No one knew what those people discussed after Jiang Fei left that day, but afterward, Old Madam issued an order for her to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors.
Since Jiang Rulin could wander around the mansion even while supposedly confined, Jiang Fei decided to follow suit. She strolled through the estate while secretly scouting for potential escape routes.
She hadn’t been out to explore the streets since arriving in this world. Being cooped up in the mansion would drive her mad.
Jiang Fei sat by the stone table, lost in thought.
What did Yao Shi and Jiang Rulin mean by their words that day?
Was Jiang Rulin originally supposed to be the Second Young Miss of the Jiang family? Then what about her? Was she actually the Third Young Miss? What purpose would switching their positions serve?
Jiang Fei carefully searched her memories but couldn’t recall this being mentioned in the book.
Was this a change caused by her transmigration, or did the original author consider it unimportant details for minor characters?
She tried calling out to the system a couple of times, but after waiting for a long while, there was no response.
She needed to find a way to sneak out. Being trapped in the mansion wasn’t sustainable. If Wei Mingzhen really decided not to marry her but someone else instead, that would be absolutely unacceptable.
As Jiang Fei pondered while eating pastries, a piece of shortbread suddenly slipped from her fingers, falling to the ground and rolling several times.
Just as she bent down to pick it up, a dirty little hand shot out from behind the rockery, snatched the pastry, and quickly retracted.
Jiang Fei deliberately dropped another piece on the ground. When the hand reached for it again, she swiftly grabbed the wrist and pulled the person out.
It was a girl about thirteen or fourteen years old, who had been hiding in the crevices of the rockery behind the stone table, desperately trying to swallow the red date in her mouth.
Discovered, she trembled violently, choking on the date until her eyes rolled back.
Jiang Fei quickly slapped her hard on the back, dislodging the date from the girl’s mouth. When the girl tried to pick it up again, Jiang Fei stopped her.
“Who are you?”
The girl shook like a leaf. “Please spare me, Young Miss. Have mercy.”
“What’s your name? Which courtyard do you belong to?” Jiang Fei asked.
The girl’s voice was pitifully small. “This slave is called Jiu Tao, a maid who does odd jobs in the utility room.”
Only then did Jiang Fei notice the slender arms beneath her sleeves, as if she had never eaten her fill. “Are you very hungry?”
Jiu Tao nodded vigorously.
Jiang Fei held onto a pastry. “How long have you been in the mansion?”
“This slave was sold to the Jiang residence when I was six.”
Jiang Fei nodded, waving the pastry in front of Jiu Tao. “Since you’ve been here so many years, you must be very familiar with everything in the mansion.”
Jiu Tao’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the pastry, swallowing hard. “Very familiar.”
“Then let’s make a deal.” Jiang Fei glanced around and lowered her voice. “Do you know where we can sneak out without anyone noticing?”
…
Half an hour later, Jiang Fei was walking through the capital’s streets, followed by a chattering companion.
“Young Miss, if we’re discovered, it’ll be terrible.”
“Then let’s make sure we’re not discovered,” Jiang Fei said.
Jiu Tao followed behind her, a rope tied around her wrist extending to Jiang Fei’s own wrist.
The two were now grasshoppers tied to the same string. Jiang Fei did this partly to prevent them from getting separated and herself from losing the way back, and partly to prevent Jiu Tao from secretly reporting her.
The two of them had been wandering around from morning until noon and were already starving. With the silver from pawning two pieces of jewelry in her pocket, Jiang Fei headed straight into a restaurant.
The private room’s window faced the street. Sitting by the window, Jiang Fei ate while watching the lively scene outside and sighed.
On her way here, she had seen many shops. With the knowledge she currently possessed, opening a shop in the capital to earn some silver shouldn’t be a problem. With luck, she might even become a wealthy merchant. Unfortunately, she was fated to die young—in just two years, she would perish along with the rest of the Jiang family. Even if she earned money, she wouldn’t live to spend it.
Rather than striving, it was better to take it easy.
Her goal was to marry Wei Mingzhen as soon as possible, secure a dowry from the Jiang family, squander it all before her death, and enjoy life here for two years.
Just as Jiang Fei was about to look away, she caught sight of a carriage stopping diagonally across the street. Her eyes lit up when she saw the person stepping out of the carriage.
Wasn’t that Wei Mingzhen? She had been worrying about how to meet him, and here he was, delivered right to her.
Jiang Fei beckoned to the person behind her. Jiu Tao approached, holding a bun in one hand and a chicken leg in the other, her mouth stuffed full.
Jiang Fei pointed to where the carriage had just stopped. “What place is that?”
Jiu Tao finally managed to swallow the meat in her mouth and mumbled, “That’s Liufang Garden, it’s…”
“I know,” Jiang Fei said. “A brothel, right?”
Jiu Tao shook her head vigorously. “It’s an opera house, a place to listen to songs. Only nobles and high officials can go there.”
An opera house was even better—no need to find a way to sneak in.
Jiang Fei wiped her hands, grabbed Jiu Tao, and headed out. Jiu Tao was still thinking about the table full of delicious food. “What about the food?”
“Business first!”
Jiang Fei pulled Jiu Tao downstairs and hurried straight to Liufang Garden across the street.
Before the burly men at the entrance could question her, she used the power of money, tossing out a silver ingot and smoothly entering Liufang Garden.
The place looked plain on the outside, but inside, it was a different world.
In the center of the opera house was a stage, adorned with a magnificent red and gold caisson ceiling. The carved tables and chairs were already filled with people, and two tiers of private boxes surrounded the area.
Jiang Fei pulled Jiu Tao along, searching the crowd for Wei Mingzhen.
With his family background, he surely wouldn’t be in the main hall—he must be in one of the private rooms upstairs.
Just as Jiang Fei was about to go upstairs, she was stopped by someone near the staircase. “May I ask, miss, which private room have you reserved?”
“Second floor,” Jiang Fei replied vaguely and tried to walk past.
The attendant blocked the staircase, eyeing her suspiciously. His tone carried a hint of disdain. “If you haven’t made a reservation, miss, you cannot go to our private rooms. Coincidentally, the lower floor is full today as well. You’d better come another day.”
His tone was as pretentious as the eunuchs in the palace. Jiang Fei regretted not wearing all her jewelry when she went out, wishing she could blind his snobbish eyes with her dazzling splendor.
“I’m looking for someone,” Jiang Fei said directly.
“Who?”
“Wei Mingzhen.” Before the attendant could speak, Jiang Fei added, “I’m his fiancée.”
The attendant took a sharp breath. Third Master Wei had indeed reserved a private room on the second floor today.
If she really was Third Master Wei’s fiancée, he couldn’t afford to offend her. If this woman dared to impersonate her, letting her upstairs wouldn’t be his fault.
Thinking this, the waiter immediately changed his expression and said with a smile, “So you’re Young Master Wei’s fiancée. Please go upstairs to the private room, Miss. Third Master Wei’s private room is the fourth one on the second floor. I won’t escort you up.”
Jiang Fei nodded, lifted her skirt, and went up to the second floor.
The private rooms on the second floor were arranged in a semicircle around the stage below, offering the best view. The waiter had only said the fourth room but didn’t specify whether to count from the left or the right.
Jiang Fei walked along the corridor to the fourth room, glanced inside and found it empty, then counted again from the other end.
When she reached the fourth room, she faintly heard the melodious sound of a zither coming from within.
Jiang Fei pressed her face against the door to peer through the crack and indeed saw “Wei Mingzhen” reclining on a couch, holding a folding fan in one hand. Two beauties sat on either side of him, while another played the zither in the room.
The beauty beside him offered a cup of wine, but he pushed it away with his fan and lifted his chin, saying, “Drink it.”
Quite the hedonist, and shameless too—accusing him of being entangled with men while he himself was here indulging in pleasure.
Hypocritical dog! Damn man!
Jiang Fei pressed against the door crack, cursing him from head to toe, inside and out, her lips twitching as if she were suffering from a facial nerve disorder.
Jiu Tao watched from the side, her heart pounding with fear, and kept tugging at Jiang Fei’s sleeve. “Miss, your expression is becoming more and more twisted…”
Inside the room, Pei Jing had turned toward the door the moment he heard a noise outside. With a flick of his folding fan, the door swung open on both sides.
“Who’s there? Get in here!”