“Pah! What a piece of trash!” Chunlan Xiu made a spitting gesture toward the gate and cursed, “A lowly wench, and she dares put on airs with me!”
“If it weren’t for the fact that you’re somewhat useful to me, do you think someone like you could ever become the mistress of the Marquis Manor?”
With a twisted expression, Chunlan Xiu continued hurling insults at Song Yao, who had long since walked away. Han Lingyue looked on, bewildered. “Mother, what’s wrong?”
Chunlan Xiu retracted her gaze. “I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”
After a pause, she added, “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I’ll make sure that bitch arranges another good marriage for you.”
“Come, let’s go back.” Chunlan Xiu tugged at Han Lingyue and headed back toward her own quarters.
Meanwhile, Song Yao left the manor and took a carriage directly to Tianxiang Pavilion.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of Tianxiang Pavilion. Song Yao, supported by Hong Yu, stepped down and glanced up at the pavilion’s signboard.
The tightly shut doors of Tianxiang Pavilion opened a crack, and a woman in pink emerged.
The woman asked if the visitor was Lady Han. Upon receiving confirmation, she said her mistress was waiting for the lady and invited her to follow.
Song Yao thanked the woman and followed her inside.
Hong Yu did not accompany her mistress into Tianxiang Pavilion.
Instead, Hong Yu and the coachman waited outside, quietly standing by.
Tianxiang Pavilion was the most famous brothel in Yunzhou.
It opened its doors to guests at night.
During the day, the courtesans inside rested, so the pavilion was currently very quiet.
The woman in pink led the guest all the way to the highest floor, stopping only at the door of the Celestial Suite.
She did not push the door open for the guest. Standing at the entrance, she said, “My mistress is inside. You may enter, my lady.”
After speaking, the woman curtsied slightly to Song Yao, then turned and withdrew.
Song Yao stood at the door for a moment before raising her hand to push it open and step inside.
Upon entering the Celestial Suite, the first thing she saw was a gauze screen.
Through the screen, she could make out the faint silhouette of a person seated behind it.
Song Yao closed the door and approached the screen. Through the barrier, she addressed the person seated behind it. “Is that the Mistress?”
A resonant male voice came from behind the screen. “Indeed, it is I.”
“General Su informed me that the Marquise wishes to see me. May I ask what brings you here, my lady?”
Song Yao had heard more or less about the temperament and disposition of the Mistress of Tianxiang Pavilion.
If one wanted to discuss business with him, it was best not to beat around the bush but to state the matter directly. Once the Mistress agreed, there was usually nothing he couldn’t accomplish.
Song Yao said, “I sought you out, Mistress, to ask for your help with a matter. I wish to divorce Han Qingfeng, the Marquis of Yunzhou. However… I want him to beg me for the divorce.”
The person behind the screen pondered for a moment.
He said, “Wanting to divorce that man and having him beg you for it is not a difficult task.”
“Based on my understanding of you, my lady, you are fully capable of handling this matter yourself. So why would you spend unnecessary money to seek my help?”
Song Yao sighed. “You are right, Mistress. If I wanted to, I could indeed manage it.”
“But… I am merely a weak woman. There are many things I wish to do, yet my strength often falls short of my ambitions.”
“No matter how well I plan, the lack of people at my disposal is a fundamental flaw.”
“Therefore, I wish to ask the Master to provide me with personnel. How I plan to deal with the Yunzhou Marquis Manor, I will inform the Master.”
The Master behind the screen understood: “You want to use my people to deal with the entire family of the Marquis of Yunzhou.”
“May I understand it this way? Madam not only intends to divorce the Marquis of Yunzhou, but you also want to bring down the entire Yunzhou Marquis Manor, am I right?”
Song Yao: “Exactly! I want everyone in the Marquis Manor to fall from the clouds into the mud.”
The room fell silent.
After a moment.
The Master of Tianxiang Pavilion named his price, “Ten thousand taels of silver!”
Doing business with Tianxiang Pavilion was indeed expensive.
To achieve her goal, Song Yao respectfully presented the prepared silver notes with both hands.
Deal done!
Song Yao informed the Master of her first step in the plan.
Then she left the Tianzi No. 1 room.
The Marquis Manor wanted to devour her Song family’s legacy.
Then let those ungrateful wretches find out who would be the one devoured.
Song Yao boarded the carriage again and left.
Han Qingfeng had gone to the capital to meet the emperor and was now on his way back.
If she remembered correctly, he should return home tomorrow.
In her previous life, on the very day Han Qingfeng returned home.
The three ungrateful wretches complained to their father.
Accusing their wicked mother of selling her daughter for glory and wealth.
In this life, Han Lingyue’s marriage was completely ruined.
Who knows what those three dogs would say to their father when Han Qingfeng returned home tomorrow!
The carriage did not take Song Yao back to the Marquis Manor immediately.
After all, when she went out, she had told Chunlan Xiu she was going to the shops.
The weather was fine today, so she might as well go check on the shops.
She owned many shops, so she decided to inspect them all one by one today.
For the entire day, Song Yao did not return home.
It was only when it was completely dark that Song Yao finally returned late.
Chunlan Xiu heard from the servants that after Madam returned, she went straight to her room.
Chunlan Xiu said angrily, “She went straight back to her room?”
In Old Madam’s room, Chunlan Xiu dismissed the maid who had come to deliver the message.
Then she turned to Old Madam, “Mother, look at her, hiding outside all day.”
“Now that she’s back, she doesn’t even come to pay her respects to you. Does she have no manners at all?”
Also in Old Madam’s room was Han Lingyue.
Han Lingyue leaned against the old lady as she sat, “Grandmother, you should also reprimand Song Yao from time to time. You can’t let her have her way in everything.”
“If you always let her have her way, she won’t care about me or my two brothers.”
Madam Jin looked at Chunlan Xiu, then glanced at her granddaughter sitting beside her.
She said, “Are you suggesting that I go find Song Yao?”
Chunlan Xiu: “Mother, I went to see Song Yao this morning.”
“Not only did she rebuke me, but she also glared at me fiercely. I don’t dare provoke her now.”
“Why don’t you send someone to summon her and ask how the preparations for Lingyue’s marriage proposal are coming along?”
Although the old lady usually pretended to stay aloof from worldly affairs, in reality, she was the truly shrewd one.
The old lady said unhurriedly, “Lanxiu, you know she went to the shops to tend to business today and only returned this late. She must have had no time to attend to Lingyue’s marriage.”
“You know she was busy with business today, yet you ask me to send someone to summon her. What exactly are you scheming?”
Chunlan Xiu had not expected that the old lady, who had always looked down on Song Yao, would actually speak in her favor.
Chunlan Xiu retorted, “No matter how busy the shop gets, how busy could it really be?”
“It’s been a whole day. Who knows what she’s been doing out there?”
“Mother, have you never suspected that she might be doing something shameful outside?”