Mercenary Princess - Chapter 58
"Husband... Husband, where are you..." In the distance, Yu Yan's anxious voice could be faintly heard through the layers of people.
Upon hearing Yu Yan's voice, Rong Yue quickly craned her neck, raised her hand, and shouted towards the petite figure in the distance, "Yu Yan, I'm here! Here..."
"Husband!" Upon seeing Rongyue, Yuyan's eyes lit up with joy. Pushing through the crowd, Yuyan rushed over, panting. But when she saw the two large hands holding Rongyue, Yuyan was furious: "Who are you? Let go of my husband at once!"
Releasing Rongyue, Tuoba Jie wiped his hands with a handkerchief handed to him by a servant. He then gave the beautiful and refined Yu Yan a wicked look from head to toe, before glancing contemptuously at the filthy Rongyue. He sneered, "What a waste!" With that, he waved his hand, turned, and strode away with his servants, leaving Rongyue and the others with a magnificent silhouette…
Watching the red figure gradually disappear into the distance, Rongyue stood there blankly, muttering to herself, "Why does what he said not sound like a good thing to me?"
Yu Yan blushed deeply, her pretty face turning pale: "Ignore that damned monster!"
After blinking her hazy almond-shaped eyes a few times, Rongyue suddenly jumped up: "Damn it! So you're saying a beautiful flower is stuck in a pile of cow dung! Sour grapes! You damn transvestite!" Damn transvestite, that's all! She looks like a demon! She's probably a psychopath who can't find a wife, so she takes pleasure in slandering others!
After her anger subsided, Rongyue suddenly realized a very serious problem—the money was gone!
"You damn transvestite! Pay me back!" Rongyue shouted angrily, clutching her feet as she yelled at the red figure that had long since disappeared into the crowd.
Shaking the furious Rongyue, Yu Yan gently advised, "Forget it, the money is gone, we can always earn more!"
Holding her breath, Rongyue drooped her ears and looked dejected: "But where can we get money in such a short time? How will we solve the problem of food and lodging today without money..." As if in response to Rongyue's words, her stomach made a muffled rumbling sound.
Thinking about Rongyue's concerns, Yuyan realized it was indeed a major problem they were currently facing. She didn't know how to comfort her and lowered her head in silence. The two of them walked hand in hand, silently and aimlessly, down the bustling streets of Yangcheng. Their ragged clothes made them stand out starkly against the vibrant cityscape…
After a long silence, Rongyue looked up and asked, "Yuyan, what can you do?"
This question stumped Yu Yan. What could she do? Well… since she had been frail and sickly since childhood, it was already a miracle she was alive, let alone having the mind to learn anything.
"Can you cook?" Being a cook might be a way to earn a living temporarily...
He shook his head with a forced smile.
Hmm, maybe the ladies from well-to-do families here don't learn to cook...
"Do you know how to embroider?" Embroidering a little trinket might earn you some money...
I shook my head again, feeling embarrassed.
"Do you know calligraphy and painting?" Selling calligraphy or paintings is fine too...
In a voice barely audible: "I can only read, but I can't write."
"What about singing and dancing?" Street performances would also work...
The answer was still a shake of the head...
Good heavens, is she really expected to kill to support her family? You see, besides her exceptional skill in killing, she's completely clueless about everything else! How are these two women supposed to feed themselves? Now she finally understands what it means to be poor and destitute!
"Oh, there's a real beauty here!" Just as Rongyue and Yuyan were frowning in worry, a sarcastic voice came over. Looking up, they saw a greasy-faced young man a few steps ahead, walking with a pigeon-toed gait and two canine teeth, swaggering around with a folding fan and leering at Yuyan.
Thinking he was being dashing, the young master lifted Yu Yan's chin, his eyes filled with lewdness: "Little beauty, come with me, and I promise you'll live a life of luxury, I'll cherish you and treat you like a precious gem for the rest of my life, how about it?"
Yu Yan slapped away his fat paw and shouted angrily, "Get out of here!"
The young master, undeterred, shamelessly urged again, "Little beauty, what's the point of following this stinking beggar? Even the most delicate flower will wither under the wind and sun! It's different with me. I'll buy you beautiful silk fabrics, and precious hairpins and jewelry..."
Watching the fat pig relentlessly pursuing its goal, Rongyue smiled sinisterly to herself. No guns, no bullets, the enemy is supplying us…
Half an hour later, in a corner of the alley, three men lay sprawled on the ground, some clutching their stomachs, others holding their heads, rolling around in pain and groaning incessantly.
Weighing the seventy taels of silver and one hundred taels of silver notes she had plundered from the fat pig, Rongyue narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and pondered whether she should kill him to silence him.
Seemingly having guessed some of Rongyue's thoughts, the young master on the ground, his head still dazed from the beating, scrambled to Rongyue's feet, banging his head against the ground while wailing, "Great hero, spare my life! Great hero, I know I was wrong, please spare my life..."
“I really want to spare your life,” Rongyue said calmly, squatting down and lifting his swollen, unrecognizable face. “But I’m afraid! If I leave and you immediately go to report me to the authorities, then…”
"No, no," he hurriedly waved his two fat hands, arguing hastily, "No, no, even if you gave me ten lives, I would never dare..."
"Then swear a solemn oath! If you report this to the authorities, or if you ever seek revenge against us, may your parents die, may you be childless and childless, may all your wealth be lost, and may you become a beggar! Moreover, in your next life and the life after that, you will be reborn as a dog, beaten by everyone, and never be able to rise again! Just say it like that, don't skip a single word, swear it!"
"Great hero..." This oath is too cruel... With a bitter face, he hesitated to speak.
Seeing this, Rongyue sighed softly, "It seems that today, I will have to unleash a massacre..."
"No, hero! I'll win, I'll win..."
...
After filling their stomachs, buying clean clothes, and paying the innkeeper a month's deposit, Rongyue and her companion settled down at the Tianlong Inn in the bustling area of Yangcheng.
Tianlong Inn was one of the finest inns in Yangcheng, boasting an imposing entrance and luxurious decorations. The four large, vermilion-lacquered pillars in the lobby further enhanced its splendor. The inn had four floors, each with about twenty rooms, each like an independent little house, fully furnished with tables, chairs, screens, and all sorts of other furniture. Such an inn was comfortable, but also expensive; a month's stay cost fifty taels of silver, and Rongyue had already spent about a third of her money!
Call it being poor-management, or that they don't know the value of money, but they were absolutely determined not to stay in a cheap inn! Initially, they were considering the cost and wanted to find a cheaper inn for temporary accommodation. But upon entering the inn and seeing the rooms, they exchanged a knowing glance—those rooms were simply unfit for human habitation! The rooms were poorly arranged, dark, damp, and gloomy, and the strong musty smell was nauseating. And that wasn't all; seeing the cobweb-covered canopy, the thin, iron-bound blankets, the stinking mattresses, and the panting cockroaches crawling on the walls… they simply couldn't stand it any longer! They fled the horrifying, disgusting room, checked their pockets, and reluctantly turned their attention to the luxurious but expensive large inns…
Sigh, what can they do? They're all used to being pampered! It was one thing to be poor before, but now that they have money in their pockets, why would they suffer? Live for today, worry about tomorrow! Why think about being poor when you have money?
That's what they said, but when their pockets started to dwindle, Rongyue couldn't sit still any longer! If things continued like this, they'd be starving!
After a satisfying meal and a few words of advice to Yu Yan, Rong Yue left the inn and began wandering aimlessly through the streets, occasionally asking passersby for information about the local job market.
After a morning of investigation, she finally had some results. A waiter in a high-end restaurant typically earns around four taels of silver a month. A bodyguard for a wealthy family earns about five taels. Escorts in a镖局 (镖局 is a type of security agency in China) earn relatively more, around ten taels a month. However, being an escort naturally involves traveling all over the country, and leaving Yu Yan here alone seems…not very safe. The accountant earns about fifteen taels a month, which sounds good, but she's illiterate; does she expect to have to take Yu Yan with her to do the accounting? Then there's the constable, whose basic monthly wage is ten taels, and if they can catch a wanted criminal, a reward of a hundred or even a thousand taels is not out of the question. Rongyue pondered this, and of all these professions, it seemed that being a constable was the most lucrative…
"Hey! What are you doing!" At the entrance of the yamen, two guards stood with their spears crossed, blocking Rongyue's path.
"Get out of the way! I need to see your magistrate!" Straightening her back, Rongyue glared, trying her best not to lose in terms of imposing manner to the two constables.
"Go away! Who do you think the county magistrate is? Do you think someone like you can just see him whenever you want?" The bailiff shoved Rongyue impatiently, his face unfriendly, urging her away like a fly.
"You snobbish jerk!" Rongyue took a few steps back, and once she regained her footing, she rushed forward: "I'm a constable hired by your county magistrate! Get out of the way, or you'll lose your jobs!"