With her voice falling silent, Xiao Dai flicked her wrist, and her soft sword transformed into a ribbon, binding at her waist. She looked directly into Mu Qingyao's eyes, clearly serious. Mu Qingyao immediately frowned and said in a deep voice, "Two thousand taels."
"Ah," Lv'er and Xiao Lian cried out. What was she saying, two thousand taels? Who was this woman, how could she be so outrageous?
However, Mu Qingyao was not angered. Her sharp black eyes flickered past the firelight, and she extended her hand, "Deal."
Xiao Dai did not expect Miss Mu San to actually agree. A knot tightened in her heart, and the heavy stone that had been suppressed for so long was moved. She was glad to have held on until today, to have met someone to sell herself to, and that it did not go against everyone's wishes.
"Miss."
As soon as she spoke, Mu Qingyao raised her hand to stop her.
"Not yet. Take me to see your father. Come to collect the silver tomorrow. At least you need to give him a convincing reason, don't you?"
"Thank you, Miss."
Xiao Dai looked at Mu Qingyao gratefully. Yes, if her father knew these things, he would be at ease. If she didn't have a reasonable explanation, her father would definitely not be reassured.
"Let's go to your home."
"Alright," Xiao Dai nodded.
Mu Qingyao turned to look at the three maids, Mei Xin, and sternly raised an eyebrow, ordering, "Lv'er, I'm going out. Have them prepare the carriage."
"Yes, Miss."
Lv'er dared not say anything more and scurried forward. Only now did she understand what Miss meant by two thousand taels.
It turned out this woman came to find Miss to sell herself, but she actually sold herself for so much money? Two thousand taels of silver? What a lion's den! It usually cost no more than five taels of silver to buy a maid in this manor, yet this woman asked for two thousand taels. She was truly formidable.
But she dared not say anything. Did Miss forget that the Mu manor could not afford so much silver? It could only disburse five hundred taels at a time, and then it was forbidden to draw money from the accounts department for six months.
Mu Qingyao, however, felt a rare sense of happiness. She had tested Xiao Dai's martial arts just now, and her skills were indeed remarkable. She might not be a top-tier master in the martial world, but she could definitely protect her and deal with ordinary people. With her by her side, her journey to the palace would be more secure.
"Let's go."
The group headed towards the main gate of the Mu manor. Lv'er had already instructed someone to prepare a carriage, which was parked just outside the manor gate.
Qingyao only took Mei Xin and Xiao Dai with her to the Zhao family. Xiao Dai instructed the carriage to head directly towards the western suburbs.
The western suburbs were adjacent to the Liujiang River.
The upper reaches of the Liujiang River were filled with brothels and wine houses, with countless pleasure quarters and inns, places where many high officials indulged in a life of debauchery.
The aroma of fine wine, the dance of beautiful women, the melody of stringed instruments, the sweet murmurs of courtesans, and the excess of wine and food were the best interpretation of a life of extravagance and dissipation.
As the carriage passed the front gate, the hoarse cries of the madam could be heard from afar.
"My lord, please come in and take a look. The girls in our Drunken Red Pavilion are all top-notch beauties. We guarantee your satisfaction."
Mu Qingyao lifted a corner of the curtain and glanced. She never expected Xiao Dai to live in such a place and still maintain her pure and kind disposition. It was truly not easy.
No wonder her father made her swear a solemn oath. "He who walks by the water often," how could he not get his shoes wet?
In the lower reaches of the Liujiang River lived the poorest families in the capital, the "slums" of Lin'an City.
The economy was backward, the population sparse. Every household built a bamboo house by the river. A small boat by the river, a bamboo house, and a small boat were their abode, their home.
As Mu Qingyao alighted from the carriage, she felt a sense of desolation. Rows of bamboo houses lined the riverbank, with many tattered clothes hanging around the bamboo houses, swaying in the wind.
The river surface was covered with a lot of garbage, thrown from upstream, accumulating here, emitting a stench that was sickening.
As Xiao Dai got out of the carriage, several children playing by the river stopped. Two of them rushed over and shouted at Xiao Dai.
"Sister, you're back! Sister, you're back! We missed you so much, and so did Daddy and brother! Sister?"
The two children were sallow and thin, looking as if they hadn't eaten. After saying a few words, they were out of breath.
Mu Qingyao turned and instructed Mei Xin to go buy some food. Mei Xin responded, turned, walked to the carriage, and gave the coachman five taels of silver, telling him to go buy some food.
"Yes," the coachman drove the carriage and left first.
Xiao Dai seemed not to have been home for a long time. Seeing her younger siblings, she happily hugged them. After enough hugging, she remembered Mu Qingyao and turned, saying apologetically, "Miss, you've seen my embarrassing side."
Mu Qingyao shook her head and followed Xiao Dai towards the Zhao family.
Many skinny old people stood by the row of bamboo houses. In their aged eyes, a hazy light flickered, and they stared blankly at Mu Qingyao and her entourage. At this moment, Mu Qingyao's cold heart was actually touched. If she could, she wanted to help them.
"Daddy, Brother, Sister is back! Sister is back!"
The two small children rushed to push open the door of a bamboo house. A smell of mildew mixed with medicine wafted out. A commotion arose from within the bamboo house, followed by coughing and a distorted voice: "Daddy, slow down, Sister won't run away."
The bamboo house had two rooms. The outer room had a bamboo bed, and on it lay an old man with a face full of wrinkles, but his eyes twinkled with a sharp spirit. As soon as he saw Xiao Dai, he eagerly tried to get up, but his body was not strong, and after struggling for a long time, he remained lying in bed.
Xiao Dai plopped down on her knees before the bed, "Daddy, your daughter is unfilial. You've been worried."
"It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."
The old man lovingly reached out to touch his daughter's face. His hand looked like a chicken's claw, devoid of flesh and blood.
Standing by the bed was a boy in his teens. Due to malnutrition, his complexion was pale, and he was excessively thin. Although he was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth, he looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old child. He stood by the bamboo bed, looking at his sister with heartache.
"Sister, where have you been for the past half year? We were so worried about you."
"I'm fine, Mingcheng," Xiao Dai shook her head, as if remembering something, and stood up to solemnly introduce Mu Qingyao to her family, "Daddy, this is Miss."
"Miss?" The old man and Mingcheng were stunned, staring blankly at the noble and elegant woman before them.
She seemed to envelop the entire bamboo house like a beam of light.
They had never seen such a beautiful woman before. Every gesture exuded a natural nobility.
But she was not like those arrogant daughters of officials, with scorn filling their eyes as if people like them were garbage. Her eyes were clear and clean, and when she looked at them, it was as if sunlight was shining upon them.
"Xiao Dai has sold herself to me. From now on, she is mine, and has nothing to do with the Zhao family."