"Mother, those vile women are full of evil intentions, who knows what they're up to? We have to keep a close eye on them. Why don't you go and ask someone to help, and I'll stay here and watch over them?"
“You’re making a scene,” Madam Jin scolded softly, “As a woman, how can I possibly see a man from another family!”
Upon hearing this, Jin Yu remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he compromised and said, "Alright then, Mother, stay here and I'll go get reinforcements. Let's try to get things done before dark."
"Go and come back quickly. I will keep a close eye on these vixens."
Madam Jin glanced angrily at the tightly closed Deyilou, her tone chilling.
“Madam,” Bilian said softly, “I will go to the front and buy a stool. You are not well and cannot stand for long.”
“Yes, I need the finest pear wood,” Mrs. Jin waved her hand. “I don’t want those cheap, worthless things.”
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Miss," Qiu Qing, who was peeking through the crack in the door, heard this and spoke disdainfully, "This Madam Jin always puts on airs like a lady when she's out in public, as if she's afraid people won't know how rich the Jin family is. If she's so rich, why is she causing trouble at Yi Man Lou? Has she got her head stuck in a door?"
It's blatant extortion, as if no one can see through it!
"That's the reason. Beneath the blooming flowers are withered branches and fallen leaves. In desperation, they can only resort to these crooked methods."
Although Meiyu was not clear about the specific situation of the Jin family, she was particularly pessimistic about them.
Ping'an County is so small, and there are few people. The Jin family's annual income can be roughly estimated, and it is far from enough for the father and son to squander.
“The Jin family has long since fallen into ruin,” the madam sneered before revealing the information she had gathered. “I just found out that Jin Yu, that spendthrift son, has already pawned the Five Mansions. A servant even said that there is no money in the accounts, and dozens of acres of land have been secretly sold.”
"Old Lady Jin looks down on people like us the most. She used to turn her head away as soon as she saw me from afar. This time she came here on purpose because she wants to take a bite out of Deyilou."
"She's ugly and thinks she's so great. Wait until this is over, then I'll teach her a lesson."
The madam truly hated the Jin family.
Knowing that her lowly status made her looked down upon, she always treated people kindly and rarely offended anyone. She had some favor with the wealthy families in the county.
Meiyu became the top courtesan, and Yimanlou made a comeback. She guessed that someone would have designs on her, but she didn't expect that the first to jump out would be the toothless tiger, the Jin family.
Whom do you look down on?
Since you're willing to be the one to establish your authority, don't blame her for being impolite!
In the blink of an eye, the madam had already figured out how to deal with the Jin family.
“Mother,” Meiyu said, her eyes filled with worry and her voice filled with melancholy, “what if they manage to get the advisor to come? What will we do then?”
“No, the clerk definitely won’t come,” the madam continued to analyze. “The nobles of the prefecture have invited you to several banquets already, so he can’t help but be wary.”
That being said, even the madam herself wasn't entirely sure.
Many people wanted to take Meiyu as their concubine, but she refused them with various excuses. This time, with such a good opportunity, if those men were to become lustful, they might really cause trouble.
Perhaps the entire Yimanlou restaurant will be implicated.
“Big Tiger,” the madam said nervously, “quickly stop the young master of the Jin family and knock him unconscious. I’ll go find someone first.”
That damned Jin family is a real problem.
After giving her instructions, the madam hurriedly left through the back door.
The girls in the building were very nervous.
“Sister Meiyu,” a girl in a pale yellow gauze dress spoke up from the crowd, “Are we really going to be arrested and taken to the boss’s place?”
"Waaaaah~ I don't want to go to jail. There are rats there, I won't get enough to eat, and I'll get beaten."
These words resonated with everyone, and then more weeping broke out.
"Why are we so unlucky? Not only are we condemned to a life of prostitution, serving men, but we also have to go to jail! Waaah~"
"Alright," Meiyu rubbed her forehead, "Don't cry, you won't go to jail."
These sisters are so cute, like rabbits, they get scared and curl up into a ball at the slightest sound.
Shaking her head, Meiyu turned and left. "Mom will handle this. Everyone go back to your rooms and rest. Get some sleep so you can be well-rested. We still have guests to entertain tonight."
After taking a few steps, she suddenly remembered something, turned her head and murmured, "The Jin family is bullying us sisters who are all alone and helpless. If we meet familiar guests tonight, sisters, remember to whisper sweet nothings in their husbands' ears. Maybe it will have an unexpected effect~"
Her seductive tone and rising intonation made it impossible not to follow her lead.
"I'm going all out. I'll use every ounce of my strength today to make that bastard trip up the Jin family."
“Me too. The Jin family bullies us lowly people, so let them see that we lowly people are not someone anyone can mess with.”
"Exactly, this is outrageous!"
"That's good to know. My sister has gone back to her room. You sisters, please make yourselves at home."
"We should go back and rest too. How can we take revenge if we don't get enough rest!"
On the other side, the people who caught up with Jin Yu knocked him unconscious. To vent their anger, they threw him out into the street and stripped him naked. Only after seeing the crowd watching did they return with a lewd expression.
Half an hour later.
To Madam Jin's surprise, what arrived instead of her son was a group of men tasked with capturing her.
“It’s them,” the madam said through gritted teeth. “They’re taking advantage of our vulnerability and causing trouble here to extort money from us.”
A group of unfamiliar people, all dressed in government uniforms, yet quite different from the county yamen runners.
"Who are you?" Madam Jin looked at the newcomers warily. "I am the matriarch of the Jin family. What do you want?"
"You're the one I've arrested," the leader waved his hand, "Take him away!"
Then, two men immediately stepped forward to arrest people, and even the servants who had caused the disturbance were tied up.
"Thank you, sir," the madam said gratefully. "The Jin family has gone too far. If it weren't for your intervention, sir, I don't know what would have happened to us."
"Stop with the nonsense. Remember what you said, and bring the person over tonight."
After saying this, the leader gave the madam a warning look before turning and leaving.
"Understood, I promise to wash her until she's nice and clean before sending her over."
After the group had almost disappeared, the madam spat, "Not a single one of them is any good!"
They're either greedy or lustful; they look decent enough, but they do absolutely nothing human!
Meiyu, good luck to you. Your mother has no choice but to hand you over. Whether you can get away depends on your own abilities.
Don't blame me, it's just that the world forces us to this. Yimanlou is too small to protect you.
Lust is a double-edged sword. I used to think it only applied to men, but I never imagined I would fall into this trap myself.
If I had known that Meiyu was such a troublemaker, I would have been better off taking the 30,000 taels of silver and living a quiet life. Instead, I am now living in constant fear, as if walking on thin ice.
I wonder if it's too late to send them away now?
Hopefully it's not too late!
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