The carriage drove out of the city gate and headed east along the official road. The stable carriage gradually became bumpy.
The so-called official road was actually just a slightly flat dirt road. It was far from the asphalt road or even cement road of the future. The carriage did not have any shock-absorbing properties. It was fine if the distance was short, but sitting in the carriage for a few hours was no different from riding a motorcycle on the village road of the future. Li Yi had not felt this kind of torture in a long time.
He let out a long sigh. If it wasn't for this, he should be flying with Ruyi and going on a sweet honeymoon. They should be looking at the mountains, the water, the flowers, the stars, and the moon. He wouldn't be lying in the carriage alone, or the two of them …
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and fresh air with a light fragrance rushed in. Li Yi made some space for Miss.Liu. Bored to death, he looked through the gap in the curtain and threw a broad bean into his mouth while looking at the road that kept going backwards.
Although riding for a few hours was a piece of cake for Miss.Liu, it had long lost its initial novelty. She was in a deadlock with Li Yi over the last few broad beans in the bag.
Until Li Yi threw in a broad bean with his own saliva in exchange for a fierce eye roll from Miss.Liu, he finally won.
"After a few hours of traveling, everyone must be tired. Why don't we rest for a while?" Li Yi moved to the front of the carriage, lifted the curtain, and said to the people outside.
Old Man Li stuck his head out from a smaller carriage in the back and said, "Young master, it's getting late. In less than an hour, we'll arrive at the next county. Once we get there, we'll first find an inn to stay at and then set off tomorrow morning."
Li Yi nodded and climbed back into the carriage. He secretly rejoiced that the distance between Qing 'an prefecture and the capital was not too far. Six or seven days, compared to a journey that could easily take months, was considered very short.
However, thinking that this kind of jolting would continue for a week, he couldn't help but feel a headache …
…
…
In the small courtyard, the sun was about to set. The young maidservant was lying on the rocking chair that Li Yi often rested on. She was counting something with her fingers.
"Half a month is fifteen days. Son-in-law and Second Young Mistress have been gone for half a day. In another fourteen and a half days, we will see them again …"
"Xiao Huan …" Ruyi's voice came from inside the house.
Hearing her mistress's voice, the servant girl responded with a "Ah".
"Wash your hands and come back for dinner."
"I'll be back soon."
She got up from the rocking chair and glanced out the door. When she saw Uncle Fang pass by, she turned around and walked back into the room listlessly.
At the same time, Fang and a few other men had just walked out of the house.
"Fang, are you sure they won't come back before midnight?" A man asked with uncertainty.
"Don't worry." Fang patted his chest and said, "The women have gone to the temple to pray. They won't come back until after midnight. As long as we come back before midnight, there won't be any problems."
"That's good. I heard that the competition for the Courtesan Belle these days will be very exciting. It's not easy to wait until my wife is not at home. This time, we have to take a good look."
The few men laughed in tacit understanding. Once they were on the street, they immediately dispersed.
"Hehe, I'll go to Yingchun House to have a look. Fang, are you going to Jadeite Courtyard to see Miss Hong?" When only Fang and another man were left, the other man patted Fang's shoulder and left with a big smile.
Old Fang cursed under his breath and walked in the opposite direction.
At this time, in Jadeite Courtyard, the madam was hiding in the room, smiling happily. She was obviously in a good mood.
It was a wise decision to invest all the resources on Chen Miaomiao. She was already a little famous, and in the past few days, she had earned a lot of attention. In addition, she had also worked hard to win the support of many young masters. Her popularity was comparable to those veteran Courtesans. This year, she might be able to get one of the top ten Courtesans.
The only pity was that Drunken Mo seemed to be possessed by something. No matter what she said, she was not willing to compete for the position of Courtesan Belle. If she had such a thought, her ranking would definitely be higher than Chen Miaomiao's.
She had been in this industry for a lifetime, and had seen all kinds of temperaments. Someone like Drunken Mo would suffer sooner or later. If she didn't take advantage of her young years to work hard and plan for the future, she might be able to end up in a good family. Someone like her who acted recklessly would most likely end up in a miserable end.
There was a knock on the door. The madam withdrew her thoughts and opened the door. Seeing who it was, she asked, "Drunken Mo, what's the matter?"
If it was in the past, the madam would naturally not be so cold to the star of Jadeite Courtyard, her money tree. But now, the money tree had changed hands, so she naturally did not need to be so enthusiastic.
"Mother, aren't you going to invite me in?" Ceng Zuimo seemed to be completely unaware of this and still said with a smile.
"I say, Drunken Mo, listen to mother's advice. This will only destroy you in the end. Even if you don't think for mother, you have to think for yourself. If this goes on, mother really can't help you." No matter what, it was a relationship of many years, and the madam still did not give up trying to persuade her.
Zeng Zuimo smiled and said, "That's why I came this time."
"You've thought it through?" The madam's eyes lit up.
"Yes." Ceng Zuimo nodded and said, "I'm here to redeem myself."
…
…
"Where did you get so much money?" Looking at the stack of banknotes in her hand, the madam asked in shock after verifying their authenticity.
The banknotes were real. As long as she went to the corresponding bank, she could exchange them for the equivalent amount of silver. The problem was, where did she get so much money?
"This money should be enough, right?" Ceng Zuimo looked at her and asked.
"Enough …" The madam nodded mechanically.
According to the reputation, everyone in the Jadeite Courtyard had a clear price for their redemption. No matter who it was, as long as they had enough money, she would let them go.
Of course, she would not easily let go of Drunk Mo in the past. But now, her reputation was not as good as before. After the Top Beauty Competition, she was afraid that her reputation would drop a lot, and the money needed to redeem herself would naturally be less, at least far less than what she had in her hands.
She was a little hesitant at this moment. What if Drunken Mo …
As soon as this idea came up, she rejected it. It was a foregone conclusion that Chen Miaomiao would replace her as the new face of Jadeite Courtyard. There would be no more changes. Drunken Mo's usefulness to her was actually dispensable. It was better to accept the silver and do her a favor.
"Have you really thought it through?" The madam looked at her and asked seriously. Obviously, she had made her choice at this time.
After getting Ceng Zuimo's confirmation, the madam sighed and took out her contract from the box in the room. She said, "For the sake of our past friendship, if you want to leave, wait until after the Courtesan Competition."
Although her fame was not as good as before, she was still stronger than most people. At this critical time, there was no harm in gaining more popularity for Jadeite Courtyard.
"Okay." It was just a few days later. She had waited for so many years. A few more days was nothing. Moreover, the contract was in her hands. The moment she got it, she was already free.
When she walked out of the madam's room, Ceng Zuimo felt unprecedentedly relaxed. She finally unloaded the mountain that had been pressing on her shoulders for a long time. She let out a long sigh of relief and walked all the way back to her room. It was as if she did not see the various complicated looks from her sisters in the past. She ignored Chen Miaomiao's gloating look. She pushed open the door and walked in. She saw Xiao Cui sitting by the bed with a sad face.
"This silly girl," she murmured.
She had wanted to give her a surprise, but since she had promised her mother to keep it a secret, she could only tell her the news after the Courtesan Competition.
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