The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 18 First Encounter with Li Ping'er

Through the thin peach-colored gauze skirt, it was not much smaller than Wang Xifeng's large millstone.

"Ouch!" A short, startled cry suddenly rang out!

Perhaps the wall tiles were slippery, or perhaps she lost her composure in her haste, but the beautiful woman swayed suddenly and fell straight down from the top of the wall!

Like a kite with a broken string, or a delicate flower falling from a branch, she fell straight towards the spot where Ximen Qing was standing!

Master Ximen was quick-witted and agile!
He muttered a low shout: "Watch out!"

He had already stepped forward, opened his arms, and caught the soft, fragrant body that fell from the sky right into his arms!

A rich, sweet fragrance instantly wafted over, carrying a hint of the steaming scent of a woman's perfume and sweat!
Ximen Qing felt that the person in his arms was as soft as cotton and as warm as jade. Through the thin clothes, he could clearly feel her exquisite curves and her slightly trembling body, still shaken.

He looked down.

The woman in his arms had slightly disheveled hair, with a few strands of her dark hair sticking to her smooth, jade-like forehead, damp with sweat.

Her delicate, oval face, now pale with fright, resembled a pear blossom in the rain, making her look even more pitiful.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows were slender and long, reaching her temples, and her almond-shaped eyes were watery. At this moment, they were wide open in fear, and her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.

Her cherry lips parted slightly, her breath sweet as orchids, carrying a gasp of lingering shock.

She is the spitting image of a beautiful young woman's wife!
She was already at the level of Qin Keqing, only less plain and more alluring.

Ximen Da Guanren wondered who this woman was.
At this point, the original owner of this body had never seen her before!
Since they live next door, who is next door again?

I remember it was Hua Zixu, that sworn brotherhood of cronies?

Could it be Li Ping'er?

I've heard so much about it, and seeing it today, I can confirm that it truly lives up to its reputation!

If it were the original owner of this body, she would definitely not have let this opportunity pass, and would have taken the chance to make unwanted advances and gropes.

But the current Ximen Qing is no longer the lecherous devil he once was.

"Young lady, did you fall?" Ximen Da Guanren suppressed his heart palpitations and quickly put Li Ping'er down.

Li Ping'er, still shaken, realized that she was being held tightly in the arms of a strange man!
The stranger was extremely handsome, with a pair of almond-shaped eyes that looked at him with a charming and dashing air.

It made the young woman blush with shyness, yet she couldn't wait to exchange a few more glances with him!
She also knew who the man next door was.

Ximen Da Guanren, a famous official in Qinghe County.

He was a lecherous devil who had relationships with countless women in Qinghe County.

Those brothels seemed to belong to him, with people coming and going every day.

She and her incompetent husband spent their days drinking and carousing.

She blushed deeply, her face burning red, fearing that this guy wouldn't let her go.

We are ready to loudly condemn and deal with their frivolous behavior.

Unexpectedly, this man was exceptionally polite.

He remained unmoved and made no inappropriate moves.

Even when she was holding herself up, she was extremely polite and simply put herself down.

But then the man subtly shifted his gaze away from his private area: "Young lady, don't be afraid. I was being presumptuous. I only rushed to your aid when I saw you fall. This wall is dangerous. You are of noble birth, how could you take such a risk? What is that kite worth? If you were to fall and hurt yourself, it would be a terrible sin!"

Who is Li Ping'er?

She was also a person with a hard life.

He was born into a wealthy and official family.

Unfortunately, because her father was involved in a murder case, he offered his beautiful daughter to Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture, who was also Cai Jing's son-in-law.

Cai Jing's daughter was incredibly arrogant! And extremely jealous and vicious!
She disagreed, so how could Liang Zhongshu dare to touch her!

And because Li Ping'er was so beautiful that he couldn't bear to give her away, he could only keep her aside and admire her from afar!

I was thinking of finding an opportunity to take it. Who knew that not long after...

The outlaws wreaked havoc in Daming Prefecture and killed Liang Zhongshu's entire family.

Liang Zhongshu and his wife fled in panic and sought refuge with Cai Jing.

Liang Zhongshu wanted to bring Li Ping'er along, but his wife wouldn't allow it.

Therefore, Li Ping'er was abandoned in the mansion.

Li Ping'er, who was hiding in the study, survived the ordeal and took the opportunity to plunder a large amount of gold, silver, jewelry, and valuables from Liang Zhongshu's house.

With a huge fortune, Li Ping'er wandered from place to place.

In a chaotic world, where is a woman safe? She met an old, dying eunuch named Hua who had retired to his hometown, and married him.

Fearing gossip, Eunuch Hua arranged for Li Ping'er and her nephew Hua Zi to have a sham marriage.

In reality, he was taking care of himself in his old age and near death in the inner quarters.

Not long after, Eunuch Hua died.

Li Ping'er thus became a real widow and a fake daughter-in-law.

In fact, Li Ping'er has not harmed anyone or committed any evil deeds since arriving here.

Following the original trajectory of his life.

But then he ran into his nemesis, Ximen Qing.

She was sold by her father, abandoned, and then married to a dying eunuch.

Li Ping'er, who had been suppressing her emotions and was extremely insecure, was no match for Ximen Qing, this vile womanizer.

Soon, she took her wealth and devoted herself entirely to Ximen Qing.

Originally, Li Ping'er was one of the few women who genuinely cared for Ximen Qing.

Unfortunately, he couldn't outmaneuver Pan Jinlian in the backyard and was tortured to death.

Even on his deathbed, he was still thinking about Ximen Qing's future.

And now he had unexpectedly run into this woman several days earlier than planned.

Li Ping'er noticed that Ximen Qing was staring at her in a daze.

Feeling a little scared, he said quickly, "Is the person in front of me Master Ximen?"

Seeing the other party nod, she forced herself to remain calm, curtsied, and said in a low voice, "This servant...this servant is Li, the wife of Hua Zixu next door."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Li Ping'er realized that it was inappropriate.

What kind of logic is it to introduce yourself to a complete stranger?
She immediately blushed deeply, her ears burning, and hurriedly said, "I was impudent and disturbed you, sir. I will take my leave now."

After that, he turned around and left.

But Li Ping'er had only taken two steps when she stopped as if nailed to the spot, her face turning deathly pale, even more so than when she had blushed just moments before.

She stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay, her beautiful eyes filled with panic.

Ximen Da Guanren was somewhat surprised, so he asked, "Madam, you've returned. Is there some difficulty you're facing?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ping'er became even more embarrassed. She twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "My lord, please forgive me... It's getting late now. If I go out through the main gate of the Ximen mansion and someone sees me... I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will cause gossip and ruin my reputation..."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and she was so anxious that she was almost in tears.

This deep mansion seemed to have no way out except for the wall she had climbed over to get there. What was she, a weak woman, supposed to do?
Ximen Da Guanren was also taken aback: "I see. My wife's concerns are valid. It's not difficult..."

"My lady just scaled the wall, so she must be quite skilled. Perhaps... we could return the way we came?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ping'er frowned even more and shook her head repeatedly: "That wall...that wall is too high! I had to use a ladder to climb it just now, but there's no way I can climb it now."

She looked up at the high wall and felt dizzy.

(End of this chapter)