Chapter 64 "Madam, do you want to worship money with me..."
The carriage arrived at Bitao Lane.
Pei Jinghuai pointed to a house passing by outside the car window, "Hey, isn't that where Lan Ya'er's sister lives?"
A large brass lock hung on the door, covered with a layer of dust, and withered yellow leaves piled up in front of the door, unswept.
Shen Lingyue nodded, "Yes, Yao Niang has moved into Yun Shao Girls' School with her maid. Princess Tong'an has arranged a small courtyard for her, so the house in Bitao Lane is temporarily vacant."
Not long ago, she and Yan Yi visited Yao Niang at Yun Shao Girls' School.
She is now one of the most popular teachers in the school. After all, perfumery is a "hobby class" that cultivates character, and the assessment is not so obvious, so the learning pressure is not great.
Yao Niang used to be able to handle herself with ease among men, and now she only needs to face a group of teenage girls, which she handles with ease.
She is poised and confident in class, effortlessly displaying various perfumery techniques. After school, she is gentle and approachable, without any airs of superiority. She can chat with students of all personalities.
Her little courtyard was always bustling with chattering girls who came to "Dr. Xu" to talk about everything and ask for her perfumery tips. Every day was lively and bustling.
When Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi saw Xu Yaoniang again, she had washed away all her makeup and was not wearing any cosmetics. She was only wearing the simplest moon-white dress issued by Yunshao Girls' School, with a wide linen apron tied over it. The hem of her dress was stained with spices and looked a little dusty.
But she was even more beautiful than the Yao Niang they knew before, exuding confidence and grace, and radiating brilliance.
—It turns out that I can win love and respect without relying on men, but through my own talent and ability.
Pei Jinghuai listened attentively and then asked, "When will the princess be able to get her sister out of the Prince An's residence?"
The joy on Shen Lingyue's face for Yao Niang's new life faded slightly, and she frowned slightly.
“The princess has already visited Prince An’s residence, but the Dowager Consort is ill, and it seems she is quite ill. Lan Ya’er has been attending to her the whole time, and the Dowager Consort cannot be separated from her for a moment.”
"Could it be an act?" Pei Jinghua muttered under his breath. "Ever since the Lianhua Temple's charlatanry was exposed, Prince An said he would be reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors. The Dowager Consort has been 'ill' for several months now, why isn't she better yet?"
Shen Lingyue shrugged. "There's nothing we can do. She's a Dowager Consort, an elder. Even His Majesty can't do anything to her, let alone Princess Tong'an?"
However, Yao Niang was not discouraged after hearing the news.
She then comforted the two of them, saying, "Lan Ya'er takes care of the Dowager Consort day and night. Although it's a bit tiring, at least she's safe."
All she wanted was for Lan Ya'er to be safe and well. As long as the Prince An's mansion remained dormant, Lan Ya'er's situation was relatively stable.
Shen Lingyue and Pei Jinghuai got out of the car. Pei Jinghuai asked her, "How do you plan to find that pretty boy?"
"How else can we find it?" Shen Lingyue gestured with her hand. "You go from the left, I'll go from the right, and we'll knock on doors and ask around."
Pei Jinghuai didn't want to be separated from her. "What if you encounter danger?"
Shen Lingyue chuckled and shoved him aside. "In broad daylight, do you think I'd be kidnapped? Let's split up; that'll be more efficient. Don't worry, if we run into bad guys, I'll yell for help, and you'll definitely get there, right?"
"Then you must be careful! Call me if anything happens, I'm sure I can hear you!"
Pei Jinghuai walked to the left side of the alley, looking back every few steps.
Shen Lingyue cleared her throat and began today's acting appreciation segment.
She knocked on the door of the first house at the entrance of the alley. An elderly woman with gray hair came out of the courtyard and looked at her suspiciously: "Who are you looking for?"
Shen Lingyue smiled sweetly, "Grandma, I've come to visit my cousin. His surname is Hua. The letter said he recently moved to Bitao Lane, but he didn't tell me which house. Have you met him? He's about this tall..."
She briefly described the pretty boy's appearance from memory.
The old woman squinted and thought for a moment, then pointed into the alley. "It seems a young man moved in a few days ago. His carriage was loaded with a lot of things, big and small bags. You can ask around inside."
"Okay, thank you, Mother-in-law."
As Shen Lingyue walked, she asked for directions until a kind woman pointed to the large black gate diagonally opposite. "That must be Young Master Hua's house. Young lady, your cousin is quite handsome and very kind. He even gave gifts to all the neighbors the day he moved in. Isn't that right..."
The woman glanced at Shen Lingyue a few times, then hesitated to speak.
Shen Lingyue looked somewhat confused. "Sister-in-law, what happened to my cousin?"
The woman said tactfully, "I see that you are a respectable young lady from a respectable family. It's fine for you to come and visit relatives, but it would be better if you had less contact with your cousin to avoid any misunderstandings."
Smelling the melon, Shen Lingyue's expression became even more sincere. She sweetly coaxed her, "Sister-in-law, please tell me, did he do something bad after moving here? Sigh, it's all because my mother is worried about this distant nephew and insisted that I come to see him. I don't know anything about him yet."
The woman and the young master Hua lived diagonally opposite each other. Every day, she would sit at the gate of her courtyard washing clothes, and she could see everything across the street.
"Then don't tell anyone I told you," the woman said, lowering her voice as she was pestered by her. "I saw a lady about my age, dressed in gold and silver, come to see him. When they left, they were hugging and kissing, acting all intimate!"
Originally, the woman thought that the young master Hua was young, handsome, and amiable, and she wanted to sound him out for her eldest daughter. But after seeing this scene, she was so upset that she didn't even eat dinner.
He's young and capable, but turns out he's a kept man!
It seems the wealthy woman she was referring to was her sister-in-law. Shen Lingyue feigned surprise, "What? After all these years, how has my cousin changed so much… Sister-in-law, he wouldn't be involved in that kind of business, would he?"
Shen Lingyue blushed and winked at her.
The woman understood immediately, then waved her hand, "No, I've only seen that lady come to see him all the time, there are no other guests... cough cough, but there is also an old Taoist priest with a sage-like demeanor who has come a few times. Every time he comes, smoke billows from your cousin's courtyard, I don't know what he's up to."
Having gathered enough information, Shen Lingyue thanked her and gave her a delicate embroidered handkerchief.
"I'm sorry to have kept you from doing your work, sister-in-law. This is a new embroidery I made. I haven't used it yet, so I'll let my younger sister at home use it for fun."
"Oh dear, it's just a few words, how could I possibly accept this..."
The woman declined several times, but the embroidered handkerchief was so exquisitely made that the twin lotus flowers on it were so lifelike that she could show it to her daughter.
Even if you sell it to the embroidery shop, you can still get several hundred coins.
The woman happily closed the door and went inside. A little while later, smoke began to rise from the roof, presumably as she went to prepare lunch.
Shen Lingyue touched her cuffs and decided to go back and have Shuangxu and the maids in the courtyard embroider more handkerchiefs.
The Marquis's residence used fine fabrics and embroidery thread, and even going out to gather information was considered a form of hard currency.
She stood by the roadside and waited for a while, but Pei Jinghuai hadn't found out which house he was going to and hadn't come to meet her for a long time.
Shen Lingyue decided not to wait any longer; she wanted to meet this young master Hua alone.
Knock knock—
After a few knocks, the door creaked open, and the handsome young man stood behind it, looking puzzled: "Madam, who are you looking for?"
Shen Lingyue, clutching her handkerchief, spoke with a hint of shyness, "I came to visit relatives, but it seems my relatives have moved away. I've asked at many houses, but they're not here... Young master, may I borrow a bowl of water?"
She raised her hand to hold onto the door frame, looking exhausted from walking for so long. Her sleeves hung down, revealing the gold bracelet that her grandmother had given her. It was large and wide, and its bright light was dazzling in the sunlight.
Young Master Hua's eyes widened for a moment, and then his smile grew even brighter.
"Of course, madam. Would you like to come in and sit down and rest your feet?"
Shen Lingyue cleared her throat and affectedly touched her temple. "Isn't this inappropriate? I'm a married woman."
As she spoke, she casually gave him a flirtatious wink—it's unclear how much of Yao Niang's skill she possessed, but her eyelids almost twitched.
Young Master Hua opened the courtyard gate completely, his face full of righteousness: "It's alright, just sit in the courtyard and rest for a while. I've left the gate open, no one will gossip."
"Ah... alright, thank you for your trouble, young master."
Shen Lingyue followed him into the courtyard.
If Shen Lingyue hadn't witnessed firsthand how affectionate he and her aunt were, she would have thought he was a true gentleman.
Is it because her acting skills aren't up to par? Or is this pretty boy only interested in Pei Yuzhen, keeping his heart closed to all the other women around him?
Young Master Hua went into the room and came out empty-handed, looking apologetic. “I just finished my tea. If you’re not in a hurry, Madam, I’ll go to the kitchen to boil water and make tea right away. Please sit for a moment; it will be ready soon.”
Shen Lingyue smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, young master."
She sat down at the stone table, looked around, and saw a huge incense burner placed in the shade of the west corridor, with some blue and green powder scattered around it, mixed with dust, which was hard to notice without careful observation.
The woman across the street said that an old Taoist priest had come to see him, and every time he came, smoke would rise from the courtyard.
Could this large incense burner have been used for alchemy?
Shen Lingyue glanced at the kitchen on the west side, where Young Master Hua was squatting in front of the stove, his back to her, lighting a fire to boil water.
She pretended to get up and stroll around, admiring the gourd vines by the wall. She moved step by step to the incense burner, quickly grabbed a handful of powder from the ground, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and stuffed it into her purse.
I don't know what it is, I'll take it back and show it to Yan Yi.
When Young Master Hua came out with the teapot, Shen Lingyue was still sitting by the stone table, rubbing her legs listlessly, as if she had walked too long and looked very tired.
"The tea is a bit hot; it needs to cool down for a while."
Young Master Hua sat down opposite her and exchanged pleasantries politely: "What is the name of the relative you are looking for, and which household do they live in? Tell me, perhaps I have met them before."
Shen Lingyue: ...You've only been here a few days and you dare to act like a local?
Suspicious, highly suspicious!
However, she was originally there to spy on the enemy, so since Young Master Hua was willing to talk, then let's talk.
Shen Lingyue immediately made up a story: "After three years of marriage without children, her husband was incompetent and her mother-in-law was difficult, so she ran away from home in a fit of anger and went to the capital to find her relatives."
She told the story vividly, with plenty of detail and a lively plot.
Young Master Hua listened intently, making various expressions in response. Every now and then, he would stare at her intently with eyes that seemed to hold even a dog in deep affection, looking as if he felt a deep sense of regret and empathy.
Shen Lingyue: ...As expected of a professional, she has the potential to be a friend to women.
"Madam has traveled a long way to the capital to find her relatives. If she cannot find them, what are her plans?"
Young Master Hua looked concerned, as if he were considering her situation. “Living in the capital is not easy. You are a single woman. Even if you have some money left, you can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
"That's right. The several thousand taels of silver my mother gave me as dowry didn't last long at all. I brought it all with me this time, hoping that my relatives in the capital would help me out, perhaps by investing in a few shops or buying land in the suburbs. I absolutely cannot let my useless husband benefit from it!"
Shen Lingyue constantly refined her persona as a spoiled but naive young wife who was wronged by her husband's family. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she easily trusted Hua Gongzi, a complete stranger she had just met, and poured out her grievances to him.
Sure enough, upon hearing that her dowry was generous, Young Master Hua's eyes burned even brighter.
It seemed that Shen Lingyue's money was more interesting to him than she was.
He coughed lightly and poured tea for Shen Lingyue.
"I am deeply grateful for your trust, Madam, in speaking so much with me. It is fate that we have met—"
As he raised his wrist, several small gold ingots rolled out of his wide sleeves.
Shen Lingyue's eyes widened: "Young master, you dropped your money."
"Oh dear, why was this baby born so early?"
Young Master Hua seemed startled, hurriedly picking up the gold ingots that had rolled all over the ground. He then bowed three times towards the alchemy furnace under the corridor, saying, "This disciple thanks the Golden Immortal Goddess for her blessing, helping me turn stone into gold, so that I may enjoy wealth and honor forever..."
He kept muttering to himself, while out of the corner of his eye he was observing Shen Lingyue's expression.
"What do you mean by turning lead into gold?"
Shen Lingyue gasped in disbelief, covering her mouth. "Young Master, are you kidding me? These gold ingots, are they made of stone?"
Young Master Hua hurriedly shushed her, "Keep your voice down, this is a great opportunity bestowed by the Golden Immortal Goddess, it won't work if outsiders hear it."
After he finished speaking, he covered his mouth as if he regretted it, and then said to Shen Lingyue, "Madam, you should leave quickly after you have had your tea. I still have some things to do here, so I won't keep you any longer."
"No, young master, you just said that meeting is fate."
Shen Lingyue grabbed his sleeve, seemingly blinded by the idea of "turning stone into gold," and wouldn't let it go, insisting that he explain his way of making money.
Young Master Hua seemed unable to bear her repeated pleas and finally let out a long sigh.
"Oh, Madam, I only told you this because I saw how difficult it was for you to find your relatives all by yourself. Please keep this a secret for me."
Shen Lingyue nodded repeatedly, pointing to the sky and swearing, "I, Ni Xiaodie, will definitely keep your secret, or else I will be punished by never being able to have a son!"
Even Young Master Hua was stunned by her "poisonous oath." Was she really that ruthless?
However, the fact that she dared to say that clearly shows she was eager to make money and had already taken the bait.
Young Master Hua suppressed a smile and mysteriously handed her the few small gold ingots, saying, "Look, these are what the Golden Immortal Goddess bestowed upon me."
"Really?"
Shen Lingyue picked up a gold ingot and bit it, leaving a shallow mark. Her eyes widened. "It really is gold. You're not lying to me."
Young Master Hua nodded confidently, “Of course, I didn’t expect you to come to my house to borrow water today. We’ve only met by chance, why would I lie to you? Besides, this gold was just suddenly bestowed by the Golden Immortal Goddess, even I didn’t expect it.”
Young Master Hua shook his head, as if he would never have told Shen Lingyue this big secret if she hadn't "coincidentally" witnessed it.
Shen Lingyue asked expectantly, "Where should I go to pray to the Golden Immortal Goddess? Will she bestow gold upon me?"
Young Master Hua coughed lightly, "You must first offer sacrifices to the Golden Immortal Goddess. What is borrowed must be returned; there is no such thing as a free lunch."
"What offerings? Fresh flowers and fruits, or perhaps sacrificial animals and a large cauldron?"
Shen Lingyue looked around and asked, "Why can't I see the offerings you made?"
Young Master Hua revealed a mysterious smile, “Golden Immortal Goddess, as the name suggests, you must provide her with gold so that she can draw power, transform it into merit, and generate more gold.”
He gave Shen Lingyue an example: "If you provide the Golden Immortal with ten taels of gold, it will produce nine qian of gold every month. If you put these nine qian of gold and ten taels of gold together, it will produce even more next month... and so on, like a snowball, growing more and more. After a year, do you think you can calculate how much gold it will produce?"
Shen Lingyue blinked and shook her head at him innocently: "I can't do calculations. I've never been able to read account books since I was little. Why don't you just tell me?"
Young Master Hua: ...She really is a stupid woman with too much money.
He patiently wrote and drew on the stone table with tea, "...Look, a year later you will receive twenty taels and eight mace of gold, more than double the amount!"
"My God!" Shen Lingyue's eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "If I put five hundred taels of gold in, then a year later it will be..."
Young Master Hua blurted out, "One thousand and forty taels of gold, including principal and interest!"
"A thousand taels? Hahaha, I'm going to have a thousand taels of gold!"
Shen Lingyue seemed to be immersed in the joy of being surrounded by countless gold ingots, completely unaware that Young Master Hua's gaze was like that of prey that had willingly fallen into a trap.
This young lady comes from a wealthy family. You've run into this mess yourself, so don't blame me...
Young Master Hua gently brought her back to her senses: "Madam Ni, would you like to worship the Golden Immortal Goddess with me? I'm going to offer her new gold tonight. If you miss this opportunity, you'll have to wait until a month later."
"So soon? Why wait until a month later?"
Shen Lingyue seemed a little skeptical, and hesitated before speaking, "Golden Immortal Goddess, your magic power is so high, why does it take so long to give birth to a golden child?"
"Madam, you may not know this, but Her Highness's magical powers also require daily cultivation."
Young Master Hua blatantly lied, "Just like a woman's ten months of pregnancy, the longer the fetus is in the mother's womb, the healthier it will grow. How many premature babies are lively and energetic?"
He earnestly advised, "If you want to get rich, you have to be patient. This is already the fastest way to make money. You don't have to suffer hardship or worry about trivial matters like ledgers, customers, and business. Can't you even wait a little longer?"
Shen Lingyue hesitated, "But I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of? Afraid I'll cheat you out of your money?"
Young Master Hua abruptly stood up, his face darkening with displeasure. He pointed to the door and said, "If Madam doesn't believe me, she can leave now. I didn't mean to steal your money; it was you who kept pestering me with questions..."
Shen Lingyue hurriedly stood up, "Young master, please don't be angry. Don't take offense at a woman like me. This is my first time going out, and I'm quite timid..."
Young Master Hua still looked very unhappy. He shook off Shen Lingyue's hand that was pulling at his sleeve, turned his face away and muttered in a low voice, "The amount of offerings that the Golden Immortal Goddess accepts is limited. I only thought of giving you half because I felt sorry for you. How could you be so ungrateful?"
"Young master, please stop talking. I believe you, I believe you, okay?"
Shen Lingyue was at a loss. She gritted her teeth, took off the gold bracelet from her wrist, and stuffed it into Young Master Hua's hand. "I didn't bring that much money with me today. This bracelet is all I have. Look... how much gold can it produce?"
Young Master Hua casually weighed it in his hand, feigning indifference, and said in a rather unpleasant tone, "Your piece probably weighs only seven taels. It might yield six qian of gold next month."
Shen Lingyue whispered, "Six coins isn't a small amount; it could be used to make another pair of gold earrings."
Young Master Hua then asked her, "Are you only offering this one gold bracelet to the Golden Immortal Goddess? If you have any other gold, it would be best to send it over as soon as possible. The sooner you offer it, the more profit you'll make."
Seeing that Shen Lingyue was still hesitating, Young Master Hua seemed helpless and sighed, then stuffed a small gold ingot weighing one ounce from his sleeve into her hand.
"Here, consider this my way of repaying you on behalf of the Golden Immortal Goddess, so you won't mistake me for a liar."
Young Master Hua seemed to have his character insulted, "I live right here, do you think I'd run off with your gold?"
Holding the small gold ingot, Shen Lingyue's last trace of doubt was dispelled. She frowned and said, "But all I have are silver notes and some loose silver. I also have a few gold hairpins and a gold ring. With such a short time, where am I supposed to go to exchange them all for gold?"
Young Master Hua's eyes lit up, and he said impatiently, "Silver notes will do too, I can help you exchange them for gold at the market price. How much... do you have left?"
Shen Lingyue tentatively gave a number: "One thousand taels?"
She weakly explained, "I don't know how long I'll be staying in the capital. I can't just stay in an inn forever; I need to rent a house. I can't be without money..."
One thousand taels of silver, which is equivalent to two hundred taels of gold, is quite a lot.
Although Young Master Hua was dissatisfied, after all, "Ni Xiaodie" claimed to have brought several thousand taels of silver as dowry, but this was a windfall, so why not take advantage of it?
He instructed her, "I can wait for you for one more day. At the latest, you must send the thousand taels of silver notes by tomorrow night, otherwise you will miss the Empress's bestowal of gold this month."
"Okay, I'll try to scrape it together when I get back." Shen Lingyue nodded, but before leaving, she asked again, still worried, "If I come back next month, will I really be able to get two hundred... how much was it again?"
Young Master Hua was getting annoyed by her questions. "Ten taels of gold have a monthly interest of nine mace, so two hundred taels would have a monthly interest of eighteen taels. You'll get your share!"
Shen Lingyue then pointed to the gold bracelet on his hand, "And this..."
Young Master Hua was speechless: "Didn't I already give you a gold ingot in advance?"
"Right, right, look at my memory." Shen Lingyue smiled brightly as he saw her to the door. "Then I'll head back now. See you tomorrow."
Young Master Hua's attitude towards Little Sheep became much warmer. He leaned against the door, seeing him off and waving earnestly, "Take care on your way, I'll be waiting for you—"
...
Shen Lingyue turned a corner, frowning and muttering, "Where did Pei Jinghuai go? I haven't seen him for ages..."
The next second, a pair of large hands reached out from behind and tightly encircled her in their arms.
Shen Lingyue almost cried for help, but breathed a sigh of relief when she turned her head and saw Pei Jinghuai's face.
She pinched him angrily: "Are you trying to scare me to death?"
Pei Jinghuai held her tightly, his voice low and somber: "Can't you have a son after three years of marriage? Your husband spends his days indulging in pleasure? Your mother-in-law beats and scolds you?"
Shen Lingyue froze, forcing a smile, "Husband, what are you saying? I don't understand."
Pei Jinghuai snorted, "You were chatting so happily with that pretty boy that you didn't even see me on the rooftop across the street, did you?"
As soon as he found out the pretty boy's address, he rushed over, scaling the roof from the back, fearing that Shen Lingyue might encounter some danger while "venturing into the enemy camp alone."
As a result, we didn't encounter any danger; we just listened to her talking nonsense.
Pei Jinghuai pinched her nose, "Are you stupid? You dare to make such a terrible vow as not being able to give birth to a son? What if God hears you?"
Shen Lingyue slapped his hand away and snorted, "That's because Ni Xiaodie can't have a son. What does it have to do with me, Shen Lingyue?"
Pei Jinghuai: ...So you're just taking advantage of a loophole in God's will, huh?
"Alright, alright, I'm just doing this for the mission."
Shen Lingyue handed him the small gold ingot that Young Master Hua had given her, and scoffed, "You traded it for a big gold bracelet. You really lost out today."
Pei Jinghuai hadn't reacted yet, "Didn't he tell you to pick up the bracelet in a month? How did you lose out?"
"Idiot, do you really believe he can stay here for another month?"
Shen Lingyue made a face at him, then muttered to herself, "But it's not necessarily true. It depends on how much money he's already swindled from my aunt, and how long this scam can last..."
On the way back to the Marquis's residence, Shen Lingyue gave Pei Jinghuai a general account of the tricks Hua Gongzi used to deceive people.
"I knocked on his door to ask for water, deliberately testing him by pretending to be a single woman, but he was unmoved. Instead, he was more interested in the gold jewelry I was wearing. Then, while pouring tea, he deliberately dropped a few gold ingots to provoke me into asking questions. He then naturally revealed the secret of the Golden Immortal Goddess's ability to generate gold from gold, thus luring me into his trap."
Pei Jinghuai was far away on the rooftop, and he couldn't hear Shen Lingyue and Young Master Hua speaking in hushed tones. He only saw the two of them pulling and tugging at each other, and Shen Lingyue even gave him a gold bracelet.
"Ten taels of gold, doubled in a year, almost as much as high-interest lending outside. What was he thinking? Isn't that a loss?"
Shen Lingyue was exasperated. "You're after their interest, but they're after your principal!"
He promised to double his money in a year... Believe it or not, in just two months, Mr. Hua will abscond with the money and never be found again.
"Ah!" Pei Jinghuai suddenly slapped his thigh, "So, my aunt has been spending so much money lately, could it all have gone to him?"
Shen Lingyue nodded, "Definitely, but the way he deceived my aunt must be different from how he deceived me. He's playing the long game, and he even used his good looks to his advantage."
Pei Jinghuai immediately objected, "He's considered handsome? His eyes are smaller than mine, his mouth is bigger than mine, and he's not as tall as me..."
He's inferior to everyone else in every way, so there's no need for Young Master Pei to lift a finger.
Shen Lingyue: ...I really want to punch this jealous bastard unconscious! What kind of time is this to be nagging like this!
She hesitated for a moment, then patiently said to Pei Jinghuai, "The sister-in-law across from Young Master Hua said he has an old Taoist priest as an accomplice, and with that huge alchemy furnace in his courtyard, who knows what other tricks he might have up his sleeve. First, go back and tell Father to mobilize the guards of the Marquis's mansion to stake out Bitao Lane to prevent Young Master Hua and his accomplice from running away with the money; second, send someone to investigate my aunt's recent movements, whether she has pawned any jewelry or antiques, and recover the losses as soon as possible."
Shen Lingyue went over the cause and effect again, and nodded to herself as if to comfort herself, "Since the pretty boy still dared to attack me, it means that he has no intention of running away in the short term, so there should still be time."
Pei Jinghuai found it troublesome, "That damn liar, just have Lu Xilou arrest him and torture him severely, I guarantee he'll vomit up everything he ate..."
Shen Lingyue was most afraid of dealing with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and shook her head repeatedly, "Those are the Imperial Embroidered Uniform Guard, not the guards of a marquis's mansion. What is your status that you dare to summon them every day? What if the censor impeaches our family?"
"Lu Xilou and I are such good friends, what's wrong with brothers helping each other out with a small favor?"
Pei Jinghuai disagreed.
Shen Lingyue racked her brains: "...Don't wash your dirty linen in public, understand? My aunt was cheated out of money and body by that pretty boy. If word gets out, do you believe that Grandmother will make you kneel in the ancestral hall for a month?"
After much persuasion, Pei Jinghuai finally gave up his plan to ask Lu Xilou for help.
Back at the Marquis's residence, Shen Lingyue went straight to Jiusi Courtyard and handed Yan Yi the packet of powder she had secretly collected in Young Master Hua's courtyard. "Can you tell what it is?"
Yan Yi carefully unfolded the handkerchief, held her breath, and gently stirred it a few times with her chopsticks. She said uncertainly, "It looks like brass? And there's copper hydroxide from oxidation, look at this blue-green color..."
Shen Lingyue then took out the gold ingot that Hua Gongzi had, "Take a look and see if it's real gold, or if it's some kind of brass fake?"
Yan Yi had Si Xiang bring in a brazier, placed a ceramic plate over the blazing fire, put the gold ingot in the plate, and then used a candle flame to heat it.
Under the intense heat, the gold ingot quickly softened and deformed, eventually turning into a semi-solidified golden liquid.
After observing it, Yan Yi said, "Although there are some impurities, it can be basically determined to be real gold, not a counterfeit copper-zinc alloy."
Shen Lingyue blinked: "He actually gave me real gold!"
“This is your first ‘cooperation,’ so of course he wants to gain your trust,” Yan Yi said with a smile. “Don’t forget, you also gave him a gold bracelet as collateral. If he weren’t living in Peach Blossom Lane and was just a street swindler, he would have made a fortune by running away with your gold bracelet.”
Shen Lingyue pouted, "That's true, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."
Perhaps he initially gave his aunt some "sweeteners" to make her believe that he really had the power to turn gold into gold, so that he could trick her into continuously investing more money, and finally, when the time was right, he ran away with all the principal.
"Okay, I just came to give you a heads-up. We'll find out what that pretty boy and the old Taoist are up to once we catch them."
Shen Lingyue stood up and complained to Yan Yi, "That heartless Pei Jinghuai always wants to find Lu Xilou whenever something happens... No, I have to hurry to the front yard to inform the Marquis. Such a big matter still needs his decision."
Yan Yi nodded, after all, only the Marquis could keep Pei Yuzhen in check in the whole family.
Given my aunt's personality, she might not admit it unless I present her with solid evidence.
Shen Lingyue rushed out, but as soon as she stepped through the second gate, she saw Pei Jinghuai and Lu Xilou walking towards her.
She froze on the spot, clenching her fists, and squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, "Pei, Jing, Huai!"
Didn't I say we weren't allowed to ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard for help?
Pei Jinghuai raised his hands, looking completely innocent. "I didn't say anything. He came to me on his own."
Lu Xilou sized up Shen Lingyue's exasperated appearance, his fox-like eyes narrowing slightly: "Sister-in-law seems quite unwelcoming to me?"
He clutched his chest and exclaimed dramatically, "I thought we were friends after we teamed up to save someone last time. Turns out I was just being delusional!"
Shen Lingyue chuckled dryly: "Lord Lu is too kind. You are too busy with important matters to trouble you with such trivial matters concerning the Marquis's residence."
"Tsk, what a waste! That's not what you said when you asked me for help last time."
Lu Xilou shook his head, looking regretful. "I was just worried about Huaizhou. I thought something had happened to your Marquis's mansion and you were starving. Otherwise, why would Aunt Pei suddenly be in such a hurry to sell off your land, and at such a low price?"
Shen Lingyue and Pei Jinghuai both widened their eyes in surprise: "What?"
Has my aunt become so obsessed that she's started selling off her fields and land?!
Pei Jinghuai held onto Lu Xilou tightly, demanding, "What happened? Where did you hear that? Who did my aunt sell the land to?"
Lu Xilou slapped him away haughtily, raising her chin, "Didn't your sister-in-law just say that I don't need to worry about the Marquis's affairs? Then go and investigate yourselves—"
He then made a move to turn around and leave.
"Lord Lu, please wait!"
Shen Lingyue jogged up to him, stopped him with her hand, and smiled obsequiously: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard's ability to gather information is something we couldn't match even in eight hundred years. Since you've already found out, why not share it with us? Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of your time?"
Lu Xilou snorted again: "I'm happy to waste my time. Anyway, this is what the Embroidered Uniform Guard does every day. I don't care."
Shen Lingyue winked at Pei Jinghuai: Hurry up and appease your good brother.
Pei Jinghuai elbowed Lu Xilou from behind, then grabbed his neck and threatened, "Are you going to talk or not? If you don't, I'll make sure you don't leave this room today!"
Lu Xilou grinned and said, "You son of a bitch, Pei Er, is this how you beg for help?!"
Seeing that the two were about to fight, Shen Lingyue held her forehead and looked up at the sky.
...I asked you to say something nice, not to do anything!
The two exchanged dozens of blows, finally managing a draw.
Lu Xilou flicked the hem of his robe and pointed at Pei Jinghuai: "Your wife is still here, I'll give you some face."
Pei Jinghuai, full of fighting spirit: "Who's afraid of you? Come at me again if you dare!"
"……stop!"
Shen Lingyue darted between the two, looking them over from left to right, and said, "Give me some face, can we call a truce?"
Back at Danyue Pavilion, Shen Lingyue personally served tea to Lu Xilou. "Lord Lu, please have some tea to soothe your throat. Then hurry up and tell us who my aunt sold the land to?"
Those were all part of her dowry, prime locations carefully selected by the Dowager Madam.
If she were really sold off cheaply, Shen Lingyue would feel sorry for her.
Lu Xilou took the teacup, gave Pei Jinghuai a provocative look, blew lightly on the water and took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "Aunt Pei sold that estate in Daxing to Princess Yu yesterday for 30% less than the market price."
Shen Lingyue was full of questions: How did Prince Yu get involved again?
He was the third son of Emperor Qingxi. Unlike the "honest and loyal" Prince Heng, he was an extremely shrewd and cunning man who knew how to please his father. His charming and sophisticated manner garnered him a small group of supporters in the court.
However, the Pei family has never taken sides in the princes' struggle for the throne. Pei Yuzhen's sale of the estate to Princess Yu at a low price, in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, would become evidence that the Marquis of Changning's mansion was showing goodwill to Prince Yu.
Lu Xilou put down his teacup and casually counted on his knuckles. "It was a message sent back by the people my men sent to monitor Prince Yu. I heard that the seller was Aunt Pei, so I checked it out and found that she seems to be short of money lately and has put several prime farmhouses up for sale."
...It was just a coincidence.
Pei Jinghuai covered his forehead speechlessly and said, "Yeah, she's short of money. But money makes gold."
At this point, he didn't care about family scandals anymore. Pei Jinghuai spilled all the results of his and Shen Lingyue's investigation in Bitao Lane that day.
Hearing that Shen Lingyue had pretended to be an innocent and naive young wife and tricked Young Master Hua into throwing out a trap, inviting her to worship the "Golden Immortal Goddess" together, Lu Xilou's eyes lit up with surprise.
He sat up straight and earnestly invited Shen Lingyue: "Sister-in-law, are you interested in joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard? We need someone like you."
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Author's Note: Yuezai: (Shaking his head frantically) No, no, no, I'm too soft-hearted and not ruthless enough for undercover work. [doge][doge]
I received so many nutrient solutions yesterday! [Sprinkling flowers] I'm so happy! [Kissing emojis] I'll try my best to pay off my debts this month! If I can get my owed bonus chapters back to under 10 figures by the end of the month, then let's continue the bonus chapter event next month! [Go for it!]
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