Chapter 179 Begging her to take me in, waiting for her to land

Ji Qingwu returned to the restaurant.

Mi Zhenchuan was holding an abacus and looking at the account book when he looked up and saw her. He asked in surprise, "Fifth Miss, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Ji Qingwu shook his head and said, "It's nothing, you go about your business, let's go to the third floor first."

Seeing that there was another person following behind her, Mi Zhenchuan said no more.

The waiter beside him said, "Manager, that person looks like Mo, the maid from Liangxiang Pavilion."

Mi Zhenchuan continued fiddling with the abacus beads, scolding without looking up, "Don't pry into things that aren't your business."

Upon reaching the third floor, Ji Qingwu casually pushed open the door to a private room and found a place to sit down.

She had walked at least two miles through the streets today, and wearing this outfit, her legs were already aching.

Mo Lingling knelt down in front of her with a thud.

Ji Qingwu gave her a wink, and Lanzhi went over to help her up: "Miss, please get up and talk to me."

Mo Lingling pushed away the maid's hand and stared at her stubbornly.

Ji Qingwu waved his hand and said, "Lanzhi, go wait at the door first."

The two of them were left in the private room, but Mo Lingling still kept her head down and didn't say a word, just kneeling there.

Ji Qingwu asked, "You came here specifically to find me, why don't you speak?"

Hearing her question, Mo Lingling looked up.

The fifth young lady of the Ji family caused quite a stir today. Most of the men in Lin'an City came out to see her. The Liangxiang Pavilion, which was usually hard to get a ticket to enter, became deserted because of her.

Upon learning that Miss Ji was on the street, Mo Lingling was overjoyed and immediately came out of the pavilion.

Seeing her expression, Ji Qingwu sensed that she had something difficult to say.

Considering that she had recently miscarried and had just been rescued from the brink of death, her body was already weakened.

She was dressed in white today, with only a white silk flower in her hair; perhaps she was mourning for her lost child.

"Stop kneeling, stand up and speak."

As a result, Mo Lingling kowtowed three times with a loud thud.

No one had been to the room for a long time, and there was a layer of dust on the floor. She shook up a lot of the dust.

Mo Lingling's forehead was covered in dust. She looked up at her again, but still didn't say anything.

Ji Qingwu stood up, looked at the sky outside, and said, "If you don't say anything, I'm leaving. I have things to do."

Mo Lingling actually had a lot to say, but when she saw Ji Qingwu's heavily made-up face, she couldn't say a word.

It's not that it's bad-looking, it's stunning.

Unlike the vulgarity of rouge and powder, her deep red exuded elegance, revealing to her a peerless beauty who was as charming as willow branches and as beautiful as flowers.

Moreover, Ji Qingwu, with this makeup, exuded an overwhelming aura, making Ji Qingwu feel intimidated.

Mo Lingling said blankly, "If Miss Ji were at Liangxiang Pavilion, she would definitely be the most beautiful courtesan, outshining all others."

Ji Qingwu looked down at her, the brow tassel on her forehead trembling slightly, her tone turning cold.

"What, are you here to recruit girls for your establishment?"

Mo Lingling's words were not meant to be derogatory, and she hurriedly explained, "Miss Ji, that's not what I meant."

She feared that if Ji Qingwu really left, she wouldn't know when she would see her again.

He quickly said, "I've come to thank Miss Ji for saving my life."

Ji Qingwu said, "You have already thanked me, so there's no need to mention this matter again. I have other things to do."

Mo Lingling suddenly rushed over and hugged her leg. Before she could say anything, two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks.

Ji Qingwu called her, "Miss Mo."

Her voice remained gentle, but her tone was cold.

“I am not a patron of your establishment, and tears will not work on me. If you simply want to thank me, I have already received your gratitude. If there is anything else, please feel free to speak.”

Mo Lingling looked up at her through teary eyes and said pitifully, "Please, Miss Ji, take me in."

She lost her child and was physically weak. A woman's prime years are fleeting, and her status in the Liangxiang Pavilion was not as good as before.

This brothel is a place where people fawn over the powerful and trample on the weak. If someone loses power, even the most insignificant person can come and kick them while they're down.

Mo Lingling has tasted all sorts of bitterness these past few days and has begun to consider leaving.

She still had a lot of money, so redeeming herself wouldn't be a problem. She had been waiting for Li Chengxun to help her family clear their name so that she could walk out of Liangxiang Pavilion with a clear conscience.

But now, it was all a dream, and she has long since woken up.

Now that she is a courtesan, finding a place to stay is no easy task. In the entire city of Lin'an, after much thought, she realized that only Ji Qingwu could help her.

Ji Qingwu asked, "Miss Mo, why do you think I would help you?"

Mo Lingling carefully replied, "Miss Ji, yes, she is a good person."

Ji Qingwu smiled, her smile gentle and charming, and said, "But I'm not a pushover."

“Actually, Miss Mo knows in her heart that you can go to another person. If you shed tears in front of him, he might give you a way out.”

Mo Lingling shook her head in fear: "He would never help me. He hates me to death."

That day, Mo Lingling slowly woke up and found that her mouth tasted bitter, indicating that someone was forcing medicine into her mouth.

She opened her eyes a crack and met the man's face, which looked like that of a dead woman. His hand trembled as he grabbed her neck, almost suffocating her.

The thought of Duan Mingfeng made Mo Lingling even more afraid.

This time, the fear in my eyes is real.

With a sob in her voice, she pleaded, "Miss Ji, I'll do anything. I can buy my own freedom. Don't trouble yourself. Just give me a place to live."

Ji Qingwu frowned slightly.

It wasn't that she was moved by Mo Lingling's crying and pleading, but rather that her clinic was lacking a clever and capable person who could handle social situations well.

She calmly replied, "It's impossible for me to take you back to the Ji family."

Mo Lingling trembled and slumped to the ground in dejection.

She continued, "This place will open as a clinic at the end of the month. If you're interested..."

Mo Lingling immediately perked up and hurriedly said, "Yes! I'm interested!"

"As for the rest, I'll have Manager Mi tell you. I have other things to attend to, so I won't say any more to you for now."

Ji Qingwu went downstairs, exchanged a few words with Mi Zhenchuan, and then left with Lanzhi.

Back home, Ji Qingwu quickly removed most of her hairpins and asked Lanzhi to fetch warm water to wash her face.

After she had finished getting ready, she checked the time and realized she couldn't change her clothes, so she hurriedly went to the palace to pick up Qiuqiu.

If she is absent again today, the little girl will cry all the way home, and she'll have a hard time tonight.

Ji Qingwu hurried into the palace and arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study just in time for the end of the school term. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Chiu Chiu was the first to rush out. She didn't see her mother and stood at the bottom of the steps, pouting as if about to cry.

Ji Qingwu jogged a few steps, her crimson brocade skirt swaying as she appeared before the little girl.

It was as if they were about to land in the Qin Zheng Hall with its vermilion gates wide open.