Chapter 62: I want the mistress's heart.

That year, the people around the old lady arrived before Qu Ming's letter.

When the mistress led her people away from the Qu residence to the estate to celebrate the New Year, the old lady was firm and showed no sign of backing down.

She told Wu's mother that the Qu family's business could continue even without anyone!

When Zheng Qianxi was alive, she held the reins of the Qu family and felt that they couldn't do without her. As a result, in the years since her death, the Qu family's business has not shown any signs of decline.

Qu Rong wants to use this trick to threaten her? Don't even think about it!

However, Qu Rong and Zheng Qianxi were ultimately different. When Zheng Qianxi led her people south, although she did not expect that she would not be able to return, she was afraid that she would be away for too long, so she still made sure to coordinate everything before leaving.

At that time, there was Qu Ming and the old lady inside, and Aunt Tan, Qu Rong, and Manager Shi outside.

If Manager Shi were still alive, he could have stood up and resisted when Qu Rong abandoned his post.

Unfortunately, only Aunt Tan is left outside now, and Aunt Tan is in charge of weaving and dyeing rather than accounting. This has led to Qu Rong leaving halfway through, and the old lady's people really have no way to reconcile the accounts in a short time.

After all, before today, no one had ever imagined that Qu Rong, who was responsible and calm, would suddenly quit.

After Qu Rong turned ten, she gradually became the sole person in charge of the shop's accounts. When Zheng Qianxi was around, the old lady didn't manage the shop's business much anymore. Zheng Qianxi intended to cultivate Qu Rong, so naturally she wouldn't let anyone take away her power. This is why the old lady found that she couldn't move Qu Rong's position today.

Without proper accounting, it's difficult to pay money. Coupled with the current instability, it's hard to imagine when the subordinates will start making trouble.

Kyoto hasn't even descended into chaos yet, how can the Qu family be the first to fall into chaos?

If word gets out, she'll be incredibly embarrassed. She's lived a life of prestige and dignity, and she never let anyone see her suffer when her son and daughter-in-law died. How could she possibly lose face in public now?

So before the New Year was even over, the old lady sent someone over.

The visitor relayed a message from the old lady, and immediately questioned Qu Rong in a forceful manner about why she had stayed at the estate with her concubine for the New Year.

The master is busy with business outside, and she, as the mistress, not only does not manage the household and fulfill her filial duties, but she also dares to disobey her elders and leave. She is simply audacious and lawless!

The old lady told Qu Rong to hurry back. As long as she returned and settled the accounts, she would forgive Qu Rong's willful and reckless behavior and leave the affairs of the neighborhood to her.

Qu Rong didn't even frown after hearing this. She simply lifted her eyelids and casually gave the other person a single word: "Get lost."

The old lady would never touch the abacus unless she completely yielded.

After Qu Rong chased the people away, the old lady was probably quite angry. She stubbornly refused to back down and didn't send anyone over before the New Year.

Qu Rong, having a rare moment of leisure, read through the local chronicles of various places, especially those of the south. She also took out Zheng Qianxi's handwritings and read them carefully several times.

The record contained everything Zheng Qianxi had learned during her several trips south, mostly about business matters, and even detailed the names and families of southern merchants.

Such a cautious and meticulous person like her would not have met with such an accident if it weren't for human error.

These days, although Qu Rong no longer has to stay in the study with account books and abacuses, she is not just lying outside basking in the sun with her hands splayed out.

She reads during the day, but at night, the light is poor and she doesn't want to hurt her eyes, so she puts away her book and plays with Li Yue'er instead.

Or take her to a hot spring, or have a barbecue, or just stay in bed.

No one came to spoil the fun, and the two had a lively and festive New Year, even staying up until the end of the night.

Later, Li Yue'er was too drunk and couldn't stay awake any longer, so the two of them went back to their room to sleep.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there are no taboos, everything is auspicious, and you can sleep until you naturally wake up.

When Li Yue'er woke up, sunlight streamed in through the window and fell on the round table in the inner room; it was almost noon.

She gasped, sat up abruptly, and looked at her mistress lying beside her who had just opened her eyes.

Li Yue'er's eyes slowly lit up, as if she had seen the God of Wealth.

Qu Rong narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at her, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Hmm?"

She was asking a question she already knew the answer to!

The custom on the first day of the Lunar New Year is for the younger generation to pay New Year's greetings to the elders, and the elders to give the younger generation red envelopes. When she was a child, this was the only chance she could save a lot of money in a year!

Although the mistress is young, she holds the seniority, so today she will distribute red envelopes to everyone on the estate, including herself.

Li Yue'er didn't even have time to dress properly. She loosely fastened her undergarment and knelt down next to Qu Rong, her bottom sticking up high, her forehead touching Qu Rong's hand, as she sweetly offered her New Year's greeting:

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty."

She seized the opportunity presented by timing and location; who knows, she might even get a gold ingot!

Qu Rong rested her head on the pillow, glanced at her sideways, pinched Li Yue'er's chin with her fingers, and gently lifted her face.

Li Yue'er's eyes were alluring, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders and back. She shrugged slightly, her clothes half-open, revealing her fair skin. Her watery eyes looked at her with a flirtatious gaze.

Qu Rong smiled, "A reward."

Li Yue'er threw herself at her, overjoyed, "Thank you for the reward, Mistress!"

Qu Rong pulled out a red purse embroidered with gold ingots that she had prepared beforehand from under the pillow, and placed it in Li Yue'er's outstretched hands.

Beautiful appearance, I'll read an article.

Li Yue'er, "..."

When Li Yue'er poured a copper coin out of her red purse, she held it and examined it repeatedly, somewhat incredulous, "Gold?"

Mistress, "of bronze".

The mistress pointed to the embroidered pattern on the purse, "This color is gold."

Li Yue'er certainly knew.

She knew embroidery and could tell at a glance that the thread was just ordinary yellow thread, not gold thread. So the mistress's words were simply to teach her to recognize the color of gold.

She held the coin in her hand and looked at the mistress with a resentful expression. Did she not recognize gold? Did she not believe that the mistress would be so stingy?

Just then, Teng Huang came to knock on the door, and Li Yue'er reluctantly climbed off her mistress.

A group of maids and servants were already standing in the courtyard, and even two chairs had been brought out.

The armchair facing away from the door and towards the courtyard belonged to the mistress, and Su Rou sat in the lower seat.

Teng Huang and Dan Sha stood opposite Su Rou, Shi Yi and Xiao Xiao stood next to Su Rou, and the steward's family stood to the left and right of Teng Huang and Dan Sha.

Lin Mu and his servants waited in the outer courtyard.

Li Yue'er followed her mistress out.

The sun outside was warm and pleasant, and it felt especially comfortable on her skin. She would feel even more comfortable if her wallet were a little heavier today.

The matriarch straightened her sleeves, slowly sat down in the armchair, looked up and accepted everyone's New Year's greetings one by one.

Li Yue'er felt that the mistress was very stingy, and only gave her one coin.

But when she rewarded the gamboge and cinnabar and the steward's family, she started with two taels each!

If anyone said auspicious words, they would be rewarded with a few golden melon seeds. Teng Huang, who was good at sweet-talking, made a profit and generously handed one over to her.

Even Xiaoxiao, who doesn't know how to say auspicious words, and Su Rou, who doesn't want to say auspicious words, received a red envelope containing three taels of silver.

The servants, including Lin Mu, not only received two taels of silver as a reward, but their mistress also gave them an extra reward, saying that each of them would be given two bolts of cloth after returning to the Qu residence.

Li Yue'er bit her lip enviously and turned to look at the mistress.

The mistress said, "I'll reward you separately later."

Teng Huang cast a mocking glance at her, stretched out his hand, palm up, and shook his fingers, "The one the mistress bestowed on me alone would certainly be better. Give me back the golden melon seeds."

Li Yue'er, "..."

She didn't actually want this exclusive honor; she would be content with having a few like Xiaoxiao.

Li Yue'er hid the golden melon seeds in her bosom, patted them lightly, and gave them a look that said, "Come and take them if you dare."

Fujiwara glanced at the matriarch, who was expressionless and glancing sideways at him, and had no choice but to withdraw his hand, stomping his foot and puffing out his cheeks, "...You scoundrel!"

Li Yue'er clutched the gold melon seed to her chest and said with a bitter expression, "This is the biggest red envelope I've received today."

Fujiwara naturally didn't believe it. "The mistress is always generous. She must have given you more and better things. Aren't we sisters? How could you keep it from me and not tell the truth? Isn't that right, mistress?"

Qu Rong nodded and said slowly, "That's right."

That's absolutely right!

Li Yue'er, "..."

Li Yue'er stood on the steps and talked to Teng Huang for a long time, but even so, Teng Huang still couldn't believe that the mistress had only given her one coin this morning.

Teng Huang even felt that the mistress liked her so much that she would give her the entire Qu family fortune, "So stop hiding it from me."

Li Yue'er simply smiled and remained silent.

She's suffering in silence today, unable to express her grievances.

At noon, the New Year's greetings ended, and the maids left with smiles on their faces and bulging purses.

After everyone had left, Su Rou said gently, "Li Yue'er."

Li Yue'er turned her head in the direction of the sound. She had just wished Su Rou a Happy New Year, after all, Su Rou was her teacher and she was Su Rou's student.

Su Rou waved to her.

Li Yue'er walked over, bowed to her, and repeated the auspicious words with a smile in her eyes.

Su Rou rested her hands on her lap, the backs of her hands hidden by her sleeves, only her slender, beautiful fingertips showing. She listened quietly to the New Year's greetings before raising her hands to reveal her wrists and taking off the red agate jade bracelet from her wrists.

Li Yue'er was stunned and looked up at her.

Su Rou gently pulled Li Yue'er's wrist with one hand, covered Li Yue'er's fingers with a handkerchief, and used the silky fabric of the handkerchief to slip the red agate bracelet onto Li Yue'er's wrist.

Li Yue'er instinctively tried to pull her hand away but couldn't. She turned her head and looked at the mistress for help.

The mistress rested her fingers on her forehead as she looked at her and nodded slightly, and Li Yue'er stopped moving.

Su Rou put the bracelet on Li Yue'er's wrist, then took back the handkerchief and held it in her palm. "This was a gift from my mother when I was seventeen."

She kept the bracelet hidden all the way, both as a keepsake and in the hope that it could help her ward off any misfortune that might befall her on the road.

Fortunately, she was very lucky. The officer in charge of escorting them was a strict and upright man. In addition, since the Su family had been wronged, the officer took care of her in every way, so she did not suffer much. Later, Steward Shi spent money and used his connections to redeem her, so she no longer needed the bracelet to deal with people.

Su Rou looked up at Li Yue'er and said, "We are master and disciple, after all. I'm only giving this to you this once, so please accept it without worry."

She maintained her gentle yet aloof demeanor.

Li Yue'er was already familiar with Su Rou in this way and was used to interacting with her in a way that Su Rou liked. So she didn't say anything excited or grateful, but simply curtsied to Su Rou.

Su Rou got up, smoothed her clothes, and went back to her quarters, no longer concerned with what was happening in the courtyard.

Teng Huang and Dan Sha went to have the maids prepare the meal, and Meng Xiaoxiao followed them.

When only she and the mistress were left in the courtyard, Li Yue'er rolled up her sleeves high, revealing half of her forearm.

The mistress raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

Li Yue'er turned slightly to the side, facing the sunlight, and shook the agate bracelet on her wrist at the mistress, "This color is so clear and beautiful, without a single impurity. It must be worth more than a penny. As expected of my teacher, you are so generous!"

Qu Rong, "..."

Qu Rong smiled and nodded, "Yes, Su Rou is generous. Then you can go with her."

Is that what she meant? Doesn't the mistress know what she meant?

Li Yue'er puffed out her cheeks, lifted her dress, took two steps up the three steps, bent down, lowered her eyes, tilted her head, and bit her mistress's lips.

She didn't ask for anything special, but everyone else had a couple of ounces, so why did she only have one penny?

Qu Rong was pressed against the back of the chair by her, and her hand subconsciously gripped Li Yue'er's forearm.

This is outside.

Although the maids have already left, it's hard to guarantee that Teng Huang and Dan Sha won't return at any time.

Qu Rong released her grip, instead pinching Li Yue'er's chin with her fingers to stop her from continuing the deep kiss, her thumb gently stroking the wetness on her lips, "I'll give it to you tonight."

Li Yue'er couldn't tell for a moment whether her mistress meant to continue kissing or something else.

night--

Li Yue'er knelt on the bed, gazing at her mistress with a melancholy expression.

She practically wore herself out and her tongue was numb from talking so much before she finally got five taels from the mistress.

The mistress also said, "Money breeds disloyalty. I'll give you a little less; come back to me when you really need money."

Li Yue'er regretted not biting the soft flesh on the inside of her thigh earlier!

Who would complain about having too much money?

It's always better to get something legitimately than to just ask her for it.

Li Yue'er counted on her fingers as she spoke to her mistress, "I need to buy rouge and face powder, right? Otherwise, what will I do when I get old and lose my looks and you no longer have feelings for me?"

Qu Rong glanced at her sideways.

Li Yue'er pretended not to see it, saying, "My sister needs to study. We can't just refuse to pay tuition because we have a good relationship with the headmaster."

Li Yue'er earned two taels of silver a month, enough for the basic living expenses of the three of them, so Qu Rong simply sat on the hard pillow and listened.

Li Yue'er said, "Also, my family's ancestral home is still in someone else's hands. I want to redeem it, which will cost at least three hundred taels of silver."

Qu Rong slowly shook her head and corrected her, "Wrong, it must be five hundred taels."

Li Yue'er's world has collapsed.

Five hundred taels of silver—does she still have any hope in this life?

She leaned forward into her mistress's arms, burying her face in her lower abdomen, "That damned Li Juren, it's too good for him to die."

Qu Rong placed her hand on Li Yue'er's back, gently stroking her soft hair with her other hand, and smiled with lowered eyes, "Dig up the corpse and whip it?"

Li Yue'er: "...Then people will curse me to death."

She pleaded with her mistress, "Just three more taels, at least make it ten taels for me."

She tilted her head back, her watery eyes blinking rapidly.

Qu Rong said slowly, "Beg me."

Li Yue'er has already done how to ask.

Li Yue'er's cheeks flushed slightly. She raised her face and kissed the corner of her mistress's mouth. She straddled her mistress, pulled her hand to her chest, and tried to take a shortcut.

Qu Rong, "..."

This method is extremely underhanded!

But it's just so easy to use.

Qu Rong's hand reached up, and Li Yue'er's cotton undergarment bunched up at her wrist.

Li Yue'er's eyelashes fluttered, her pink lips parted slightly, and she hummed softly through her nose.

Qu Rong's breathing gradually tightened and became more forceful in response to Li Yue'er's reaction.

Gradually, she was no longer satisfied with just light caresses, but instead unbuttoned Li Yue'er's clothes, tore off her undergarments, and began to eat them.

His palms caressed Li Yue'er's waist and back with varying pressure, his hot hands roaming over her smooth, slender back. "Whatever you want, you don't need to buy it yourself. Just please me and serve me well, and I'll give it all to you."

Li Yue'er's consciousness was completely relaxed, and her whole body swayed with the mistress like a leaf falling in the air.

If she hadn't developed feelings for the mistress, she would have been very happy to hear the mistress say that, because all she wanted was the mistress's money.

But listening to it now, I felt a strange pang of sadness.

In the mistress's heart, she was always just a concubine who was comfortable to use.

Only when they were comfortable in bed would the mistress agree to most of the conditions she proposed.

Li Yue'er wrapped her arms around the mistress's head, panting, and said in a trembling voice, "I want the mistress's heart."

Her voice was soft, and the mistress probably didn't hear her and didn't reply, but she didn't continue either.

The two remained in that position for a while, and only after they had calmed down did Li Yue'er begin to regret it.

Li Yue'er took the initiative to laugh and lightly changed the subject, "It's so comfortable living in the manor, I don't even have to get up in the morning to pay my respects to the old lady."

Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't be able to sleep until she naturally wakes up today.

Li Yue'er rolled off the mistress's body and lay back on her own pillow. She picked up the red purse, counted the silver inside, and smiled contentedly, "Actually, it's quite a lot of money."

There were five taels from the mistress, plus two taels of monthly allowance from last month, as well as gamboge melon seeds and that one coin.

She already had enough, and what her mistress had given her.

It was more than she had ever dared to imagine before.

Even her mother and sister are now able to get rid of Li Juren and live in the academy without worrying about food and clothing, all thanks to the help of the mistress behind the scenes.

Li Yue'er lowered her eyes and bit her lip. The more she tried to comfort herself, the more her nose stung, her eyes burned, and her chest felt tight and stuffy.

How could people be so greedy? They asked for money and then wanted more.

Qu Rong felt a sudden emptiness and lightness in her arms. Her hand paused in mid-air, then casually clenched her fingers and placed them back on her lower abdomen.

She lowered her eyes and remained silent. Li Yue'er pretended to be relaxed and casual, lying down next to her and humming an off-key tune. Gradually, Li Yue'er could no longer hum the tune and just quietly fiddled with the silver in her purse with her fingers.

In the silent bed curtains, Qu Rong glanced at her sideways and whispered, "Don't want it again?"

Li Yue'er looked up at her, her fingers slowly tightening around the purse, her heart pounding wildly, almost leaping out of her throat.

She pursed her lips and asked ambiguously, "If I wanted it, would you give it to me?"

She didn't specify what she wanted, just as the mistress's words didn't explicitly state it.

It could refer to the three taels of silver, the affair that was halfway through, or something else entirely.

Qu Rong clenched her fingers around the bedding, her brows furrowed, and her mouth moved, but in the end she didn't open her mouth to give a direct response.

She didn't know what to say or how to answer, and when she was upset, she didn't want to continue the conversation.

Qu Rong lifted the blanket around her waist, turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, preparing to put on her shoes, get out of bed and blow out the lamp. "It's getting late, let's rest."

Seeing that she was about to get up and avoid the matter, Li Yue'er rushed over without hesitation, hugged her from behind, and slowly tightened her arms, wishing she could embed her in her arms and not let her leave.

Qu Rong glanced at her sideways.

Li Yue'er opened her mouth and bit her shoulder, using some force.

She knew her mistress was in pain, but since her mistress didn't say anything, she didn't give in.

The mistress bit her lip tightly, her eyes reddening and her vision blurring.

Only when Li Yue'er got tired of biting did she rest her chin on the mistress's shoulder, sniff, and speak in a relaxed tone, "I haven't earned those three taels yet. You said you'd give them to me if I begged you, so neither of us is allowed to sleep until I get them."

Qu Rong lowered her eyes, looking at the arms wrapped around her neck. After a moment of silence, she asked softly, "What if I don't give it to you?"

Li Yue'er laughed, raising her chin and tilting her head back, "Then I'll keep at it. There will come a time when you soften and give in."

She kissed her mistress's earlobe, followed her neck to her chin, and then used her fingers to untie the sash on her front.

As her clothes were undone, Li Yue'er saw the teeth marks on her mistress's shoulder, very clear, with faint traces of blood.

She felt a pang of heartache again and gently kissed him back.

The mistress raised her arm, gently placing her palm on the top of her head, her eyelashes lowered. It was unclear whether she was speaking softly to her or to herself, "Then try asking a few more times, and maybe I'll be willing to give it to you."

The tears that had been rolling in Li Yue'er's eyes for so long finally fell, landing on the mistress's shoulder, sliding down her collarbone, and disappearing into her nightgown. "Okay."

She stopped kissing her and instead buried her face in her shoulder, tears streaming down her face.

Qu Rong remained silent for a while before reminding her, "Don't use my clothes to wipe your nose."

She changed her clothes after soaking in the hot spring before going to bed.

Li Yue'er, "..."

She said this at that moment.

Li Yue'er immediately lost the will to cry. She took a deep breath, knelt up straight, and reached out to push her mistress's shoulder, "Blow out the lamp, go to sleep."

For some reason, the mistress didn't want to sleep anymore. She took off her shoes and sat back on the bed. "Continue."

Continue with what?

Li Yue'er quickly understood what the mistress meant.

Let's continue the affair we hadn't finished earlier.

She was pushed onto the hard pillow by the mistress, half sitting and half leaning.

Li Yue'er didn't want to be in this position because there were still tears on her face and in her eyes. Especially since she had been so obvious just now, the mistress must know that she had feelings for her.

It's not hard to admit your true feelings, but it's a little shameful to be rejected by someone who then looks back at your true feelings.

She could lie down or kneel, but sitting half-sitting and half-leaning like this, with the mistress kneeling in front, one could clearly see the emotions in her eyes.

You can see how much she enjoys and is immersed in being teased and kissed by her.

Even if she only treats him as a concubine, he still enjoys it.

Li Yue'er was so ashamed that she curled up her toes and covered her head with her bodice.

She was both nervous and ashamed, and couldn't open herself up to the emotions. Finally, she sat up, grabbed her mistress's shoulder, and begged tearfully, "Don't look, don't look at me tonight."

She just couldn't bear it.

The mistress seemed to chuckle softly, which angered Li Yue'er so much that she pulled on her long hair that hung down behind her.

Whose fault is it that she's like this?

If it weren't for the mistress's provocation, she wouldn't have revealed her true feelings.

Qu Rong replied, "I won't look."

Qu Rong untied the hair ribbon tied in the middle of her long hair, and Li Yue'er personally tied it over her eyes and made a knot at the back of her head.

Unable to see the mistress's eyes, Li Yue'er breathed a sigh of relief.

She knelt before her mistress, resting her hands on her lap and tilting her head to look at her.

I still love it.

She liked it when she was cold, indifferent, and mocking.

She preferred this state of being blindfolded and indifferent, like a god with his eyes covered.

Li Yue'er's heart pounded. She took the initiative to wrap her arms around her mistress, kissed her cheek, and then tilted her head back, letting her mistress kiss her down.

She lay on her back on the pillow, her legs bent and draped over her mistress's shoulders.

The mistress's smooth, long hair slipped down her shoulders as she bent over, with a few strands hanging down and piling up on her soft, white belly.

Compared to a slight itch, a tingling sensation is far more deadly.

The assailant climbed up her spine to the top of her head, causing Li Yue'er to writhe and beg for mercy.

The mistress placed her fingers on the side of her legs, gently twirling the strands of hair that were pressed behind her back, eating slowly and deliberately without any haste.

The less you can see it, the more fun you have to play with it.

Li Yue'er began to regret it.

The foot that was stepping on the bed board kicked and thrashed on the sheets, its toes curling up and twisting and swaying from side to side.

Luckily, this set of sheets wasn't the delicate kind; otherwise, after a night of sleeping, not only would the mattress have been soaked, but her feet might have even kicked a hole in the sheet.

The person she couldn't see was clearly the mistress, but when Li Yue'er raised her arm to cover her eyes, she seemed to be able to see the mistress's movements.

You could feel how she used her tongue to part the soft flesh and go in little by little, and how she came out and went in again.

The shame from before seems insignificant compared to the current entanglement.

Later, Li Yue'er's tears fell even more heavily, and she almost pleaded in a hoarse voice, bringing up what had just happened, "No, don't do it anymore."

The mistress, unusually, countered with a question, "Do you no longer want sincerity, or do you no longer want to collect ten taels?"

Li Yue'er knew she had heard it!

Li Yue'er braced her feet on the mistress's shoulders, biting her lip and remaining silent.

The less she spoke, the more fiercely the mistress held her ankle and kissed her thigh.

Li Yue'er was completely unaware of when she fell asleep, only knowing that when she woke up, her mistress's hand was inside her again.

Li Yue'er, "..."

Even if she doesn't like a concubine, she can't keep using her like this forever!

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Double Update

Gamboge: I keep using it because I like it so much [covering face and peeking]