Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 121

Chapter 121: A Heart Uneasy 

A smile rested on Mu Yunyao’s face, but her words were direct.

“So, you must be the proprietor of Ruyi Pavilion?”

“Indeed, I am.”

“Since you have chosen to speak of the law, then matters are simple enough. Jin Lan, show her the contract Ding Yuelan signed earlier with my Ni Yun Fang.”

Mu Yunyao had no intention of wasting extra words.

“What contract?” The moment the procuress of Ruyi Pavilion saw what Jin Lan held in her hand, her expression turned ugly. Her eyes shifted, and then she dropped to the ground and began wailing loudly. “Heavens above, is this not the ruin of my life? I spent a full ten thousand taels to buy that Ding Yuelan, and now she has been snatched away by force! How am I to go on living? I might as well dash my head against the wall and die right here...”

Mu Yunyao had not expected that someone who had spoken in such measured, legal terms just moments earlier would suddenly turn to such shameless theatrics. Her brows tightened at once.

The procuress was regretting matters bitterly. Had she known from the beginning that Ding Yuelan had also signed a contract with Ni Yun Fang, then last night she would certainly have accepted the ten thousand taels without hesitation. It was all because she had listened to Master Ding and Old Madam Ding, who had encouraged her to squeeze a great sum out of Mu Yunyao.

Quite a few people who had been waiting outside Jinxiu Garden for a chance to enter Bu Xian Lou gathered around. The moment they heard Ding Yuelan’s name, they grew even more interested. The Ding family affair had long since become a favorite topic of gossip in Jingling City. Even now, people still spoke of it endlessly. They had all thought the Ding family had already left Jingling City. Who could have imagined that Ding Yuelan had been sold into Ruyi Pavilion?

Ruyi Pavilion was a brothel. For the once-dignified wife of the Xuanfu Commissioner to have fallen so suddenly into the dust—once this news spread, would it not shake all of Jingling City?

Hearing the murmur of the crowd around them, Mu Yunyao’s expression turned cold.

“How much silver you paid to buy Ding Yuelan has nothing to do with me. The time specified in the contract has not yet expired, which means she is still the manager of Ni Yun Fang. If you continue to pester us, then do not blame me for taking this matter before the courts!”

With the contract in hand and that contract signed before the contract of sale to Ruyi Pavilion, the law was plainly on her side.

“Miss Mu,” cried the procuress, “when you make one robe, you take in thousands of taels at a stroke. Naturally you know nothing of the hardship of us lowly people. A girl in my house must receive who knows how many guests before she can earn back ten thousand taels! I bought Ding Yuelan to be the very pillar of Ruyi Pavilion. Now that you have forcibly taken her away, half my house has collapsed! Besides, if someone who has already come out of a brothel is made manager of Ni Yun Fang, then who will still dare go there to learn embroidery techniques in the future...?”

“Impudent!”

A sharp rebuke suddenly cut her off.

The crowd parted at once, and Madam Jin walked slowly over, her hand resting on Yin Hong’s arm.

The moment the procuress of Ruyi Pavilion saw Madam Jin, her face changed abruptly, and she lowered her head.

Mu Yunyao stepped forward to support Madam Jin, quietly signaling for her not to be angry.

Madam Jin secretly squeezed her hand, a trace of a smile still in her eyes. But when she turned to look at the procuress, her expression had become utterly cold.

“Ding Yuelan signed with Ni Yun Fang first. That makes her the manager of Ni Yun Fang. If you feel pain for the silver you spent, then go recover it from the people who sold her to you. But if you dare continue making trouble here and slandering Ni Yun Fang’s name, then do not blame this Madam for showing you no mercy.”

Quite apart from her titled rank, with Cao Yunian’s position alone, shutting down a place like Ruyi Pavilion would have been no difficult matter at all.

“Yes, yes, I know I was wrong. I do not dare make trouble again. Madam, please forgive me.”

“Then be gone at once!”

“Yes, yes—many thanks for Madam’s great generosity.”

The procuress quickly took her people and left.

Mu Yunyao watched her retreating figure in haste, yet her brows did not relax.

Seeing her expression, Madam Jin thought she must be brooding over what had just happened, and so she tried to comfort her.

“There is no need to mind what she said. At most, there may be some idle gossip for a time. It will not do too much harm to Ni Yun Fang.”

“Yes, I understand.” Mu Yunyao smiled faintly. “Madam’s complexion looks much better today.”

Naturally, she understood the point. Yet she could not shake the feeling that matters were not so simple. The procuress’s outburst just now had felt strangely painless—as though it had been less a real attempt than a test.

Once Su Qing had accompanied Madam Jin out into the garden for a walk, Mu Yunyao called Liu Liang over.

“When people from Ruyi Pavilion came today, I felt an unease in my heart. Go and investigate Master Ding and Old Madam Ding. Find out where they are and whether they have had contact with anyone.”

“Yes, Master.”

Jin Lan brought over a cup of tea. Seeing Mu Yunyao’s brows still lightly drawn together, she asked cautiously, “Miss, do you think something is wrong here?”

Mu Yunyao nodded faintly.

“The procuress of Ruyi Pavilion is not a fool. No matter how beautiful Madam Ding may be, she would never have spent ten thousand taels to buy her. And after she discovered that we held Madam Ding’s contract, her attitude changed far too suddenly. Once she saw Madam Jin, she was so frightened she did not even dare argue, but turned and left at once. No matter how I look at it, it all feels like someone was testing me.”

“Testing you?”

“Let Liu Liang investigate first.”

Whether it was Ni Yun Fang or Bu Xian Lou, there was no shortage of people secretly jealous or envious of them. Who could say whether someone, unable to endure it any longer, might not make a move? What was more, in the struggle over embroiderers, she had previously secretly shut down Caiyue Pavilion. After so much time, Caiyue Pavilion might have traced matters back to her. It never hurts to be more careful.

Liu Liang went to investigate, but after two days, he had still found no useful clues.

Mu Yunyao did not grow too anxious. No one could be expected to guard against thieves for a thousand days on end. If someone truly was directing matters behind Ruyi Pavilion, then sooner or later another move would be made. She needed only to be careful when the time came.

These past days, she had been overseeing Ni Yun Fang while also keeping an eye on Bu Xian Lou. At last, with a rare bit of leisure, she brought Jin Lan and Jin Qiao out to stroll through the streets.

Once they were out, she discovered that the city wore an air of festivity everywhere. Stalls selling rabbit lanterns and mooncakes had sprung up all over.

Thinking on it, Mu Yunyao suddenly understood.

“Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn, is it not?”

“Yes, Miss. You had not mentioned it these past two days, and this servant thought perhaps Miss did not care much for Mid-Autumn.”

“How could I not care for Mid-Autumn, when it is a festival of reunion?”

Only this year’s Mid-Autumn would hold no one but herself and Mother.

Back in Xia Yan Village, every Mid-Autumn, her father used to take her to Yancheng for the market fair. At that time, many children would be carrying rabbit lanterns. Yet none of theirs had ever been as beautiful as hers, because hers had been made by Father’s own hands: long ears, a plump body, bright red eyes. When she carried it along, the whiskers trembled delicately as she walked, making who knew how many children green with envy.

“Miss, do you like rabbit lanterns? Shall this servant go buy one for you?”

Seeing that she had fallen into a daze while looking at them, Jin Lan could not help but ask.

Mu Yunyao shook her head.

“No need. It is enough just to look. Let us go.”

The heart within her was no longer that of a thirteen-year-old child. Even if she were to carry a rabbit lantern once again, she could never recover the carefree innocence of those days. More than that, the most beautiful lantern was already preserved in her memory. Compared to that one, all the lanterns sold at these stalls felt no more than ordinary.

“Yes.”

Jin Lan quietly looked at Mu Yunyao and felt that some emotion about her was difficult to name—part sigh, part longing, so complicated that it could not be clearly told apart.

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