pertwk Chapter 103 Zheng Ding's Purpose
Chapter 103 Zheng Ding's Purpose
Chapter 103 Zheng Ding's Purpose
One hundred taels?
Qin Chuan was also secretly startled, but his face remained calm.
He had dealt with Zheng Ding quite a bit and knew that although this young master Zheng was from a wealthy family and generous, he wasn't this extravagant.
This is a hundred taels of silver, enough to buy a small shop in the market, just to see someone who paints erotic pictures?
If there's nothing fishy going on here, how could it be?
Qin Chuan pondered for a moment, forcing a troubled smile: "Young Master Zheng, to be honest, I'm envious of your one hundred taels of silver. But as I said before, Xiaoxiaosheng's rules are there, and I can't make the decision for him."
Zheng Ding's face darkened.
Qin Chuan added, "However, I can pass on a message for you. Whether he wants to see me or not is his business, so please don't blame me."
Zheng Ding's expression softened somewhat, and he nodded: "Alright, you can pass on the message. If he agrees to see me, I'll give him every penny of the one hundred taels of silver."
Qin Chuan's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled and said, "Okay, I will definitely pass on the message."
As he spoke, he handed the twenty taels of silver back.
However, Zheng Ding did not accept it, and replied: "Here you go, just take it. When the time comes, say a few good words for me to Xiaoxiaosheng. If it works out, I will give you more benefits."
Qin Chuan nodded and agreed.
Upon seeing this, Zheng Ding's face also showed a relaxed expression, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
He didn't linger any longer, turned around and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night outside the door.
Qin Chuan watched him leave, the smile on his face slowly fading, his eyes filled with contemplation.
No, why is Zheng Ding so eager to see Xiaoxiaosheng?
When Zheng Ding returned home, he was about to go back to his room when a maidservant came over, gave a slight curtsy, and said softly, "Young master, the mistress invites you to the hall for a talk."
Hearing his mother call him, Zheng Ding paused, a hint of impatience flashing across his face, but he quickly suppressed it, straightened his clothes, and followed the maid through the corridor to the hall.
A few candles were lit in the hall. Zheng's mother was sitting on a soft couch, holding a small bowl in her hand, but she did not drink from it. Instead, she was staring blankly out the window.
Hearing footsteps, she snapped out of her reverie, put the bowl on the table, and waved to Zheng Ding, her face showing a mixture of concern and tentative inquiry: "Son, why are you back so early? Why don't you spend more time with your classmates? The weather's nice today, it would be good to go out for a walk and clear your head."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Ding bowed respectfully, his expression calm: "Mother, the imperial examination is imminent, and I only wish to study in the room. I dare not delay any longer."
In the past, when Zheng's mother heard these words, she would have thought that her son had become successful and sensible, and she would have been overjoyed.
After all, Zheng Ding in the past never had the initiative to learn.
He spends his days indulging in pleasure and squandering money like water, yet his studies are a complete mess, even his teachers shake their heads in disapproval.
At that time, she longed for her son to settle down, hoping that he could even just read a few more pages of books each day. She would consider it a blessing.
But these days, Zheng's mother felt that her son seemed to have become a different person.
He would stay in his room every day, keeping the door tightly shut, claiming that he was going to study hard and study diligently behind closed doors, and that no one was allowed to come in and disturb him.
At first, Zheng's mother didn't think much of it, and was even secretly pleased, thinking that her son had finally become sensible. She even praised him to the relatives, saying that her son Ding'er was ambitious and that he would surely pass the imperial examination in the future.
But as time went by, Zheng's mother realized something was wrong.
My son has been staying indoors for far too long.
It wasn't just for a day or two, but for many days in a row; aside from eating and using the toilet, he almost never left his room.
Moreover, her body was getting thinner and thinner. Her once round cheeks were sunken, her cheekbones were high and protruding, her eye sockets were deep and her eye circles were dark. She was not as steady as before when she walked, and she looked extremely haggard.
At first, Zheng's mother thought that Zheng Ding had become so thin because he was too focused on studying and was working too hard. Every day, she would tell the cook to stew more nourishing dishes and have the maids bring them in. She also advised him not to overwork himself and to rest when he needed to.
But Zheng Ding wouldn't listen. He advised him to rest, saying "I know" but then turned around and slammed the door shut.
Zheng's mother was becoming increasingly uneasy. She had finally seen Zheng Ding go out today, and she thought he could play a little longer, chat with his classmates, have some tea, and at least relax and clear his mind.
Who would have thought they'd be back so soon, in less than half an hour.
Normally, this would be absolutely impossible. Looking at her son's thin face, Zheng's mother opened her mouth, wanting to say a few more words of comfort, but Zheng Ding seemed to see through her thoughts and spoke first before she could speak: "Mother, I am sorry for your worry. It is my fault. However, the imperial examination is just around the corner, and I still have many questions. In order to be on the list, I need to continue to review my studies and dare not slack off. Mother, please rest early. I will take my leave now."
After saying this, he bowed, turned around and walked quickly and hurriedly towards the door.
Zheng's mother reached out her hand, wanting to call out to him, but her lips moved a few times and she ultimately said nothing.
She watched her son's figure disappear behind the curtain and let out a long sigh.
Madam Zheng sat there, thinking for a long time. Finally, she took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, turned her head, and instructed the maid who had been standing respectfully with her hands at her sides: "Prepare the carriage. I am going to Dajiang tomorrow."
The maid paused slightly, then replied, "Yes, Mistress. Should we send a formal invitation in advance?"
Mother Zheng waved her hand: "No need to hand it over. We're family, no need for such formalities. Just go and prepare it. Oh, and call Ding'er to come along too."
Back in his room, Zheng Ding took a book from the bookshelf, sat down at the table, and pretended to open it.
Then, footsteps were heard outside the window. It was a maid from the manor bringing food. Zheng Ding told her to put it inside and come back to clean it up tomorrow. He was not to be disturbed while he was studying today.
The maid nodded in agreement, then left and closed the door.
After confirming that the person had gone far away, Zheng Ding casually tossed the scroll aside, immediately locked the door, and closed the windows and doors.
Then he carefully took out a scroll.
The scroll was wrapped in brocade and tied with a red rope, clearly indicating that it was extremely cherished by its owner.
Zheng Ding untied the red rope and slowly unfurled the scroll, laying it on the table.
In the candlelight, the woman in the painting is dressed in a bright red wedding gown, with a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, sitting upright before the candles; it is the very same wedding gown painting.
Zheng Ding stared at the woman in the painting, his gaze gradually becoming infatuated.
The candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows, and the room dimmed for a moment before brightening again.
Zheng Ding's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his consciousness seemed to be pulled down by something, slowly sinking.
In a daze, he saw the woman in the wedding dress again.
She stood in a hazy halo of light, her red dress trailing on the ground, the beads on her phoenix crown swaying gently, making a soft rustling sound.
She reached out her hand to him, her eyes filled with a mixture of joy and reproach, her voice soft and sweet: "Zheng Lang, why are you so late?"
Zheng Ding stood up and walked towards her involuntarily, calling out, "Lianniang—"
The two embraced, their clothes removed, the candlelight flickering red.
Between the beds, Zheng Ding felt his body was light and airy, as if he were walking on clouds or sinking to the bottom of the water.
After their pleasure, the two nestled together. Zheng Ding's arm was around Lian Niang's slender waist, his chin rested on her shoulder, his eyes closed, and his breathing gradually became steady.
"Zheng Lang," Lian Niang spoke, her voice languid and soft, "how is the matter I asked you to inquire about last time?"
""
Zheng Ding opened his eyes, his gaze still somewhat hazy and weary, but he forced himself to stay alert and replied, "I've already given the steward one hundred taels of silver to pass on the message. I'm sure that Xiaoxiaosheng will see me for the sake of the silver."
"One hundred taels?" Lianniang raised an eyebrow, her face showing a pained expression. She gently poked his chest with her slender finger. "Zheng Lang is so generous, he doesn't even care about the money."
"What's a hundred taels for you?" Zheng Ding held her hand and kissed it. "As long as I can see that painter and get the information for you, it's worth any amount of money. Let alone a hundred taels, even five hundred or a thousand taels, I can afford it."
"Zheng Lang, you are so good!" Lian Niang said softly, her words full of affection, which made Zheng Ding's bones melt.
"No problem, what's this? I'll get you anything you want, even if it means going through fire and water," Zheng Ding promised, patting his chest.
Lianniang smiled sweetly and buried her face in Zheng Ding's neck.
After learning that Zheng Ding was going to retrieve the wedding dress painting, she deliberately separated a wisp of her soul, intending to use it to enter the painter's dream.
After all, the painter's work was truly unique, unlike ordinary painting techniques. The woman in the painting was extremely realistic, with her clothes half-exposed, which could easily arouse people's desires.
If she had this painting as a medium and a guide, it would be much easier for her to enter dreams, seduce and bewitch, and control minds.
So she thought of splitting off a part of her soul to control the painter and make him paint her portrait.
According to her plan, this should have been a piece of cake.
She was just an artist after all, but the result was somewhat unexpected.
That night, the wisp of her soul that had been separated dissipated.
Because the divided soul did not return, the original body could not inherit the memories of the divided soul, so she did not know what had happened.
Did she encounter something that could restrain her? Or was she discovered by some powerful figure?
Or perhaps the artist possessed some kind of skill she was unaware of?
She knew nothing, and this feeling of complete ignorance made her extremely uncomfortable.
But this also alerted her. She had been trapped for so many years and had finally managed to break free from the Taoist priest's seal. What she feared most was that someone would come looking for her again and seal her up once more.
Therefore, she carefully hid herself away, but for many days afterward, she found that there was no movement at all, everything was normal and calm, as if the dissipation of her divided soul that night was just an accident and that she was just being paranoid.
But Lian'er knew it wasn't true. She couldn't let her guard down against someone who could destroy her divided soul out of thin air and prevent her from sending back even a single message.
So he thought of using Zheng Ding to find out more about the painter.
She couldn't personally show up, nor did she dare to easily send out her divided souls to test the waters. If the other party really had some means to restrain her, sending out any number of them would just be sending them to their doom, and would only expose her.
The only way is to rely on Zheng Ding, a living person, and use money and favors to pave the way. First, find out who the painter is and what his skills are, and then decide what to do next.
The answer to whether what happened that night was due to the artist's own skill or the help he received from others was crucial to her.
If it's just the artist's own skill, then she should avoid that person and stay as far away as possible. If it's someone else's help, then she should find out who that "someone else" is, whether they are just passing by or a regular, whether it was a chance encounter or a deliberate attack.
Knowing yourself and the enemy is the only way to survive a hundred battles.
She has survived for so many years not only because of her charm and dream-entering techniques, but also because of her caution and prudence.
I only provoke those I can afford to offend, and avoid those I can't; I never go looking for trouble.
"Zheng Lang," Lian Niang raised her head, her gaze sweeping over Zheng Ding's face. Her voice softened, carrying a hint of coquetry, "If that painter refuses to see you, you must plead with him for me. It's alright to give him more money. I just want to see him. After all, without him, we can't meet, let alone become husband and wife."
As she spoke, she lowered her head, two faint blushes rising on her cheeks. Her fingers gently traced circles on Zheng Ding's chest, displaying a shy yet joyful girlish demeanor. Zheng Ding was captivated by her alluring eyes and could not utter a single word of "no." He nodded repeatedly and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely handle this matter well. If the painter refuses to see me, I will increase the price until he agrees."