bet
"You disturbed my peaceful sleep so early in the morning. You'd better really have something urgent to do, otherwise you can go back and wash the chamber pot."
"Boss Feng, it's really urgent. A very important person has arrived outside."
Huang Sanxuan's gaze fell on Feng Miaolian's still charming and graceful figure, and he unconsciously swallowed.
"What important person?" Feng Miaolian was already used to the man's ill-intentioned gaze.
"Could he possibly be even more powerful than Young Master Shen from yesterday?"
Feng Miaolian casually washed and dressed herself. Yunxian Pavilion had always only entertained high-ranking officials and nobles, and she treated every guest with utmost respect.
However, this respect also depends on the guest's status and position, and is divided into different levels.
Huang Sanxuan quickly replied, "The man's surname is Gu, Gu Jin."
Feng Miaolian was first startled, then somewhat flustered, knowing that Gu Jin had always disliked Yunxian Pavilion.
I came here once last time, but I had to leave after less than a quarter of an hour. How come the sun rose in the west today and I came here for the first time ever?
"Is it really Gu Jin?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Seeing her doubt, Huang Sanxuan could only reassure her repeatedly, "Besides this Gu family, who else in Shengjing City has the surname Gu?"
“You wouldn’t come to the temple without a reason, and you shouldn’t be looking for a young lady during the day…” Feng Miaolian hurriedly put on two flowers in her hair, put on her coat, and rushed to the hall with Huang Sanxuan.
The figure in the hall was indeed quite conspicuous. Feng Miaolian asked cautiously with a smile, "Young Master Gu, what brings you here today?"
"There is something I heard about. I heard that Tang Simiao's daughter was sent here?"
Feng Miaolian felt guilty upon hearing this. Tang Qingning had just died seven or eight days ago, so why was someone asking about her now? If Gu Jin had any connection with Tang Qingning, why hadn't there been any word of it before?
“Miss Tang was brought here, but…” Feng Miaolian looked troubled, “but half a month ago she went to beat the grievance drum and was severely tortured by the Dali Temple. When she was brought back, she was barely breathing. I felt sorry for her and called many doctors, but it was no use. Now she’s gone…”
Feng Miaolian grabbed a handkerchief and wiped away the few tears she had forced out from the corners of her eyes. She glanced at Gu Jin's expression, but the man only frowned slightly, without a trace of sadness in his eyes.
She knew in her heart that Gu Jin and the down-on-his-luck Tang Qingning had no romantic relationship whatsoever.
“I have already given Miss Tang a proper burial. If you wish to visit her grave, I can take you there now.”
She gave Huang Sanxuan a wink, and Huang Sanxuan immediately understood what Feng Miaolian meant. He quickly said, "It's just three miles outside the city. The feng shui there is good. If any of the girls from Yunxian Pavilion unfortunately pass away, we will bury them there."
Gu Jin nodded slightly, but did not press the matter further. He handed a bag of silver to Huang Sanxuan, saying, "In that case, please burn some more paper money for Miss Tang on behalf of my sister and me."
Huang Sanxuan took the money bag and nodded vigorously, "Of course, we will definitely keep your words in mind. I will go to the street to buy some things later to pay my respects to Miss Tang."
Seeing Gu Jin walk out of Yunxian Pavilion, Feng Miaolian felt much more at ease. She then looked at Huang Sanxuan, who was grinning foolishly with the money bag in his hand, and said irritably, "You're not at ease taking this dead man's money? You should know that Tang Qingning would rather be a wandering ghost in a mass grave than in that auspicious place. Aren't you afraid she'll come looking for you in the middle of the night?"
"Mr. Feng is right. I'll buy some yellow paper to burn for Miss Tang right away, but what about the remaining money..."
"You can keep the rest of the money if you want, but I don't want to get myself into trouble."
Tang Qingning, she murmured these three words to herself, recalling the stubborn figure wrapped in a quilt and being hung up and beaten, and the venomous look in her eyes filled with hatred.
Tang Qingning wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, but she was still a pretty girl. If she listened to her teachings and worked as a prostitute, she wouldn't necessarily live a life of luxury, but she would certainly have no problem living a life of ease and comfort.
It's a pity that there are always people who don't know what's good for them. Even though they've already arrived at Yunxian Pavilion, they still want to overturn the case for the Tang family. Even if the case is overturned, what difference will it make? It won't change her situation.
Having become a government-affiliated prostitute, how could she possibly shake off that identity so easily?
Throughout history, good reputation or bad reputation has been things that only the powerful and wealthy care about; it's none of their business to care about such things.
Reputation is always an illusion; only living a good life is real. Tang Qingning ignored the advice and insisted on banging her head against the wall...
Feng Miaolian felt that most of the matter was resolved and was in a good mood. Although she didn't know why Gu Jin had come to help Tang Qingning, she knew that the matter was over since Gu Jin was completely unmoved by Tang Qingning's death.
How could such important people remember such a trivial matter, especially someone like Gu Jin? Before he mentioned Tang Qingning's name, no one would have thought that the two had any connection.
Tsk, Tang Qingning is really unlucky.
If she had lived a few more days, Gu Jin might have been able to get her out of trouble. But fate had other plans, and she died on the eve of her benefactor's help. She was truly an unlucky person.
*
The plum blossoms outside the lattice window were in full bloom. Gu Yu leaned lazily against the soft couch, holding a hand warmer, and played with the chess pieces in her hand from time to time.
Gu Yu was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but Tang Qingning was different. Tang Simiao did not have enough money to find her the best teacher.
Therefore, she had only superficially learned these essential skills that noble ladies were expected to possess, but after joining Yunxian Pavilion, she made up for all the effort she had previously missed...
But Gu Yu now knows that this kind of thing serves no purpose other than to pass the time.
That's not entirely true; another use was to cater to the pretentious scholars in Shengjing City, creating a beautiful tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman.
Gu Yu spotted a figure at the courtyard gate, so she threw the white jade chess piece back into the chess basket and lifted her dark eyelashes.
Outside the window, amidst the falling rain and snow, stood Gu Jin, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
The umbrella depicts the currently popular winter plum blossom design, with red plum blossoms standing proudly and defiantly amidst the cold rocks.
A plum blossom umbrella under a plum tree.
Gu Yu smiled and said happily, "Brother, you've come."
The soul returns to its home under the plum blossom umbrella.
"Hmm." Gu Jin remained silent for a moment.
He had seen countless deaths on the battlefield, and the news of Tang Qingning's death, who was like a stranger to him, did not cause him any ripples. But his sister was different.
She is a flower pampered in a greenhouse, blooming brightly and beautifully, never experiencing wind and snow. She may not be able to face this fact calmly.
However, Gu Jin still wanted to tell Gu Yu about this, because it was something she wanted to know.
"I went to Yunxian Pavilion." He put away his umbrella, and Chunyue took the oil-paper umbrella and handed him a hand warmer.
"Hmm." Gu Yu's expectant eyes suddenly lost their sparkle upon hearing the name Yunxian Pavilion. She waited quietly for him to give her the answer she already knew.
"Tang Qingning passed away a few days ago after falling seriously ill, and has been properly buried."
Gu Jin looked at Gu Yu with his dark eyes, wondering if he should say a few more words of comfort.
"How long has she been there?"
"It has been three years since the Tang family got into trouble."
"Three years, huh? It's been that long." Gu Yu lowered her eyes, trying to hide her true emotions. "It's better that you're gone."
His vacant eyes stared out the window, but they were dry. "Living is just painful."
Living as Tang Qingning was indeed filled with only pain and despair; she was nothing more than a puppet to be toyed with and amused by others.
"Mm," Gu Jin responded softly.
“However, brother, I don’t believe what the people from Yunxian Pavilion said. How could those people possibly give Qingning a proper burial?”
Gu Yu looked at Gu Jin with eyes full of sorrow, which made Gu Jin panic for a moment.
It turns out she wasn't unmoved by sadness; she had simply outgrown the age of easily crying and preferred to keep her feelings to herself.
"Where do you think Tang Qingning's body is?"
"A mass grave." Gu Yu smirked. "Brother, would you like to make a bet with me? I bet that Tang Qingning's body might be in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city?"
"How do you know about the mass grave?" Gu Jin asked, puzzled.
Gu Yu remained calm. "I've heard from the other young ladies that if any servant in the household is afflicted with a serious illness, they'll be taken there and burned on a fine day."
How can someone of lowly fate be laid to rest in peace?
"Is there a wager?"
"have."
"Um."
Gu Jin nodded in agreement, seemingly accepting Gu Yu's bet, but he didn't seem to care about the stakes.
"I'm going back to the military camp today. If the snow clears, I can accompany you."
"good."
Gu Yu watched Gu Jin leave the courtyard into the snow, thinking that Gu Jin must be worried about whether the soldiers stationed outside the city had enough warm clothes and food in the freezing cold.
Gu Yu had seen many two-faced and hypocritical people, but she never expected to meet someone so pure, sincere, and genuine.
The best thing in the world is that this person is her brother, and a brother who can help her.
She grew to like the identity of Gu Yu more and more. In this era where the rich and poor were strangers to each other, what could be better than a noble status?
"Chunyue, close the window. I'm feeling a bit sleepy and want to take a nap."
“Miss, you’re not well, so you should avoid being exposed to the wind. You’re going out again soon, aren’t you afraid…” The ever-concerned Qiuju started nagging again.
"Pah, pah, pah, Qiuju, are you cursing Miss? Spit it out, or what if it comes true?" Chunyue closed the window, turned around and said to Qiuju.
"Alright, I spit it out, I was just being nosy. Of course, it's best for Miss to be healthy."
While Qiuju was still doing her needlework, she unconsciously blurted out the news she had just learned.
"I heard that Young Master Shen went to Yunxian Pavilion with his cronies yesterday."
"Yunxian Pavilion?" Chunyue was a little unhappy. "Young Master Shen really has a lot of romantic affairs. Why don't you try to compete for the top scholar title?"
"Miss, don't take it to heart. These young men from noble families are all like this. Going to brothels is a refined hobby, but they even go in groups. I don't know whose idea it was, and I don't expect them to do anything extraordinary in brothels."
"Hehe." Gu Yu smiled, amused by the two maids' words of defending her. "Yunxian Pavilion, Yunxian Pavilion, it's all about immortals and clouds. It's a place of ecstasy for men, but it may not bring happiness to women."
"That's true. I've heard there are quite a few daughters of officials who have fallen on hard times inside. If it weren't for..." Qiu Ju's words trailed off. This was the rule of the court, and she dared not continue speaking recklessly.
Chunyue carefully raised her index finger, shushed, and whispered, "Miss seems to be asleep."
Qiuju looked up and saw Gu Yu's peaceful sleeping face. She smiled faintly and thought, "Miss has changed a lot."
Although she and Chunyue were both maids who served by the young lady's side, the young lady had never been willing to confide in them.
The young lady was frail and often fell ill for a year or two. There were times when she stayed in her room and didn't want to see anyone.
They didn't really understand this quiet and gentle young lady. Now, after experiencing Su Bicheng's ordeal, she has become much more mature and experienced, and is willing to listen to them. These are all good things.
Chunyue tiptoed out of the room, intending to return later to relieve Qiuju.
On the third day, the snow cleared and the sky brightened. Remembering his bet with Gu Yu, Gu Jin did not go to the military camp to handle military affairs first, but thought he would accompany his sister on this trip before returning to the military camp.
Having learned from her previous experience, Gu Yu opted for a more spacious carriage this time. This time, riding in the same carriage as Gu Jin, Gu Yu no longer felt embarrassed.
“I sent men to investigate yesterday and they found the two cooks who sent Qingning to the mass grave. Brother, you’ve lost.”
Gu Yu felt no joy upon learning of her victory; instead, she became increasingly saddened.
"Hmm." He nodded slightly. "Ayu won. What does Ayu want?"
"I haven't decided yet, brother, you can owe me for now." If I need Gu Jin's help later, this will give me a perfectly legitimate excuse.
The carriage wheels clattered along the newly cleared snow-covered official road, heading straight for the outskirts of the city.
Gu Yu lifted the curtain on the carriage window and saw that there were more and more pedestrians on the official road. "The snow just stopped today, and there are already so many people on the street. Shengjing City is still so lively."
"With the spring imperial examinations approaching, many are taking advantage of the clearing snow to visit various officials and seek their future prospects." Gu Jin's indifferent eyes swept over the scholars in plain clothes on the street.
Just as the carriage was about to leave the city gate, Gu Yu heard a commotion. A young man with a rather loud voice was yelling at the guards at the city gate.
"Hey, what do you mean by this? We're coming to the city for the imperial examinations, and we have to pay money? What kind of logic is this?"
The man was dressed in a purple brocade robe and wore a jade crown. He looked like a son of a wealthy family and did not seem like someone who could not afford the entrance fee.
However, the young man beside him was dressed simply in a rough gray cotton robe, his face was bluish from the cold, and his scholarly air made him seem less like a rich young master's page.
"Entry fee?" Gu Yu looked at Gu Jin with some doubt. She had grown up in Shengjing since she was a child and rarely left the city. In addition, Tang's father was an official in the capital, so naturally no soldiers guarding the city would ask her for money.
Gu Jin, listening to the argument outside from inside the carriage, had a grim expression.
If she remembered correctly, the Five Cities Garrison was currently under Gu Jin's supervision, but it was clear that Gu Jin was not the kind of person who would allow his subordinates to embezzle or solicit bribes.
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