The Empress Wants It All: The Empire and Me - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As she spoke, she clenched her fists, striking a pose that signaled: You can take my money, but you absolutely cannot enter my home to humiliate my wife.

In the original timeline, the original owner had rescued Youqin Mingyue from the mountains during a heavy winter snowstorm. Struck by her celestial beauty and consumed by lust, she had secretly brought her home, using the “debt of life” to force her into marriage. At that time, Youqin Mingyue was injured and suffering from temporary amnesia, so she was forced to agree. Little did she know the original owner was a beast in human skin; when the marking failed, her true nature was exposed, leading to humiliation and beatings. However, the original owner also knew that if a beauty as peerless as Youqin Mingyue were discovered, she would never be able to keep her. Out of this selfish possessiveness, she locked Youqin Mingyue away, so much so that in all of Phoenix Town, no one but Liu Zhenzhen had ever seen her.

Wu Yuan naturally hadn’t seen her either, nor had Zhang Zhen and the others. They only heard that Lin Yanran beat and scolded her wife at the slightest provocation, which meant the woman wasn’t to her liking. How much could an Omega (Kunze) be worth if they didn’t please their Alpha (Qianyuan)? Thus, these gambling den thugs hadn’t initially harbored any designs on Youqin Mingyue.

Hearing the intent in Lin Yanran’s words—that she didn’t intend to dodge the debt—Wu Yuan reconsidered. His goal for this trip was intimidation and persuasion to keep squeezing this “cash cow.” He didn’t want to offend her to the point of no return, especially now that he knew she had money. If she wanted to delay the repayment, why wouldn’t the gambling den be happy? The longer it dragged on, the more interest would accrue!

Wu Yuan immediately spoke up: “Yanran, don’t lose your temper. My words were out of line. But I must warn you, there are only ten days left until the deadline. You’d better hurry, or else—” He gave a dry laugh, the implication clear: if the debt wasn’t paid on time, there would be consequences.

Lin Yanran said contemptuously, “Ten days is plenty. I will deliver the money personally; there’s no need for Manager Wu to mobilize such a crowd.”

“Hahaha! Yanran, you truly are straightforward!” Wu Yuan cupped his hands and swaggered away with his two henchmen.

Lin Yanran stood still for a moment until their figures vanished in the distance. She suddenly called Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua over: “Go inside and guard the gate for me. Do not open it for anyone unless it’s me.”

Lin Cuicui nodded nervously. Lin Yanran watched them go in and bolt the door before she turned to tail Wu Yuan.

Chen Xiaohua pressed her face to the door crack until Lin Yanran was out of sight, then turned around. “Cuicui, people used to say Sister Yanran was a lazy good-for-nothing, but why do I feel she’s so impressive?”

Lin Cuicui also looked puzzled, saying uncertainly, “I don’t know why they said that either, but Sister Yanran drove off three men today, including a Qianyuan. Even my father isn’t that capable.”

Chen Xiaohua nodded immediately. “Exactly! And she’s so rich. Just for fixing a kitchen and a latrine, she hired eight people at thirty coppers each. That’s so generous!”

Lin Cuicui hummed in agreement, though her heart felt heavy knowing her own wages had been pocketed by her father. “If only Sister Yanran would hire me again…”

“Yeah,” Chen Xiaohua echoed. “I hope she finds work for us next time.” She thought for a second and added, “Ideally without your father knowing.” Lin Cuicui’s face filled with longing at the thought.

Lin Yanran followed Wu Yuan’s trio until she saw them mount their horses and head east along the official road toward Shimen County. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She walked into the Four Directions Inn, feeling distracted. The innkeeper, Liu Fu, beamed the moment he saw her. “Yanran, you’re here! Do you have any more cooking secrets? I won’t charge you today; you can go straight to the kitchen. If you teach well, I’ll give you a meal for free.”

Lin Yanran was lost in thought and ignored him.

Liu Fu, thinking she was dissatisfied, added with a smile, “Earlier, Manager Wu from the Yuanbao Gambling Den came in for wine. I heard him mention you, so I even pointed him in the direction of your house.”

Lin Yanran’s eyes narrowed. So it was this dog who gave the directions. She had wondered how Wu Yuan found her door so easily.

Liu Fu was startled by her glare and backpedaled. “Yanran, is one meal not enough? You know I run a small business. How about this: three days of free meals if you teach my chef those two dishes?”

Lin Yanran almost laughed at his shortsightedness. Her recipes were worth enough to open a grand restaurant in the provincial capital! Initially, she had considered using her culinary knowledge to entice this greedy man into a partnership, but he only offered a few free meals? How could such a person be a partner? It would only invite trouble.

She gave a cold, superficial smile. “We’ll see. I’ll come back when I’m free.”

She didn’t even bother ordering food and turned to leave. Liu Fu got desperate and tried to grab her to persist. Lin Yanran grabbed him by the collar and shoved him hard to the ground. She curled her lips into a smile, but her eyes were freezing. “Do you not know who I, Lin Yanran, am? You dare bully me?”

She raised a fist as if to strike. Liu Fu immediately covered his head. “Don’t! Don’t hit me!”

“Watch out, or I’ll call Zhang Zhen, Li Qing, and Zhu Shiyu to block your inn’s door! Scram!”

Only then did Liu Fu remember Lin Yanran’s reputation as the top hoodlum in Phoenix Town. He fled in terror. “Don’t be angry, Yanran! I’m going, I’m going!”

Once he was gone, Lin Yanran’s face darkened. Liu Fu was no threat, but she had to guard against the thugs from the gambling den. She bought a young chicken, some eggs, tofu, and greens before heading home.

Hearing her voice, Lin Cuicui opened the door. The girl looked up into Lin Yanran’s frost-cold eyes and felt as if she’d been pricked by needles, quickly lowering her head again. “Sister Yanran, you’re back?”

Lin Yanran hummed an affirmation and swept her gaze around the house. “It’s late. Clean up and head home quickly.” Her voice softened with a hint of concern.

Lin Cuicui summoned her courage to look at her. “I understand, Sister Yanran.” Chen Xiaohua also stole a glance, her eyes filled with a strange hint of worship.

The two had already packed the sticky rice mortar, so they shouldered their baskets and left. Lin Yanran bolted the gate, took the groceries to the kitchen, dusted off her clothes, and walked into the main house. Outside the curtain, she said softly, “Mingyue, the inn was busy today, so I bought groceries to cook myself. Please wait a moment.”

There was no verbal response, only the sound of Youqin Mingyue turning a page.

Lin Yanran went to the kitchen. Though damp, the kitchen was usable. The red-clay stove from earlier was perfect. With some dried mushrooms left in the house, she made a small chicken and mushroom stew, braised fresh tofu with greens, made a refreshing vinegar-glazed lotus root, and added an egg drop soup with vegetable leaves. Perfect!

She hurried back and forth, setting the meal on the table in the parlor facing the front door before entering the bedroom. Youqin Mingyue was still reading. Lin Yanran couldn’t tell if she had heard the conversation with Wu Yuan. Her expression was calm and cold.

Lin Yanran hoped she hadn’t heard, but it seemed unlikely. Wu Yuan had a loud voice, and she had raised her own to intimidate him. She must have heard.

“Mingyue, the room is small, and I’m afraid the smell of food will disturb your rest. Shall we eat in the parlor today?”

Youqin Mingyue nodded. She braced her hands on the table to stand, and Lin Yanran quickly moved closer. “Don’t move. I’ll carry you out.”

This time, Youqin Mingyue was calm. She didn’t show any disgust or rejection; she was abnormally quiet. Lin Yanran’s heart sank. She carried her to the parlor, placed her gently on a chair, and sat beside her. She served her soup and a small portion of rice. “Eat.”

Youqin Mingyue ate silently. She had indeed heard everything. The events were unfolding exactly as they had in her past life, with one exception: this Lin Yanran had changed and was protecting her. But it was also Lin Yanran who had used her as collateral for the debt in the first place. Her heart was frozen to the core; having already experienced these humiliations once, she remained outwardly unruffled.

Even if Lin Yanran had changed, the fact that she had abused and sold her was written in stone. In her mind, the woman had already been sentenced to death. Letting this “lowly servant” serve her now was a form of grace!

After a few bites, she looked up through the open doors. The moon was high in the sky—a full moon. This triggered a flood of memories: her mother suffering in the Cold Palace, the injustices and insults they had endured, and the “vile people” and their children who were currently enjoying glory and night-long festivities… All that nobility and honor should have belonged to her, yet she was being ruined by this lowly person, locked up here like a dog.

Boundless pain, like the moonlight, flooded her heart, gnawing at her already broken soul.

Lin Yanran followed her gaze. The round moon was perfectly framed by the doorway, as if rising just for them. She knew Youqin Mingyue must be homesick, but she didn’t dare mention her family matters.

The meal was stifling. After finishing, Lin Yanran stood up. “The moon is full tonight. I’ll brew a pot of tea so you can enjoy the view longer.”

Youqin Mingyue remained silent.

Lin Yanran brought the small stove and brewed tea, filling a cup for her before clearing the dishes. When she returned from the kitchen, the woman was still sitting at the table, staring at the bright moon as if entranced. The tea beside her had gone cold.

“The spring night is chilly. Why don’t you sleep early?” Lin Yanran said, unable to bear the sight.

Youqin Mingyue’s hand on her knee twitched slightly. In ten days, the gambling den thugs would burst in to kidnap her, drug her with aphrodisiacs, and sell her to a brothel… Recalling those scenes, her hatred turned manic! In her past life, if she hadn’t carved out her own scent gland to escape, she would have been reduced to a prostitute for men to toy with… Having been reborn, how could she suffer such humiliation again?

The dagger was in her sleeve. She only needed to kill this lowly commoner to prevent the upcoming shame! Her hand gripped the hilt tightly.

Standing beside her, Lin Yanran felt a chill. She went into the bedroom, fetched an outer coat, and gently draped it over the woman’s shoulders. “Your body is weak. Don’t sit too long.”

Youqin Mingyue’s hand was tensed to the limit, ready for a killing strike!

Lin Yanran suddenly spoke: “I know you heard the conversation. You must hate me to the bone…” She paused, her voice low. “I don’t know what I can do to make you believe me, but I already have a plan. I will never let anyone bully you.”

“Three days. Give me three days,” she said with absolute certainty.

Youqin Mingyue’s accumulated killing intent faltered, then faded. Her grip on the dagger relaxed.

Unaware of how close she had come to death, Lin Yanran brought warm water for her to wash her face and prepared salt water for her to brush her teeth.

After Youqin Mingyue went to sleep, Lin Yanran went to her own room and began rummaging through her things. She finally found the contract from the Yuanbao Gambling Den at the bottom of a chest. One look at the terms made her chest tighten with fury. Every single clause was predatory, designed to bleed the original owner dry. The original owner, being illiterate, had been tricked into signing it.

Checking the date, the deadline was indeed in ten days. For a twenty-day loan, the principal and interest had snowballed into 250 taels!

D*mn it!

Lin Yanran punched her bedding in frustration. After Lin Dahai’s “earnest lecture,” she finally understood the cost of living here. Two hundred and fifty taels could buy a large three-courtyard mansion in the provincial capital with money to spare! It was likely more than the combined savings of the entire town.

She pulled out her total assets. After the renovations, buying materials, paying laborers, and ordering the bathtub and food, she had spent five taels and two mace. She now had a total of two taels and one mace left.

How on earth was she supposed to get 250 taels in ten days?