After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 129 Provocation
But Yang Yan didn't seem to care whether Bai Wanqing really wanted to listen, because he cared that he really wanted to say it.

"Sister-in-law, speaking of Brother Lin's talent! As a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), I always feel ashamed of myself when I read Brother Lin's articles. Back then, when we went to the restaurant to compose poems together, Brother Lin always let us finish last, otherwise our poems would seem rather dull and lackluster."

Yang Yan spoke with great interest, while Bai Wanqing listened indifferently.

Yang Yan recounted in great detail everything from Lin Yunche's arrival in the capital to composing poetry, to his eventual passing of the imperial examination and parading through the streets as the top scholar.

"Sister-in-law, do you know which girls took a liking to Brother Lin when he was parading through the streets?"

Bai Wanqing shook her head slightly and said softly, "My husband never said that."

Yang Yan naturally knew that Lin Yunche wouldn't tell, especially not to his wife.

"It's the young ladies from the Cheng and Hai families. They are both very satisfied with Brother Lin. Especially the young lady from the Hai family. When she heard that the Emperor intended to bestow a marriage upon Brother Lin, she even went to the palace to find Consort Hai, who is also her own sister, wanting to marry Brother Lin."

After Yang Yan finished speaking, he began to observe Bai Wanqing's expression. After observing for a while, he couldn't help but be slightly surprised. Normally, a woman would feel jealous if she heard that her husband was being thought about by another woman. But Bai Wanqing's face showed no jealousy at all.

"Sister-in-law, these are all things of the past. I was just chatting with you casually. Please don't take it to heart." Yang Yan added fuel to the fire.

Bai Wanqing smiled slightly, "Young Master Yang is right. These are all things of the past. Since they are all in the past, there is indeed no need to bring them up again."

Yang Yan was surprised that Bai Wanqing not only showed no curiosity about the Cheng and Hai families, but also so magnanimously let the matter pass by so easily. He couldn't help but look at Bai Wanqing in a new light.

Upon returning to the inn, Yang Yan immediately wiped the smile off his face. His personal servant noticed his displeasure and quickly asked, "Young master, what's wrong? Did things not go well?"

Yang Yan laughed and said, "Hahaha! I underestimated Bai Wanqing."

“I used to think she was just the daughter of a merchant from a remote county, and that she would be a typical woman. So I thought if I talked to her about Lin Yunche’s relationship with other women, she would definitely be jealous and throw a tantrum.”

"But to my surprise, she remained calm, and I couldn't tell whether I had succeeded in getting things done."

"Young master, should I go and spread some more rumors? Perhaps she believes it three-tenths now, but if she hears more rumors, she'll believe it five-tenths more," the servant suggested.

Yang Yan shook his head, "Who do you think Lin Yunche is! You were able to spread rumors on his turf. Looking back, I was a bit reckless in what I did today."

"Then what else can we do?"

Yang Yan laughed and said, "No matter how strong Bai Wanqing is, she is still a woman. The Hai family's young lady is coming to Huaizhou soon. I don't believe that when Bai Wanqing sees the Hai family's young lady, she will not remember what I said."

“Even if she went to Kyoto to investigate, what Yang said was the truth. This thorn has been planted, and it will probably not be so easy for the Hai family to join forces with the Lin family.”

Yang Yan was thinking a lot, but Bai Wanqing didn't take it to heart at all.

Soon after, people from the Liu family arrived, wanting Doctor Luo to check on Liu Feifei's condition.

Master Luo felt that since he had seen her wounds yesterday, he didn't need to go today, so he sent Bai Wanqing instead. Xiao Cui hesitated at first, but after thinking about what happened last night, she stopped worrying and took Bai Wanqing back with her.

When they arrived at the Meng family's residence, there was hardly anyone in Liu Feifei's courtyard except for Xiao Cui. They heard that Master Liu and Madam Liu had returned to the Liu family first, while Meng Zhan had gone to the yamen early in the morning. Madam Fang was still angry with Liu Feifei and had not shown her face since last night.

When Bai Wanqing entered the room, Liu Feifei was taken aback at first, but her expression quickly returned to normal.

"You don't mind if I take a look at you, do you?" Bai Wanqing asked softly.

Liu Feifei glanced at Bai Wanqing and chuckled, "You've seen all the jokes from last night. Now all that's left is a wound. Do you think I'm afraid you'll see it?"

Liu Feifei cooperated by unbuttoning her clothes, and Bai Wanqing, seeing this, stopped worrying and checked the knife wound for her.

"Okay! The incision is fine. Don't get it wet for the next few days. I'll come back in seven days to remove the stitches. Here's some ointment to apply. Just have Xiao Cui apply it for you every day." Bai Wanqing explained everything one by one, and there wasn't a trace of resentment in her tone.

Xiao Cui stood beside Bai Wanqing and carefully wrote down her instructions.

After examining the wound, Bai Wanqing packed up her medicine box and prepared to leave, but was stopped by a remark from Liu Feifei.

"Have you never resented me? Why were you still willing to save me?" Liu Feifei dared not look at Bai Wanqing's expression, afraid of seeing sarcasm and ridicule.

Bai Wanqing turned around, looked at Liu Feifei, and said seriously, "I am a doctor, and you are a patient. As a doctor, I naturally have the responsibility to treat you."

Liu Feifei hadn't expected this answer. She forced a smile and asked, "What if you weren't a doctor? What if you were Bai Wanqing, just yourself? Wouldn't you have ever resented me?"

Looking at Liu Feifei's stubborn appearance, Bai Wanqing sighed inwardly, "Madam Meng, Wanqing has always understood that it takes two to tango."

“If Meng Zhan has no intention, no matter what you do, he will not divorce me.”

"But if Meng Zhan is willing, why should I blame someone else?"

Liu Feifei slowly lowered her head and remained silent. Seeing this, Xiao Cui quickly and warmly invited Bai Wanqing to leave.

Back inside, seeing Liu Feifei still sitting there motionless as before, Xiao Cui went up to her worriedly, "Madam, what's wrong?"

Liu Feifei scoffed, "Xiao Cui, wouldn't you say I'm in this state now because I deserve what I've done?"

"lady."

Liu Feifei looked at the sleeping child beside her and asked, "Where is my husband? Has he come back?"

Xiao Cui pursed her lips. "Just say what you want to say. We've come this far, there's nothing I can't accept," Liu Feifei asked calmly.

"Madam, the master went out early this morning and hasn't returned yet."

"Perhaps the master will come to see the lady tonight."

Liu Feifei forced a smile and said, "It doesn't matter! Whether you come or not doesn't matter. Just keep an eye on my husband and my mother-in-law these days. Let me know if there's anything going on."

"And what about the old lady?"

Liu Feifei thought of what her mother had said yesterday, "Don't let Mother worry, just let her take good care of the eldest daughter."

After finishing her consultation, Bai Wanqing noticed it was getting late, so she grabbed her medicine kit and went straight home.

Ruixin and the others returned at this time, and Fengniang had already begun preparing dinner.

Bai Wanqing put down her medicine box and went to tell Master Luo about Liu Feifei's condition. Master Luo also felt that her wounds were healing quite well. The two then discussed the treatment plan. When they came out, Feng Niang had already prepared dinner.

Just as the food was served, Lin Yunche returned from his official duties.

At the dinner table, Lin Yunche talked about investigating the robbery of the Wei family.

"Did you interrogate Wei Qian?" Bai Wanqing asked.

Lin Yunche paused for a moment, "I didn't go! At first, this matter was concluded to be about bandits, so I got involved in it. However, the robbery of the Wei family didn't seem to have much to do with bandits, so I handed it over to Magistrate Zhou to investigate."

"Also, we're not interrogating Wei Qian; we're just gathering information."

"Is there any progress?" Bai Wanqing was more concerned about this.

"When Wei Qian learned of Man Niang's death, he insisted on going to the Fang family to seek revenge, but he was stopped by Magistrate Zhou, who had gone to inquire about her whereabouts, thus preventing a major disaster."

"I heard that because he was too excited, the wound on his chest seems to have reopened. Why don't you go and take a look at it again tomorrow?"

Bai Wanqing nodded in agreement, "Didn't Wei Qian say anything else?"

"Anything else? Magistrate Zhou has already asked. After asking, he led his men to investigate the place where Wei Qian was kidnapped, but they didn't find anything!"

"Those people moved cleanly and efficiently, which is quite unlike that of bandits."

"Has Wei Qian made enemies with others?"

Lin Yunche understood Bai Wanqing's meaning and shook his head, saying, "What Wei Qian did may not necessarily be making enemies with others. It's possible that he blocked someone's path to wealth and was making an example of them."

Bai Wanqing: Just tell me directly.

"You mean," Bai Wanqing frowned, "that I might also be being targeted?"

Lin Yunche said noncommittally, "That's right, but your clinic's business isn't good right now, so they haven't made any moves yet."

"However, you should still be careful, in case they become desperate and do something rash."

"What about Wei Qian?"

"Don't worry! Magistrate Zhou will continue his investigation. Even if he's unwilling, I'll be there to push him. He won't be able to slack off!"

"However, I plan to personally investigate the matter of the bandits. I'll tell you when I have news." Lin Yunche didn't intend to hide anything from Bai Wanqing about this matter.

As Bai Wanqing listened to Lin Yunche's words, she suddenly remembered Yang Yan's matter.

"Husband, do you know Yang Yan?" Bai Wanqing asked.

Lin Yunche frowned and shook his head. "Not familiar with him. I only heard his name when I was in the capital. What's wrong? How do you know him?"

Bai Wanqing told Lin Yunche what Yang Yan had said to her that day.

Lin Yunche looked at Bai Wanqing's indifferent expression and felt a little jealous. "Aren't you jealous of the Hai family's young lady he mentioned?"

Bai Wanqing was taken aback. Weren't they in a contractual relationship? They weren't really husband and wife, so why was she jealous?

Seeing Bai Wanqing's expression, Lin Yunche knew she really wasn't jealous, which made him even angrier.

“Yes! Yang Yan is right. Back then, the Hai family’s young lady also had feelings for me. But alas! I, Lin Yunche, was burdened with heavy responsibilities and could not form a bond with the Hai family’s young lady, which meant that a beautiful love story was lost.” Lin Yunche said deliberately.

Bai Wanqing:
"Then my husband need not regret it."

"Oh?" Lin Yunche perked up immediately. "Why?"

“Since Young Master Yang has mentioned Miss Hai, it probably means the Hai family is coming to Huaizhou. My husband and Miss Hai can continue their relationship.” Bai Wanqing said very casually, especially since she looked like she was giving advice.

Lin Yunche's face turned green immediately. He couldn't even eat anymore and stormed off to his study.

Bai Wanqing: Did she say something wrong?
(End of this chapter)