They arrived at Xiankelai at noon. After getting off the carriage, Mei Niang turned back to look at Lin Amao's newly bought carriage. It had a white horse on a boxwood frame and an ebony roof. There were faint diamond-shaped carvings on the walls of the carriage, and light green curtains hung on the small square windows and doors. The entire carriage frame was brushed with tung oil, and it was smooth and shiny, clean and refreshing, and very pleasing to the eye.
Lin Ah Si was wearing a brand new blue suit, a new felt hat of the same color, and a dark blue sweat towel around his waist. He looked more energetic than the regular servants in the Xu residence. Mei Niang smiled and said:
"It's not that I don't want to use good ones, I just don't want to attract attention. Ah Mao, remember, put the car away when you get home, and don't drive it out on the street all day. If you run into the bad guys again, it will be bad."
Lin Amao nodded and said, "Don't worry, girl! This car is only used when you need it. It is usually locked in the woodshed in my backyard. Children are not allowed to get close to it!"
Lu Xiangfeng came to greet Mei Niang and led her to the passage leading to the rest room. Mei Niang shook her head: "Not going up. Are there many customers drinking morning tea in front?"
Lu Xiangfeng said, "There are some on the second and third floors. The private rooms that girls often use are still empty. Unless a distinguished guest requests them, they are usually not used until after noon."
"Do Master Xia and Master Zhang still come here often?"
"The two gentlemen, please come once every three or four days. According to the lady's order: tea and meals are all free!"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "It's just superficial work, they don't mind it. You must serve them carefully and don't neglect them. They are the real benefactors of Xiankelai!"
Lu Xiangfeng bowed his head and said, "I remember what the girl said!"
Mei Niang looked at Cui Xi and Cui Lian and said, "Cui Lian, follow me to the front. After Manager Lu has handed over the account books and other things to Cui Xi, I will lead her to the kitchen and food storage to check them out. We will meet in the backyard later. We don't have much time and we have to hurry back."
They split up and walked in two groups. Mei Niang and Cui Lian walked to the front hall, where they were greeted by the accountant. Mei Niang looked through the account book for the past two days and nodded slightly. Mr. Huang, the accountant, smiled and said, "Miss, you are blessed with great fortune. Xiankeli is thriving. Now it is making a fortune every day. The future is even brighter!"
Mei Niang smiled: "Thank you for your hard work, sir! Xiankelai has achieved such success thanks to everyone's hard work. All those who work hard are in my heart, and they will all be rewarded!"
Mr. Huang bowed repeatedly: "Young lady, you are kind! Your demeanor is comparable to that of Mr. Cen. We admire you very much!"
As she was talking, Mei Niang saw a figure moving at the door from the corner of her eye. Fearing that someone unsavory had come again, she quickly pulled Cui Lian away, but she heard a voice shouting, "Miss Cen!"
Looking back, I saw that it was Zhang Jingyun and Lingxuzi who walked in.
The three of them were very happy. After greeting each other, they sat down in the private room on the second floor. The waiter brought them hot tea and snacks, and they ate while chatting.
Cui Lian refused to sit next to Mei Niang, so Mei Niang had to ask her to sit at the small table behind her, and gave her a pot of hot tea and a tray of snacks, letting her eat freely.
Zhang Jingyun smiled and said, "You're not coming out? I haven't seen you for more than ten days, and I haven't even seen Xu Junying. It's really strange."
Mei Niang said, "I am locked up in the mansion, with endless household chores to deal with! Xu Junying, doesn't he go out every day? Hasn't he ever met you?"
Lingxuzi glanced at Zhang Jingyun and said, "We have lived in Huiyun Mountain Villa for a while and only come here occasionally. Xu Junying attends court every day, so naturally there is no chance to see him."
Zhang Jingyun lowered his eyes. Mei Niang picked up the teapot and poured a cup for each of them. She smiled and said, "I am happy and scared to see you two. I am afraid that if that person follows behind, it will be bad!"
Lingxuzi smiled and said, "He has not been in the capital in recent days. The Queen Mother took him to Puning Temple to chant sutras and fulfill his vows."
Mei Niang almost choked on her tea: "Him? Reciting sutras to fulfill a vow? Don't scare the Bodhisattvas!"
Zhang Jingyun was really choked. Lingxuzi couldn't help laughing: "You, you really understand that person's temperament!"
Mei Niang laughed and said, "I dare not say that. I still don't understand why he wants to commit suicide out of the blue. What kind of hurdle can a person like him not be able to overcome?"
"Alas! It's hard to describe in one word. Everyone has sad experiences, but they are all different!"
Lingxuzi looked at Cuilian, Mei Niang nodded at him, pointed at him and smiled: "Lingxuzi, are you sad? You're not!"
She looked at Zhang Jingyun again. Zhang Jingyun was smiling. Mei Niang said, "He might have!"
Lingxuzi was unconvinced: "How do you know I don't have it?"
"You guessed it, but you didn't!"
Lingxuzi smiled: "Well, you guessed right, it's not time to be sad yet."
"Hey!" Mei Niang poured more tea for them and said with a smile, "Did you say something wrong? Change it now! You should never have sad things in your life!"
Lingxuzi smiled and sighed, "A lifetime is neither long nor short, so how can it be nothing? Just let nature take its course."
Then he pointed at Zhang Jingyun and asked, "Do you know about him?"
Mei Niang shook her head: "I don't know, I'm just guessing!"
Zhang Jingyun was helpless: "Don't guess!"
Mei Niang and Ling Xuzi smiled at each other, but Zhang Jingyun was unhappy: "You were talking about that person, why did you bring me here!"
Mei Niang picked up a dumpling and ate it while looking at Lingxuzi. Lingxuzi then told her the story of King Qi in a concise manner. Mei Niang then learned that King Qi joined the army for a stunningly beautiful little boy named Jian Yu. He was as weak as a girl but possessed unique skills. He went to the border town to avenge his father. King Qi had just met him at that time and resolutely went with him. After killing the strong man who killed Jian's father, the two boys, who were fifteen or sixteen years old, joined the border army and participated in fighting against the invasion of neighboring countries. King Qi won his first military merit and needed to fill out a detailed report and submit it. Only then did the army know that he was actually the honorable His Royal Highness the King of Qi.
The King of Qi refused to return to the capital and insisted on training in the army. The Emperor was helpless. In addition, he had had the same experience before, so he ignored him and sent a large number of guards to follow him. The King of Qi was able to spend three years of intimate and innocent time with Jian Yu at the border. Except for his personal guards, no one knew how the two boys spent their days. They only ate and lived together, and even held hands and were inseparable. No one said what kind of relationship they had, but everyone knew it.
The King of Qi and Jian Yu were both brave and fierce generals who were willing to fight to the death. Whenever there was a war, the two of them would always attack together, cooperate well, and return victorious. However, in the battle before the King of Qi returned to the capital, Jian Yu died. He was worried that the King of Qi behind him would be hit by a poisonous arrow, so he grabbed the flying poisonous arrow with one hand and held the silver spear with the other. As a result, he could not resist the enemy and was chopped off his horse.
When the King of Qi saw Jian Yu fall off his horse, he rushed up like a madman to grab him. He was stabbed several times and hit by a poisoned arrow, but he didn't care at all. When he reached Jian Yu, he fell down unconscious.
Lingxuzi stopped talking here. Mei Niang looked at him with wide eyes: "What happened next?"
Zhang Jingyun said: "We only found out about his situation after asking the guards, and then rushed him back to the capital for us to treat him. After losing Jian Yu, he lost interest in life. Before he met you, he had been trying to torture himself... What did you say to him that day?"
Mei Niang stuck out her tongue mischievously: "I scolded him and bandaged his wounds. I said if you want to die, don't drag me down and don't dirty my carriage! I, I didn't know he was the King of Qi!"
Lingxuzi said: "Guard Shan said that you have the charm of Jian Yu. The King of Qi was originally irritable and annoyed, but he calmed down when he saw you."
Mei Niang shuddered: "No way, he mistook me for Jian Yu?"
Lingxuzi laughed: "Of course not, he is not confused. He has seen life and death on the battlefield. How could he not understand that Jian Yu is gone? He just thinks you look like her. To him, you are a comfort... He doesn't know you are a woman yet. You must not let him find out, otherwise I don't know what trouble will arise!"
Mei Niang said worriedly: "I also hope I don't have to meet him!"
Zhang Jingyun comforted her: "Don't worry, even if you encounter him, just stay calm and deal with it. Although he hates women, he won't make things difficult for women!"
After talking for a while, they heard the noises at the street market outside becoming more and more lively. All the people who went to the market outside the city had arrived, which meant it was getting late. Mei Niang had to go home before Xu Junying left the court, so she said goodbye and left first. Lingxuzi and Zhang Jingyun saw her out of the private room. Just as they reached the stairs, they heard a commotion downstairs. Several people hurried to the railing to see what was happening. They saw three people holding bags, carrying swords on their backs, and playing other musical instruments such as huqin, pipa, flute and xiao. They were being pushed and shoved out by several burly waiters in the shop.
Zhang Jingyun said, "What's going on?"
Mei Niang shook her head: "I don't know, let's go down and take a look!"
When they got down to the first floor, Lu Xiangfeng also came from behind and bowed to Mei Niang: "Sorry for disturbing you, young lady!"
Then he turned to Zhang Jingyun and Lingxuzi: "I'm sorry, you two masters!"
Lingxuzi pointed at the three people and asked, "What did they do?"
Mei Niang looked at the three people carefully, two men and one woman, all very young, wearing fine silk. The woman in colorful clothes lowered her head, so her appearance could not be seen, but she could be judged to be a graceful beauty just from her outstanding demeanor. The two men, one in purple and the other in white robes, were also handsome and well-mannered. The man in white robe was older than the man in purple, half a head taller, and had a more handsome face and seemed more mature. He protected the man in purple and the woman in colorful clothes, preventing the waiter from touching them.
"Take your dirty hands away. It's not like I don't have money. My wallet has been stolen. I'll pay you back when I have money!"
The man in white raised his handsome eyebrows and said contemptuously.
Mei Niang asked Lu Xiangfeng: "Do you owe rent?"
Lu Xiangfeng nodded, "Yes! They owed me one month. When I first came here, someone stole my wallet and asked me to keep some money for food. I was told that I would pay the rent after I found my relatives. But I never found my relatives. Recently, more and more candidates came to take the exams, and the houses are almost full... I thought, I can only let them go!"
Mei Niang asked the man in white, "Where are you three from?"
The man in white looked at her and asked, "Who are you?"
Lu Xiangfeng said: "This is our young master!"
The man in white looked at Mei Niang again, straightened the things hanging on his back, raised his hand and bowed:
"So it's Young Master, I'm so sorry! Young Master, my brothers and I have fallen on hard times and have no money to pay for the room. Could you please let me owe you money? I will pay you double someday!"
Mei Niang bowed in return, met the startled gaze of the man in white, and smiled slightly: "Everyone has troubles. Forget about the room fee. If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here first. If you must go, you can ask the hotel to give you some money for the trip!"
The man in white couldn't believe it: "Miss... Why would the young master be so kind to people like us who are in trouble?"
"Things change all the time. Who knows, I might also have such a time?" Mei Niang pointed at the girl in colorful clothes and said, "She should have a stable place to live!"
The man in white had red eyes, bowed his head, and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Young Master! Li Qiuge will remember you! May you be blessed with good health. Goodbye!"
Mei Niang watched them walk to the door, but instead of going to the accountant to collect their travel expenses, she called out, "Please stay!"
Li Qiuge turned around and Mei Niang said, "I see you are carrying so many musical instruments, I think you are people who know music, can you lend me a hand to talk?"
Li Qiuge looked at her warily: "Young Master, if you have anything to say, just say it here!"
An idea popped up in Mei Niang's mind. She wanted to find someone to discuss it with. She turned around and looked around. Finally, she saw Zhang Jingyun and said, "I want to keep them..."
Zhang Jingyun responded subconsciously: "It should be possible."
Mei Niang really walked towards Li Qiuge and stood in front of him. The two talked for a long time. In the end, Li Qiuge and the man in purple beside him actually smiled, looking at Mei Niang with eyes full of admiration and gratitude. The woman in colorful clothes behind them also raised her head, with a smile on her beautiful face.
Mei Niang found out that Li Qiuge and the other two were from Yangzhou. They had learned music and practiced singing and dancing since childhood, and had been hanging around in Yangzhou music halls for many years. This time they came to the capital to live with their relatives and friends, but their wallets were stolen by a thief. Their relatives and friends couldn't find them for a long time, and they were unwilling to pawn their beloved musical instruments, so they ended up in such a miserable state.
What Mei Niang agreed with them was: Xiankelai would provide the venue and funds, Li Qiuge and the siblings Su Yunu and Su Yulang would be responsible for recruiting young men and women who were good at singing and dancing, and would choreograph and rehearse various songs and dances that were popular among the people of the time, and perform at the banquet at the request of the guests. The prize money would be paid in silver, with Li Qiuge taking one role and Xiankelai taking the other, and they would split the money 20-20.
After the matter was settled, Li Qiuge took Su Yunu and Su Yulang back to their original room in Xiankelai. Mei Niang asked Lu Xiangfeng to take the key left by Cen Guiquan and take people to Cen's house in the east of the city to clean it up. She had also seen the house. It was a spacious and comfortable courtyard with three entrances, an outer courtyard and an inner courtyard, with rockery, a pond with fish, flowers, trees, and pavilions. It was a house of a wealthy man. There was also a side courtyard with more than ten houses and exquisite corridors. There was a large open space that had not yet been planted with flowers and plants. It was originally the neighbor's yard that Cen Guiquan bought later, intending to use it as a separate courtyard for his concubine, but he did not expect that his concubine could not move in, so he was forced to return home to become a landlord.
Mei Niang mischievously named the barren side yard "Lock Spring Courtyard" and asked Lu Xiangfeng to clean it up for Li Qiuge and the others to live in. The open space was flat and just right for dancing practice. She also sealed the door from the small yard to the big yard, which was useful to her. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)