SFS Chapter 275 Unkind and unjust
Chapter 275 Unkind and unjust
Shen Qingtan knew that the Fourth Madam was not a proper person, and the gift she gave was obviously not a proper item. Before she had seen it, she naturally couldn't show it to Zhao Yi, for fear of putting herself in an awkward situation.
She quickly stuffed the purse into her sleeve pocket and said casually, "Second Master, it's getting late, let's go down the mountain soon."
Zhao Yi stared at her sleeve for a while before looking away: "Okay."
He thought of the anklet Shen Qingtan wore last night. Given her shy nature, she would never have prepared such a thing herself; it was probably given to her by the Fourth Madam.
I just don't know what the Fourth Madam sent this time.
-
The Fourth Madam was a straightforward person. She decided to return to the Duke's Mansion immediately, without even packing her things. She got into her carriage and left without waiting for Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi.
The couple got into the carriage, and the fourth wife's expression was unusually serious. "Zhao Qiyuan, everyone in your Duke's mansion is a sensible person, except for the second branch, which is clueless and has ruined everything."
Zhao Qiyuan corrected, "Our Duke's Mansion is not yours."
"I'm talking to you about serious matters." The Fourth Madam glared at him. "I feel uneasy, I always feel that something big is going to happen in the Duke's mansion. With our status and position, everything in the Duke's mansion will not fall on your shoulders, so you don't need to take on any responsibility. Anyway, you are a capable person, and you can live a good life without relying on the Duke's mansion."
She was a sensible person. After Zhao Yi fell seriously ill and the second branch of the family was expelled from the clan, the Duke and the old lady paid close attention to Zhao Qiyuan and kept an eye on her belly.
If Zhao Yi's illness cannot be cured, the eldest son will be the only legitimate heir left.
The Duke and the Old Madam wanted to place their child under the care of the First Master and First Madam so that he could naturally inherit the family business in the future.
The fourth wife was very dissatisfied and had the idea of leaving the Duke's mansion and establishing her own household.
However, for them to separate from the manor was as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Fortunately, Zhao Yi's illness was cured.
Zhao Qiyuan understood her thoughts, but without being 100% certain, he did not express his opinion to her.
"What are you afraid of?" Zhao Qiyuan said in a low voice, "Even if the sky falls, I'm still here to hold it up for you."
The fourth wife rolled her eyes at him, knowing full well that nothing good could come out of a dog's mouth.
I wonder if I should learn from Zhao Yi.
-
Shen Qingtan descended the mountain a quarter of an hour later than the Fourth Madam.
The carriage was stopped at the foot of the mountain.
Shen Qingtan lifted the curtain of the carriage window and saw Qiao'er standing next to the window.
Qiao'er felt awe towards Shen Qingtan: "My lord, our young lady wishes to see you. She has something important to tell you."
Shen Qingtan glanced at the covered carriage parked by the roadside, thought for a moment, and then said to Zhao Yi, "I'll be right back."
Zhao Yi glanced at the understated and simple carriage, and put a veil on Shen Qingtan's head: "Take Liuyue with you."
Shen Qingtan nodded, took Liuyue's carriage, and sat in the carriage by the roadside.
When Yue Niang saw Shen Qingtan remove her veil, revealing a charming and radiant face, she was still amazed by her beauty, even though she had seen it before.
“My lord, I am leaving the capital and have come today to say goodbye.” Yue Niang took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Shen Qingtan: “You have given me my freedom and a sum of money, enough for me to live comfortably from now on. Considering that you are my major patron, I have a message for you.”
Shen Qingtan was somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting such an unexpected gain.
She opened the letter, read its contents, and said with a complicated expression, "Our deal is over. You don't need to betray my second uncle anymore."
"Compared to me marrying his son, what is this?" Yue Niang didn't take the Second Master seriously and said dismissively, "As the saying goes, 'Prostitutes are heartless and actors are ungrateful.' A person like me only cares about money, not people."
"I'm not giving you this information for nothing. You've taken my kindness into account, and you'll remember my favor. If I ever encounter trouble in the future, I can come to you for help, thus securing my own future. Isn't that more reliable than a man who abandons his wife and sleeps around with other women?"
"Men in the world of pleasure are the most cowardly, incompetent, and irresponsible. The only reason he treats me well now is because I am a kindred spirit, young, and somewhat attractive."
"When I am old and my beauty fades, and he meets a younger, more affectionate woman, what chance will he have of giving me a way out?"
“If he were a faithful man, he wouldn’t abandon his wife at home to seek pleasure in brothels.”
At this point, Yue Niang's eyes revealed disgust, as if she hated the heartless and unfaithful man.
She quickly concealed the look in her eyes and smiled, saying, "It's more practical to have money in your hands than to rely on a man like that."
Hearing this, Shen Qingtan felt a pang of emotion.
When she approached Yue Niang, she had investigated Yue Niang's background beforehand. Yue Niang was originally a courtesan who performed but did not sell her body, and she had fallen deeply in love with a frustrated man who frequented brothels.
Moon Maiden worked hard to save money to redeem herself, hoping to elope with a man.
But the money she earned was just a drop in the ocean compared to the money she had to redeem herself.
The man used sweet words to coax Yue Niang into selling herself, earning her more money than she earned from performing. In this way, she could quickly escape the world of prostitution, marry him, and have children.
He was not a worldly person and would not look at her with worldly eyes. He understood that she did this only for their future.
Yue Niang believed the man's words and sold herself into servitude, saving up the money to redeem herself. However, the man ran off with the money and abandoned her.
From then on, everyone who became a client of the Moon Goddess ended up separated from their wives and children, and their lives were not good.
Thinking about this, Shen Qingtan suddenly understood why Yue Niang had betrayed the Second Master.
In Yue Niang's eyes, the Second Master was a heartless and ungrateful man who abandoned his wife and children, and she did not want him to have a good ending.
“Yue Niang has coaxed all of Second Uncle’s secrets out.” Shen Qingtan took the letter back to her carriage and handed it to Zhao Yi: “The person behind Pei Wuyan is actually Prince Yu.”