Xu Qiushui and Ye Zheng were old acquaintances, though they weren't very close back then. Xu Qiushui was quite surprised to encounter Ye Zheng during her trip to the capital to testify; she had assumed the young woman had already reunited with her family, but unexpectedly…
Old friends are still around, and she even avenged her family. For some reason, seeing her reminded Xu Qiushui of the women at the brothel; they were beautiful, resolute, and equally unwilling to accept their fate.
"Don't cry, your brother has already been kicked out by the butler," the girl in purple said, handing her a handkerchief.
"It feels like a dream," Ye Zheng murmured, looking up at the square sky reflected on the wall of the grand courtyard.
She thought that once she got revenge, she could go home with her brother.
The young woman succeeded; she avenged her parents and the Ye family. However, her brother disowned her, wanting her to die for something so worthless.
Ye Zheng disagreed.
On what grounds?
"Where are you going in the future?" Xu Qiushui knew that her old friend might have nowhere to go, and if she shook her head, she would make arrangements for her.
"I still have some money on hand. Maybe I can find a place to live a simple life."
Ye Zheng looked dazed, her eyes filled with despair. It was as if she were in hell, surrounded by endless flames that devoured her mind, sucking her blood and eating her bones.
"After I paid my respects to the Prime Minister, I went to the border town."
Ye Zheng didn't reply to her, and just sat there in a daze.
“I found a place in the border town that’s great. The women there are doing very well. Have you read Zhao Nian’ang’s ‘The Battle of Pingyang’?”
Out of politeness, the young woman nodded.
"That's the place, the place where those women, holding gleaming swords, stood guard with the soldiers when the Xiongnu came. Do you want to come with me?"
Ye Zheng turned to look at her, unsure how to refuse. She truly had nowhere to go now, with an abyss behind her.
Xu Qiushui said somewhat shyly and awkwardly
"That's right, but the place sounds a bit awful. It's a brothel, but the girls there rarely take male customers, let alone sell themselves. If any male customer says something that upsets the girls, they'll slap him across the face."
"Do you want to come with me? I'm already here! I bought a house nearby. Anyway, my dad's never home, so it doesn't matter where I live. You can stay with me then."
The young lady was not much older than Xu Qiushui. Before the incident at home, she was just like Qiushui, a carefree young lady who spent her days learning manners at home.
One day, Ye Zheng's world collapsed. If the assassin hadn't shown mercy and let her and her brother go, the Ye family would have been wiped out.
Wherever you go doesn't matter, you're still going.
So what if it's a brothel?
Even her own brother disliked her, didn't he?
The young woman raised her head and nodded twice to Xu Qiushui.
"good."
"Ladies, my master invites you to his study."
Upon hearing the steward say that Chen Yunsong wanted to see her, Xu Qiushui quickly straightened her clothes, picked up the light gifts at hand, and walked with the steward towards the Chen residence's study.
"Master, the two young ladies have arrived," the butler announced at the door.
"Enter."
The old man, dressed in casual clothes, sat in a rocking chair with a copy of the Book of Rites in his hand. Rereading these things he learned in school when he was young brought him different feelings.
"Greetings, Lord Chen."
"Greetings, Lord Chen."
Ye Zheng immediately gave the old man a deep bow, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to express her gratitude. Xu Qiushui, who had been standing and bowing in a traditional female manner, saw that her old friend had knelt down, so she also knelt down with a thud.
This left Prime Minister Chen somewhat at a loss. Did this young girl want to ask him for a favor? He just wanted to see her; he couldn't help with anything important.
"Thank you, Lord Chen, for allowing the souls of my Ye family to rest in peace and bringing the murderer to justice."
The Prime Minister put down his book, raised his hand, and gestured for the two girls to stand up.
"No need to thank me. You accomplished this by enduring humiliation and hardship yourself. If it weren't for that ledger, Jiang Liu wouldn't have been brought to justice so easily. Don't take your brother's words to heart. He's wrong. You're very good."
Ye Zheng clasped her hands together, bowed, and said...
"Thank you for your comfort, Prime Minister."
"Your Excellency, the Xu family knows that you do not accept lavish gifts, so we have prepared some tea for you. Please accept it."
The old man stroked his white beard a couple of times and said...
"I never accept these things. Do you know why I invited you to meet me today?"
"I don't know."
Xu Qiushui spoke frankly, saying that if she didn't know, she didn't know, and she shouldn't pretend to know what she didn't. People who had been in the court for decades were practically experts; they could see right through what you were thinking.
"Because you are different from those people. You are a young man with a pure heart, speaking up for your old friends. I like that. I like the vigor in young people."
The girl in purple was a little shy. This was a high-ranking official praising her. How could she not be flattered?
"Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency."
"Where are you two going next? I heard Miss Xu is going back to the border town?"
The girl in purple quickly replied
"Yes, Ye Zheng will go with me."
The old man took a portrait out of the drawer and handed it to the two of them.
“This is my old friend’s letter. He went to the border town to take care of some business and has been gone for ten years without a word. You two young ladies can help me take a look. You don’t need to go to great lengths to find him. If you see him, just ask him to send me a message.”
"I understand. If I am fortunate enough to meet you, I will certainly ask you to reply to me."
Chen Songyun nodded and said to the two of them.
"The road ahead is long, and the past cannot be retrieved. Little girl, your path lies ahead, and so does your fortune. Being reborn is a good thing. Don't cry or complain, just keep moving forward."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
