Upon reaching the town, the two families parted ways for the time being.

Yang Ruqing first accompanied her parents to several shops on the street to select gifts for the cattle dealer. As the sun rose high in the sky, she said to Yang Huazhong and Sun Shi: "Father, Mother, Duo'er, you guys go to the restaurant with the baby and Feng'er first. I'll go see a friend and catch up with you later."

"What kind of friend is that?" Sun shi asked with concern, "Let your father accompany you?"

Yang Huazhong also looked prepared and ready to obey orders.

Yang Ruqing couldn't help but smile: "Father, mother, there's no need. I'm just going to see an old friend from the business world, talk about some things, and I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

>

Hearing that his daughter was going to discuss serious business, Yang Huazhong immediately reassured Mrs. Sun: “Don’t worry, it's broad daylight. Nothing could happen in this small town. Besides, Qing’er is meeting acquaintances.”

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated! ?

Mrs. Sun nodded and then reminded Yang Ruqing, "After you finish what you need to say, hurry over to the restaurant. We'll be waiting for you to have dinner together."

Yang Ruqing hummed in response, then said to Luo Bao and Feng'er, "When you get to the restaurant, find Zhou Ye, the head chef, and ask him to make some delicious food for you. He is our restaurant's signature!"

The two children had already been attracted by the delicious food in the restaurant and nodded repeatedly.

Luo Babao said, "I want to eat lots and lots of delicious food, beef congee, wine-soaked dumplings..."

Her little mouth blurted out a long list of dishes.

Feng'er also chimed in, "I want to eat crystal shrimp dumplings, and I want to eat custard buns too!"

Yang Ruqing touched the heads of the two: "Alright, let's go to the wine house quickly!"

Yang Ruqing, according to the previous agreement, met Suozi who had been waiting there for a long time in an alley behind the Wa Market in Qingshui Town.

Compared to last time when he was drunk, this time the lock's hair is washed, his beard is shaved, and his clothes are changed.

He stood there, still munching on a steamed bun in his hand.

Yang Ruqing felt that this meat bun was ruined by her bite.

“I am here.”

>

Yang Ruqing said, "I've arrived at the lock."

The little boy shoved the last two meat buns into his mouth with all his might, his cheeks bulging.

Yang Ruohqing turned her head away, waiting for him to swallow the steamed bun completely before she looked back at him.

"Come on, you invited me here for a reason. What is it?" Yang Ruqing asked.

>

The alley was dim and deserted, with the houses on both sides long gone. Rumor had it that a wealthy businessman had his eyes on this very lane, planning to tear it down and build large commercial shops in its place.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated! ?

Upon hearing Yang Ruohong's question, Suozi eagerly replied, "Madam Luo, I received your money last time and completed the task you entrusted to me. I successfully broke up that despicable woman Cuier's engagement with the Xiang family…"

“The lock,” Yang Ruocheng said, raising her hand to the lock. “You said you were the one who broke it apart, and I have some doubts. I want to hear the whole process in detail.”

The lock-wielding man nodded in agreement, wiping the grease from his chin with a hand. He then told Yang Ruqing about his plan, which he thought was flawless.

After I received the money from Mrs. Luó that day, I began to think about how to break them apart without getting myself involved.

“I purposely went to live for several days in the Flower Lane alley of the county town, and from those well-informed kiln sisters, I suddenly found some ideas...”

As soon as she heard this, Yang Ruqing wrinkled her nose in disgust.

As the saying goes, a man changes when he has money.

It was originally thought that the lock-buying, drunk, and despondent state was caused by being abandoned by a loved one.

Looking back, it seems Lozi was a restless soul. As soon as he got some money, he'd spend it all on revelry and debauchery.

“I had someone buy a type of medicine and snuck to Sunjiagou to lie in wait for several days. I was just thinking about finding an opportunity to make my move when I discovered she was flirting with a young man from Sunjiagou!” Lozi continued.

“That young man just got married last year, his wife is still a girl from our Sishān'ao area, a flower from Sishān'ao! I wanted to marry her too back then, but she didn't look down on me and married into the Sūnjiāgōu family,”

"Unexpectedly, I was discarded after only a year of marriage. But think about it, a flower from the Sishan Pass can't compare to a flower from Sunjiagou, can it? Cui'er isn't good at anything except her looks, that is, her appearance. She's really something men crave... Oh, I went off on a tangent. Let's get back to business."

"For those days, I lurked outside Cuier's house every day. As soon as any man dared to get close to her, I would attack. Hard work pays off, and sure enough, I caught them two meeting."

"That unlucky young man actually hadn't really gotten physical with Cuier before, just flirting here and there. After all, everyone in Sunjia Gou knew about Cuier's betrothal to the Xiang family. That day, the man was actually there to help fix the cart for Cuier's family. I secretly drugged the water I gave him,"

“After drinking the water, the man's medicine took effect quickly. He hugged Cui'er and sat up to engage in intimacy.”

“At that time, the two of them were by the haystack in the back yard. I saw Cuier slap the man and try to run away. Hmph, is it only allowed for her to seduce others with a purpose and not allow others to seduce her? It's not up to her! The medicine I gave him was a large dose. Once the effect kicked in, he went crazy and lost control…”

"I was afraid that people wouldn't know, so I threw a firebrand into the haystack. The fire caught on, and everyone from the village came."

“It just so happened that the younger daughter-in-law's family came that day, and hearing the commotion, they all came to see what was happening. Seeing her brother-in-law with Cuier doing those things, the wife's mother and sister-in-law rushed up and grabbed the two of them for a beating.”

In the midst of chaos, Cui'er's parents also came out, rushing to protect their daughter.

"As a result, the younger daughter-in-law took a flat board and struck Cui'er’s belly. Cui'er immediately collapsed, blood gushing out from her trousers. At this point, everyone realized that she was pregnant before marriage, and her marriage to the Xiang family was indeed due to pregnancy."

Hearing this, Yang Ruqing's lips curled up slightly, and her mind conjured up the scene of Cuier collapsing in front of everyone, clutching her stomach, while those around her pointed fingers and cast scornful glances.

>

People who always enjoy scheming against others, when one day they themselves are tricked and their true face is exposed, all their plans come to nothing, and they are treated with contempt and disgust like a worm. That feeling must be awful, right?

>

Haha, you deserve it!

“Well, actually, this matter also bothers me,” Suozi continued.

“As for the child in Cui’er’s belly, to be honest with you, I myself can’t tell if it’s mine, Jin Nan’s, or someone else’s.” Luzi added.

Yang Ruqing had a headache. This was a confusing account, and she estimated that even Cuier herself wasn't quite sure about it?

Or, she thought, it should just belong to whoever thinks it belongs to them.

The Heavenly Emperor

(Editor in charge:the apothecary diaries light novel)