Yunmeng looked up in surprise, and what came into view was a young man in a blue robe with auspicious patterns. The young man had regular features and a cold expression, and his eyes showed no interest in her, as if he had no interest in her whatsoever. Yunmeng was puzzled.
"Young master, you only bought me for one night. Tonight, I can only stay at Liuxiang Pavilion. Aunt Cai is not allowed to go out."
“It’s none of her business.” As he spoke, Young Master Xu placed a piece of paper on the table. Yun Meng stood up, took it, and stared at it, her almond-shaped eyes widening in shock. “My indenture? Young Master, you… redeemed me?”
The price for one night was six hundred taels, but he paid two thousand taels to redeem her!
She had only met this young master Xu once, and he hadn't expressed anything to her. She didn't know what his intentions were. "May I ask, young master, why are you willing to redeem me from my servitude?"
Young Master Xu offered no explanation, simply repeating, "Come with me."
Yunmeng had no reason to refuse, since she had already been bought by Young Master Xu, so she had no choice but to get up and walk to his side.
Seeing this, the maidservant quickly knelt down and begged, "Miss, please take me with you!"
This maid's name was Ling'er. She had been serving Yunmeng for some time. Yunmeng was very grateful for her care and wanted to help her escape her suffering, but unfortunately, Yunmeng did not have the ability to do so.
Yunmeng looked at Young Master Xu with a troubled expression. Young Master Xu remained expressionless and said coldly, "I only want you. I don't care about anything else."
After saying this, Young Master Xu left first, telling her to pack her things as soon as possible.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Ling'er was sad and frightened, and tears kept falling. "My former mistress always beat and scolded me. You treated me the best, Miss. What will I do if you leave?"
Yunmeng was powerless to help Ling'er up, and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. "Ling'er, I am also reluctant to part with you, but I have no choice. After all, I am not familiar with Young Master Xu and dare not ask him for anything. Please wait a while, and once I have settled down, if there is an opportunity, I will definitely take you away from here."
Ling'er knew that such a request would be difficult to fulfill, so she did not insist. She choked up and said, "Thank you, Miss. I understand your difficulties. As long as you are safe and healthy, I am at ease. Please go quickly! Get away from this place of trouble and start a new life."
After reluctantly bidding farewell to Ling'er, Yunmeng packed a few clothes and then left Liuxiang Tower with the help of a servant. Aunt Cai was already waiting at the door, wiping away tears. She said that Yunmeng was lucky to be chosen by Young Master Xu and redeemed from her servitude, and that she would definitely live a wealthy life in the future.
Good fortune? Her good fortune has long been used up. Being redeemed today is not a happy event. It's just being sold from one person's hands to another. In the end, she is not truly free.
With a wry smile, Yunmeng exchanged a few pleasantries with Aunt Cai before boarding the carriage and leaving Liuxiang Tower.
The carriage moved slowly forward, carrying her towards a new life. Young Master Xu closed his eyes to rest, remaining silent. Yun Meng was too lazy to speak either, leaning against the carriage window without making a sound.
When the carriage stopped, Young Master Xu got off first, followed closely by Yunmeng. Looking around, in the pitch-black night, two lanterns hung above a small door. This must be the back door, right?
Indeed, given her special status, Young Master Xu would certainly not allow her to enter through the front door.
She was self-aware enough not to argue and went inside with him.
He walked ahead with a faster pace, never once glancing at her. After leading her into the house, Young Master Xu finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant:
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. Please rest here for now, young lady; a maid will come to serve you shortly."
After saying this, he glanced at her, but ultimately said nothing more, and resolutely turned and left.
Watching his departing figure, Yunmeng became increasingly suspicious. He had spent two thousand taels to redeem her from her servitude, yet he treated her coldly and showed no intention of keeping her, leaving her alone here. Such behavior was bound to arouse suspicion.
He wasn't after love or sex, so what was he after?
At this moment, her mind was as blank as the night, yet the room was silent, and no one could answer her questions.
She sat for about fifteen minutes before a maid came to bring her tea and snacks.
The young girl was pretty and outgoing, not at all shy. After chatting for a while, Yunmeng asked her, "Xiaoyan, where is this place?"
Xiao Yan only knew that this place was a separate courtyard called Jintang Garden.
When she asked about other things, Xiaoyan refused to go into details and said tactfully, "Why don't you ask Fifth Master directly when he comes over?"
Fifth Master? Upon hearing this address, Yunmeng was taken aback. Who was the Fifth Master she was referring to? Could it be the Fifth Prince Hongzhou? But Hongzhou hadn't come to Liuxiang Pavilion tonight, so it couldn't be him. Could it be that Young Master Xu was also the fifth child in his family?
Xiao Yan wasn't sure when her mistress would arrive, so she helped her wash up first.
After everything was settled, Xiaoyan left. Just as she closed the door, she saw a tall, imposing figure appear in the night. She immediately curtsied to him.
"Fifth Master".
Yunmeng, who had just lain down in the inner room, was not yet asleep when she vaguely heard Xiaoyan's voice and knew that the owner of the garden had arrived.
Yunmeng felt a jolt of excitement. She wanted to see just who this Fifth Master really was!
With a creak, the door opened, and Yunmeng, already undressed and wearing only her undergarments, lay in bed. Hearing the noise, she immediately sat up, preparing to grab her cloak.
As the lotus-patterned cotton curtain was lifted, the person entered the room and chuckled through the flower and bird screen, "Why wear it again? You'll have to take it off later."
Unlike the coldness of the previous voice, this one was clearly more playful. Upon hearing the familiar voice, Yunmeng was certain that it was indeed Hongzhou!
"Fifth Master? How could it be you?"
Walking around the screen, Hongzhou strolled slowly to her side, sat down, and smiled slightly. "Who else did you think it was?"
"Wasn't it Young Master Xu who redeemed me?" Yunmeng was deeply puzzled, but then she heard Hongzhou laugh and say, "My identity makes it inconvenient for me to attend tonight's auction, so I asked Xu Ruiyan to bring you back."
He originally planned to go in person, but Hongli kept stopping him. He couldn't openly disobey his fourth brother, so he had to change his mind and come up with this method.
Only then did Yunmeng understand the truth, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. "So that's how it is. I thought you had already forgotten about this."
"You invited me personally, how could I bear to disappoint you?" As he spoke, Hongzhou slowly moved closer to her, raised his finger to lift her smooth chin, gazed at her with eyes full of smiles, and slowly lowered his head to approach her lips.
Realizing his intention, Yunmeng immediately raised her finger to block his lips.
Hongzhou took her hand and felt the delicate smoothness of her slender fingers. "You're mine now. What, you don't want to?"
With a slight shake of her head, Yunmeng looked embarrassed and said timidly, "I only know how to sing, and I've never served guests before. I'm a little scared."
Gently squeezing her palm, Hongzhou gazed at her and deliberately corrected her, "I am not your patron, I am your man. From now on, you only need to follow me, and you don't need to serve anyone else."
His voice gradually lowered and became hoarse. When their eyes met, he lowered his head again, and the moment their lips touched, Yunmeng became so nervous that her whole body stiffened. Her slender fingers gripped his shoulders tightly, and she was at a loss.
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