The sudden ruckus caused several men in the shop to jump in their seats as if they had been lashed. Yase frowned, glancing back to see a young woman in her prime standing at the door, her face full of fury.
Behind her stood three more girls, looking dainty and timid, but from the way they gripped the heavy brooms in their hands, Yase knew they were ready for a brawl.
Why is she defending my lord? Yase couldn't help but narrow his eyes in suspicion.
"Come on, which dimwit said Lord Yue deserved the coffin?" the woman's voice rang out with the sharp arrogance of a queen.
As she and her lackeys stormed into the shop, the shopkeeper quickly ducked down, hiding behind the counter and peeking through with wide, terrified eyes.
Who dared to stop her? This was Mei Lanying, the biggest bully of Luan Town!
As she stepped further into the shop, a few customers quietly slipped out the back, afraid of being caught in the crossfire. The once bustling shop now fell into suffocating silence.
Yase, however, did not move. He lifted a spoonful of congee, the steam warming his face, as Mei's lackeys formed a circle around the group of workers who had gossiped about Lord Yue earlier.
The men sat frozen, wishing they could vanish like the others, but with the girls surrounding them, brooms in hand, they knew they were doomed.
Who in the town wasn't aware of the undivided respect Mei Lanying held for Lord Yue?
It was strange. This Mei Lanying was once the pearl of the Pear Blossom Pleasure House. From nobles of Jinhe to high-ranking officials from the capital, every man was willing to spend fortunes for a single night of her company.
Then overnight, she walked away from that gilded life to settle in the small town of Luan. She arrived with a bag of gold and a heart of stone, building a chain of businesses that needed no man's favor.
She stopped entertaining men. In her new life, she refused to charm them and instead lived to humiliate them when they crossed her. Her business flourished as the wives of high-ranking officials sought her shop for the finest jewelry, silk robes, and cosmetic favors.
But her respect for Lord Yue—some rumored he had inspired her to lead a righteous life; others whispered that she dreamed of entering Lord Yue's household; and some nastier tongues cackled that she was merely a courtesan vying for a lord's bed.
When those words reached Mei Lanying's ears, she did not hesitate to sack the men like bags of potatoes and thrash them in the open street until the town learned to keep their tongues behind their teeth.
Pity! These workers had let their guard down, and their loose words had brought the devil right to their doorstep.
"Now, what did you say about Lord Yue?" Mei asked, her red lips curving into a beautiful smile. But one look at her fiery eyes, and the workers knew this was no smile of indulgence—it was their funeral march.
They gulped in fear.
"Haha, Lady Mei! We weren't speaking ill of Lord Yue," one stammered, while the other bobbed his head frantically.
"Yes! We were just saying it's a pity His Majesty abandoned the Prime Minister. It's so sad—he must be so lonely in that coffin." They feigned pained, withered expressions, hoping to appease her anger.
Mei hummed thoughtfully, her hips swaying gracefully as she circled the table. Even through terror, a few men couldn't help but drool at the sight. Mei scoffed inwardly as she stopped behind the man who had called the Lord's rot dangerous and his confinement justified.
She leaned down, her slender fingers curling around the man's sweaty neck, whispering next to his ear, "You are right. The Lord must be lonely inside the coffin. Perhaps you should go and keep him company."
With that, she tightened her grip, her neatly painted fingers digging into his skin until it drew hot red blood.
The man gasped, his thick fingers trying to pry her hands away. But the grip was unyielding, like a snake coiled around pathetic prey. He thrashed, his face deepening into a sickly shade of blue. Only when his eyes rolled back from lack of air did she let him go.
The man collapsed onto the table, wheezing.
Mei glared at the rest of them and warned, "One more word about him," she snarled, "and I will bury every one of you to accompany him on his final journey. Remember that."
She stormed out of the shop, her entourage trailing behind her. Once outside, she planted her hands on her hips, her chest heaving in fury.
Looking up at the vast sky, she pointed her finger and scolded, "I told you! Your mercy would one day turn into the knife that stabs you in the back!"
"Now look! It happened exactly as I said. You've always been a brilliant Prime Minister, only to be a total fool of a man!"
Mei was still poking the air, berating Lord Yue for the tenth time when her barrage of scolding ceased abruptly at a calm voice.
"He is not in the sky."