Chapter 102 – The Flower-Picking Bandit (Part 2)
“Young Master, your words are truly sweet to this servant’s heart.”
Just as she spoke, a slightly hoarse voice belonging to an old woman came from the door, causing Jiang Pengji to frown, while Chun Er assumed she was displeased.
“At this hour, why is someone disturbing us?”
Despite no scene of discord, to outsiders it seemed that the two ladies were already inside serving her, making it unusual for anyone to intrude. After all, what if a guest was in the mood and suddenly interrupted, causing a scandal?
Xia Er stood up with a smile, “Young Master, don’t be upset. I’ll go take a look.”
With that, she gracefully stepped out, and soon there was a sound of the door being gently pushed, followed by Xia Er’s somewhat puzzled reply.
A little while later, Xia Er returned with a weary smile, whispering, “That was just a maid from the courtyard. She said a girl has run away, and the handlers upstairs couldn’t catch her. Some suspect she’s hidden in one of the ladies’ rooms.”
“So they want to search your room?”
Jiang Pengji furrowed her brow, well aware if there was another person in her room or not.
“If we refuse the search, people will have something to gossip about later.”
Xia Er sighed lightly. Since they were selected to serve the mysterious guest (Wu Ma Jun) due to their clean reputation, they enjoyed more comfort than other ladies in the establishment, but it also drew the ire of the head courtesan, who likely sought to embarrass them.
“Did the Madam of the brothel agree to this?” Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow and scoffed, “Knowing I’m in this room, yet still sending someone over—what a mood killer! I could care less; I won’t stoop to the level of an old Madam, but you two, on the other hand, might end up suffering.”
Chun Er and Xia Er wore uneasy expressions.
Jiang Pengji, however, calmly said, “Let that old woman in. You two stay here; we wouldn’t want anyone to feel offended.”
After receiving agreement, the maid led in two men dressed in gray linen with green headscarves, who proceeded to rummage through the room.
Outside, the noise grew increasingly louder, causing Xia Er and Chun Er to display looks of growing anxiety.
“Don’t worry, stay calm.”
After a little while longer, the commotion finally subsided.
Jiang Pengji stepped out from behind a screen and asked the hunchbacked old woman, “Elder, did you find anyone?”
The old woman slightly bowed, smiling ingratiatingly, her dirt-brown face glistening in the candlelight, revealing an oily sheen, with a conspicuous black mole at the corner of her mouth giving her a somewhat vulgar aura. “I apologize for disturbing Young Master. We didn’t find anyone and will take our leave now.”
Jiang Pengji nodded, indicating she could lead her men away.
“This woman is really disrespectful, making such a mess of the room…”
Although Chun Er was generally good-natured, seeing her vanity items scattered haphazardly sparked her anger. The thought of someone else’s hands having touched her makeup made her feel nauseous.
“Check to see if anything is missing,” Xia Er gently suggested. “Mother always suspects we hoard money. She knows every hiding spot in this establishment; she might take this chance to have that old woman search for silver.”
This reminded Chun Er, but considering Jiang Pengji was still present, she hesitated to stand.
“Don’t worry, nothing is missing.” Jiang Pengji surveyed the room and smiled, “In fact, there are a few things here that shouldn’t be.”
Chun Er blinked, “Did you say nothing’s missing? Then what’s there that shouldn’t be?”
Jiang Pengji walked around the room, reaching into places neither lady was aware of, pulling out two blue sachets.
“Whose filthy hands were these in?!”
Xia Er leaned closer to look but found them suspicious, tossing them aside.
“That’s beside the point; what’s inside is more interesting.”
Jiang Pengji opened the sachet to reveal some dried, unfamiliar plants. Bringing it close to her nose, her brow furrowed, “Chun Er, you know how to make medicinal powders; do you know the effects of these herbs?”
Before being sold to the brothel, Chun Er was the daughter of a young doctor and, having grown up around it, had learned a little about herbs. Hearing Jiang Pengji call her name, she exchanged glances with Xia Er and stepped forward to inspect. The contents of the sachet felt somewhat familiar.
“Don’t smell too long; it’s not good for the brain.” Jiang Pengji grabbed her delicate wrist, “Although I don’t know what this herb is, it does have some bewitching effects. If you inhale it too long, you might become dazed and lose your grasp of reality.”
Chun Er recoiled, suddenly recalling something, and her face turned red then pale.
With a flushed face, she spat and cursed, “Which shameless person put this here! It’s one thing for the ladies in the brothel to serve clients; now even those eunuchs dare to lay hands on us! Don’t they look in the mirror and see what they are?!”
Jiang Pengji understood; this was probably a sort of drug in this era.
Xia Er gritted her teeth, terror etched on her face, “It must have been those two eunuchs earlier!”
Once you enter the brothel, your life is at the mercy of others.
There were often whispers among the courtesans about how the eunuchs abused them in secret.
Jiang Pengji chuckled softly. Eunuchs, you say?
Not necessarily.
【Host V】: Seems like something interesting is happening. Are you all still sleepy? Want to watch a good show?
【A Ray of Sunshine】: Huh? Did the host discover something?
【One Breeze from Three Clarity】: I’m completely lost here, yet the host is still playing coy. So naughty!
【Grand Ancestor Hong Jun’s Chrysanthemum】: Feels like the host is about to stir things up; count me in, I’ll binge-watch your stream all night.
【Let Go of That Chrysanthemum】: The host is destined to make some big waves, a true boss!
【Grand Ancestor Hong Jun’s Chrysanthemum】: Tsk, to put it correctly, the big thing has already been handled by the host.
The viewers in the live stream were excitedly tuned in, while Jiang Pengji made up her mind.
She turned to the two ladies and said, “You two should rest early, especially you, Xia Er. Be cautious these days, avoid cold foods, and don’t overindulge. If I find time, I’ll come by to pester you both again. If you need anything, just find me at the Liu Residence.”
【Old Elegance】: Those two girls seem to be quite the catch for the host, why not rescue them from the fire pit?
Jiang Pengji caught this comment and met Xia Er’s hesitant gaze, nodding slightly, before taking her leave.
Why not save them?
【Host V】: Perhaps it’s because there are countless unfortunate women out there; how can I just rescue a few? If one truly meets my standards, I’d save them, but it’s impossible to save every single one. True rescue isn’t just about taking them away; it’s about rebuilding the broken backs that lead to their current state. Real salvation comes from fundamentally changing the root causes of their situation.
Maybe, just maybe, she could do that.
【Old Elegance】: Though I don’t fully understand, it seems the host has a kind heart.
