The singers had already left, and there was no one in the cabin who could bandage the wound on Luying's head, so You Shu simply found some medicine to treat her first, fearing that the wound would get infected by water. Xiao Weixin couldn't help and just watched from the side.
The wound on Luying's head was quite serious, with a big cut. The beast Xia Huaizhang was too cruel, and I don't know if there would be a scar on the girl's head.
You Shu tried to make his movements as gentle as possible, for fear of hurting the little girl, while in his heart he cursed Xia Huaizhang's grandson a thousand times. He rarely felt such intense anger, but he could not stand seeing people bullying the elderly, the weak and the disabled; he would get itchy at the first sight.
Luying felt the gentle care from You Shu, endured the soreness in her nose, and quietly raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes.
After the wound was completely bandaged, Luying knelt on the ground and kowtowed to him several times. You Shu hurried to help her up: "Miss, there is no need to be so polite. It's just a simple favor for me."
"You should thank my prince."
Luying then knelt down again and kowtowed a few times to Xiao Weixin, and only dared to stand up after getting Xiao Weixin's permission.
Her eyes were red with tears, and after hesitating for a while, she whispered, "Sir... do you still remember me?"
You Shu's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself that he had changed his face again today. Could it be that the little girl really recognized him
"Last time, last time in Tingyue Tower, you rewarded me with a lot of silver. I, I kept it all and didn't touch a single penny." Luying said carefully, her voice choked with sobs.
You Shu's face froze, and after thinking for a while, he asked, "How do you know it was me?"
Lu Ying was also a little confused when she heard this: "Why don't you know? It's easy to recognize..."
You Shu: “???”
His face this time is different from last time, and even his voice has been changed deliberately. How did the girl tell them apart
"I can't explain why, but as soon as I saw you I could tell that you were different from the others." Lu Ying was incoherent. "During the New Year, weren't you drinking in the Baixiang Pavilion? Even though we were some distance apart, I knew it was you. There was no reason, it was just a very strange feeling."
It was impossible for You Shu to say that he was not confused. He and Luying had only met once. Even though he had heard her sing, it had been several months. There was no reason for Luying to recognize him so quickly. His disguise technique was exclusively certified by Yingjiu. Even Lord Yingshou might not be able to detect it at the first time, but a little girl could have such keen insight.
It's a pity that he doesn't become a spy with this ability.
However, Xiao Weixin, who had been silent, grasped another key point:
"Did you go to Baixiang Pavilion during the New Year?"
Xiao Weixin had definitely never been to a place like Baixiang Pavilion, but the name didn't stop him from knowing that it was a place of entertainment.
You Shu suddenly felt a gust of cold wind behind him. He turned around and saw Xiao Weixin staring at him with murderous intent. He had nothing to feel guilty about, but he felt awkward for some reason. "I am just accompanying you to drink."
Xiao Weixin was in a very bad mood at the moment. He knew that now was not the time for him to be angry, but when he thought of the little shadow guard carrying him to the brothel, he couldn't hold back his anger.
"I really just went there to drink. I didn't do anything." You Shu hurriedly explained, "I really didn't do anything!"
He didn't know why he told Xiao Weixin all this. Maybe in the prince's mind, people who visit brothels are not serious. He couldn't let the favorability he had worked so hard to earn go to waste at this moment.
Even though he had explained, Xiao Weixin was still annoyed. He calmed his voice for a while before saying, "I didn't say you must not go..."
You're kidding me. You look like you want to kill me.
"I will not go there unless it is necessary to gather intelligence." You Shu assured him, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I am not a lustful person."
He didn't like going anyway.
His words were powerful and his expression was serious. Seeing how serious he was, Xiao Weixin calmed down his anger, but he was a little embarrassed: "I also know that you are not."
Luying stood aside and listened quietly to their conversation, but she felt something was strange.
These words seemed to be the teasing conversations that Sister Furong and her friends would have with their respective lovers. Why would they have the same conversations with each other
Originally, Xiao Weixin planned to take the little shadow guard on a boat ride, and after he got a little tipsy, he would take the opportunity to get some information from him, such as his true preferences. However, he did not expect that Xia Huaizhang would disrupt his plan, and he could only return home early in disappointment.
But when it was time to get off the boat, where Luying should go became a problem again.
Having offended Xia Huaizhang, she would definitely be retaliated against if she returned to Tingyue Tower, and might even be beaten to death by that beast.
Luying also knew that her ending would not be good. When she got off the boat, her face was pale and she even walked a little weakly. She could actually ask You Shu, her great benefactor, to help her redeem herself, but she also knew that she was not qualified to do so. The whole capital knew Xia Huaizhang's reputation for cruelty and viciousness. He had already offended him once for her, and she must not let him get involved again.
You Shu also knew that he could not go back to Tingyue Tower. He looked at the fear in Luying's eyes for a long time and couldn't let it go. He was secretly worried about her.
"How much is your ransom?" You Shu asked thoughtfully, with some plans in mind.
Lu Ying shook her head in panic, "I was sold here when I was four years old. I've been in the building for ten years. My mother won't let me go easily. She always said that she spent a lot of money on me, and she hasn't even had time to bid for me. I'm afraid it will cost a hundred taels of silver to redeem me."
"One hundred taels?" You Shu frowned. "The top courtesan is only worth a little over a hundred taels of silver. She is taking advantage of your young age!"
Luying lowered her head sadly.
One hundred taels of silver is something most people will never see in their lifetime. A young and not very famous zither girl like Luying will have to earn many years to redeem herself, otherwise she will be trapped in it for the rest of her life.
You Shu calculated in his mind that taking out one hundred taels from his own small treasury to redeem the person was a bit too much, but it didn't empty his family's pockets. This was all thanks to his good habit of never spending money recklessly. What's more, he has been promoted and given a raise now, so he can save more money slowly. But he can't really just leave Luying alone.
When I saw her, I thought of my younger sister. Maybe this is also a kind of fate.
"I can help you redeem yourself." You Shu said seriously, "Don't go back to that place anymore, it's too dangerous."
Lu Ying was stunned. She stared at You Shu in disbelief. "Help me redeem myself? But... but I don't know your name yet. This is not good."
"There's nothing wrong with it." It was difficult for You Shu to explain his current mood. You could say he was a saint, but he believed that as long as he was a normal person, he would not send a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl back to that devil's cave to die. All he could do was what a normal person would do.
"Since I saved you, I must protect you well." You Shu said calmly, "Xia Huaizhang shouldn't be in a hurry to settle accounts with you tonight. Tomorrow I will bring money to Tingyue Tower to talk to your madam."
Lu Ying's eyes lit up in an instant, and her voice trembled slightly with excitement, as if she couldn't believe it: "Sir, will you really help me redeem myself? Is that true?"
"Yeah." You Shu was not used to being stared at so passionately by a little girl, so he turned his head away to hide his shyness, "You don't have to thank me."
Xiao Weixin walked side by side with him on the way back, secretly observing how the two of them got along. Although he was also displeased with Xiao Shu's contact with women, he was not so unreasonable as to argue with a fourteen-year-old girl. He just treated himself as air. When he heard that he had to redeem Luying tomorrow, his ears twitched slightly, but his face did not show any emotion.
The two of them sent Luying to the entrance of Tingyue Tower. Her clothes were soaked, and the coat she was wearing was still You Shu's. She had to go back quickly to change her clothes to avoid catching a cold.
She stood at the entrance of Tingyue Tower, tightly holding her coat, biting her lower lip with her little white teeth, and asked carefully with full expectation: "Sir, will you really come tomorrow?"
"Yes." Seeing her hopeful look, You Shu finally couldn't help but pat her on the head with his hand, and deliberately softened his voice to comfort her: "I'll pick you up on time at noon tomorrow."
Luying blinked her eyes. Perhaps she felt relieved by the affirmative answer. She couldn't help but smile, "Then Luying will definitely wait for you, sir! You must come, sir!"
"Okay." You Shu waved his hand, "Go back and pack your things for tonight."
Luying nodded heavily, turned around and rushed into Tingyue Tower like a happy little bird. Her little figure made people feel sad.
Xiao Weixin stood with him downstairs for a while, and after the people left, he whispered, "It's done, let's go."
You Shu then remembered that there was a prince beside him. When he thought about how he had just promised Luying to pick her up at noon tomorrow, he asked nervously, "Prince, then... can I take a leave of absence tomorrow morning?"
"What will you do if I don't agree?" Xiao Weixin looked at him with a smile.
You Shu scratched his head and said, "If the prince doesn't allow me, I won't go. At worst, I can ask other brothers to help make the trip."
Xiao Weixin finally felt better when she saw that he was not lying: "So, you are determined to help her?"
"Yes." You Shu nodded, "It's not easy for her."
"There are many people in this world who have a hard time. Can you save them all?" Xiao Weixin disagreed. "You have already saved her once. You have done your best. Is it worth spending a hundred taels for her?"
You Shu thought carefully for a while before replying, "Your Majesty, there are many things in this world that cannot be explained clearly. If you ask me if it is worth spending a hundred taels on her, maybe it is not, after all, I just met her by chance, but... maybe it is worth it."
"At least in my heart, one life is worth more than one hundred taels. If she really dies at the hands of Xia Huaizhang in the future, I will probably regret it for the rest of my life."
"Besides, she really looks like my sister."
Xiao Weixin frowned: "You have a younger sister?"
You Shu was silent, "It happened before."
Xiao Weixin turned around and saw that he looked lonely, so she couldn't say anything: "Forget it, if I really don't let you go, I'm afraid you will remember me for the rest of your life."
"But take me with you."
You Shu was surprised: "The prince is going too?"
"Is it not possible?" Xiao Weixin said calmly, "I have not been to that romantic place yet. You can go, but I can't?"
After he said this, he left You Shu behind and walked forward on his own, but he actually snorted in his heart.
It is said that the girls in Tingyue Tower are all good-looking and have learned the tricks to seduce men. He would be stupid to let the little shadow guard go by himself. If he is noticed by some vixen, wouldn't he be at a disadvantage
But this must not be said, the prince has to save his face.
——
'It rained on x year x month x day'
"My prince has suddenly become gentle. He used to not care about these things."
"Not only did he not say anything mean to me, he even said he would go with me to redeem Luying tomorrow. Just thinking about this makes me feel like I'm dreaming."
'It must be my heroic act of selflessness that touched him and awakened the great love in his heart.'
'I told you I have unlimited possibilities!'