Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 191: Xi Mingyue

There were seven days left until the first of April.

Liu Yu set this date so that Xiao Yuniang could wait for news about her family and also to give her a few days to verify some things.

During these seven days, Liu Yu stayed inside her room at the inn and didn’t go out. Even the jade pendant was sent to the pawnshop by Lu Chengxiao alone.

As Liu Yu expected, Xiao Yuniang was a cautious and alert person. After Liu Yu’s words, she couldn’t possibly remain indifferent. Right after Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao left, Xiao Yuniang thought for a moment and wrote a letter, sending her maid to deliver it overnight.

The next morning, an invitation was sent to Liuxian Pavilion, naturally inviting Xiao Yuniang out.

She dressed herself meticulously, took along five or six maids, and headed to the south of the city in a carriage.

The person who sent the invitation this time wasn’t really a wealthy figure; in fact, he was a semi-retired man from the underworld. Being “semi-retired” meant that in recent years, he hadn’t been as involved in underworld affairs.

This person’s surname was Bai, and he was an old acquaintance of Xiao Yuniang. He was a patron who supported her when she first started out. Being a man from the underworld, he could only meet someone of Xiao Yuniang’s status a few times a year. Sometimes, he would disappear for half a year or more.

But this kind of person, who could still be contacted by Xiao Yuniang when needed, naturally had some skills. Being a swordsman in the underworld, with a bit of a reputation, meant he wasn’t just any common thug. In the past, he was even called a young hero.

Ten years had passed, and Young Master Bai had half-retired from the underworld, becoming the backer of some lower-level forces in Yangzhou City, now known as Master Bai.

Yet, the old affection for a beautiful woman remained, and a letter from Xiao Yuniang still garnered an immediate response.

When she entered Bai’s residence, it was as quiet as ever. The man, now in his thirties, was still single. As he would say, he had a carefree nature and didn’t want to be tied down to one person.

The old feelings from their youth led to a passionate reunion, and after the intimacy, Master Bai proactively asked if Xiao Yuniang had encountered some trouble.

Over the years, Xiao Yuniang had learned countless tricks and hardly ever spoke the truth to men. However, with him, she was a bit more sincere and didn’t lie. She straightforwardly admitted that she had a request and told him what it was.

It was related to what Liu Yu had mentioned: she asked Master Bai to help investigate whether Sun Qian and the King of Huainan had any connections.

Master Bai treated this beauty differently than others, so after asking a bit about Sun Qian and the King of Huainan, he readily agreed to help and promised to get back to her within three to five days.

Though he said three to five days, in fact, by the third day, someone came to deliver a message to Xiao Yuniang. Sun Qian and the King of Huainan hadn’t had any dealings yet, but Sun Qian had been trying to find ways to curry favor with the King of Huainan. It was said he was aiming to use the King to get his rouge products into the palace, hoping to advance and become a supplier to the royal family.

Xiao Yuniang almost crumpled the letter in her hands, and it took her a long time to regain her composure. She handed a silver ingot to the messenger and said, “Thank you for running this errand. Please thank Master Bai for me.”

The messenger took the silver, thanked Xiao Yuniang, and left. Xiao Yuniang lit the letter over the candle, watched the words burn away, and threw the ashes into the copper basin. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she called for her maid and instructed, “Go check if Madam is in her room.”

The maid followed the order and soon returned, saying she was there.

Xiao Yuniang didn’t say much more, stood up, and went out.

~

The top courtesan wanting to buy her freedom was not something the Madam Hong was willing to agree to, especially since it was so sudden.

Xiao Yuniang said, “Madam, if nothing else, for these ten years of me bringing no trouble to you and doing my best to earn money for this house, now that my youth is fading, won’t you let me go free? Besides, you already have promising new girls who can take my place.”

Madam Hong knew who she was referring to and sighed, “How could they compare to you? They are still lacking.”

Xiao Yuniang was her moneymaker, but Madam Hong also knew that at twenty-six years old, Xiao Yuniang was nearing the end of her career in this business. She had been aware that Xiao Yuniang was saving money to buy her freedom; she just didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.

Madam Hong couldn’t help but think of the woman who came dressed as a man that day and inquired, “Why the sudden decision to buy your freedom? Was that guest someone you knew from before?”

Recalling Liu Yu’s appearance, Xiao Yuniang, who had been in the brothel for ten years, was well aware of what kind of person Madam Hong truly was. Though she wouldn’t go as far as forcing anyone, she wasn’t beyond exploiting people if she found an opportunity. Even though Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao had been cautious during their visit, it was still not good to have someone like Madam Hong taking an interest in them. Xiao Yuniang certainly didn’t want to cause trouble for Liu Yu, so she feigned confusion and said, “Which guest?”

Madam Hong scrutinized Xiao Yuniang’s expression, unsure whether to believe her, and said, “The one dressed as a man. I don’t believe you didn’t notice. She was quite a beauty… such a pity.”

“Too bad she didn’t end up in your hands?”

Xiao Yuniang felt disgust rising in her heart, but didn’t let it show. She smiled, as if recalling something amusing, and said, “Oh, that one? Madam, you’d better not get any ideas about her. She may not have said much, but I could tell she’s from the capital. Not someone we can afford to provoke.”

Madam Hong responded with an “Oh?” and asked, “How come I didn’t see that she was from the capital?”

Xiao Yuniang chuckled, “It’s just something that slipped out in her conversation.”

Madam Hong thought about Xiao Yuniang’s way of getting information and believed her. She asked curiously, “Then why did she come to our place?”

Xiao Yuniang smiled, leaned in, and whispered something in Madam Hong’s ear.

A noble lady coming to learn such things?

Madam Hong was stunned, thinking how willful this was. Xiao Yuniang said they couldn’t afford to mess with that lady, and now she truly believed it, curbing her thoughts and no longer coveting Liu Yu’s beauty.

When Xiao Yuniang wanted to buy her freedom, Madam Hong naturally tried to persuade her to stay. She even suggested Xiao Yuniang remain in the house to teach the new girls and take over her role in the future. How the two of them negotiated is not detailed here.

Xiao Yuniang’s mind was made up, and she was willing to pay the fee for her freedom. Madam Hong, in the end, couldn’t force her to stay. After all, there were ten years of sentiment, and honestly, there wasn’t much value left to squeeze out of Xiao Yuniang. After two days of back-and-forth, Madam Hong finally relented.

~

On the night of the first of April, Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao returned to Liuxian Pavilion.

This time, they were dressed differently again, looking just as distinguished. The clothes weren’t bought, as Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao couldn’t afford such attire now. They had reclaimed the 100 tael deposit and exchanged it for a gold ingot, which would serve as their entry fee for the day.

But there was a way to dress richly without buying clothes. Hadn’t they already built a rapport with the pawnshop owner?

After becoming more familiar, they even rented the clothes from the pawnshop. They pawned their own decent outfits, paid five taels of silver, and rented the clothes for a day, which looked no less grand than what would have cost over forty taels.

The only difference was that Lu Chengxiao didn’t have the decorative jade pendant anymore, but since they had already made an impression, having or not having it didn’t matter.

They presented a gold ingot and asked, “Where is Xiao Yuniang?”

It was Lu Chengxiao who spoke.

Jade or no jade, Madam Hong wasn’t paying attention to that. Her eyes were glued to the gold ingot in Lu Chengxiao’s hand. No matter how much she coveted it, she couldn’t accept it this time. “To be honest, it’s not that I’m unwilling to accommodate you today, but our Yuniang has already bought her freedom and can’t entertain guests anymore.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Liu Yu, recalling how Xiao Yuniang had said this one came to learn bedroom arts, and couldn’t help but look Liu Yu over again, adding, “Aside from Yuniang, there are other girls in our house, young master.”

She moved closer to Liu Yu and whispered, “They are also quite skilled in that regard.”

Liu Yu was briefly taken aback, but quickly caught on. She wasn’t sure if this was Madam Hong’s own interpretation or if Xiao Yuniang had coached her. Playing along, she frowned and said, “I’ve only heard of Xiao Yuniang, the top courtesan. So she’s not here anymore?”

Looking at these two, their demeanor suggested some status, and Madam Hong was eager to keep them as customers. She carefully avoided giving a definitive answer, “Not exactly. Yuniang has been with us for many years, and there are still some things she needs to settle. She hasn’t left yet.”

Liu Yu relaxed inwardly and tilted her chin up slightly, “Then ask her if she will see me.”

Though they hadn’t coordinated this beforehand, there was a sort of mentor-student bond between them. Liu Yu could guess Xiao Yuniang’s intentions and had a good sense of Madam Hong’s character. Immediately, she grasped what Xiao Yuniang was trying to achieve and unconsciously let a touch of arrogance slip out.

Seeing this attitude, Madam Hong believed even more in what Xiao Yuniang had said. This young lady wasn’t someone she could afford to cross.

Since Xiao Yuniang was no longer officially part of Liuxian Pavilion, there was no harm in passing on a message. Madam Hong sent a maid to inquire.

Soon, the maid came running back, saying that Xiao Yuniang was willing to meet them. Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao smoothly entered the rear courtyard of Liuxian Pavilion. This time, they didn’t need to spend the gold ingot and instead gave Madam Hong a ten-tael silver piece as a token of gratitude for her help.

Although Madam Hong felt a bit regretful about not getting that gold, since Xiao Yuniang was no longer part of the pavilion, she saw the ten taels of silver as a windfall and had no complaints. Usually, Xiao Yuniang’s regular clients would pay ten taels just to listen to her sing, so she was quite content and grinned with satisfaction.

When Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao entered Xiao Yuniang’s room for the second time, the furnishings hadn’t changed much, but all the maids and servants had been dismissed. The maid who led them to Xiao Yuniang’s room was rewarded with a small piece of silver, and she diligently served tea to Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao before quietly returning to the front.

Now, it was just Xiao Yuniang, Liu Yu, and Lu Chengxiao in the room. Xiao Yuniang glanced outside warily to ensure no one was around, then bowed to Liu Yu and said, “Thank you, madam. I redeemed myself two days ago and had my name removed from the registry at the magistrate’s office. I’ve been waiting these past few days for you to return.”

Worried that Liu Yu might have spent another gold ingot, she asked, “Did Madam Hong take your money? I wanted to send you a message but didn’t know where you were staying.”

Her repeated use of “madam” made Liu Yu a little uncomfortable, but she knew this wasn’t the right place for a conversation, so she got straight to the point and asked Xiao Yuniang about her plans.

Xiao Yuniang thought of the news she had received just yesterday. Her father and younger siblings had passed away nine years ago, unable to escape illness and poverty in the end, even after fleeing a disaster. Her eyes reddened as she said, “I don’t really have anywhere to go, so I was thinking I could travel with you to Yuanzhou.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Chengxiao’s expression and added, “Rest assured, I am well aware of my background. I would just feel safer traveling with you. I will stay confined to my cabin during the journey. Once we reach Yuanzhou, I’ll rent a house and have already planned out a small business to start. After that, we won’t have any more contact, so I won’t bring any trouble to your name, madam.”

In the Liuxian Pavilion of Yangzhou, patrons seeking pleasure weren’t always from the area. It was possible that one day a familiar face might appear, and if old stories came to light, it could tarnish Liu Yu’s reputation if they still had ties.

To Xiao Yuniang, Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao were her genuine saviors. She wasn’t willing to do anything that might implicate her benefactors, so she intended to keep their association limited to the trip to Yuanzhou and part ways thereafter.

Hearing Xiao Yuniang’s words, Lu Chengxiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t an issue to bring along someone like Xu’er, but Xiao Yuniang’s presence did carry some complications. However, since he always let Liu Yu make the decisions, even though he didn’t understand why she was willing to go to such lengths for a complete stranger, he sensed that this matter was very important to her. He didn’t want to oppose her on this, so Xiao Yuniang’s suggestion was more than welcome.

Both Xiao Yuniang and Liu Yu were well aware of the prejudice society held against women from brothels.

Liu Yu felt a twinge of sadness, but she knew this was indeed the best arrangement for now. As for the future, as long as she knew Xiao Yuniang was safe in Yuanzhou, that would mean more to her than anything.

Seeing the expressions on the couple’s faces, Xiao Yuniang didn’t say more. She softly said to Liu Yu, “This isn’t the best place to talk. Please tell me where I can find you, and we’ll speak again when I leave tomorrow.”

Liu Yu was about to say the name of the inn, but Lu Chengxiao spoke first, “Let’s meet at the docks tomorrow at noon.”

It was unclear whether this was out of caution towards Xiao Yuniang or a general sense of unease he felt in Yangzhou. Lu Chengxiao was always careful, preferring not to disclose where they were staying.

Liu Yu glanced at him but said nothing. She smiled and said to Xiao Yuniang, “Then let’s set it for noon tomorrow. Will you be ready by then?”

Xiao Yuniang had already prepared everything, so she nodded, “Then we’ll meet at noon tomorrow. I’ll see you out.”

Liuxian Pavilion wasn’t exactly a place she wanted Liu Yu to linger in, so she escorted them out.

As they approached the front hall, they heard Madam Hong’s voice, “Young master, you must be mistaken. There’s no one here by the name of Wei Lianxing. However, we do have a Miss Mingyue who is quite skilled with the qin and has some renown in Yangzhou.”

A familiar male voice asked with a hint of doubt, “Miss Mingyue?”

Madam Hong giggled, “Yes, Xi Mingyue.”

Liu Yu froze. For a moment, it felt as if all the blood in her body had turned to ice.

Sansukini: The wheel of fate works. Who do you think the new Xi Mingyue is? Liu Yu was Xi Mingyue in the previous life, btw.

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