Chapter 452 - 173: Prefectural Academy (4)
Chapter 452: Chapter 173: Prefectural Academy (4)
One of his colleagues was constantly humiliating him, saying he was as beautiful as a fine woman and that he was a kept man, bringing shame to his ancestors.
Day after day, could Yin Xichen really tolerate it?
He couldn’t!
Yin Xichen came up with a nasty scheme.
He waited until his superior was sent to the Southwest to proctor exams, a trip that would keep him away for more than half a year, and then he seduced the man’s wife.
When it came to wooing women, Yin Xichen truly had a talent for it.
He went to the temple the wife frequented and professed his infatuation for her. He even offered her Dongzhu pearls—which he claimed to have spent his entire fortune on—just to be used as decoration on her shoes.
How could a noble lady, long neglected and repressed, possibly resist such a gesture?
After this happened several times, Yin Xichen successfully found his way into her bed.
When the superior returned from proctoring the exams, Yin Xichen produced an IOU.
It stated that on a certain date, the man’s wife had purchased two Dongzhu pearls from him and owed a debt of one thousand gold.
Anyone with half a brain could see something was fishy about the IOU, but since Yin Xichen didn’t explicitly mention their affair and was only demanding money, the superior’s wife tacitly went along with it.
His superior probably figured out what was going on, but he’d already been cuckolded, so he could only suffer in silence. He couldn’t let the matter become public and turn himself into the town’s laughingstock. Furthermore, to appease Yin Xichen, he couldn’t even haggle over the one thousand gold; he had to pay the full price.
After smoothly pulling this off, Yin Xichen secretly met with the wife again. He told her with deep passion and sincerity, "I hate that he married you but fails to cherish you. I arrived a step too late and missed my chance at a beautiful destiny! Is it sorrow? Is it regret? My only wish is for you to find happiness for the rest of your life. If you do, I can die without regret."
As soon as he said this, the budding resentment and regret in the wife’s heart dissipated completely.
From that point on, her heart was filled with nothing but Yin Xichen. She recognized only her "Mr. Yin," as if she didn’t even know who her own husband was.
That wife was of noble birth, so it was difficult for the superior to divorce her. He could only confine her to the rear courtyards. He then went crying to the Yue Family, begging them to have Yin Xichen demoted and sent away to a provincial post.
And that’s the real reason why Yin Xichen, a distinguished third-place scholar, ended up as a mere instructor at the Xinghuai Prefecture Academy.
After hearing Wang Jun’s story, all De’an could manage was, "Holy shit... holy shit."
Wang Jun cleaned out his ear, quite satisfied with De’an’s reaction. But an earful of "holy shit" was starting to get on his nerves. He patted De’an. "Find another word."
"I can’t! Right now, I can only lament how little I’ve read in my life! If I could accurately describe this mix of admiration, awe, and desperate desire to avoid him at all costs, I’d be a third-place scholar too!"
Something occurred to De’an, and he cried out in alarm, "Jing, you heard that! Mr. Yin is a ruthless man. You hit him today. Do you think he’ll..."
Mr. Yin doesn’t kill; he specializes in wounding. He goes right for the jugular, leaving people in so much agony they can’t even scream.
So, if you make a mortal enemy of a man like that, what are the odds he’ll come after you? And what are the odds he’ll torment you until your family is utterly ruined?
In contrast to De’an’s anxiety and alarm, Zhao Jing’s expression was perfectly placid.
There wasn’t a trace of worry on his handsome face. He was so calm, it was as if he wasn’t the one who had hit Mr. Yin, as if the whole incident were a trivial affair.
The sunlight was dazzling and, for once, carried some warmth, but Zhao Jing’s face was cold, his aura frigid. It was as if even the warmest sun could never hope to melt the ice around him.
He looked at De’an, his jet-black eyes like a bottomless abyss.
"He has his methods, and I have mine. Perhaps... you should get a taste of my methods first."
Whether from sucking in a sharp breath of cold air or from sheer terror, De’an suddenly started hiccuping.
’He had no idea where this habit of hiccuping whenever he got scared came from. When he got a chance, he’d have to find a doctor to get it treated properly. Otherwise, it was just too much of a nuisance.’
De’an backed away, huddling together with Wang Jun.
"No, that’s okay! I’m very busy, I have no desire to see your methods at all. Wang Jun, did we take a wrong turn? I don’t remember coming this way. We’re supposed to be going back to the Tranquil Studio. Where are you taking us?"
Wang Jun exclaimed as if a great realization had dawned on him, "Oh, I forgot, I forgot, I completely forgot! This way, through here, it’s a shortcut! We’ll be at the Tranquil Studio in less time than it takes an incense stick to burn."
The two of them hurried forward as if a ghost were hot on their heels.
Only after they had rounded a rockery, leaving Zhao Jing’s figure far behind, did they speak, their hearts still pounding with fear. "Jing is terrifying."
"Jing has his methods, but Mr. Yin is older and more experienced. Besides, he has the advantage of being an instructor. What if he decides to make things difficult for Jing in his studies? What then?"
"Relax. Jing said he has what it takes to deal with Mr. Yin. If he’s not worried, why should we be? The smart thing to do now is find a good seat and wait for the show to begin."