Chapter 57

◎I'm being taken to be a prostitute's concubine◎

Xue Lingyu took the finished undergarment to Liushui Xiaozhu. As he entered, he bumped into Yuange, who was coming out of Jiang He's room. Yuange recognized Xue Lingyu and almost called him "Young Master" as usual, but she realized it in time and pretended not to know him. The two brushed past each other.

Xue Lingyu turned around and stared at Yuange for a long time. It was this older sister who had informed the young lady of his first visit to Liushui Xiaozhu and kindly let him wait in the relatively warm corridor. She clearly recognized him, so why was she walking so hurriedly now, like a stranger?

Xue Lingyu even felt a little disappointed, wondering if she hadn't done her job well and was no longer well-liked.

What he didn't know was that Yuan Ge was afraid of giving herself away when she talked to Xue Lingyu. More importantly, Jiang He was still waiting for Xue Lingyu inside, so she didn't dare to linger for even a moment longer.

In the vast courtyard, Xue Lingyu only recognized the house closest to the plum tree, and the house was inhabited by the female steward who had made advances towards him. Although she might not even remember the incident, Xue Lingyu still held a grudge.

But apart from the woman who had just left, he only knew this female steward, and he needed to go to her room to find some money.

Xue Lingyu gritted her teeth and walked into Jiang He's shop.

The servants at Liushui Xiaozhu are all Jiang He's trusted confidants. They have all been instructed in advance that if a veiled servant wants to enter Jiang He's room, there is no need to stop him; he can do whatever he wants.

Before Xue Lingyu even stepped into the room, she saw Jiang He lying on the chaise longue reading a book. She held a book in one hand and was leisurely twirling a green jade pendant in the other. "It's so cold, yet she's putting on such an elegant act. Doesn't she feel cold?" Xue Lingyu thought to herself.

He took a few steps inside, making sure Jiang He could hear his footsteps, and timidly asked, "Fang Xiulang asked me to deliver the embroidered undergarment here. Do you know where Miss lives?"

Jiang He had already noticed Xue Lingyu looking around outside. She straightened up from the chaise longue, stared straight at the newcomer, and smiled, pretending not to know, saying, "You've caught me off guard. I don't know where Miss lives either."

Xue Lingyu knew that she was obviously bullying her. How could the steward by her young lady's side not know where her young lady lived? She just didn't want to tell her.

I thought he was a good person, but he's actually a bad guy and a lecher.

Xue Lingyu's eyes were full of resentment. She snorted and turned away, ignoring Jiang He.

This amused Jiang He even more. She had never seen him so childlike before. He was rarely seen even acting coquettishly, and was always restrained by the demeanor of a young master from a noble family.

"You can't just walk into Miss's room like that. Do you have feelings for her?"

"You're talking nonsense. I've never even met Miss Xue, how could I possibly have feelings for her?" Xue Lingyu's face flushed red as she stammered, "You're ruining my reputation."

Xue Lingyu's originally snow-white neck was flushed red, clearly she was angry. Jiang He thought to herself that he was so easily teased, so she stopped while she was ahead and took the clothes from Xue Lingyu's hands. "Give me the clothes first, I will pass them on to Miss. Tell Fang Xiulang that you did a good job."

Logically, Xue Lingyu could have left once her errand was finished, but she had something to hide and refused to leave so early, so Jiang He naturally didn't want her to leave either.

"Um... Fang Xiulang also asked me to ask Miss Yuange in the courtyard if she has any other instructions."

Yuange is the head steward of Liushui Xiaozhu and also the young lady's trusted maid. She is respected by the servants and is said to be steady, cautious and reliable, just like Ruiming by the master's side, who is good at winning the master's favor.

Xue Lingyu naturally assumed that Jiang He was Yuan Ge.

He couldn't see the word "composure" in this woman at all. Her eyes, however, were sharp and had the marks of hardship. The way she turned the jade pendant gave her a rather frivolous and carefree air.

If even the master likes a servant like this, he probably will never be able to please the master in his entire life.

Jiang He was generous with her praise for Xue Lingyu's craftsmanship, saying, "The plum blossoms on the inner garment are embroidered beautifully. Go back and tell Fang Xiulang that Miss also wants a bright red wedding dress, which needs to be finished before May."

Xue Lingyu couldn't believe her ears. "Unless all the embroiderers in the manor work together, it's impossible to make a complete wedding dress before May."

Although she had only studied with Fang Xiulang for a few days, Xue Lingyu clearly understood that wedding dresses were the most intricately embroidered of all garments. Even an unmarried man would have to spend at least three years embroidering his own wedding dress, let alone trying to make one in just a few months.

Jiang He's request was simply impossible to fulfill. Xue Lingyu's mind was filled with the word "impossible," and he even began to suspect that this woman was deliberately making things difficult for him.

“I haven’t heard that Miss is going to get married. There isn’t even a concubine in the manor. Why would Miss need a wedding dress? You’re just bullying her.”

This was the umpteenth time Xue Lingyu had accused him of bullying her. If she really wanted to bully him, she would have a hundred or even thousands of ways to do so. However, his words made Jiang He's eyes light up with amusement. "Who said there are no concubines in the manor now? Doesn't Miss have a beloved concubine?"

With her beloved concubine right before her eyes, Jiang He asked this question, the true feelings of which only she herself understood.

Xue Lingyu only knew that her mistress's beloved concubine had disappeared without a trace, causing many servants in the mansion to be implicated and driven out. The concubine had not been found to this day, and her mistress was heartbroken and had no heart to manage the business.

Xue Lingyu wasn't curious about these things; what did other people's business have to do with him? But his eyes were carefully searching the ground, trying to find the whereabouts of his precious silver. He deliberately delayed asking the question.

"Didn't Miss's beloved concubine go missing? I arrived at the manor late and didn't know about this. Could you tell me about it?"

His little tricks naturally didn't escape Jiang He's eyes, making her almost burst out laughing. How could she let Xue Lingyu know? Instead of racking her brains to find a few taels of silver, she might as well just ask her directly, since she had a little money of her own.

Jiang He's gaze seemed to drift away from Xue Lingyu, and she chuckled, "You want to know? Then I'll tell you."

"The young lady's beloved concubine is extremely beautiful. She used to be admired by countless people in the capital. If it weren't for the changes in her family, she would never have been able to enter the mansion. However, the two have been quite harmonious after their marriage. When the concubine wanted the stars in the sky, the young lady would quickly go and pluck the moon for her without daring to neglect her in the slightest."

After Jiang He finished speaking, she paused for a moment and looked at Xue Lingyu's expression.

Xue Lingyu was wondering if the silver had fallen onto the boudoir, since he had been pressed onto it that night. He had been listening to what Jiang He was saying, but he was only listening with his ears, his mind was completely focused on finding the silver.

Jiang He leaned closer to Xue Lingyu, her gaze complex, and said, "If Miss's beloved concubine were still alive, Miss would be very happy. After all, she had already planned to elevate the concubine to the status of principal wife, giving her a respectable identity so that others would not look down on her."

Jiang He suddenly got so close that Xue Lingyu didn't notice and slipped, falling backward.

Jiang He immediately wrapped her arms around his slender waist and pulled him into her embrace. Xue Lingyu's veil slipped down, revealing his bright, white-toothed face, and his clear, autumn-water-like eyes met Jiang He's gaze.

Xue Lingyu asked with a puzzled look, "What do you mean by 'becoming the official wife'?"

Jiang He composed herself and said, "It's nothing."

If Xue Lingyu still had her memories, she certainly wouldn't have reacted this way after hearing these words.

After getting out of Jiang He's arms, Xue Lingyu quickly put on his veil. Seeing how anxious he was, Jiang He suppressed her laughter. After putting on the veil, Xue Lingyu glared at her and said, "Xinyan told me that I can't let others see my face, or they will capture me and make me a concubine for a young lady."

Jiang He chuckled inwardly. She wasn't going to take just anyone with a bit of looks as a concubine; it had to be someone exceptionally beautiful like Xue Lingyu.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang He deliberately held up the silver in her hand, "Are you looking for this?"

Xue Lingyu's eyes lit up, and she reached out to take it back.

Jiang He put the silver away and pointed to a splash of red on the table. This was her real purpose. "Take this wedding dress back with you. I'll return it to you after I finish embroidering it."

Xue Lingyu frowned deeply. Seeing that Jiang He really didn't want to return it to her, she could only reluctantly take the wedding dress, muttering under her breath, "Wasteful brat."

So it turns out his money ended up in this woman's hands; no wonder he couldn't find it after searching the ground for so long.

Jiang He was stunned for a long time after hearing him call him a spoiled brat.

After returning home, Xue Lingyu was so angry that she wanted to throw away her wedding dress, but when she thought of her money, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and start embroidering the half-finished wedding dress.

He was surprised to find that the embroidery technique used on the wedding dress was exactly the same as his own; he almost thought it was his own work.

This wedding dress is exquisitely crafted, stitch by stitch. I wonder which gentleman the young lady will marry. Only a wealthy family would be qualified to wear such a wedding dress.

Who cares? It's none of his business who the young lady marries. Even if she takes in 108 wives, it will just make the mansion a bit more lively.

Xue Lingyu planned to work through the night for the next few days to finish the embroidery and get his money back as soon as possible. He lit a lamp and was about to concentrate on his work when he heard a loud noise outside. A moment later, Xinyan pushed the door open and came in.

He was carrying a food box, clearly there to deliver food to Xue Lingyu. As soon as he entered, he said excitedly, "I just saw Miss. She looked very anxious and went straight to the stable. I heard that a noble lady in the palace is about to give birth. The lord has already entered the palace, and Miss should also be going to the palace."

The Jiang residence was bustling that night. Xin Yan even heard that the young lady had personally opened the storeroom and taken out several ginseng roots, rushing to deliver them to the nobles in the palace.

Xue Lingyu put away her needlework, placed the wedding dress aside, and asked nonsensically, "Is Miss pretty?"

Xin Yan was oblivious; he only saw Xue Lingyu embroidering a red thing and never imagined it was a wedding dress.

He recalled the young lady's appearance when he first saw her and smiled, "Of course the young lady is beautiful, otherwise how could she have won the prince's favor?"

Xin Yan lowered her voice, "I heard that Miss rejected the prince's marriage proposal for her beloved concubine. She must be a very devoted woman. Such a wealthy, high-status, and devoted woman, I wonder what kind of celestial beauty her beloved concubine is. She is truly blessed."

Xue Lingyu picked up her wedding dress again and began embroidering, casually asking, "What is the name of your beloved concubine, Miss?"

"It seems his surname is Xue... and his given name is something like Yu."

Xue Lingyu's hand suddenly trembled, and a few drops of blood appeared on her fingertips.

A note from the author:

Guess whether Jiang Wanyi gave birth to a boy or a girl?

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-02-07 20:39:27 and 2022-02-08 23:33:23!

Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: 52214112 and 1 Three Sheep;

Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Ningzhi, Wu, and Sanzhiyang (10 bottles each); Qingyu (6 bottles); Zuihuan (5 bottles); and jyxsxlyjh and Yuanyuan (2 bottles each).

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

[I want one son and one daughter; I don't want my daughter to suffer any injustice later in life.]

Twins would be the best, haha, of course two daughters would be great too, and two sons are also very cute.

They are usually twins (a boy and a girl).

【claw】

[I hope nothing bad happens to Wan Yi. Please.]

[Looking forward to it! Can't wait for the update!]

[Twins, right? Wasn't it supposed to be twins?]

[Twins Forum]

The thought of Xue Xue regaining her memories and discovering how much she can act cute is quite amusing.

[Big brother, you also need to take a rest. Will watering the small tree pit with nutrient solution make it grow into a towering tree?]

【Wife… I’ve been slapped in the face.】

-over-