The Possession of My Beloved - CH 4

Liu Miantang glared sideways and saw that he was a dissolute young man with a green shirt and a slanted headscarf. He looked like a local rich rascal, followed by two smiling servants.

When Liu Miantang glared at him, the prodigals’ have excited chills that run through him. The servant on the side was used to helping his master to flirt. He said with a smile: “How do I address you, young lady? Our young master is the nephew of the Lingquan town garrison. If you get familiar with our young master, you will benefit a lot in the future!”

Liu Miantang didn’t say anything, but Servant Li seemed to be frightened and followed behind her without saying a word. Those flirtatious men were pestering tightly. Looking at the situation, if Liu Miantang refuses to get on the sedan chair. They wouldn’t let anyone go.

Liu Miantang didn’t feel flustered. Her appearance has been so attractive since childhood. She is used to such a scoundrel.

In the past, when she was home before her marriage, Miantang used to sneak out with her servant girl to play occasionally. When she encountered lascivious men, she would grab their collars, pull them into the back alley and give them a beating so good that even their parents would not recognize them.

But now, after a serious illness, she has no strength in her hands and feet, and could no longer pull those moves.

But if she continues to allow this lascivious man to harass her, it would be against her way of life… So she stretched out her hand to tidy her hair, bit her lips slightly, and without a word, she turned and walked into the back alley.

The garrison nephew was delighted at the sight. He knew that it was a dead end. A beautiful woman entered the alley, even if they have the intention to leave after that, it will be up to him to decide if they can walk out of it.

With this in his mind, he turned back and winked at the boys. The boys understood and immediately asked the sedan bearer to come and guard the entrance of the alley. Then the two attendants followed the master into the alley.

The young lady looks tough. If she refuses to obey later, they will have to help the master to hold her hands and legs to stop her from running. There are a bunch of benefits…

The prodigal was so happy that his eyes shone. As soon as he entered the alley, he couldn’t wait to hold the beauty from behind. But Liu Miantang turned around suddenly, and with a silver flash in her hand, a sharp object suddenly pierced his neck.

When they saw it clearly, they found that it was the silver hairpin on the beauty’s head.

Liu Miantang used all her strength just now. Fortunately, the fellow was so obsessed that he couldn’t take precautions. Letting her accurately hit the target with one blow.

The two attendants immediately rushed at him, but the young lady who looked weak said coldly: “I have plunged into the deadly acupoint on his neck. If you dare to take another step forward, I will kill him immediately. Let’s see how you guys will hold an account when you return!”

It’s true! Their young master was just stabbed by a small silver hairpin, but he was already kneeling on the ground in pain, his mouth and eyes were skewed, his mouth spat out long saliva, and rolled his eyes. It was very frightening!

When the young lady held the hairpin in her hands and pressed it down, their young master even began to bleed from his nostrils and twitched all over.

The two young fellows are just servants. If something happens to the young master they follow, they will never escape from the matter. Looking at the situation, they are scared to move at once.

One of them mustered his courage and said: “What a daring shrew if you dare lay your hands on our young master, we will not let you off!”

Liu Miantang was not afraid of such threats. When she came to Lingquan Town, she sometimes have to sleep on the boat at night. She once heard from travelers on the shore that lit bonfires to chat, saying that Lingquan town was under the jurisdiction of the State of Zhen. The new owner of the fief is Prince Huaiyang, whose son inherited his father’s business.

He was a promising young man and managed the army strictly. He swept away the rebellion in the mountain of Yang. Recently, he was rectifying the absurd behavior of local officials under the county, which won the support of the people.

The garrison of Lingquan town turns a blind eye to his son and allows him to harass women on the streets. Just wait till she tells her husband and brings this matter up to Prince Huaiyang with a charge!

Seeing that their young master was held by a hairpin of the delicate young lady. The two attendants couldn’t say any more cruel words. They just cried and begged for the young lady to not stab any further, wanting her to forgive their young master’s actions.

At this time, Servant Li, who had been silent behind Liu Miantang, also said: “Madam, Ninth Master still has business to do. Don’t cause a life.”

Liu Miantang turned his eyes slightly, looked at the corner of the alley, smiled, and said to the two gangsters who helped the wicked deed: “It’s easy for me to release your young master, as long as you follow my order…”

Besides, her husband Cui Jiu didn’t sit on the pavement and bury his head in the book of accounts at this time. Instead, he sat against the railing on a mountain pavilion of Canghai and enjoyed a cup of good wine with his friend in front of the surging river.

The river came surging and the passenger ships in the distance kept going back and forth. It was a harmonious and busy sight.

Zhao Quan, Marquis Zhennan, a friend on his side, said with a sigh of emotion: “Just two years ago, water bandits were still rampant here, which made the merchants feel frightened. Now it is clear and peaceful, and your contribution cannot be left unrecognized!”

Cui Jiu casually drank a cup of wine without saying anything. Zhao Quan knew that he must be annoyed by those old courtiers in the capital that reported his participation in the illegal stationing of troops.

So Zhao Quan began to comfort him and said, “When you are out for a sail, you don’t have to worry about those admonishing sayings. The Emperor should know that the banditry in the State of Zhen is not peaceful now. If you don’t station the troops, the rebellion would have broken into the capital long ago. If you take this to punish your sins, it will be unfair and difficult to convince the public!”

However, Cui Jiu still didn’t answer. He caressed his glass leisurely. He didn’t know what he was thinking.

Just then, a thin, dark-faced woman was led by the bodyguard to the front, stood by the mountain Pavilion, knelt, and saluted: “Lord, I have something to report

Cui Jiu… To be more exact, Cui Xingzhou, who has just inherited his father’s career and succeeded in the position of Prince Huaiyang, said expressionlessly: “Is there something wrong with you accompanying her around the market today?

The black-faced woman is Servant Li who should have gone back to North Street with her wife to cook.

After the dark alley incident, Liu Miantang didn’t have the mood to go to the cloth shop to buy anymore, so she came back early with Servant Li.

The journey was so tiring that her long ill body could not bear it. She rested and went to take a nap according to her habits.

Seeing that she wouldn’t wake up after sleeping for a while, Servant Li went out to the carriage and came to report to the master.

After hearing the Lord’s question, she returned respectfully: “There are some situations. I’ve come to report them to you.”

As she said this, she told the story of them running into the lascivious when she was out on the street.

Cui Jiu’s eyebrows did not move. His handsome face was expressionless. He just listened quietly to her about her experiences in the dark alley.

Zhao Quan, on the other side, felt sorry for the woman who could only try her best to protect herself. But when he heard the story that Miantang used a silver hairpin to stab the lascivious man in the dark alley, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow in surprise and asked: “Did she later release the lascivious man?”

When Servant Li recalled the situation at that time. She couldn’t help but retch for a moment, and immediately said, “Yes she did…”

“What did she do to them?” Cui Xingzhou, Prince Huaiyang, asked suddenly.

Servant Li’s face was strange. She seemed to get nausea again. Her face turned from black to purple. She forbore: “She let those two attendants eat dog shit in the alley…”

At the thought of the young master being supported by two servants as he ran out of the alley to find water to rinse his mouth, Servant Li felt that she won’t be able to consume food deliciously for the rest of the year.

Such an answer is unexpected. Leaving them doesn’t know what to say.

Zhao Quan had been helping himself with the dishes. After listening to the woman’s words, he lost his appetite and immediately put down his chopsticks.

After hearing the report from Servant Li, Cui Xingzhou waved her hand and commanded her to go.

However, Servant Li had one more thing to report and hurriedly said: “She always asked me about your whereabouts and where the store is located, it seems that she wanted to go and visit personally… As I see it, this woman is too dangerous. Master should tell her the truth and stop her from messing around. Most importantly,  you shouldn’t let her get close to you…”

Prince Huaiyang raised his head and looked at Servant Li. His eyebrows did not move a bit and said calmly, “Servant Li, only do what I ordered you to do.”

His voice was not loud, but Servent Li’s face was stunned and she knelt in fear. Although she watched the Lord grow up, she knows that His Highness has not been allowed to be controlled by others since he was young. As a servant, she has said a lot for the first time.

At this time, Cui Xingzhou told the bodyguard: “Go and buy a shop in the town, get some porcelain, and put it on. Then, inform Servant Li of the address.”

After listening to the Lord’s orders, the subordinates on one side took orders and head down the mountain. And Servant Li had followed him back to the North Street of the town.

Marquis Zhennan said with a wry smile, “She has completely lost her memory when sailing. She doesn’t remember the rebellion, Lu Wen. It won’t be gentlemanly of you if you use her as bait.”

Cui Xingzhou didn’t even look at his good friend Zhao Quan. He just took up his glass and said in a cold voice, “You were the initiator from the beginning. Isn’t it you, Brother Zhao, that makes her mistake me for her husband?”

Where will Zhao Quan know that a random joke would make today’s situation!

He had no choice but to say to his good friend: “Dear Ninth Master, you are the one who sent me to treat her illness in a rush. When I asked you who she was, you refused to tell me. I saw that she was beautiful, and thought that she was just a beauty you met somewhere. Later, when she could speak, you were not there. She heard me call you Master Cui Jiu, so she asked me who Master Cui Jiu was, and I said that you were her lover… After that, you haven’t denied anything either?”

Cui Xingzhou looks at the time, puts down his cup of wine, and prepares to go down the mountain and embark on the ship. These days, the battle against bandits is fierce, and he must return to the commander-in-chief account to preside over the overall situation. I came to Lingquan Town this time, in addition to personally choosing the porcelain for Empress Dowager in the name of my mother, I also took the steps to stabilize the thief’s amnesiac wife Liu Miantang.

When he accidentally captured the seriously ill woman, to deceive the eyes and ears of the people, Cui Xingzhou make use of his resources at that time, Zhao Quan, an idle man who came to visit his friends and was proficient in medical skills, to deal with the emergency.

However, when the woman woke up, she mistook him for Cui Jiu, the merchant she should have married, because of an embroidery pouch hanging on him and Zhao Quan’s misleading.

As for the matters after that, he makes his mistakes to good use. He never said he was her husband. But it was just that the woman hurt her head and was dumb enough that she mistook it.

After all, for a hostile woman, although she has no power, will be hard to prevent trouble. It would be easier for her to mistakenly think she is the daughter-in-law of the merchant of the Cui family that moved to Lingquan town.

It is said that the rebel Lu Wen loves this girl very much. If she shows up in Lingquan Town, which is not far from the rebellion’s nest, she will certainly draw the snake out of its cave. But I didn’t expect that the woman had hidden her skill. It would take several years to learn the martial arts of conquering the enemy by separating acupoints.

Thinking that the woman named Miantang was so clever and virtuous that he could not see that she was a delicate flower with thorns.

The coldness on the corner of Prince Huaiyang, Cui Xingzhou’s mouth was even deeper. Zhao Quan looked at Cui Xingzhou’s sneer-like expression, and secretly break out into cold sweat for the poor woman who lost her memory.