Chapter 6 Note
Ye Chengjing was taken aback. Memories of his childhood, somewhat hazy, surfaced. There seemed to be a little girl, always wearing a pink jacket, following him around calling him "Brother," and he would pick crabapple blossoms for her to wear… What kind of girl was she? But was that the plain-looking girl before him?
Before he could figure it out, Minister Ye's voice rang out, "Chengjing! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Ye Chengjing turned his head and saw Minister Ye standing at the gate of the courtyard, his face pale with anger. Zhou Shi and Ye Jingshu stood behind him, watching the scene as if they were watching a play.
"Father!" Ye Chengjing exclaimed anxiously, "This girl has ill intentions; don't be fooled!"
"Enough!" Minister Ye roared, "Ningning is your own sister! Is this how you treat her?"
"I……"
"What do you mean, 'what ... what do you mean, ' ' ' ' ''''" Minister Ye stepped forward, pointing at Ye Chengjing's nose and cursing, "I really think you've been blinded by greed! Ningning just came back and suffered so much, and you not only don't feel sorry for her, but you also bully her! I gave birth to such a scoundrel like you!'
Ye Chengjing's face burned with embarrassment from the scolding, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Ye Jingshu wanted to say a few words in his defense, but Zhou Shi secretly pulled her back. Now that the master was furious, anyone who spoke would suffer.
Ye Wanning watched this scene with a cold smile. Ye Chengjing, the more you protect Ye Jingshu now, the more you will regret it in the future.
“Father, please don’t be angry,” Ye Wanning stepped forward and tugged at Ye Shangshu’s sleeve, speaking softly, “My elder brother just misunderstood me; he meant no harm. If you get sick from anger, I will be heartbroken.”
These words were spoken so softly and sweetly that they warmed Minister Ye's heart, and his gaze towards Ye Wanning became even more tender: "Ningning is so sensible. Unlike some people, who become more and more immature as they grow older!"
He glared at Ye Chengjing and said, "I punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall for three hours to reflect on your actions! You can come out when you've figured things out!"
Ye Chengjing didn't dare to refute, glared at Ye Wanning fiercely, and turned to leave.
As Ye Wanning watched his retreating figure, a chill settled in her eyes: This is just the beginning! Ye Chengjing, Ye Jingshu, Zhou Shi... you'll all have to wait and see.
After Ye Chengjing was beaten and taken to the ancestral hall, Minister Ye stayed in the Red Leaf Courtyard for a while, talking incessantly about many things that happened to his mother before he left, as the sun began to set.
Zhou and Ye Jingshu didn't dare to speak from beginning to end, but when Ye Jingshu left, she looked at Ye Wanning as if she wanted to devour her.
“Miss, they definitely have bad intentions.” Chun Tao took the dinner and whispered, “I was in the kitchen just now and I heard Liu Ma say that Madam asked Liu Ma to keep an eye on our yard, saying that she was afraid you would steal something.”
Ye Wanning was eating when she heard this and just smiled lightly: "Let them be. The more they act like this, the more guilty they feel."
Chun Tao nodded and said, "Miss, I found the men's clothing you requested and hid it under the bed."
Chun Tao hummed in agreement, swallowed the food in her mouth, and said, "Go and find out where the biggest gambling den in the capital is and what its name is."
Chun Tao was startled: "Miss, why are you asking this? That place isn't a proper young lady's place..."
“I have my uses.” Ye Wanning put down her chopsticks. “You just need to tell me the address, you don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Although Chun Tao was worried, she could only nod in agreement, "Yes."
After dinner, Chun Tao returned quickly, holding a note in her hand: "Miss, this is the largest gambling den in the capital, called Jucai Fang, near the brothel in the south of the city. I heard that it's a place where all sorts of people mingle."
Ye Wanning took the slip of paper, on which an address was written in crooked handwriting.
Near the brothel alley? Not bad, a chaotic mix of all sorts of places.
"Okay." She put the note in her pocket. "You can go now. I want to rest for a while."
“Miss…” Chun Tao hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
"I'll be fine," Ye Wanning said with a smile. "I'm just going to take a look; I won't stay long."
Chun Tao then left, relieved.
After Chun Tao left, Ye Wanning took out the men's clothing from under the bed. It was a piece of coarse, gray cloth, looking like something a servant would wear; it was rough and of poor quality, but thankfully it was clean.
She quickly stuffed her clothes into her bundle, then grabbed a piece of cloth to tie her hair up and looked in the bronze mirror. The mirror showed a thin boy with a pale face, but sharp features and an imposing aura. If you didn't look closely, you really couldn't tell that he was a girl.
"That's fine." Ye Wanning nodded with satisfaction, took out the small amount of silver that Xue Lin'an had given her from her bundle, and put it in her pocket.
Although this amount of silver wasn't much, it was enough for her to earn her first pot of gold. In her previous life, she had spent some time at the Imperial Academy, where the high-ranking officials and nobles loved to gamble. She had been influenced by what she saw and heard and had learned some tricks of the trade. In addition, she had a good memory and could remember the dice rolls and card patterns forever, so winning some money wasn't too difficult for her.
She quietly opened the back window, and seeing that no one was outside, she jumped down. The back wall of the Minister's mansion was not high; she and Ye Chengjing often climbed in and out of it when she was a child, so she knew the terrain very well.
Having successfully left the Minister's residence, Ye Wanning headed south of the city following the address on the note.
By then, it was already dark, and the streetlights were being lit one by one, reflecting off the stone pavement and illuminating it brightly. The capital was indeed the capital; compared to the place she had stayed before, it was infinitely more bustling at night. The streets were teeming with people: vendors carrying their wares, groups of people hurrying along, and throngs of wealthy young men, arms around each other, their conversations exuding an air of extravagance.
Ye Wanning lowered her head and walked towards a less crowded area. If the people in the manor saw her like this, she didn't know what trouble it would cause.
After walking for about half an hour, the air began to smell of perfume and alcohol. Ye Wanning knew they were almost at the brothel.
Sure enough, after walking a few more steps, they saw a brightly lit alley. The alley entrance was covered with all sorts of signs with words like "Welcoming Spring Pavilion" and "Drunken Immortal Pavilion". At the entrance stood women dressed in flamboyant clothes, throwing flirtatious glances at the men who were walking by.
Jucaifang is located diagonally opposite Yanhua Lane. It is a three-story building of moderate size with two large red lanterns hanging at the entrance, bearing the words "Jucai" (meaning "gather wealth"). From afar, you can hear the shouts and the sound of dice hitting the ground coming from inside.
Ye Wanning took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and stepped inside.
As soon as I entered, a strong smell of smoke and sweat hit me. The lobby on the first floor was filled with gambling tables, each surrounded by many people. Some were shouting and cheering for their victory, some were sighing and lamenting their crushing defeat, and others were arguing angrily, their faces flushed.
Ye Wanning frowned, found a corner to stand in, and began to observe silently.
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