He Shi hurriedly walked to the entrance of the Xie estate.

However, she was stopped by two young servants guarding the gate: “Without Madam’s permission, concubines from the rear courtyard are not allowed to leave the estate.”

He Shi knew the Xie estate had this rule, but she never imagined she would be constrained by it.

Back when she was Nanny He, because she served at the master’s side and deeply earned his trust, who in the entire estate dared not give her face?

At that time, she could go anywhere in the Xie estate she pleased. Whenever she wanted to leave the estate, no one dared to stop her. Everyone respectfully called her Nanny He, and no one dared show her a cold face.

But now, having transformed from a servant to half a mistress, she actually had even less status than when she was a bondservant.

Previously, relying on the master, she had moved through the estate like a fish in water.

Now the master was impatient with her in every way. She could only rely on herself—first get some silver in hand, so those maids and older servants would willingly work for her.

Thinking this, He Shi went to Sheng Residence again.

After Tingshuang went in to report, she brought He Shi into the side hall.

Yun Chu put down the account book in her hands and said: “What is Concubine He leaving the estate to do? As far as I know, you’re from Jizhou, and your family is also in Jizhou. If you need to buy something, the estate has young servants and older servants—just give an order.”

He Shi lowered her head: “This concubine has some silver deposited in a money house and wants to withdraw it. This matter cannot be entrusted to others.”

“Money matters indeed cannot be handled carelessly.” Yun Chu nodded. “However, for you as a woman to leave the estate is still somewhat unsafe. I’ll assign you a carriage driver.”

He Shi hurriedly expressed her thanks.

The carriage traveled to the busy market and stopped at the money house entrance. He Shi had the driver wait in place while she circled around the money house and went to the adjacent alley.

In this alley was a small courtyard that belonged to her. When she first came to the capital with Xie Jingyu and couldn’t yet enter the Xie estate, she and her three children had lived here for several years. After He Xu was thrown out of the Xie estate, he should have come to this place.

She walked to the courtyard gate and took out her key to open the door, but couldn’t get it open no matter what.

An older woman at a neighboring courtyard gate, who had been acquainted with her before, said: “Lady He, I haven’t seen you in many years. After your courtyard was sold, I thought I’d never see you again.”

He Shi was startled: “I didn’t sell this courtyard.”

“Half a year ago, your older brother brought people from a real estate agency and sold the house for only one thousand two hundred taels of silver.” The older woman shook her head. “At the time I wanted to warn you in advance, but I didn’t know where you lived. Half a month ago I ran into your older brother on the street. He was calling those gamblers his brothers. Lady He, you must be careful.”

He Shi’s heart sank heavily.

This courtyard had actually been sold off cheaply by that scoundrel brother of hers.

Originally it had cost one thousand eight hundred taels of silver to buy. Now that land prices in the capital were expensive, it could have sold for around three thousand taels at least, yet he dared to sell it for only one thousand two hundred.

Back in Jizhou, he gambled every day. She had gone to great efforts to get him to reform, and he had promised her that after coming to the capital he would absolutely never enter a gambling den. She had always thought he kept his word, but she truly never expected he would secretly sell the courtyard behind her back.

She also had two thousand taels of silver in his hands. Without needing to think, it was certainly gone as well.

He Shi forced a smile and exchanged a few words of small talk with the older woman before immediately heading toward the capital’s gambling dens.

Just as she reached the entrance, she saw a man being punched and kicked, covering his own head and frantically begging for mercy.

“See this? This is what happens to those who owe our gambling den silver and don’t repay it!” A burly man lifted the man lying on the ground being beaten and viciously punched him. “This is just a little interest. If you don’t repay the money within three days, we’ll chop off your fingers directly!”

The onlookers around were frightened and retreated repeatedly.

He Shi cried out in alarm and rushed over: “Let him go!”

The burly man stared coldly at He Shi: “Who are you to him? If you help him pay off his debt, we’ll let him go!”

He Xu seemed to see a lifeline and shouted loudly: “I owe them two taels of silver, twenty taels with principal and interest. Quickly help me repay it!”

He Shi gasped.

Borrowing two taels and repaying twenty taels—what was this if not robbery?

Forget twenty taels—she didn’t even have twenty copper coins on her.

“Don’t you have jewelry on you? Quickly take it out, or I’m going to be beaten to death!”

Just as He Xu’s words fell, the fists of several burly men nearby came down. In a short while, his face swelled up like a steamed bun.

No matter what, he was still her blood brother. He Shi didn’t have such a hard heart to watch her own brother being beaten by a mob with her eyes open. She hurriedly said: “Fine, fine, fine, I’ll repay the money for him.”

She took off the two green bracelets on her wrists, the hairpin on her head, and a finger ring, handing them all over.

The burly man took the items and shook them: “You’re being sensible. Consider the debt cleared. Get lost quickly!”

He Xu scrambled up from the ground and pulled He Shi away.

“The condition for me bringing you to the capital was that you would never touch gambling again in the future, but now you’ve lost everything. Are you worthy of me?” He Shi truly wished she could strangle him. “Just go back to Jizhou right now. Don’t stay here causing me trouble!”

He Xu sneered: “Now that you’ve become a concubine in the Xie family, you don’t consider me, your blood brother, anymore, is that it? Hurry up, give me money. I need to win it back.”

He Shi’s eyes went dark and she nearly fainted.

Her courtyard had been sold, the two thousand taels of silver were gone, the jewelry on her body was all gone—all her trump cards had been completely squandered, yet she hadn’t said anything. This scoundrel was actually turning it around on her!

“I only have these few copper coins left. Here, take them all!” He Shi threw the copper coins on the ground. “I’ll consider that I never had a brother like you!”

She turned and left.

She thought He Xu would chase after her, but looking back, she saw her brother squatting on the ground, picking up the copper coins one by one, then heading toward the gambling den again.

He Shi was disappointed to the extreme. She shouldn’t have brought He Xu to the capital.

Now she could barely take care of herself and couldn’t manage He Xu anymore. Even if he was beaten to death by the gambling den people, he deserved it.

After He Shi left, a young servant walked out from a street corner and approached He Xu: “Manager He, with just these few copper coins you can’t even play two rounds. Why not borrow more to win it back?”

He Xu sighed: “Those money houses require house deeds and jewelry as collateral before they’ll lend.”

“I know a place where you can use fingers and arms as collateral. One finger can borrow ten taels of silver.” The young servant guided him enticingly. “Manager He is very good at gambling, just a bit unlucky. I believe if you come a few more times, you’ll definitely be able to win back the several thousand taels of silver you lost before…”

He Xu was indeed tempted and followed the young servant to a small alley nearby…

Tingfeng reported everything in detail to Yun Chu.

Yun Chu was lighting incense. She stirred the incense ash, her voice clear and light: “Fingers and arms are only worth a few coins. Have someone tell him that using a man’s most important thing as collateral can borrow two hundred taels.”

Tingfeng stood frozen in place.

Tingshuang pushed her: “Hurry up and go.”

Yun Chu closed the incense burner. The clear pine wood fragrance spread throughout the room.

In her previous life, Tingfeng and Tingxue had been brutally violated by He Xu. Then she would first eliminate that troublemaking thing in his pants, so He Xu would have no chance in this lifetime to violate any young woman.