Ah Da stood in front of the Drunken Life Pavilion and knocked on the door. The two pimps opened the door and said impatiently, "Who is it knocking at this hour? Don't you know the rules of our Drunken Life Pavilion? We don't accept customers during the day..."
Before the two could finish speaking, they saw Yan Qingqing standing behind them.
They knew Yan Qingqing and were quite impressed with her.
The day before yesterday, they even went to Canghe Village with their boss to give her gifts. Although they didn't go inside, it didn't stop them from learning about Yan Qingqing's situation.
Yan Qingqing is now an imperial edict appointing her as a Mingzhao magistrate, so why would she come to their Zuishenglou again?
After a moment of confusion, the two quickly stepped forward and bowed softly, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency. What brings you here?"
The two were quite respectful of the rules and dared not make a fuss, for fear of ruining Yan Qingqing's reputation.
However, since Yan Qingqing dared to come, she didn't care what others thought. It wasn't that no one knew she came to the brothel to discuss business.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Of course I'm here to visit your boss, Ms. Lin. Is she resting?"
When Yan Qingqing mentioned Lin Ning'er, a hint of embarrassment flashed across their faces, as if they didn't know how to respond.
Yan Qingqing thought something had happened to Lin Ning'er, so she quickly asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen to Sister Lin?"
One of them touched his nose and said, "No, no, it's just that our boss, Mr. Lin, is entertaining customers."
Yan Qingqing felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this; she hadn't expected Lin Ning'er to be a prostitute.
Logically speaking, she's a brothel madam and shouldn't need to entertain customers, but today is a bit unexpected.
Just as the four of them were staring at each other in disbelief, Lin Ning'er and the guests she was entertaining came out.
Yan Qingqing felt that she shouldn't have come today, because Lin Ning'er was receiving none other than Chen Liu.
Upon seeing Yan Qingqing, Chen Liu panicked and stammered, "Big sister, what are you doing in a place like this?"
As soon as Chen Liu finished speaking, he wished he could bite his tongue off. What kind of talk was that?
As expected, Lin Ning'er's face darkened upon hearing this, and she then said sarcastically, "Yes, only your Uncle Chen can come to a place like this. No one else can."
Chen Liu quickly explained to her, "Ning'er, don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant."
The word "Ning'er" made Yan Qingqing realize that the relationship between the two was not simple.
His gaze swept back and forth between the two faces, his expression full of gossip.
Lin Ning'er wished she could disappear into the ground when she saw Yan Qingqing's scrutinizing gaze, and Chen Liu's ears turned red as well.
"What's there to not understand?" Yan Qingqing gave the two of them a knowing look.
Lin Ning'er glared at Chen Liu and said fiercely, "Why aren't you leaving yet! Are you planning to stay overnight?!"
After saying that, Lin Ning'er shut her mouth. After all, it had been overnight, and now it was daytime.
Chen Liu didn't bother to explain further. He hurriedly said a few words to Yan Qingqing and then turned and left, giving the impression of fleeing in disarray.
After Chen Liu left, Lin Ning'er breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Yan Qingqing with a smile, "Good sister, what brings you here? You are a noble person now, how could you come to a place like this!"
Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "Didn't you used to be eager for me to come? You even said you wanted to be my sister. Is it because I ruined your plans today that you don't welcome me anymore?"
Hearing her say that, Lin Ning'er said irritably, "You really are taking my kindness for granted. I was worried that coming to a place like this would damage your reputation, but you're mocking me instead."
Yan Qingqing quickly smiled apologetically and said, "How could I dare to laugh at you, sister? I'm just here to thank you."
Lin Ning'er knew that the doorway was not a place to talk, so she invited Yan Qingqing to her bedroom.
Ah Da naturally couldn't follow along. He handed the box he brought to Yan Qingqing, but he was worried about her, so he stood outside Lin Ning'er's room like a gatekeeper.
Lin Ning'er glanced at him, went inside and said to Yan Qingqing, "Your servants are all well-trained, which shows that you are quite capable, sister."
Yan Qingqing replied with a smile, without any modesty, "They are all good kids. I carefully selected them, so of course they are not bad."
"But my sister is full of secrets, and the two men at the door are just as loyal to her as Ah Da."
Lin Ning'er knew she couldn't hide it from Yan Qingqing. She sighed and said, "I only have a few people I can use around me, and I didn't expect my sister to see through me so easily."
Yan Qingqing didn't reply. Although she and Lin Ning'er had a good relationship, they weren't close enough to share their biggest secrets with each other.
So Yan Qingqing changed the subject, saying, "The day before yesterday, my sister gave me such an expensive gift but didn't even come inside. I felt bad about it, so I came to return the favor."
After saying that, he opened the box and handed it to Lin Ning'er.
Although these items were not as many as the ones Lin Ning'er had given her, each one was carefully selected.
Especially the red coral bracelet, which was completely translucent red and without a single flaw, Lin Ning'er loved it to bits. She immediately put it on her wrist.
She looked at the Shu brocade again and said, "This thing comes from the palace, right? Sister, take it back. I am not worthy to wear it now, and it is a gift from the emperor. Sister, you cannot give it away casually."
If someone catches you doing something wrong, trouble is bound to arise.
I'll keep the rest of the jewelry.
I told my sister she could wear the things I gave her without worry; they were all jewelry I'd never worn before. Now that I'm in a certain position, I don't need them anymore. I thought my sister would be overjoyed, so I gathered some things from the storeroom and gave them to her.
"Your sister can keep it for herself, or give it to one of the kids in the family; it's up to her."
Lin Ning'er was indescribably sad, and Yan Qingqing didn't ask any further questions.
She could guess that Lin Ning'er's past identity must have been extraordinary, and that she must have offended some important figure to end up in this situation.
Although she is currently a fifth-rank official appointed by the Emperor, which seems prestigious in Chengyang County and even Xuancheng Prefecture, she would be nothing in the capital city where high-ranking officials gather.
She wouldn't be so presumptuous as to try to avenge Lin Ning'er; she can't even avenge herself right now.
The two chatted for a while longer, mostly about their recent situations.
Lin Ning'er told Yan Qingqing some of the latest gossip she had heard, since brothels were the best place to pass on information.
Yan Qingqing's eyes flickered upon hearing this. Perhaps Lin Ning'er also had a way out, but it wasn't the right time yet, so she suppressed the thought.
Yan Qingqing also told Lin Ning'er about her family's recent situation, and Lin Ning'er was happy for Yan Qingqing.
Although Yan Qingqing's life was full of hardships in the first half, things are getting better and better now.
On the contrary, she was a pampered young lady in the first half of her life, but a prostitute in the second half.
However, Lin Ning'er did not show any of these signs on her face.
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