Choice
next day
Inside the side room, there was a lot of firewood and mugwort piled up, and dust floated everywhere in the air. A beam of light seeped through the window crack and shone into a corner.
Mei Sheng leaned against the mugwort and looked up at the small elm window. The wooden planks held it firmly in place, and apart from a few small gaps, the wind couldn't move it.
Last night, she searched for the sharp end of a piece of wood and kept sharpening the rope in her hands until it finally broke. Taking advantage of the fact that the person guarding her outside was fast asleep, she climbed out of the small window.
However, before he could take more than a few steps, a sharp pain shot through his neck. When he woke up again, the ropes binding his hands were properly tied, even tighter, and the gag in his mouth was no longer there.
Faced with the group's forceful actions and their inexplicable imprisonment, she became enraged. After a night of reflection, Mei Sheng calmed down.
Suddenly, the tightly closed elm door was pushed open with great force, and several burly old women who had tied her up and brought her here walked towards her with serious old faces.
Seeing that there was no gag in her mouth and without any doubt, no matter how much Mei Sheng tried to reason with her, these people did not respond.
Even after Mei Sheng was escorted to the old lady's Anhe Hall and knelt in the old lady's bedroom, she was still completely confused.
She couldn't help but grit her teeth and curse inwardly, thinking, "No wonder they're all from the same family, so unreasonable and domineering."
Unexpectedly, besides her, there was another familiar figure kneeling in front of her in the room. The person was swaying and looked as if he was about to fall to the ground.
"It wasn't me..."
The mumbling sound reached Mei Sheng's ears, and almost instantly, Mei Sheng remembered it: a bell!
Mei Sheng's mind raced; something important must have happened yesterday. But besides the usual dishes from the kitchen and the prescriptions for medicine, all he could find was the green plum he left with.
Mei Sheng wondered to herself where things had gone wrong.
A moment later, a hand lifted the curtain, revealing a familiar-looking girl, none other than Liu Ying, a cousin from the Pei family.
Liu Ying glanced at her, then turned her attention to Lingdang, and rebuked her: "After kneeling for these past few hours, do you know what you did wrong?"
When Lingdang saw someone appear, she crawled forward, her trembling hands clutching Liu Ying's hem, her body shaking.
"I didn't, I didn't. I bought the medicine yesterday according to this prescription, Miss. Look, look..." Lingdang's hands trembled as she pulled the prescription out of her bosom, her fingers shaking as if she could barely hold it.
Sure enough, the yellowed paper fell to the ground and was picked up by an old woman, who placed it in Liu Ying's hand.
She examined it closely, her expression changed drastically, and she said angrily, "Still trying to argue!"
Musk comes in two types, and the old lady usually uses the more expensive kind. Conversely, if she buys the inferior kind, it won't have a good effect.
"You two haven't been in this household for long, yet instead of diligently serving your master, you've caused this trouble by greedily seeking money," Liu Ying said, frowning and rebuking her.
As soon as she finished speaking, she gave a wink, and an old woman bowed and carried something into the curtain.
“Qingrou, you are the master’s maid. I don’t know how much your monthly salary is, but the quality of these pearls is not ordinary. Even if it’s not stolen, you shouldn’t have traded them with the old women in the mansion in exchange for your release. Such an unruly maid… sigh.”
After she finished speaking, Liu Ying stood by and looked at the two of them with a disappointed expression.
Mei Sheng sighed inwardly. She hadn't been careful; she hadn't expected the aunt to vomit so quickly.
Before Mei Sheng could explain, the old lady finally spoke from inside the house. Perhaps due to a recent serious illness, her voice was weak and feeble: "Have you two admitted your mistakes?"
They didn't even bother to investigate or ask any questions; they just made them admit to their greed for money!
"This servant did not. During the time I have been in this household, I have been doing my best without any other thoughts..." Ping'er was a straightforward person. Although she was afraid, she would not admit to something she had not done.
Mei Sheng pondered for a moment, and seeing that Lingdang was not getting to the point, she lowered her head and said softly, "Grandma, I was wrong. This pearl is a family heirloom left to me. In order to go out of the manor to find Qingmei for the master, I secretly gave this precious item to the kitchen maid. It was my fault. I should not have done such a thing in private. I should have taken the initiative to ask Grandma to find it and go out to buy it."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "We are always sincere in our treatment of the old lady. We have been praying to the Bodhisattva to protect her these past few days. How could we possibly treat something as important as medicine so casually? Lingdang, do you remember which sister gave you this prescription?"
Upon hearing this, the old lady's expression improved considerably. She looked at the green plums in the jade dish on the table and said gently, "That shows your thoughtfulness. Tell me who it is."
The bell looked up in response, its forehead flushed, its neck stiffened, and it exclaimed in alarm, "It's Sister Ping'er!"
Behind the curtain, Ping'er emerged from behind the old lady, sobbing uncontrollably, her round eyes red from crying: "Old lady, I was wrong, I was negligent, please punish me."
She neither offered an explanation nor shirked responsibility.
Mei Sheng frowned, a bad feeling creeping into her heart, and looked at the bell with concern.
"Alright, in that case, all three of you shall be punished."
The old lady casually made her judgment on the three of them.
When Lingdang heard Ping'er say this, she couldn't help but blurt out, "It's Ping'er..."
Mei Sheng quickly pulled on the bell and bowed to express her gratitude.
To everyone's surprise, although Ping'er was timid and fearful, she was very stubborn: "I gave her the prescription that Ping'er brought, and also gave her the rest of the money."
His tone was forceful and stubborn, completely disregarding the old lady's words.
"Grandma, please calm down, the bell..."
"Guards, take her away." The usually gentle old lady was furious. She had controlled the Pei family for so many years. Even though she was kind to everyone and even the maids could occasionally joke with her, a maid was still a maid. She could not tolerate these unruly lower-class people disobeying her.
She waved her hand impatiently, her demeanor imposing, completely ignoring what the others were saying.
"ah-"
The strong old woman went downstairs with the bell in her hand, and a few breaths later, a mournful cry could be heard, growing fainter and fainter.
A moment later, the old woman stepped forward with small, quick steps. The ruler in her hand was stained with a few drops of blood, which dripped onto the carpet embroidered with large, rich velvet flowers, blending together with the vibrant blossoms.
Just then, a strong wind arose, howling against the window frame. A withered petal drifted into the room through a gap and was trampled underfoot by the old woman walking by.
Suddenly, Mei Sheng felt a chill creep up her spine, a chill that even the pain in her knees couldn't compare to. This seemingly peaceful and harmonious mansion was actually a mixture of the blood and tears of the lower classes, as well as a great deal of petty scheming.
In an era where human life is cheap, there is truly no personal freedom.
"Ping'er, you're being fined three months' salary."
Ping'er immediately agreed. Seeing this, Mei Sheng couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. Even the rewards and punishments for the maids were so differentiated; it truly was a dynasty with a clear hierarchy.
"As for you..." The old lady hesitated for a moment.
At this moment, an old woman stepped forward and said something. The old lady pondered for a moment and then said, "Qingrou, you are a maid in the master's mansion. You have made a mistake this time. I will give you two choices: either get a few lashes and leave the Pei mansion to find another place, or wait for Huaiyuan to return and then deal with him."
Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng suppressed her guilt and concealed her joy, keeping it hidden.
"This servant will choose..."
—
Shenyitang
“This silk fabric… why does it smell so familiar?” Bai Su sniffed the half-torn silk fabric, her expression suddenly changing.
After several days of soaking, the medicinal juice had been fully absorbed by the fabric, and the taste had become somewhat weaker, so Bai Su dared not make a judgment.
He then instructed his youngest apprentice, Bai Jiu, to fetch candlelight from inside the house. Bai Su pulled out a few strands of silk and heated them with the candlelight. After a few breaths, a smell wafted out, and Bai Su's expression changed upon smelling it. He then knocked the silk to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, Pei Jue pulled his attention away from the person he had just been looking at, raised his eyes and asked, "Did you see anything?"
"Beauty's Intoxication?"
Pei Jue gripped the chess piece tightly in his hand immediately, and he raised his eyes, staring intently at the object.
Bai Su raised his hand and tapped his head. After thinking it over carefully, he said, "No, although this medicine is similar to the Beauty's Intoxication, there are still big differences. It should be a fake."
"Beauty's Intoxication" was a forbidden substance in the palace of the previous dynasty. It was addictive and had a sweet taste. The favored concubine of the previous dynasty drank it regularly. Not only did it make her limbs soft and delicate and preserve her youth, but it also gave her a seductive fragrance, which led the emperor of the previous dynasty to become licentious.
The Emperor detested such evil things and ordered them to be destroyed as soon as possible.
Pei Jue relaxed slightly, steadily placing the chess piece on the board, his killing intent instantly intensifying.
"Is this substance harmful to the body?"
"A few cases are fine. Has that girl had any symptoms like fever recently?"
Pei Jue pondered for a moment and then shook his head.
"That's it. It's been a short time since you took it, and you'll recover on your own."
"Are you sure you don't need any medicine?" Pei Jue asked hesitantly.
Bai Su twitched the corner of her mouth and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Of course, I never joke about a patient's health. Taking too much medicine doesn't necessarily help. Just let her move around more on weekdays."
Pei Jue nodded, his expression unreadable, and after a moment gave orders to someone who was alone behind him.
"Give the order to act according to the situation."
"Are you going to use this girl as a pretext?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Jue offered no explanation, but chuckled lightly, the cold jade hairpin in his hair gleaming coldly: "This is one of the things that must be done upon returning to the capital this time."
Before Pei Jue could reply, Bai Su casually waved his hand and said, "I don't care about you. You'd better take care of yourself."
Bai Su stretched and returned to the house, telling his little apprentice to pack his luggage properly, as they would be heading south the next day.
Bai Jiu held a handful of medical books, and a timid voice came from behind the books: "But, we haven't told the girl how effective the medicine is yet."
“Someone will take care of this.”
They had arrived in Yanjing several months in advance, and during that time they had already uncovered some clues about the Beauty's Intoxication, which was closely related to the Star-Picking Pavilion in Yanjing.
Behind the Star-Picking Pavilion is the current Fourth Prince, and Bai Su dares not easily interfere in such important matters of imperial power.
This time, he collected a list of officials in the capital who had voluntarily touched the Beauty's Intoxication, and had just handed it over to Pei Jue. Now that his mission was complete, it was time to take his little apprentice to find his senior sister.
In the darkness, the man sat upright before the chessboard, his hand resting on a scroll, unmoving.
Still as cold-hearted as ever.
Pei Jue gripped the stack of letters tightly, his gaze fixed on a certain spot, a flash of coldness crossing his eyes: "Don't disappoint me. If you leave..."
"Don't blame me, Wan'er."
A sigh escaped his throat, and after a few breaths, he focused his attention back on the letter in his hand.
Han Zhou reported that the young lady who had recently returned to the Zhou family seemed to have gone missing on the day she returned to the capital, but it was being concealed so that no one else knew about it.
As luck would have it, the imposter, a young lady from the Zhou family, came looking for him, but was exposed by Lu Qiao, who was also at the teahouse. Only then did Pei Jue realize that Qing Rou was actually Zhou Wan, a young lady from the Zhou family.
The old lady had mentioned to him that Prime Minister Zhou had offered his daughter to Pei Jue as a concubine. The old lady couldn't refuse, since their two families had a verbal marriage agreement. Now, all he wanted was a concubine, so the old lady naturally couldn't disagree.
Upon hearing this, Pei Jue readily agreed on the surface, but inwardly he was unwilling and planned to find an opportunity to decline.
When Pei Jue learned of Qing Rou's true identity, he was overjoyed. It turned out that she was supposed to be his concubine.
If Qingrou still wanted to leave the manor, she could be arranged to meet the people searching for her in the brothel. Pei Jue could also find an opportunity to storm the Star-Picking Pavilion. After all, it was not uncommon for a man to be enraged by a woman in the Eastern Mu Dynasty.
Outsiders will only find it amusing.
If Qingrou doesn't leave the mansion, Pei Jue will have to wait for another opportunity.
At this moment, Pei Jue couldn't say whether he wanted Qing Rou to leave the manor or not...
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