Chapter 184 Madam is planning to take in a concubine?
There was a stream in the valley. A group of young men, tired from riding their horses, went to the stream to play in the water.
The pants were soaked and stuck tightly to the thighs, revealing the curves of the body.
Everyone bid, and Princess Hengyang spent two thousand taels to buy a young man named A Li.
The young man looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with a nice wheat-colored skin and a tall stature. Although he had not yet grown up, his shoulders and back had begun to have the breadth of an adult man.
He came over all wet, his eyes sparkling, his mouth revealing his neat white teeth, like the sunshine in an autumn morning, carrying the fragrance of rice.
"Ali greets the two distinguished guests."
After lifting the curtain and entering, Ah Li knelt down to greet him. His voice was a little hoarse, with a unique timbre between that of a boy and a man.
It sounds pretty good.
Chunxi usually looked quite courageous, but at this moment she did not dare to look any longer, especially after knowing that the prince consort and her master were classmates, she was even more afraid to be presumptuous.
Princess Hengyang propped up her head and lazily looked at A Li from head to toe. Her eyes swept over her waist and lingered for a while.
Having been trained, Ali was not shy, but showed himself openly.
Princess Hengyang looked away with satisfaction and asked, "What do you know?"
"My dear guest, Ah Li grew up by the river and is an excellent swimmer. He can hold his breath in the water for as long as an incense stick."
This answer sounded very sincere, and there was no intention of deliberately catering to Princess Hengyang's intention to curry favor with her. Instead, it had a special wild charm. Princess Hengyang was indeed intrigued and asked him in detail about his previous fishing life.
A Li washed his hands and answered while feeding snacks to Princess Hengyang. Later, he even shared his father's secret recipe for drying fish.
It’s a pity that during the flood last year, his father was swept away by the torrent and his body was not found.
A year had passed since the incident, and when A Li spoke of his father's death, he was very calm, as if he was talking about a very ordinary thing, without deliberately exaggerating how pitiful he was.
Princess Hengyang waved her hand and gave another 100 taels of silver as a reward.
Ah Li knelt forward to take the banknote. Just as he was about to lower his head to do something, Princess Hengyang stopped him: "No need. Today, I just want to hear a story."
A look of disappointment flashed through Ah Li's eyes, but he mustered up the courage to say, "Ah Li wants to serve you forever. Can you take Ah Li with you?"
All prostitutes want to be redeemed by their patrons, and the same is true for the young prostitutes in Wuyou Pavilion.
"I never bring anyone home," Princess Hengyang refused without hesitation, and then said, "But I can redeem you. Go with her."
Princess Hengyang raised her chin slightly, and A Li's bright eyes immediately locked onto Chunxi.
Like a puppy locked in a cage waiting to be bought, its tail wagged madly.
Chunxi was drinking tea when he suddenly choked and started coughing.
She said hurriedly: "I...I'm afraid it's not convenient at home."
She hadn't figured out how to explain to her master why she followed the princess to Wuyou Pavilion to watch the performance, and what was the point of bringing such a person back?
Princess Hengyang was amused by Chunxi's reaction and said with a narrowed gaze, "Just tell your old Shen that I insisted on giving this person to you and you dare not refuse. He won't blame you."
As soon as Princess Hengyang finished speaking, Ah Li began to kowtow: "Please accept Ah Li as your guest. Ah Li is able to endure hardships and can do any work. I will never cause any trouble for you."
A Li spoke quickly, his tone a little panicked, fearing that Chun Xi would not want him.
Looking at this scene, Chunxi suddenly thought of himself many years ago.
At that time, she also kowtowed and begged to be sold to the Wei family.
"Stop knocking. I'll take you home. Get up now."
Chunxi relaxed, and A Li kowtowed twice to express his gratitude.
Princess Hengyang paid the ransom money, and Ah Li went to change his clothes. Lan Shu handed Ah Li's indenture to Chun Xi and said kindly, "Don't worry, my dear guest. Ah Li will be your slave from now on. No one will know that he worked in Wuyou Pavilion before."
I don’t know how many people have seen A Li today. How could no one know him?
Chunxi was just feeling confused when A Li, dressed as a servant, came back.
He lowered his head slightly, his face was still the same, but without the handsomeness and sunshine just now. He looked so ordinary that it was hard to believe that this was the same person.
Chunxi couldn't help but be surprised. Princess Hengyang raised an eyebrow and looked at Lanshu: "You Wuyou Pavilion's skills in changing people's appearances are really getting more and more superb. Next time they come, we must make sure they wash their faces clean."
Lan Shu narrowed her eyes and smiled gently, "Rest assured, dear guest, Wuyou Pavilion would never dare to pass off inferior goods as good ones and deceive our guests."
Before they knew it, the sun began to set. After the young men left, all the guests also left secretly under the arrangement of Wuyou Pavilion.
When Chunxi got home, Shen Qingyuan had not returned yet.
She asked the manager to take A Li to familiarize him with the environment first, and then she started to work in the small kitchen.
The two of them didn't eat much, so Chunxi steamed a tray of mutton, made a small bowl of red oil dipping sauce, a plate of cold-mixed shredded vegetables and a three-fresh soup.
When Shen Qingyuan stepped into the yard, Chunxi had just brought the food to the table.
"My husband is back, hurry up and wash your hands and have dinner."
Chunxi smiled brightly and greeted warmly.
Shen Qingyuan washed his hands and returned to the table to sit down. He was a little curious: "Didn't Madam accompany the princess out for an outing today? Aren't you tired?"
In other words, just sitting and watching a group of young men perform is really not tiring.
Chunxi felt a little guilty: "I am accompanying the princess to play, of course I am not tired. My husband is busy with official duties at the Censorate, and it is really hard. It is my duty to come back early to prepare meals."
As he spoke, Chunxi picked up a piece of mutton and gave it to Shen Qingyuan.
Shen Qingyuan dipped it in some dipping sauce and ate it, nodding and praising: "It's delicious."
It looks no different from usual.
Chunxi hesitated for a long time, but finally said tentatively: "After Qingshu left, my husband has no capable people around him. Today, the princess and I were out for a walk and met a child with a pitiful life. I thought my husband needed someone around him, so I brought him back. I hope my husband will not blame me for taking the initiative."
"Madam, you are doing this for my own good. I should be happy. How could I blame you? What about the child?"
Shen Qingyuan accepted this matter easily, Chunxi breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked the steward to bring A Li over.
"Ali greets the master."
Chunxi had told A Li that he should work with Shen Qingyuan in the future. When he saw Shen Qingyuan, A Li immediately knelt down to acknowledge his master.
Shen Qingyuan asked Ah Li to stand up, stared at Ah Li for a while, and said quietly: "I thought the child my wife was talking about was only seven or eight years old, but I didn't expect it to be a young man of seventeen or eighteen."
Shen Qingyuan's tone was very calm, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry. However, Chunxi felt guilty and her whole body was tense.
She wanted to say something, but then she heard Shen Qingyuan's ambiguous voice: "She's quite good-looking, no wonder she was chosen by the Madam."
“…”
Chunxi couldn't bear the torment of her conscience and confessed her fate: "My husband, I'll tell you the truth. I brought Ah Li back from Wuyou Pavilion, but the ticket money and the money for Ah Li's redemption were all paid by the princess."
Shen Qingyuan nodded without surprise: "So, Madam is planning to take in a concubine by relying on the princess's support?"
“…”???
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