gnovel Chapter 23 "We've been husband and wife for a lifetime, and I don't want to go too fa
Chapter 23 "We've been husband and wife for a lifetime, and I don't want to go too fa
"Brother Zhang, what brings you here today?" Yan Poxi asked lazily.
Zhang Wenyuan walked behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned down, and blew a breath into her ear.
"Of course I miss you."
A blush rose on Yan Poxi's cheeks, and her body went limp.
She nestled against Zhang Wenyuan's chest, playfully scolding, "All you ever say are sweet nothings. Why didn't you come over the other day?"
Zhang Wenyuan's hands began to wander.
"Didn't that Clerk Song come back to spend the night a few days ago? How could I dare to come?"
The blush on Yan Poxi's face vanished instantly upon hearing the mention of Song Jiang.
She pushed Zhang Wenyuan away and stood up.
"Don't mention that Kuro Saburo, just thinking about him makes me angry!"
Zhang Wenyuan hugged her waist from behind.
"What's wrong, my darling? Did he make you angry again?"
Yan Poxi turned around, leaned against him, and drew circles on his chest with her fingers.
"When he came back the day before yesterday, I told him that he had his eye on a hairpin from the Treasure Shop in the east of the city, and it cost twenty taels of silver."
"Guess what he said?"
He said, "I only have five taels of silver here. Take it first, and I'll make up the difference another day."
Yan Poxi laughed in anger.
"Five taels of silver? He's throwing money at a beggar! He's a clerk, a high-ranking official, and he's received far more than a thousand or two hundred taels in bribes every day. But when it comes to me, he's only willing to give me five taels!"
Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Zhang Wenyuan's eyes.
He carried Yan Poxi and sat down by the bed.
"Xi'er, you don't know this. Although Song Jiang has some money, he prefers a hollow reputation."
"He used most of his money to help those outlaws in the underworld."
"What timely rain? I think it's more like a timely wind. It's blown all the money away."
Upon hearing this, Yan Poxi became even more furious.
"Yes! They'd rather give money to shady characters than buy me a single hairpin!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, until suddenly she seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right, he came back the other day, drunk, and left a document bag here with me."
"A document bag?" Zhang Wenyuan's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes." Yan Poxi pulled a worn leather bag from under her pillow and tossed it onto the bed.
"I had nothing to do today, so I opened it and took a look."
"Inside are all his correspondence with others."
Zhang Wenyuan picked up the bag and weighed it in his hand.
"What did you write?"
Yan Poxi pursed her lips.
"It's nothing but empty words of brotherhood. One says, 'Thank you for saving me, brother,' and another says, 'I will never forget your kindness, brother.' See for yourself."
Zhang Wenyuan immediately opened the bag and poured out all the letters inside.
He looked through each letter one by one.
Most of it, as Yan Poxi said, was indeed just polite talk from the martial arts world.
But soon, his gaze was drawn to the signature on one of the letters.
"Wu Liangcai?"
Zhang Wenyuan hurriedly opened it, glanced at it a few times, and then slapped his thigh hard!
"What's wrong?" Yan Poxi noticed his strange expression and curiously came closer.
Zhang Wenyuan didn't say anything; he simply laid the letter out in front of Yan Poxi.
"Xi'er, look at this name."
Yan Poxi looked at him, puzzled, and asked, "Wu Liangcai? What happened to him?"
Zhang Wenyuan lowered his voice, his face showing an unusual excitement.
"My dear Xi'er, do you know who this person is?"
Who is it?
"He's now a notorious bandit with a bounty of a thousand gold pieces on his head! He's committed murder, robbery, and all sorts of crimes!"
Yan Poxi's eyes widened instantly.
She stared blankly at the letter, then looked at Zhang Wenyuan.
"What...what did you say?"
Zhang Wenyuan pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the cheek.
"My darling, we're going to be rich this time!"
He picked up the letter and waved it in front of Yan Poxi.
"Take this and wait for Song Jiang to come again."
"Tell him you want one hundred taels of gold to buy that hairpin."
Yan Poxi was startled by this number.
"One hundred taels of gold? How...how could he give that?"
Zhang Wenyuan smiled.
His smile was somewhat sinister.
"He will."
"Tell him that if he doesn't give it to you, you should deliver this letter to Magistrate Shi's desk at the county office."
"At that point, let alone a hundred taels of gold, he won't even be able to save his own life!"
Yan Poxi's heart began to pound wildly.
She looked at Zhang Wenyuan, then at the letter in her hand.
One hundred taels of gold...
What kind of wealth is that?
She never dared to imagine it in her entire life.
She swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly.
"Will he... will he really give it to me?"
Zhang Wenyuan pressed her down on the bed and leaned over her.
"He will not only give it to you, but he will also kneel down and beg you to accept it."
……
Song Jiang has been in a very good mood these past two days.
Getting things done for Chao Gai was an enormous favor.
As evening fell, after finishing his official business at the county government office, he hummed a little tune and walked out of the office.
He didn't go home.
Instead, they walked familiarly towards Wulong Temple.
He hadn't seen Yan Poxi for a few days and missed her a little.
He thought that since he had some free time today, he might as well go and spend some time with her.
I also bought her the hairpin I had promised her a few days ago.
He pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate and went inside.
The lights were on in the main room.
He walked up the steps and pushed open the door.
"Xi'er, I'm back."
Yan Poxi was sitting at the table, holding a cup of tea in her hand, but she didn't drink it.
She heard Song Jiang's voice and slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were filled with greed.
Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on his face froze.
"Xi'er, what... what's wrong?"
He took two steps forward, about to close the door.
Yan Poxi spoke.
Her voice was completely devoid of its former tenderness.
"Song Jiang".
"You left your bag of letters with me."
"Who is Wu Liangcai?"
Song Jiang's hand stopped in mid-air.
"Xi'er, what... what nonsense are you talking about?"
Yan Poxi held the cup of tea, which had long since gone cold, and used the lid to skim off the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water again and again.
"I'm asking you, who is Wu Liangcai?"
Song Jiang slowly withdrew his hand.
He looked at Yan Poxi.
"I...I have a friend in the martial arts world..."
Yan Poxi smiled.
She put down her teacup, stood up, and walked to Song Jiang.
"A friend?"
Yan Poxi stretched out her slender fingers and gently touched Song Jiang's chest.
"Sir Song, you have so many friends."
She pulled the letter from her sleeve.
That thin piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in her fingertips.
"This letter says that Wu Liangcai killed someone in Jiangzhou and the government is after him. He wants your help to tamper with the arrest warrant so that he can escape to the border region."
"The letter also said that he would be richly rewarded once he settled down."
Song Jiang stared intently at the letter.
That was his handwriting, proof of his interactions with people in the martial arts world.
It is also the foundation of his reputation as a "timely rain".
But now, it has become a knife hanging over his neck.
What do you want?
Song Jiang's voice was no longer audible.
Yan Poxi's smile widened even more.
She knew this man would give in.
"Didn't I tell you the other day that I had my eye on that hairpin from the Treasure Pavilion?"
Song Jiang remained silent.
Yan Poxi's fingertips traced a path up his chest, finally resting on his Adam's apple.
"I've thought about it, and that hairpin isn't good enough for me."
She leaned close to Song Jiang's ear, her breath sweet as orchids.
"I want one hundred taels of gold."
Song Jiang suddenly took two steps back, looking at her in disbelief.
"One hundred taels of gold?! You're insane!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Poxi's smile vanished instantly.
"Am I crazy?"
She sneered.
"Song Jiang, don't you even know if your life is worth a hundred taels of gold?"
"You colluded with a notorious thief, failed to report it, and even tried to help him escape punishment! Which of these offenses isn't enough to cost you your head?"
"I'm only asking for one hundred taels of gold out of consideration for our past relationship. If I were more ruthless, I could just send this letter to Magistrate Shi's desk in the county government..."
She didn't say anything more, but just looked at Song Jiang with contempt and mockery in her eyes.
Song Jiang's chest heaved violently.
A surge of anger rose from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He wanted to rush up to her, grab her by the neck, and tear that hateful face to shreds.
But he can't.
He knew how respected he was in the county government, in restaurants, and among the heroes of the martial arts world.
Those people called him "Brother Gongming" and "Timely Rain".
Within the system, he was Song Yashi, a public-spirited and righteous official.
But now, he has been driven to the brink of despair by a woman he has been supporting with his own money.
How ironic.
"I don't have a hundred taels of gold."
Song Jiang's voice was filled with exhaustion.
Yan Poxi's face instantly turned cold again.
"No?"
She walked to the table and picked up the letter.
"Then I'll have no choice but to..."
"I'll give it to you!"
Song Jiang looked at Yan Poxi and said, word by word, "I'll give you one hundred taels of gold, but you'll need to borrow it."
A smug smile returned to Yan Poxi's face.
She carefully folded the letter and tucked it back into her sleeve.
"That's right."
She walked up to Song Jiang, reached out, and straightened his slightly disheveled collar.
"We've been husband and wife, I don't want to go too far."
Looking at her face so close to his, Song Jiang felt a wave of nausea.
"Before nightfall tomorrow."
Yan Poxi's voice was so gentle, it sounded like she was whispering sweet nothings.
"I want to see gold."
"Otherwise, this letter will grow legs and run to Master Shi's desk."
After she finished speaking, she turned around, walked back to the dressing table, and sat down.
She picked up the red gold hairpin, looked in the bronze mirror, and slowly and deliberately inserted it into her hair.
The mirror reflected Song Jiang's dejected and heartbroken figure.
Song Jiang didn't say another word. He turned around, opened the door, and went out.
A night breeze blew by, and he shivered.
He glanced back at the brightly lit room, from which came Yan Poxi's smug humming.
The melody was melodious, but the lyrics were hard to hear clearly.