Chapter 26 Greed Should Be Used to Scam This Money-Grubbing Madam
The hand grabbed Xiao Liu'er's arm and chuckled, "Never seen this person before at Zuihua Fang, Miss Yu Yan, could you introduce me?"
The voice was extremely flippant.
Zhao Liangxu looked in the direction of the person and saw a man with a goatee, who looked to be over forty years old, and was grinning lewdly.
Yu Yan lightly slapped the fan into the man's hand with a "smack," then put her hand on his arm, complaining, "My lord, please don't do this. You just said yesterday that you would book my entire place, and now you've forgotten about me after seeing a little girl?"
She subtly tried to push the man's hand away, and he complied, removing his hand as well.
He didn't move away because of Yu Yan's words; he was simply too bold and noticed Zhao Liangxu.
"Hey, there's an even more stunning little beauty here."
When Yu Yan saw that the man was trying to seduce Zhao Liangxu again, she covered her face with her fan and pretended to be sad, but a very faint "tsk" came out from the corner of her mouth.
Zhao Liangxu had been shielded behind Xiao Liuer, so Yu Yan hadn't noticed her for a moment. Now that she saw her, she felt annoyed.
What are these two young girls doing, crowding around the Drunken Flower Shop?
The girl Xiaoliu brought is prettier than many of her sisters. Isn't this like a sheep entering a tiger's den?
Yu Yan pulled the man into the Drunken Flower Brothel and said to him, "My lord, these three are all daughters of respectable families. They have come to the Drunken Flower Brothel today on business. Please be careful not to ruin their reputations."
While showering the man with sweet words, she winked at Xiao Liu and the others with annoyance: "Didn't you want to find something? Hurry up and ask your mother for it. The things are in my room. Let your mother take you there."
Xiao Liu didn't want to cause any more trouble, so she went straight up to the second floor to find the madam of Zuihua Fang.
"That Miss Yu Yan seems like a nice person."
Zhao Liangxu could tell that Yu Yan's words, though seemingly roundabout, were actually meant to help Xiao Liu'er.
Xiao Liu'er returned to Zuihua Fang, still feeling somewhat uneasy. She replied, "Sister Yu Yan is a rare kind person. When I was here, Sister Yu Yan would take care of me. However, I contracted an illness back then and was thrown out by my mother. She was powerless to help me. At most, she could leave me some food to live a few more days. But it was thanks to what she left me that I was able to wait for my master."
Zhao Liangxu looked at Yu Yan and said, "She said your mother's things are in her room?"
Xiao Liu'er wasn't quite sure either. She didn't actually know if her mother had left anything behind. She was just trying her luck now, and at most she would ask Yu Yan again to put her mind at ease.
Unexpectedly, Yu Yan did retain some of her mother's things.
"Sister Yu Yan also has a good relationship with Mother."
Little Willow whispered.
The madam was walking past on the second floor when she spotted the three people coming up the stairs.
"Oh my! Where did you girls come from!"
The three women were clearly not the girls from the Drunken Flower Brothel, which startled the madam.
Why are there women visiting the Drunken Flower Shop?
The madam also had sharp eyes and spotted Zhao Liangxu immediately.
"My goodness, where did this girl come from?!"
Zhao Liangxu's appearance is somewhat flamboyant, but she is not a very lively person. Standing there quietly, she exudes a contrasting charm.
This is not common in red-light districts.
If she were properly trained, she might just become a unique courtesan.
Although the madam didn't know where Zhao Liangxu came from, she couldn't help but start making plans in her mind.
Little Willow explained her purpose to the madam in a few words.
The madam then realized that the familiar-looking girl was actually the little maid she had thrown out years ago.
"Y-you, you're still alive!"
She pointed at Xiao Liu'er with her handkerchief in her hand, her heart filled with shock.
Unexpectedly, this little girl not only didn't die, but actually survived.
Her mind worked quickly, her eyes darted around, and her tone became more affectionate and warm: "Oh my, Little Willow, right? You really are a kind girl."
"Our little Liu'er is so lucky to have survived!"
She flicked her handkerchief, and a cloyingly fragrant breeze wafted over.
"But, I had no choice but to do that back then. After all, I had to support dozens of people at Zuihuafang. Please don't blame me."
She pretended to be sad and reluctant, feigning to wipe away non-existent tears, and then changed the subject.
"I'll pretend I don't know about your indenture, but shouldn't we make up for the money you've earned over the years?"
She kept a close eye on Xiao Liu'er's reactions, and the greed in her words could no longer be concealed.
As for the indenture, she wouldn't normally be so generous. It's just that when she threw away the seriously ill Xiao Liu'er back then, Xiao Liu'er's indenture was thrown away along with it.
Xiao Liu frowned. She knew the madam was greedy, but she was still stunned by her shamelessness.
She wondered in her mind if she had enough money, and was about to take out the silver she had prepared.
Zhao Liangxu held her down.
She stepped forward and said gently to the madam, "Why don't you take us to find Xiao Liu'er's mother's belongings first? As for money, that's easy to talk about. Our Xiao Liu'er was saved by a benefactor. Since she's alive and well, she must know that the benefactor treated her very well. Why would she worry about owing you money?"
Zhao Liangxu turned around and called out to Zhumu. Zhumu quietly handed Zhao Liangxu a stack of silver notes.
Zhao Liangxu held the silver note between her fingers and glanced at the madam, then quickly pulled it back into her sleeve just as the madam reached for it.
"Look, Mother, you've handled things so well. What's Xiao Liu's money compared to mine... my silver notes are the real treasure."
This was the first time Zhao Liangxu had referred to herself as "this Empress," and it was something she "accidentally" said without thinking.
The phrase "本宫" is naturally used by the crown prince, princess, and imperial concubines to refer to themselves.
Anhe purged many princes, but several princesses are still alive and well.
Regardless of how a royal "princess" came to the brothel in disguise, Zhao Liangxu's actions, coupled with her deliberately disdainful chin-raising posture, really fooled the madam to a large extent.
"Shouldn't Mom be more understanding?"
Zhao Liangxu half-covered her face with her blue sleeves and gestured to the madam.
"Oh, oh, of course, of course, everyone come this way~"
The madam swayed her hips, shaking her head as she praised, "I never imagined our little Liu'er would be so lucky. I can finally rest easy."
She tentatively asked Zhao Liangxu, "May I ask how to address this lady?"
Zhao Liangxu's lips curled up, and she said, "It's fine to tell Mom, but is Mom strong enough to know my name?"
The madam's smile froze instantly, and she quickly waved her hand, "Oh dear, I was just asking casually, don't take it to heart, young lady."
Xiao Liu'er was speechless as she watched Zhao Liangxu calmly frighten the madam.
She fell behind and quietly asked Zhumu, "Is Liangxu like this all the time?"
Zhu Mu took a deep breath: "The princess is indeed, well, rather... rather powerful."
Looking at Zhao Liangxu's smug expression, she couldn't quite put her finger on what Zhao Liangxu's usual personality was like.
Zhao Liangxu and the others followed the madam into Yu Yan's room. Yu Yan was still entertaining guests downstairs and couldn't return to her room for the time being.
The madam was very familiar with Yu Yan's room. She walked to Yu Yan's dressing table as if no one else was there and took out a wooden box that could be held in both hands from the chest at the foot of the table.
"Although Yu Yan has become the most beautiful courtesan, I am still her mother. There are not many important items in her room, and I know that perfectly well."
She said this with a hint of pride.
"Look, she treasures this box so much; it must be something Liu Xu left behind."
Xiao Liu accepted it with some seriousness.
Before Xiao Liu'er could even process her emotions, the madam's eyes darted left and right, and her wrinkled hand reached out.
"Seeing how upset Xiaoliu is, quickly give the money to your mother so you can go back and have a proper talk."
Xiao Liu'er's emotions were abruptly interrupted, and even her usually good temper turned somewhat angry.
Zhao Liangxu stepped forward, stuffed her stack of silver notes into the madam's hand, and feigned anger: "You mother, you have no sense of the atmosphere!"
The madam was startled and stopped counting the silver notes.
Before the madam could speak, Zhao Liangxu continued, "I thought you were a smart person, but your behavior has made me put up with it for so long. I can't stand it any longer!" With that, she pulled Xiaoliu'er and Zhumu downstairs in a hurry.
Yu Yan had just escaped from the man's side a moment ago, and was somewhat surprised to see the three of them walking away in such a hurry.
"You got the things? Mom's so agreeable?"
Zhao Liangxu shushed her, her upturned eyebrows curving slightly: "The money she's given isn't much; I'm afraid she'll get angry soon."
Although Yu Yan didn't know what the girls had done, she understood somewhat after hearing this: "Those little girls are quite capable; they're content as long as they get the stuff."
"Go away, go away, and don't come to Zuihuafang again."
Seeing that Xiao Liu'er still wanted to talk and reminisce, she fanned herself and shooed them away.
As she was leaving, two rather tall men were walking towards the Drunken Flower Pavilion. Zhao Liangxu suddenly stopped and turned back hesitantly.
The two men also noticed the girls at the door and looked straight towards it.
Xiao Liu noticed that the two people didn't look friendly, so she adopted a wary and defensive posture.
Yu Yan happened to block their view, and with her arms outstretched, she led the three of them outside.
"What are you looking at? You know them? If you do, just pretend you don't. Hurry up and leave."
Yu Yan escorted the three of them to the carriage and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the oily residue from their foreheads.
She gently pushed Xiao Liu'er's forehead back with her slender fingers: "You little brat, you're so bold to insist on going back to Zuihua Fang. If you had just asked someone to let me know, I wouldn't have hidden your mother's things from you."
"Sigh, you bunch of silly girls, don't come here again."
She didn't say anything sentimental or nostalgic, just gave a few casual instructions and then turned to leave.
Little Willow called out to her.
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