Ning Chen looked at Li Zhixing and asked with a smile, “So Lord Li has chosen to stand on my side?”

Li Zhixing’s face was full of resentment. “Does this official have any choice left?”

Twenty years an official, and Li Zhixing was nobody’s fool.

Never mind what he said out loud. He had already made up his mind.

The business touched immortal powder, and he knew exactly what His Majesty’s attitude toward immortal powder was.

Rather than say he was standing on Ning Chen’s side, it would be truer to say he was standing on His Majesty’s.

Prince Duan might be a prince of the royal house… but the last prince of the royal house, Prince Fu, had his entire household put to the sword over the immortal powder case, and even the Empress went down with it.

His Majesty had no tolerance for immortal powder whatsoever.

And he had seen with his own eyes what the powder could do—how it could turn a person into neither man nor ghost.

He could not claim to be upright and unbending, but he knew right from wrong.

So he stood on Ning Chen’s side.

Ning Chen said with a smile, “Lord Li, stop looking like a man at a funeral… cheer up. The courtesans’ quarter tonight, on me!”

Li Zhixing shook his head and smiled bitterly. “This official is getting old. He’s not like you young men… if this official were a few years younger, he’d certainly go.”

Ning Chen looked him over, his expression turning strange. “So the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, is it, Lord Li?”

The corner of Li Zhixing’s mouth twitched.

Ning Chen said with a smile, “Lord Li, I happen to have a prescription that restores a man’s dignity. Blood and vigor in abundance, lively as a dragon and a tiger, and able to serve several women in a night without the spear going down. No side effects either.”

“Do you know Feng Qizheng of the Inspectorate? That fellow got so fierce the girls at the courtesans’ quarter couldn’t take him and wouldn’t dare take his business anymore. It was this prescription that did it.”

“I’ll tell Lord Li quietly—I take it myself. I used to manage it once a night. Now it’s once, lasting the night.”

Li Zhixing’s eyes lit up on the instant. “There really is such a medicine?”

Ning Chen nodded. “If Lord Li takes it and it does nothing, you can go and dig up the Ning family graves. Ning here won’t say one word against it.”

Excitement filled Li Zhixing’s face.

A man can put up with anything except not being able to manage in that department.

Ning Chen said with a smile, “Lord Li, lend me brush, ink, paper and inkstone. Ning here will write the prescription down for you.”

Li Zhixing said quickly, “Ning the Silver Coat, please!”

They went through to the room where Li Zhixing worked.

Li Zhixing ground the ink for him with his own hands.

Ning Chen took up the brush and wrote the prescription out.

Li Zhixing held the prescription in both hands, his eyes so hot they might have set the paper alight.

Ning Chen set the brush down. “Lord Li, this business touches a prince of the royal house. I’ll report it to His Majesty myself and ask him to decide… for now, all you need do is act as though you know nothing.”

Li Zhixing nodded and nodded again. His whole mind was on the prescription now. It made him happier than a thousand taels of gold would have.

Taking his leave of Li Zhixing, Ning Chen came out of the Ministry of Justice, mounted Diaochan, and went clattering off to the courtesans’ quarter.

“Ning, dear?”

Yudie was wearing a pale blue dress that set off the softness of her skin… but there was no ornament in her hair, which gave her a plainer, quieter look.

At the sight of Ning Chen her small face lit up, lovely and bright, and she came to meet him full of happiness.

Ning Chen only gave her one flat look, walked past her, and sat down at the table.

Then he glanced at Xiaoxing, who was bringing the tea over.

Ning Chen’s eyes were so hard that Xiaoxing froze where she stood in fright, and looked carefully toward Yudie.

Yudie was flustered too, with no idea what had come over him.

“Ning, dear, what’s the matter? Has this girl done something wrong?”

Ning Chen looked at her and asked flatly, “Where is the gold hairpin I gave you?”

Yudie’s body gave a small shudder. Her expression was frightened, and she stammered, “It’s… it’s here.”

“Where?”

“This girl… this girl couldn’t bear to wear it. I put it away.”

Ning Chen looked at her without any expression at all, then drew a gold hairpin out of his robe. “Does this look familiar?”

Yudie went white. She was thoroughly frightened, and her eyes went to Xiaoxing without her meaning them to.

Xiaoxing’s face was frightened too. She had handed that hairpin to Lord Zuo of the Ministry of Justice with her own hands. How had it come into Young Master Ning’s hands?

Ning Chen looked at Yudie. “And who is Zisu?”

Yudie’s small face went bloodless, fine beads of sweat standing out on her forehead, and she dropped to her knees on the floor.

Xiaoxing was frightened into kneeling too.

“Ning, dear, let me explain, I, I…”

Yudie was in a complete panic, her words tumbling over each other, with no idea how to explain any of it.

Ning Chen said flatly, “You don’t know how to explain? Then I’ll do it. You and Zisu have known each other since you were small. Your fathers were old friends.”

Yudie was like a child caught doing wrong. She nodded in a panic. “Yes, I… Sister Zisu and I have known each other since we were small. I had Xiaoxing give the gold hairpin to Lord Zuo of the Ministry of Justice so that Sister Zisu would suffer a little less.”

“I, I didn’t mean to hide it from Ning, dear, only…”

Ning Chen said coldly, “Only you were afraid of dragging me in and ruining my fine prospects, is that it?”

Yudie nodded in a fluster.

“Foolish girl! Zisu’s case touches a prince of the royal house. Zuo Yaozu is a piddling little Secretary and worth exactly nothing. He isn’t even qualified to ask a question about it.”

Yudie was at her wits’ end, tears falling like a broken string of pearls. “Don’t be angry, Ning, dear, this girl was wrong, this girl is stupid… this girl couldn’t get to any of the great officials of the Ministry of Justice. Lord Zuo was all I could reach.”

Yudie was terrified, and only one thought was in her head. Ning, dear is angry. He’ll certainly hate me now, and he’ll never come again.

Looking at the careful fear in Yudie’s eyes, at how completely undone she was, weeping so that it hurt to look at her, Ning Chen let out a deep sigh and couldn’t keep it up any longer.

He got up, went to her, and drew her to her feet.

Ning Chen’s voice turned gentle. “Yudie, I’m not angry because you went to Zuo Yaozu and gave him silver… I’m angry that with something this big, you didn’t tell me. You chose to trust an outsider instead.”

Yudie hung her small head and said carefully, “Ning, dear has a boundless future. This girl can’t ruin Ning, dear’s fine prospects for something of her own.”

Ning Chen said furiously, “If I can’t even protect my own woman, what use is a fine future to me? What use is high place and fat pay?”

Looking at Yudie’s eyes, red from crying, Ning Chen reached out and wiped the tears away. “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Yudie nodded in a fluster. “This girl knows she was wrong!”

“And do you know what to do from now on?”

“From now on, if anything happens, this girl will tell Ning, dear first thing.”

Ning Chen pinched her small face hard, by way of punishment. “Hide anything from me again and see how I punish you.”

“This girl won’t ever dare again!”

Ning Chen picked the gold hairpin up off the table and pinned it into her hair.

Then he took out every gold bean he had on him and handed them all to Yudie. “Pay back everything you borrowed. This house isn’t short of silver.”

“I already know the whole of it. I’ll save Zisu, and I’ll clear your father’s name.”

Yudie stared blankly at him.

“What, don’t you believe me?”

Yudie shook her head, and the tears came welling out of her eyes like a broken string of pearls.

It hurt him to see it. He pulled her into his arms and wiped the tears away. “What are you crying for now?”

“This girl thought Ning, dear was angry and would never have anything to do with her again.”

She really had been terrified.

Ning Chen grinned wickedly. “My temper’s running very hot right now. Tonight Yudie is going to have to put the fire out for me.”

(End of Chapter 296)