Chapter 87: Chapter 87: A Husband-Jinxing Little Widow Cannot Marry

Princess Yong left first, so Ji Qingwu and the others took a stroll around the temple’s bell tower.

When they went outside, they saw a crowd gathered at the main entrance. They had to squeeze through the throng of people to get out.

Ji Qingrong was pregnant and tired easily, and Ji Qingwu wasn’t one to gawk at a spectacle, so they headed in the direction where the carriage was parked.

Suddenly, Ji Qingwu heard a familiar voice.

"I’m carrying your child in my belly, my love. How could you abandon me...?" The voice was soft and mournful, and the words sounded strangely familiar.

A thought struck Ji Qingwu. Even without seeing the woman’s face, she knew who it was.

Someone cursed indignantly, "You little hussy! These are hallowed Buddhist grounds, no place for the likes of you! If you don’t leave now, I’ll report you to the authorities and have you thrown in jail!"

A woman in her forties added with disgust, "Is she insane? For the past few days, she’s been latching onto any handsome man she finds on the street, calling him her love and refusing to leave him alone."

An older woman beside her spoke even louder, "Today, she’s latched onto the young master of the Left Imperial Censor’s family. So shameless! Ptooey! A lowly slut from a brothel!"

...

The woman had provoked public outrage, and people were already starting to throw the fruits they’d brought as offerings at her.

But she didn’t make a sound, just stood in the middle of the crowd with her head down, neither dodging nor flinching.

Ji Qingwu stopped in her tracks. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, "Big Sister, I left something in the pavilion. I’ll go back and look for it. You take Jiu Jiu to the carriage first."

"Should I have Chun Xing go with you?" Ji Qingrong asked.

"No need. You and Jiu Jiu need someone to look after you more. I’ll be right back."

Ji Qingwu turned and walked back toward the crowd, which was on the verge of becoming a mob. She pushed aside a woman who was shouting loudly while throwing pastries from her hand.

The woman, dressed in autumn-begonia gauze and with a figure as slender as a willow branch, was none other than Mo Lingling, the female servant from Liangxiang Pavilion who had accosted her by the river on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival.

The man Mo Lingling had been pestering was long gone. She stood alone in the crowd, her expression dazed as she endured everyone’s furious accusations.

Someone deliberately threw a large, round pear at her stomach, but Ji Qingwu, with lightning reflexes, shot out her arm and caught it.

She turned her head, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I was just getting thirsty for a pear. Thanks."

Hearing a clear, gentle voice instead of insults and curses, Mo Lingling looked up, her eyes glazed over.

Ji Qingwu tilted her head and beckoned to her. "What are you doing just standing there? Come on over."

Her tone was gentle, her face held a smile, and there wasn’t a trace of contempt in her expression. Mo Lingling came to her senses, her nose tingling as she took a few steps forward.

"And who are you? Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Are you another prostitute from Liangxiang Pavilion?"

Hearing the woman’s words, Mo Lingling retreated, not wanting this newcomer to be subjected to insults alongside her.

Ji Qingwu simply stood her ground, listening to them gossip about her with a calm smile.

"Isn’t that the Ji Family’s Fifth Miss Ji? The one who was found and brought home just half a year ago?"

"It is her. No wonder. Birds of a feather flock together."

"The Ji Family is a great and noble household. How could one of them be mixed up with a brothel prostitute?"

"Exactly... a young widow... brings bad luck to her husbands... can’t get married off..." Although they deliberately lowered their voices, Ji Qingwu still caught several key phrases.

Mo Lingling had also heard the rumors about this Fifth Miss Ji. She never expected it to be the delicate-looking girl in front of her.

Ji Qingwu found it strange that Mo Lingling didn’t dare to approach her, a complete contrast to her behavior that night.

Then, ignoring the gossiping women’s chatter, she directly grabbed Mo Lingling by the wrist.

She winked and said, "If you stay here any longer, you’ll be able to set up a little stall at your feet to sell all this fruit and pastry."

Mo Lingling struggled a few times, but Ji Qingwu held on tight. While her grip was no match for the Emperor’s, it was more than enough to restrain an ordinary woman.

She forcefully pulled her out of the crowd, not stopping until they reached a secluded pond behind Hanshan Temple.

Ji Qingwu let go and looked down to see a red mark circling Mo Lingling’s wrist. She said apologetically, "I was in a hurry and didn’t control my strength. Are you all right?"

Mo Lingling rubbed her wrist bone, asking warily, "Why did you help me?"

These past few days, she had accosted eighty, if not a hundred, men, but she was unwilling to get too close to women.

It was because she knew her status would only earn her the scorn of these ladies and young misses from prominent families.

The Ji Family was the Empress Dowager’s maternal family. Never mind that Fifth Miss Ji had been married before; even if she married ten or a hundred more times, she would still be far beyond Mo Lingling’s station.

Seeing her crestfallen expression, Ji Qingwu said directly, "On the fifth day of the fifth month, by the river at the lantern market, I was the one who saved Miss Mo from taking her own life. You even spoke of pledging yourself to me. Why are you so cold to me now?"

Mo Lingling froze. Her large eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Ji Qingwu’s features. Astonished, she stammered, "You... it really is you. Are you a sodomite, or do you just have a penchant for cross-dressing?"

’A sodomite? Where did that come from?’

Ji Qingwu held up her hands. "Neither. I’m a woman, just like you."

Mo Lingling suddenly took a step forward and grabbed her chest.

Startled by her action, Ji Qingwu retreated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Mo Lingling looked at her own hands. The feel had been soft; this was undoubtedly a genuine woman.

She pouted, not at all thinking she’d done anything offensive, and said boldly, "If it’s a big deal, I’ll let you grope me back. Feel me up wherever you want. Though I’m not as soft as you."

The corner of Ji Qingwu’s mouth twitched. "I don’t have that particular penchant."

Mo Lingling huffed, her expression proud as she spoke self-deprecatingly.

"Why did you drag me over here? Everyone else wishes they could stay ten feet away from me, afraid that breathing the same air as someone from a brothel like me would tarnish their precious reputations."

Ji Qingwu raised an eyebrow. "I’m just curious, that’s all."

"What is there to be curious about? Just like they said, I’m a female servant from Liangxiang Pavilion. Other women can’t get away from me fast enough, yet you’re willing to get involved with me. You’re the one who makes me more curious."

Ji Qingwu’s gaze fell on the waistline beneath her gauze dress, her words holding a deeper meaning.

"If you really wanted to find a father for the child in your belly, it shouldn’t be difficult, given your looks."

Someone who could become a Female Historian at Liangxiang Pavilion must not only possess stunning beauty but also navigate relationships with various powerful figures. She would be no fool.

She wasn’t a greedy person, either. Last time, Mo Lingling had said she could buy her own freedom from Liangxiang Pavilion, so she clearly had no intention of relying on a powerful patron to do it for her.

"What are you trying to say?" Mo Lingling’s expression held a hint of impatience.

Ji Qingwu analyzed calmly, "The men you’ve been accosting are all proper and courteous scholars. Take today’s example, the fifth young master of the Left Imperial Censor’s family. He’s famous in Lin’an City for being a stickler for rules. He won’t even make eye contact with a woman on the street. You knew from the start he would reject you."

Ji Qingwu fixed her gaze on her.

Mo Lingling’s eyes began to shift away. She had guessed everything...