spoiled brat

Chapter 60 59. Duan Ming (9)

Zhao Zhao lifted the curtain a crack and looked westward; it was almost dark.

The clouds in the sky were thick and fluffy, like a blanket, covering the half-sun. The twilight pierced through in weak, feeble rays, soon to fade away.

Zhao Zhao tapped her knuckles on the windowsill, counting in her mind. When she reached nine, the sun was smothered. Night fell, and the world turned gray.

She lowered the curtain.

Outside, the sound of countless firecrackers shooting into the sky filled the air, fireworks illuminated the heavens like brocade, and pedestrians on the street looked up at the sky, cheering in unison.

The noise surged in like waves, irritating Zhao Zhao, so she began to rub the pipa strings with her fingertips. The lame old woman beside her, seeing her wasting her hands, asked, "Are your shoes too tight and uncomfortable?"

Zhao Zhao's outfit tonight was entirely arranged by Steward Sun.

The clothes were tight, making her frail body look even younger, and the shoes were short and narrow, not much bigger than Wang Liuer's embroidered shoes.

"Grandma, I'd like to change my clothes."

The old woman said gently, "Just bear with it until tonight."

The wind squeezed in from outside, warm and stuffy, carrying the smell of gunpowder and lamp oil.

Zhao Zhao heard from the girls in the neighborhood that, in order to praise Lord Xu's good deeds after taking office, the monks of Funing Temple set up eighty-one ever-burning lamps in the Xu residence to pray for blessings, and also sent many disciples to chant sutras in the Xu residence, so as to protect Lord Xu and help him get through his long life.

Zhao Zhao asked casually, "Is Sister Liu coming tonight?"

The old woman looked at her and said, "They will come."

These past few days, the old woman has been looking at Zhao Zhao with this kind of gaze, as if she were looking at a rabbit about to be skinned. Zhao Zhao felt scared and asked why several times, but the old woman only said it was nothing.

Zhao Zhao wanted to believe that nothing had happened, but tonight, the thick makeup on her face, the tight clothes on her body, and the narrow shoes on her feet all told her that something was wrong.

It was getting noisier outside, and the carriages of the music academy had already entered Dong'an Street. This side was next to the small gate of the Xu residence, and it was through this side that the insignificant people who were not worthy of being mentioned in public entered.

The street was rather narrow and blocked by official carriages and sedan chairs, so people could only move forward little by little.

As you move a little deeper, you can see a small table set up every so often along the roadside, with a secretary sitting behind it. The secretary is wearing a black hat with red embroidered characters, the words "Filial Piety Donation" prominently displayed on it.

As soon as they passed the first small table, Steward Sun, relying on his position at the music academy, didn't stop. Immediately, servants from the Xu family surrounded them, and more than a dozen carriages were stopped.

Manager Sun cursed his bad luck under his breath, got out of the car, tiptoed to the first small table, and said to the secretary with a forced smile, "Brother, please let me through."

The secretary raised his head, making sure Steward Sun could see the words on his hat clearly: "Where's the money?"

Manager Sun was dumbfounded: "We are from the music academy."

"I don't care where you're from." The secretary slammed his pen down. "My father is the people's father and mother official of Yunzhou, a rare living bodhisattva in this world. On his birthday, you don't even have the slightest filial piety?"

Manager Sun had delivered countless girls to high-ranking officials and nobles, but this was the first time he had encountered someone like this. Helpless, he had no choice but to offer silver.

The scribe noted down Steward Sun's name and signaled to the Xu family servants blocking the road to let them pass. Just as Steward Sun climbed into the carriage, he heard the scribe shout in a high-pitched voice, "The Imperial Music Bureau, one in mourning!"

From the street corner to the small gate of the Xu residence, Steward Sun performed ten acts of filial piety.

Upon reaching the gate, thinking they could finally go in, a commotion erupted ahead. Someone shouted angrily, "Are you blind?! How dare you inspect this carriage?" The gatekeepers retorted in unison, "No official is too high-ranking for us to inspect?"

"My master is Lord You of the Military Command!"

Lord You?
Zhao Zhao instantly perked up and hurriedly peeked out to look.

The one being harassed was the steward of the You family, who pointed to the blue-roofed carriage beside him and said, "These are all birthday gifts presented by Lord You of the Military Command."

He pushed open the car door. The lights were dim, but that didn't stop the servants from seeing that the car was full of beautiful women.

Women offered as tribute, like gold and silver, were forbidden to be touched by those below. Normally, they would have been let go without a second thought. But times had changed, and the servants, in a bureaucratic manner, said, "They still need to be investigated."

The women in the car were called out.

The first woman to come down was a plump and beautiful pregnant woman, with a slightly protruding belly, indicating she was about three or four months pregnant.

The second one was a little girl about the same age as Zhao Zhao, who looked timid like a rabbit.

The third one was none other than Wang Liuer, who wore a jeweled skirt and patterned shoes, and had been separated from Zhaozhao for a few days.

Zhao Zhao watched her retreating figure, a chill creeping down her spine. Pregnant woman, baby girl, bound feet… a web of thoughts suddenly wove around her, enveloping her completely. No wonder, no wonder!
She finally understood everything, and her clothes felt even tighter. These weren't clothes; they were clearly ingredients for cooking lamb and beef. She instinctively wanted to escape, but as soon as she stood up, a hand on her shoulder pressed her back down.

The old woman's voice rang in my ears: "You refuse, but where can you escape to? Just because you get out of the carriage and escape this time, does that mean you're no longer a whore?"

The carriage from the You family entered, and surprisingly, the carriage from the Jiaofang (a type of entertainment institution) followed without being checked.

The wheels started turning and lurched as they rolled over the threshold, causing Zhao Zhao's straightened back to buckle. The day she had schemed so hard to escape had finally come.

Wang Liuer propped her head up, her fingers gently stroking the silver hairpin in her hair, her eyes slightly closed, as if she were about to fall asleep.

The woman next to him handed him a cup of tea: "Wake up, Lord You will be here soon."

The rim of that cup was imprinted with different colored lip rouge, and countless women had drunk from it.

The woman serving the tea, fearing she might mind, turned to the clean side: "The servants in this mansion look down on us. They brought a pot of stale tea and only gave us two cups."

Wang Liuer pursed her lips, the lip rouge on them a beautiful red, and gently refused.

A series of hurried footsteps sounded outside, and the You family steward rushed into the room, reminding everyone, "Be alert! The master is here to select people!"

Giving women as gifts is just as important as giving money; there are certain rules to follow. The best gifts should be held in your hands and presented personally, while the less desirable ones should be mixed in so that the customer can choose one that suits their taste.

The door opened, and You Mingmai stepped in. The women in the room all rose from their seats and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, sir."

These past few days have been unpleasant, and You Ming suddenly looked several years older. His eyes were clouded with a layer of gray. He glanced at everyone and his gaze fell on Wang Liuer: "I won't be picky anymore, Liuer, come with me."

The women were stunned, and so was the butler: "Just one?"

You Ming had suffered a setback a few days ago, but he was still in his official position. According to his rank, he could enter the small flower hall and sit at the table closest to Lord Xu—what a great opportunity! How could he possibly bring only one woman?
You Ming glanced at the pregnant women and then at the girls. The former were not presentable, and the latter were not particularly pretty. "There's only one. You take them out and let them mingle with the women sent by other families."

He leaned close to the steward's ear and instructed, "Go to the music academy and bring my goddaughter here."