Девять песен - Глава 12
Chapter 29 The Master's Wrath
"What did you say?!" Amidst the roar, a chubby middle-aged man in brocade robes pointed a trembling, white finger at Chu Xiang, the nominal owner of Chu Yan Lou.
"Master..." Chu Xiang's face was deathly pale, trembling with fear at his master's raging anger, yet he dared not remain silent. "Master, Miss Hongxing from Zhongfang Garden originally agreed to come, but then changed her mind. In the past few days, I've sent several groups of men to cause trouble at Zhongfang Garden. My plan was to take advantage of Jin San's thugs' resentment and troublemaking to snatch a few girls. Even if Rong Meigu objected, once the girls arrived, she wouldn't dare do anything because of your power, Master. But, I never expected that Ziru would become so formidable. Our men went and were all defeated, returning bruised and battered, bedridden. Later, seeing even Jin San's thugs being treated so badly, they all refused to come anymore. I pleaded and begged, but not a single one was willing. It's truly..."
The fame of Zhongfangyuan did not come out of thin air. Every year, they would go out several times to other countries to find beautiful women, and then try to buy them and train them. Now, in addition to women from Tianxing Kingdom, there are also many women from Dawei, Beixian, and other small ethnic groups and countries. They have different styles, which is why Zhongfangyuan has become the number one brothel in Tianxing.
However, the common people cannot fight against the officials. No matter how powerful Zhongfang Garden was, it was ultimately run by a commoner. Under the repeated suppression and bullying of Chu Yanlou, it suffered a lot of hidden losses.
For example, the girls from Zhongfang Garden would often mysteriously disappear, only to suddenly reappear at Chuyanlou under different names, or suddenly appear in the home of a high-ranking official, becoming his concubine or a courtesan. Upon further inquiry, it turned out that these girls were gifts from Li Jinhuan, the mastermind behind Chuyanlou.
Today was exactly the case. Seeing that Zhongfangyuan had been in constant trouble lately, Lord Li was overjoyed, thinking he could take the opportunity to annex Zhongfangyuan and at least get a few more beautiful women to give away. Unexpectedly, after the news got out, things suddenly took such a turn.
Li Jinhuan was so angry that he trembled.
"So useless! What use are you to me?! Don't you know that Lord Zhang, Lord Chen, and Lord Zhu have already secretly arranged for Hongxing, Chuntao, and Lihua with me? Now you're telling me no one's here? How am I supposed to explain this to them? Huh? I'll kick you to death, you blind idiot!"
"Master...Master, spare me...Master..." Chu Xiang screamed repeatedly.
Madam Li sat to one side, coldly watching Chu Xiang roll on the ground until blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, before she spoke indifferently, "Never mind, sir. If you really kicked him to death, it'll be one less person to do the work."
Li Jinhuan stopped, panting heavily, and sat down to the side. He took the tea that his wife handed him and drank a few sips. The maid next to him hurriedly came over to pat his chest and help him catch his breath.
Chu Xiang struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stood to one side. "Thank you, Madam, for your pleading; thank you, Master, for your mercy."
"Enough," Madam Li said coldly. "Chu Xiang, you know what time it is now. If it were a matter of money or business, we could postpone it, but this concerns the master's career. These officials are crucial to the master's future; they are all influential figures who can speak for the emperor. Do you know that the position of Minister of Revenue has been vacant for some time? Now is the critical moment. As long as these officials support him, the position of Minister will be your master's for the taking. Normally, no matter what we send them, they might not even look at it. Now, they've only taken a fancy to a few girls. The master has already made his decision, but you haven't succeeded. You've caused such a huge mess for the master. If you can't clean up this mess, you know the consequences."
Chu Xiang na na.
"I'll give you three more days. If you don't see these girls within three days, I'll beat you to death!" Li Jinhuan roared as he caught his breath.
Yes, yes, yes.
Chu Xiang fled out the door as if his life depended on it, only daring to stop after walking a considerable distance. He spat out a mouthful of red saliva, clutched his swollen cheek, and cursed viciously, "Damn it, I work like a slave, and I still get beaten and scolded like this! I'm a piece of trash!"
"He steals someone else's girl and then comes to offer gifts. Damn it, he thinks he's some high-ranking official? He's more arrogant than a thug, more unreasonable than a bandit. Damn it..."
He muttered curses and grumbled for a while, then stared blankly in the direction of Qingchu Street, lost in thought.
I finally managed to climb to this position in the master's eyes. If I were to be abandoned by him because of something like today, I would truly be devastated. The master is ruthless and merciless. He would never give a second glance to anyone who cannot do things for him. When he says he will beat someone to death, he is not joking.
Chu Xiang stared blankly for a while, then suddenly spat out another mouthful of saliva in a fierce rage.
No way! I absolutely can't just go back to being a pathetic hoodlum. I finally climbed this big tree, I can't just let it slip away. Damn it, and that kid Li Yuan, he's always eyeing me like a hawk, clinging to the master, hoping I'll make a mistake so he can take my place in front of the master. I can't let him have his way.
No, I have to find a way to get this done today.
Zi Ru is just a delicate little woman, isn't she? So what? Hmph, no matter how capable she is, she can't compare to that person, right? Back when Dad was still alive, he helped that person once, and that person promised to do Dad a favor in the future. Now that Dad's dead, that favor naturally falls on my shoulders. Damn it, I didn't want to drag this person into this so soon, but to protect my position, I have no choice but to use him first.
Yes, that's what we'll do.
Chu Xiang laughed sinisterly and muttered to himself, "I'll deal with you, then let's see how you compete with me."
Chapter 30 Returning to My Own Time
"Who awakens first from the great dream? I know myself best. I sleep soundly in my little hut in spring, while the sun lingers outside the window." I poked my head out from under the covers, lazily reciting the altered poem by Zhuge Liang, and stretched out a big yawn.
As usual, when I woke up, the huge French windows were letting in the golden glow of the setting sun. The dappled sunlight passed through the large, water-blue curtains and warmly fell onto the bed. The shadows of the large plants on the balcony outside the window swayed quietly on the bed.
A delicate rose scent permeated the air.
I stood there stunned for several minutes before my eyes snapped open.
Wow! Isn't this my little room in my own time and space? My eyes swept across it, and every table, chair, book, and item was something I had personally picked out from various secondhand bookstores, libraries, antique markets, and furniture stores. It's my little nest where I've lived for almost twenty years!
So, does that mean I'm already back?
I was so happy that I jumped up on the bed and rolled around in the blankets.
I remember last night before falling asleep, I was still in that time and space, leaning against the antique carved bed, laughing and joking with Ziru as we recounted the countless pranks we'd played on over the past few days, while playfully fighting over osmanthus cakes. Later, we fell asleep together, our bodies sinking into the layers of brocade quilts on the carved bed. In my dream, the fragrance of osmanthus lingered gently.
Who would have thought that when I opened my eyes, I would be in a completely different world?
I haven't said goodbye to Ziru yet, and I feel a little regretful.
And that damned Minister and that big idiot, we promised to play a trick on them, but we haven't had a chance to do it yet.
Fine, I'll let them go since they can go home.
However, I really didn't expect Master to act so quickly this time. He brought me back overnight without me even realizing it. Considering he didn't get carried away and forget about me when I needed him, I'll forgive his usual little quirks. Or perhaps I can grant him a small wish... or...
"How about something else?" A voice suddenly rang out as the wind picked up behind them.
I was startled and turned around to look.
A gust of wind rose, and the curtains, the color of water and clouds on the horizon, billowed and surged. As the voice spoke, the scorching temperature that I had felt intensely since returning suddenly dropped, and a familiar, sweet scent of pine resin filled the air, enveloping me.
A cold, slender hand gently pinched the back of my neck, and a soft laugh, carrying a hint of coolness, brushed against my face and ear, "Little Yan'er, what did you just say, 'How about this?'"
I slapped his hand away and turned around to glare at him. "Master, who gave you permission to read my thoughts again?"
The handsome man who suddenly appeared beside my bed blinked innocently, his thick, black, and long eyelashes fluttering. He looked at me with a half-smile, his eyes shimmering like black glass, his pupils reflecting a misty light. His absolutely perfect, exquisite features were delicate and fair, without a single flaw. His bright red, moist lips were slightly upturned, a hint of wickedness in his smile. He wore a long, black, fitted dress that accentuated his perfectly proportioned figure. He possessed a devilish allure and an angelic innocence that were perfectly combined.
Master raised his long eyebrows, completely ignoring my accusations, and said with great interest, "How about we cook you some demon soup? Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've had your demon soup, Little Yan'er. How about we get started now?"
"I'm not doing it anymore. Originally, I could have made you a demon soup after you brought me back, but you've violated my taboo again. You dared to ignore my warnings and come to read my thoughts. Your merits and demerits cancel each other out, so the demon soup is gone." I said righteously and angrily.
The master's face immediately fell.