Poisonous Peasant 'Concubine' Ch 83 - Hyacinth in Bloom

Apr 28, 2026

Chapter 83 — Making Arrangements • Prince Sheng

Ling Chenghua and Ling Jingwei—an aunt and her nephew—had brazenly coupled in the wild outskirts. Even after their families dragged them apart, they went so far as to insult quite a few of the village’s men and women. The uproar it caused was enormous. Not only was the old Xiucai’s lifetime of hard-earned reputation utterly ruined, but when the Ling clan’s ancestral hall saw that the two of them still hadn’t come forward to confess their wrongdoing by noon the following day, the old clan chief decisively took matters into his own hands that afternoon. He led members of the Ling clan straight to the scholar’s house to seize them.

The entire village, save for Ling Jingxuan’s place—where work was proceeding in full swing—set down their farm tools and flocked over to the Xiucai’s house to watch the spectacle.

When Ling Jingxuan and Yan Shengrui heard about it, they merely exchanged a smile, looking completely unconcerned, as though the matter had nothing to do with them. Ling Jinghan and Ling Jingpeng reacted much the same way: one sat leisurely beneath the eaves in the back courtyard, flipping through a book, while the other kept his head down, working alongside the hired laborers. Ling Chenglong, on the other hand, froze for a moment. But remembering his sons’ earlier warnings, he could only let out a deep sigh and did not dare allow himself to meddle in that mess.

“Shuisheng, you won’t need to go help your father anymore. I’ve heard you recognize a few characters. When you have time, let Jinghan teach you more. In the future, you can serve as his shutong—his book boy.”

After delivering carefully simmered bone broth and meat buns to the workers, the men responsible for repairing the road and courtyard walls arrived. Ling Jingxuan and Yan Shengrui went off separately to assign their tasks. When Ling Jingxuan returned, he saw Song Shuisheng about to head out again with Song Gengniu to help with the work, and casually called him to a stop.

The moment they heard that he would become the Second Young Master’s shutong—and even have the chance to learn a few more characters—Song Gengniu’s entire family stood there dumbfounded for a moment. Then undisguised excitement spread across their faces.

Although they had only been in this household for a short time, they had already heard of Ling Jinghan’s reputation. Everyone knew he possessed remarkable talent; if not for the illness that had held him back, he would likely have passed the Xiucai examination long ago. If Shuisheng truly became his shutong, his future would surely be bright—at the very least, he would no longer have to live such a bitter life.

To them, this was nothing less than a heaven-sent opportunity.

“What are you standing there gaping for? Hurry up and thank Master Xuan!”

Song Gengniu was the first to recover his senses. Irritated, he gave his son a push. Now the younger son was serving as the two little young masters’ attendant, staying with them under Mister Chu’s instruction, and the elder son would soon become the Second Young Master’s shutong as well.

At last, their family’s days had some hope ahead.

“Y-yes… many thanks, Master Xuan.”

Finally snapping out of his daze, Song Shuisheng hastily knelt and kowtowed to Ling Jingxuan. No matter where one was, for a poor family, the chance to learn to read and write was a tremendous blessing.

“Jinghan, from now on he’ll be yours. Your health hasn’t fully recovered yet—if there’s anything to be done, let him handle it. And when it’s time to rest, make sure you do. As the ancients say, reading ten thousand volumes is not as good as traveling ten thousand li. Burying your head in books all day won’t do you any good. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You’re only fourteen this year. Even if you fail the Tongsheng examination, it doesn’t matter. At worst, we’ll try again next year. Just don’t wear out your body.”

With a gesture for Shuisheng to rise, Ling Jingxuan turned and spoke to Ling Jinghan, who was holding a book and preparing to return to the back courtyard. He knew his younger brothers all worked very hard. While that filled him with pride, it also made him genuinely worried for them. Who sat there reading for half the day without moving? If this continued, before long he’d probably end up with sciatica or some sort of slipped disc.

“Mm, I’ll keep it in mind, Big Brother. Shuisheng, go to the kitchen and bring me a pot of tea in the back courtyard.”

Ling Jinghan nodded. After giving the instruction, he left. With everyone in the household busy, how could he possibly put down his books? Frail as his body was, studying was the only thing he was truly good at.

“Don’t worry. He’s not a child anymore—he knows what he’s doing. But what about you? Is it alright if you skip your midday nap?”

Seeing Ling Jingxuan staring after Ling Jinghan’s retreating figure with a furrowed brow, Yan Shengrui asked with concern. No matter how busy things usually were, Ling Jingxuan would still take a short rest after lunch—even if it was only a brief doze. Today, however, the work crews arrived right after they finished eating. By the time they finished arranging everything and came back, nearly an hour had already passed.

Yan Shengrui was genuinely afraid he might exhaust himself.

“It’s fine. Missing it for one day won’t hurt.”

Ling Jingxuan withdrew his gaze and tossed Yan Shengrui a faint, reassuring smile. Then he turned to Song Gengniu and the others.

“Old Song, for now you can help my father and the others. Just remember not to miss the time to pick up the children. Aunt Song, the kitchen and the house cleaning will be your responsibility. Our three meals must be on time every day. And don’t forget my mother’s medicinal soup.”

He shifted his eyes to the girl.

“Shuiling, milking the cow in the morning and decocting medicine for Shengrui and Jinghan three times a day will be your task. You’re already a thirteen-year-old young lady—don’t keep thinking about helping your mother with everything. Our household isn’t so strict with rules. Once you’ve finished your duties, go spend some time with my mother. I’ve heard your embroidery is quite good. When you have spare time, help us make a few embroidered pouches or the like.”

Since they had chosen to follow him, he would never treat them poorly.

Of course, the premise was that they would never betray him.

“Yes, thank you, Master Xuan.”

The family of three bowed happily. Song Yang-shi lifted her head, hesitated a moment, and said, “Master Xuan, I’ve noticed the family doesn’t have many spare clothes to change into. You bought quite a bit of cloth yesterday—when I’ve finished the work, how about I sew some clothes for everyone?”

People supported one another. When he treated them well, they would naturally repay him with loyalty—especially since, to their family, he was already a great benefactor.

“Mm. Small matters like that—just handle them as you see fit. Oh, and this afternoon don’t forget to let the two puppies tied in the back courtyard out for a bit of air. The little buns aren’t here, so they must be bored stiff.”

Ling Jingxuan nodded, then suddenly remembered Dahei and Xiaohei before leaving. Everyone assumed they were dogs; he couldn’t be bothered explaining otherwise. Let them think they were dogs.

Though admittedly… it did seem a bit insulting to their dignity as wolves.

“Of course, Master Xuan. Don’t worry—I’ll take good care of them. I won’t let the young masters worry.”

Song Yang-shi was a straightforward woman. Patting her chest confidently, she agreed with a bright smile.

Ling Jingxuan nodded to Yan Shengrui, and the two of them headed toward the back courtyard together.

Repairing the house was urgent, but they also couldn’t neglect earning money. Now that the household had more people, they needed to prepare more food. The kitchen was no longer spacious enough for them to cook fruit jam, so they had asked Zhao Dalong and Han Fei to help. While there was time in the afternoon, they planned to set up a simple shed in the back courtyard and build a few earthen stoves—just something temporary to make do with for now.

“Awoo…”

“Haha… I think they’re going to hold a grudge against you for the rest of their lives.”

The moment the two stepped into the back courtyard, the two wolf cubs tied there bared their teeth and whined at them nonstop. Yan Shengrui couldn’t help laughing with undisguised amusement.

Ling Jingxuan shot him an annoyed sideways glare.

As if it weren’t his fault.

If Yan Shengrui hadn’t lured the mother wolf right in front of them that day, would he have needed to kill her?

“Jingxuan, you’re here! Come take a look—does this work?”

Han Fei, who had been working, lifted a sweat-soaked arm to greet them. In only an hour, they had already set up the basic frame. The shed took up half the back courtyard and was quite spacious. For convenience, they had divided it down the middle with bamboo frames. One side was still empty, while on the other side two earthen stoves already stood in a row.

“Mm, this is exactly what I had in mind. Brother Zhao, Brother Han—you’ve worked hard.”

Ling Jingxuan stepped forward to inspect it and nodded with a satisfied smile. The empty side would be used for washing wild fruit—later they would simply place several large wooden tubs there. As for the other side, he planned to build four earthen stoves sized for large iron woks, making it easier to cook jam in the future. It was crude, certainly, but until the house was rebuilt, they could only make do.

“What do you mean ‘worked hard’? When you helped us before, did you ever say you were tired?”

Han Fei immediately shot back, grumbling. “Look—only two more stoves left to build. Later, when Old Song goes to pick up the kids, he can bring back some oilcloth and drape it over the frame. Then the shed will be completely finished.”

His courtesy had once again earned him a round of teasing. Ling Jingxuan could only shake his head helplessly. Most people would be happy if he spoke politely to them—only Han Fei seemed determined to complain about it.

“By the way, Brother Zhao, I heard you often help out at the blacksmith shop in town. Do they accept custom orders from customers?”

Knowing that speaking too much would only invite more teasing, Ling Jingxuan simply rolled up his sleeves and joined Yan Shengrui in helping them work. As they labored, he asked the question in what sounded like an offhand manner.

The matter of surgical knives had always been on his mind.

Not only for precaution—but more importantly, a scalpel was also his weapon. Without a weapon that suited him, he couldn’t quite feel at ease.

“Why go to all that trouble?” Han Fei cut in before Zhao Dalong could answer, half joking. “If you need something made, just tell Long-ge. I’m not bragging about my own man, but Long-ge’s blacksmithing is far better than the fellows at the town’s iron shop. It’s just that we don’t have the money to open a shop—otherwise the iron shops in town would’ve shut down long ago.”

The four of them laughed together.

Ling Jingxuan suddenly asked again, “If that’s the case… Brother Zhao, with the current ironworking techniques of our Da Qing Dynasty, is it possible to refine fine steel?”

Stainless steel is refined further from fine steel. If it’s for a surgical knife, stainless steel is a must.

“Fine steel? Isn’t that something unique to the Xi Kingdom?” Zhao Dalong said. “I heard that when forging iron, if a bit of it is added, the finished weapon becomes far sharper and tougher than ordinary ironware. Once, when I delivered goods to town, I heard the storyteller mention it. They said that the only defeat ever suffered by the undefeated Prince Sheng happened because he was bested by a blade of Western fine steel.

“Of course, Prince Sheng is the war god of our Da Qing Dynasty. Even though we did lose that battle, the Xi Kingdom didn’t come out much better. That’s why, in these past few years, they haven’t dared stir up war so easily.”

No matter how humble or quiet a man might be, the moment war was mentioned, his blood would inevitably stir. Zhao Dalong was no exception.

Yet no one noticed—except Ling Jingxuan—that when the words Prince Sheng were spoken, Yan Shengrui had unconsciously stopped working.

A trace of sharpness flickered through his bright, deep tiger-like eyes, along with an uncountable swirl of confusion. Clearly, the name Prince Sheng provoked a strong reaction in him.

“Is that so? So our Prince Sheng has tasted defeat as well.” Ling Jingxuan cast a meaningful glance at the suddenly stunned Yan Shengrui before continuing casually, “If Prince Sheng is truly so formidable, then why have our borders still been plagued by constant warfare these past years?”

He asked the question on Yan Shengrui’s behalf, deliberately drawing out more information about the prince.

If possible, he hoped the man beside him would recover his memories sooner rather than later.

Human emotions were not something reason alone could control. Ling Jingxuan truly did not want their relationship to one day descend into a conflict where they would end up trying to kill each other over matters of the heart.

The sooner Yan Shengrui remembered, the sooner the nature of their relationship could be settled once and for all.

“Well, isn’t it because the Dong Kingdom is full of wolfish ambition?” Zhao Dalong continued. “They’ve always wanted to swallow both the Xi Kingdom and our Da Qing Dynasty. Every year they stir up the northern nomadic tribes. Once spring arrives, those tribes start raiding our borders—burning, killing, looting, doing every wicked thing imaginable.

“That’s why Prince Sheng personally leads troops to the frontier each year. But the northern nomads have no fixed settlements. They plunder and then vanish. The endless frozen lands and boundless grasslands are their natural shield. Even when Prince Sheng leads troops deep into their territory, it rarely changes much—at best they can behead a few minor chieftains.

“I’ve heard the common folk living near the border live terribly hard lives.”

It was rare for Zhao Dalong to speak about something he found interesting, and once he began, he could not stop. He recounted everything he had heard from the storyteller in town.

Naturally, much of it was probably exaggerated—but the general direction of the story was unlikely to be wrong.

One only needed to look at Yan Shengrui’s increasingly darkening expression to know as much.

Ling Jingxuan sighed quietly in his heart.

Even stripped of his memories, this man’s heart still belonged to the battlefield.

If they truly ended up marrying in the future, and he wanted a peaceful, settled life… then he might first have to figure out how to secure the borderlands.

Otherwise, who knew when the man might run back to war again?

And Ling Jingxuan had no intention of finally gaining himself a husband only to spend his days guarding an empty bedchamber alone.

Pinyin & Notes