Chapter 29

“What! You didn’t even get lunch?” Yin Shanlan widened her eyes in surprise. While touching my face, she turned and glared at those flower servants, displeased. “You bunch of servants with no sense! I only told you to punish him a little. Did I ever say to torment him like this?”

—Sure enough, this person had been causing trouble behind the scenes.

The corner of my mouth twitched. The servants all looked as though they had swallowed bitter herbs and could not speak of their suffering. After hesitating for a while, the head flower servant said uncertainly, “Miss… this was, was the garden master’s instruction. We could not disobey.”

“Mm, I was the one who made a mistake and was punished by the garden master. It has nothing to do with them,” I helped explain.

“Sister Qin? Oh, is… is that so…” When we mentioned the garden master, Yin Shanlan’s face clearly became somewhat uncomfortable, and even her momentum weakened a little. It seemed she was rather afraid of that Qin Xiang. But under my pitiful gaze, she straightened her back again, lifted her chin, and said, “So what? What mistake deserves such a heavy punishment? He only just arrived and doesn’t understand the rules. Why be so fussy?” As she spoke, she looked at me. “Seventeen, come. This young lady will reward you with something to eat.”

So touching. But Miss Yin, could you please take your hand off my face?

Without leaving a trace, I retreated a little and avoided that lustful paw. Yin Shanlan did not notice my small movement and instead went to pull my hand. Leng Xiao, who had been ignored the whole time, finally jumped out to stop us. “Shanlan, he is a man. Where are you taking him? And tugging and pulling like this—it is simply too… improper!”

The phrase “shameless” that nearly slipped out was corrected in time, but Young Master Leng’s brows were standing upright, and he had clearly endured to his limit. Even his words became forceful. “You cannot take him away.”

“What does my business have to do with you?” Yin Shanlan glanced sideways at him and said confidently, “If this young lady likes, I can even keep him overnight!”

This time, not only Leng Xiao, even the surrounding flower servants and I were shocked. To be able to say something like this in public, and with such resounding force—Eldest Miss Yin truly was an unrestrained heroine among women. What should I do? I did not dare go with her anymore.

“Shanlan, you! Aren’t you afraid the manor lord will be angry if you act like this?” Young Master Leng’s face turned green. In his panic, he brought out Manor Lord Yin to pressure her, not realizing that saying this was no different from touching her reverse scale. A certain eldest miss was naturally free-spirited and disliked being controlled. Even her own father had always indulged her, so how could she tolerate being lectured by him?

Sure enough, after hearing this, Yin Shanlan immediately showed anger. Her tone sank. “Leng Xiao, this is Silver Mountain Medicine Manor. Whatever I, Yin Shanlan, want to do is not something an outsider like you has the right to point fingers at.”

“And don’t keep bringing up my father at every turn, or sowing discord in front of him all day. Such petty conduct is simply beneath the bearing of a true man.” She spoke without leaving him the slightest face. After finishing, she pulled me away in large strides, leaving Leng Xiao standing there with a dark expression. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his furious gaze fixed on me as if he wanted to tear me apart.

Sigh, just how much hatred had Eldest Miss Yin attracted for me?

But right now, I was too lazy to care. Filling my stomach came first. So I let Yin Shanlan pull me along, and in the end, I really was brought to the courtyard where she lived. We even walked straight into her room. After ordering the servants to set out a table of wine and dishes, she sat down by the table and said to the female servant beside her, “Ah Shan, go brew another pot of tea for me.”

“Yes.” The female servant had little expression on her face. After answering, she closed the door and left. This girl had served by Yin Shanlan’s side since childhood, and everyone called her Mountain Girl. I felt that her aura was very similar to Dafang’s, but she was taller and her complexion was much paler. In addition, her shiny black hair, which reached her thighs, was especially eye-catching.

“What are those lecherous eyes of yours looking at now?” Yin Shanlan suddenly knocked her chopsticks against her bowl and reminded me unhappily. “You must be having improper thoughts and planning something bad.”

Lecherous eyes? Improper thoughts?! I was only casually looking a few times, all right? How was it as dirty and obscene as you said?!

I loudly retorted in my heart, but on the surface, I piled on a smile, sat across from her, and pretended to be shy. “Just now, I felt more and more that Mountain Girl looked familiar. She resembles my elder sister who married far away, so I could not help looking a few more times.”

“Oh, is that so?” Yin Shanlan put on an expression of “I don’t believe you at all,” raised her hand, poured a cup of wine, and handed it over. “I don’t care. Since you dared use your eyes to take liberties with my Ah Shan, you must be punished with one cup.”

“Heh, then how could I refuse?” I could only accept it and drink it all with my head tilted back. The wine was not very strong, clear, sweet, and mellow. Only after it slid down my throat for a long while did a slight warmth rise back up. It seemed to have some delayed strength.

“What excellent wine.” I filled both wine cups, then sourly imitated the speech of those scholars. “Tonight, the flowers are lovely and the moon is full. Read on BaiLianTales Not only is there fine wine and good food, I am even fortunate enough to have a beauty accompanying me. Truly, this is one of life’s pleasures.” As I spoke, I raised my cup to her. “On such a fine night, may I invite Miss to drink a cup with me?”

“Since you have such interest, this young lady shall accompany you to the end.” Yin Shanlan was very straightforward and lifted her cup to drink it down. After she finished one cup, I hurriedly filled it again.

The female servant was not here, and there were no other servants in the courtyard. If I took this chance to get her drunk, perhaps I could ask where Huodan Shen was… I happily calculated in my heart. When pouring the wine, I secretly added some powder to hasten drunkenness into her cup and said again, “Miss, please.”

“Come, drink!” She raised her cup and finished it, then casually picked up her chopsticks and began eating. As she ate, she asked, “Right, Seventeen, I still don’t know your name. What is your real name? Where do you live? Now that I brought you to the medicine manor, if your family cannot find you, will they be worried?”

“My real name is Lu Shan. I am from Chengjiang, Mao County, the youngest in my family, with three older siblings above me.” I knew Yin Shanlan had already sent people to investigate me, but this time the young prince had not dragged me down. He had already arranged everything for me in advance. Now, I only needed to go along with it and confirm it to dispel her doubts.

After swallowing a piece of braised pork, I took a sip of wine and continued, “Before this, I often did business outside alone. Later, I also wandered from place to place. I only went home during festivals and rarely met with them. Now, they are used to it.”

“I see…” Yin Shanlan picked up a piece of tofu and placed it into my bowl, seeming somewhat happy. “But if you don’t contact them for too long, they’ll still miss you, right? Should this young lady help you send a family letter back?”

“Really?” I pretended to be pleasantly surprised. “Then thank you, Miss!”

“Heh, as long as you obediently listen, you will not lack benefits in the future.” She said this arrogantly, then picked up another chopstickful of food for me. “Aren’t you hungry? Here, hurry and eat.”

“Mm-hm.” I lowered my head and ate. In truth, at that moment, I really did feel somewhat moved. Although Yin Shanlan was rather spoiled and willful, her heart was still quite good. Moreover, she had already decided that I was not some person with evil intentions. Feeling that she had not misjudged me, she was in a very good mood and became even easier to get close to. What a simple and easy-to-understand girl…

I ate all the food in my bowl with relish. The head chef in this medicine manor was unexpectedly skilled. On top of that, I had been hungry all day, so right now, these ordinary home-cooked dishes on the table seemed comparable to delicacies from the mountains and seas. Once I began eating, I could not stop.

The tofu cubes were fried until all four sides were golden and tempting. The skin was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was [read the original at bailiantales.com]tender and smooth on the tongue. The braised tofu sheets had absorbed the sauce fully, and one bite released a rich flavor that lingered between the lips and teeth. As for the chilled winter melon balls in plum juice, they were sweet, sour, and refreshing. Even after eating two bowls, I still felt it was not enough…

Yin Shanlan had already eaten dinner earlier, so she did not eat much now. She only drank the wine I poured for her between bites and propped her chin on the table while looking at me. Her eyes shone brightly with a bit of slyness… and restraint?

Suddenly, she slapped the table and laughed. “Hahahaha, Seventeen, the way you eat really looks like the big tabby cat I used to raise!”

“Pfft! Cough cough…” I choked violently. After finally easing myself with some soup, I silently finished the rice in my bowl, then put down my chopsticks.

“You’re full so soon?” Eldest Miss Yin seemed somewhat regretful.

“Mm, I’m full.” Even if I was not full, I could not keep eating. I filled both of our wine cups. “Thank you for your hospitality today, Miss. I will toast you again.”

“Heh, good~” Yin Shanlan also drank it down in one gulp and smacked her lips. “So refreshing. It has been so long since anyone drank with me like this.” Then she snatched the wine pot and took the initiative to fill her own cup. “Come, drink a few more cups with me.”

“It would be rude to refuse.”

And so, with us going back and forth, the pot of wine was soon finished. At this moment, Yin Shanlan’s face was already flushed from drunkenness, and her eyes were misty. This was exactly the time when her mind would be unclear and she would easily speak the truth. I suppressed my excitement and began thinking about how to lead her into talking about Huodan Shen, but she suddenly leaned closer and said, “Seventeen, can you… recite poetry?”

Sure enough, this person’s nature had not changed. She wanted to hear erotic poetry!

I replied, “A little.”

“Then… I want to hear it.” She ​read the original at bailiantales.com​played with her wine cup, tilted her head, and looked at me with almond eyes full of rippling light. “It has to fit the occasion.”

Fit the occasion?

“Mm, let me think.” I answered. I lowered my head and pondered for a while. When I lifted my eyes, however, I saw the person opposite me boldly undo her outer garment. With a wave of her hand, she flung it to the ground beside her. Immediately afterward, her gaze toward me carried a few more points of aggression, as if she were staring at prey. “After drinking, I feel hot all over. Seventeen, are you hot?”

She actually undressed in front of a man? Wasn’t she too bold? Why did Yin Shanlan seem like a completely different person after getting drunk?

“Uh… I think it’s quite cool, hehe.” I tightened my own collar, stood, and paced, pretending to think. Then I walked to the window. This window faced several tall banyan trees in the courtyard. At this time, the sky outside had completely darkened, but the bright moon rising over the wall illuminated them.

Should I now use a very wanton poem to make Yin Shanlan happy, then move into the main topic? But looking at her current state… I kept feeling very unsafe.

“Then I shall embarrass myself.” After struggling in my heart for a while, I finally drew out my tone and recited:

“Opening the window, autumn moonlight;
lowering her brows, she loosens silk robes…”

Turning back and seeing the cup that had been knocked over in front of her, I continued:

“With a smile, she overturns the wine cup;
her whole body fragrant as orchid and iris.”

Mm, this should fit the occasion enough, right?

“With a smile, she overturns the wine cup; her whole body fragrant as orchid and iris… What a good poem.” Yin Shanlan stood [Read on BaiLianTales]and walked over, her steps somewhat unsteady. I instinctively moved aside, but unexpectedly, she suddenly pounced right in front of me and hooked her arms around my neck, the smell of wine spraying directly onto my face.

“When you recited that poem, what were you thinking in your heart, hm? Little bad thing…” Her entire body hung from me, and she lifted her head, saying in a sticky voice, “A belly full of bad water. But this young lady likes it. Hehe.” She reached out and pinched my waist, laughing softly. She clearly had an innocent, adorable face, yet at this moment, her eyes were alluring and her lips red, giving off a great deal of seductive worldliness.

“Miss…” I endured the urge to push her away and held her steady, silently resisting the hand below that kept wandering around. This person really was too restless after getting drunk, and her strength was especially great.

“Seventeen… I’m hot.” She sounded somewhat dissatisfied and even twisted her body. I almost failed to hold her steady and nearly fell with her.

This was enough. As a young lady, even if she liked male beauty, there should be a limit!

“Miss, why don’t we sit down and chat… Hey, what is your hand doing?” I swiftly grabbed the claw that was pulling at my sash. As a result, her other hand wantonly touched my face. “Seventeen, your face is soft and smooth… hehe, it feels so nice to touch.”

Nice, my head! I still have not asked you about Huodan Shen. Can you not rush to do these shameful things first?!