Chapter 9: Matters Between Men and Women
In the official brokerage, Li the matchmaker grinned from ear to ear, her mole twitching excitedly as she handed two copies of the transfer documents to the buyer and seller respectively.
She stretched out her thick, calloused hand and eagerly pushed the red mud towards Mo Song, her face full of flattery and ingratiation: "Sir, it's not that I'm bragging, but the house I chose for you is absolutely one of a kind. You're lucky. This young lady only registered with me. If she hadn't been in such a hurry to sell, she could have sold it for at least 20% more. At this price, I guarantee you'll only make a profit."
Mo Song and Li Yapo were old acquaintances. Li Yapo was good at flattery and ingratiating herself. These words seemed to be said to him, but in fact she was trying to curry favor with the seller and imply that she had the ability to help him sell the house in a short time.
He ignored Li the matchmaker and read through the contract one by one. He was the manager of Fu Heng's properties. This time, in addition to checking the accounts, he also looked at several houses at the brokerage firm. Today, he came to sign the contract and buy this three-courtyard house.
Unexpectedly, the person who betrayed him was just two days ago. He saw from afar that his master was carrying back the girl Qing'er from Wuheng Mountain House.
You should know that the master hates women getting close to him the most. If even a piece or corner of a woman gets near him, he will burn his clothes. Yet, he was actually given his cloak. When he saw it, he was almost shocked to his core.
He immediately believed Mo Jian's words; his master truly treated this young lady's maid, Qing'er, differently from others.
Mo Song was usually out on business and rarely returned to the Marquis's residence, so Qing'er had never met him. He discreetly observed Qing'er across from him. Dressed in plain blue clothes, without makeup, she was aloof and unsmiling, very low-key, yet her beautiful appearance was still undeniable. Her demeanor was completely unlike that of a maidservant from some family.
As if sensing something, Meng Qingci raised her eyes and looked back at him indifferently, while Mo Song pretended not to notice and looked away.
He looked at the official seal and the original owner's name, "Song Bojian," on the sales document in his hand and thought to himself that it was clearly a man's name.
He asked Li the matchmaker with a cold face, "Where was the original homeowner from? Why did they want someone to sell it on their behalf? Did you somehow get the audacity to try and take advantage of me?"
Seeing Mo Songli's glare, Granny Li, on the verge of tears, explained, "I'm not tired of living. I wouldn't dare offend you. You can rest assured, the original owner was a cloth merchant, not from the capital. He had to travel around to do business, which is why he had an acquaintance sell it on his behalf. I even took him to the yamen to register the book he was selling. The middleman there was a clerk, so it couldn't be wrong."
Mo Song persisted, asking, "What is the relationship of this girl who sells on consignment? It's not mentioned at all in the book. Why did she go to the trouble of buying property in the capital, only to have it resold?"
It's normal for buyers to be cautious. Meng Qingci initially remained silent and patient, but when the buyer started probing into her private affairs, she couldn't help but frown.
This house was registered under Song Bojian's name out of necessity, as she was a slave and it was inconvenient for her to own property.
The house was paid by Song Bojian for the clothes and patterns she designed. Logically, everything a servant owns belongs to the master, but she bought the house in Song Bojian's name for insurance.
She had originally planned to transfer the house to herself directly after leaving the Marquis's residence, but the heir, Fu Hongxuan, became increasingly unscrupulous, leaving her with no choice but to sell the house and leave the capital. The reasons behind this were naturally not something anyone could inquire about.
Judging from Granny Li's respectful attitude, the buyer in front of her was not afraid of a merchant causing trouble after buying the house; he was clearly trying to pry into her privacy.
Meng Qingci didn't indulge her either, her face cold and her brows furrowed: "The paperwork is complete, so the original homeowner naturally can't cause trouble. Besides, there's a clerk in the yamen acting as an intermediary, and everything is on file. If there are any objections, you can trouble Li Yapo to help retrieve and verify it. If you're asking about a woman's private affairs, I'm sorry I can't keep you company. Let's leave it at that before the contract is signed."
As she spoke, Meng Qingci stood up, reached for the copy of the book she was selling on the table, and prepared to leave. She hadn't checked the almanac before going out today; things had been going wrong for her lately, and she was extremely irritable.
Mo Song didn't expect her to be so temperamental and sharp-tongued. She was out in the world alone, showing none of the shyness one would expect from a girl raised in a secluded mansion.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Mo Song quickly stopped her from taking the sales document. He smiled apologetically, put away his pretentious manner, and softened his tone: "After all, I am also working for the master, so I can be cautious. But what you said makes sense. I apologize to you and will increase the price by 10%. Please don't mind my rudeness just now."
Meng Qingci initially thought it was bad luck, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, with someone even offering to give her money. She raised an eyebrow and scrutinized the buyer, not wanting to turn down money, and urged, "Then hurry up."
Mo Song dared not offend her again, so he signed the agreement, paid the money, and hurriedly went back to report.
In the study of Wuheng Mountain House, Fu Heng paused, his vermilion brush poised to stroke official documents: "What did you say the original owner's name was?"
Seeing that his master's expression was not good, Mo Song turned slightly to the side and replied cautiously, "It's a cloth merchant named Song Bojian, presumably a man."
Fu Heng threw the vermilion brush in his hand at Mo Song, his narrow eyes as dark as ink: "Do you need to think about it?"
Mo Song didn't dare to dodge, his face flushed red from the slap, and he shuddered and knelt down.
Fu Heng said coldly, "Put down the book and get out."
Mo Song hurriedly got up, placed the book on the table, and left quickly, not wanting to stay a moment longer. He secretly rejoiced that at least he hadn't been punished, and it seemed that he had done the job well today.
Since Fu Heng returned to the manor, he has been meticulously reviewing every detail of the household affairs. He pulled out a letter that had been kept for two days, and the signature on it was clearly written: Song Bojian.
When compared with the handwriting on the book of wedges that Mo Song brought back, they were found to be exactly the same.
Looking at the name 'Song Bojian', Fu Heng's face darkened considerably. What kind of relationship would allow someone to entrust a three-courtyard mansion in the capital to a servant girl whose life was completely controlled by her master?
He underestimated her abilities. First, there were his two good nephews, then Gu Huaixu from a noble family, all of whom were infatuated with her. Now, a cloth merchant of unknown origin has appeared.
This girl is so... so restless! No!
Fu Heng quickly dismissed the idea. After all, that day in the secret passage of the artificial hill in the Grand Princess's mansion, she thought it was her belt that was hurting her. She didn't even understand this, which shows that she was ignorant about matters between men and women and was very naive.
These scoundrels must be trying to take advantage of her young age and shamelessness, using every trick in the book to deceive her.
Mo Jian could feel the chill in the study even standing in the courtyard, and he couldn't help but shiver. Then he heard Fu Heng call him to come in.
Fu Heng handed him the letter: "Have the gatekeeper take the letter to her."
"Okay, sure." Mo Jian was puzzled, but still complied. He remembered that two days ago, his master's face was unusually gloomy after reading the letter, and he even asked him to deliver the letter to Qing'er. It was really strange.
After resigning from the house, Meng Qing returned to Biqiong Garden and sewed the silver notes into her clothes. Just as she bit through the thread, Qiao'er stood outside her door looking for her: "Sister Qing'er, there's a letter for you today."
Meng Qingci grabbed a handful of money and gave it to Qiao'er. He took the letter, sent the person away, and returned to the house. He opened the letter and saw that it was signed by Song Bojian.
In the letter, Song Bo briefly mentioned that he would be passing through the capital region and wanted to visit her. Upon closer inspection of the appointment time, she was surprised to find that it was for the next day. She thought it was quite a coincidence.
After receiving the letter, she finished her embroidery and started planning to meet Song Bojian the next day. Zi Fu lifted the curtain and came in to find her.
Seeing her holding the embroidery hoop and working, he opened the lampshade and turned up the wick: "No wonder our master loves you the most. Even at this time, you are still taking the time to make a heart-shaped garment."
Meng Qingci also felt a little sad: "I don't know when we will meet again after this parting. My master is used to wearing my handiwork, so I can only do my best to show my appreciation."
Zi Fu picked up the garment and examined it. The bright red color was translucent yet not revealing, and the lifelike lotus blossoms were just beginning to emerge. She exclaimed, "Not to mention the Crown Prince, even I would find it hard to resist such temptation."
Meng Qingci laughed and shoved her: "You're so bold. I told you to learn those things, but they're just nonsense. You little brat, if Granny Wu finds out, she'll punish you. You dare to talk about your master's fun."
"It's not just the two of us, and you won't tell anyone, so I'm not afraid." Zi Fu laughed as she was tickled, her face flushed, and she begged for mercy: "I came to tell you something."
As punishment, Meng Qingci pulled her up from the bed.
“You haven’t gone out these past two days, so you wouldn’t know, but Jinping suddenly said she’s going to get married.” Zi Fu straightened her disheveled dress and glanced at Meng Qingci: “Young Master agreed immediately and sent her out that very day. Madam kept her, but Jinping was very determined.”
"Who is Jinping going to marry?" Meng Qingci asked, turning her head as she was putting away her embroidery thread.
"I'm not sure about that." Zi Fu hadn't expected her to ask that, and shook her head.
Meng Qingci: "Didn't your second brother tell you this?"
Zi Fu felt guilty under her clear, bright eyes, and smiled ingratiatingly, "How did you know it was my second brother who told me?" She quickly opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth, but it was too late.
Seeing that Meng Qingci stopped asking questions and was busy with her work, Zi Fu went up and took her arm: "It is indeed a pity for her, but we are the closest of friends, so of course I hope you are doing well. We will be separated in a few days, and it will be difficult to see each other, but I still want you to be closer to me."
Meng Qingci already knew that Zifu was there to act as a mediator, and her good mood vanished. She pulled her arm away. Of the four head maids in Biqiong Garden, these two were the closest. Zifu's family had a respectable position in the mansion and had helped her a lot. Meng Qingci didn't want to embarrass her, so she remained silent.
Zi Fu genuinely felt that it was rare for the young master to go to such lengths for Qing'er, and continued to persuade her: "Don't you really have any feelings for the young master at all?"
Meng Qingci wanted to completely dissuade her, so she coldly replied with a resolute tone: "He is the master, and I am the servant. We are like heaven and earth. Have you ever seen heaven and earth fit together? There is nothing but the bond between master and servant. I swear, if I ever lie to you in the slightest, may my parents die a horrible death."
Zi Fu was stunned by her appearance, realizing that she was also attached to appearances. Qing'er was single-mindedly trying to redeem herself and despised the filth of the mansion. How could she possibly be willing to come back and become the young master's concubine?
Thinking that Qing'er didn't even know whether her parents were alive or dead, he lowered his head and saw that she was giving him a cold look. He coaxed her, "Alright, alright, I was only half willing. I didn't want to make things difficult for my second brother. Please understand me."
Meng Qingci then gave her a friendly look.
Zi Fu then brought up again: "The embroidery work that the master gave to the young master was all done by you. Just now, the master asked me to ask you if the belt she wanted to send to the young master was finished. If it was finished, then send it over. She saw today that the young master's belt was a bit old and said that the young master is currently on official business and it is not good to lose face."
A note from the author:
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Update tomorrow
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