Chapter 139: Traditional Medicine

**Chapter 139: Sour Plums**

"Lin Niangzi."

A Yuan called her name, then pushed the fruit plate toward her. "My brother said you love plums. Try these and see if you like them."

Lin Qingxia regained her composure and, after a moment of silence, reached out to pick one up.

She did enjoy plums, but not just any kind.

The people of the capital had a sweet tooth, so their preserved plums were always sugared. She, however, preferred the ones with a strong sourness. Back when Xie Zheng was still her guard, she had often sent him off to find sour plums for her. Once, to make sure he remembered exactly what she liked, she even forced him to eat an entire jar of them.

Xie Zheng, that stoic warrior who feared neither sword nor spear, absolutely hated sour things.

And Lin Qingxia had played tricks on him with sour plums countless times.

Now, tasting the familiar flavor, she looked down and slowly finished eating it.

"It's... acceptable."

She usually couldn't hide her feelings well, but when it came to Xie Zheng, she had hidden them completely.

A Yuan studied her face closely but saw no sign of happiness there.

That didn't seem right. These plums were specially sent by her brother—had Lin Niangzi’s tastes changed?

Her stomach tightened as she handed over the bundle beside her.

"I made some frontier-style clothes for you. I'm not sure if your size has changed—if they don't fit, I can make adjustments."

"Your embroidery shop must keep you busy enough—why go to all this trouble? If I wanted new clothes, I could just go to the workshop and ask a seamstress."

If Lin Qingxia still couldn’t tell A Yuan was buttering her up by now, she’d be a fool.

"It's just a small thing," A Yuan smiled. "It doesn't compare to the help you've given me before."

Lin Qingxia gave a slight snort. "You don't need to flatter me. I helped you because I hate seeing people get pushed around. Our friendship is our own—it doesn't mean I have to accept Xie Zheng just because of you."

"Lady Lin..." A Yuan hesitated.

Lin Qingxia continued. "As another woman, Lady Xie, you should understand how women feel. I can bear Xie Zheng not loving me, but I can't bear his lies."

Whether it was hiding his identity to get close to her or stealing a kiss from her later, all she wanted was honest feelings.

But Xie Zheng never gave them to her.

Even during their last meeting, he only explained that he wasn't interested in men—not once did he say he loved her.

Lin Qingxia looked down, hiding the disappointment in her eyes. Her hands clenched tightly together beneath the table.

"If Lady Xie is here to plead Xie Zheng's case, then I'll have to leave."

At this point, A Yuan didn’t dare continue. She managed an awkward smile. "Then I won't say another word."

Lin Qingxia didn't want to embarrass her. Setting aside the fact that she was Xie Zheng’s sister, A Yuan was her only real friend in the capital.

On stage, the storyteller began a new tale, and most of the tea had been drunk. Lin Qingxia set down her cup and stood. "I have something at home to take care of. We should call it a day."

"Madam Lin!"

A-Yuan saw she was leaving and hurriedly stood as well. She called out to stop her, wringing her hands as she asked, "Will you marry Qin Erlang?"

Word of the Lin and Qin families' impending marriage had already spread throughout the capital. She worried it'd be finalized before her brother returned.

Lin Qingshuang turned her back to her and nodded slightly. "Perhaps."

While Qin Erlang wasn't Xie Zheng's equal, he treated her well.

Lin Qingshuang thought that marrying him might not be so bad.

A-Yuan's heart dropped. She begged, "Wait for my brother, please. Wait for him to return."

"My lady, I understand my brother. He has never felt this way about anyone before. Can you give him one more chance?"

Lin Qingshuang stiffened slightly, her voice just above a whisper, "I already have."

She had given Xie Zheng many chances, but he had spurned her affections time and again.

A-Yuan missed her words and wanted to ask again, but Lin Qingshuang had already exited the teahouse with her maid.

"My lady, what shall we do now?"

While Chun Tao hadn't spent much time interacting with Xie Zheng, she could sense that the general held his mistress in highest regard. Moreover, the young general didn't strike her as someone who would deceive a young lady—perhaps Lady Lin had misunderstood him?

A-Yuan agreed. "Let's go. We'll return to the estate and write to my brother, begging him to return immediately."

What terrified her most was that Lin Qingshuang would marry Qin Erlang, and her brother would lose her forever.

"Alright."

Mistress and maid settled the bill and left the teahouse, focused on getting word to Xie Zheng as quickly as possible, unaware that they were being followed.

The prime minister's agents exchanged glances. "Follow them!"

Their previous assassination attempt had ended in heavy losses. Wei Xun had been in danger, and Prime Minister Su had nearly fallen under Emperor Chengyuan's suspicion. They had sacrificed an entire unit to clear their names.

But the enmity between Prime Minister Su and Wei Xun had deepened further. Initially, the Prime Minister had no desire to provoke Xie Zheng, but Wei Xun had repeatedly schemed against him, leaving him no choice but to make another enemy.

"Hmm..."

As the carriage rounded a corner, a figure suddenly burst through the curtains, knocking both mistress and maid unconscious instantly.

The agents wasted no time taking them away.

The Prime Minister had ordered that they weren't to kill Lady Xie—only to make Wei Xun suffer.

The young Marquis Wei had remained unmarried for years because of this woman. He must have loved her deeply. If he were to witness her defiled by beggars, one could only imagine how maddening it would be.

A cruel gleam flashed in the agents' eyes as they gazed at A-Yuan's breathtaking face, their faces twisting with lust.

"They say she was once Yangzhou's most celebrated courtesan. With looks and figure like hers, no wonder the young Marquis Wei couldn't forget her."

"What a pity. If not for fear of General Xie's retaliation, I'd love to taste this beauty myself."

"Enough! Hurry and take her away. The beggars are already waiting! This time, we must complete the mission. Otherwise, you won't have to worry about Xie Zheng's revenge—the prime minister will have you executed!"

"Yes."

The hidden guards didn’t dare to say more and quickly led them away.

In her unconscious state, A Yuan felt someone force-feed her a bowl of medicine. She tried to spit it out, but someone pinched her jaw open and poured it down her throat.

“No… don’t…”

“Hah, those beggars have never seen a woman before. Lady Xie might be saying no now, but we’ll see how long she lasts.”

“Captain, what about the maid?”

One of the guards pointed at Chun Tao, who lay unconscious nearby. The maid wasn’t as beautiful as Lady Xie, but still somewhat attractive.

If they couldn’t have the mistress, the maid would do.

Luckily, their leader still had some sense left and snapped coldly, “If you want women, visit the brothels once the job’s done! Anyone who disobeys the Prime Minister’s orders for the sake of lust won’t live long enough to regret it—don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

“Yes.”

The guards tensed and hastily hauled A Yuan and her maid off.

In her daze, A Yuan felt as though her body was engulfed in flames. Faintly, she heard someone mention handing her over to a pack of beggars. Panic forced her eyes open.

“Help… save me…”

Her voice was barely a whisper, and the drug left her body limp and powerless.

They carried her into a sealed room where the reek of filth filled the air.

“Lady Xie, have fun.”

They sneered as they left the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

Those beggars wouldn’t let her go.

“No!”

A Yuan’s heart sank. With great effort, she stretched out a trembling hand—until she collapsed into someone’s arms.