xymnovel Chapter 36 Catching Pan Jinlian in Adultery
Chapter 36 Catching Pan Jinlian in Adultery
The next day's breakfast was still Wu Dalang's steamed buns.
Yun Ge did indeed go out to sell pears with Wu Dalang, and when he saw Wang Lun, Yun Ge gave him a look that said, "Leave everything to me."
Wang Lun smiled slightly and bought a few more pears from him.
So what if there are bugs? It's all natural.
Wang Lun returned to the inn and waited for a while. Sure enough, around the same time as yesterday, Ximen Qing came walking over again.
The four then began to act according to Wang Lun's plan.
Wang Lun followed Ximen Qing and saw him enter Wang Po's teahouse. Not long after, Pan Jinlian walked out from the opposite side, swaying with every step, dressed in a flamboyant manner, and naturally entered the teahouse.
Granny Wang then moved a stool and sat at the door, leisurely cracking melon seeds and drinking tea.
Wang Lun stood at a distance for a while, noticing that it was already past 11 AM, then walked over and called out with a smile from afar, "Oh, Granny Wang, are you still open for business today?"
When Granny Wang saw that it was the same Taoist priest from yesterday, she couldn't help but become impatient.
But remembering that Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian had already been doing their good deeds inside earlier that day, and that he wouldn't be able to get in while he was guarding the door, he smiled and said, "Would you like some tea, sir?"
Wang Lun nodded: "Of course, it's all because Granny Wang's tea is so delicious."
Granny Wang then asked Wang Lun to sit at the door, and went inside to make tea. She brought it out and said, "My tea is good, so the tea itself will taste good. But, you know, my mouth is the best."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Wang Lun pretended not to know.
"If you see a girl you like in the surrounding villages of Yanggu County, just tell me. As long as I'm involved, there's no match I can't arrange." Granny Wang said smugly.
Wang Lun feigned surprise: "You're so amazing, old man."
His eyes darted around, and he asked, "How about we negotiate the price?"
Thinking another customer had come knocking, Granny Wang laughed and said, "As for the price, it depends on how much you're willing to pay. The more money you offer, the more effort I'll put in. If you can get me to put in ten times the effort, I can even negotiate a deal with the magistrate's daughter."
Wang Lun clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! Granny Wang... oh no, Granny Wang, I happen to have a matchmaker here."
He took out a gold ingot and gently placed it in Wang Po's hand.
Wang Po's eyes immediately lit up, and she quickly clutched the gold tightly, saying, "Oh dear, tell me, whose daughter have you taken a fancy to?"
Wang Lun lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, I don't know whose young lady I met here yesterday is?"
Granny Wang's expression changed, and she said, "What?"
Her expression was strange. She looked at the gold in her hand again and hesitated for a long time before saying, "This is a bit difficult. That's the wife of Wu Dalang across the street. She's pretty and skilled. She's a good wife."
"Wu Dalang? Is that the Wu Dalang who sold steamed buns?"
"Yes, they weren't originally from Yanggu County; they moved here from Qinghe County. Alas, that young lady Jinlian is excellent, but unfortunately, she's already taken. You... you should find someone else; there are plenty of beautiful women in Yanggu County."
Wang Lun smiled and said, "Aunt Wang, this gold ingot is a deposit. If it goes through, I'll give you the same amount."
He held up five fingers.
Granny Wang was immediately surprised; this was much more than what Ximen Qing had given her.
Looking at the man before her, who was even more handsome than Ximen Qing, she figured Pan Jinlian would like him too. As long as she put in some effort, she wasn't worried about things not going well.
However, Ximen Qing was rather difficult to deal with.
As she was racking her brains, she suddenly saw a woman striding towards her from a distance, followed by more than a dozen attendants with an imposing air.
Granny Wang was startled and hurriedly tried to go inside, but Wang Lun grabbed her arm, saying, "Oh dear, Granny Wang, where are you going?"
He gripped Wang Po tightly, like an iron hoop, and she couldn't break free.
As the group drew closer, Granny Wang stamped her foot anxiously, "Let go! Leave this to me, it just needs some time."
Wang Lun was unwilling to give up, and laughed, "Then you must tell me in detail how exactly you plan to help me?"
The group of people drew closer, and Wang Po couldn't break free. She tried to shout, but Wang Lun suddenly grabbed her and threw her onto a stool.
Wang Lun quickly stepped forward and said, "Oh dear, Mama Wang, how could you be so careless? How did you fall?"
Just then, the group of people arrived in front of the teahouse, which immediately frightened Wang Po so much that her face turned ashen.
The woman leading the group was dressed in palace attire and was quite beautiful.
She looked at Granny Wang and Wang Lun with her phoenix eyes, snorted coldly, and waved her hand, saying, "Charge in!"
The dozen or so people behind her rushed inside and kicked open the door to the room where Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian were having their secret rendezvous, causing chaos inside.
Wang Lun pretended not to know, was startled, and stepped aside.
Ximen Qing was furious, his clothes barely covering him, and he was pushed and shoved out by several servants, shouting, "What are you doing? Although you are my wife's people, you are also taking my money. Are you trying to rebel?"
After he finished cursing, he saw the woman at the door, his face immediately changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Wife, what brings you here?"
This is Wu Yueniang, Ximen Qing's principal wife. She comes from an official family, and Ximen Qing's success today is inseparable from the help of Wu Yueniang's family.
Wu Yueniang's face was gloomy, and she looked at him with a look of disappointment and anger. She scolded, "You beast, it's one thing for you to spend your nights in brothels, but have I ever said anything to you? When you wanted to take Li Jiao'er, that courtesan, as your concubine, did I stop you? Now, you're actually seducing a married woman. What kind of behavior is this?"
As they were talking, the people inside shoved Pan Jinlian out.
Pan Jinlian had already roughly wrapped herself in clothes, but her face was flushed and her forehead was sweating after the lovemaking, making her look even more shy.
Upon seeing such a beautiful woman, Wu Yueniang was taken aback.
After regaining her composure, she stepped forward and asked, "Whose wife are you?"
Pan Jinlian had overheard their conversation and knew that this woman was Ximen Qing's legal wife, so she lowered her head and said, "I am from the Wu family."
"Snapped!"
Wu Yueniang swung her hand and slapped Pan Jinlian across the face, spitting out, "Shameless slut!"
Pan Jinlian's face stung on one side, and tears welled up in her eyes immediately, making her look even more pitiful.
Wu Yueniang didn't want to make a big fuss, after all, it concerned her family's reputation. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, "those who commit adultery shall be sentenced to one and a half years of penal servitude; those who are married shall be sentenced to two years of penal servitude." Not only would Pan Jinlian be punished by the laws of the Song Dynasty, but Ximen Qing would also be dealt with.
She glared at Ximen Qing and said, "Get dressed now. We can talk about this when we get back."
Wang Lun smiled coldly. He had arranged for Gongsun Sheng to invite Wu Yueniang, so he knew this would be the outcome.
But this wasn't his whole plan; the real focus was yet to come.
Sure enough, two people strode over from the street corner. One was Yun Ge, who sold pears, leading the way. Behind them was Wu Da, carrying a carrying pole and exuding a menacing aura.
Because of the commotion at Wang Po's door, a large crowd had already gathered to watch. When they saw Wu Da arrive, they all made way for him.
Wu Dalang, carrying a carrying pole, rushed into Wang Po's teahouse. Upon seeing the scene inside, he knew everything without even asking. He was immediately enraged and struck Ximen Qing with the carrying pole.
As Ximen Qing was fastening his belt, he saw the short and ugly Wu Da wielding a carrying pole and flew into a rage. He kicked out and cursed, "Go to hell!"