Chapter 243 - 252: Eager to Give It a Try

Ah Qing is not one to “pity fragrant and cherish jade,” and she really can’t stand nasty people like Li Bonian, who actually dared to covet their lady Madam. She did not hold back at all when she made her move. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

With a slap, Li Bonian was thrown onto the muddy ground beside the road. His clothes were covered in mud, and whether Ah Qing did it on purpose or not, Li Bonian landed flat on his back with his legs in the air, his face also smeared with a clump of mud, utterly ruining his image.

“You servant girl, you have quite the nerve!” Li Bonian angrily pointed at Ah Qing.

After all, Li Bonian had spent many years in the military camp. Although his ability was not as good as Han Yu’s, he still had some skills. The reason he was so easily caught by Ah Qing was that he was too careless and did not guard against a little girl like her, allowing her to catch him off guard. Moreover, Ah Qing’s skills were indeed beyond what Li Bonian could match; even if he had been on his guard, it would have just been a matter of more effort.

“Master Li, I’m really sorry. My servant girl has been practicing martial arts since she was little and always has a heavy hand. I only meant to ask her to clear the way, I didn’t expect to cause Master Li to fall like this. Master Li, you are a generous man; please don’t take it to heart over a little girl. Besides, you are a military officer. If this matter were to get out, I don’t know whose reputation would suffer!”

Su Wenyue said with a cold laugh. Since she dared to let Ah Qing take action, she naturally had a countermeasure in mind. She didn’t believe Li Bonian would be so shameless as to lose face just to punish a servant girl.

Li Bonian had originally intended to punish this servant girl who dared to attack an Imperial Court official. Hearing Su Wenyue’s words, his face grew even darker. Although he was seething with anger inside, he had to admit that what Su Wenyue said was true. Not to mention that he had been made a fool of by a servant girl; even the idea of stopping Su Wenyue from moving on could become an embarrassment if it got out.

“Mrs. Su, don’t go too far. I wanted to have a decent conversation with you because you still look somewhat appealing. Don’t be ungrateful! Now, I’ll tell you in private, without others present, and I’m not afraid to say it: Han Yu may not return from his bandit suppression mission this time. When you become a widow with three children, life won’t be so easy. However, I am someone who pities fragrant and cherishes jade. If you are willing to follow me, although the status might not be as good, I will surely not mistreat you in other respects. I guarantee you will live comfortably, better than before,” Li Bonian still did not give up, trying to persuade Su Wenyue to follow him. After all, it is rare to find a woman with such beauty and that stubborn streak, which excited his masculine desire for conquest.

“Ah Qing, slap him!” Su Wenyue narrowed her eyes, her face showing a hint of barely tolerable rage. At this moment, she could not allow anyone to curse Han Yu.

Li Bonian was stunned. He had not expected his provocation to backfire. Having just witnessed the capability of Su Wenyue’s servant girl, and having lost face once, he couldn’t afford to lose it a second time. Sadly, even though he had spent years in the military camp, he had only learned some showy moves. If Ah Qing were to strike for real, even if he had been prepared, he would have been unable to defend himself. With two crisp slaps, two red marks appeared on his face.

“Mrs. Su, you’re simply overstepping your bounds. You think just because I care about face, I wouldn’t dare do anything to your servant girl? A servant assaulting an Imperial Court official is a capital offense. If you don’t apologize to me properly today, I’ll make sure your servant girl has nowhere to be buried!” A large man being slapped in the face, what a humiliation Li Bonian faced. He was beyond just angry but still thought to use this as a threat to make Su Wenyue submit to him.

Su Wenyue still had a cold smile, looking disdainfully at Li Bonian: “To become a man like you is truly a failure. If you are not afraid of losing face, go ahead and make a fuss. But I won’t admit to it. How could we, a few weak women, do anything to Master Li? The truth is Master Li coveted my beauty and, failing to coerce me, deliberately sought to frame me!”

As Su Wenyue spoke, she glanced at the servant girl standing aside, who seemed to wish she could shrink away and disappear, worried that she might be called to testify. Su Wenyue wasn’t worried about the servant girl’s testimony, after all, the girl was from the Li family and naturally lying due to the master’s orders would be quite normal.

Li Bonian did not expect Su Wenyue to be so shameless: “You woman, you are despicable and shameless, daring to act but not admit!”

“The pot calling the kettle black. Compared to Master Li, what I do is trivial at best, perhaps a bit shameless but not nearly as sinister and cruel!” After that, Su Wenyue left with her servant girls.

Li Bonian was filled with hatred, but he no longer had thoughts of dealing with Su Wenyue’s servant girl. After all, Su Wenyue had made it clear: she would not admit to anything, there were no witnesses present, and if he made a fuss, he would gain nothing but embarrassment. However, the more this happened, the more determined Li Bonian became to possess Su Wenyue.

The reason Su Wenyue stood so strong now, Li Bonian concluded, was that she did not believe his words. Once things change and Han Yu runs into trouble, Su Wenyue certainly wouldn’t have the same attitude, and he would have plenty of opportunities to win her over.

“You little minx, just wait and see. Once I’ve got you in my grasp, you’ll see what’s coming to you!” Li Bonian wiped his mouth, only to realize that the servant girl had hit him hard. Just a couple of slaps had caused his lips to bleed. No wonder it felt so painful—it probably didn’t look so good either. Li Bonian glared at the shrinking servant girl, warning her not to speak of the incident, before returning to his own courtyard. He wouldn’t dare to go out before the wounds on his face healed; otherwise, wouldn’t he be laughed at?

After leaving Li Mansion, Ah Qing could see that Su Wenyue and Xiao Xi both seemed undisturbed by the earlier events, which made her anxious. She hadn’t openly attacked an Imperial Court official before. After all, Imperial laws were clear, and even if she really wanted to strike, she couldn’t do it openly, especially since her mistress had always instructed her to act in secret.

“Madam, is it really okay for me to have slapped an Imperial Court official just like that? Won’t Master Li come after me for trouble?”

“Don’t worry, it will be fine. Do you still have doubts when our mistress deals with things?” Xiao Xi had blind faith in Su Wenyue; besides, in her eyes, slapping a nasty person like Li Bonian really wasn’t a big deal. As the Miss said, without any witness, it didn’t count. The testimony of Li family’s servant girl would be false.

Seeing Ah Qing with a worried look, Su Wenyue thought this girl really needed to toughen up. Not like Xiao Xi, who would have been excited to have done more bad things under her direction. Didn’t you see how eager Xiao Xi was when Ah Qing slapped Li Bonian, wishing she had been the one to do it?

“Ah Qing, have you lost your mind? We just left Li Mansion, and we didn’t meet anyone. Why worry about it? As long as we didn’t do it, no one can wrong us. Put your heart back in your stomach.” Su Wenyue winked, and Ah Qing suddenly felt that she was truly making a big deal out of nothing.