Jiang Nuan was exhausted. "Girl, just say what's on your mind. I'm not a man, I don't have that much pity for women."

Meiyu's words sounded pitiful, but Jiang Nuan didn't see a trace of self-pity in her. On the contrary, her poised and generous demeanor made it impossible to discern any trace of her former worldliness.

If Jiang Nuan hadn't known that she had indeed fallen into prostitution, she would have thought she was a noble lady raised in a wealthy family.

Pride, elegance, and a reserved demeanor hidden beneath her allure.

She always felt that only a wealthy and powerful family could cultivate such a girl.

“My benefactor,” Meiyu shook her head, “I have nothing to do today. If it’s convenient, could you please invite me to stay for a meal?”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Qing, who was standing nearby, became anxious and reminded her, "Miss, have you forgotten something?"

No.

"Just a simple meal?" Jiang Nuan asked with some doubt. "Nothing else?"

“No,” Meiyu smiled. “If it’s inconvenient, we can stop here.”

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it,” Jiang Nuan explained. “Since you don’t mind the farm-style food, why don’t you stay for a simple meal?”

"I am ashamed to have troubled my benefactor."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan's lips twitched slightly, and she shook her head, saying, "It's alright, please have a seat, I'll go make the arrangements."

The master and servant were openly playing riddles right in front of her, tsk tsk~

Let's give them a chance to discuss it thoroughly.

She wanted to see what these two were really up to.

After Jiang Nuan left, Qiu Qing immediately spoke up, "Miss, have you forgotten why we came here? The sheet music, the sheet music we asked for."

She looked around for a long time and found that her young mistress had no intention of wanting the sheet music at all. How could this be?

Since the courtesan banquet, my young lady has sung this song several times, over and over again, and the effect is not as good as before.

Although she can dance, she only knows a few moves, and everyone else can do the same things as her. She doesn't have that kind of stunning beauty that can captivate a city with a single dance.

"What's the rush? I have my own plans."

Meiyu answered calmly and deliberately, as if she had already made up her mind.

“It’s not that I’m in a hurry, but time is of the essence,” Qiu Qing advised earnestly. “Miss and Mama have a bet. Ping’an County is remote, and the title of courtesan isn’t that attractive. If Miss doesn’t come up with a solution, we’ll never be able to turn things around when the new courtesan is chosen next March.”

Making money honestly and legally is not that simple.

Since becoming the top courtesan, the young lady has performed on stage every day, yet she has only managed to earn ten thousand taels of silver.

At first glance, it seems like a lot, but Qiu Qing knows it's all thanks to the title of "Queen of Flowers." Lately, her income has been decreasing, and she's clearly losing customers.

That's how this industry is. One day it's packed with customers, the next it's deserted. Everyone's chasing novelty, but once the customers get tired of it, things go from heaven to hell.

Three days ago I could earn a thousand taels a day, two days ago I only got seven hundred taels, yesterday I earned less than five hundred taels, and today I don’t even know if I can make three hundred taels.

"Don't rush," Meiyu gently shook her head, "I know what I'm doing."

“How can I not be anxious?” Qiu Qing’s eyes were red with anger. “Miss is already demeaning herself by showing her face in public. If she loses the bet and is tied up in the Flower Pavilion, how can I face the deceased master and madam?”

If it weren't for that incident, her young lady would still be a person of the highest rank, married a handsome and talented man, and living a life of luxury.

Unlike now, she has to put on a smile on stage every day, enduring the harassment of a stinky man while dealing with her mother's various schemes.

She, a servant, felt humiliated by this kind of life, but the young lady, a lady from a prominent family, endured it all.

The precious jewel held in the palm of the master and mistress's hand was ruined by a brothel. The hand that played the zither and wrote the brush poured tea and water, washed clothes and cooked firewood. In the dead of winter, without cotton clothes, the two of them hugged each other for warmth. He fell into a coma with a high fever and could only cook ginger soup for himself...

There were so many things that Qiu Qing thought she had long forgotten, but she still remembered them clearly. Even the helplessness and despair she felt seemed like they happened just yesterday.

"Don't worry, it won't happen, I promise," Meiyu raised her chin, her alluring eyes replaced by arrogance, "What happened before will never happen again in this lifetime."

Previously, she had no choice but to endure and accept it.

Now, with careful planning, everything is within reach.

She would never allow herself to be reduced to a lowly commodity again.

"real?"

"real."

“I believe in you, Miss,” Qiu Qing said resolutely, biting her lip. “At worst, we, mistress and servant, will continue to depend on each other for survival.”

Anyway, that's how they've always lived all these years.

In the kitchen, Xie asked curiously, "Mother, do those two really know you?"

We met briefly not long ago.

"Only met once?" Madam Xie asked, puzzled. "Why do they seem so familiar with Mother?"

“We’re not very familiar,” Jiang Nuan stopped washing the vegetables. “They wouldn’t come here without a reason. They must have something on their mind.”

This left Jiang Nuan speechless.

If you have something to say, just say it. Why all the beating around the bush? Are you afraid of putting on airs?

Completely overthinking it!

As soon as these two open their mouths, Jiang Nuan will throw out all the ancient-style songs she has memorized.

If something can be resolved in one go, don't bother twice. Jiang Nuan really didn't want to deal with these two people.

Throughout history, beautiful women have often been considered troublemakers, and those around them are often cannon fodder. It's better for everyone to stay away.

"What's the matter?" Madam Xie leaned closer. "These two, especially the one with the veil, have such an air of importance. Why would they need something from a country family like ours?"

"I haven't said yet, maybe I haven't thought it through."

"How is that possible? You've already come to their door and they still haven't thought it through?"

"Who knows, maybe they've changed their minds."

“Mother,” Wang Shi rushed over in a panic as soon as Jiang Nuan finished speaking, “We can’t accept the gifts these two people brought.”

"Why?" Xie asked, puzzled.

“It’s too valuable,” Wang explained. “The century-old ginseng and the gold headdress together are worth several hundred taels of silver. We don’t know how to reciprocate.”

If it were said that Han Qi gave these gifts, Wang Shi wouldn't think much of it. He was a generous person with a kind heart, and the two families had a close relationship.

Wang was too ashamed to accept such a generous gift on their first visit.

"Keep it safe," Jiang Nuan said knowingly. "I helped them out a little before, and these are my thanks."

“But this is far too valuable,” Wang said, still uneasy. “What kind of favor could be worth several hundred taels?”

"Why worry about so much? Just listen to your mother," Xie said dismissively. "Your mother helps the Han family and earns several thousand taels of silver every month. A few hundred taels is nothing."

“Mother has legitimate business dealings with the Han family,” Wang said softly. “If it’s just about doing favors, these gifts are really excessive.”

"It's alright," Jiang Nuan reassured her. "We can just return the favor with that fine Huizhou inkstone from the storeroom later."