"It's been six days …"
Xiao Huan sat in the yard and habitually counted her fingers and muttered to herself.
Son-in-law and Second Miss had been walking for six days. They should be arriving in the capital soon.
Yesterday, the Lantern Festival had passed. Miss took her to the street to see the lanterns. When they came back, they bought a few beautiful lanterns to hang in the room.
If Son-in-law was here, he wouldn't have to spend money to buy them. The person who sold the lanterns said that as long as he guessed the riddles, he could take the lanterns back. Son-in-law was very good at guessing riddles. He would definitely lose money.
There was some noise outside. She heard it in the yard just now. It seemed that Uncle Fang and the others went to the brothel yesterday when Aunt was not at home. When they came out, they were caught on the spot by the aunties who came back from the temple. Last night, the house was noisy all night. Early in the morning, they could see the brooms raised high in the yard next door.
A figure suddenly jumped in from the door. Fang made a shushing gesture to Xiao Huan and whispered, "I'll hide here. Don't tell your aunt."
As he spoke, he quickly flashed into the storage room.
Xiao Huan sighed. Uncle Fang was such an honest person. Why did he like to go to such an unscrupulous place?
She pouted in the direction of the storage room to Aunt Fang, who was chasing from outside. Lying on the rocking chair, it was very comfortable. No wonder Son-in-law liked to lie on it before.
There was a scream from the room. A figure rushed out of the room and crawled out of the yard. Aunt Fang hurriedly chased after him with the broom in her hand.
…
…
In the yard next to Ruyi Square, several long tables were put together. On the table was a huge canvas. A woman in a humble dress with a wooden hairpin in her hair was holding a brush in her hand. The tip of the brush was moving on the canvas. The painting in front of her was more than half finished. The scenery was vivid. A tall tower stood on Lonely Mountain. Huge waves thousands of feet high swept from the front, as if they were going to drown the whole mountain.
This was a scene from the Legend of the White Snake, which was the most popular play in recent days. It was called The Flooding of Jinshan. The mountain was so majestic that it looked like it was about to come out of the canvas. The water was so strong that it looked like it was going to surge out of the canvas. From afar, it was very shocking.
Wan Ruoqing walked out of the room, shook her head, and said, "You can keep your composure. There are people out there who are willing to pay three thousand taels of silver just to see you. Even a portrait can be sold for more than a hundred taels of silver. Why do you work so hard for a few dozen copper coins?"
"It's different." After standing for a long time, Zeng Zuimo twisted her sore waist and said, "I don't care. You promised to take me in anyway. You can't go back on your word now."
"Your fame has already spread out of Qing 'an Prefecture. Everyone knows about the Goddess of Luo Shui. The Song of a Beauty and the Ode of the Goddess of Luo have been passed around and copied by countless people. It is said that the price of the paper in Qing' an Prefecture is ten percent higher than usual."
Wan Ruoqing looked at her and teased. "Who would have thought that the 'Goddess of Jade Pool' and 'Goddess of Luo Shui' that everyone in Qing 'an Prefecture knows about is such a scoundrel."
"What Goddess of Luo Shui? It's all his fault!" A trace of embarrassment appeared on Zeng Zuimo's face. Every time she heard others recite these lines, she couldn't help but think of that night when she was "honest" with him.
Once the "Luo Shen Fu" was released, her fame grew even greater than before. The matter of the number one scholar of Qing An Fu composing a poem for a beauty also became a legend. As long as it was a woman, there was no one who did not envy her. Those poems would definitely be passed down. Whenever it was mentioned in the future, Zeng Zuimo's name would also appear. She had truly become famous throughout the ages …
But she just wanted to live a peaceful life in the future. After this incident, this wish became an extravagant hope. She had to cover her face even when she went out, afraid of being recognized. How could there be a peaceful life …
As for the culprit who caused all of this, he didn't know where he was currently enjoying himself.
"If you don't like it, you might as well give me that book of poems." Wan Ruoqing looked at her and said with a smile, "I'm afraid you can't bear to part with it. Without that book of poems, our 'Goddess of Luo Shui' won't have something to hold and smile at every night."
"And you're talking about me? I don't know who it is that has to take out that sky lamp to look at every two days …" Zeng Zuimo's pretty face blushed slightly, but she didn't lose out at all.
An imperceptible trace of envy appeared in Wan Ruoqing's eyes. She changed the topic and said, "The top ten courtesans of Upper Yuan Night have already been selected. Don't you want to know who the courtesans are this year?"
"Who else can it be? It's just that the battle for the first place is a little more intense, but it's just a competition between Lu Qiaoqiao and Liu Yiyi. Liu Yiyi wants to surpass Lu Qiaoqiao, who has the support of Qing 'an Scholar, with just a few businessmen. I'm afraid it won't be so easy for her to get the first place. As for the others — it's probably those old faces." Zeng Zuimo added a few more strokes on the canvas and said indifferently.
Wan Ruoqing nodded and said, "Indeed, Liu Yiyi lost to Lu Qiaoqiao by a small margin in the end, and could only settle for second place. In addition to the two of them, there are four other courtesans who are still famous. The Jade Courtyard lost you and gained Chen Miaomiao. Although it's only the last place, with your fame, the Jade Courtyard won't have any big loss this time."
There was a sentence that Wan Ruoqing didn't say. Although Lu Qiaoqiao was this year's champion, in terms of popularity, she was far less than Zeng Zuimo. If she didn't redeem herself, even if she didn't do anything, she could still firmly take the position of champion.
There was a knock on the door behind her. Wan Ruoqing walked over and opened the door. When she saw the person, she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
"Zeng Zuimo, why do you have to do this!" A voice containing too many emotions suddenly sounded. The Jade Courtyard's madam ran into the courtyard. Looking at Zeng Zuimo, who was dressed in plain clothes and didn't even have a decent piece of jewelry on her, tears fell down.
"Mom, why are you here?"
Zeng Zuimo was shocked. She looked back and only breathed a sigh of relief when she found that no one had followed her.
The madam grabbed her hand and said excitedly, "Zeng Zuimo, come back with me. What's wrong with the Jade Courtyard? There's good food and drinks. Even if we have to serve you like an ancestor, it's fine. You're already living a life of happiness, why do you have to suffer like this!"
Looking at the madam's tearful and distressed expression, Zeng Zuimo was a bit amused and said, "Mom, you don't need to persuade me. Since I'm out, I won't go back … Oh, right, remember to pick tender ginger in the future. Old ginger is too stinging, you can't stand it …"
The method of using old ginger to make people cry was taught to her by her mother. She wanted to use this method to gain sympathy, but she used the wrong person.
Hearing her words, the madam wiped away her tears and sighed, "Sigh, you heartless woman. I didn't provide you with good food or good drink. Now that you've grown up, the Jades Courtyard can't accommodate the Goddess of Luo Shui anymore …"
"You really don't plan to go back?" After complaining for a while, the madam asked tentatively for the last time.
"I'm not going back." Zeng Zuimo smiled and said with absolute certainty.
A trace of annoyance appeared on the madam's face. She turned and walked out, saying as she walked, "Alright, the child has grown up, I can't keep her anymore. I just hope you don't forget the sisters in the courtyard. If there's a chance, support them more, and that will be your repayment to me."
This time, she didn't expect to invite Zeng Zuimo back. Although she was no longer in the Jade Courtyard, because of her great rise in fame, the Jade Courtyard's reputation also spread. These days, business was very good. If she hadn't been so heartless before and turned to support Chen Miaomiao, even if she couldn't invite her back, she would still be able to get more benefits. But now, she could only hope that Zeng Zuimo would remember the past and help the girls in the building, which was also helping her in disguise.
"Finally out." Seeing the madam's figure disappear, Zeng Zuimo's heart relaxed for no reason.
"Finally here!" Looking at the city walls that were much taller and more majestic than Qing 'an Prefecture City, Li Yi let out a long breath and relaxed.
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