Noble Lady

Chapter 218: Silver

In the past few days, He Minzhi, who had just settled down for a while, started going out early and coming back late again.

In the past, he always stayed at Xiaocao's place, but now he comes back in the middle of the night and starts to sleep in the study again.

He also told Xiaocao to make him two new sets of clothes so that he could take them out as replacements.

Xiao Cao was worried that the situation had changed, so she secretly came to ask, "Madam, do you know what happened?"

Xue Chenyu said calmly, "Nothing, he's just infatuated with Bai Xiruo, the most beautiful lady in Zuixianju."

Before, she asked Prince Cheng to help find two prostitutes who were willing to enter the palace as concubines. Situ Zhen said he would give her the news in two days, and he would give her the news in two days.

But what he said was that he had found a man who was more powerful than thousands of soldiers, and he had someone send his portrait over.

After that, I said I would wait for his good news.

Of course, these were all conveyed by Yumei, including this time.

Last time he brought a portrait, and this time he only said one sentence: The matter I entrusted to you before has been completed.

After Yumei finished conveying the message, she further explained, "The person the young lady is looking for has already been brought to Lord He by Cui's son-in-law."

Xue Chenyu was stunned for a moment, "Cui Hua?"

"Yes." Yumei suppressed a laugh and said, "Not only did the Cui family's son-in-law accompany Second Aunt to her parents' home, he also took Lord He to visit a brothel."

If Liu Shi knew that Cui Hua had taken his son to a brothel, would she regret not having a rope to hang He Ruyi? She also let her marry such a bastard, ruining her last chance of being granted an imperial decree.

Xue Chenyu also kept an eye on the movements in the various courtyards of the He family and knew that He Minzhi had been going out early and coming back late.

So when Xiaocao came to ask her, she knew that it was the white girl who had already captured He Minzhi and did not hide it from Xiaocao.

Xiaocao was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a long time.

"...Last time, he himself said that civil servants like them must protect their reputation and must not allow anyone to catch them. It's only been a short time, and he's forgotten it."

"It's not that he forgot, it's that he got carried away." Xue Chenyu said with a meaningful smile, "He said that if he wants to move up steadily, he must be careful about his reputation."

"But he has already decided to take a shortcut, and he is convinced that his shortcut is safe and can help him succeed." Then he has nothing to worry about.

Xiaocao opened her mouth, wanting to say something but unable to speak. Was it right or wrong to be his concubine in the first place?

"You don't have to worry too much. As long as He Minzhi doesn't make any big mistakes, you will have no worries about food and clothing in your life." Xue Chenyu comforted.

Xiaocao thought about it and it made sense. With her background, even if she got married outside the house, she could only marry a peddler.

She herself had suffered the pain of selling her sons and daughters, and as a daughter, she was always the one who was sacrificed. She hoped that even if her daughter could not be called a legitimate daughter, she would have enough food and clothing for the rest of her life.

No matter how poor the He family was, it was still much better than the best families in her village and town.

"Madam, I understand what you mean. Since I have chosen this path, I know what I will face. Thank you for your continued protection."

Xue Chenyu looked at Xiaocao, whose expression was calm, and knew that she had understood his earlier hint.

He Hanlin used to be proud of his status. Although you drank with young masters from aristocratic families like Yu Si Gongzi, they mostly went to teahouses and wine shops, not brothels.

I also heard that it was because Yu Ge Lao's family had strict family rules and did not allow their children to enter brothels.

Even though Zuixianju is a brothel, it only keeps singing and dancing girls, and does not sell their bodies.

Although the Fourth Young Master Yu was not the most valued son in the family, he always respected his father and would never dare to overstep the line.

He Minzhi was different. He went there quietly.

I went to Zuixianju once, then twice, and three times.

But what kind of place is Zuixianju? Even if you just sit there and do nothing, you still have to pay money, let alone touch the girls' hands.

He Minzhi went there several times and all the money he had was gone. He had no choice but to go to the accountant to withdraw money.

But his monthly allowance had already been spent ten years later, as he had spent it lavishly on arranging his sister's marriage.

He Minzhi asked for fifty or one hundred taels of silver at the outset. Nowadays, accountants simply did not dare to give out money to people casually.

The accountant also said, "Large sums of money must be reported to the old lady and approved by her."

How could He Minzhi dare to go to see Old Madam He?

It was Liu who gave him three hundred taels of silver and asked him to carry it with him, because she felt that men always needed to socialize when they were away from home.

He was penniless and had brought shame to the He family.

Who would have known that He Minzhi would squander the money in a brothel.

Housekeeper Liu no longer dared to be as extravagant as housekeeper Ji Minrou had been, and returned to her frugal lifestyle. She was better off than when the second wife, old lady Zhang, was the housekeeper.

Moreover, Ji Minrou was now a twin, and she had to cover the servants' mouths to prevent them from telling anyone, and she also redecorated her room from top to bottom, which cost a lot of money.

There is not much money left in the He family's account now.

He Minzhi was naturally unwilling to give up after hitting a wall at the accounting office.

"Sir, Zuixianju is a place with very high expenses. It's better for you not to go there recently. If the old lady finds out, I'm afraid she will definitely give you a scolding." Shi Tou advised kindly.

"Besides, my cousin has been suffering from severe morning sickness recently. You haven't visited her for several days. The old lady will tell you about it later."

He Minzhi thought of the accountant's embarrassed look when he asked for the money and the old lady's approval, and he became furious again.

"I'm the head of the family, so why do I need other people's approval before I can spend a little money?"

In the past, Xue Chenyu had never restricted him from spending money and always took the initiative to give him banknotes.

Unexpectedly, my mother is even more stingy than Xue Chenyu.

Shi Tou: "..." This guy just won't listen to any advice at all.

Shitou was thinking, should he tell the old woman about the fact that the master went to Zuixianju to see the courtesan?

If he didn't tell the truth, the old lady would investigate in the future and he would definitely be punished. In serious cases, he might even be kicked out of the house.

If he told her, the adults would not be able to get through. What if after he told her, the old lady didn't say anything, wouldn't he be in vain as a villain?

After hesitating for a moment, he gave up the idea of ​​"informing" on Old Lady Liu.

Although He Minzhi said a few unpleasant words, he still thought of Ji Minrou who was pregnant with his child, and turned around awkwardly and went to her.

For the next half month, He Minzhi would go to Zuixianju every day.

He had no money to reward the madam, so he could only sit downstairs and wait to see if Miss Bai Xiruo would come out.

Unfortunately, he never waited for it.

Instead, Bai Xiruo accepted the invitation from Prince Cheng's Mansion to perform singing and dancing.

Prince Cheng also sent invitations to everyone in the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion, and Xue Chenyu naturally had one too.

After such a long time, He Minzhi came to Furongju again.