When Jiang Yin woke from her afternoon nap, she distinctly noticed something off about the taste in her mouth.
She touched her lips and felt a few dry, reddish flakes.
Crushing the flakes between her fingers and bringing them closer to smell, a metallic, fishy odor rushed into her nostrils, nearly making her gag.
Blood?
Where did it come from?
Without dwelling on it further, Jiang Yin hurriedly got out of bed and gulped down several cups of tea to mask the taste.
At first, she thought she might have bitten something in her sleep and injured herself.
But after running her tongue around her mouth and examining herself in the mirror for a long time, she couldn’t find any wounds.
In the end, Jiang Yin could only brush the matter aside in confusion.
After all, counting the days, only seven remained until her wedding to Shen Shouyu. With so much on her mind, she truly had no time to dwell on such a minor issue.
…Seven days. She had to find a feasible escape plan within these seven days.
Given her two previous failures, this was no easy task for Jiang Yin.
But it wasn’t entirely hopeless.
Because Jiang Yin noticed that after Shen Shouyu made his solemn vow, he no longer locked her in the room.
Moreover, whether due to some trouble he’d gotten into, Shen Shouyu’s appearances had become increasingly infrequent lately.
At the same time, an old woman was sent to Jiang Yin’s side to teach her etiquette.
…This surprised Jiang Yin quite a bit.
She had thought Shen Shouyu’s talk of marrying her as his principal wife was merely a temporary measure.
Now, it seemed he was serious.
But… why?
Jiang Yin couldn’t figure it out either.
…
Learning etiquette was exhausting. Since Jiang Yin’s constitution was weak, she only needed to study for an hour each day before she was free to move about.
On the third day after being brought back, she took Xinyue to the carriage rental shop under the pretext of looking for a hairpin she’d lost in the carriage.
As expected, the place was already deserted.
A passing child said that two nights ago, someone had caused trouble at the shop. After a noisy commotion of smashing and breaking, the owner had taken his family and fled the city overnight, closing the shop behind them.
Jiang Yin listened quietly, standing dazed in front of the door for a long while before sighing.
Even though she knew she was merely in a book and these people were nothing but illusions, the wind that night had been so cold, and the carriage driver’s hand as he helped her into the carriage had been so strong. How could she simply treat them as paper-thin characters?
Noticing her dejection, Xinyue whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, Madam. The young master is not a heartless person. According to Feng Cheng, the young master gave the owner a large sum of silver…”
Feng Cheng was Shen Shouyu’s guard—the one who had handed Shen Shouyu his cloak when they went out earlier.
If he said Shen Shouyu had given money, then Shen Shouyu must have indeed given money.
Thinking this, the heaviness in Jiang Yin’s heart eased slightly.
She took one last look at the tightly shut door of the shop and returned to Zui Xian Ju.
…
Due to their previous friction and seeing that Jiang Yin had now caught the eye of a nobleman, the brothel’s madam, Yin Niang, was exceptionally attentive to her.
Although she didn’t know the nobleman’s identity, his peculiar behavior—having booked two rooms in the brothel three months ago without ever summoning a single courtesan—had left a deep impression on Yin Niang.
She had even once suspected that the nobleman might have some hidden ailment, rendering him impotent, which explained his ascetic lifestyle.
Little did she expect that one day, the nobleman would break his vow.
And not just break it—he did so for Jiang Yin, a plain and unremarkable girl.
…What a pity.
What a pity that such peerless beauty of a noble person should be taken advantage of by an ordinary little girl—truly a waste of a treasure.
But then again… the noble one is blind, so beauty and ugliness make no difference to him. That makes it somewhat understandable.
Despite her lingering frustration, seeing Jiang Yin return from outside with a young maid, Yin Niang hurried forward to greet her, a thickly powdered face breaking into a smile as she called out, “A Yin!”
…
Ever since she was nearly sold to that perverted old man Liu, Jiang Yin had maintained an attitude of keeping her distance from Yin Niang.
Now, seeing her take the initiative to be friendly, and thinking that she would still have to deal with her when redeeming her freedom later, Jiang Yin hesitated for a moment. Instead of being too cold, she smiled at her. “Mm.”
Originally thinking Jiang Yin wouldn’t respond to her, Yin Niang was taken aback to see her smilingly reply. Her smile grew even brighter. “Are you cold, A Yin? Look at you, covered in chill… My room has plenty of charcoal fire. Would you like to come sit for a while?”
“No…”
Thinking of her past experiences, Jiang Yin instinctively wanted to refuse.
But then her thoughts shifted. She paused and changed her answer. “Alright then. It’s been a long time since I’ve chatted with Mama. A Yin misses Mama dearly.”
As she spoke, she signaled to Xinyue. “If you have nothing to do, wait for me at the door. If you have matters to attend to, go ahead. I’ll be back soon.”
“It’s fine,” Xinyue replied without hesitation. “I’ll wait for you outside the door, Mistress.”
“…Alright.”
Thinking that Shen Shouyu couldn’t possibly truly ignore her and must have ordered Xinyue to keep a close eye on her, Jiang Yin wasn’t surprised by her choice and let her stand guard at the door.
All of this fell into the eyes of the seductive woman beside them.
As the second-in-command of Zui Xian Ju and the most famous madam in the capital, she had spent many years in the world of pleasure. Though lacking in virtue, she had honed a great skill in reading people.
After hearing just a few words between these two, she had already formed some speculations about Jiang Yin’s situation.
And she had a rough idea why Jiang Yin had agreed to come into her room for a chat.
Thus, once inside, she casually closed the door and led Jiang Yin directly into the innermost chamber.
Before Jiang Yin could speak, Yin Niang first put away the fawning smile on her face and gestured to her. “Sit.”
Seeing her change expression, Jiang Yin hesitated inwardly and didn’t move.
Yin Niang knew what Jiang Yin was worried about and didn’t press her. She sat down first and said, “One hundred taels to redeem your freedom, two hundred taels to keep my mouth shut. If you’re willing, just bring the money.”
…
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t stunned. Jiang Yin was dazed for a moment before taking a step forward. “What did you say?”
“I’ve seen plenty of people in situations like yours.”
The woman smoothed the loose bun resting on her shoulder, lifted her chin slightly, and narrowed her fox-like eyes, which gleamed with shrewdness. “No need to ask more. Prepare the money and come find me. I’ll give you a satisfactory answer.”
…
Jiang Yin stared into her eyes for a while, then tentatively asked, “I want to leave the city.”
“That’s not my concern,” the woman said sternly, tilting her neck and pursing her lips. “If I really take you out of the city and you turn around and accuse me of trafficking, who would I turn to for justice?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“I don’t gamble.”
“But…”
“No need to say more. I won’t do things that could land me in prison,” the woman said firmly. “You might not repay kindness with ingratitude, but that doesn’t mean that noble person won’t… What kind of monsters and demons haven’t I seen?”
…
Jiang Yin had to admit that Yin Niang was right.
After hesitating for a moment, she nodded in agreement: “Alright. I may not be able to go out easily these days. Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll trouble you to come to my room for a chat.”
After a moment’s thought, she added: “Also, I’ll add another fifty taels. Please deliver a message to the young lady of the Li Residence for me.”
“…The young lady of the Li Residence?”
Jiang Yin nodded: “Yes, the young lady of the Li Residence, Li Zhixin.”
“…”
Knowing there were risks involved, she hadn’t held much hope to begin with.
But after a moment of contemplation, the woman actually agreed: “That can be done.”