Chapter 24 From now on, you can no longer go to Song Jie...
Another 10,000 taels of gold?
Xie Yushu looked at the gold note containing ten thousand taels of gold that Song Jie handed her, but didn't take it. "Ten thousand or twenty thousand taels of gold, you're not just asking me questions, are you?"
How could the person who paid for it raise the price themselves? Clearly, he took out 10,000 taels of gold to have her do something else.
Sure enough, Song Jie smiled and said, "You are indeed smarter than I imagined."
"Just say it," Xie Yushu said impatiently, not wanting to hear his meaningless words.
Looking at her face, which only cared about money, Song Jie placed the gold coins on the back of her hand: "This is a deposit. You just need to promise me that from today onwards you will never use this face to impersonate Jia Ning to make money, and you can take it away."
Should we buy out her cosplay commission?
Xie Yushu looked at him in surprise.
He met her bright eyes and added, "Let me be clear, from now on you can only play the role of Jia Ning in front of me. You cannot do the same things you did to me for any other man, including the Fourth Prince and Pei Shilin."
That just means buying out the entire company.
Xie Yushu was about to speak when he added, "Of course, if I need you again, I will pay you as before. This ten thousand taels of gold is only in exchange for your fidelity to me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Yushu laughed: "Has Prime Minister Song lost his mind? Have you forgotten that I am a married woman? And that I am still faithful to you?" Her sarcasm was palpable: "Please, doesn't my standing in front of you in the middle of the night prove that I am not even faithful to my own husband?"
Song Jie was speechless. He was angry but couldn't deny what she said. Yes, if she were a loyal person, she wouldn't have appeared by his side so often, and she wouldn't have turned these shady things into business.
"I really don't understand what position or authority Prime Minister Song has in saying this," Xie Yushu said sarcastically. "Even if I agreed, would Prime Minister Song believe me?"
Song Jie was so frustrated that her face turned pale. She even thought she had lost her mind. How could someone as greedy, shrewd, and a habitual liar as Xie Yushu possibly remain loyal? She couldn't even guarantee a single word of truth!
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Song Jie asked, getting closer to her.
I'm sorry, this is the second time she's heard this sentence tonight.
Xie Yushu really wanted to laugh: "Of course I'm afraid! I'm just a weak woman of humble origins. I'm afraid the Prime Minister will kill me, and I'm also afraid the Fourth Prince will kill me. If he really takes a fancy to my face, which looks like Sister Jia Ning's, and forces me to be his substitute, what can I do?"
Who would refuse an extra business deal? Xiao Zhen insisted on giving her money; she couldn't very well refuse.
Song Jie reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her face down through the gold coins. He couldn't see a trace of fear in her. "Xie Yushu, put away your silver tongue. Are you telling me you can't resist the temptation of the Fourth Prince's wealth and honor? Aren't you afraid of death, or being disgraced and divorced?"
To be honest, she wasn't afraid at all.
But she really didn't want to waste time with Song Jie, so she simply pushed his hand away, took the ten-thousand-tael gold note, and said helplessly, "Since Prime Minister Song insists that I accept it, I will. Is that alright?" She pocketed the gold note and asked, "Can I leave now?"
Her extremely perfunctory demeanor clearly indicated that she wanted to tell a lie as soon as possible to get rid of him.
Song Jie was so angry he almost had a heart attack. He thought he'd paid ten thousand taels of gold just for one lie? Ten thousand taels of gold could build a dam if thrown into the water!
But he insisted on giving her the gold coins!
His chest was full of air, and he started coughing again.
She immediately said, "Cangshu, quickly change your prime minister's clothes, or he'll get sick again."
Xie Yushu would only say such hypocritical things when he wanted to get away from the situation.
Song Jie, still wearing wet clothes, said helplessly, "Come at the same time tomorrow night."
"Hasn't Prime Minister Song recovered from his illness?" she asked again. "Why does he still need me?"
Song Jie frowned: "How did you know when I was having an attack?" Why did she seem to know so much about him?
Xie Yushu's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and replied, "Cang Shu said tonight is the last day you'll have a relapse. I thought you were better, wasn't I?"
Song Jie looked at Cang Shu, who, realizing he had let something slip, lowered his head and said, "This subordinate has spoken out of turn. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Before Song Jie could speak, Xie Yushu hurriedly defended him, saying, "Don't punish him. I was the one who insisted on asking."
For some reason, Song Jie felt even more frustrated. Xie Yushu and Cang Shu were quite familiar with each other? She could pity a servant, so why did she have to confront him so directly? Why wouldn't she say a kind word?
He didn't know what he was angry about, so he refused to let Cangshu see her out of the mansion and told her to leave on her own.
But now that she's gone, the room is quiet again, and he's restless, his mind racing with thoughts of how she'll get back to the Pei residence. She's still wearing his robes; what if Pei Shilin sees her and causes trouble? Perhaps he should let her stay at the Prime Minister's residence for the night…
When the thought popped into his head, he was surprised. It was Xie Yushu. He knew so well that she wasn't Jia Ning, so how could he have such a thought?
He should despise her, use her, and treat her only as a substitute for Jia Ning. How could he be troubled by a substitute? How could he want to keep this substitute?
In the dimly lit room, he sat on the edge of the tatami mat, feeling a profound sense of self-loathing.
Panpan ran out from behind the screen, shaking its head and playing with something in its mouth.
"Panpan, come here." Song Jie stretched out his hand to Panpan.
The huge mastiff obediently walked over, carrying that thing in its mouth.
He reached out and pulled it out, only to find that it was a green sash embroidered with a row of white plum blossoms.
It was Xie Yushu's belt.
The image of her holding him warmly in the bathtub, her brows furrowed, flashed through his mind again…
Cang Shu pushed open the door and knelt down to report, "Your Excellency, we have found the Fourth Prince. After leaving the Duke of Ying's mansion, he went to Yuqing Temple and stayed there overnight. The people in the temple also said that the Fourth Prince was indeed in the temple tonight."
Was he going to Yuqing Temple to visit his mother?
Song Jie felt as if his chest was frozen again. He barely survived the poisoning period, while his mother, who had poisoned him, was enjoying a happy time with her most beloved son, Xiao Zhen, at the Yuqing Temple last night.
How funny.
He chuckled, his throat filled with the bitter taste of medicine. Why should Xiao Zhen be able to have it easy?
"Cangshu, prepare the carriage." Song Jie tucked the sash in his hand into his sleeve. "To Yuqing Temple."
The Prime Minister's expression was very bad, and Cang Shu dared not say anything more, and immediately prepared the carriage.
A black carriage sped through the streets at midnight and stopped in front of the quiet Yuqing Temple.
※
When Song Jie led his men into the hermitage, Xiao Zhen had just fallen asleep.
The door was kicked open, and Xiao Zhen's servants were forced to the ground outside. The damp night wind rushed into the room.
Xiao Zhen woke up with a start from his bed and saw Song Jie, dressed in purple robes, sitting at a tea table a few steps away, looking at him with a cold smile and saying, "Fourth Prince, did you sleep well?"
Xiao Zhen was not surprised that he would come looking for him, but he was surprised that he came faster than he had expected, which meant that Xie Yushu had not stayed overnight at his residence.
Why didn't she stay overnight? What exactly is her relationship with Song Jie?
Xiao Zhen put on his outer robe, got off the bed, and bowed to him: "Prime Minister Song, is there something urgent that you've summoned me so late at night?"
Song Jie raised his chin at Cang Shu.
Cang Shu understood immediately, stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Zhen, and forced him to kneel on the ground.
Xiao Zhen's knee slammed against the paving stones, causing him to wince in pain. His loose hair fell to the ground, but he kept his head down without showing any displeasure. He was used to it; making him kneel was just a small way for Song Jie to humiliate him.
"It's nothing urgent, I just wanted to ask you something." Song Jie leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at Xiao Zhen and asked, "Did you suddenly leave your seat at the Duke of Ying's residence today to see Xie Yushu?"
Xiao Zhen showed no surprise and simply replied, "I did send someone to look for Madam Pei, Xie Yushu, but she did not come to see me."
Just as Xie Yushu answered.
"Do you think she looks like Jia Ning?" Song Jie asked him again.
As he was about to answer, Song Jie coldly said, "Raise your head and answer me."
Xiao Zhen raised his head and looked at him, saying, "Didn't Prime Minister Song also think it looked very similar? Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed at the Duke's mansion for her, and he certainly wouldn't have rushed over to ask me such a question in the middle of the night."
When Song Jie saw his face, he noticed a patch of red rash on his right cheek and all over his neck.
He said, "I don't know what I touched at the Duke's mansion, but I got hives."
Song Jie understood why he had come to the Taoist temple tonight. It was because he had always been like this since he was a child. Whenever he had a minor illness or pain, he would run to his mother, who would always show great concern and heartache. He was very good at playing the victim.
"Why are you still like a child?" Song Jie said calmly, but used a silver stick from the tea table to touch his face, which was covered in red rashes. "You pretend to be stupid and pitiful, and you have to go to your mother for the smallest things."
The thin skewer made his already red and swollen rash even redder, as if it were about to burst.
Song Jie applied a little force and actually drew some blood. Seeing Xiao Zhen wince in pain, he felt a little better and said, "Don't look for Xie Yushu again. If I find out that you have seen her or have any dealings with her, I will kill you."
Xiao Zhen didn't move, enduring the pain as he looked at Song Jie. He hadn't expected Song Jie to come and confront him about this matter so late at night.
He assumed that Song Jie wouldn't want anyone to know about his relationship with Xie Yushu, since it wasn't something that could be discussed openly.
But Song Jie explicitly warned him not to get close to Xie Yushu again.
He couldn't understand why Song Jie had developed such a strong possessive desire for a body double.
The stick was pressed down hard again.
Before he could answer, a shout came from outside the door.
"Get out of the way!"
Song Jie's fingers paused; he knew who the voice belonged to without even turning his head.
The servant outside the door respectfully greeted, "Your Highness."
No one dared to actually fight her or stop her.
A gaunt female Taoist priestess burst in, dressed in a Taoist robe and with her hair tied up with a jade crown.
He rushed over and slapped Song Jie's hand away from the skewer, angrily shouting, "Song Jie, how dare you! You dare to be disrespectful to a prince!"
Song Jie's wrist was numb from the beating. He watched as the ethereal female Taoist priest reached out and pulled Xiao Zhen up, holding him tightly in her arms like a mother eagle protecting her cub.
"You're bleeding! First, let Master Yuanqing come and take a look at you." The female Taoist priest looked at Xiao Zhen's face anxiously, then scolded Song Jie, "Song Jie, what's wrong with you again? No matter how unfavored he is, he's still a prince, and you are a subject..."
"It's alright, Mother." Xiao Zhen took her hand and comforted her with a smile, saying, "Prime Minister Song was just joking with me."
Song Jie sneered, stood up and said, "The Dowager Consort knows that your son's status in the palace is awkward and he is not favored because of you. Since you know this, you should understand who he has relied on to survive until now and achieve his current position."
He looked at the mother and son with a mocking expression, raised his arm and laughed, "He's relying on me. If it weren't for me, he would have died in the palace long ago. He's quite happy to suffer this humiliation now."
The female Taoist priest's eyes turned red with anger. "You hate me, why bother..."
“I have no connection with the Dowager Consort, so where would I get my hatred?” Song Jie interrupted her, still smiling as he said, “If the Dowager Consort is doing this for the good of your son Xiao Zhen, she should learn from him and endure this humiliation of mine.”
The female Taoist priest tightened her lips, on the verge of tears.
Only then did Song Jie seem satisfied. He smiled and led his men out of the mansion. Back in his carriage, he couldn't help but vomit a mouthful of blood.
"Prime Minister." Cang Shu hurriedly handed over the medicine he carried with him, and saw Song Jie trembling inside the carriage: "You mustn't get angry, or you'll trigger the remaining poison in your body..."
Song Jie suppressed the icy chill surging in his chest. The pain in his wrist seemed to become more pronounced, and waves of bone-chilling cold surged up, as if it were about to return.
He pressed his forehead against the cushion, and couldn't help but wrap the sash from his sleeve around his wrist, as if he could imagine the warmth emanating from her body...
"What time is it now?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "Is it dawn yet?"
"Not yet, Your Excellency," Cangshu replied.
Song Jie closed his eyes and suddenly felt that this night and day were so long. He was so cold and wanted the next night to come quickly, the night Xie Yushu came.
※
"Host, you gained 1 point of Popularity last night, thanks to Song Jie."
When Xie Yushu woke up, she heard the pleasant system voice. You know what, Song Jie, that leek, not only explodes with gold coins, but also explodes with popularity points and cuckold points. Doesn't he sleep at night? He just crawls around in the shadows thinking about her, hating her, and thinking about her again?
In the system interface, she currently has 16 points of "popularity value", 1 point of "cuckold value", and 260 days of life.
She wasn't in a hurry to redeem it. The "Most Popular Points" were quite useful, and she wanted to save up 100 points to see how popular she could become.
"Jinye." She wasn't in a hurry to get up, so she beckoned Jinye in and showed her the money she had earned in the past two days.
Jin Ye brought in a locked box filled with silver notes and gold coins that Xie Yushu had earned. She was a meticulous maid and had already settled the accounts for Xie Yushu last night. She whispered to her, "Last night, Madam earned 20,000 taels of gold in gold coins and 5,000 taels of silver in gold coins from Prime Minister Song, and 10,000 taels of gold in gold coins and 10,000 taels of silver in gold coins from the Fourth Prince."
Jin Ye's mouth trembled as she spoke: "Adding to the 15,000 taels of silver notes that Madam had before, Madam now has... 30,000 taels of gold notes and 30,000 taels of silver notes." It was too much; she never dared to dream of so much. Madam had actually earned so much in just a few days.
He added, "And we haven't even included the thousand taels of silver notes that Qiao Bao'er returned earlier."
"That's a small amount of money. I gave it to Xizhi so she can use it for daily expenses and your bonuses." Since the currency in this world was floating, Xie Yushu didn't quite grasp its reality and asked the system how much her current money was worth in RMB.
The system quickly replied: "Thirty thousand taels of silver notes are equivalent to approximately 13 million RMB. Thirty thousand taels of gold notes are equivalent to approximately 150 million RMB."
Xie Yushu sat up straight immediately, pinched himself in disbelief, and felt so painful he wanted to laugh out loud.
Good heavens, 150 million! She had only ever dreamed of this unit of RMB before, and now she actually owned it!
Overwhelmed with excitement and arrogance, she earned 150 million in just a few days. Earning a hundred billion and returning to her original world would be a piece of cake!
"Host... your life points have not accumulated to 1000 days yet, and the main quest for the female supporting character is only 5% complete," the system whispered a reminder.
This cannot extinguish Xie Yushu's arrogance. Making the female supporting character Xie Yushu happy is nothing to worry about.
But then she remembered that when she dealt with Pei Shilin and his mother last night, the main questline hadn't increased.
"Yes, host." The system said, "The main mission is to make Xie Yushu's life happy. The system has recently updated the happiness value of the female supporting character."
Perhaps for Xie Yushu, taking revenge on Pei Shilin and his mother was just a pleasure, not happiness?
What makes her happy is that her biological mother, Qiao Bao'er, is also living a good life.
"Madam," Yinya brought in water and complained to her, "Xiaodao burned all the robes you wore last night early this morning."
Is it Song Jie's outfit?
Xie Yushu got out of bed to wash up and saw through the window that Xiao Dao was helping to repair the small kitchen in the yard. The sun made the back of his neck red: "If it's burned, it's burned."
She had originally planned to use that outfit to gain some "green hat points" from Pei Shilin, but she was a little confused. Did Xiao Dao burn the clothes because he liked her? Or was he worried that she would be discovered wearing men's clothes?
If it's the former, why didn't he get the green hat value?
The system analysis suggests, "Perhaps he felt he had no position to hold."
Wow, Xie Yushu exclaimed in surprise that there are still normal men in this world.
Granny Xizhi had already bought breakfast. She ate a little and was about to go see Qiao Bao'er when Granny Lianxiang from the front yard came over and knelt at the gate, saying, "Madam, someone from Yong'an Mansion has arrived. They've been waiting for you for ages and didn't dare to wake you..."
Xie Yushu chuckled when he saw her tail between her legs. Kind people are bullied, but wicked people are very happy.
She took Jinye and Yinya to the front courtyard, where they met Zhenniang, the dowry maid of Lady Mengmin, the wife of the Marquis of Yong'an, in the main hall. Several maids came with Zhenniang, each carrying some gifts, which filled a table.
Xie Yushu had assumed that Pei Shilin and his mother would definitely make a scene about divorcing her today, and was wondering why the two of them were so quiet. It turned out they were both in the main hall keeping her company.
Meng Min was Princess Yong'an who had served the Empress Dowager in the palace. Her dowry maid was not an ordinary servant, but a palace maid assigned by the Empress Dowager to accompany her on her wedding day.
In the original drama, the person Meng Min trusted most was this nanny, Zhenniang. She managed a large household of maids and servants in Yong'an Mansion, and her words carried great weight.
The Pei family mother and son were used to fawning on the powerful and belittling the weak, so naturally they dared not neglect Zhenniang.
Xie Yushu glanced at the Pei family mother and son; both of them looked as if they were about to die.
Pei Shilin, his right arm in a sling, stared at her with a deathly pale face.
Li Huixian also didn't sleep all night, and didn't dare to look at Xie Yushu, like a mouse seeing a cat.
When Zhenniang saw her come in, she smiled and got up to greet her, bowing politely and addressing her as "Miss Yushu". She added, "Madam has been thinking of Miss Yushu, but she was ill a few days ago. Today she is feeling better and sent me to bring you and Old Madam Pei some food and supplies."
Xie Yushu glanced at the table; it was full of valuable items, some of which were for Pei Shilin and his mother, Li Huixian.
Meng Min was very savvy about human relationships. She used to just dislike Xie Yushu and didn't care at all whether kicking Xie Yushu out on her homecoming day would make the Pei family look down on her and bully her.
The fact that she's specially sending these things now suggests that she's checked out the "dried fruit shop" she mentioned, believed her, and realized she needs her help.
This is good; we can use each other's resources and benefit each other.
"Is Mother feeling much better?" Xie Yushu pointed out a few valuable items for Jinye and Yinya to put away, then smiled at Zhenniang: "I was just thinking of going back to see Mother, and she sent you here, Zhenniang. Isn't that a perfect understanding?"
Zhenniang's smile froze. Miss Yushu was very different from before. She was not only smarter, but she had also become a smiling tiger. She didn't care at all that she was born into a concubine's family and spoke to her like a real mother and daughter.
"Yes," Zhenniang said with a smile again, "Madam's health has improved considerably, and she would like to invite Miss Yushu back to the manor to keep her company." She then looked at Pei Shilin, "It's just unfortunate that Young Master Pei has suffered such a serious injury. I wonder if Miss Yushu will still have time to return to the manor?"
Xie Yushu looked at Pei Shilin with a troubled expression, and put on a coquettish look: "Yes, my husband is so injured, I feel terrible. I wonder if my husband is feeling any better today?"
Pei Shilin stared at her stiffly, truly amazed by her acting skills. How did he get so badly injured? He had been unconscious all night, and his beloved wife had been taken away by Prime Minister Song again!
"It's alright." Li Huixian looked at Pei Shilin, then at Xie Yushu, and forced a smile. "I'll take care of Shilin. Since Madam Hou has come to invite you, Yushu, you should go back and keep Madam Hou company."
Pei Shilin was so angry he felt like vomiting blood. This was his good mother. Last night she cried and shouted that she must divorce Xie Yushu and drive her out of the Pei mansion today, but now she immediately changed her tune when she saw the people from the Yong'an Marquis's mansion.
"In that case, if it's convenient for you, my husband, please send me back to the Yong'an Marquis's residence," Xie Yushu said, pressing her advantage. "Don't let others misunderstand that my relationship with my husband is strained."
Who would misunderstand? Who would care? She just wanted to mess with him!
Pei Shilin's face was pale and his lips were turning blue, but he still managed to say, "Alright, I'll escort Madam back to the Yong'an Marquis's residence."
He couldn't possibly refuse her in front of the people from the Yong'an Marquis's residence!
"Thank you for troubling me, my husband." She put on a fake happy smile.
Despite his pain, Pei Shilin accompanied Xie Yushu out of the mansion and into the carriage sent by the Marquis of Yong'an to pick her up. In the sweltering summer heat, just this walk made his arm, which had just been set, ache so much that he was sweating profusely.
Xie Yushu was overjoyed. Inside the carriage, she put on a different face and asked him with a smile, "It seems that after calming down all night, my husband doesn't want to divorce me anymore. I told you long ago that as long as my husband and mother-in-law take good care of me, I will naturally let you live a peaceful life."
Pei Shilin stared at her, no longer able to muster any anger, and asked her helplessly and painfully, "Xie Yushu, what do you want from me to let me go?"
She sat up straight, looked at him tenderly, and said, "Husband, don't say such things. What life is without its ups and downs? I truly want to spend my life with you."
Pei Shilin stared into her eyes, almost unable to tell how many faces she had. How could she be such a good actress? Were they just having a normal fight? She was the one who broke his arm!
Knowing he couldn't win an argument with her, he simply said, "Since you say you want to live a good life with me, fine, from now on you can no longer go to Song Jie's residence to see him."
Xie Yushu grabbed his arm in surprise and said, "Husband, have you forgotten? It was you who asked me to go."
Pei Shilin felt a sharp pain in his arm, and his heart choked with emotion: "I wronged you before, but now you don't need to go anymore. Can you do that?"
"Congratulations, host, the female supporting character's main quest is 70% complete." The system said excitedly.
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Author's Note: Here's a 6,000-word update. Thank you all for your support. Tomorrow's update time will return to 6 PM.
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