Met her ex-husband while performing in a brothel
Seeing several fierce men walking towards him with a determined smile on their faces, as if he was already their product.
Su Qingli forced herself to remain calm. "According to the laws of our dynasty, anyone who forcibly seizes a decent woman will be beaten with a hundred sticks and exiled for three thousand miles. Can you, brothers, withstand this? Although the Su family has been defeated, my father's disciples and old friends are still in the court. If you touch me today, you will be held accountable tomorrow!"
"Boss, what she said makes sense. The Su family seems to be in decline, but it's hard to say whether there are tough guys in the dark. We should..."
The scarred man slapped his hand and said viciously, "It's only natural to pay back a debt. Who dares to do anything to me?"
"Brother, I know you're only after the money, not really trying to embarrass us." Su Qingli took out the jade pendant from her bosom and solemnly promised, "I'll pawn this imperial jade pendant to you. Please give us a few days, and I'll definitely pay you back with interest."
The scarred man stroked the jade pendant that Su Qingli handed over.
He also knew that it would not be worth it to offend officials for the sake of money.
The scarred man took the jade pendant, grabbed Su Qingli's collar, and said in a voice like a blunt knife, "Okay! I'll give you half a month. If I don't see any ready money by then, I'll sell you like a skinny horse and tie up your family and throw them into the river to feed the fish!"
After saying that, the scarred man left in a hurry with his men.
After the group left, Su Huaihai slumped on a low stool, his fingers threaded into his gray hair: "I am your father and I am sorry..."
Madam Su clutched her handkerchief tremblingly. The once graceful and elegant lady of the marquis's mansion was now wailing like a helpless village woman.
Su Qingli had a headache and was at a loss for a moment.
Suddenly, she heard her father tremblingly say, "Li'er, why don't you go ask Xuechen for help? He's the only one who can help our family now."
Her mother also stopped crying, took her hand and begged, "Even though we have treated Xuechen poorly, since you are married, you should share the joys and sorrows. Please talk to him properly."
His younger brother Su Zhaoming slammed the table and stood up: "Alright, stop making things difficult for me. If Fu Xuechen really cared about what I said, our family wouldn't have to live in this shabby house!"
Su Qingli curled the corners of her mouth, feeling bitter in her heart, but now was not the time to be sad.
"Stop arguing, I'll find a way to pay you back."
After calming her family down, Su Qingli left the house and looked for some work.
Fu Xuechen was probably hoping that the entire Su family would suffer. How could she possibly help them? Besides, she had said such heartless words, and the two of them had already broken off contact.
Su Qingli was strolling around when she suddenly stopped and looked up to see the three large gold-plated characters "Zuixianlou". The aroma of cosmetics mixed with the stench of wine hit her in the face.
If she hadn't been desperate, she would never have come to this filthy place.
But she had been living a life of luxury since childhood, and had never done any housework. Apart from playing the piano and painting, she couldn't even embroider a purse.
Now playing the piano is the only way for her to raise money for a living.
Mother Wang of Zuixianlou seldom saw such a pretty and charming woman, and her eyes lit up as if she had seen a hot commodity.
He immediately made an exception and hired Su Qingli, agreeing to her request to only sell her art and not her body.
"The eldest daughter of the Su family is playing the piano to earn money in a brothel?"
In the past, many princes and nobles spent huge sums of money on her, but could not even touch the corner of her clothes. Now, for only ten taels of silver, he could let her play a solo song for him through the gauze curtain.
The news spread throughout the imperial city like wildfire. Even guests from the Yicui Pavilion across the street came to patronize the palace, just to see the once unattainable noble lady play music to please them.
Su Qingli didn't care. Compared to the plight of her family, the opinions of outsiders were no longer important to her.
However, she had never expected to see Fu Xuechen in such a place of entertainment.
Behind the pearl curtain in the private room, the man nonchalantly played with the green jade wine cup and listened to his colleagues talking and laughing loudly.
The sound of the piano suddenly stopped. Su Qingli remembered that year's Lantern Festival when her brother deliberately held a poetry meeting in Zuixian Tower. Fu Xuechen would rather stand in the snow all night than set foot in this place of fireworks.
Now she is chatting and laughing freely among these women.
He hid it really well!
But now that the two have divorced, it has nothing to do with me anymore.
While the last overtone was still vibrating on the piano, Su Qingli had already lifted up her skirt, not wanting to stay here any longer.
"I heard that Miss Su is an excellent musician. Why did she lose the rhythm just now? Is something on her mind?" Fu Xuechen threw the jade wine cup onto the table with a clanging sound that made the candlelight flicker.
The laughter and chatter of the crowd came to an abrupt halt, and several eyes turned breathlessly to the woman playing the piano behind the gauze curtain.
They went to great lengths to arrange this banquet simply to curry favor with Fu Xuechen.
Who would have thought that the woman who was playing the piano with her head lowered at the table at this moment was actually the daughter of the marquis who had recruited the Prime Minister as her son-in-law two years ago!
Isn't this... just flattering the horse with its own hoof?
Li Que, the legitimate son of the Grand Tutor, glanced at them, and two guards immediately lifted the pearl curtain and brought Su Qingli to the center of the banquet, one on the left and one on the right.
Half of the veil fell down, revealing the beautiful and delicate face, and the veil fell right at Fu Xuechen's feet.
Li Que squinted his eyes and looked at Fu Xuechen, but he only caught a glimpse of indifference, as if the disheveled woman in front of him had nothing to do with him.
Li Que finally felt relieved, and a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Tsk tsk, isn't this Miss Su who used to burn incense and change clothes just to be touched? Now, even the lowest-class prostitutes in Zuixianlou are probably cleaner than a criminal like you. I'm ashamed that the young master used to ask for your hand in marriage in a sedan chair carried by eight people. Now, even the sight of you makes me feel disgusted!"
Su Qingli thought about it carefully, but she didn't remember this person, because she never liked these playboys who lived off their ancestors.
Seeing that she had no impression of him, Li Que felt ashamed as if he had been slapped in the face.
His resentment deepened, and he said to Gu Jiuxiao beside him, "Miss Su has fallen into such a state. Why don't you, Master Gu, be kind and take her in as a concubine? That would make a total of eighteen concubines!"
Su Qingli's fingertips trembled slightly, but a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "My Lords, please understand that I have come to this place of entertainment because I have nowhere else to go. I only make a living by playing the zither. If you don't mind, I am willing to play one more song."
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Li Que's eyes, and Gu Jiuxiao's smile deepened. They both saw through each other's thoughts.
"My ears are callused from hearing this piano music. I wonder if Miss Su can come up with something new? Maybe a striptease to feast our eyes on?"
Li Que deliberately raised the tone of his voice, causing laughter to emanate from all around.
In an instant, the gazes of all the guests were like needles piercing the once high and mighty daughter of the marquis's mansion, wanting to see what choice she would make.
Fu Xuechen also stared at her. His expression was calm, but there were dark emotions in his eyes.
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