Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 106 Xia Qingqing's Misunderstanding
A carriage drove out of the Prince Xin's Mansion.

Ding Baiying drove the car, and inside the carriage, Lin Yi sat opposite the two women.

Yuan Chun, and her maid Bao Qin.

Since they had already slept together, Lin Yi certainly wouldn't leave her at the Prince Xin's residence.

The carriage was quiet as Lin Yi pondered his conversation with Prince Xin.

Yuan Chun and Bao Qin were filled with anxiety, unsure of their future fate, and no one dared to make a sound.

A moment later, Lin Yi noticed that the two women's faces were somewhat gloomy, so he reached out and pulled Yuan Chun over, holding her in his arms.

Baoqin lowered her head, not daring to look any longer.

Lin Yi held Yuan Chun's small hand and asked, "What did Prince Xin say to you?"

Yuan Chun quickly replied, "His Highness Prince Xin only said that he would bestow favors upon the Jia family afterward... At that time, I had already been secretly sent out of the palace."

Yuan Chun was somewhat nervous. She sensed from his words that Lin Yi's relationship with Prince Xin was delicate. If she didn't handle it well, Lin Yi might suspect that she was a spy planted by Prince Xin...

Lin Yi nodded. At that time, Yuan Chun had already left the palace, so she had no choice but to either agree to Prince Xin's request or be secretly dealt with.

“My lord, I am originally from the Jia family of Jinling, the daughter of the Rongguo Mansion. I had absolutely no connection with Prince Xin before. The first time we met was that day when I encountered you and Prince Xin on the road in the palace…”

"I know you, the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion's Lord Zheng, and you have a younger brother named Jia Baoyu, right?"

Yuan Chun was somewhat stunned, exchanging glances with Bao Qin. She asked in surprise, "Does the young master have a past with the Jia family?"

Lin Yi laughed and said, "I have no connection with the Duke's mansion."

He then told Yuan Chun about his friendship with Daiyu. However, news from the inner palace was scarce, so Yuan Chun was naturally unaware of these matters.

After hearing this, Yuan Chun and Bao Qin felt somewhat better. Lin Yi's act of escorting Daiyu showed that he was a chivalrous and upright person, and their lives would be easier from then on.

Given the current situation, she certainly cannot contact the Jia family.

Otherwise, if the news leaks out, it will definitely bring disaster to the Jia family.

Prince Xin's act of secretly taking female officials out of the palace was no small matter; he could easily be accused of causing chaos in the palace.

"My lord is chivalrous and righteous, and upright and honest."

Lin Yi said, "You are the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion. It is too much of a disservice for you to submit to me now. It's all my fault for looking at you too many times that day."

Yuan Chun sighed inwardly. She was also a noblewoman with military merit, but her fate was changed by a single glance. In the end, it was because the Jia family was declining and its power was gone.

"This is also my destiny with my beloved, and it is my blessing to be able to serve such a hero of the world..."

"Besides, I have been in the palace for many years, but I am just a maid serving the nobles in the palace. I am no longer the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion."

Yuan Chun, assessing the situation, had originally intended to flatter and ingratiate herself with Lin Yi. But at this point, some of her true feelings were already showing.

Life in the palace was torture every day. But now, it seems like a blessing in disguise.

“That was a place where no one could see me. Thanks to my husband, I was able to escape this sea of ​​suffering.”

Lin Yi smiled, cupping Yuan Chun's pretty face in his hands: "Whether what you said is true or not, I like to hear it, and I hope you feel the same way. For now, I can only ask you to bear with it for a while, but I will give you an explanation later."

Yuan Chun's face turned bright red, and her pink lips parted as she was about to speak, but she was silenced.

Lin Yi hugged her and kissed her deeply.

Although Yuan Chun was shy, she dared not refuse and could only silently endure it.

Baoqin, sitting opposite, stared in disbelief, her face immediately turning red with embarrassment...

After Lin Yi returned to his residence, he settled Yuan Chun and Ding Baiying in. Yue Lingshan and Mu Wanqing knew that he had brought another woman back, but neither of them dared to ask any questions.

After lunch, Lin Yi accompanied Yue Lingshan, Mu Wanqing, and Wang Yuyan to practice their martial arts in the garden.

Not long after, he suddenly looked behind an artificial hill.

Lin Yi got up, walked out of the garden, and went around to a secluded courtyard.

Xia Qingqing landed silently in the courtyard and knelt down in front of him with a thud: "Sect Leader Lin, Brother Yuan has been captured. Please help him."

Lin Yi looked at her and saw that Xia Qingqing was a little disheveled, with red and swollen eyes and extremely depressed.

He couldn't help but recall how stunningly beautiful Xia Qingqing was on Shaoshi Mountain that day, but now, just a few months later, she had fallen to this state.

Lin Yi asked, "Did Yuan Chengzhi do anything to me or the Huashan Sect?"

Xia Qingqing's face was pale, without a trace of color.

“No…but Brother Yuan has acted chivalrously, fought against the Qing Dynasty, blocked the Tartars, and protected the people of this region. He has worked hard even if he has not made any great contributions. I beg you, Master Lin, to spare his life for this reason.”

Xia Qingqing bowed and kowtowed: "We will always remember the great kindness of Sect Leader Lin, and we will do our best to fulfill any requests in the future."

Lin Yi sneered, "Yuan Chengzhi abandoned the world for personal revenge, leading to the downfall of the Ming Dynasty and the Manchu invasion. He was merely atoning for his sins. What does it have to do with me?"

“That day in Jiangcheng, I advised you that you were going to do things your own way. Now that Yuan Chengzhi is in prison, you want me to risk my life to rescue him? I have no relation to you. It’s ridiculous.”

"I also have wives and concubines to take care of, and this matter brings me no benefit whatsoever. I ask you, why take this risk?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Qingqing was as if she had lost her parents.

She fell silent for a moment, her face ashen, her expression like a withered tree.

Lin Yi watched coldly, ignoring her. Not long after, Xia Qingqing stood up in a daze, leaped onto the wall, and disappeared from sight.

Lin Yi shook his head.

Yuan Chengzhi still needs to be saved, otherwise it will be rumored that he is refusing to help someone in distress, which will affect his control over the Golden Snake Camp.

But we certainly can't save him for nothing. Since Yuan Chengzhi won't die anytime soon, we might as well raise the price.

……

Lin Yi went to Yuan Chun's courtyard, had dinner with her, and comforted the two of them, so that they could feel at ease.

As darkness fell, Lin Yi returned to the secluded courtyard where he had met Xia Qingqing that afternoon and waited quietly.

About 15 minutes later, a figure landed silently.

Seeing Lin Yi standing in the courtyard, she gave a cold laugh.

Lin Yi turned to look at her. Although Xia Qingqing's appearance was still not good, she had obviously tidied herself up and her beauty remained.

Lin Yi asked, "What are you doing here?"

In the darkness, Xia Qingqing sneered repeatedly: "Weren't you waiting for me?"

She took a few steps out and said coldly, "I've been thinking about your words all afternoon. It's not that you can't save them, it's that you don't want to... You'll only help if there's something in it for you."

Xia Qingqing sneered again: "Now that Brother Yuan is in prison, what benefits could I possibly give you? Heh, everyone in the martial arts world speaks of the peerless chivalrous Master Lin, what a perfect example of peerless chivalry!"

Xia Qingqing turned and walked into the house, and Lin Yi was stunned... Did she overthink things?
It's likely that Xia Qingqing had heard of his reputation for womanizing, and seeing the several beautiful wives and concubines in his mansion, coupled with his mention of "wives and concubines" that afternoon, led her to misunderstand...

Lin Yi's expression was strange as he also entered the house.

In the pitch black, Xia Qingqing stood before the bed, her back to him.

Lin Yi first lit two oil lamps.

"I've made up my mind. Come on over," Xia Qingqing said coldly.

He only needed to go with the flow to sleep with Xia Qingqing tonight... but if Xia Qingqing held a grudge against him, it would be extremely difficult for her to take control of the Golden Snake Camp.

Unless the mistake is completely undone, it's best to eliminate the root of the problem afterward.

But things didn't get to that point, and keeping Xia Qingqing and Yuan Chengzhi around would help him control the Golden Snake Camp...

As Lin Yi pondered, Xia Qingqing sneered, "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve, you lecher?"

Lin Yi smiled, walked up to her, and wrapped his arms around Xia Qingqing's slender waist from behind.

Her delicate body trembled violently.

Lin Yi tightened his arms around her, feeling her soft, slender waist. He looked down at her snow-white nape, first kissing it, then burying his face in it, inhaling her virgin fragrance.

Xia Qingqing trembled... Lin Yi turned her body around, and their eyes met. Xia Qingqing opened her mouth to say something, but Lin Yi lowered his head and kissed her red lips.

Xia Qingqing pushed against his chest, but Lin Yi ignored her and kissed her forcefully for a long time before she lowered her head and pressed her forehead against Lin Yi to avoid him.

Xia Qingqing, panting, said coldly, "I'll only accompany you this once. Tonight, you must rescue Brother Yuan. If you fail, I will ruin your reputation!"

Lin Yi asked in bewilderment, "When did I say I was going to save Yuan Chengzhi?"

Xia Qingqing's face turned pale instantly. She cried out, "You're going back on your word... Shameless... You!"

She tried to push Lin Yi away, but to no avail. She attempted a knee strike to Lin Yi's vitals, but he easily parried it.

Lin Yi asked, "When did I propose to do this deal for you?"

Xia Qingqing retorted angrily, "Then why did you do these things to me!"

Lin Yi looked puzzled: "You broke into my residence at night, came into my house as soon as you saw me, and asked me to sleep with you. Weren't you seducing me?"

Xia Qingqing was dumbfounded. Lin Yi continued, speaking with conviction: "You saw that Yuan Chengzhi was about to die, so you wanted to switch allegiances and seduce me, trying to climb into my bed. What a lewd, shameless, heartless woman you are."

"You're talking nonsense!" Xia Qingqing was furious. "Get out of here... It was your words this afternoon that were implied, that's why I..."

Lin Yi then released her, and Xia Qingqing immediately sprang to her feet, slapping him with her palm. Lin Yi grabbed her small hand, pushed and pulled her, and Xia Qingqing slumped into his arms again.

Lin Yi laughed and said, "I do have some plans, but when did I ever say I wanted to sleep with you? Aren't all my wives and concubines beautiful? With your plain looks, do you think you're worthy of my risking my life?"

Xia Qingqing was both shocked and angry: "Then what do you want..." She suddenly realized, "You were just playing me... taking advantage of me! You shameless lecher, let me go."

Lin Yi pushed her away and laughed, "You came here and immediately started mocking me with barbs. I didn't do anything, yet you called me a lecher. Isn't that hoping to be lechered by me?"

Xia Qingqing's face turned red with anger, but she knew she couldn't win a fight or a verbal argument, so she turned and ran away.

"You don't want to save Yuan Chengzhi anymore?" Lin Yi's voice came from behind.

In an instant, Xia Qingqing froze on the spot.

She stood there stunned for more than ten breaths, the dimly lit room silent.

Lin Yi added, "I inquired this afternoon and found out that Wei Xiaobao didn't let the Eastern Depot take Yuan Chengzhi away. Obviously, he was injured and angry, and he wanted to torture Yuan Chengzhi severely before he would stop."

Xia Qingqing was instantly devastated. She turned around, her face covered in tears.

"What do you want? Anything is fine, as long as you go and save Brother Yuan tonight..."

(End of this chapter)