Chapter 55 Chapter 55 What a coincidence! Master Pei is here too

Lu Suizhu's house was abandoned in the past. Although the one she lives in now is not luxurious, fortunately she and Shen Wenjian both like it, so they continued to use the nickname Qingfeng Xiaozhu for this place.

Following Qin Wuniang's orders, he was now standing outside the door, holding a bright yellow lantern and rubbing his hands in the breeze.

When Fangdian opened the curtains, Lu Suizhu was wearing her last silver earring.

"Miss, Qin Wuniang is not a good person. If she hadn't lied to you last time and tricked you into going to the Eastern Palace, you wouldn't have suffered all these disasters since then."

Pursing her lips to melt the cherry-colored lip balm, Lu Suizhu picked up the comb and said, "When I was in the most difficult time, Wu Niang took me in and gave me something to eat." After mentioning herself for a few words, she didn't want to think about it and talk about anything else.

"Hua Wu figured it out and slipped back to Louyue Pavilion to recuperate. I'll go see her this time."

When I came to deliver the message, I said that the guests Wang Wenyuan was entertaining in the building insisted on listening to the sound of high mountains and flowing water that Boya had heard when he was still alive.

When they arrived at Louyue Pavilion, Qin Wuniang came out hurriedly, squinting her charming eyes and pointing to the private room on the second floor with a flick of her wrist.

The rest of the guests were cleared out, leaving only a few plump and fair girls to serve. The door was half open, and the lofty conversation coming from inside seemed to have the elegance of an official.

Lu Suizhu was wearing a moon-white gauze dress, which highlighted her slender figure and made her look graceful and elegant. She covered her face with a blue gauze, hiding half of her features, leaving only a pair of slightly furrowed eyebrows.

The sound of water splashing as the fingers plucked the strings was exactly what they wanted, the sound of mountains and flowing water.

A male guest's eyes fell on Lu Suizhu, staring straight at her slender waist and shoulders, wishing that her fair and pink hand could pluck the lonely string in his heart.

After finally listening to the whole song, Lu Suizhu held the zither in her arms, and her restless hands slowly climbed up from her shoulders, with a hint of teasing.

Everyone present was a person who mingled with the world of pleasure, so meeting such a 'beautiful lady and a desirable gentleman' was nothing but a common occurrence, so they just pretended not to see it.

Suddenly, a voice of "Ouch, it hurts, it hurts" came from behind.

Lu Suizhu turned around and saw that it was Pei Huaishen. He bent the man's fingers, using so much force that his palm was deformed, and only let go when the man bent over with a cry of pain.

Someone at the table recognized him and whispered to Wang Wenyuan, "He seems to be Minister Pei's younger brother."

Everyone busied themselves with making some jokes and smoothed things over, and the matter was passed.

At the corner of the stairs, Lu Suizhu slowly took off her veil. She felt uncomfortable with the smell of the man's alcohol and sweat, and a layer of sweat appeared on her chin.

She raised her eyebrows slightly and said to Pei Huaishen with a smile, "How dare the Second Young Master visit the brothel again?"

Pei Huaishen felt uneasy and couldn't keep a smile on his face. He touched his face with his backhand and found it was hot from the alcohol.

"Haha, with the lesson learned from Miss Suizhu, I will never be deceived by a woman again."

After a few words, both of them couldn't help laughing.

Back to the place where we first met, chatting is more comfortable than anywhere else.

Lu Suizhu was worried about Lan Ying, so she asked about it.

Pei Huaishen half-leaned on the fence, his eyes flushed with a lazy and romantic look. "The old lady saw that the Eastern Palace hadn't received her yet, so she took advantage of my eldest brother's official trip and sent her in through the side door of the Eastern Palace in a plain sedan chair. That girl was quite resourceful. My eldest brother didn't return until two days later, so there was nothing she could do even if she was angry."

Lu Suizhu was also sighing with regret at such a shallow marriage. It was a pity that Pei Zhiji's efforts in finding a husband for her were in vain.

Pei Huaishen drank some cold wine and started talking.

"The Lan Ying matter has already given big brother a headache, and it just so happens that Wang Wenyuan is involved now." He raised his chin and pointed to the private room.

"Well, although he was demoted, his influence in the Ministry of Rites is so deep and complex that it cannot be underestimated. He is causing trouble for Big Brother almost every day."

"But it's no wonder they're acting this way. My eldest brother has been promoting the entry of humble families into government service for years, which has long caused dissatisfaction among court officials. Now that he's fanning the flames and tirelessly trying to win over high-ranking officials, the Ministry of Rites' affairs are becoming even more difficult."

Lu Suizhu had noticed that Pei Huaishen talked about his elder brother almost every three sentences, and the two brothers seemed to have a good relationship. She asked tentatively, "What about you? What do you think?"

"A poor man entering the government? I don't care. I will support my elder brother in whatever he wants to do." Someone came out and called him back to have a drink. Pei Huaishen said goodbye and left.

The weather seemed particularly stuffy tonight, and the air in her nose was so stuffy that she felt uncomfortable. Lu Suizhu went to the kitchen to get some cold water to wash her face. She saw a clean basin, but there was no water in it.

Just as he was about to go out to get it, a gourd ladle was extended to him and filled the basin with cold water.

"Thank you, little sister." Lu Suizhu dipped the handkerchief into the water and wrung it out, afraid of removing the makeup on her face, so her movements were very gentle.

Although this girl is only twelve or thirteen years old and dressed in ordinary clothes, she is neat and tidy. It is obvious at a glance that she is not an ordinary waitress. She must be... newly bought in the building.

Wu Niang disliked their young age and ignorance of etiquette, so she temporarily arranged them to work in the back hall near the kitchen, and to do odd jobs when there was a shortage of manpower. She just didn't let them go to the lobby to disturb the guests.

"Sister is so beautiful! When you came from afar, I thought you were a fairy descending to earth. Can I ask if you are the girl from Louyue Pavilion?"

Lu Suizhu didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Don't misunderstand me, sister. I don't mean anything else. Wu Niang said I'm smart and asked me to start receiving customers tomorrow. I can earn money by receiving customers, and I'm happy in my heart, but..."

The girl, about twelve or thirteen, was not very tall, her hair only reaching Lu Suizhu's eyebrows. She couldn't help but feel a little pity for such a young girl. "It's okay, just ask whatever you want."

"I...want to ask if it hurts when I serve a man, sister?"

Pan Di's eyes were clear, and she was really looking forward to the answer.

Does it hurt to serve a man?

Isn’t it painful to serve a man?

Serving men...

This question was so naive and cruel that Lu Suizhu's breathing was filled with a hint of pain.

This suffocating feeling lingered in the room for a long time.

Hua Wu had been waiting here for a long time, sitting in front of the dressing mirror. She still had a scarf around her neck, but it was a brighter color. She refused to take it off even though she got prickly heat.

Seeing Lu Suizhu's distraught look as she was anxious to close the door, she said, "You went to steal someone. Your face looks so bad, as if you were sucked dry by a ghost."

After she had finished speaking, Hua Wu suddenly regretted it. She was so used to saying such things that she couldn't change it now even though she had something to ask of someone.

She was thirsty just now, but there was no water in the room. When she put on her clothes and went downstairs, she happened to see Lu Suizhu and Pei Huaishen standing in the stairwell.

She hid for a while and heard everything they said.

He then pulled Lu Suizhu aside and asked anxiously, "Is what you just said true? Is it true that people from humble backgrounds can't enter the officialdom?"

Lu Suizhu nodded heavily and said vaguely, "I can't be so sure."

"You don't have to tell me those useless things. I just want to ask you one question. I want to kill Wang Wenyuan. Will you help me?"

Hearing Hua Wu's bold words, Lu Suizhu tightened her grip on the handkerchief, swallowed back what she wanted to say, and fell into hesitation and confusion.

"Lu Suizhu, you know, before our house was confiscated, Xian'er and I both studied. Even now, Xian'er hasn't given up studying. Anyway, I, as his elder sister, have become such a wretch. If Wang Wenyuan dies and Minister Pei's proposal can be successfully implemented, Xian'er will have a chance. Isn't that right?"

Seeing that Lu Suizhu didn't say a word and just stood there obediently, twisting the shark handkerchief, Hua Wu was angry and anxious. She stood up because she always acted so pretentiously and it was annoying.

"Have you forgotten that you were almost sold here as a prostitute because of Wang Wenyuan? If you had been just one step away, your fate would have been the same as ours."

"Didn't you hate it when you were lying naked on the cold iron plate and someone was forcing you to examine your body?"

"You don't have to do anything. Just bring him into my room. I'm sure I can get him into bed. I'm covered in syphilitic sores, so even if he doesn't die, he won't live long."

As expected, this is the method she would use. Lu Suizhu couldn't stand her saying such words.

"Are you sick? Do you have to torture yourself like this?"

Hua Wu made up her mind and knelt down in front of her.

It was like he was crazy. Lu Suizhu couldn't get up no matter how hard she tried. Her knees seemed to be welded to the ground.

"Please, help me. This is my last wish in this life. I just hope that Brother Xian can live a good life."

Lu Suizhu had no choice but to squat down, her eyes filled with sorrow. Her heart was like a tangled mess, and she threw a fire at him, which smelled like burning. "Is it worth it? Paying such a huge price for Xian Ge's future, which I don't even know if it will be bright?"

"What's the value? My body is worthless anyway."

She sat on the ground, looked at Lu Suizhu coldly, and asked: "If you were like me, unable to die or live, would you be willing to do this?"

…

Lu Suizhu often traveled in and out of the palace, and had access to dignitaries and relatives, and she also found out some of Wang Wenyuan's past through their conversations.

When he was young and in trouble, his first wife never left him, sewing and making clothes for him in the middle of the night, encouraging him to study, and she died young due to overwork. She became the bright moon in his heart that he could never forget.

My wife is very talented and beautiful, but she still loves to play the Huangliang Saibei tune.

Wang Wenyuan was a suspicious person and did not like to be close to women. He devoted himself to his official duties and used all means to climb up the ladder. He stepped on the bones of the poor to do favors for the children of high-ranking officials in the court, and in this way he cultivated a lot of power.

People like them put their own interests first and are particularly self-centered. If you want to get close to them, you have to take it slow.

The style of Saibei folk songs is very different from the popular songs in Shangjing. There are very few zither players in Shangjing who can play it well. Lu Suizhu spent several days studying the music score before he figured out the trick.

Without waiting for Qin Wuniang to invite her, she took the initiative to go to Louyue Pavilion with her zither.

The lobby downstairs was bustling with activity. On the tables were glass cups and bowls of newly imported fine wine from the Western Regions, and the girls were also performing the newly learned Huxuan dance, which combined strength and grace, attracting many people.

Wu Niang found a seat for Lu Suizhu. She still had her face covered with a blue veil and sat upright among the crowded crowd.

Play the piano quietly.

Wang Wenyuan walked slowly out of the private room by the window and found the familiar piano sound that he had listened to for many years among the music that filled his ears.

He leaned on the railing and looked into the distance. Amid the colorful singing of birds and dancing of swallows, a white figure appeared in front of people from time to time.

Wu Niang hurried forward, holding a silver-spouted kettle, her eyes wrinkled with laughter. "Sir, do you have any instructions?"

"Who is that person playing the piano?" Wang Wenyuan pointed to the bottom of the stage.

"That's the musician I hired from outside, and his contract is not with us." Fearing that he had some bad intentions, Qin Wuniang quickly added the second half of the sentence.

After a while, Lu Suizhu lifted her skirt and followed a servant up to the second floor. In the private room, the incense was curling, but it was not the common incense that Wu Niang used to offer to guests.

Lu Suizhu and Wang Wenyuan sat opposite each other.

"Miss, this song of Mi Huangliang is quite original. Where did you learn it from?" Wang Wenyuan stroked his beard.

Seeing that the cup in front of him was empty, Lu Suizhu lifted her sleeve and poured him a cup of tea.

"Your Excellency, I learned it from my mother. When my father was studying, my mother would always play this little tune beside him. Over time, I learned it."

Wang Wenyuan's throat rolled and his heart was touched.

The rest of the conversation was about trivial matters at Lu Suizhu's home, but the tea in the cup that Lu Suizhu had poured was still floating with tea foam, not moved at all.

Lu Suizhu left on the pretext of having something to do at home.

For several days in a row, Wang Wenyuan invited her upstairs to sit for a while, only asking her to talk about the piano, and only mentioned his deceased wife when he missed her most.

"My late wife didn't leave behind a portrait when she was alive. Sadly, I don't even have the thought of mourning in front of a portrait now. The girl's figure when she plays the piano is similar to my late wife. I will find a painter who specializes in portraits to paint her."

Lu Suizhu nodded in agreement.

I heard the gong knocked twice outside the window. It was getting late, so Lu Suizhu said goodbye and Wang Wenyuan didn't stay.

After walking out of the door, Lu Suizhu breathed a sigh of relief, and finally took a sip of the tea King Wenyuan handed to him today.

She raised her eyes in a trance and met a burning gaze.

Across the dazzling colorful lights, her autumn-water eyes met the misty and slightly cold eyes, and Lu Suizhu looked away guiltily.

Then someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him into an empty room.

The door was tightly closed, and the jade pendant on the waist made a crisp sound as its owner moved. Lu Suizhu leaned against the wall with her back, her smile slightly stiff.

"What a coincidence, Master Pei is here too."