Cuiyue Pavilion? Ji Yunshu had never even heard of it. Looking at these strange people, her heart tightened. Her hand inside her collar involuntarily clenched into a fist. After her gaze swept over everyone in a circle, she took another step back, her expression growing even more serious as she asked coldly: “I don’t know you people. Why did you capture me and bring me here?”
“Miss, we mean no harm. We truly had no choice but to do this.”
“What do you mean?”
Matchmaker Hong sighed, heavily fluttering the handkerchief in her hand forward, then sighing mournfully again. She even squeezed out a few tears from her eyes—she really did look quite pitiful.
But pitiful or not, shouldn’t she at least explain what exactly was going on?
Ji Yunshu was still in a confused state. They’d captured her here for no reason, and now they were putting on this melodramatic performance—what for?
Just speak plainly!
Matchmaker Hong took a long while before opening her mouth: “To be honest with you, my daughter has fallen gravely ill. I don’t know what stubborn ailment it is. She fell ill and lost consciousness. I’ve sought out countless physicians to no avail. I’m at my wit’s end. As her mother, I cry during the day and cry at night—I’ve nearly cried myself dry of tears! My heart is nearly broken. If my daughter doesn’t wake up, I might as well die along with her.”
Wait!
You still haven’t gotten to the point!
Ji Yunshu couldn’t be bothered to speak. She just watched her cry and listened to her talk.
Matchmaker Hong beat her chest and stamped her feet. While wiping her tears, she continued from where she’d left off: “Everyone says Matchmaker Hong has a good life, but where is my life good? Others may see it as good, but only I know myself. The grand courtesan selection is coming up soon. If my daughter doesn’t wake up, I can only bash my head and die—at least that way I won’t be humiliated after losing and be laughed at by others. But if I die, what will happen to this whole household full of people?”
Having said this, she cast her gaze on Ji Yunshu, her eyes full of hope, both eyeballs glowing. She sniffled and said excitedly: “Fortunately, Heaven takes pity on this Matchmaker Hong. It actually arranged for a benefactor like you to appear before me. This is truly wonderful! I have hope now. My Cuiyue Pavilion finally has salvation.”
She prepared to grab Ji Yunshu’s hand, but fortunately Ji Yunshu dodged in time.
“Miss, I’m truly not a bad person. You’re my living bodhisattva—I should worship you properly.”
“Speak plainly.”
“Then I won’t beat around the bush with you. Actually, just a few days ago, when I was entering the city, I happened to encounter you leaving the city. At that time, you were sitting in a carriage. Fortunately, the wind blew and let me see you. The moment I saw you, I knew that Heaven hadn’t truly cut off Matchmaker Hong’s path—that’s why it arranged for you.”
Matchmaker Hong remained just as excited: “To be honest with you, you look quite similar to my daughter, especially the eyes and the area between the brows. If you put on a veil, you’d simply be my daughter.”
“So what?”
“My daughter is named Hua Zheng. There’s no one in this capital who doesn’t know her. Three years ago, she was personally bestowed the title of courtesan champion by His Majesty. You don’t even know—back then, my daughter was so glorious! The entire capital didn’t know how many people were envious. How many noble young masters and high officials spared no expense sending gifts just to gain my daughter’s favor. Heaven blessed us. These past few years have been quite easy. With my daughter here, my Cuiyue Pavilion has young masters coming almost every day, all to catch a glimpse of my daughter or hear her play the zither. The silver they spend is considerable.”
When Matchmaker Hong talked about her daughter, her face was full of glorious pride.
But Ji Yunshu didn’t know her and had never seen her before.
She was rather curious to see what this number one beauty of the capital actually looked like.
Just as she was about to speak—
Matchmaker Hong began sobbing quietly. The proud and boastful expression on her face disappeared, replaced by a pitiful look as she said: “But misfortune strikes without warning. A year ago, my daughter suddenly fell gravely ill and couldn’t get up. Since then, anyone who came seeking to see me could only be sent away. Day by day things got worse. I still had to pay for her medical treatment, and the silver was almost completely used up. If things continue like this, how can I survive? How can all the people up and down in my Cuiyue Pavilion survive?”
A combination of tears and snot.
Amidst Matchmaker Hong’s tearful complaints, Ji Yunshu finally understood the whole story.
That girl called Hua Zheng wasn’t actually Matchmaker Hong’s daughter. She’d been abandoned in the wilderness by her birth parents as an infant and was picked up by Matchmaker Hong. Matchmaker Hong was the manager of Cuiyue Pavilion. This place wasn’t some brothel, but rather a refined place where wealthy young masters passed time and enjoyed leisure activities. As Hua Zheng gradually grew up, she became graceful and elegant with an extraordinary appearance, like a fairy. Even women would be extremely jealous of her. She was also a famous talented woman, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose. Although many people had never seen her, everyone said she was the number one beauty in the capital, the dream of all men.
Fortunately, three years ago, she won the courtesan championship in one stroke. She was also the only courtesan champion candidate ever summoned into the palace by His Majesty.
Back then, the entire capital was in an uproar over her. It was said that even His Majesty, who exclusively favored the Empress alone, was moved when he saw her. But courtesan champions couldn’t enter the palace as consorts, so His Majesty had to abandon the idea.
Over these three years, because Hua Zheng had won the courtesan title, countless men traveled from far and wide to seek an audience with her. To obtain her paintings or hear her play a tune, those people readily paid thousands in gold to exchange for them. Some people, just to see her once, wouldn’t hesitate to use their lives to seek an audience, even writing petition letters in blood.
One could see how crazy it was!
The reason Cuiyue Pavilion had an endless stream of customers was all because they came for Hua Zheng’s beauty and fame, earning Matchmaker Hong substantial profits. But after Hua Zheng fell gravely ill a year ago, Matchmaker Hong, to prevent people from knowing, made excuses every time that Hua Zheng was busy and couldn’t see guests. Day after day like this, those who came seeking her fame, or the young masters who had frequented the place for years, gradually lost interest and stopped coming. They all transferred to Fengyage Pavilion in the city—the very place where Li Shiyan and Luo Yang had gotten completely drunk.
Therefore, Cuiyue Pavilion had declined!
Over this past year, Matchmaker Hong had spent money like water to treat Hua Zheng while also supporting dozens of mouths here. The funds quickly ran dry. Don’t be fooled by how well they dressed now—that was just for outsiders to see. They were already hollow shells with nothing inside.
“Miss, I know it was wrong to bring you here this way, but I truly had no choice—I could only do this!” Matchmaker Hong finally revealed the thoughts in her heart. “When I saw you before, it proved that Heaven hadn’t truly cut off my path. I had people follow you out of the city. I originally wanted to beg you then, but I couldn’t find an opportunity. I had no choice but to send people in to knock you unconscious and bring you here. I only ask that you help me, pretend to be my daughter. When the time comes, you’ll wear a veil and no one will recognize you. Once my Cuiyue Pavilion’s business picks up, I’ll definitely repay you generously. Also, this year’s courtesan selection is about to begin. According to the rules, the previous champion must make an appearance. If my daughter doesn’t go, everyone in the entire capital will know she’s ill, and then I’ll truly be finished. So Miss, please help me.”
What the hell!
What was Ji Yunshu hearing?
What did she mean by pretending to be her daughter?
This really overturned all her values!
Involuntarily, Ji Yunshu actually felt somewhat sympathetic toward that Miss Hua Zheng—completely treated as a money-making tool.
How pitiful!
It seemed this Matchmaker Hong didn’t know she’d been arranged to leave the capital by Su Ziluo. If she knew, she definitely wouldn’t dare to capture her and bring her here.
But it wasn’t good to reveal her identity here either.
A surge of anger rose in Ji Yunshu’s eyes: “I won’t help with this.”
“Miss?”
“You’d better send me back now. Otherwise, when my people find this place, your Cuiyue Pavilion truly won’t be saved.”
Her tone carried warning and reminder.
They say when people are on the edge of a cliff, they simply can’t care about anything—that probably described Matchmaker Hong perfectly. She truly had no other options. Right now, regardless of any consequences, she was single-mindedly trying to save her Cuiyue Pavilion, her foundation. She absolutely couldn’t let it be destroyed like this. Moreover, when a person goes from wealth to poverty, such a disparity is unacceptable. Matchmaker Hong was now essentially treating a dead horse as if it were alive. Having finally caught a savior like Ji Yunshu, how could she possibly let go?