the Imperial Palace like it was his own home; he saw Emperor Xuan Ming more often than many court officials did.
Xia Meng Yan did not have that kind of confidence. As she said: “Before I left the Capital, I helped Father become Chief Academician of the Hanlin Academy. That is already the highest the Xia Family can reach. Emperor Xuan Ming has not even taken away Father’s duty of serving before the throne. The Xia Family is already the target of jealousy in the Capital’s noble houses. If we stir up more trouble, there will be people waiting to kick us when we’re down.”
She had not chosen to let Zheng Ming Lan go out of kindness; the timing was simply wrong. If she struck now, the Zheng Family would know it was her. The Lin Family was still in Man Lin City, and she did not want to drag them in.
She ended the matter with a short order as she said: “Stay close to me. Without my order, you are not allowed to run off and cause trouble.”
Hearing that, Duan Yi Chen felt a burst of joy as he thought: [I knew it. Yan’er likes me. She just hasn’t realized it yet.]
Before they reached their courtyard, a maid rushed over, breathless, as she said: “Cousin Miss, my miss is gone.”
Xia Meng Yan’s heart sank as she asked: “Lin Qing Wan is missing? What happened? Wasn’t she resting inside?”
The maid stammered through it as she said: “She was resting. Then Miss Zheng came to make trouble, and my miss woke up. After they left, she learned Miss Zheng had moved against you and wanted to go reason with her, but she fainted again. When the maidservant went to get the temple physician, she came back and my miss was gone.”
Xia Meng Yan’s face changed at once; Lin Qing Wan had likely gone to find Zheng Ming Lan and been dragged into something as she asked: “How long has she been gone?”
The maid swallowed and said: “About a quarter of an hour.”
A quarter hour. That was almost right after Xia Meng Yan and Zheng Ming Lan had split up. Bad. Qing Wan was in danger.
Xia Meng Yan turned on her heel and gave a crisp command as she said: “Song Mo, send everyone out to find Qing Wan.”
Song Mo took the order and left with the whole team.
Duan Yi Chen’s brows knotted as he said: “Her vanishing now is too neat to be a chance. Your meaning is that Zheng Ming Lan doesn’t dare touch you, so she took Lin Qing Wan.”
Xia Meng Yan answered, gaze turning hard, as she said: “Very likely.” If it was like that, then she and Zheng Ming Lan would not rest until one of them fell. She cut off the thought and said: “Go find her.”
Chun Yue was anxious and wanted to urge her miss not to be rash, but when she remembered that Lin Qing Wan was the Lin Family’s legitimate daughter, she swallowed the words back down.
Inside the Zheng quarters, Zheng Jing Nian lay on the bed, drug wearing off, barely breathing. Brother and sister had just exchanged words; both faces were cold as ice. Xia Meng Yan ignored Zheng Jing Nian and asked Zheng Ming Lan in a flat voice: “Where is Lin Qing Wan?”
Zheng Ming Lan curled her lip in contempt as she said: “So Cousin Qing Wan is missing too. What a coincidence. Oh, maybe she went to meet some wild man.”
Xia Meng Yan’s hand moved in a blur. The slap sent Zheng Ming Lan reeling. Before she could react, Xia Meng Yan gripped her throat. A cold, cruel air poured off her, like a judge from the underworld, as she said: “Zheng Ming Lan, I don’t want to be enemies with the Zheng Family, but that doesn’t mean I don’t dare. If you push me, I won’t mind making the Zheng Family disappear.”
Zheng Ming Lan’s face reddened as the air thinned in her lungs. She beat at Xia Meng Yan’s arm to no use and choked out: “I… I didn’t.”
Seeing his sister hit, Zheng Jing Nian tried to rise, but Duan Yi Chen planted a kick that drove him back into the bed as he said: “Stay down. Move again and I’ll kill you.”
Xia Meng Yan did not know Zheng Ming Lan’s exact plan, but she knew that every extra minute in Zheng Ming Lan’s hands added danger for Lin Qing Wan. Her voice dropped colder as she said: “We are both smart. The tricks you use are leftovers I played with long ago. Don’t forget, Lord Zheng has more than just you two. If I kill you both today, do you think he will avenge you?”
Terror filled Zheng Ming Lan’s eyes. She had to admit Xia Meng Yan had hit her where it hurt. Her father was cold by nature. The favor given these years came only because they were legitimate-born. For their sakes, he would not offend the Capital’s high nobles.
She still tried to push back as she rasped: “I… I really don’t know, maybe it was you… cough, cough.”
Xia Meng Yan’s fingers tightened as she said: “In Man Lin City, I have only offended you. No one else dares go against the Lin Family. Zheng Ming Lan, if you don’t talk, I will cut off your fingers. Then, forget Man Lin City, in the whole Xuan Ming Empire no one will marry you.”
“You…” Zheng Ming Lan’s bravado collapsed.
Xia Meng Yan’s tone left no room as she said: “Are you talking or not.”
Zheng Ming Lan believed now that Xia Meng Yan would do it. Fear broke her last bit of nerve as she babbled: “I… I’ll talk. I threw her in the bamboo cottage on the back mountain. If you go now, you might still save her.”
At the word “save,” Xia Meng Yan spun and ran for the back mountain.
Duan Yi Chen knew she was frantic, so he cut in as he said: “I’ll go. You come right after. Don’t rush.” Xia Meng Yan nodded, and he sprang away toward the bamboo grove.
Lin Qing Wan opened her eyes to a greasy face staring from a few steps away, the man’s eyes full of lust. She forced her voice steady as she asked: “Who are you, and where am I?”
The man rubbed his hands, shifty and sly, as he said: “This is the back mountain of Cloud Mountain Temple. As long as I’m here, you’ll soon know who I am.”
He lunged as he said: “Little beauty, be good. It’ll be quick.”
Lin Qing Wan snapped through her tears as she said: “If you dare touch me, I am the Lin Family’s legitimate daughter. If you defile me, the Lin Family will never let you go.”
The man paused, then laughed wildly as he said: “Lucky me. Silver in my pocket and a noble daughter to bed. Even if I die after, it won’t be unfair.”
Rip.
Her dress tore. Her pale legs flashed into view. His calloused hand reached down, greedy, as he said: “As expected of a rich man’s daughter, your skin is— ah.”
He flew sideways under a kick.
Duan Yi Chen reached Lin Qing Wan in a blink and worked at her ropes as he said: “Don’t be afraid. Yan’er will be here any moment.”
The man clawed his way up, face crazed, as he shouted: “You ruined my fun. I’ll take your life.”
Duan Yi Chen’s smile went cold as he said: “A three-move fool dares act up in front of me.”
The man rushed. Duan Yi Chen slipped aside and kicked him in the waist. The man slammed face-first into the ground.
Free at last, Lin Qing Wan grabbed a stick after one hard glance around and hammered it down as she said: “You beast, you lecher, you dare bully your great-aunt, I’ll beat you to death.”
“Ah…” The man wailed.
Xia Meng Yan arrived in time to see Lin Qing Wan chasing the man and beating him. The knot in her heart finally loosened.
Duan Yi Chen came to her side with a small smile as he said: “Your sister is something else.”
Compared to the noble girls of the Capital who would either cry or run after being assaulted, there were very few like Lin Qing Wan who would strike back on the spot.
Xia Meng Yan did not stop her. She glanced at Chun Yue and gave a quick order as she said: “Go help Qing Wan.”
Chun Yue had been holding back her anger for a long time. At those words she grabbed a fallen branch and laid in as she said: “Beat you to death. You dared bully my miss, beat you to death.”