IDWBE -Chapter 35 Compensation for Emotional Distress

Just as he closed his eyes, the sound of fighting came from the roof. The tiles above rattled and clattered under people’s footsteps.

“Who is making such noise here? Leave at once!”

He heard Mingyue’s voice.

“Where did this little beauty come from?”

Lin Yi frowned. The man’s voice was disgusting.

“Impudent rogue, you don’t know what’s good for you!”

Then came Zixia’s scolding.

The sounds of fighting on the roof grew even more intense.

“Damn it, no manners at all. Won’t even let me sleep at night,” Lin Yi muttered, yawning as he sat up.

Without needing to be told, Hong Ying habitually poured him a cup of tea.

Lin Yi said, “Where’s Luo Han? Have him go out and take a look. What can Mingyue and Zixia accomplish on their own?”

Hong Ying smiled. “Your Highness, please rest assured. The people outside aren’t very skilled. The two of them are more than enough.”

Lin Yi complained, “Xiao Ying, you need to work harder. Don’t waste your time every day—right now you’re not even as capable as two girls! Being good with needles alone isn’t enough; there’s no single trick that works forever.”

Those two girls already seemed to have entered the ranking system.

But Hong Ying—every time Lin Yi asked him—didn’t even know what rank he himself was!

Not knowing meant he probably had no rank at all.

As Zhu Ruorong used to say: not even worth mentioning.

Hong Ying lowered his head. “It is this servant’s incompetence.”

Lin Yi asked, “Where’s that living ancestor?”

If Mingyue and Zixia couldn’t handle the enemy, they would still have to rely on that “living ancestor” to step in.

Hong Ying replied softly, “Resting in her room.”

Lin Yi said, “Let’s go take a look. Mingyue and Zixia might actually suffer a loss.”

Just as he stood up, there was a loud thud—a woman dressed in black fell through the roof into the room.

Then came Mingyue and Zixia’s angry shouts from above.

The woman sprang to her feet, clutching her arm, from which blood poured like a stream. She glanced at Lin Yi.

“We’re finished, we’re finished—the innkeeper is definitely going to make this prince pay for that,” Lin Yi sighed, looking at the large hole smashed in the roof. Then he pointed at the woman. “I remember you! Your name is Ye Jinyu, right? You can’t leave.”

Through the dark hole in the roof, Ye Jinyu glanced at the figures still fighting above, then turned back and sneered at Lin Yi. “Prince He, are you also going to make things difficult for a helpless woman?”

“Whoever causes the damage is responsible,” Lin Yi said. “You smashed such a big hole in the roof and still think you’re in the right? Wait for the innkeeper. You can leave after paying compensation.”

She was undeniably beautiful—beautiful enough to stir improper thoughts and make one feel the urge to fawn over her.

But accounts still had to be settled clearly!

Ye Jinyu was visibly stunned, unable to tell whether Lin Yi was serious or joking. Was he really keeping her here just over a broken roof?

If this Prince He truly intended to detain her, she knew she had no chance of escaping from the eunuch standing before her.

Instinctively, she felt that eunuch was extremely dangerous.

After hesitating for a long while, she sat down on a chair to the side, clutching her wound and closing her eyes to rest, saying nothing more.

The sounds of fighting on the roof stopped.

A knock came from outside.

Hong Ying opened the door. Mingyue and Zixia entered first, followed by eight masked men in black, all bound tightly like dumplings and being shoved along by guards.

Mingyue said respectfully, “These are the ones who were causing the disturbance outside and disturbing Your Highness’s peace.”

“Kneel!”

Luo Han struck the knee of a tall masked man with the back of his blade. Unable to hold out, the man dropped to his knees.

The others still stood rigidly, but the guards stepped forward—kicking and striking—until they too were forced to kneel in a row.

“You are Prince He?” the tall masked man asked.

Lin Yi, still sleepy, replied, “Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that you prevented me from resting.”

The masked man lowered his head. “Please forgive us, Your Highness. We truly did not mean to offend.”

“Gathering at night to fight and cause trouble, smashing the roof, and who knows how many flowers and plants you destroyed,” Lin Yi said helplessly. “Have you ever seen a blade of grass struggle to sprout? Have you ever seen a flower awaken the spring? And now they’re all gone. You’ve truly committed a sin.”

The masked men were dumbfounded.

Don’t you realize we were trying to kill someone?

What do flowers and grass have to do with anything?

Still, he obediently said, “This humble one knows his fault.”

“If admitting fault were enough, what would constables be for?” Lin Yi snorted. “You damaged property. Don’t you need to compensate for it?”

“Ah…”

The masked man hurriedly said, “This humble one is willing to compensate. What does Your Highness suggest?”

“That would be excellent!” Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction. “But you must pay at least this much.”

He held up three fingers.

“Thirty thousand taels?” the masked man said happily. “Your Highness, please have my hands untied. I’ll fetch it immediately.”

Lin Yi stared in disbelief.

I meant three hundred taels!

How much money could these underworld types possibly have? Asking for too much would be pointless if they couldn’t pay.

He had never expected them to agree so readily—and even look pleased about it.

He deeply regretted asking for so little.

After the ropes on the man’s hands were untied, he took out a stack of banknotes from his clothes and raised them with both hands. “Please accept this, Your Highness.”

Hong Ying took them and stood behind Lin Yi.

Lin Yi sighed. “But you woke me in the middle of the night. I now have a terrible headache. How should we calculate the compensation for emotional distress?”

The masked man froze.

Compensation for emotional distress? What kind of thing was that?

Still, he understood the general meaning—he had disturbed someone’s sleep.

Suppressing his frustration, he forced a smile. “This humble one is willing to compensate.”

Gritting his teeth, he handed over the last of his banknotes.

Hong Ying counted them and said with a smile, “Your Highness, only ten thousand taels.”

He and the prince were very familiar with this sort of trick from their days in the capital.

Lin Yi shook his head. “This puts me in a difficult position.”

“Please wait a moment, Your Highness.”

Under the guards’ blades, the masked man carefully shuffled over and searched each of his companions. After counting everything, he said, “Your Highness, this totals thirty-one thousand one hundred fifty taels. I hope Your Highness will not hold this matter against us.”

Lin Yi was truly stunned.

Do people in the underworld have such promising prospects now?

Going out with seventy or eighty thousand taels in their pockets?

His cheap uncle Yuan Qing couldn’t even scrape together thirty thousand taels of military pay.

And thinking of himself, he suddenly felt a wave of sorrow.

The masked man, seeing Lin Yi’s ever-changing expression, grew even more uneasy and forced himself to continue, “If Your Highness is still dissatisfied, this humble one will later present another thirty thousand taels!”

Lin Yi waved his hand. “Ah, this makes me rather embarrassed. Remove their masks, so that next time we meet, I’ll at least recognize them.”

“Ah—”

Before the masked men could react, their face coverings were removed. Judging by their appearances, all eight were only in their thirties or forties.