"Don't frame me, I'm a good person."
“What a kind person…” Qiu Lingling blinked, “Doesn’t seem like it.”
"You've really improved," the young master said, his face hardening.
Qiu Lingling waved the dice cup in front of him, laughing, "Just kidding, don't be angry, you little rascal!"
The young master's peach-blossom eyes slanted slightly: "Am I not a good person?"
Qiu Lingling put down the dice cup and said solemnly, "You are very good."
The young master asked with a smile, "Besides Jin Huanlai, isn't Brother Yi the best?"
Qiu Lingling smiled shyly, without answering, and pushed the dice cup to him: "You're really good, teach me quickly."
The young master shook his head: "That won't do. If you learn to gamble at Qiufeng Hall, won't you scare away all the customers?"
Qiu Lingling rolled her eyes: "If you don't teach me, I'll tell everyone that Qiufengtang is owned by the Yi family, and that Yi Qinghan cheated on his bets!"
The young master suppressed a laugh: "Little girl, how dare you threaten me?"
Qiu Lingling rolled her eyes at him, then laughed: "I don't care about money. Jin has plenty of money."
The young master looked at her for a moment, his smile turning cold: "Is that so?"
.
On the main street, two snow-white horses pulled a magnificent carriage slowly towards them and stopped outside the Qiufeng Hall.
Liu Bai reluctantly dismounted and spoke to the people who came to greet him. His idol's image crumbled rapidly. The young master's taste was getting increasingly low-class. Not only did he not play chess or read books, but he spent all his time playing dice with that little girl, and even personally brought her to Qiufeng Hall to gamble! Shouldn't he at least have some self-respect? Is this a place for you? Didn't you see Jiang Xiaohu? Women aren't treated like this. Do you want everyone to know that your future wife is a thief, a drunkard, and a gambling addict?
The young master lightly lifted his robe with a folding fan, gracefully alighted from the carriage, and was about to turn around to help the person when he saw Qiu Lingling jump directly off the carriage. The young master smiled, thinking, "She really is like a little kitten."
Qiu Lingling looked around, a little uneasy, and whispered, "A lot of people are watching us."
The young master nodded: "So you must win."
Qiu Lingling blinked: "I'm sure..." She suddenly stopped.
Following the direction of her gaze, the young master frowned: "What is it?"
Qiu Lingling stood there for a while, her expression gradually becoming tense. She pointed to a small building in the distance and asked, "What is that place?"
The young master said, "It's the residence of Jiang Liuqing, the most famous courtesan."
Qiu Lingling's face turned pale instantly. She bit her lip and suddenly ran towards the small building.
.
He lay sprawled on the couch, the melodious sound of a flute filling his ears. Beside him, a beautiful woman peeled fruit and fed him the flesh.
Just then, a woman in black suddenly burst through the door: "What are you doing here!"
The beauty was so startled that she stood up.
The woman in black rushed to the bedside, glaring angrily at the person on it: "Didn't you go to Huai'an? What are you doing here!"
The person on the couch only glanced at her and said, "What are you doing here?"
"I wait for you every day, and you..." She couldn't help but cry, kicking him and punching him with her fists, "You said you wouldn't come again! You bastard! Get up!"
No matter how much she kicked and hit, the person on the bed remained motionless, seemingly unaffected.
The beautiful woman beside her immediately understood what was going on. She figured this must be a powerful figure in the guest's home. Seeing that she had hit her hard, she became worried, fearing that something serious might happen in her place. She hurriedly came over to persuade her. Qiu Lingling was just angry. When she saw her being pulled, she became even more upset. She casually pushed her away. Little did she know that the beautiful woman was not as skilled in martial arts as she was. She immediately lost her balance and was pushed to the ground.
"Alright, alright!" Jin Huanlai suddenly stood up, went over to help the beauty up, and didn't even look at her. "What man isn't like this? What's so strange about it? Let you act like this. Go back!"
Qiu Lingling murmured, "But you promised me..."
Jin replied impatiently, "So what if you agree? It's none of your business how men are treated. Go back, go back!"
Qiu Lingling stared at him in a daze.
The beauty, however, felt a pang of pity. Originally, she had only hoped to find a good man to redeem her from her servitude, but in the years she had spent in the brothel, she had seen many resentful and jealous women. Now it seemed that they might not be so satisfactory either. How many men who came to such a place were worthy of her trust? Thinking this, she couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. She softly advised, "Young master, you've been out for several days now. Why don't you go back and take a look?" Seeing him looking at her, she immediately knew better than to say anything more. Who could offend the god of wealth?
Jin picked up a wine glass and drank it all in one gulp: "Go back, and don't wander around unless necessary."
Qiu Lingling wiped her eyes, stepped forward, and pulled him, whispering, "Shall we go back?"
Looking at that hand, then at that tear-streaked face, Jin remained silent for a long time before turning his face away and saying, "Go back first." He gently pushed her away.
Qiu Lingling kicked him and ran away.
"What are you standing there for? Do you really want to kick me out?" he said coldly.
The beauty came to her senses and realized that her words might have offended this distinguished guest. She immediately smiled sweetly, sat down next to him, and spoke softly and tenderly.
.
In the study of the South Building, the stuffy air was irritating. A half-melted ice block sat in an agate jar beside it, and a crystal curtain rippled, reflecting the alluring red dress, the exquisite face, and the captivating charm between her brows.
A servant brought over a basin of freshly drawn, cool well water. The young master washed his hands and said, "A beautiful woman's smile is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Miss Xinluo has been smiling ever since she entered the door. Isn't she at a disadvantage?"
Lan Xinluo smiled even more charmingly: "I heard that Young Master Yi was abandoned by a young lady on the street. Isn't that funny?"
The young master said calmly, "It is indeed funny. I didn't expect you to be so concerned about my affairs."
"Oh, are you angry?" Lan Xinlu patted her chest and blinked at him. "Those people were not sent by me, nor were they monitoring you. It was just that Jiang Xiaohu was at Qiufeng Hall at the time. Young Master Yi, please don't blame the wrong person."
The young master said, "Master Lan is not in Lan Family Village."
Lan Xinlu raised an eyebrow: "See, you should be saying you care a lot about our affairs."
“I only care about my own business,” the young master laughed. “If I’m going to send out twenty million taels of silver for no reason, I naturally have to find out more about it, lest someone take the money and run away with it.”
Lan Xinlu couldn't help but laugh: "Young Master Yi is indeed an interesting person."
The young master nodded: "But you mustn't try to cling to me."
Lan Xinlu glared at him: "I've never seen such a shameless man as you."
The young master asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to see me? Is there something you need?"
Lan Xinluo asked, "What have you thought about what happened last time?"
The young master said, "I'm not used to making deals with beautiful women."
Lan Xinluo feigned surprise: "Why?"
The young master said, "When women are too beautiful, I am so focused on looking at them that I forget to look at their sincerity. Especially when it comes to promises made by clever women, I can hardly keep them."
Lan Xinluo laughed: "You want to see him?"
The young master nodded: "I feel more at ease talking to the person in question."
Lan Xinlu frowned and pondered: "He is currently handling affairs at the branch headquarters, but that money cannot be delayed."
The young master said, "I can allocate five million taels first."
"It's a deal."
.
As dusk fell, the wind and rain dispelled the oppressive heat in the air. Rain pattered against the lotus leaves, creating a continuous pattering sound. Yet, amidst this cacophony, a beautiful flute melody drifted up, its intermittent notes mingling with the sounds of rain and lotus leaves, carrying a hint of sorrow, as if someone were sobbing. The beautiful Dharma Protector Hua Yunfeng sat serenely in the pavilion, playing her flute, accompanied by two beautiful young women.
The flute music suddenly stopped.
He got up, gave a few instructions, and then slipped into the rain.
Dressed in black, carrying a plain umbrella, the petite figure stood far away, seemingly about to be swallowed by the wind and rain.
Hua Yunfeng was a womanizer by nature and didn't care much about relationships. After Jin Huanlai warned him, he let go of his inhibitions. However, seeing her like this now, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He quickly looked around, took the umbrella, and covered the two of them with it: "It's raining so hard. If you need anything, just call me. Why did you come here by yourself?"
Qiu Lingling murmured, "I wasn't looking for you, it's just... your flute playing sounded very sad."
Hua Yunfeng laughed: "Sad? You can tell?"
Qiu Lingling didn't answer, but suddenly said, "Jin Huanlai is back."
"The leader is back?" Hua Yunfeng exclaimed in surprise. "Damn it, were you deliberately hiding in the shadows to observe us?" Then, cold sweat broke out on his brow. "Have I done anything wrong lately...?"
Qiu Lingling remained silent for a while before saying, "He's with Jiang Liuqing."
Jiang Liuqing? The number one courtesan? Hua Yunfeng suddenly realized, his pity growing stronger. Now he knew our leader wasn't a good person. The little girl was too naive; how could she have been tricked into becoming his wife?
Qiu Lingling's eyes were slightly red as she looked at him and said, "Protector Qian isn't here. Could you go and call him back?"
If you can't even call him back, do you think I'd dare to call him? Of course Protector Qian wouldn't be here. Hearing your words, he'd probably already run off to hide in some corner. Hua Yunfeng chuckled dryly, "It's just looking for a woman, nothing special. All men are like that. Don't worry, the leader is probably just out having some fun and will be back in a few days."
Qiu Lingling glanced at the two girls in the pavilion, then lowered her eyes: "Are all men like this?"
Hua Yunfeng felt a little sorry for her and comforted her, "Men can marry many women, let alone our leader. You don't need to be afraid. Since he let you live in Jinyuan, he must still like you. Those women outside are nothing."
"I see," Qiu Lingling said softly.
Hua Yunfeng also felt ashamed and risked his life to offer a suggestion: "Why don't you... ask Young Master Yi for help?" Damn it, Jin, you can just keep having your fun outside. When you come back and find out your wife is cheating on you, you'll have a good time, haha.
Qiu Lingling hummed in agreement and remained silent.
Hua Yunfeng patted her shoulder, his tender-hearted nature resurfacing: "Be careful not to catch a cold, go back quickly, don't overthink it, he'll definitely come back when he's had his fun."
"Really?"
"real."
"Thank you, I'll head back now."
.
The wind and rain raged, the lanterns went out, and the Golden Garden was plunged into darkness. Only the patter of rain could be heard, along with sobbing sounds coming from the rooms, as if someone was weeping in their dreams.
Under the eaves, a tall, dark figure stood silently.
My heart was pounding, as if I were about to suffocate.
"Never betray her," that woman kept her promise, even at the cost of her life. How could he abandon her? It wasn't that they met too late; everything was wrong from the start. He could embrace anyone, but not this little girl. To embrace her with guilt towards another woman would be unfair to her, and he couldn't do that.
The sound of rain gradually subsided, and there was no more movement in the room.
He turned and left.
A clever plan to risk danger to obtain a warm jade cup
Several days passed, and Jin still hadn't returned, but two major events occurred in the city.