The Foolish King’s Little Concubine

Shen An looked at the man who only spoke a few words to the person who had been about to arrest them, and the person didn’t dare to speak back and let them go unconditionally.

At this point, Shen An was even more certain that the man’s identity was not simple, and she just wanted to stay away from him to avoid causing trouble with someone she shouldn’t mess with. Earlier, Shen An noticed the expression on the man’s face when he saw Wei Jinyu, and she thought he might be an old acquaintance of Wei Jinyu, but she couldn’t be sure whether the man was an enemy or a friend of Wei Jinyu.

Shen An carefully examined the servants brought by the man and saw that they were all staring at them intently. Shen An secretly swallowed and thought to herself that when one was under someone else’s roof, one has to bow one’s head. She had no choice but to thank him: “Thank you very much for helping us out, sir.”

“It’s nothing. I just can’t stand it when people bully others. It’s a small matter, and you don’t have to be so polite, miss.” The man opened the fan in his hand and fanned himself, pretending to be elegant.

“No matter what, I am very grateful to you, sir. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, please feel free to ask, as a token of my appreciation.” Shen An’s tone was sincere, she just wanted to repay the favor as soon as possible and not have any further involvement with this person. She still didn’t know if this person was harmful to Wei Jinyu.

“Okay, then I won’t be polite, since I actually have something that I would like you to help with. I don’t know if you’re willing or not, but as long as you are, I will naturally accept your kindness.” The person waved his fan, glanced at Shen An, and then at Wei Jinyu.

“Please tell me your request, as long as it is within my abilities, I will not refuse,” Shen An replied with a stiff smile.

“Haha, how could I make things difficult for you? You can definitely do this task.” The person waved his fan again and said, “I happen to want to go to the teahouse for tea, and it’s no fun going alone. Would you and your brother accompany me for a cup of tea? It can be considered as helping me, how about that?”

The person looked at Shen An, and although he was asking, there was no room for negotiation.

“Sir, this may not be appropriate. How could drinking tea be considered helping? Isn’t that right, Jinyu?” Shen An didn’t want to stir up trouble, but she didn’t know whether or not her little scheme was already exposed. She nudged Wei Jinyu with her elbow where the person couldn’t see.

“What’s wrong, Jiejie (1)?” Wei Jinyu was puzzled and didn’t know why Shen An had bumped into him.

“Jinyu, didn’t you say you wanted to go fishing just now?” Shen An smiled and looked at Wei Jinyu with a smile and made a gesture with her eyes, which was not visible to the man.

And at this moment, Wei Jinyu was just lost in thought, feeling strange about the person in front of him. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling, neither liking nor disliking the person.

But Wei Jinyu had an instinctual aversion to being with this person, and said to him, “Thank you for your help, kind sir. Since you said earlier that it was just a small gesture, there’s no need to have tea together. I believe, as someone of your status, you must have many people who would like to have tea with you. Goodbye.”

Although Wei Jinyu’s intelligence had dropped significantly after being poisoned, his tone of voice when talking to Shen An was still instinctively influenced by his past habits.

Wei Jinyu nodded at the person and pulled Shen An away without looking back.

The person watched as they walked away, and then smirked with a mysterious expression.

“Ah, nothing’s changed even after all this time. You can’t stand anyone touching the things you like. Sigh, when will you ever be normal?” The person murmured to himself only after their figures disappeared.
“My lord, what should we do now?” The hidden guard behind the person spoke up.

“Forget it, let’s go back. It seems like we didn’t leave empty-handed this time, don’t you think?” The person looked at the speaking servant with a playful expression.

The guard just lowered their head, and the person smiled and was about to leave, but suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, follow them and find out where they live. It will come in handy later.” The person’s mouth curled up as he instructed the servant.

“Understood.”

The guard had no objections and went to carry out the order.

Meanwhile, Shen An, walking some distance away, seemed to sense something and shivered. Her police intuition told her that someone was following them. She looked around cautiously but didn’t find anyone suspicious.

At this moment, Wei Jinyu grabbed her arm. “Jiejie, someone is following us.”

“You felt it too? Can you pinpoint their exact location? I can’t find them!” Shen An complained in frustration.

“Well, he’s less than a yard behind us. He has strong inner energy, so it’s normal that you can’t see him.” Wei Jinyu looked at Shen An’s expression and secretly laughed before comforting her.

“Not bad, so you’re stronger than him?” Shen An’s mood instantly brightened, patting Jinyu’s shoulder to show her praise.

Wei Jinyu frowned slightly at the pat, his body trembling, and then he brushed off Shen An’s hand and rubbed his shoulder.

“Anyway, do you have any way to shake off our tail?” Shen An pondered, changing the subject under Wei Jinyu’s accusatory gaze.

“Shake him off?” Wei Jinyu scratched his head, feeling unsure.

“Ah! Well, you’re just a kid. Looks like I need to show you my anti-surveillance skills. Stay close to me,” Shen An smiled slightly and helped Wei Jinyu straighten his hair, which he had messed up earlier

“Anti-surveillance skill? What’s that? Is it very powerful?” Wei Jinyu only caught on to the unfamiliar term.

“That’s not the point. The point is to follow me closely. Got it, you silly goose?” Shen An couldn’t help but feel helpless. How did she accidentally use modern slang that Wei Jinyu wouldn’t understand?

“Okay, I’ll definitely keep up! And, I’m not silly!” Wei Jinyu denied it firmly. He didn’t want Shen An to think less of him.

Shen An couldn’t help but smile wryly in her heart. She took Wei Jinyu and suddenly ran towards the crowd. The crowded group instantly engulfed them. The hidden guard realized something was wrong and hurriedly followed, looking for Shen An and Wei Jinyu’s figures in the crowd, but they were nowhere to be found.

Once the guard had gone far enough, Shen An and Wei Jinyu emerged from a large vegetable basket, looked at each other and smiled, and quickly ran in the opposite direction of the hidden guard.

The guard didn’t realize that he had been fooled until he reached a less crowded area and searched for Shen An and Wei Jinyu again. But where were they?

“Damn it!” The guard punched the stone wall with his hand, leaving deep finger marks. His martial arts skills were evident.

At this moment, Shen An and Wei Jinyu had run to another, more bustling street.

Shen An felt like they had nothing now, not even a place to stay.

Restlessly, she reached up and ran her hand through her hair. Suddenly, she felt something and took it out and realized it was a silver hairpin..

“Not bad. Every cloud has a silver lining. How could I forget about these?” Shen An breathed a sigh of relief, weighed the silver hairpin in her hand, and felt it was still in good condition. She thought it could sell for a good price.

Shen An started pulling Wei Jinyu around to look for a pawnshop. The first few they found did not offer ideal prices, so they continued their search.

After a while, they finally found the largest pawnshop in the city. Shen An believed this shop would give them a fair price, so they pulled Jin Yu inside.

“Miss, are you here to pawn something or redeem something?” A smart-looking waiter ran up to Shen An.

“Pawn something.”

“Okay, this way, please. I’ll go and fetch the boss.” The waiter led Shen An and Wei Jinyu to a table and offered them tea while they waited.

The decor of the pawn shop made Shen An feel like they were in the modern world. It was similar to modern-day shops, so she sat down and relaxed.

“The boss is sitting next to the lady over there. Whether you want to pawn or redeem, it’s better for the boss to check them out.” The waiter’s voice could be heard even before he arrived.

“Okay, I’ll go take a look,” replied a magnetic voice.

Shen An sipped her tea while observing, thinking the boss might be an old man, but she didn’t expect him to be such a young gentleman.

Shen An held the teacup with both hands and took small sips while keeping an eye on the gentleman.

“Miss, are you here to pawn something?” The young boss greeted Shen An.

“Yes.” Shen An put down her teacup, stood up, and bowed politely to the boss.

“Miss, you are so elegant and refined, with the demeanor of someone from a wealthy family. Coming here to pawn something must mean that you have some difficulties. How much are you asking for it? But it doesn’t matter, please tell us,” the boss complimented.

“Since the boss himself has said so, I will be straightforward. I believe that with your discerning eye, you can see that these things are worth more than 200 taels (2) of silver. But since I rely on my parents at home and my friends outside, why not just settle for 200 taels? We can consider it a friendly transaction, how about that?” Shen An proposed.

“Haha, you are quite the businesswoman. But as you said, let’s consider it a friendly transaction. Miss, you said 200 taels, so it’s 200 taels! Waiter, bring two silver notes,” The boss waved his hand towards the waiter.

“Great!” the waiver grinned.

“I can tell that you’re a straightforward person. If I encounter any difficulties in the future, I will definitely come to you for help.” Shen An joked with the boss.

“Judging by the way Miss speaks, it seems that something unfortunate has happened.” The boss picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then looked up at Wei Jinyu.

“Yes, my younger brother and I have fallen on hard times and are penniless, so we can only sell our belongings.” Shen An thought of her parents’ murder and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the boss expressed sympathy before turning to Wei Jinyu and jokingly saying, “But this person next to you, at first, I thought he was your beloved.”

“Boss, you’re kidding.” Shen An politely denied it when she heard the boss’s misunderstanding.

“Here you go, boss. These are 200 taels,” the waiter returned with two silver notes and handed them to the boss.

Footnote:
1. Jiejie is a Chinese term that refers to an older sister or a female friend who is older than oneself. It can be used as a term of endearment or respect.
2. Tael is a unit of weight traditionally used in China and other parts of East Asia, particularly for measuring precious metals like gold and silver.

Continuing to exaggerate, Shen An said, “So, my sibling and I couldn’t stand these people using Liu Daren’s (1) name to deceive others, and we taught them a lesson. It just happened to clear Liu Daren’s name. Otherwise, in the future, all the troubles they cause will be blamed on Liu Daren. Am I right, Daren?”

The deputy general was now in a difficult situation, as neither saying yes nor no seemed appropriate. If he admitted her words, then his brothers who were beaten up would have suffered for no reason. But if he didn’t admit it, he would be considered sneaky like those people.

He looked at Shen An, who was smiling innocently at him, and thought to himself that this girl was quite clever. She could easily put him in a dilemma with just a few words.

He had an idea and smiled, saying, “You are quite eloquent, little girl.”

Shen An was modest and said, “It’s all the truth. Daren, you flatter me.”

“You’re right. I can’t let these people ruin my reputation,” the deputy general said.

The beggar who had been beaten on the ground was shocked and tried to speak up,”Daren, you…” but the deputy general raised his hand to stop him and continued, “But you should know, young lady, that this is the capital, the Emperor’s city. Even if you are helping me, I am a member of the court and cannot show favoritism or corruption. Your group’s actions have constituted provocation and disturbance of the peace, and I can only take you with me. As for them, I will not tolerate them either.”

Shen An realized she had underestimated this burly general, but she also realized that people in the capital were more cunning than those in her small town.

This man was determined to stand up for those beggars.

“I see. May I ask, sir, how will you deal with those scoundrels who used your name to deceive others?” Shen An asked cautiously, trying not to offend the deputy general.

“That’s not something you need to worry about, young lady,” he said, his tone becoming stern. He then turned to the soldiers behind him and ordered, “Arrest them!”

“Jinyu, run!” Shen An shouted, grabbing Wei Jinyu and running away as fast as she could.

“Bang!”

As they fled, they crashed into someone, but they didn’t stop to look back. They were about to continue running when they were stopped by a well-dressed man who appeared to be middle-aged, but looked exceptionally sharp and focused as he looked at them.

Shen An noticed that the man’s gaze swept across her face before settling on Wei Jinyu. His eyes flickered briefly as if something had passed between them, swift as a shooting star, but expertly hidden.

“Young man, you look very familiar,” he said softly, his voice trembling slightly.

Shen An’s eyebrows twitched, realizing that this person was not simple, and perhaps he recognized Wei Jinyu and knew his identity.

“I’m sorry, sir, but my brother and I don’t know you. Please let us pass,” Shen An said, feeling a sense of danger and wanting to get Wei Jinyu away from this place quickly.

“Brother and sister?” The man seemed a bit confused and shifted his gaze to Shen An, studying her carefully, his eyes gradually becoming deeper. “From your accent, it seems that you’re not from the capital. May I ask where you’re from?”

“Sir, we don’t know each other, and you seem to be asking too many questions,” Shen An said, suddenly feeling hostile towards this person and speaking with a tone of caution.

The man naturally sensed Shen An’s hostility but wasn’t angry, then turned to Wei Jinyu and asked softly, “I feel that we have some fate between us, young sir. What do you think?”

Wei Jinyu looked up at him dazedly and then turned to Shen An, whispering, “Jiejie (2), this person is so strange.”

The man heard this clearly and his gaze flickered before he forced a smile and said, “Perhaps I really mistook you for someone else. Please forgive me.”

Taking advantage of this moment, the deputy general and his troops caught up to them. When he saw the man in the silk robe, his face turned pale, he hastily said, “Wang…”

“Deputy general Liu, I wonder what they’ve done wrong?” the man interrupted, his tone becoming heavy.

“They were causing trouble and injured someone. I was about to send someone to arrest them,” the deputy general replied.

Shen An became more convinced that this man was not ordinary. Lieutenant Liu was so respectful to him, even referring to himself as mo jiang (3), which was a humble way of addressing oneself as a low-ranking officer in ancient times. This man must hold a high position.

This was not good. Their peaceful days seemed to be coming to an end.

She glanced at the man and saw that his gaze was sharp, his voice low, but with an irresistible domineering tone. “I will vouch for these two. They are under my protection,” he said.

The deputy general’s face turned pale, but he could only respond reluctantly and leave.

Footnote:
1. Daren is a Chinese term that can be translated to “mighty person” or “great man/woman”. It is often used as a title of respect or honor towards someone who is considered powerful, successful, or influential. In modern times, it is sometimes used as a playful or sarcastic term towards someone who is acting arrogantly or overconfident.

2. Jiejie is a Chinese term of address used to refer to an older sister or a young woman who is like an older sister figure.

3. Mo jiang is a humble way of referring to oneself in the third person, used by officials or soldiers in ancient China to show respect to their superiors. It can be translated to “this humble officer” or “this humble soldier” in English.

Shen An did not feel ecstatic about the sudden discovery. Instead, she felt worried. She bent down and blew the dust off the bamboo bed, then sat down and looked at Wei Jinyu with gentle eyes. She said softly, “Jinyu, this place must have been set up by you! You must’ve come here often.”

Because it was his territory, he would subconsciously remember it so clearly. Because he often came here, it was the only thing he remembered.

But this was not his real home, and everything in the house was very simple.

Wei Jinyu shook his head, looking bewildered. “I don’t remember.”

“Jinyu, you don’t remember anything, and your intelligence has regressed to that of a child. Don’t you think that’s strange? Have you ever thought about finding out your identity?”

But Wei Jinyu just smiled foolishly. “Not strange, as long as Jiejie (1) is here, I’m happy.”

At this moment, Shen An was shocked and looked at Wei Jinyu with confusion for a moment. Then she relaxed and a smile gradually appeared on her face. “Yes, as long as you’re happy.”

Who cares what his identity is? As long as he’s still in this world, as long as he’s happy, what does it matter who he was?

“Let’s go! Let’s go catch our food together,” she said.

As an international criminal police officer, Shen An was almost a perfect embodiment, able to handle anything from the halls to the kitchen. She showed off her knife skills in front of Wei Jinyu, who stared in amazement, and then a delicious seafood meal was served on the table.

Shen An clapped her hands and washed her chopsticks, then handed them to him. “Try it.”

Wei Jinyu couldn’t be bothered to talk as he devoured the food on the table. He smacked his lips and praised, “Jiejie, your cooking is so amazing.”

Shen An raised an eyebrow proudly and said, “Of course. As long as you keep me happy, I’ll make sure you eat well every day.”

Wei Jinyu immediately became a loyal follower, his mouth stuffed full as he raised his hand to show his loyalty. “Don’t worry, Jiejie. I’ll do whatever you ask me to do from now on. No questions asked.”

“That’s great.”

After filling their stomachs, Shen An leaned back on the stool and ordered, “Go and wash the dishes.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Wei Jinyu happily picked up the dishes and left the room.

Shen An rubbed her round belly and began to plan how to make some money. They couldn’t go on fishing in the lake every day.

When Wei Jinyu returned, she saw Shen An looking at her with an ominous smile. This kind of gaze gave him goosebumps. He rubbed his arms and took a few steps back, asking, “Jiejie, what’s wrong?”

“Jinyu, let’s do business together and become wealthy and live comfortably!”

“Oh, okay.”

Wei Jinyu didn’t let his guard down and waited for her to continue.

“So, I need you to go back to the lake and catch more fish, but this time, you can’t hurt them. They have to be alive and kicking. Also, just catch the big ones, not the small ones.”

“No problem.”

Wei Jinyu immediately agreed, thinking it would be an easy task. However, when he actually started, he realized it was not as simple as he had thought.

The fish were slippery, and if he didn’t want to hurt them, he had to catch them by hand. Wei Jinyu was sweating profusely and it took him a long time to catch a dozen or so fish.

“These are enough.”

Together with Shen An, they put the fish in a basin and transported them to the market.

However, all the stalls at the market were already occupied, and after searching for a long time, they still couldn’t find a suitable place.

Just when they were feeling hopeless, they saw an empty corner and happily looked at each other. They quickly set up a wooden board and placed the fish basin on top.

“Come and have a look, just caught fat fish, fresh and delicious.”

Wei Jinyu strained his voice and shouted the paper note that Shen An had written for him.

However, this kind of shouting was too common, and people passing by hurriedly left without stopping. Occasionally, a few people stopped and asked about the price, but they shook their heads and left.

An hour had passed, and not a single fish had been sold.

Shen An couldn’t help but feel discouraged. The fishes were all big and fat, so why couldn’t they sell them? Was it because they were selling them at too high of a high price?

The fish were only selling for five wens (2), so why weren’t people buying them?

It was strange.

“Hey, where did you guys come from? Who let you occupy my territory?”

An abrupt voice startled the two, and they turned around to see a beggar dressed in tattered clothes and with a dirty face glaring at them fiercely.

Sensing that the newcomer was hostile, Shen An immediately became wary and retorted, “Many people come and go here. Nobody reserved it for you. Why should it belong to you?”

The beggar, who might have been notorious in the area, was surprised that Shen An dared to stand up to him. He raised his neck and grumbled, “I come here every day. How dare a stinky fish seller like you dare to talk to me like that? Get lost, or when my brothers come, they’ll knock your teeth out!”

Shen An never expected to be so unlucky. Just as she was about to start her small business, someone came looking for trouble. She retorted without changing her expression, “Yes, we’re just stinky fish sellers. But what about you, a stinky beggar? You’re not disabled, yet you beg for a living?”

“Fuck you!” The beggar glared and spat on the ground. “What I do is none of your damn business. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now, or you’ll regret it!”

“If anyone is leaving, it’s you! I’m here now, and this is my territory!”

“Hmm, pretty sassy,” the beggar sneered. “Are you from out of town? You’d better ask around before you mess with me!”

Shen An had once heard of the saying “a dragon cannot suppress a snake in its own territory,”, especially in a big city like Beijing where these beggars had some sort of influence. However, now that they were bullying her, she couldn’t show any weakness, especially since she was an international criminal police officer. If she couldn’t handle a stinking beggar, how could she survive in the future?

With this in mind, Shen An steadied her resolve and said coldly, “I don’t care if others mess with you or not, but now you’ve messed with me.”

“You’ve got a big mouth! Stinky woman, don’t think that just because you’re a woman, I won’t hit you.”

As they argued, a group of people came and gathered around them. Some elderly women quietly pulled on Shen An’s clothes and whispered, “You should leave now. We, ordinary people, can’t afford to provoke these people.”

“Why not? Aren’t they ordinary people too?” Shen An couldn’t stand this person’s attitude. Nowadays, even beggars were acting so arrogantly.

The old lady coughed lightly and sighed, “You don’t know, these people are not real beggars. They just use begging as a cover to bully the ordinary people.”

Shen An snorted, “The moment they stretch out their hands to ask for your money, they are already beggars.”

Several old ladies couldn’t persuade Shen An, so they shook their heads and stepped aside, no longer getting involved.

As they argued, a few rough voices were heard, “What’s going on? What’s going on?”

Hearing this voice, the onlookers knew who was coming and automatically made their way.

Shen An turned to look and saw five men dressed as beggars holding clubs and walking towards them.

The beggar who had just argued with her eyes lit up and hurried over to the leader, pointing at Shen An and saying, “This stinky woman not only took our territory but also dared to disrespect us. Big brother, should we teach them a lesson?”

The leader’s gaze swept over Shen An and Wei Jinyu one by one, then stopped on Shen An, with a wandering and lewd look.

“Teach them a lesson? Of course, we should, but this little girl looks quite attractive. If I could enjoy her a bit…”

He didn’t finish his words and let out two disgusting and lascivious sneers.

“So, you guys take care of that stinky kid, and as for this chick, I’ll take her back and fix her myself.”

His gaze was so naked that it made Shen An feel murderous.

“Jinyu, give him a hard slap in the face for me!”

Wei Jinyu responded with a sound and jumped up, kicked him down, and pressed him firmly under his legs, giving him a few big slaps left and right on his face. Blood immediately overflowed from the corners of his mouth, and his cheeks swelled up.

The people behind him were all frightened, but when they reacted, they rushed towards Wei Jinyu.

These few gangsters were no match for Wei Jinyu. After a few rounds, they all fell to the ground in a mess. The beggar who had just argued with Shen An didn’t fare well either. Wei Jinyu broke his ribs with a fierce kick, and he lay on the ground moaning.

They didn’t expect to provoke someone who was skilled in martial arts. After they realized their mistake, they regretted it.

“You wait! You’ve provoked our brothers. General Liu won’t let you off! You guys can just wait to go to jail!”

But the common people who had been oppressed by them all cheered and were overjoyed.

Soon, their cheers attracted the attention of the official soldiers. The patrols in the capital were more rigorous than those in small towns. Whenever there was any disturbance, the patrols would come to intervene.

“What’s going on here?”

The officials and soldiers in the capital were well-trained and stood straight in formation.

The people who had been watching the show scattered.

The vice general in charge grew impatient and scolded a few words before scanning the scene and furrowing his brow. He looked at Wei Jinyu and asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Brother Liu, you’ve come just in time! Quick, help me catch these two guys! Look at what they’ve done to us!”

Wei Jinyu was about to speak to explain but was pulled over by Shen An from behind. Shen An said, “My sibling and I traveled a long way to the capital, only to be bullied and insulted by these people who outnumbered us. They even claimed to have you, Liu Daren (3), as their backer. At first, we thought you might be a cunning and scheming person, but now that we see your true face, we know that you’re a man of integrity and righteousness. These ruffians are not worthy of being compared to someone like you.”

At first, the vice general’s face was very dark, but it gradually cleared up and his tone became more relaxed when he heard Shen An’s words. “Oh? Explain how you think I am a man of integrity and righteousness”

Shen An was secretly happy, but her expression was very sincere as she said, “Liu Daren, you have a broad mind and a tall and robust figure. You are a man of integrity and righteousness, and these scoundrels are not fit to be compared with someone like you.” The vice general looked pleased, obviously enjoying the flattery.

Footnote:
1. Jiejie is a Chinese term of address used to refer to an older sister or a young woman who is like an older sister figure.

2. Wen is a unit of currency used in ancient China. During the Han Dynasty, it was the basic unit of currency and was made of bronze or iron.

3. Daren is a Chinese term that can be translated to “mighty person” or “great man/woman”. It is often used as a title of respect or honor towards someone who is considered powerful, successful, or influential. In modern times, it is sometimes used as a playful or sarcastic term towards someone who is acting arrogantly or overconfident.