Chapter 115: What Do You Mean? (2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ye Jingtang was slightly puzzled. “Make up for what?”

Dongfang Liren blinked, and the shiny silver fat-headed dragon visibly swelled up.

Ye Jingtang raised his hand. “1 understand. It’s about the bath. But 1 have a clear relationship with the Red Flower Pavilion, and I won’t be the pavilion lord. If Your Highness wants to occupy their assets…”

Thump!

Dongfang Liren didn’t expect Ye Jingtang to be so straightforward. She slapped the table lightly. “What do you mean? Do I look like someone who lacks money?”

“No, 1 was just talking casually. Hmm… Then, what does Your Highness mean?” Dongfang Liren’s meaning was for Ye Jingtang to take the initiative to gain authority in the Red Flower Pavilion, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it, so she casually said, “You agreed to help me when you came back. I’ll take you to Bamboo Street to see a murder case and let you familiarize yourself with the rules of the government.”

Seeing that Dumdum wasn’t going to extort Third Lady anymore, Ye Jingtang secretly heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. “Alright. By the way, about the Zhou family…”

Dongfang Liren harrumphed lightly. “Don’t think that you can be lawless just because you know a few sentences of the laws of Great Wei. If not for your connection with me, with the Zhou family’s connections and financial resources, you wouldn’t be able to say a single word in refutation in court.”

Ye Jingtang nodded. “Understood. I will remember Your Highness’s kindness.”

Only then was Dongfang Liren satisfied. She used a white cloth to clean his grazed right hand. “When Old Master Zhou heard the news, he directly expelled Zhou Huaili from the family on the grounds of ‘family misfortune’. He even sent an ‘incorruptible’ sign to the Azure Yang City government office. Then he replied to the Imperial Court: This person deserves to die, but hatred can’t be eliminated. So that you won’t be afraid, I’ll let you go to the Zhou family to spar without harming your life to settle all the enmity in Jianghu with one battle. If you don’t dare to go, the Zhou family won’t be in the wrong if they find trouble with you in the future.”

Ye Jingtang felt that the meaning of ‘without harming your life’ was to leave him alive on his last breath. He frowned and said, “Now?”

“How is that possible? I said you were busy with work and helped you set a ten-year agreement.”

“Ten years… Thank you, Your Highness.”

Dongfang Liren wiped the back of his right hand with a piece of cotton wool. “Don’t thank me yet. The Zhou family has plenty of money and connections to hire assassins. Also, your saber technique is exactly the same as the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade. If Jun Mountain Terrace knows, they will definitely come looking for you. You have to be careful in the future.”

Ye Jingtang nodded. “I will practice martial arts well and strive to go out again after some time. I’ll beat the two families until they’re convinced.”

Dongfang Liren didn’t question Ye Jingtang. She deliberated for a moment. “It’s easy to dodge open spears but difficult to guard against hidden arrows. You still have to do important things for me, so you can’t die outside. Go to the palace tomorrow. I will teach you the Dragon Slaying Decree and the Jade Bone Picture so that you can have more capital to protect yourself.”

?

Ye Jingtang was stunned. He looked at Princess Dongfeng, who was bandaging his right hand with a dignified expression, and felt a little embarrassed. “I only caught a few bandits. Your Highness treats me so well…”

Dongfang Liren looked up. “You have to return the favor. Do you think I’m giving them to you for nothing?”

Ye Jingtang smiled and nodded. “I will never forget Your Highness’s kindness. I will definitely repay Your Highness in the future.”

Dongfang Liren wrapped his right hand and sat upright again. After some thought, she suddenly asked casually, “By the way, Ye Jingtang, do you know what ‘a stick in the back door’ means?”

??!

Ye Jingtang’s cold and extraordinary face clearly twitched, but it quickly recovered. He looked left and right to see if the guards outside the carriage had heard her.

Seeing this, Dongfang Liren knew that Ye Jingtang understood. She lowered her voice. “There’s no harm in saying it. 1 heard it on the way today, but 1 didn’t understand what it meant. It’s just to clear my doubts.”

Ye Jingtang’s gaze was very strange. “Does Your Highness really want to hear it? Your Highness won’t be angry?”

Dongfang Liren puffed out her chest and raised her head, looking calm and noble. “Do you think I am someone who can’t even tolerate a phrase? Could this be a rebellious statement?”

Ye Jingtang really couldn’t bring himself to say it. He waved his hand. “Uhh… Let’s talk about this later. Perhaps Your Highness will understand one day.” Seeing Ye Jingtang unwilling to speak, Dongfang Liren harrumphed softly. “Don’t pretend. To think I have always treated you as a gentleman, but in the end, you’re a lecher who hides your true colors.”

“Hmm?” Ye Jingtang frowned and said with a serious expression, “Your Highness, I really didn’t do it on purpose. Your Highness was so close to me naked. I even closed my eyes…”

“Shut up!” Dongfang Liren’s face was brimming with anger. She turned around, took out the book ‘Tears of a Heroine’ from a box, and threw it into Ye Jingtang’s arms. “You said that ‘this book is full of emotions’. 1 really believed you. In the end… Take a look for yourself!”

Ye Jingtang knew that the Prince of Jing would buy it and read it. He picked up the beautifully framed book with a smile and casually flipped through it. Then he was stunned. “Woah!!! Why are there illustrations? Are you sure this is Tears of a Heroine?”

Dongfang Liren was baffled. “What do you mean? This is ‘Tears of a Heroine’. It’s an official edition printed by the Imperial Academy of the previous dynasty. Don’t say that you haven’t seen it before.”

“Is that so?” Ye Jingtang held the hardcover book and looked at it carefully as if he had obtained a treasure. “The ‘Tears of a Heroine’ I saw at the border of Liang Province was really different from this. 1 exchanged two pheasants for it from a private school teacher, and a few pages had been torn off. It was probably a pirated version. I didn’t expect the original to have illustrations. Oh… So this is the posture of ‘two beauties offering peaches’…”

?

Dongfang Liren’s self-righteous, questioning expression froze. That’s right. There aren’t many scholars at the borders of Liang Province. Where would such an exquisite book come from? That copy of Tears of a Heroine was probably a private print from a small workshop. Not to mention illustrations, its already good enough if there aren’t any missing words…

Then, what have 1 been reading these days?