123 Foreign Beauty
◎The old friend of the master in Daxia...could it be Madam Song?◎
The night was as dark as ink, and the flickering candlelight in the lobby revealed the figure of Song Jinyi waiting alone.
She was fiddling with her abacus with increasing impatience. During this time, she glanced out the window. What time was it? Why hadn't they returned yet? It was a real worry.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard laughter coming from outside the door.
Finally I'm back.
Song Jinyi walked out the door and saw them hunching their heads like quails when they saw her. She poked their foreheads one by one with her fingertips and said, "What time is it? You're having so much fun that you don't even care about the time."
Ru'er held the newly bought gadget and curled her lips nonchalantly: "The capital is peaceful, Madam Song, you are too cautious!"
Song Jinyi didn't respond, but keenly caught the strange fragrance lingering on the three people.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked at them with a half-smile: "Oh? This taste... is very sweet. Tell me, where did you go? Did you... go somewhere you shouldn't go?" She finished her voice lightly, hinting at something.
The cheeks of the three people turned red. Zhang Yao was afraid that the master would misunderstand her, so she waved her hands repeatedly: "How could that be? Master, don't make random guesses!" She was so anxious that her voice changed.
"It must be because I was influenced by the dancers when I was watching them." Ru'er quickly explained, "We just went to see the dancers from the Western Regions. They were so beautiful, and their clothes were like colorful clouds.
"Golden hair, light brown eyes, like amber..." She chattered, describing the charm of those exotic beauties.
Song Jinyi listened, and her eyes trembled slightly.
Interracial, blonde...
Ru'er was so excited that she suddenly leaned over to Song Jinyi, tugged at her sleeve and said coquettishly, "Madam Song, look at our theater. It's so boring just listening to opera and storytelling! Why don't we... why don't we get some dancers from the Western Regions? That would really add to the fun!"
Song Jinyi came back to her senses, looked at Ru'er's eager expression, and said with a smile: "I think it's you, little girl, who wants to see those beautiful beauties yourself, right?"
"I didn't!" Ru'er said stubbornly. Seeing that Song Jinyi was unwilling to agree easily, she rolled her eyes and immediately made an alliance, "Ahe likes to watch it too, right?" She shook Li He's arm vigorously.
Li He was secretly thinking about the familiar figure in the camel caravan when Ru'er suddenly pulled him. He looked up in a daze and met Song Jinyi's gaze.
She suppressed her chaotic thoughts and responded vaguely, "Ah... yes, it's good. Adding a few dancers... would make it more lively."
Seeing that everyone had the same idea, Song Jinyi nodded and said, "Well, since you all agree, I will discuss it with Master Huo tomorrow."
At the same time, in the Mingyue Inn in the west of the city, which was specially designed for foreign businessmen to stay, a room on the upper floor was brightly lit.
A blond man stood by the window, his silhouette tall and straight as he looked at the lights of thousands of homes in the capital.
Another person in the room looked at a pile of papers on the table and flipped through them silently. This pile of papers included confidential reports that recorded the court's movements and policy changes, as well as vivid tabloids circulating in the streets.
The man first casually flipped through the official newspaper, but the content was boring, so he quickly threw it away in boredom.
He picked up the stack of tabloids again and began to read them with great interest, looking at the secret stories on them. Among them, a missing person notice caught his attention.
"Looking for an old friend. Someone once saw him in Shengjing. He was about twenty years old, with curly golden hair, emerald eyes, and a tall figure..."
Suiyun glanced secretly at his master's golden curly hair shining in the light, and then at his deep, emerald eyes that were glowing with a faint light.
My heart was beating fast: This description... is too similar!
"What are you looking at?" Tuoba Jun's voice suddenly sounded.
Sui Yun's hands trembled. "No, nothing, just some small talk."
He recalled the words of Gudu Hou before he left: His Highness had been deceived and framed in Daxia, nearly drowning. His Highness was kind-hearted, while the Han people were treacherous. He must protect His Highness and not let the same mistake happen again.
Regardless of whether this missing person notice is related to that old person, there is no need to let His Highness know about it and worry about it in vain.
Tuoba Jun didn't delve into the matter and instead said, "Is that the residence of Duke Zhenguo Jiang Chen over in Pingkangfang? Find a chance to investigate."
The two were discussing in low voices when a guard disguised as a waiter came in to announce, "Prince, there's a guest who wants to see you. He's the theater manager, Song Jinyi, and he wants to sell a dancer."
Sui Yun pushed open the door and slapped the attendant on the head in annoyance, "You idiot! Do you really think we're here to do business? Those dancers are carefully trained and sent to the homes of high-ranking officials. Why don't you just turn them down?"
The servant covered his head and was about to leave.
But he heard his master's cold voice unexpectedly, "Wait a minute—what was the name of the theater manager you mentioned?"
The attendant repeated it again, not understanding why.
Tuoba Jun pondered for a moment, his fingertips gently tapping the edge of the window frame. He hadn't heard this name for a long time. An elusive smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Let her in."
Sui Yun looked up in surprise, staring at Tuoba Jun's profile, somewhat confused about what his master meant.
******
The sound of stringed instruments suddenly grew rapid and intense as the dancers danced, their beating drums pounding their hearts. A pair of Western dancers, barefoot, spun into the hall to the beat of the drums. They sang and danced with abandon, their gauze skirts unfurling like flaming flames, their colorful yarns fluttering and pearls shimmering in a dazzling display of brilliance.
Song Jinyi was so fascinated by what she saw that she forgot why she came.
Sui Yun sat on the main seat and glanced at her secretly several times. Although the woman had regular features and a pretty appearance, he said that she was not as pretty as his master.
He cleared his throat and said, "All of our dancers are top-notch beauties." He stared at Song Jinyi's expression and said, "Their prices are naturally incomparable to those of ordinary dancers."
"They are in good shape and radiant. I think the steward treats them very well and is a man who cherishes women." When Song Jinyi heard the other party enter the main topic, she retracted her gaze and said seriously: "The beauty is indeed a rare beauty, and the Huxuan dance is also a feast for the eyes.
"Such a stunning beauty is bound to inspire pity. I, a humble person, am willing to be a flower farmer and take good care of her."
She spoke earnestly, "Although the theater isn't as comfortable as the homes of the nobility, it's a place where you earn your living based on your real abilities, where rules are observed, and where friendship is valued. Here, they can make a living based on their dancing skills, without having to curry favor with others. Everything they earn is what they deserve."
"I'm sure Steward Sui would be willing to find a place for them that truly appreciates them and treats them well, right?"
Sui Yun nodded with a forced smile. If it weren't for that person's suggestion, he would have wanted to get up and leave immediately.
He hadn't wanted to do this business originally, but now he was doing it reluctantly. The other party was even bargaining. These words sounded nice, but he was not a fool.
Thinking of this, his eyes couldn't help but fall on Song Jinyi's face again. She was young, but she spoke without hesitation. She was like a little fox. I don't know why the master changed his mind when he heard her name.
But Sui Yun didn't want to do a business that would lose money. "Madam Song, you are wrong. Your mansion is naturally extremely wealthy..."
"Even if you have endless wealth and honor, you may not feel at peace." Song Jinyi interrupted calmly.
Suiyun silently gritted his teeth.
It was the first time he had seen such an eloquent lady. He suppressed his anger without changing his expression, pretended to be helpless and sincerely admired, and said with a bow, "Every word Madam Song says is reasonable, that's all.
"This deal will be as you say, madam! How about two hundred taels per person? If you agree, I'll have the deed delivered right away."
Song Jinyi agreed to the price.
Soon, the servant holding the deed came into the hall. Since most of the people living here were foreigners, she didn't pay much attention to the fact that the servant had blonde hair.
She was reaching out to take the contract when her eyes accidentally swept across the other person's profile. In that instant, her bright eyes froze, and even her breathing slowed down a few beats.
She almost called out the name, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes fixed on the person who came. The person naturally felt this gaze that could not be ignored and looked over.
The eyes were not the emerald green she remembered. They were also green, but a darker dark green. Only under the light did they show a little bit of green.
The outline of the eyebrows and eyes... are somewhat similar, but if you look closely, the whole face is not quite the same.
Suiyun seemed to say something, but she couldn't hear it at all.
The man placed the deed steadily on the table in front of her and said, "Madam Song, here is the deed, please take a look."
This sound...
It was like a rainstorm, hitting Song Jinyi in the face. She trembled violently and came back to her senses. She slowly turned her head and her eyes fell vaguely on the contract.
Not him.
"Ms. Song? Do you... have any other questions?" Sui Yun noticed that something was wrong with her.
Song Jinyi blurted out without thinking, "How much can you sell this young man to me?"
As soon as she said this, she felt dazed. What was she saying?
!!!
Sui Yun's heart was shocked, and his expression instantly became extremely wonderful, a mixture of shock, embarrassment and disbelief.
He quickly stole a glance at his master, who for some reason had disguised himself as a servant. Seeing his master's silence, his heart tightened, fearing that he would have a fit on the spot.
The master has a beautiful appearance, but she suffered a lot in her early years because of this useless beauty. She hates others talking about it, especially commenting on it as a commodity, let alone "selling" it.
Unexpectedly, even after disguising himself, it was still difficult to conceal his identity. He was afraid that his master would draw out the golden sword and cut the young lady in two.
"Oh! Madam Song, you're joking! This is the guard of our caravan, one of us. We won't sell him! Absolutely not!" Sui Yun's voice choked, and he immediately pressed down the finger that Song Jinyi was pointing at his master.
No one spoke in the room for a moment, and it was silent.
Sui Yun was just thinking of an excuse to send Song Jinyi away when he heard the man say, "Madam Song, how much do you think I'm worth? What's the price you're willing to pay?"
!!!
Suiyun opened his eyes wide. What was going on?
The feng shui of Shengjing City is really weird. How could the master, who is usually serious, suddenly become like a different person?
Song Jinyi was stunned by his straightforward question. She was silent for a moment and lowered her eyes slightly, "I am sorry for being rude. I hope you will forgive me for my impoliteness.
"Just now, I was distracted for a moment and mistook you for an old friend of mine. I was just in a trance and said something confusing. Please don't blame me."
"Old friend?" The man repeated the word calmly, then asked, "I wonder what the relationship is between you and this old friend of yours?"
"—an old friend."
?
Sui Yun clearly felt that when Madam Song said the word "old friend", the pressure around his master became even heavier.
Although there was still no expression on the master's face, Suiyun knew that he was unhappy, and very unhappy!
After the transaction was completed, Sui Yun could hardly wait to see Song Jinyi off.
Back in his room, Sui Yun sorted through the dancer's contract and couldn't help but complain furiously in his mind: "Today is truly a nightmare! It's fine for the master to be a servant, but when someone pointed at him and asked for his price, he didn't even get angry on the spot, but instead asked how much they were willing to pay for him?!"
If this happened in Yuedu, if anyone was so blind as to speak like that, his master would have had his eyes dug out and fed to dogs, and his tongue pulled out and fed to eagles!
The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Could it be that—
He belatedly realized: That old friend of his master's in Daxia...could it be Madam Song?!
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