127 Pearl
◎How about helping mom make money◎
Rong Zhao helplessly handed the letter Rong Qianyu had given him to He Wanrou, "You know how frequently my elder sister and I have corresponded these past few months. Do you know what we've been talking about?"
Seeing her son like this, He Wanrou realized something was wrong and asked in a trembling voice, "Ruo'er... Ruo'er, what's wrong?"
"He colluded with foreign officials to sell official positions and titles, and now he's trying to usurp the throne!"
Rong Zhao spoke calmly and quietly, fearing anyone might hear him. He wasn't surprised his sister would do such things. Rong Ruoyu had always been competitive and wanted the best of everything, so how could she be content with being his concubine?
When his parents unanimously agreed to let his sister marry off to the Zhou Kingdom, he vehemently opposed it. However, he had no say in matters concerning the marriage of women. He watched helplessly as one sister struggled to survive in a foreign land, and another, his own sister, was thrown into a fire pit by her parents.
"What?" He Wanrou held the letter. The lines of dried ink seemed to weigh heavily on her uneasy heart.
Her hands trembled as she held the letter, clearly unable to believe her daughter could be so audacious. "How is this possible? Rong Qianyu must be making this up. She must be saying this because she can't tolerate Ruo'er. Ruo'er is more favored than she is, so she can't tolerate her, so that's why she's saying this!"
He Wanrou cried out at the top of her lungs. Now, she had nothing except the identity of a queen mother. She didn't understand why she had become like this.
She drove Rong Qianyu to a place thousands of miles away to marry a foreign prince in order to keep the favor of her own daughter. She deliberately got rid of Fang Pingting and sat on the coveted throne of queen, but the relationship between her husband and her seemed to have been ruined with the death of Fang Pingting.
She secretly poisoned Rong Guangzhao, making her son the sole and undisputed heir, but now this son has turned against her. Everything she does seems to be not for herself, but no one appreciates her, and in the end, she is deserted by everyone and ends up alone.
Listening to this incredible news, she frowned and tried hard to find the reason. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became and she had lost her direction.
"Mother!" Rong Zhao shouted, interrupting her, "Mother, please stop protecting my sister!"
Then, without caring whether He Wanrou heard or not, she said, "My eldest sister wrote to me, asking me to keep an eye on my sister's movements and to persuade her. My eldest sister's status as empress can still protect her. If she loses it one day, she will lose her head! Queen Mother has time to care about titles and fame. It's better to write a letter to persuade my sister to change her ways. Otherwise, no one in the two countries will tolerate her."
After saying this, Rong Zhao calmed down and gave a heartfelt exhortation: "Mother, the court is unstable right now. I've just ascended the throne, and the Zhou Kingdom hasn't been on the throne for long either. Looking further afield, the Xia Kingdom is relatively stable, but Qianbei has also been in turmoil in recent years. Their new king is the second son of the previous king. They inherit the throne according to seniority, regardless of gender. The new king is unpopular. The eldest princess is missing now. If she ever fights back, the fire in the city gate will affect everyone in the crowd. How can anyone live in peace?"
He Wanrou sat powerlessly on a wooden chair beside her, repeating dully, "You're the emperor now, you have your own ideas, and no one can control you!"
When Rong Zhao was young, He Wanrou wasn't yet Empress, so she wasn't qualified to raise the prince herself. He was raised by the late Empress Dowager until he was ten years old, when he was brought up by his mother. The late Empress Dowager was a true noblewoman, teaching him by example and being well-mannered, which prevented Rong Zhao from developing the same temperament as Rong Ruoyu.
This also made He Wanrou always feel that Rong Zhao was not her biological son. Any matter or decision that Rong Ruoyu agreed with would definitely make Rong Zhao unhappy. When he was a child, he would occasionally throw tantrums. As he grew up and had his own ideas, he gradually drifted away from the mother who had placed high hopes on him.
Unfortunately, the children have grown up and parents can no longer take care of them. This is true for Rong Zhao and Rong Ruoyu who is in a foreign country.
On the streets of Rongguo, a woman in tattered clothes was staggering, her body dirty and covered with mud, but her beauty could not be concealed.
She was very dirty and as thin as a willow, as if a gust of wind could blow her down, but her flesh could be seen through the holes in her clothes. She had fair skin and curly hair, and did not look like someone from the Central Plains.
The woman stood in the middle of the road, looked up at the blue sky, then leaned back and fell to the side of the road.
"Someone fell down! Someone fell down!" The vendors on both sides of the road immediately came closer.
"Who is it?"
A few curious men pushed through the crowd and took off the gauze on the woman's head.
"Is he a Hu person?"
"He belongs to Qianbei, right? He doesn't look like a prisoner."
"What could a woman do wrong?"
There were few Hu people in Rong State; most were prostitutes, maids sold by wealthy families, or merchants with special licenses. Seeing such a beautiful Hu woman lying in broad daylight, everyone looked at each other, their thoughts tacitly understood, but no one dared to speak first.
Some people were brave enough to squat down and look at the dusty treasure, but others backed away, thinking that you can't just pick up people on the roadside.
The uniquely exotic charm of Hu women has made countless high-ranking officials and dignitaries spend a fortune just to win their favor. Although this woman is dirty, she is tall and slender, with eyelashes like graceful butterflies. She must be extremely beautiful if she dresses up well.
Coincidentally, the madam of Yicuilou passed by and took out a handkerchief to wipe the mud off the woman's face. "Let me see, let me see!"
Like a piece of jadeite unearthed from the mountains, it looks ordinary on the outside, with a dry and dull skin. But once it is cut open, it becomes lustrous, translucent, and with a hint of luster, instantly attracting the attention of those around it.
More men gathered around, staring eagerly as if they were looking at delicacies on a banquet, wishing they could eat them all in one gulp.
"So handsome! This Hu people are so different from the people in the Central Plains. They are so good-looking!"
"I don't know what your figure is like, whether it's soft or not..."
The madam was a discerning brothel owner. A beauty like her was enough for her to open another brothel. "Excuse me, gentlemen. This is my new girl from Yicuilou. She got angry and ran away. I'm so sorry!"
The men obviously didn't believe her story, "You have a prostitute in Yicuilou? That's new!" Although they said they were not happy, no one dared to take such a beauty home, so they could only let the madam take her away.
"Sorry, sorry, whoever wants to order her tomorrow will get a discount!"
After returning to Yicui Tower, the madam took the girl to the room, gave her a bath, changed her clothes, and applied medicine.
Now I just hope that this woman is a healthy person and that her hard work is not in vain.
The madam waited by the bedside, praying that everything was alright with her, otherwise she would definitely sell her to someone else. "Wake up, wake up!"
The woman slowly opened her eyes and asked, "Who are you?"
Her amber eyes were as bright as gemstones, making her look even more expressive.
"You can speak Central Plains dialect, that's great! It's worth all my hard work to bring you back! I'm the mother of this Yicui Tower. You fainted on the road and I saved you. Since you have nowhere to go, why don't you stay here and help me earn money? We'll split it 40% and 60%."
"Yicui Tower?" The woman looked around and murmured, "It's... a brothel?"
The madam handed her a cup of tea, unable to conceal her joy. Her attitude was quite sincere, and she tried her best to keep this cash cow. "Young lady, please don't speak so harshly. This is a brothel run by the government. It is different from those brothels outside. The patrons here are all high-ranking officials and nobles, princes and royal relatives!"
The woman suddenly looked up and asked, "Can you see the emperor's relatives here?"
"Of course you can. If a gentleman takes a fancy to you, you will be very successful, right?"
The woman nodded and said, "I can stay, but I want a separate room."
"Sure, sure!"
"I also want a maid."
"no problem!"
Considering that this beautiful woman is eloquent, the madam tried her best to satisfy her needs.
"And… give me my knife."
"Girl, I'll keep this for you. It's too dangerous for you to carry it with you."
The woman didn't waste time talking to her. With quick eyes and hands, she clamped the madam's arm with her backhand. If she used more force, she could break her arm. "Give it to me."
The madam was no match for her, so no matter how reluctant she was, she had to return the knife to her. "Here, here, here, let go!"
This is a short knife with a wolf head carved on the handle and a chain made of dzi beads and beeswax. The double-sided blade is extremely sharp, the blade is inlaid with precious gems, and decorated with animal face patterns unique to the Qianbei royal family.
Although the madam didn't know the woman's identity, the short knife she carried with her was a sign of her nobility.
There were only two people who owned this sword in the past, one was the new king of Qianbei, and the other was the Grand Prince Qianbei who is now missing.
The madam couldn't help but ask curiously, "Girl, why are you...alone on the street?"
The woman said, "My family is a merchant in Qianbei. My father died during a riot. My younger brother and his relatives arrested me, beat me, and carried me out of the caravan."
"Is that so? What's your name, girl?"
The madam didn't ask any more questions, for fear of saying too much. She looked like she was not from an ordinary family, so it was enough for her to make money, and there was no need to make any more trouble.
"My name is...Pearl!"
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