Chapter 169: The Ding-Dang Sound of Poverty

Yun Niang had never seen such a scene.

The blade pressed against her neck, icy cold, like a snake.

She froze, her mind went blank, her eye sockets heated, and tears began to patter down.

A tear rolled down her cheek, landing squarely on the cold blade held before her neck.

A soft 'da' sound, so faint it was almost inaudible.

But the man froze.

He lowered his head to look at the crystal droplet on the blade, then lifted his head to look at the tear‑streaked girl before him; the sternness on his face seemed scalded by that drop of tear, cracking a seam.

He flipped his wrist, sheathing the blade in a clean, swift motion; the sound of the blade sliding into its scabbard was especially crisp in the quiet corridor.

Yun Niang's legs went weak; she staggered back two steps, leaned against the corridor pillar, panting heavily, tears still flowing, unable to stop.

What's wrong?

A gentle, refined voice came from inside the door.

A middle‑aged man dressed as a scholar stepped out slowly, wearing a stone‑green Daoist robe, his features clear and handsome, his brows and eyes gentle, a scroll still clutched in his hand.

He glanced at the sword‑wielding man, then at Yun Niang, who was crying against the pillar unable to speak, furrowed his brow slightly, yet his tone remained unhurried:

Who are you?

Yun Niang wiped her tears with the back of her hand, barely stopping her sobs, her voice still trembling:

I, I am someone sent back by Miss Du… I had just taken my mother to the purification room; on the way back I didn't know the road, so I ended up here by mistake…

The scholar gave her a neutral glance, his gaze calm, as if assessing something whose authenticity was still uncertain.

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke again, his tone still gentle but now touched with a measured scrutiny:

If you entered by mistake, why didn't you leave right away?

Yun Niang was at a loss for words.

She lowered her head, bit her lip, and twisted the corner of her clothing with her fingers.

The two before her—one cold‑faced and blade‑in‑hand, the other speaking softly yet every word like a blade—were both hard to deal with.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, feeling anxious, fearful, and wronged, but she knew she couldn't cry now, or she'd become even more incoherent.

【Fight for one's own life】

That clear yet forceful sentence lingered in her ears.

She took it to heart, truly, truly—she had loved that so‑carefree person in this life.

Even if she could not become someone like Miss Du, she shouldn't fall too far short, right?

Thus, Yun Niang drew a deep breath, struggled to lift her head, met the gazes of the two before her, and spoke word by word:

Because the carriage driver is still waiting outside to settle the fare.

She paused, her voice steadied a little:

We've been waiting outside for a long time, but no one came to greet us. After I saw my mother back, I heard voices inside this house, so I wanted to step closer to see if anyone was there, to ask…

She didn't go on, but her meaning was clear—she was looking for help, not eavesdropping.

The corridor suddenly fell silent.

That silence was not just absence of sound, but a stillness in which everything seemed frozen.

The wind stopped, the trees stilled, even the occasional dog barks from the distant street sounded muffled.

I never expected it, never in a million years.

All talk of eavesdropping is false.

It's only for the silver money that it's real.

Is that right?

Is that really right?

Storybooks don't write it like this!

Yun Niang stood there, steeling herself, waiting for the other to speak.

Three people stood there in a line, the scene a bit awkward for a moment.

Finally, the cold‑faced man moved, sheathing his cold blade neatly at his waist, then bowed his hands to the scholar, his voice low and devoid of emotion:

Sir, if you have no other business, I'll take my leave.

He turned to go, but before his foot even left the ground, the scholar spoke, his tone still unhurried and warm:

Wait a moment.

The man halted his steps and turned back.

The scholar glanced at him, then at Yun Niang; the corner of his mouth twitched into a faint smile, barely perceptible, yet tinged with teasing.

You frightened this young lady just now, and quite severely. Since the carriage driver who brought her is still waiting outside to settle the fare… this payment ought to be made by you.

A flicker of surprise crossed the man's face.

For the first time, his frost‑cold face showed an expression other than stunned.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, then swallowed it back; his gaze swept over Yun Niang a few times, but in the end he said nothing, merely bowing his hands again in acknowledgment.

The scholar then added:

Miss, once you've settled everything, a servant will escort you to your lodgings.

Before Yun Niang could react, the man gave her a cold glance.

That glance held no earlier killing intent, yet it wasn't friendly either, mixed with a hint of strangeness and doubt.

He turned and strode forward, his boots thudding on the blue‑gray bricks; Yun Niang followed in a daze, her heart full of bewilderment——

Is this… the county magistrate venting his anger for her?

How… how does it feel? It seems even his own purse isn't exactly full.

No way! No way!

No matter how you say it, he's still the magistrate of an entire city!

Yunniang's heart slowly settled back into her stomach again, she quickened her steps to keep pace with the cold-noodle man, leading her mother back.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Chen Er was indeed still waiting there; he did not dare to sit on a chair, only squatted in the corner to rest. Upon seeing someone come out, he stood up, patted the dust off his buttocks, and still wore an extremely fawning smile.

The cold-noodle man pulled a string of copper coins from his sleeve, didn't even count them, shoved them into Chen Er's hand, turned and left, never once glancing at Yunniang from start to finish.

Yunniang had no pleasant expression, nor did she fawn over the cold buttocks; she exchanged a few more words with Chen Er, and that counted as their farewell.

Her mother had just wiped her face, already caught her breath, her complexion somewhat better than before, and asked her in a low voice:

"Who was that person just now? He doesn't look like a civil official from the government office."

Yunniang fell silent for a moment, recalling the knife that had just been held to her throat, recalling his eyes as cold as a frozen river, recalling his overbearing manner of brandishing a knife at people without asking right from wrong.

She pursed her lips, her voice tinged with a spitefulness she herself hadn't even noticed.

"An extremely detestable person."

"Mother, there's no need to ask about him; anyway, we'll certainly never see him again."

That kind of stalwart ruffian is also afraid of dying!

How could we possibly see him again!

Fortunately, fortunately, from now on we should see that elegant county magistrate more!

Meanwhile, half a county office away, in the study where Yunniang couldn't see, the so-called elegant county magistrate Chen Weifang spread out a sheet of letter paper and began to write furiously——

"Demand money! Demand money! All you know is to demand money!"

"The county office is so poor it rings with poverty—there's not a penny of silver to give you!"

"If I had known earlier that you'd amount to nothing, I wouldn't have given you Chinu no matter what!"

"Return Chinu quickly! Return my family's Chinu quickly!"

?? 3, 2, 1, start laughing!