Chapter 22: Suddenly, She Realized That Xiao Jin’s Visit Tonight Was Probably Not Just To Help Her Redeem Someone

Yang Peier, who had been slapped unconscious, had yet to recover. She was propped up against the table, but few people seemed to care about her.

From her previous reading experience, Lu Shujin had read a few medical texts and could roughly guess that Yang Peier wasn’t just knocked out by the slap. It was highly likely that during her days in Yuhua Pavilion, she had been eating poorly, sleeping badly, and was overly exhausted and weak. The sudden fright she experienced earlier, combined with the slap, caused her to faint.

Once she had a free moment, Lu Shujin hurried over to check on her. Seeing Yang Peier left alone by the table, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Yang Peier’s hand, and tried to feel her pulse.

There was a time when she was quite interested in medicine, but unfortunately, the medical books she could get her hands on were too few. She hadn’t read much about pulse diagnosis, but she wanted to try if she could figure something out.

In the end, she could only vaguely feel Yang Peier’s faint pulse and couldn’t discern anything else.

Each profession has its own complexities—just reading a few lines of text couldn’t teach her any real skills.

A woman standing nearby saw her focusing so intently on taking the pulse and curiously asked, “Young master, did you figure out anything?”

Of course, she hadn’t figured out anything at all. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she pretended not to hear the question. She simply pulled down Yang Peier’s sleeve and gently placed her hand back down when Xiao Jin suddenly called out from the other side.

Lu Shujin turned around to see him striding over with a doctor carrying a medicine box following behind. He stopped in front of her, glanced at Yang Peier, and asked, “Is it her?”

Lu Shujin nodded, but as she moved, she tugged at her wound, the pain making her frown tightly.

“Doctor, take a look at the wound on her neck,” Xiao Jin said.

The doctor was an elderly man with white-streaked beard. Dragged here in a hurry by the guards, he was drenched in sweat—partly from heat, partly from embarrassment, fearing he might ruin his late-life reputation.

Lu Shujin tilted her head up, revealing the cut to the doctor.

“This wound is shallow, and the blood has already clotted. No need to do much more. I’ll give you an ointment. After you go back, clean the blood with clear water and apply it three times a day. For the first two days, keep it covered with gauze. After that, as it heals, you can leave it open. It should be nearly healed in a few days.”

As he spoke, the doctor swiftly opened his medicine box, pulling out various jars to prepare the ointment. “Stick out your tongue and let me see.”

Lu Shujin obediently stuck out her tongue.

The doctor examined it and said, “Young man, your complexion is pale, your lips and nails lack color, your tongue is thin with a white coating—this indicates blood deficiency. At your age, you should eat more and nourish yourself well. Don’t overindulge.”

“Huh?” Lu Shujin was stunned, and in the next moment, her face flushed red. She didn’t know how to respond.

Xiao Jin, standing by, added, “Don’t overindulge, did you hear that? Those who don’t listen to the doctor’s advice will have short lives.”

The doctor chuckled, placing the prepared ointment on the table. “It’s not a serious problem—just physical weakness, making you more prone to illness. Just take better care of yourself.”

“Doctor,” Lu Shujin pointed at Yang Peier. “Could you check on her as well? She was slapped and then fainted.”

The doctor stepped forward, took Yang Peier’s pulse, and lifted her eyelids for a closer look. He then said, “It seems like she fainted from a mix of shock and exhaustion due to her frail condition. No need for medicine. Rest and proper care will be enough.”

Lu Shujin nodded in thanks, and Xiao Jin handed over some silver, ordering the guards to escort the doctor out.

Her neck still ached, but Lu Shujin felt completely relaxed now. She sank into a nearby chair, feeling her arms and legs go weak, letting out a long sigh of relief. A wave of overwhelming fatigue washed over her, almost leaving her drained.

She had thought she could leave after redeeming Yang Peier, but she never expected such a farce to unfold—one that almost cost her life. It was absurd and terrifying.

Xiao Jin stood just three steps away, watching Lu Shujin’s slumped shoulders and lowered head. Unable to resist, he chuckled lightly, then suddenly said, “This is just the beginning.”

Lu Shujin looked up at him in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

A guard quickly stepped forward, leaned close to Xiao Jin’s ear, and whispered something. Xiao Jin gestured behind him and raised his voice, “Bring them all in.”

Xiao Jin casually pulled over a chair and sat down beside Lu Shujin. Just as he settled in, a group of guards marched in from the backyard, escorting a line of people who were forced to kneel on the ground. Behind them, several large chests were carried in and placed in front of Xiao Jin.

Upon seeing this scene, Liu Quan let out a few muffled cries, his face turning red and purple, and his legs began trembling violently.

Xiao Jin leaned over to Lu Shujin’s ear and whispered, “Look at Liu Quan’s face. Doesn’t it look like a freshly steamed pig’s head?”

Lu Shujin observed carefully and replied seriously, “It actually looks more like a dried persimmon hanging on the wall in winter.”

Xiao Jin thought for a moment and agreed, “True.”

After that, he straightened up and addressed Liu Quan, “Just now, my guards searched Yuhua Pavilion’s backyard and caught this group moving these boxes. They’re all your men. What exactly has the Liu family been hiding in this shabby little building?”

Liu Quan tried to shout, but his voice was muffled, making it impossible to hear him clearly.

Watching his trembling form, Xiao Jin couldn’t help but picture a persimmon hanging on the wall again and chuckled, “It really does look like one.”

Lu Shujin couldn’t understand his actions and didn’t intend to ask. She now realized that Xiao Jin’s visit tonight was likely not just to help her redeem someone.

Perhaps even during his previous visit to Yuhua Pavilion, where he spent lavishly, he had other motives. He first came to have fun and now used the excuse of a lost jade pendant to search the building, all to uncover whatever was hidden in these boxes.

While she was lost in thought, a loud voice suddenly called from the entrance, “Deputy Magistrate of Yun Prefecture has arrived!”

Xiao Jin immediately stood up and took a few steps forward, where a young man in a dark official robe walked in. Behind him followed a line of yamen officers, all dressed in uniform, swords at their waists, looking imposing.

The young man strode over and smiled at Xiao Jin, “Young Master Xiao, it’s a rare sight to see you.”

Ji Shuoting, who followed behind, immediately reclaimed his fan, carefully examining it as if afraid Xiao Jin had ruined it—completely unaware that Xiao Jin had just used it to slap Liu Quan’s face.

Xiao Jin also smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, “Master Fang, I’ve been waiting for you. Please, come in.”

This man, Fang Jin, was the Deputy Magistrate of Yun Prefecture, ranking just below the Prefect and a subordinate of the Prefect. He was also Ji Shuoting’s cousin-in-law.

Xiao Jin pointed at the boxes on the ground and explained, “Two days ago, I lost a jade pendant while having fun here at Yuhua Pavilion. When I came back to look for it today, I happened to catch Liu Quan’s men moving these boxes from the backyard. I felt something was off, so I had my guards stop them. All the items are here and haven’t been opened yet. I would like Master Fang to take a look.”

Fang Jin glanced at Liu Quan, then waved his hand, “Men, open them all!”

The yamen officers surged forward, tearing off the seals on the boxes and lifting the lids. Suddenly, row upon row of silver ingots gleamed under the lantern light, so bright that Lu Shujin instinctively blinked.

A wave of gasps echoed around them. Lu Shujin had never seen such a neatly stacked pile of silver before. Each ingot was about the size of a palm, looking like fifty-tael pieces, all brand new.

Fang Jin stepped forward, picked one up for closer inspection, and then spoke coldly, “This is official silver.”

“Wow!” Xiao Jin feigned surprise and said to Liu Quan, “Your Liu family is quite bold! Hiding official silver? That’s a crime punishable by death!”

Liu Quan’s eyes widened in terror, shaking his head frantically like a rattle drum, too frightened to even utter a single word in defense.

Fang Jin snorted coldly, “We will investigate thoroughly where this official silver came from. Take the silver back for verification, and escort everyone to the yamen for interrogation!”

The yamen officers immediately began moving, dragging the detainees and carrying the chests out.

Fang Jin turned back to Xiao Jin, his expression now polite. “Young Master Xiao, I must trouble you to come along and explain the details.”

“Of course.” Xiao Jin cupped his hands politely. He then gave Ji Shuoting a gentle push, “You go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

Ji Shuoting, who had barely sat down for a cup of tea, was now being ordered around again. Huffing in frustration, he stomped off.

Xiao Jin then turned to look at Lu Shujin, walked a few steps closer, and said in a low voice, “I’ll have someone escort you back to the academy. Don’t go anywhere else—stay obediently in your dormitory.”

Hearing his words, Lu Shujin finally snapped out of her shock at the sight of all those silver ingots and pointed at Yang Peier. “What about Sister Peier…?”

“I’ll arrange for someone to send her away as well.” Xiao Jin thought for a moment and added, “But you must not touch her. Rumors outside are terribly vicious right now. Last year, during the temple fair, a woman walking beside me had her shoe stepped on and lost it. Because of the crowd, she was pushed forward a few steps. I picked it up to return it to her. But ever since then, people in Yuncheng have been spreading rumors that I secretly collect women’s shoes and take them home to sniff…”

A look of disdain crossed his face. “Public opinion is terrifying.”

Lu Shujin, of course, didn’t believe the story. If Xiao Jin truly feared public opinion, he wouldn’t behave so recklessly.

But considering that her current identity was that of a man, she did need to be mindful of the boundaries between men and women, so she nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Xiao Jin found her so obedient that he smiled in satisfaction. “Hurry and head back.”

“I’d like to say a few words to Liu Quan,” Lu Shujin suddenly requested.

Xiao Jin agreed without a second thought and immediately called back the guards who were dragging Liu Quan away, forcing the terrified, half-dead man to be brought back.

Xiao Jin stepped outside to speak with Fang Jin, and the guards in the hall, along with most of the women, also left, leaving only a few people behind.

Lu Shujin looked at Liu Quan and spoke, “Liu Quan, I actually lied to you.”

Liu Quan’s mind was a chaotic mess, his whole body weak with fear. He was in no state to focus on whatever Lu Shujin was saying.

But she continued, “When I was ghostwriting the policy essay for you, I was also ghostwriting for Xiao Jin. That day, I deliberately swapped your essays and then informed my deskmate that I would be going behind Baili Pond at noon. The essay Xiao Jin submitted infuriated the teacher, who dragged him to the Reflection Room for a scolding. After that, he was bound to look for me in the Grade-A Hall, and my deskmate would tell him where I had gone.”

“I was already waiting by Baili Pond early on. I saw you and your accomplices attacking Liang Chunyuan. I didn’t step forward until Xiao Jin appeared. I deliberately provoked you, making you yell and draw his attention.” Lu Shujin calmly revealed the entire plan. “I thought after getting beaten up, you would wise up, but I never expected you to be so foolish. Even today, when I asked you, you were still completely clueless.”

Liu Quan stared at her like he was seeing a ghost, suddenly recalling their first encounter half a month ago. Back then, this person was holding a steamed bun, standing quietly among the crowd, completely unremarkable. Later, when he and his men blocked her path, Lu Shujin was extremely panicked, even stumbling and falling while trying to escape. After that, she lowered her head, humbled herself, and offered to ghostwrite his essay.

Liu Quan had always thought that this child from a poor family was incredibly easy to bully, even more so than anyone he had oppressed before—a mere ant he could crush at any time.

But now, facing her gaze, he finally understood. Although Lu Shujin looked honest and gentle, always speaking slowly and sincerely, her heart was dark. Far from being as pure and clear as she seemed. Her words always revealed half the truth, with the other half hidden in her mind, turning into scheming.

He didn’t understand why Lu Shujin was telling him all this. As he was trying to figure it out, she continued with a serious tone, “That day, Xiao Jin didn’t hit you to stand up for me. He never said anything about protecting me in Yuncheng or keeping me from being bullied. I am not on the same side as him. If you die and turn into a ghost seeking revenge, don’t come looking for me.”

Liu Quan nearly choked on his own rage and passed out right then and there.

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