Silver notes
Mei Sheng asked casually, "This tea oil looks quite good. Did you buy it from Fangxinzhai in the city?"
Madam Xiao hurriedly said, "Oh my, Miss Mei has such a good eye! I didn't expect that you would know so much about the city so well, even though you haven't been in Wu County for very long."
Mei Sheng thought to herself, Bai Qi is indeed at the Xiao residence.
Considering Tang Yun and Madam Xiao's speculations about the girl from afar, it seems that Bai Qi's situation is not good.
Suddenly a voice appeared outside the door. Although the room was small, Mei Sheng heard it almost instantly.
The voice kept calling out "Miss, Miss," causing Xu Jingniang's fingertips to tremble slightly. Xu Jingniang hurriedly asked, "Aunt, I have something to attend to, first..."
Because she was her niece, Madam Xiao didn't say anything harsh.
But today, with Mei Sheng sitting here quietly and gracefully, Madam Xiao, for some reason, said seriously, "You're always playing around, it's time to settle down. You're not allowed to go anywhere, stay and keep Miss Mei company."
Xu Jingniang had no choice but to give in to her aunt's stern gaze. She glanced outside one last time, still unwilling to give up, and then agreed.
In a short while, the noise outside disappeared. It must have been the maidservant beside Madam Xiao who chased her away. Mei Sheng held her teacup, lost in thought.
Before Mei Sheng could react, a maidservant accidentally spilled tea on Mei Sheng's outer robe, making the fiery red fox fur coat damp and heavy.
Seeing that the little maid was too frightened to speak, and then slapped by the servant, Mei Sheng kowtowed and apologized to her.
The maid's mistake was unintentional; she stopped Madam Xiao from imposing further punishment.
Coincidentally, Mei Sheng had something she couldn't say out loud at that moment, and it was too cold and windy outside for her to go out.
Madam Xiao ordered someone to quickly fetch the scarlet peony-patterned jacket.
“Miss Mei, it is my fault for not managing my subordinates strictly. This new coat is for winter. My old lady made it for the girls in the family. It is made of good material. Please don’t look down on it.”
"How could that be?"
Tang Yun took the coat handed to her by the maid and helped Mei Sheng to change her outer garment behind the screen.
After finding out the location of the outhouse, Mei Sheng and Madam Xiao nodded in acknowledgment and went outside.
Tang Yun listened to Mei Sheng's gaze and waved away the Xiao family servants who were eager to lead the way.
After Mei Sheng finished, the master and servant walked around several corners under the corridor, but instead of returning along the same path, they took the opposite route.
Mei Sheng sighed. The warm room was really stuffy, so she decided to go outside for some fresh air.
Just then, Mei Sheng encountered a maid carrying a food box. She looked somewhat familiar, so Mei Sheng simply asked, "Miss Bai, is she at the Xiao residence?"
The maid Yuling, holding the food box, looked up at Mei Sheng, paused for a moment, and then replied, "Yes, may I ask who you are, Miss?"
Mei Sheng smiled and said, "I was fortunate enough to receive Miss Bai's tea oil a few days ago, but I haven't had a chance to formally thank her yet. Could you take me to find her?"
Yu Ling suddenly looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "So you are... that day—"
Mei Sheng turned her gaze to the little maid and replied softly, "Yes, today was the banquet hosted by the old lady of the Xiao family. I learned that Miss Bai was also here, so I wanted to see her."
Yu Ling nodded quickly. Seeing that Mei Sheng's clothes and the maid behind her were both extraordinary, she hurriedly led the way for Mei Sheng.
After walking for a short while, we arrived at a dilapidated house. The courtyard was small and sparsely furnished, but it was clean and tidy.
"Miss? Miss?" Yu Ling called out several times and went into the house to look for her, but the house was empty. Where was Bai Qi's voice?
Mei Sheng frowned, a bad feeling creeping into her heart. To find such an uninhabitable place within the fairly large Xiao mansion was truly a predicament for them.
To find such suffering to make things difficult for a young girl.
She reached out and touched the teacup inside the room. The teacup was still warm, indicating that the person hadn't gone far.
Mei Sheng asked the anxiously pacing maid, "Did your young lady leave you a letter saying where she went?"
Yu Ling: "The young lady asked me to go to the kitchen, she..." She hesitated for a moment, her forehead furrowed with nervousness.
Mei Sheng: "What's wrong with her?"
Upon arriving at this point, Yu Ling had no choice but to pinch her palm hard and blurt out, "When the young lady heard that someone from the Pei family had come today, she rushed over, saying that she had something to discuss with Governor Pei. But after a while, she said it wasn't necessary. I thought the young lady was joking and didn't take it seriously."
Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng felt uneasy. She was looking for Governor Pei, which was Pei Jue. What did she want with Pei Jue?
Thinking of Pei Jue's ruthless way of treating people, she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Take me to your eldest son, Xiao Yin's, courtyard." Pei Jue should be there. If Bai Qi wants to find Pei Jue, she will definitely go there.
Before they even reached Xiao Yin's courtyard, they heard a heart-wrenching sound from an abandoned hut along the way.
"It's...it's the young lady's voice!" Yu Ling was stunned and spoke urgently to Mei Sheng.
After listening, Mei Sheng watched the maid's departing figure with suspicion in her heart. She exchanged a glance with Tang Yun and became wary.
"Help! Miss, save me!" Bai Qi was wrapped in a thin shirt, and her face was deathly pale, whether from fright or cold, it was hard to tell.
A clear red mark was visible on Bai Qi's shoulder, as if struck by a heavy object, along with another scar that was obscured by his clothes and not clearly visible to Mei Sheng.
An ugly man, drunk, suddenly appeared, smashed the wine jug in his hand, and taunted, "Little girl, where are you going?"
Mei Sheng couldn't help but feel disgusted. Before she could speak, Tang Yun frowned, stepped forward, and spread her arms to protect Mei Sheng: "You villain, do you know who this person in front of you is?"
"Bah! You little wench from the Bai family, don't try to fool me. I'm not easily intimidated." The man in rich clothes glanced around and replied, "In Wu County, I'm the king. Even if Governor Pei came today, I wouldn't be afraid. You're probably this little harlot's accomplice, beauty~"
Having said that, he swayed and reached out his hand again. After seeing Mei Sheng's face clearly, his eyes gleamed with lust.
"Is this young lady the beloved of Governor Pei?"
The man covered his mouth and laughed, not believing a word Tang Yun said.
Mei Sheng, holding Tang Yun tightly, did not back down an inch and said calmly, "If you don't believe me, you can go and ask one of Madam Xiao's maids. But if you're wrong, do you know what the consequences will be?"
His words were measured and calm, but Mei Sheng's gaze was sharp as a sword, capable of captivating anyone who looked at him.
"This...this..." Hesitatingly, Mei Sheng gave him a cold laugh and gestured for the maid to take Bai Qi ahead.
Bai Qi was being helped up by her maid, clearly terrified. It's true, women in the world value chastity highly, especially in ancient times.
But to everyone's surprise, as soon as Bai Qi and her maid turned around, the man spoke in a sinister tone: "Even if she is Pei Jue's concubine, even if she saved you, Bai Qi, have you thought this through? Who is the right path for you?"
After saying that, he chuckled twice, looked back a few times, and then took small steps across the bushes to leave.
These words seemed to have a deeper meaning, but Mei Sheng did not want to delve into it at the moment. Before she could say anything to Bai Qi, Tang Yun said, "What do you mean, 'but'? My master is very good to you, Miss Bai. You don't need to ask this person for anything."
Mei Sheng thought to herself: You're quite the talker. If it's a small matter, Pei Jue might listen to her a bit, but if it's a big matter, why would Pei Jue listen to the words of a mere lady?
For some reason, Mei Sheng felt a pang of discomfort welling up inside her, but she couldn't express it or voice it.
Pei Jue would never share his opinions with her. Mei Sheng felt that to him, she was nothing more than a plaything, or, to put it more nicely, a caged canary.
If you do what he wants, he'll give you some benefits, anything will do; if you don't, he naturally won't indulge you.
In a moment of distraction, Bai Qi, who had taken two steps, stopped and turned around to look at Mei Sheng.
Suddenly, a figure prostrated himself at Mei Sheng's feet. Bai Qi's eyes were red and his voice was trembling with tears: "Please help me, young lady."
Pei Dudu Mansion
Pinglan was so angry she wanted to jump up and down: "What right does that man have to wear that fox fur coat! The master clearly promised you two years ago that he would give that fox fur coat to you, my aunt."
Ling Yu frowned with worry and said with a bitter smile, "Master did mention it before, but so much time has passed, when have you ever seen Master order clothes to be made for me?"
Before, the old man only had her by his side, and no matter how cold he was, she didn't care. But with this girl's arrival, this sudden change made Ling Yu truly uneasy.
Yesterday's confidence and composure in the face of Mei Sheng have crumbled now, all it takes is a fiery red fox fur coat.
What she couldn't get was the dress, or the heart that could never be warmed?
"Also, Master left this morning, and the mansion has started laying out red silk. It was arranged by that person who begged Master to do it for her. Aunt, what should we do?" Pinglan paced back and forth in the room, her face full of jealousy.
Concubines are not allowed to use bright red, so there is no true red in the mansion. However, Pinglan could clearly see that the red silk used in the mansion was a crimson that was close to true red, and the decorations were meticulously arranged. This ceremony for taking a concubine was far more grand than when Lingyu visited the mansion.
Ling Yu gripped the embroidery tightly in her hand. The dark red bloodstains on the silk were now glaringly obvious. She said calmly, "This piece of silk is no longer needed. Let's get a different one."
Pinglan took it and said angrily, "It's all that bitch's fault. Since Master came back, she hasn't come to Auntie's place even once."
"Don't talk nonsense, Pinglan."
Seeing that Ling Yu was in a bad mood, Ping Lan seemed to remember something and took out a box of jewelry from the dressing table with both hands: "Auntie, don't worry, this was sent by the servants at the beginning of the morning. The master still remembers your kindness."
—
Mei Sheng asked gently, "What do you want me to help you with?"
Bai Qi choked up and said, "..." From Bai Qi's words, it was clear that her maternal grandmother's family had been wronged and imprisoned because of his greed. To seek justice, they had to find Pei Jue.
He was Lu Lan, the commander of the Yanjing Garrison. He had even tried to forcibly take her away. He was ruthless and powerful.
Rumors circulate that Lu Lan and Pei Jue are enemies. But how could Bai Qi, a commoner, possibly find Pei Jue's whereabouts and deliver a message to him?
How could Pei Jue possibly trust her?
"I understand. Do you have any proof?"
Bai Qi pursed her lips and said, "When I see Governor Pei, I will naturally offer him my respects with both hands. I'm sorry, Miss Mei."
Mei Sheng shook her head, not feeling anything was wrong. Then she sighed inwardly and said hesitantly, "I'm willing to help you this time, but if you don't have solid evidence, you should still be cautious."
Bai Qi, undeterred by death, said nonchalantly, "From now on, if my family's case is cleared, I will voluntarily become a slave and go through fire and water for you, Miss."
Bai Qi paused, then took out a stack of carefully wrapped old paper from her waist. It was a thick stack of real estate. She said solemnly, "Miss, my maternal grandmother still has some wealth left in her family. If you help me this time, I am willing to give you all of this real estate."
Bai Qi's maternal grandmother's family was a successful business family that had once been imperial merchants. They had countless riches, and even though their property was confiscated, some of their ancestral assets were still preserved.
A voice descended from above, sighing, "Then why did you...?"
For some reason, Bai Qi seemed to understand the implication. She stared quietly at a spot, her words light and airy, and said softly, "Without saving my family, how dare I live a carefree life, indulging in extravagance every day? I fear this resolve will be eroded."
The once charming, adorable, and innocent Bai Qi has vanished; what remains is the determined girl before us.
Mei Sheng ultimately didn't expose some of the selfish motives in her words. For example, perhaps Mei Sheng was deliberately led here, or perhaps...
Looking at this girl reminded Mei Sheng of someone from the past. She composed herself and nodded, saying, "Exchange it for silver notes. Wait for me for a few days."
"When the time comes to take a concubine, you will be there."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
