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After a long silence, Gu Ziyu asked again, "Young Master, could it be that this young mistress is not Miss Jiang herself?"

It's not impossible that someone might have switched places and impersonated someone else to sneak into the general's mansion.

"This marriage was personally bestowed by His Majesty; the Jiang family doesn't have the guts to do it."

The thought was chilling. Gu Ziyu tried to find some evidence and continued, "On the day of the young master's wedding, the young mistress was struck by lightning. Perhaps she injured her head, and her personality may have changed drastically after she woke up."

It wasn't until Gu Ziyu got to this point that He Lin frowned, his dark eyes revealing no hidden emotions.

"Don't investigate any further. Keep this to yourself."

"yes."

...

"Oh, isn't this the young master who came last time? What, you've missed our girls after a few days?"

The madam was still dressed in the same clothes and attire. When she saw Jiang Yi, she couldn't help but laugh and tease him. Although she didn't know which family's young master this person was, it didn't stop her from being generous. That alone was enough for her.

While retaining existing customers is important, attracting new customers is equally crucial. Otherwise, relying solely on past customers, how could her "Mirror Flower Water Moon" business possibly survive for long?

Jiang Yi replied with a smile, "Yes, I had some free time today and came to take a look."

“Okay, you’re welcome to come anytime! Same seats as before, I’ll take you there.”

Jiang Yi put her hands behind her back and followed the madam up the stairs with an air of nonchalance, saying calmly, "No, I'd like to go up to your third floor tonight."

The madam paused for a moment, then quickly recovered, grinning with her bright red lips: "It's possible, but..."

Jiang Yi understood, took off the brocade pouch at her waist, and took out a glittering gold ingot, about half the size of a palm, which was dazzling enough to dazzle people. The madam's eyes lit up when she saw it, and she immediately wrapped it in a handkerchief and reached out to take it.

"As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. With your distinguished bearing, young master, you're clearly no ordinary person. You should definitely come and visit often in the future. Watch your step, this way please..."

Once on the third floor, Jiang Yi realized that there was a reason for the higher price; the scenery on the second and third floors was completely different.

If the second floor is like a teahouse where everyone can sit and watch the show, then the third floor is like a private room that only VIPs can enter. A long corridor connects the two floors, and each private room is covered by a curtain, making it difficult to see what's inside. A small wooden sign and a bell hang on the curtain, with the sign indicating whether someone is there or not. From a distance, it has a strange and beautiful feel, like a pipa player half-concealing her face...

After Jiang Yi sat down, she looked downstairs and, sure enough, the view was much clearer and more open. She exclaimed from the bottom of her heart: Money really is a wonderful thing!

"How should I address this lady?"

The madam, who was serving the girls refreshments and tea, hurriedly said, "Oh, is the young master asking me? All the girls here call me Aunt Liu. If you don't mind, please call me Aunt Liu."

Jiang Yi leisurely poured herself a cup of hot tea, and casually mentioned, "Aunt Liu, may I ask where the woman in purple who served me last time is? I would like her to come and serve me again."

The girls on the third floor were too open and enthusiastic, which was a bit overwhelming for Jiang Yi. Just now, she was almost groped! Perhaps men would fall for that, but she was a woman, and to avoid the risk of exposure, the girls on the second floor were more considerate.

Aunt Liu thought for a moment and said, "Her? No problem. Please wait a moment, young master."

Once the private room was empty, Xia Zhi leaned close to Jiang Yi and whispered, "Miss, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to use the young master's money to have fun in a brothel like this?"

"Oh, it's alright. He Lin is very rich. He can sell a painting for a hundred gold coins. We can just pay him back when we make money in the future."

Before long, Aunt Liu led the woman in purple over, smiled meaningfully, and before leaving, specifically instructed her to make sure to serve the guest well.

A sign indicating someone was on the wooden shutter, and the bell rang repeatedly.

Jiang Yi tapped her fingers on the table a few times, then cleared her throat, looked up at her and smiled, "Sister, do you still remember me?"

The woman in purple stepped forward and knelt down beside Jiang Yi. "I remember, young master's demeanor is unforgettable."

"Charm?" Jiang Yi pondered the two words for a moment, finding them amusing, and smiled slightly: "May I ask your name, sister?"

"This humble woman is Ziyun. Oh, by the way, last time you left in such a hurry, young master, you left something behind."

"Huh? What?"

Ziyun took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from her sleeve. Jiang Yi opened it and saw that it was her paper fan inside.

The paper fan is blank on both sides, without any paintings or inscriptions. The only difference is that the handle is made of jade with auspicious clouds carved on it. It feels cool and smooth to the touch, and has a wonderful feel.

She doesn't have such a nice fan; it belongs to He Lin.

On one occasion, Jiang Yi went to He Lin's study to find him and saw the paper fan gathering dust in an inconspicuous corner. So she asked if she could use it for a few days. He Lin glanced at her but didn't say anything, so Jiang Yi took it as his agreement.

She never expected that she would lose it when she came to Mirror Flower Water Moon last time. With so many people coming and going, she thought she would never find it again. Fortunately, it wasn't lost, otherwise she wouldn't know how to explain it to He Lin.

"Thank you for keeping it for me."

Ziyun gently shook her head: "...I noticed that you seemed to really like this paper fan, so I took the liberty of keeping it and planned to return it to you when we met again. I didn't expect to meet you so soon."

"Anyway, thank you. Please sit down. You don't need to kneel before me. Xia... cough cough, pour this lady a cup of tea."

Xia Zhi and Zi Yun were both taken aback. The former poured the tea and placed it in front of her, saying, "Please, Miss."

Ziyun nodded to her and said softly, "Young Master is a little different from others."

Other guests come to Mirror Flower Water Moon for entertainment, but some excessive guests will even ask tricky questions and deliberately make things difficult for the maids.

Jiang Yi, however, was different. She was clear-headed, polite, and sincere, unlike those hypocritical people who, though physically present, seemed to be observing from afar, as if simply there to join in the fun...

Jiang Yi smiled slightly, but didn't ask how she was different from others.

This made Ziyun restless, and she asked curiously, "Young master, won't you ask me why I said that?"

"I know even if you don't tell me."

Ziyun smiled and raised the corners of her lips: "Young master has always been intelligent."

A while later, a series of crashing and banging sounds came from next door, seemingly mixed with other noises. Jiang Yi thought they were arguing, so she sat up straight and pricked up her ears, eager to hear what was going on. Zi Yun couldn't help but cough twice. At first, Jiang Yi and Xia Zhi didn't understand what she meant, until some vulgar language entered their ears, and the two of them blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Wow~ Who said the ancients were conservative! They were actually quite open-minded! If we really had to compare, we could only say their thinking was a bit feudal!

The noise from next door was unbearable; it was so disappointing, especially since she had finally managed to leave the manor! Jiang Yi tilted her head back, finished her flower tea, and prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Ziyun quickly stood up, but she didn't expect that she would accidentally step on her own skirt when she got up. Her elbow hit the edge of the table and she couldn't help but let out a soft cry of surprise.

"Are you alright?"

Jiang Yi reached out to help her up, but as soon as her hands touched Zi Yun's arms, Zi Yun's brows furrowed even more, and she quickly pulled away to cover the spot where she had been bumped.

"It's nothing, thank you, young master."

As soon as Ziyun finished speaking, a splash of crimson unexpectedly caught Jiang Yi's eye.

She widened her eyes slightly and asked, "You're bleeding, are you really alright?"

Tears welled up in Ziyun's eyes. She opened her mouth, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she said nothing, silently put her injured arm behind her back, and shook her head: "It's alright. If you're leaving, I'll see you off."

Jiang Yi glanced at her for a few seconds, then picked up the paper fan from the table and walked straight out.

When they arrived at the entrance of Mirror Flower Water Moon, Aunt Liu and several girls were still there soliciting customers. When they saw Jiang Yi come out, Aunt Liu waved her handkerchief and grinned with her bright red lips to greet her.

"Oh, young master, you're leaving already? Why don't you stay a little longer? Perhaps our Miss Ziyun didn't serve you well?"

Ziyun stood silently to the side, her lips pressed tightly together. Jiang Yi glanced at her, then turned her gaze to Granny Liu, raising the corners of her lips in a smile. "No, Miss Ziyun has served you very well, but I have other matters to attend to at my residence. Granny Liu, may I speak with Miss Ziyun alone for a few moments?"

"Yes, yes, it's nothing. You guys chat, I'll go get busy. Ziyun, take good care of the young master, don't embarrass our Mirror Flower Water Moon."

Jiang Yi wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that after Aunt Liu finished speaking the last two sentences, Zi Yun shrank back almost imperceptibly. This was a small movement that would occur subconsciously out of fear and tension.

"Young master, what do you want to tell me?"

People were coming and going on the long street. Jiang Yi walked to a small stall selling lanterns by the roadside, a spot that perfectly avoided Aunt Liu's line of sight.

"Your arm injury is quite serious, isn't it?"

A minor bruise like that would at most result in a bruise, but would never bleed. It wasn't until she saw Ziyun's fear of Aunt Liu that she dared to confirm it.

Jiang Yi composed herself, furrowed her delicate brows, and continued to press, "Did that Aunt Liu hit you, or did any other guest bully you?"

Ziyun was stunned. Since entering the world of "Mirror Flower Water Moon," no one except her sister had ever cared about her. Although she felt wronged, she still managed a bitter smile: "Thank you for your concern, young master. It's nothing."

Jiang Yi stared wide-eyed in astonishment and said, "No way, she really hit you? You just stood there and let her hit you, didn't you know how to fight back?"

Upon hearing her words, Ziyun's phoenix eyes behind her veil gradually widened, and even the stall owner was stunned, dropping the lantern he was holding to the ground with a thud.

Xia Zhi, who was behind her, secretly tugged at Jiang Yi's clothes and whispered a reminder: "Miss, you've given yourself away!"

Jiang Yi then realized that in her haste she had made her original voice, and her eyes darted around as she looked at Zi Yun.

"You, you're a woman?"

Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Jiang Yi simply gave up and admitted, "Yes, I came here disguised as a man. What, are you going to report me?"

Ziyun slowly shook her head.

Jiang Yi was furious at her lack of self-respect, and there was no point in hiding anything now. She grabbed Zi Yun's wrist and pulled up her sleeve, revealing that her fair and slender arm was covered with purplish-blue bruises. Her elbow was wrapped in gauze, which was now stained with red blood, and some parts had turned black, indicating that the injury had been there for some time.

Even the street vendors couldn't stand it anymore, shaking their heads and clicking their tongues in amazement: "That madam is heartless, look what she's done to the girl!"

Jiang Yi glanced at him, and the vendor immediately shut up, lowering his head and pretending to fiddle with the lanterns on his stall.

No wonder business is bad; they've been spending all their energy watching the show.

Ziyun withdrew her arm and slowly pulled down her sleeve to cover the wound. Seeing that Aunt Liu at the door was not looking this way, she knelt down before Jiang Yi with a "plop".

"Please, young lady, save me!"

Jiang Yi quickly bent down to pull her up, "What are you doing? Get up!"

"No, girl, please save my sister! She's being beaten to death!"

"Get up first, and we can talk about it slowly."

Ziyun wiped away her tears, some of which, before she could wipe them away, soaked her veil.

"My sister caught the eye of a gentleman who bought her indenture for a large sum of money, wanting to take her as a concubine. But my sister refused, so Aunt Liu beat her up, locked her up, and was going to send her to that gentleman in a few days..."

Jiang Yi angrily said, "This is outrageous! Your sister refuses to marry, so he can't just forcibly take her away! Is there no law anymore?"

The street vendor chimed in, "Exactly!"

Ziyun choked up and said, "Miss, you don't know this. We are sold into this kind of place to be entertained by high-ranking officials and nobles. Even if we report it to the government, no one will care."

"May I ask, how old is the gentleman who married your sister?"

"He's almost sixty years old."

Jiang Yi frowned, as if she could already smell the foul odor of the old man.

Then someone voiced her thoughts: "Goodness, this old man is a toad trying to eat swan meat! He's old enough to be her father!"

Jiang Yi looked over at the sound and saw the vendor pull out a handful of sunflower seeds from somewhere, lean against the stall, and eat them while complaining, just like a typical bystander enjoying the show.

"Miss Ziyun, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Medicine! My sister was whipped, and Aunt Liu hasn't found a doctor to examine her yet. I can't leave, so could you please go to the pharmacy and get me some wound medicine for treating external injuries?"

If the woman in front of her hadn't revealed her identity, Ziyun probably wouldn't have dared to tell her about her suffering.

No matter how good a man is, there are some things he can't truly understand. For example, some men might think that a courtesan who is lucky enough to marry into a wealthy family as a concubine is already blessed in her past life, and that it's a joke for her to be picky and dream of marrying a man she likes.

Women are different. As women themselves, people can more or less understand the difficulties and hardships women face in this world...

Ziyun had precisely grasped this point, which is why she dared to tell Jiang Yi everything.

Jiang Yi, without suspecting anything, turned to Xia Zhi and said, "Xia Zhi, go to the nearby pharmacy and get some medicine."

"yes."

"Hey, wait a minute, I'll go with you. I know there's a pharmacy up ahead, very close by."

The vendor, being very helpful, followed him, ignoring his own stall. Seeing that Jiang Yi didn't object, Xia Zhi quickly followed his steps towards the pharmacy.