Shen Qingshan sat leisurely in her chair, sipping her tea without looking up at Fang Jie. Zhuang Die, who had initially waited outside the door and then entered with Fang Jie, respectfully greeted him as "Madam," her obedient demeanor making Fang Jie somewhat embarrassed. The fact that a courtesan had offered herself up after failing to find pleasure at a brothel was probably unparalleled in the Central Plains. If this were to spread, Fang Jie's name would likely become even more renowned in Chang'an.
Zhuang Die's eyes darted cautiously towards Fang Jie. She dared not straighten up unless Shen Qingshan answered. After all, she came from a brothel and felt inferior. Fang Jie chuckled awkwardly and said, "Sit down, sit down. How did you find me here? If you have any difficulties, just tell me, and I'll help you if I can."
Zhuang Die didn't sit down. She took out an envelope from her sleeve and said, "This morning, someone came to the brothel and paid money to redeem me. Then they hired a carriage to bring me here. Before leaving, the person only said they were working for Prince Yi's mansion. Then they gave me a letter to give to you, young master."
Fang Jie frowned slightly, took the letter, and opened it to read.
The letter was written in Prince Yi's own handwriting. The gist was that he knew Fang Jie had disguised himself to go to the New Moon Brothel to drown his sorrows, spending a lot of money but not getting to touch a woman. He felt that since Fang Jie had taken a liking to this woman, she naturally couldn't be touched by another man. Therefore, he sent the steward of the Prince's mansion to redeem Zhuang Die and bring her here.
After reading the letter, Fang Jie handed it to Shen Qingshan. She took it, glanced at it, her expression slightly changing. She casually tossed the letter onto the table and coldly said, "Since it's the Prince's will, I naturally can't stop you. But this shop doesn't need any concubines. If you don't feel wronged, stay as a maid. If you do, the door is open; you can leave anytime."
This woman's assertiveness surprised Zhuang Die. She looked to Fang Jie for help, only to see this handsome, clean-shaven young man looking terrified. She sighed inwardly, thinking he was a genuinely henpecked hypocrite. However, the mistress was so beautiful that it made her feel somewhat inferior, so she didn't think she could compete with her. But now that the Prince's people had sent her here, what else could she do but stay?
So, without waiting for Fang Jie to speak, she bowed and whispered, "Thank you for taking me in, Madam."
Shen Qingshan snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Seeing this, the three strange men following Fang Jie exchanged glances and immediately stepped forward to greet Shen Qingshan: "Greetings, Madam! From now on, we are your subordinates. If you have any orders, we will brave water and fire to obey without hesitation."
"Madam, you are as beautiful as a celestial being, with an unparalleled grace. It is our greatest blessing to serve you. Madam, there's no need to be so polite. Just give us your orders. We'll face any danger; our lives are now yours!"
Judging by their demeanor, the three of them had completely forgotten about Fang Jie. This made Fang Jie smile wryly, wondering where these three had come from. Shen Qingshan glanced at them, then sighed, "Fang Jie... your taste in women is much better than your taste in servants. At least that girl is pleasing to the eye."
She beckoned to Zhuang Die, saying, "From now on, you'll be with me. I need someone to talk to. Come upstairs with me and change your clothes. This isn't a brothel; you need to dress more properly from now on... As for the three of you, go as far away as you can, or don't expect to get a single copper coin from here."
The burly man, the scholar, and the dark-skinned boy exchanged glances and tactfully retreated to Fang Jie's side. Zhuang Die glanced at Fang Jie, who hadn't said a word for her the entire time, her eyes filled with resentment. She followed Shen Qingshan upstairs with small, quick steps, her attitude as humble as a maid. And no matter how you looked at her, you wouldn't think she was a new maid; it was as if she had been living in this shop for a long time.
"Beautiful wife and maids, Master is truly blessed."
The scholar gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Only a handsome young man like Master could capture such a beauty's heart. Rest assured, Master, now that we're in this shop, we're yours. Just give us your orders."
The burly man nodded, "Of course, of course, we won't eat for nothing."
The dark-skinned boy nodded vigorously and then asked, "When is dinner served?"
Fang Jie rolled his eyes at them, walked to a chair, and sat down, asking, "Tell me your names first. I can't possibly not even know the names of my own men."
The scholar stepped forward and replied, "My name is Chen Xiaoru, from the Chen family of Haining in Jiangnan, a century-old scholarly family of our Great Sui Dynasty..."
Fang Jie waved his hand: "Since..." "Since you can read and write, then be a bookkeeper. It'll come in handy when the shop opens."
"I am a scholar! How can a scholar do such dishonorable things as writing and calculating?"
The scholar shook his head. "No, no."
Fang Jie muttered under his breath, "You're getting too carried away, aren't you? Do what I tell you to do, or go back to your eunuch master right now."
The scholar paused, somewhat annoyed. "Boring, boring, you really are boring."
Fang Jie ignored him and pointed at the burly man, asking, "What's your name?"
The burly man awkwardly stepped forward, his bearded face slightly flushed. "My name is Nie Xiaoju. I come from a poor family and haven't received much education..."
"What can you do?"
Fang Jie asked, suppressing his disgust. Nie Xiaoju looked up at the upstairs, her face full of anticipation, and asked, "I wonder if Madam needs any more maids... How can someone as celestial as Madam be served by a clumsy little girl? If the master doesn't mind, I'm definitely better than that little girl, making beds, serving tea and water... and I'm also very good at needlework."
Fang Jie looked at her as if she were an idiot and said, "Xiaoju, is it... If you dare to think like that again, I guarantee your Xiaoju will bloom in early spring... We also need a coachman. Stay if you want, leave immediately if you don't."
Nie Xiaoju was actually on the verge of tears: "Of course I'll obey the master's orders. But... I still feel..." "That little girl isn't as suitable as me to be the lady's maid..."
Fang Jie sighed deeply and said in a very soft voice, "Did Su Buwei send you to kill me and silence me? You won't rest until you've disgusted me to death?"
The dark-skinned boy quickly stepped forward and said, "Master, don't pay attention to those two idiots, they're not proper at all. My name is Yan Kuang, I can do any kind of hard labor!"
"You..."
Fang Jie suppressed his sorrow: "I'd rather be a page."
The dark-skinned boy, Yan Kuang, clasped his hands and said, "Whatever the master says, goes!"
After saying this, he sniffed back the snot that had fallen to his mouth. Fang Jie looked at the three men, wondering what he had done wrong. He couldn't remember how he had offended Su Buwei, so why were these three awful people sent?
...
...
When Fang Jie went upstairs, he saw Zhuang Die, dressed in simpler clothes, wiping the second-floor railing with a rag. Hearing footsteps, she turned around, glanced at Fang Jie, opened her mouth, but didn't speak. As Fang Jie walked past her, he lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, she's not a bad person. Let her get used to it first, then I'll make arrangements for you."
Zhuang Die nodded, her face somewhat sad.
While she bent over, Fang Jie secretly groped her still-not-too-round and full buttocks. He displayed the full extent of a lecherous and cowardly man's true colors. Afterward, he smiled contentedly, appearing quite lewd. He pushed open the door and went into the inner room, his expression immediately turning serious.
Shen Qingshan shook her head at him, then whispered in his ear, "I tried, she doesn't know anything about cultivation."
Fang Jie hummed in agreement, then pulled Shen Qingshan's hand and led her into the inner room. "What exactly does Prince Yi mean? My going to Xinyue Tower first was just a smokescreen; it's not a big deal if he finds out. But what is he planning to do with this woman?"
Shen Qingshan sat down, frowned, and pondered for a moment before saying, "Could it be that something went wrong that night, and he's already become suspicious? That's why he sent Zhuang Die here to see your reaction. Although Zhuang Die doesn't know cultivation, I can tell from her agility that she's clearly learned martial arts. If it's not Prince Yi deliberately testing you, then she's a spy he placed by your side."
Fang Jie nodded. "It's not necessarily that he can guess that I captured Wang Wei; perhaps it's just a means of winning him over… But we can't let our guard down around this person. We need to be even more careful from now on." The young girl was far from being as frail as she appeared. She immediately knew her place, following behind you like a proper maid. How could she have gotten into character so quickly without training? She thought she was doing a good enough job to deceive anyone, but little did she know that such perfection only aroused suspicion.
Shen Qingshan nodded and asked, "Could it be that Prince Yi wants to tell you that your every move is under his watchful eye?"
Fang Jie pondered for a moment and said, "That's certainly a possibility. First, that young man from the Prince's mansion appeared outside the shop, then he sent Zhuang Die. Prince Yi might really be trying to intimidate me, just as you suspect."
Shen Qingshan hummed in agreement and asked, "And what about those three exquisite women outside?"
Fang Jie sighed and said, "These three are actually the same as Zhuang Die… they were sent to me by Su Buwei, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Study, but they were also under surveillance." "What do you mean? Sending just these three scoundrels, I really don't know where he found them. But these three can be trusted for now, at least they won't stab us in the back. As long as it's about investigating Prince Yi, we can let them handle it with peace of mind."
Shen Qingshan suddenly smiled and said, "Now you know what it's like to be a favorite, right?"
Fang Jie said helplessly, "Prince Yi is still testing me, perhaps even wondering if I'm someone the Emperor arranged. If that's the case, then sending Zhuang Die here isn't too worrying. Spies, if used well, are more useful than your own people. The Emperor might not necessarily distrust me, but Su Buwei is different; he has to be responsible to the Emperor, and perhaps he suspects everyone except himself."
Shen Qingshan said, "Then let's act... life's pretty boring anyway."
Fang Jie laughed, "You play your cold, aloof, and mean proprietress, and I'll play my..." "A henpecked, lecherous boss."
Shen Qingshan sighed, "Why do I always feel like you're getting the better end of the show?"
Fang Jie said seriously, "Not at all... my acting is much more strenuous."
Shen Qingshan pursed her lips, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and suddenly asked, "How does it feel to touch?"
Fang Jie was taken aback, then answered seriously, "Not very good. It hasn't fully developed yet. There's not much flesh on its buttocks, it's too thin, so it feels a bit rough to the touch, not very comfortable..."
Shen Qingshan smiled charmingly, "Didn't you say that a woman's buttocks and breasts become fuller if you touch them often? Then you should touch them more often, right? In three to five months, I bet that little girl will become curvaceous and alluring."
Fang Jie said solemnly, "To avoid arousing suspicion, that's the proper way."
After saying this, he immediately jumped back, a sword aura following closely behind him. Fang Jie didn't dare look back and rushed out of the room, fleeing in panic. Shen Qingshan withdrew the sword energy that had been swirling in the room and couldn't help but chuckle.