Chapter 2

◎I'd beg Jiang He, even if it meant giving myself to her.◎

The night was dark, and there was a stack of unfinished account books piled up on Jiang He's desk. These were the most important first-hand account books of the Jiang family, and Jiang Shangyi had entrusted them to her for review. To prevent her eyes from getting too tired, Yuan Ge lit a lamp for her.

Yuange is Jiang He's maid, responsible for taking care of her daily life. Like Ji Xue, she was brought back by Jiang He from Wudu City.

Yuan Ge was worried that Jiang He would ruin her eyes by staying up late, so she advised, "Miss, you should go to bed early. There are still so many account books left. Why don't you look at them tomorrow?"

Jiang He held the vermilion pen and made annotations on the ledger. When she turned to the next page, she slightly turned the pen, squinted her eyes and stared for a while before saying to Yuan Ge, "Things can't wait for me, and there's a banquet tomorrow."

Because of her lavish spending, she made quite a few friends, including some scions of prominent families. These people would send her invitations as soon as she returned to the capital, saying they hadn't seen her in a long time and wanted to catch up.

Jiang He glanced at the post before leaving and couldn't help but chuckle. Wasn't the place on it the famous Qingxiufang in the capital?

Qingxiu Lane is full of exceptionally handsome men who have fallen into prostitution. It claims to be a place of elegance, but in reality, selling art but not sex is just a facade. If one has enough power and money, one can even take the young master of the lane home for a chat.

Although Jiang He had been mischievous before, she had never been here before, nor had she ever indulged in matters of male beauty.

The person who led the invitation was Zuo Pinggong, the eldest daughter of the Prince Zuo's family, along with several daughters of third-rank officials. These people had all played around with Jiang He before, and their friendships mostly ended with drinking and eating. Their invitation was actually to see how much Jiang He was capable of now and whether she could support the Jiang family.

As soon as Jiang He stepped into Qingxiufang, several handsome young men surrounded her. Because of her great reputation, the people of Qingxiufang were eager to see her in person, even if she took a liking to her and took her back as a concubine, they could sleep on gold bricks for the rest of their lives.

Zuo Pinggong had booked a private room on the second floor. Jiang He had no interest in these pampered young men. With just a glance, Xue understood her meaning and kept the young men a meter away from Jiang He, escorting her all the way to the private room.

Knowing that Xue was highly skilled in martial arts, he followed Jiang He wherever she went. Even in places of ill repute that ordinary men would not set foot in, he did not care and insisted on protecting Jiang He.

Jiang He was dressed in white casual clothes, with her long hair tied up with a white ribbon. She held an unopened long jade folding fan in her hand. She had a dignified demeanor and the air of a young nobleman. After three years of growth, her eyes had become more profound. She had really changed a lot.

Zuo Pinggong stepped forward, patted Jiang He on the shoulder, looked her over a few times, and laughed heartily, saying, "I only heard about your return to the capital from someone else. I didn't expect it to be so different from before."

Jiang He smiled in response and cupped her hands in greeting, saying, "This trip was rushed, and I didn't inform anyone except my family."

Indeed, only the Jiang family knew when she arrived in the capital. However, the news of Jiang He's return spread throughout the entire capital in an instant because of Feng Meiyu's arrest in the Jingzhao government office.

Jiang He now seemed much more composed, and no one would have imagined that she would say something like "pulling out Feng Meiyu's tongue." Zuo Pinggong couldn't believe it either, but remembering her family's instructions to cultivate a good relationship with Jiang He, she made a gesture of invitation, leading Jiang He to sit down: "Then we must catch up properly today. You haven't seen us for three years."

Jiang He nodded and sat down with Ji Xue.

At this moment, someone noticed that she had brought a young man with rosy lips and white teeth, and teased, "Jiang He, I've never seen many people bring men into Qingxiufang. Who is this behind you?"

Jiang He gently shook the cup in her hand, seemingly casually saying, "They are my guards."

It's not that women don't use men as bodyguards, but nowadays most women prefer handsome and charming men. Those men with high martial arts skills are often cold and hard-hearted, and they don't win the favor of noble ladies. Besides, men should marry early, be good wives and mothers, and it's not easy for men who have served as bodyguards to get married.

Jiang He's little guard looked quite cute and fair-skinned, but upon closer inspection, one could detect something unusual about him.

Everyone in the capital knows Qingxiufang. Zuo Pinggong had other intentions in inviting this meal here. Before he could even warm his seat, several tall and slender dancers entered the private room, took empty seats, and began serving tea and wine.

A dancer sat next to Jiang He. This dancer seemed to have come prepared, as he did not wear heavy makeup. His face was pure and innocent, and his fair fingers gleamed. Unlike the others, he was not dressed provocatively. His attire was considered conservative in Qingxiufang.

"This servant will pour wine for Miss Jiang." The dancer's voice was as melodious as a clear spring, and Jiang He did not stop him.

In business settings, it's common to be accompanied by dancers and beautiful women. Even Jiang Shangyi sometimes finds it difficult to refuse. Jiang He naturally understands the reason behind this.

Seeing that Jiang He accepted the wine poured by the beauty, the atmosphere gradually became more cheerful. Zuo Pinggong also said that if Jiang He liked it, it would be fine to take the dancer back with her.

Most of the women in this capital city are engaged by the age of sixteen, and it takes them at most one or two years to marry their husbands. Zuo Pinggong also married his principal husband early and is well-versed in such matters. Most of the scions of noble families present are also married, or at the very least, they have several concubines.

Jiang He, however, returned after three years away without bringing back a suitable partner, and their marriage was still undecided.

There are quite a few women who want to marry into the Jiang family because they covet the family's wealth. Whether Jiang He is smart or foolish, the Jiang family's vast business empire and control of two out of the four workshops are a fatal attraction.

Jiang He cleverly changed the subject, and someone couldn't help but tease, raising their wine glass and saying, "Having seen a celestial beauty, how could anyone still be interested in the dancers of this Qingxiu Pavilion? Jiang He, don't you think so?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Pinggong secretly observed Jiang He's reaction.

Jiang He remained silent. Just as Zuo Pinggong was about to speak to ease the tension, she suddenly laughed and said, "Indeed, but Father is currently arranging my marriage. My husband has not yet entered the mansion, so how could I dare to take a concubine first?"

Zuo Pinggong finally heard the answer he wanted, and his smile widened. He echoed, "That's right, that's right. My husband has gotten quite angry with me about taking a concubine. It's better to admire this beauty from outside."

Qingxiu Lane was bustling with activity, a place where many young men from noble families sought pleasure, and even some high-ranking officials of the imperial court secretly kept mistresses there.

Kang Minzhi finally managed to steal a moment of leisure from her busy schedule and wanted to relax at Qingxiufang, but as soon as she reached the door, she was stopped by a thin man.

She frowned, casting a disapproving glance, but when she saw who it was, she was suddenly startled and timidly walked forward, eager to get rid of them.

Xue Lingyu quickly caught up, clutching her sleeve tightly, and pleaded in a pitiful voice, "Aunt Kang, I beg you to save my mother! My mother is innocent..."

At the entrance of Qingxiufang, Kang Minzhi was being pulled by a man. Unable to bear the stares from those around her, she tried to break free from Xue Lingyu, only to find that he was quite strong despite being a man.

Like grasping at the last straw, Xue Lingyu refused to let go even when her fingernails bled. "Aunt Kang, you and my mother are best friends. My mother's imprisonment is also related to you. Are you going to stand idly by?"

Unless absolutely necessary, Xue Lingyu would never stoop to begging others.

When the Xue family lost power, Xue Taifu was on the verge of death, and his mother was imprisoned. There was no news of her for several days. His father spent his days in tears, and the noble families that had been on good terms with the Xue family wanted to sever ties and were no longer willing to help.

If the Xue family hadn't been thoroughly convicted, he probably wouldn't have been able to leave his house.

Seeing that Xue Lingyu was keeping her pinned down, Kang Minzhi simply kept walking inside, thinking that Xue Lingyu, a young master from a noble family, wouldn't step into such a place. Unexpectedly, Xue Lingyu followed her in, completely disregarding the demeanor of a young master from a noble family.

The private rooms on the second floor offered a clear view of the situation on the first floor, and Xue Lingyu attracted a lot of attention as soon as she entered.

"Isn't that Xue Lingyu? What's he doing here? The person he's holding looks like Minister Kang from the Ministry of Personnel... Hmm... Men and women shouldn't touch each other, could it be Xue Lingyu...?"

"The Xue family has recently run into trouble. I heard that he went everywhere seeking help, and even banged the drum at the Jingzhao government office all day, but no one paid any attention."

The conversation among a few people quickly and clearly explained the situation.

Everyone turned their attention to Jiang He, since they all knew that she had admired Xue Lingyu three years ago. At that time, she made quite a splash. Perhaps this time she would step in to help Xue Lingyu, win his favor, and take the opportunity to win the beauty's heart.

Under everyone's gaze, Jiang He calmly picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, and chewed it, as if she had no interest in what was happening downstairs.

"Now that I've tasted the food, and there's still business to attend to, I'll take my leave." Jiang He stood up and gestured to Zuo Pinggong that she was about to leave.

Remember Xue Guaiguai followed behind Jiang He and walked towards the kitchen.

As Xue Lingyu was locked in a stalemate with Kang Minzhi, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a woman walking toward him. When she passed by, Xue Lingyu recognized her as Jiang He.

In the past, he was so handsome and elegant that he was sought after by young ladies from noble families. Countless people came to propose to him when he turned fifteen. The name "Young Master Xue" was an unattainable figure.

Now... Xue Lingyu was slightly dazed, and his hands loosened their grip. Taking advantage of his distraction, Kang Minzhi quickly made his escape.

Three years ago, Jiang He was head over heels in love with him, and was even willing to pick ninety-nine plum blossoms just to make him happy, but now she wouldn't even give him a second glance.

Xue Lingyu remembered someone's suggestion that the Jiang family was no longer what it used to be, and that he should beg Jiang He, even if it meant submitting himself to her, as long as it could really save his mother.

◎Latest Comments:

Next up, I'd like to see "The Bewitching King".

Let's talk about being a good wife and mother, hahaha.

[Update it!]

[Keep it up! Keep it up!]

【come on】

I love it, keep going, keep going!

[The plot hole is so shallow, I'm waiting for an update.]

[There is a typo in the description; "而" should be "二是".]

【So beautiful!】

Will it be very angsty? QAQ

-over-