My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Since his whereabouts were exposed that night, the defenses around Dong Feng have become even tighter. He would never go out unless absolutely necessary, and whenever he did, he would always be accompanied by a group of guards and the five men.

Xie Yan leaned against the windowsill with her legs crossed, looking down at the people surrounded by layers of people below, and felt that they looked very familiar.

Isn't this just like the celebrities he saw in his previous life when they went out?

The only difference is that Dong and Feng not only didn't have enthusiastic fans surrounding them, but they also frequently faced disdain from ordinary people.

A gray pigeon cooed and flew to the window. Looking at the letter tube tied to its leg, Xie Yan's lips curled up slightly: "Finally, it's here."

Unfold the letter, and it contained all the information about Dong Feng.

The story of how the magistrate of Yong'an Prefecture rose to power can be summarized in one sentence: it's the tale of a man from humble beginnings who climbed the social ladder by marrying a rich woman, only to have his true nature revealed afterward.

Dong Feng was originally a poor scholar who made a living by writing in Yong'an Prefecture. He met Lu Shi, the only daughter of a landlord in Yong'an Prefecture, by chance at a temple fair.

At first glance, Lady Lü took a liking to this handsome young man who, despite his impoverished state, still possessed an elegant demeanor. Although Dong Feng disliked Lady Lü's strong personality, he played hard to get in response to her passionate pursuit.

Given his situation at the time, the easiest way for him to get ahead was to marry into the Lü family.

So, naturally, the two became husband and wife.

After the marriage, Lady Lü not only spent countless sums to buy Dong Feng an official position, but also opened several shops for him under his name.

In just a few years, Dong Feng transformed from a poor boy who was ridiculed by everyone into a wealthy and influential local official.

But his true nature was also revealed, and he began to openly and secretly neglect and suppress Lady Lü. From the beginning, he had disliked Lady Lü's domineering and forceful personality, and he also disliked their two children, not to mention that the children did not take his surname.

So he secretly acquired another property, where he kept his childhood sweetheart, the girl next door, and their child. Aside from this period, he actually lived there most of the time.

Xie Yan destroyed the creed and immediately had an idea.

A mute girl recently came to the Su family mansion.

This mute girl was pretty and came from a farming family in Dashi Village near Yong'an Prefecture. She lost her speech due to an illness when she was young and could only make a living by doing handicrafts. Seeing that she was diligent, she was recently introduced by a fellow villager to work at the Su family's residence.

"Xiao Cui! Quickly take the medicine to Madam!"

A head popped out from the kitchen of the Su family mansion and called out to a figure sitting on a small wooden stool picking vegetables not far away.

She was a slender, shy young girl. She stood up, wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, pursed her lips, nodded to the person in the kitchen, and accepted the tray.

As soon as Xiao Cui pushed open the door, a strong sandalwood scent wafted out. Without changing her expression, she carried the plate and walked softly to the bedside.

A beautiful woman with a sorrowful expression sat by the bed. Following her gaze, a young child, barely out of childhood, lay on the bed.

The child was fair-skinned and delicate, but he just stared blankly upwards, his mouth slightly open and drooling.

"give it to me."

When the woman saw her coming, she reached out and took the medicine bowl, and then gestured for Xiao Cui to lift the child's upper body.

Even when given medicine, the child wouldn't swallow it, and most of the medicine ended up spilling on his body.

The woman sighed repeatedly, and even though her hair was disheveled from crying, she still looked pitiful.

No wonder Dong Feng spared no expense in building a mansion even more luxurious than the Dong family mansion to hide her away.

Xiao Cui lowered her eyes silently, about to take the tray and leave. Suddenly, footsteps approached, and a portly man with a sallow complexion strode in from outside the door.

"My wife, I'm late..."

Midway through his speech, Dong Feng caught sight of Xiao Cui standing to the side and immediately turned cold, demanding, "Who is this?! I've never seen her before?"

Seeing that he was late, Su was still a little resentful. Hearing this, she frowned and said angrily, "How long has it been since you came? Of course I haven't seen you! This is someone who introduced her a month ago. Her name is Xiao Cui, and she is a mute girl."

Dong Feng didn't say anything after hearing this, but chuckled and winked at the door, "Oh, my darling. I didn't mean to not come to see you and our child, it's just that some things have been going on these past few days..."

Xiao Cui couldn't hear what was said after that because she had already been dragged away.

What pulled her away was a whip, and the person holding the whip was a tall "woman" surrounded by four other people.

The door was closed, and Xiao Cui was pulled and thrown hard to the ground. Her face was contorted in pain, but she still couldn't make a sound.

An aged hand gripped her chin, and a chilling voice said, "Kill her?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man immediately curled his fingers into a claw and lunged at the maid's crown. Xiao Cui, on the other hand, seemed to be stunned and stared blankly without moving.

At the crucial moment, the cold-faced girl standing to the side drew her sword and stopped him: "Wait, maybe she's just an ordinary person?"

The old man then gripped the girl's knife and sneered, "Little brat, you'll never amount to anything if you're soft-hearted!"

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Xiao Cui seemed to come to her senses and got up from the ground, her face covered in tears, and ran outside.

"Want to run?"

The man dressed as a woman shouted coldly, his figure floating lightly away. He gathered strength in his right hand and struck Xiao Cui hard on the back!

"puff!"

Xiao Cui was sent flying by the slap, crashing to the ground and spitting out blood. At this moment, the man in blue who had been watching from the sidelines stepped forward and placed his hand on her exposed wrist.

"His pulse is irregular and weak, and his life hangs by a thread. There is no sign that he has used his true qi to protect his body."

The man pondered for a moment, then took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a pill, and fed it to Xiao Cui.

"Looks like he really is just an ordinary person."

As night deepened, two maids emerged from the lady's bedroom carrying basins of water, conversing in hushed tones as they walked.

"Have you heard? The new girl, Xiao Cui, somehow offended the master and got a terrible beating."

"I saw it! He was covered in blood when he was brought back! It was horrible!"

"This is terrible. The doctor we called said whether I can pull through depends on tonight..."

Meanwhile, in the maid's room that had been kindly vacated—

The person the maids were talking about got out of bed. If someone were to pass by at that moment, they would see the figure, illuminated by the candlelight and reflected on the door, slowly grow taller and more imposing, accompanied by eerie clicking sounds, until it no longer resembled a young girl at all.

Xie Yan slowly took off his clothes, revealing a blackened handprint on his back in addition to various old wounds. He sat cross-legged, frowned, circulated his qi, and tapped his body several times. Then he turned his head and spat out a mouthful of foul blood before his expression relaxed.

"That's a different price."

He wiped the blood from his lips and secretly resolved to ask Chu Ling for more money after this was over.