Serving in Bed
It was the sixth month in the capital, within the rear residence of the Jiangyang Marquisate.
Yanliu Courtyard.
“Mistress, great news! Jin Bao from the Marquis’s quarters just came by to say that the Marquis will be coming to our place tonight. Mistress, stop reading. Hurry and get up to bathe and get ready!” the maid, Ru Yi, exclaimed, her face alight with joy.
Ye Qingzhi paused for a moment, then put down her book and said to Ru Yi, “Oh, I see. You can go and prepare.”
It was here. What was bound to come had finally come.
It had been half a month since she had transmigrated. Upon learning she had become a noble concubine in a marquisate, Ye Qingzhi had quickly come to terms with it.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do—or in this case, go crazy.
She had already done something as absurd as transmigrating to ancient times, so what was the point of being pretentious? A worker has the soul of a worker; as long as the pay was right, there was no job she couldn’t do!
Although the profession of a concubine offered basically no status or human rights and was high-risk—either being tormented by the main wife, dying in a household struggle, or even being given away to someone else—if you could survive, being a noble concubine in a marquisate wasn’t so bad in terms of salary, benefits, and career prospects.
First, the salary was high: twenty taels of silver a month, with room and board included. There were also various allowances for things like ice and charcoal, and she would occasionally receive extra rewards.
As for social security and a housing fund, being a concubine in the marquisate was like signing a lifelong contract with comprehensive coverage. It guaranteed her retirement, medical care, work-related injuries, childbirth, and so on, leaving her with no worries for the future. Even better, she was guaranteed not to lose her job—unless she died!
Of course, there were downsides. She had lost her freedom of choice. Resigning (running away) was strictly forbidden, as was job-hopping or taking on side gigs (cuckolding the Marquis). The penalty for either was death!
Second, the career prospects weren’t bad either. If she won his favor and the Marquis was willing to dote on her, a noble concubine’s prestige and status were actually not low.
The original owner’s family was the wealthiest merchant family in Jiangnan. They didn’t lack for silver, but in ancient times, merchants were of low status and had no social standing.
The original owner’s father had paid the Marquis two hundred thousand taels of silver to make her a noble concubine upon entering the household, all in the hope that she would one day win his favor, whisper some sweet nothings in his ear, and help her family become imperial merchants through the Marquis’s connections.
Furthermore, once she was favored, her family could use the Marquis’s name to their advantage, acting with impunity. Even as merchants, they would be able to navigate the world of officialdom.
However, just two days after entering the marquisate, before she had even reported for duty to serve in bed, the original owner was pushed into a lake. By the time she was pulled out, the soul inside was hers.
Therefore, faced with the high risks of the concubine profession, Ye Qingzhi had pondered for three days straight. In the end, her brain gave out, and she decided to just let things slide.
Alas, she would just treat it as her soul taking a vacation after death. In her past life, she had been too busy as a corporate drone. During holidays, she just wanted to lie at home like a corpse, not wanting to squeeze through crowds. She had never even gone on a proper trip.
Who would have thought she’d get such a perk after death? Of course, she was going to do whatever made her happy.
Thus, Ye Qingzhi quickly established her motto—
Rather than wronging myself, I’ll drive others mad.
This time, she would be a different kind of worker. She would refuse to be consumed by internal strife. If trouble came, she would throw a fit. If she could live, she’d live. If not, they would all die together.
In her past life, as a girl with ordinary looks, she had only been in love once. They had held hands a few times, but she was cheated on and broken up with before they even kissed, let alone slept with a man.
So, after her body had recovered, Ye Qingzhi had been waiting nervously these past few days to start her job.
She had already worn out the Fire-Avoidance Illustrations from her pre-employment training; there was really nothing left to see.
She was just waiting for the hands-on practice!
On a hot summer day, a flower petal bath was quite comfortable. Having someone attend to her, not having to pour the water or clean up herself, and even getting a massage—that was even more comfortable.
Creak.
The door made a soft sound and was pushed open.
Ye Qingzhi, who had her eyes closed and was enjoying Ru Yi’s massage, thought it was the old woman coming in to add hot water. But then she heard Ru Yi’s panicked voice.
“This servant greets the Marquis.”
A jolt went through Ye Qingzhi. She immediately opened her eyes to look and almost let out a wolf whistle.
The Marquis was far too handsome!
By modern standards, the Marquis’s looks were that of a top-tier male god—bewitchingly beautiful and overwhelmingly noble.
In the past, when she chased celebrities and male gods, she could only scream through her keyboard about wanting to sleep with them. She never imagined that after dying and getting a new job for her soul, she would realize the ultimate fantasy of so many fans.
“This concubine greets the Marquis.”
Ye Qingzhi glanced at the Marquis, then lowered her head in a fluster and was about to stand up to curtsy. Her fair, tender shoulders had just been revealed, and just as more was about to be exposed…
As if just realizing the impropriety, Ye Qingzhi let out a shy, soft cry and quickly hid beneath the flower petals. She cast another bashful, timid glance at Xie Jin and asked in a sweet, delicate voice, “Marquis, could you please wait in the outer room for a moment? So that this concubine may dry herself and get dressed.”
“Get up and help me change,” Xie Jin said in a hoarse voice, his eyes fixed on the exquisitely beautiful Ye Qingzhi.
When he had first taken her into his household, besides the two hundred thousand taels of silver her family had stuffed him with, he had also been taken by her charming looks.
If she had been a plain woman, he would never have taken her as a concubine, no matter how much silver he was given.
It was a pity she wasn’t very bright, falling into a trap so soon after entering the household.
Ye Qingzhi was speechless.
Fine, he was even more impatient than she was.
It was understandable. After all, the physical attributes of this body were truly excellent.
Not only was she enchantingly beautiful, but her voice was also soft and sweet. Coupled with the green-tea seduction skills she had just displayed, no man could resist.
However, when it was really time to get to work, Ye Qingzhi chickened out again. She pressed her hands against his chest, her teeth chattering.
“Marquis, it’s this concubine’s first time. I’m a little scared. Could you be gentle?”
Don’t blame her for being a coward. No woman wasn’t apprehensive and scared her first time. She had heard it was quite painful.
If she was constantly tormented in this matter, she wouldn’t want this job, no matter how high the salary and benefits were, or how handsome the boss was.
Xie Jin saw that although she was terrified, she was still looking straight at him, frankly admitting her fear and begging for his pity.
This obedient and delicate demeanor, mixed with a bit of courage and honesty, somehow struck a chord with him.
Since that was the case, he didn’t want her first time to leave her utterly terrified, leading to disharmony in their future bedroom affairs.
So, for the first time ever, Xie Jin indulged her.
When it was all over, Ye Qingzhi lay dazed in the man’s arms and heard him ask in a hoarse voice, “Was my service good?”