[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-35":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Stealing Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1220652,1614,"Chapter 35: Section 14","stealing-ming-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>These past few days Huang Shi had asked quite a few people about the living conditions of wealthy Ming households, so he knew that a bondservant girl with no one to rely on led a miserable existence — sold off by her parents, raised from childhood by strangers, enduring harsh servitude and suffering every kind of hardship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A girl with a face like Good Little Darling’s would inevitably become the plaything of the master, the young master, or even a cousin or male relative on the master’s side — just like that girl Huang Shi had toyed with at the spy’s place in Liaoyang. Once they tired of her, she would be casually handed off to some servant or retainer like an object, or even sold to a human trafficker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good Little Darling was one of the very few fortunate ones among these ill-fated girls — a young lady’s personal maid did not have to worry so much about being defiled. If she managed to win the favor of the young lady and her parents, a maid like her would have secured the best future a bondservant girl could ever hope for: becoming a dowry maid who accompanied the bride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, few families would push their own daughters into a pit of fire, so after accompanying the bride, there was something to look forward to — no fear of hunger or cold, and no fear of being toyed with and then tossed aside like a rag. Children born to a secondary wife would not suffer too much bullying either; at least their family status would not be too low. Though she could never have freedom in marriage, who in this age had any room to choose anyway?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Good Little Darling’s whole life had been ruined by a single sentence from Huang Shi. She slowly raised her head, her lips pressed tightly together, drained of color; her nostrils, beginning to redden, flared rapidly; her eyes strained wide open to keep anything from spilling out, yet they brimmed with grievance and sorrow. Huang Shi stiffened his face and turned his head away. The bitterness in her gaze flowed thickly across the distance between them, into Huang Shi’s eyes, then into his mouth and throat, making his chest feel so choked with suffocation that he could not bear to watch any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice straining with all its might to suppress emotion reached his ears, followed by Good Little Darling’s rapid breathing and the rustling of her clothes as she rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait,” Huang Shi called out. He suddenly realized he was tormenting a pitiful girl. The anger swiftly receded from his chest, replaced by shame and regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi drew a breath and turned his head back to stare intently at Good Little Darling. She, too, stared fixedly at Huang Shi’s mouth, her hands hidden inside her sleeves and clasped at her abdomen, her back slightly bent forward. Though she tried even harder to keep her eyes wide open, tears were on the verge of bursting forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m asking you one last time — truly the last time. Who? Who told you the reason I was angry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good Little Darling closed her eyes. At once the tears converged into two streams, falling from her face like pearls broken off their string. She could no longer hold back her sobs; her clasped hands parted and covered her mouth. After a long while of choking sobs, she began to force out a string of broken, tuneless syllables:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly, no one, Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, she shut her eyes again and pressed her hands tightly over her mouth, but the wailing that leaked through was enough to make Huang Shi feel his heart shatter. He went on, speaking as if to himself: “It was definitely Yang Luhuo who told you. I never spoke of it to a second person…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was not,” Good Little Darling let her sleeves drop, her voice broken by sobs. “Young Master has wrongly blamed a good man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She really is a girl who values loyalty deeply, Huang Shi thought. Weeping like a rain-drenched pear blossom, Good Little Darling filled his heart entirely with remorse. He reflected that he himself was an upright, honorable man — why must he always resort to these schemes and intrigues, and always use women as his point of entry?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to quibble. With that tiny bit of cunning, you think you can deceive me? I am no fool, and do not take me for one. What I hate most is being treated like a fool.” Huang Shi paused after speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good Little Darling wept even harder: “This servant did not…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold your tongue! If you dare lie again, I really will drive you out.” Huang Shi spoke with a vicious tone. These words not only made Good Little Darling shut her mouth at once, but even her sobbing halted. Her eyes open, Good Little Darling’s mind was racing, turning over the meaning behind Huang Shi’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are very loyal, so I have decided to forgive you. Loyalty is a good thing, so I do not intend to pursue this further.” After Huang Shi finished, he saw Good Little Darling’s hands return to their clasped position at her abdomen, her dark pupils darting about wildly. He gave a snort, and Good Little Darling immediately lowered her head to await his command, listening as he continued: “But lying to me is wrong no matter what. Go back and ask the Young Lady for your punishment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.” The form of address had reverted, and Good Little Darling’s tone had returned considerably to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did not make myself clear before, but now I will speak plainly with you — you are not to lie to me. After you accompany the bride and come over, this applies even more so. Absolutely not permitted!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.” Good Little Darling immediately nodded like a pestle pounding garlic, and her voice grew lively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be so cheeky. Be serious.” Huang Shi kept his face stern as he said this, but then could not help laughing first. Good Little Darling stole a glance, then covered her mouth again — but this time, she was laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, your Master is leaving now. But I want to hear you say it with your own mouth: you will never dare lie to Master again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From this day forward, I will never dare lie to Master again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if you do it again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I do it again, I will submit to whatever punishment Master sees fit.” Good Little Darling answered swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time you admit you were wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This servant admits she was wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good that you know. Do not take me for a fool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This servant would not dare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your mouth says you would not dare, but you will still do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This servant was momentarily bewitched.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it was Yang Luhuo after all.” Huang Shi sighed after he spoke. Good Little Darling’s stunned expression struck him as utterly amusing, so he reached out and flicked her nose. “What a steadfast girl — but Master still managed to coax the truth out of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah. So Master was, was coaxing this servant all along.” Good Little Darling deflated all at once like a punctured ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Huang Shi looked at her like this, the more endearing he found her. Unable to resist, he stretched out his right hand and used his index and middle fingers to pinch her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feel was wonderful. Huang Shi froze for a moment, his expression gradually shifting. His fingers then moved to the corner of her mouth; his index finger rested between her lips, and together with his middle finger, it clasped the vermilion lower lip. The moment he felt the scalding softness between his fingers, Huang Shi shuddered violently, his throat suddenly going dry, and he swallowed a large mouthful of saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze slowly followed his fingers downward, gliding past the smooth edge of her face and her neck — everywhere he touched was icy cool. Stopped by the collar, Huang Shi swallowed again, took a step forward, slipped his left arm under her armpit and around to her back, pulling the girl slightly toward his chest. His right palm slid down and grasped her waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master.” A soft call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm?” Huang Shi’s left arm held the girl by the waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master.” She called again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?” Huang Shi’s reluctant gaze traveled upward and saw the little maid also tilting her eyes to look at him, the corners of her mouth curved upward, holding a coquettishness that made a man’s heart race. Beneath her long lashes, the rippling waves in her eyes shimmered like reflected light on water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, not here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not daring to cry out, Good Little Darling twisted desperately but still could not break free from the tall, broad-shouldered man. She braced her hands against the wall, whipped her head around, and bit down on the hand resting on her shoulder. The sharp pain instantly made Huang Shi yell and release his grip, letting go of the girl in his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good Little Darling immediately spun around and rushed over to examine Huang Shi’s hand — blood was beginning to seep from several tooth marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, forgive me. If it were in the Huang residence, this servant would certainly welcome Master.” Good Little Darling hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief. “The Young Lady has been wanting to write a letter to Master, and when the time comes, she will have this servant deliver it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you know? You’re lying to me again.” Huang Shi asked crossly. The Sun young lady was one thing, but even a maid resisted so fiercely — and had bitten him and drawn blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Young Lady was scolded until she cried.” As Good Little Darling used the handkerchief to bandage Huang Shi’s hand, she hastened to explain: “The Young Lady felt very wronged and probably wants to pour out her feelings to Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She cried?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the tussle the two had just had, Good Little Darling’s whole attitude had changed, and she gave Huang Shi a full report. After the Young Lady’s secret meeting with Huang Shi, Lady Sun had said nothing, but Sun Degong had instead come and spoken with his daughter for a long while. By the time he left, his daughter was already weeping bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had once spoken up indignantly in front of the Young Lady, saying that once the betrothal gifts were sent, she was already a member of the Huang family — what was there to make such a fuss about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, and the Young Lady seemed to say that it only counts once Master sends the betrothal gifts a second time in the next couple of days,” Good Little Darling said with a puzzled look. “What sort of rule is sending betrothal gifts twice? This servant asked, but the Young Lady did not answer. Master, are you really going to send betrothal gifts again in the next couple of days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I have to go home today and prepare to march to war.” Huang Shi gave a cold laugh. In one shichen, the army would set out for Zhenwubao, and here he was, running wild in the home of a mortal enemy. He straightened his clothes and strode away, not telling Good Little Darling that this was precisely the betrothal gift Sun Degong wanted, nor did he look back at the ardent gaze behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Madman, madman — I’ve truly gone mad.” On the way home, Huang Shi kept cursing himself.\u003C\u002Fp>",1937,"2026-06-04T07:54:30.907Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","9b0b92632aee2b3bd6fd9b0960e4faf31a78650cc9915c5a5fedc81442b1dc68","stealing-ming-chapter-36","stealing-ming-chapter-34",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]