Lin Qingyu went directly back to the Blue Wind Pavilion after parting ways with Chang Yang. He had to depend on Hua Lu to tell him what had happened in the back garden. After that, there was news from Sleeping Moon Pavilion; Nan’an Hou had spent the night interrogating Lu Qiaosong. At first Lu Qiaosong, adamantly denied the accusations. Later, Nan’an Hou called over the young page who followed Lu Qiaosong in and out of the Mansion for questioning. Only then did Nan’an Hou find out Lu Qiaosong had spent the better half of last month staying at the land of warmth and tenderness outside.
Seeing that matters had been exposed, Lu Qiaosong then said that he had only sought out qing guans, those who made their living as performers but didn’t sell their bodies. He claimed that he merely held poetry contests with them, had wine tastings and enjoyed musical performances; he never overstepped the rules.
When Nan’anhou heard the word “them”, he became even more furious. He instantly gave Lu Qiaosong a slap to the face and punished him with self-reflection in the ancestral hall for an entire day and confinement for a month. Nan’an Hou also transferred his anger with Lu Qiaosong onto Liang Shi, reprimanding her for not properly raising her son. If she could not manage her own son, how could she hope to properly manage such a huge Hou Mansion?
Lin Qingyu heard this and asked, “That’s it? Was there anything else?”
Huan Tong shook his head: “Nothing.”
Lin Qingyu sneered coldly. “Except for self-reflection, it’s confinement. How boring.”
“Shaojun, Shaojun,” Hua Lu hurriedly ran out of the bedroom, “Young Master seems to be sick again!”
It was midsummer, and Lu Wancheng had been craving something cold yesterday. He ate two mouthfuls of red grapes soaked cold in the well water. Half a day later, he developed a fever. Fortunately, it was only a low fever. Lu Wancheng was still clear-headed but his face looked alarmingly unwell.
Lin Qingyu checked his pulse and asked, “Were the red grapes delicious?”
Lu Wancheng nestled in his quilt, his eyes filled with bitterness. “It was delicious I couldn’t hold back.”
Lin Qingyu narrowed his eyes at him.
“Don’t be angry,” Lu Wancheng exerted all his strength to pull at Lin Qingyu’s sleeve. “I know I was wrong—cough.”
Lin Qingyu looked down at Lu Wancheng’s hand, so skinny you could see the bones. His original anger disappeared. “Next time you eat so recklessly, I won’t care about you anymore.”
Lu Wancheng smiled feebly. “Your threat is too scary. I’m so scared.”
Lin Qingyu didn’t feel like lowering himself to his patient’s level. He sat down at the table to write a prescription for Lu Wancheng.
Lu Wancheng lay on the bed and sighed. “Why do I get sick every time I try putting on an act even a little bit? Is this Heaven telling me, I am only suitable for lying down?”
“No.” Lin Qingyu said mercilessly, “Heaven is telling you to eat less ice.”
With Lu Wancheng’s illness, the Blue Wind Pavilion ushered in a period of peace. On this day, Pan Shi went to the Blue Wind Pavilion to visit the sick. Lu Wancheng was resting after having just finished his medicine and it was inconvenient for him to meet with guests. Lin Qingyu met Pan Shi in the front hall for tea and they talked about the general affairs of the Mansion.
Lu Qiaosong provided for many singers and entertainers in the mansion for his leisure time. During this period of time, Lu Qiaosong was confined and couldn’t go out to have fun, so he was left with no better option but to seek his enjoyment with them. The embarrassing thing was, Qingdai Pavilion was already unable to make ends meet; those entertainers sang and played their instruments but couldn’t get a cent. Several of the entertainers heard that the Hou Mansion was now in the hands of Pan Shi and the Shaojun. And so, they went to Sleeping Moon Pavilion to look for Pan Shi, asking for their monthly wage.
Pan Shi said helplessly, “The Hou Mansion never had any rule providing for monthly-paid entertainers. They used to rely on the Third Young Master’s gratuities for their livelihood. Now that the Third Young Master is pulling on lapels and exposing his elbows, where would he find excess money to reward them?”
Lin Qingyu said casually, “Why didn’t they come to me?”
Pan Shi’s maid’s lips twitched. “How would they dare? It was only because they saw that Pan Yiniang had such a good temper that they dared to make a fuss at Sleeping Moon Pavilion.”
Lin Qingyu meditated quietly, and Pan didn’t speak any more, for fear of disturbing him. After a while, Lin Qingyu asked, “If you don’t give them money, what will happen to them?”
“Qingdai Pavilion cannot support so many people, so they can only be sent away.”
“If you send them away, who would be left to please Third Brother?” Lin Qingyu smiled faintly, it even seemed a little compassionate. “Since Third Brother likes them, how can I as his sister-in-law, not help him fulfil his principles?”
Pan Shi’s was uncertain about Lin Qingyu’s attitude and said tentatively, “Shaojun means…”
“Tell them that the Nan’an Hou Mansion does not raise useless people. Qingdai Pavilion’s monthly expenses have already far exceed the limit. Master Hou is already furious about the Third Young Master’s kidney weakness. The Hou Mansion can no longer continue to raise all of them, at most… only half of them can stay. Whether they can stay or not, will be up to them to decide.”
Pan Shi didn’t dare think to much on it and she merely gave a low sound of assent.
The entertainers in Qingdai Pavilion were mostly orphans, without fathers and mothers. They’ve finally found a generous master; they could live in the Hou Mansion and eat and drink their fill. If they weren’t forced to leave, who would want to?
For all that Lu Qiaosong was loose and dissolute, he was actually quite picky. Though he raised them in his courtyard, most of the time he would only listen to them sing some popular tunes, or have them perform when guests come to boost his prestige. Occasionally, he would choose one of them to bestow his favor upon. It was precisely because of this that Nan’an Hou and Liang Shi could tolerate them staying in the Mansion.
As domestic prostitutes, the only thing they could rely on was their master’s favor. Now that half of them were going to be sent away, they had to struggle and contend.
The next day, Lin Qingyu asked Huan Tong to take out all the medicine jars buried under the tree. He dried them for three days, ground them into powder, put them in incense diffusers and gave them to Zhang Shiquan.
This scent was strong, and once you were exposed to it, would stick for a long time. Lin Qingyu finished preparing the medicine and went to bathe and change clothes before returning to the room.
Lu Wancheng was lying in bed, reading a book. His illness this time wasn’t serious; it was just bothersome. His condition showed no improvement nor any deterioration. These short few days, all his body’s stores of health, cultivated over the past months, were mostly consumed. His complexion and lips grew pale and strained. Only his pair of smiling eyes remained unaffected.
Lin Qingyu checked Lu Wancheng’s pulse every day before going to bed, and tonight was no exception.
Lu Wancheng sniffed the barely-there scent on him, and asked, “Did you use perfume?”
Lin Qingyu retracted his hand. “No.”
“You obviously have.” Lu Wancheng approached Lin Qingyu, his nose moved slightly, “What kind of perfume is it? It smells so good.”
Lin Qingyu frowned and pushed him away. “The kind you shouldn’t smell.”
Lu Wancheng understood and said with a smile. “I see. It’s poisonous.”
Lin Qingyu hesitated for a moment but didn’t deny it.
“Then the question is, who do you want to use poison on? It must be someone who has offended you recently.” Lu Wancheng let out a couple of coughs, “Is it Lu Qiaosong?”
Lin Qingyu was silent.
Lu Wancheng said again, “You wrote a prescription some time ago. I asked you what kind of medicine it was and you said that it was medicine to liven things up. So you didn’t lie to me. I remember that the entertainers raised within the Mansion cannot leave the house without authorization. Whatever they want to buy, they would have to ask the help of a page they’re on familiar terms with.”
“…”
“To sum it up, you want Lu Qiaosong to die in the most unseemly way, during sex. Just because he has humiliated you.”
Lin Qingyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Staring straight ahead, he said calmly, “Yes. Why? You don’t think he deserves to die? You think my methods are too cruel?”
Lu Wancheng smiled. He said deliberately riling him up, “It seems… a little bit?”
“Oh, think whatever you want.” Lin Qingyu looked perfectly calm and collected, “Lu Qiaosong used sexual matters to insult me. He also insulted you. He even wanted to use Chang Yang to destroy my reputation. Even if his crime doesn’t deserve death, but his death will make me happy so I’m going to do it—I want to make myself happy, it’s that simple.”
In front of others, he has never shown himself to be different from his appearance. His parents had good temperaments and they have never done anything to harm others and benefit themselves. Before marrying into the Hou Mansion, he was either with his parents or with his teacher and his fellow disciples, reading books by virtuous men. It made it easy to suppress his dark side. But as soon as he entered the Hou Mansion, the malice he could not act upon because of others, surged up like a broken well. Fortunately, he was sane and rational; he knew that he was in a situation where he would only bring destruction upon himself if he were to act rashly.
Until Lu Wancheng said that he liked him doing bad things, and even encouraged and helped him do bad things.
It was Lu Wancheng who made him like this. What qualifications did Lu Wancheng have to accuse him of being too cruel?
Lu Wancheng didn’t say anything, just stared at him quietly.
Lin Qingyu felt agitated. He closed his eyes and said, “What’s more, so long as he follows the doctor’s orders and doesn’t lay his hands on those entertainers, he may not die.”
Lu Wancheng finally laughed and sighed softly, “Qingyu, you really are worthy of being…Qingyu.”
His tone seemed admiring; it seemed excited; it seemed fascinated. That slightly low voice made Lin Qingyu chest subconsciously loosen.
Lu Wancheng added, “But…”
Lin Qingyu’s face slowly sank once again — Lu Wancheng still dares to add a “but”?
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, “But next time you do bad things, can you take me with you?”
Lin Qingyu’s eyes widened.
“I told you, I like seeing it.”
“…”
Lin Qingyu lowered his eyes; his long trembling eyelashes seemed to betray their master’s thoughts.
“Okay? Qingyu?”
Lin Qingyu slowly raised his head, looked unwaveringly at Lu Wancheng and said softly, “Okay.”