MCSCPM -Chapter 287 Scheming

At first, she thought it was the guards following her, but after thinking it over, she realized it couldn’t be them.

If it were the guards, they would have taken her back to the county magistrate’s residence from the start. How could they have followed her for so long?

Yin Qingyue deliberately walked to a mirror stall, picked up a mirror, and looked into it. Then, intentionally, she glanced at her back—and sure enough, someone was following her. Not guards, but several unfamiliar men.

After some thought, she realized they were Kong Xian’s subordinates. When Chu Jingcheng first came to this county, Kong Xian had welcomed him, and these men had been among the group.

Now that Kong Xian had fallen, his men had fallen too.

Her appearance had undoubtedly blocked their path to wealth, so naturally they harbored resentment. Now that they were following her, they must have ulterior motives.

Of course, dealing with them herself would be more than enough, but she didn’t want to dirty her hands.

A vendor saw Yin Qingyue holding the mirror for a long time and smiled politely, “Divine Doctor, if you like this mirror, it’s yours.”

After the Kong Xian incident, everyone in the county knew of Yin Qingyue, calling her “Divine Doctor” in admiration.

She put the mirror down with a polite smile. “I’m just looking, you don’t need to be so courteous.”

“How can I not be? Divine Doctor, you’re our county’s great benefactor, a living Bodhisattva! Here, consider this mirror a gift from me to you.” The vendor insisted on wrapping the mirror and handing it to her.

Yin Qingyue felt embarrassed refusing, so she accepted it. But thinking of the men following her, she quickly left with the mirror.

Once outside, she deliberately entered a tavern. A waiter immediately came to serve her, recognizing her as the Divine Doctor and treating her with extreme respect.

“It’s the Divine Doctor! What would you like to eat?”

Yin Qingyue went upstairs to the second floor and glanced down. The men were nearby, apparently scheming.

The waiter bowed eagerly. “Have you decided what to eat, Divine Doctor? If not, I can recommend some specialties—steamed fish, and…”

“I know, you don’t need to say more,” Yin Qingyue interrupted, then lowered her voice. “Go tell your boss that some of Kong Xian’s men, hungry and thirsty, are watching your tavern and planning a robbery. You must protect your guests and be on guard.”

“What? Is it true?”

“If you don’t believe me, look,” Yin Qingyue pointed toward the direction where Kong Xian’s men were standing.

The waiter, initially skeptical, looked and saw them. Terrified, he hurried, “Thank you, Divine Doctor! I’ll go tell the boss immediately.”

“Go quickly.”

The staff became serious and rushed downstairs to make arrangements.

With this move, Yin Qingyue solved a major problem without getting her hands dirty—why not take the opportunity?

The tavern owner was both frightened and angry. “Those men dare to come and rob my place? How shameless! That corrupt official is dead, and they still act like before.”

“What should we do now?” the waiter asked.

“Quick, get people to capture them and send them to the magistrate. Let Prince Jing handle it.”

“All right, I’ll go call them!” The waiter hurried off.

Meanwhile, the men had no idea they were being set up by Yin Qingyue and stood outside waiting for her to come out.

One of them finally asked the leader, “Brother, why don’t we go in?”

“There are too many people inside. Openly grabbing the Divine Doctor is impossible.”

“Good thinking, brother. This Divine Doctor caused Lord Kong’s execution, and we ended up like this—all because of her.”

The others nodded in agreement, angered and determined to catch Yin Qingyue.

But with no way to enter, they could only linger outside.

The leader said, “Too many people here. Let’s move to the alley over there.”

They went to a nearby alley to wait for her.

However, after a while, Yin Qingyue didn’t appear alone. Instead, a large group of tavern staff rushed out.

Ten or so people wielded axes, cleavers, and ropes, surrounding the men.

Seeing so many armed, Kong Xian’s men were terrified.

“Who are you?” the leader demanded.

A staff member holding a rope said, “How dare you come to steal! Let’s beat you to death.” He called the others, “Tie them up and send them to the magistrate for Prince Jing to handle.”

They surged forward, surrounding Kong Xian’s subordinates.

With only strength and no weapons, they had no chance against so many. Naturally, they couldn’t resist.

After a short struggle, they were bound.

Yin Qingyue appeared, and the staff said, “Divine Doctor, look, it’s them. What should we do now?”

Yin Qingyue smiled at the men. “Take them to the county magistrate. Someone will deal with them.”

Kong Xian’s men glared at her, unconvinced. “Our Lord Kong died because of you. You’d better kill us too, or we’ll settle this when we’re free.”

“Fine, I’ll wait,” Yin Qingyue said. “But whether you ever leave prison is another matter. You might sit in there until the bottom wears out.”

“You Divine Doctor, you’re just a demoness!”

Hearing the word “demoness,” Yin Qingyue was extremely displeased. Previously, Shangguan Jiaoran had called her that; now only those aligned with Kong Xian would dare.

Before she could respond, a tavern staff slapped one of Kong Xian’s men and shouted, “You scoundrels! The Divine Doctor is our county’s benefactor. Dare to call her that again and we’ll beat you to death!”

No one dared speak. They knew speaking back might get them killed.

Yin Qingyue told the staff, “Quickly take them to the magistrate. Even if they survive, they won’t see the outside world for a long time.”

At this, Kong Xian’s men looked regretful—they hadn’t even acted before being captured.

The tavern staff escorted them to the magistrate’s office. Yin Qingyue followed later.

Chu Jingcheng had eluded her; she could only return.

Unexpectedly, at the main gate, she saw Kong Ling kneeling—an hour had likely passed.

Yin Qingyue approached her. “Why are you still here? Didn’t I tell you to go back?”

Kong Ling looked up, delighted. “Miss Yin, I know I shouldn’t have come again. But I’ve thought long and hard. My father’s death was his own fault—he deserved it. I want to atone for his sins, stay by your side, and serve you for life. Please, Miss Yin, agree.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she spoke sincerely.

Yin Qingyue saw her heart in that gaze. This girl had no schemes; she truly felt her father was wrong and genuinely wanted to serve her.

Still, Yin Qingyue didn’t know how to handle it. Keeping Kong Ling around would complicate things further.

“Third Miss, didn’t I already explain this clearly last time? Why don’t you listen?”

“Miss Yin, I understood what you said before. This time, I want to atone for my father. He did so many bad things; as his daughter, I must make amends. Please accept me.” Her eyes were red from crying.

Yin Qingyue stepped forward to help her up. “Stop kneeling. Get up. Your father’s sins are his, not yours.”

But Kong Ling refused, stubborn as before. “If you don’t accept me, I’ll throw myself into the river and go with my father.”

This threat was blatant, and Yin Qingyue sighed. Such stubbornness was rare.

“You can’t threaten me with your life. Life is yours. Whether you live or die is your choice. I can’t bear that sin. If you like kneeling, keep kneeling.”

Just then, Kong Ling hugged her legs, crying. “Miss Yin, please let me stay. I promise I won’t cause trouble.”

“Why bother?”

“I know our Kong family is hated in the county. Everyone wants us dead. I want to atone for my father. You’re kindhearted, Miss Yin—please fulfill me. I won’t be like my father. I promise to be a good person.”

If anyone else heard, they would pity her. If Yin Qingyue didn’t relent, she would fight to the end.

Sighing, Yin Qingyue decided to ease her, but deliberately set a challenge. “Fine. I’ll let you stay, but it won’t be easy. You must pass three tests to remain.”

Kong Ling’s eyes widened. She smiled, letting go of Yin Qingyue’s legs. “Anything! I’ll do it. Tell me, I’ll succeed.”

“The first test is kneeling. If you can kneel until midnight without fainting and still speak, you pass. The other two tests we’ll discuss later.”

“All right. I’ll kneel here. I’ll pass this test,” she said confidently, determined.

Yin Qingyue looked at her. Kong Ling was a proper young lady, so making her kneel was excessive—but she agreed without hesitation.