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

Chapter 23 The Widow's Heart

The bustling city fell silent, with only the sound of the night watchman's clapper echoing through the air.

The two large red gauze lanterns in front of the Lichun Courtyard swayed in the night breeze.

Ximen Da Guanren came downstairs.

But then he saw his servant Dai'an curled up in a corner on the first floor, his head nodding and his snores soft; he was fast asleep.

Ximen Da Guanren stepped forward and lightly kicked Dai An's leg.

Dai'an suddenly woke up with a start, his eyes still blurry. When he saw it was Ximen Qing, he was so frightened that he jumped up and, without even bothering to brush the dust off his clothes, hurriedly stood at attention, saying, "Father... Father is back! I deserve to die, I deserve to die!"

His voice was tinged with panic and lingering sleepiness.

This time, however, the official did not blame him and said, "Go back!"

He then strode forward.

Dai'an scratched his head, wondering why his master had become so gentle.

I'm actually not used to it!

Before long, they arrived at the Ximen residence.

The mansion was so quiet that only the occasional footsteps of the night patrolmen and the intermittent chirping of insects in the distance could be heard.

Inside the Buddhist shrine, a single, ever-burning lamp flickered like a bean.

Ximen Qing glanced at her and saw that Wu Yueniang was already fast asleep in the inner room, and he did not wake up his wife.

He felt full of energy at that moment, went to the training ground, picked up a stick and practiced for a while.

As someone who's been through it, I know that if you don't practice your skills for a few days, it's like not doing homework for a few days.

They stared at each other blankly, neither recognizing the other.

After finishing practicing with the sticks, just as I was about to go back, I saw a small embroidered shoe under the moonlight in the distant courtyard.

Ximen Da Guanren frowned, took a few steps forward, and picked it up.

It turned out that Li Ping'er had dropped it last night.

A faint fragrance wafted from the shoes, along with a slight smell of her daughter's sweat.

He put away the embroidered shoes and went to his bedroom to rest.

And this moment.

Next door to this Ximen mansion.

Li Ping'er's room, however, presented a completely different scene.

The bedroom was decorated with exquisite and luxurious touches.

The room was dimly lit by only a small silver lamp.

Inside the tent, figures moved about.

Li Ping'er was only wearing a close-fitting light red silk bodice, over which was a thin, apricot-red gauze shirt. The shirt was not fastened properly and was loosely half-open, revealing a patch of fair skin at the upper edge of the bodice.

Two smooth, slender legs were crossed, and a jade-like foot peeked out from the corner of the blanket. The toes were round and pearly, and the nails were stained with a light blue morning glory juice, exuding an alluring charm.

Li Ping'er tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

The flowers are in full bloom and need watering.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the right person.

The image of Ximen Qing, the suave and wicked man next door, lingered in my mind during the day.

The scene of him helping himself climb the wall is still vivid in my mind.

He covered his cold, jade-like feet with his warm palms.

A large, iron-like hand gripped her slender waist.

He even grabbed a handful...

Li Ping'er felt her mouth was dry, her heart was pounding like a drum, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her body, making her feel sticky and uncomfortable.

My mind is filled with images of Ximen Qing.

I was restless and tossing and turning in bed.

As if guided by a ghost, a slender, delicate hand, trembling slightly, involuntarily, slowly...

Just then, there was a knock on the door!
The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed particularly abrupt and jarring in the quiet night.

Li Ping'er shuddered, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, and her romantic thoughts were instantly shattered.

She abruptly pulled her hand back and haphazardly covered herself with the emerald green quilt.
She knew perfectly well that only her fake husband, Hua Zixu, would knock on the door at this time.

But he still pointed towards the door and shouted angrily:

"Which damned scoundrel dares to knock on the door in the middle of the night! Get out! Get out now!" Then came Hua Zixu's voice, heavily slurred with drunkenness and weakened by years of indulgence in alcohol and women. It was indistinct yet filled with resentment.
"It's...it's me! Your man! Open the door! Quickly...open the door!"
How dare you call yourself my man!
Upon hearing these words, Li Ping'er became even more furious.

Hua Zixu's body had been weakened by wine and women, and he was listless and looked like a consumptive.

He had a touch of the masculine charm of the neighbor, Ximen Qing.

He looks like a good-for-nothing, and to make matters worse, he doesn't know how to earn money. He only knows how to squeeze money out of his own pocket every month to cover his expenses.

Such a man.

Even the slightest thought of entrusting myself to him vanished without a trace.
Comparing this to the image of Ximen Qing that had just appeared in my mind—so dashing and vigorous—it was like night and day!
The nameless anger in her heart burned even more fiercely. She sat up wrapped in the quilt, spat at the door, and her voice was sharp and shrill.

"Pah! Who do we have here? It's you, you useless consumptive! You've been given a few ounces of yellow wine and are probably lying dead somewhere again. Go back to your doghouse and lie there like a corpse! Stop making a racket here! Just looking at you, this plague god, makes me angry!"

Hua Zixu, who was outside the door, sobered up a bit after being scolded by her, but felt even more ashamed and angry.

With her uncle dead, she had hoped that this time their fake marriage could become a real one.

My heart is filled with boundless joy.

Needless to say, Li Ping'er is so beautiful that she would be hard to find not only in Qinghe County, but also in the capital.

Besides, she had a lot of money in her trunk, and that old man left her some of his good stuff.

But these days, this delicate and beautiful woman doesn't seem to care about me at all.

Forget about letting me touch you; I'm constantly subjected to verbal abuse.

Fueled by alcohol, Hua Zixu raised his voice: "My good uncle is dead! You woman, you were living the life of a widow while keeping a living eunuch! Now, are you going to remain a widow for that old bastard? Open the door! Open the door for me!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ping'er trembled with anger.

It's true that the old eunuch was after her beauty.

But isn't it just about having a peaceful life?

Moreover, after she entered the household, the eunuch never made any improper advances towards her. Although she was called a daughter-in-law, she was more like a biological daughter.

Now that he has passed away, he has left not a single piece of his property to the Hua family's nephews and nieces, but to himself.

However, he was deeply resented by his nephews and nieces, including Hua Zixu, who would frequently curse the deceased old eunuch.

The lingering heat in his body instantly transformed into icy rage.

"Shut up... your stinky fart!" Before he could finish speaking, Li Ping'er grabbed a heavy jade hairpin from beside her pillow and slammed it hard against the door with a loud "bang!"
She trembled with rage, her teeth clenched: "Hua Zixu! You coffin-stuffed coward, if you dare utter another fart in front of the door, you'll regret it!"

“Starting next month, don’t even think about getting a single penny of pocket money from me! Let your cronies come after you, 'Spendthrift Master,' for their drinking and gambling debts! Let’s see what you’ll use to cover them up!”

"Get out! Get out of here right now! If I hear you say it again, I'll have the accountant stop your allowance tomorrow!"

These words struck Hua Zixu right where it hurt.

He spent his days indulging in drinking, gambling, and whoring, relying entirely on Li Ping'er's control over the money left by Eunuch Hua, who would give him some pocket money each month.

If the supply is really cut off, he will immediately reveal his true colors in front of his cronies, which will be worse than being killed.

There was silence outside the door, except for heavy, unwilling breathing.

After a long while, Hua Zixu's outwardly strong but inwardly weak and cowardly roar finally came, but his voice was noticeably lower:

"Fine! Fine! Li Ping'er! You...you're ruthless! We'll see! Let's see how long you can keep up this flirtatious act! Sooner or later...sooner or later you'll be begging me!"

After saying that, there were staggering footsteps outside the door, accompanied by the clanging sound of a spittoon being kicked over and a few indistinct curses. The figure finally staggered and disappeared at the end of the dark corridor.

Inside the room, Li Ping'er listened to the receding footsteps and curses. Her chest heaved violently, and although the anger in her eyes had not subsided, it was now mixed with a layer of cold disgust and deep emptiness.

Why is my life so miserable!
I couldn't help but feel a little envious of Wu Yueniang next door.

They were all from official families, yet she had such good fortune!

Li Ping'er slumped back into the brocade quilt, gazing at the intricate patterns on the canopy ceiling, feeling as if this deep mansion was a giant cage.

But how many more years must we endure this long night?

Will I wait until I'm old and faded, until my youth has passed?

The next morning, as the sun climbed over the roof of the east wing, golden light shone through the carved window lattices.

Ximen Da Guanren got up.

Wearing her undergarments, she sat on the edge of the bed, while a maidservant served her a copper basin to wash her face.

Just as she was applying a hot towel to her face, the curtain was lifted, and Wu Yueniang walked in with a smile. Today she was wearing a plain jade-colored Hangzhou silk jacket, with a plain white silk skirt underneath, and only a plain silver hairpin in her hair, dressed very simply.

Holding a cup of freshly brewed hot tea, she walked up to Ximen Qing and said gently, "My lord, are you awake? Have some hot tea to wake yourself up."

Ximen Qing grunted, took the teacup, took a sip haphazardly, and then put it aside.

With a gentle smile, Wu Yueniang said softly, "My lord, there's something strange. Just now, the gatekeeper's servant came running back and forth, saying that there was a monk squatting at the gate of the mansion. It gave the gatekeepers quite a fright early in the morning."

(End of this chapter)