"You are merely a steward, and you dare to speak to this madam in such a tone!" Madam Xing Jia Hui was furious. It wasn't just Xia Jin's disrespect that angered her, but the fact that she couldn't do anything about Xia Jin even with such treatment.
"Madam, you should return quickly. Otherwise, if the General discovers you have left your courtyard without permission, he will be angry again."
Madam Xing Jia Hui's brows were tightly furrowed. Realizing that Xia Jin was unmoved by either persuasion or threats, she let out a cold snort and stomped back, not forgetting to call Rong Zhi along with her.
"That damned servant, how dare he treat me like this!"
Upon returning, Madam Xing Jia Hui began smashing antique vases and various ornaments in her room, scattering them across the floor.
Rong Zhi looked at the shards littering the ground, feeling a flicker of surprise. She hadn't expected the relationship between Xia Jin and Madam Xing Jia Hui to be so strained; it was truly beyond her expectations.
"You, come here!" Madam Xing Jia Hui suddenly stopped and beckoned Rong Zhi over.
Rong Zhi obediently approached and heard Madam Xing Jia Hui ask, "Did you tell the General today that you were going out? Did he ask you what you were doing?"
Rong Zhi replied, "Your maidservant spoke truthfully."
Madam Xing Jia Hui's eyes darted around. "Tomorrow, you will go find someone for me. Don't tell the truth, just say you are going out to buy things for me."
"Yes."
Rong Zhi thought that Madam Xing Jia Hui was likely seeking help, most probably from Xiao Yao. However, to her surprise, the next day, Rong Zhi received a very unfamiliar address.
She looked at the strange gate and the two large stone lions flanking it, her brow furrowing. It was the Grand Tutor's mansion.
It was the Grand Tutor's mansion that had dispatched Xia Jin to the General's estate, and the incident with the corpse-controlling technique was also inextricably linked to the Grand Tutor's mansion. To think that Madam Xing Jia Hui was even close friends with the Grand Tutor's daughter.
She tightened her grip on her handkerchief and stepped forward to knock on the door.
The door was opened by a young servant who looked greasy and powdered. Although a man, he wore rouge and powder, and his demeanor was rather effeminate.
Seeing that Rong Zhi was dressed as a maidservant, he knew she must be from a noble family. Therefore, he spoke courteously.
"Whom are you looking for?"
Rong Zhi handed over Madam Xing Jia Hui's handkerchief. "I am the personal maidservant of the General's wife. Please trouble yourself to deliver this to your young lady."
The Grand Tutor's mansion had only one person who could be referred to as "young lady," and that was the First Madam's daughter, Chen Yan Yan. The young servant took the handkerchief and glanced at it, noticing a small inscription that read, "Received by Chen Yan Yan." His attitude immediately became respectful.
"Wait here, I'll be right back."
Rong Zhi thanked him and waited nearby.
While waiting, Rong Zhi took a look inside. She noticed that all the young servants were like the one who had just opened the door, their faces smeared with rouge and powder. They were all remarkably fair-skinned and pleasant to look at, but it felt strangely awkward.
Just then, a flippant voice suddenly came from behind her. "Oh my, whose little maid is this? She's quite pretty. Carry her in for this young master!"
As he spoke, several people surrounded Rong Zhi, all dressed as household guards. Without a word, they lifted her and carried her directly inside.
Rong Zhi caught the scent of a strong medicinal odor, mingled with the fragrance of cosmetics, which stung her nose. The medicinal smell was none other than the common aphrodisiac found in brothels. Rong Zhi frowned.
Although she wasn't afraid of the drug, inhaling too much of it wouldn't be good for her health.
Just as she was about to see who the owner of that flippant voice was, she was already carried into a room. The room's decor was peculiar, adorned with red banners and decorations, resembling a bridal chamber. Large red candles were lit, and the windows were covered by curtains. Rong Zhi was unceremoniously thrown onto the bed.
A tall, lean man in a green robe with a lecherous expression entered.
He stroked his chin, appraising Rong Zhi with apparent satisfaction.
Rong Zhi searched her memory and surmised that this might be the Grand Tutor's only son, Chen An.
The Grand Tutor held a high position in the imperial court and was not short of money, but he had one great sorrow: his son was a disappointment.
Rumor had it that this son, Chen An, was unlearned and dissolute. Still in his twenties, he spent his days indulging in the company of loose women, and any girl with a modicum of beauty in the household had fallen prey to his advances. There were countless "legends" about this young master circulating in the marketplace, and some even turned his scandalous affairs into ditties for amusement.
Rong Zhi had heard of these matters before, but she never expected that she, a mere maidservant sent to deliver a message, would also fall into his clutches. It seemed even drinking cold water could lead to getting a fishbone stuck in her throat.
Seeing that Chen An, despite his somewhat delicate features, had a pale complexion and dark circles under his eyes, indicating a frail constitution and weakened kidneys, Rong Zhi instinctively felt like prescribing him some medicine.
Just as Rong Zhi was lost in thought, Chen An suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?" He walked over with a look of surprise, regarding Rong Zhi as if she were a rare specimen.
Rong Zhi instinctively took a step back.
"Why hasn't the medicine taken effect yet?"
Medicine?
Right, when she entered earlier, she seemed to have inadvertently inhaled some kind of drug.
Recalling the effects of that drug, Rong Zhi's lips twitched. She couldn't possibly feign the symptoms of that drug, even if she tried.
She gave Chen An an awkward smile.
"Young master, what medicine are you referring to?"
"Don't speak," Chen An pulled a sachet from his sleeve, opened it, and turned it upside down. A pile of red, yellow, blue, and green pills poured out, covering the bed.
Rong Zhi couldn't help but twitch her lips. If she wasn't mistaken, these were all the same kind of medicine.
As she was thinking, a green pill was offered to her lips.
"Eat it." Chen An stared fixedly at Rong Zhi, his expression earnest.
Rong Zhi offered a strained smile. "Young master, if you're looking for pleasure, why don't you eat it yourself?"
Chen An pondered for a moment. "That does seem logical." With that, he actually swallowed the pill himself, much to Rong Zhi's astonishment.
The market legends painted this young master as a debauched scoundrel, yet he was surprisingly simple-minded.
In an instant, the drug's effects took hold. Chen An's eyes glazed over, and with a lecherous grin, he lunged at Rong Zhi. Rong Zhi, quick as lightning, pressed his pressure point for sleep. Chen An's eyes closed, and he collapsed onto the bed, unconscious.
Rong Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the bed full of colorful pills, she couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. Chen An, at such a young age, had already ruined his health. If this continued, his life would likely be short.
Normally, Rong Zhi would have offered assistance to someone like this. However, today was not the time, as the sound of footsteps could already be heard outside.
"Chen An! Are you even human? You won't let go of even the maid delivering the message!"
With a bang, a young girl, not yet twenty, with a pair of peach-blossom eyes and a delicate face, strode in, completely unconcerned that it was a man's bedchamber.
Upon seeing the situation in the room, Chen Yan Yan looked somewhat surprised. Chen An lay on the bed, and an unfamiliar maidservant stood in the room, unharmed, though her expression was somewhat bewildered.
This was an unprecedented event. In the past, if she had arrived even a moment later, the scene would have been too embarrassing to behold.
Seeing the young lady before her, Rong Zhi guessed it was Chen Yan Yan and quickly stepped forward to bow. "Greetings to Miss Chen."
Chen Yan Yan waved her hand, and the maidservant behind her went to the bed, checked under Chen An's nose, and then reported back as if accustomed to the situation. "Miss, he's still alive."
Chen Yan Yan let out a cold snort, her expression contemptuous. "Consider yourself lucky. But if this continues, you'll die on a woman's belly sooner or later."
These words surprised Rong Zhi. The speaker was merely a teenage girl, yet she spoke so boldly.
Chen Yan Yan's gaze soon fell upon Rong Zhi. "Did Xing Jia Hui send you to find me?"
Rong Zhi replied, "Indeed."
Chen Yan Yan said with an unenthusiastic tone, "She's had too much to drink today. Normally, when I go to see her, she avoids me. Now, she must be in some kind of trouble to remember to look for me. What do you take me for, Chen Yan Yan? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will? I'm not so easily bullied. Since you've come on her behalf, kneel down and bark like a dog three times, and I'll agree."
With that, she stood by the door with her arms crossed, looking as if she were waiting to watch a show. It seemed she wouldn't leave if Rong Zhi didn't comply.
Rong Zhi thought that Madam Xing Jia Hui was truly a schemer. She hadn't mentioned that coming to invite someone would involve barking like a dog.
So, Rong Zhi said sincerely, "Miss Chen, our madam said that as long as Miss comes, our madam will do anything, let alone bark like a dog."
"Really?" Hearing this, Chen Yan Yan's eyes lit up, and she suddenly became excited.
"Really." Rong Zhi nodded and confirmed again. As for barking like a dog, whoever wanted to do it could do it; she certainly wouldn't!
"Has Xing Jia Hui suddenly become sensible? That's rare indeed. Wait here, I'll go change and go with you immediately!"
Perhaps driven by her eagerness to see Xing Jia Hui embarrassed, Chen Yan Yan didn't trouble Rong Zhi further and quickly went to change.
Her personal maidservant, however, stayed behind and slipped a packet of silver into Rong Zhi's hand. Judging by its weight, it was at least a hundred taels.
"What for?" Rong Zhi asked, confused.
"This is for you, a form of compensation. Forget about what happened today. But don't expect our young master to take responsibility for you and make you his concubine or anything. The women our young master has touched are no less than eight hundred, if not a thousand. If we were to take them all in, wouldn't our household become a brothel? You should just give up on that idea."
Her tone was dismissive, as if she thought Rong Zhi was trying to extort money.
Rong Zhi understood. Chen An likely had too many women causing trouble, and Chen Yan Yan, his sister, was accustomed to cleaning up his messes. She was surprised that even Chen Yan Yan's personal maidservant carried so much money, handing over a hundred taels so readily.
Since the other party had misunderstood, she decided to accept it.
"Thank you, elder sister. My name is Chun Tao. May I know your name?"
"My name is Jasmine. Don't try to get close to me, it's useless. I won't speak well of you to Miss. "
Rong Zhi nodded in understanding. This maidservant had likely seen similar situations many times. Even if Rong Zhi said that nothing had happened between them just now, she probably wouldn't believe it, so it was better to go along with the misunderstanding.
Rong Zhi's silence seemed to relax Jasmine's guard. She asked Rong Zhi with some surprise, "Aren't you sad?"
"Sad about what?" Rong Zhi asked, puzzled.
"You were touched by our young master, and you won't be able to marry well now. Why aren't you sad at all?"
Normally, any girl in such a situation would be beside herself with grief.
Rong Zhi said, "Originally, we maidservants didn't have much hope of marrying into a good family. Now, at least I have money."
Who would have thought that Rong Zhi's words would touch a sore spot for the other party? Jasmine suddenly pouted and started crying, "Yes, we maidservants have such bitter lives. Wuwuwuwu..."
Rong Zhi: "..." This maidservant, why did she feel so familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before?