Side hall.
The madam reluctantly pulled out a thousand taels of silver, her hands full of pain. "Young master, my maid Meiyu is currently unwell and cannot come to see guests."
A thousand taels is not a small amount; it was only when Meiyu was elected the top courtesan that Yimanlou's income increased.
If you put them all together, it would be half a year's income.
Therefore, the madam was extremely reluctant to pay back the money.
But there are rules to follow in business. Even in the sex trade, she can't accept money if she doesn't meet the customer's demands.
“Mother, now that I have sent the money, I will not take it back.”
Just as the madam was getting excited, she heard the man continue, "However, Miss Meiyu is unwell. Since I'm here, I should at least visit her and express my feelings. What do you think, Madam?"
"Of course, of course," the madam winked at the servants guarding the area, then pointed the way, "Meiyu's boudoir is the innermost one. Young master, please forgive me for being nosy, Meiyu has a bad temper, please forgive her if she offends you in any way."
"I understand." The man said, shaking his fan, and left.
After the man left, the madam excitedly kissed the silver note, saying, "My darling, I'm so glad I saved you."
After saying that, he returned to his room with a big smile and hid the silver notes away like a precious treasure.
On the other side, upon hearing the knocking, Qiu Qing assumed it was the madam and her face immediately turned cold. "Mama, are you ever going to stop? Can't you let my young lady get some rest?"
"It's me!" A deep male voice came from outside the door.
Qiu Qing was immediately startled. "This is my young lady's boudoir. Who let you in? Don't you know the rules of Yi Man Lou? Guards, throw her out!"
After saying that, he rushed over angrily, opened the door to see who it was.
The moment the door opened, she froze, "You, how did you get here?"
The moment Meiyu heard the sound, she tensed up and looked at the door with a cold expression.
"Qiu Qing," Wu Yuan said with a smirk, "how have you been?"
"What are you doing here?" Qiu Qing realized what was happening and immediately pushed him away. "Get out of here, you're not welcome!"
Wu Yuan turned to the side and said, "Meiyu, Qiuqing needs to be disciplined properly."
“No need for Young Master Wu to trouble yourself,” Mei Yu’s eyes grew colder. “Yi Man Lou is too small to accommodate such a great figure as Young Master Wu. I will not keep Young Master Wu here.”
"We've met, why be so heartless?" Wu Yuan walked in and sat down on his own. "I've come today to give you an immense fortune."
"What kind of fortune?" Meiyu said sarcastically, "The destruction of your family and the loss of your home?"
"I am also very sorry about your father's situation. It can only be said that fate is cruel."
"Nonsense!" Qiu Qing sneered. "If it weren't for you remnants, my master wouldn't have gotten into trouble."
“Young Master Wu, you should know,” Mei Yu slowly rose and walked unhurriedly off the bed, “You are not welcome here. If there is nothing else, please leave as soon as possible.”
“Why be so heartless?” Wu Yuan chuckled. “Meiyu, the Qian family’s affairs are indeed related to us, but if we get to the bottom of it, it wasn’t us who caused the harm. You’ve hated the wrong person.”
If they had known that the girl was so beautiful back then, they should have taken her with them when they retreated. That way, they might have gained another weapon of mass destruction.
“You did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of you.”
If it weren't for these people, Qianjia wouldn't have suffered collateral damage.
Whether it's Li Wenshan or the former crown prince's cronies, they are all enemies of the Qian family!
“If you insist on saying that, there’s nothing I can do,” Wu Yuan said, spreading his hands. “In short, I have a clear conscience.”
Upon hearing this, Meiyu snorted coldly and stopped speaking.
"Alright, let's get down to business," Wu Yuan said seriously, his expression turning serious. "Meiyu, your chance to avenge your family has come. Do you want to seize it?"
"What opportunity?"
“The false emperor of the Great Zhou, Ji Xuan, has arrived in Ping’an County. Go and get close to him,” Wu Yuan said, tossing a porcelain bottle. “Find an opportunity to use this medicine on him. After it’s done, I will help you take care of the 193 members of the Li family.”
Meiyu caught the porcelain bottle, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.
It's unbelievable that the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty actually came to Ping'an County.
Qiu Qing found this very unreliable and covered her mouth in surprise, "You, you're not joking, are you?"
Meiyu didn't think Wu Yuan would joke about something like this. She gripped the porcelain bottle tightly and asked absentmindedly, "What kind of medicine is inside?"
"Don't worry, it's not a deadly drug, and it's colorless and odorless. As long as you put it in tea, no one will know that you put it there."
“No, my young lady cannot do this,” Qiu Qing said angrily to Wu Yuan. “How could you be so wicked as to commit regicide? My young lady will have no way to live, let alone avenge her family.”
Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan scoffed, "Nothing is without risk. If you want revenge, you have to make sacrifices."
How can you be sure I'll agree?
“Because,” Wu Yuan said, shaking his fan with a confident expression, “you have no other choice.”
The remnants of a thousand families, and they're so close to her—even if Meiyu says she has nothing to do with them, no one will believe her.
Upon hearing this, Meiyu lowered her head. "I need to think about it before I can give you an answer!"
"I'll come back in two days and tell you about Ji Xuan!"
After saying this, Wu Yuan left without further hesitation.
“Miss,” Qiu Qing said, her face pale, “you can’t agree to such an obvious conspiracy.”
"Wu Yuan is right, I have no other choice."
"Why?" Qiu Qing asked, puzzled. "Miss can report Wu Yuan. Such a traitor deserves to be punished by everyone."
Upon hearing this, Meiyu sighed softly, "This is his third time coming."
"So what?" Qiu Qing asked, puzzled. "Miss didn't agree to anything."
No one will believe it.
“Miss,” Qiu Qing cautiously probed, “are you really going to agree to Wu Yuan’s request? That would be regicide!”
Although thousands of families were wiped out and their clans exterminated, Qiu Qing still did not hate the emperor, because the person who framed her was very clever and the evidence was indeed conclusive.
"It seems that this is the only option for now!"
“This is like asking a tiger for its skin,” Qiu Qing strongly disagreed. “Even if Miss really agrees to this, Wu Yuan might not necessarily destroy the Li family. His words are not to be trusted.”
“Hmm,” Meiyu rubbed her forehead, “I know this.”
“Miss,” Qiu Qing said, biting her lip and poking her finger, “Since His Majesty is already in Ping’an County, and you’re of marriageable age, why don’t we give it a try?”
Fearing that Meiyu might not be tempted, she continued to increase the stakes, "The current emperor has no heir, this is a truly rare opportunity. If this succeeds, Miss will completely turn her life around."
No matter how good the newly appointed top scholar is, can he be better than the emperor?
“It’s not that easy,” Meiyu shook her head. “Why do you think Wu Yuan is so fearless in coming here? I’m sure Deyilou has already been targeted.”
If I show even the slightest abnormality, I fear I will die and my soul will perish!
"What should we do?"
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