Chapter 2: Side Door
To be fair, Tang Wu didn’t really want to bring up Xu Duo.
The reason was simple: a girl who had been displaced since childhood, being taken a liking to by an honest and handsome shopkeeper, even without true affection, would still feel some ripples in her heart.
What’s more, this shopkeeper had once brought his life savings to Gu Jiuniang to ask for her.
It was a shame, her skin was truly expensive.
She could only watch helplessly as Gu Jiuniang mercilessly threw out the gold Xu Duo had brought.
It was a bag of gold nuggets, big and small, and anyone who saw it knew it was not something that could be saved up in a day or two.
But what did it matter?
No matter how much genuine affection there was, it still couldn’t please Gu Jiuniang.
The feeling of a hard-won hope falling apart was like a pathetic person hearing that their old illness had relapsed.
Sad, mournful, and forced to face reality.
After Xu Duo was chased away, Tang Wu listened to Gu Jiuniang’s filthy insults and actually felt a numb sense of pleasure.
She seemed to see a white silk rope hanging from a beam and herself on it, about to suffocate to death.
Tang Wu smiled, a smile full of charm.
Sure enough, good things were always out of her reach.
Thinking back, that was also the first time she truly understood Gu Jiuniang’s “love” for her.
It was then that she understood that when it came to food, drink, and clothes, she had a choice. But as for which family’s master she would serve in the future, she had no choice.
Gu Jiuniang narrowed her eyes and sized up Tang Wu, deep in thought.
She was actually very clear that there was probably no longer any secret between Tang Wu and the shopkeeper of Jinyu Pavilion. What she did back then was extreme, and it was all to eliminate future trouble.
Bringing it up now was nothing more than a warning.
Gu Jiuniang, with her vast experience, had long noticed that Tang Wu’s rebellious streak was getting stronger. The girl looked obedient and well-behaved, but in reality, she was strong-willed.
If not for that, she wouldn’t be so worried that Tang Wu would mess up her plans at the last minute.
Gu Jiuniang sighed, her tone changing as she said slowly and softly, “Wu’er, do you know why I often tell you that women like us would rather be a powerful man’s concubine than a commoner’s wife?”
Tang Wu shook her head obediently, but she already knew the answer in her heart.
Wasn’t it because the wealthy could casually throw out gold beads that commoners had never even seen?
Gu Jiuniang’s smile faded. With one hand, she lifted Tang Wu’s chin, forcing her to look her in the eye, and then said word by word, “Then what do you think a commoner’s family has to protect a femme fatale?”
Femme fatale.
This phrase was like a sharp blade, stabbing directly into Tang Wu’s heart and killing her in one blow.
Her rosy face instantly lost all its color.
Gu Jiuniang saw the reaction she wanted and didn’t continue. After all, this was the girl she had personally trained, and Gu Jiuniang couldn’t bear to see her so distraught.
After slapping her, she then offered two sweet dates[mfn]‘To give sb a slap, then offer a sweet date’ is an idiom meaning to deal harshly with somebody, then offer something by way of consolation. [/mfn], “advising” her kindly.
“Good girl, why would Jiuniang ever trick you? You know, if you were really sold to a commoner’s family, you probably couldn’t escape the fate of being remarried. At that time, not only would your first husband’s family blame you for bringing disaster, but even after you remarry, you’ll be cursed and talked about for the rest of your life. What’s the point of all that trouble? You’re still young and could easily ruin yourself. Listen to Jiuniang, you’ll be just fine, okay?”
After speaking, Gu Jiuniang affectionately patted the back of Tang Wu’s hand.
Gu Jiuniang kept Tang Wu for a meal, and it wasn’t until evening that Tang Wu walked out of Gu Jiuniang’s room, dazed.
Before she reached the central hall, she was disturbed by exceptionally harsh screams and pleas for mercy.
Vaguely, there were also Old Woman Wang’s curses.
“It’s just a body check, why are you being so dramatic! Shut your mouth! Do you still think you’re the legitimate eldest daughter of a marquis’s residence?” This was followed by a loud slap.
This was the side door of the Junmeng Residence, the first place girls who came here went.
There were all kinds of girls sold here. Some were extremely easy to handle, obedient even without Old Woman Wang’s personal intervention; others were fiery, unwilling to give in even after beatings and torture.
This kind of scene was quite normal.
But today was obviously a bit special. From the sound of it, the girl who came today was not an ordinary person, probably Zhao Jinxuan, the legitimate eldest daughter of the former Marquis Xuanping’s family, which had its property confiscated a while ago.
Gu Jiuniang was well-versed in the minds of these powerful people in the capital, so her methods of acquiring girls were also quite unique.
She often said, what good is a beautiful flower from a commoner’s family?
Which concubine in those wealthy families doesn’t have a top-notch appearance?
But a girl from inside this door is different.
A former legitimate daughter of a marquis’s residence, what an unattainable status that was for so many people! Now that she’s fallen to being a courtesan, there must be people who are willing to come and enjoy it.
If there’s also an enemy of the Marquis Xuanping, the price Gu Jiuniang offers could be sky-high.
Tang Wu had reached the age of maturity and was about to leave this place, but the heartbreaking cries and the continuous slaps inside stirred up memories she had almost forgotten.
She, too, had such dark and miserable experiences.
Although she had never cried out like this, it didn’t mean she could forget the humiliating feeling of being held down on a long bench for a body check…
Just as she was lost in thought, Tang Wu saw a flash of a seductive red skirt. The skirt swayed from side to side like a fan, bringing a rich floral scent to her nose.
The person was Lian Shiyin, the most famous dancer in the Junmeng Garden.
Lian Shiyin, with a handkerchief in her hand, walked up to Tang Wu with a twist of her hips, and said sarcastically, “Oh, isn’t this my little sister Wu? You’re about to become a VIP, so how do you have the time to come and eavesdrop at the side door today?”
In Lian Shiyin’s eyes, Tang Wu was a roadblock and a jinx.
She was different from Tang Wu. She had been sold to this place as a baby. She could be said to have grown up next to Gu Jiuniang, first as a maid, and then promoted to a ‘girl’ because of her outstanding looks.
From a young age, Lian Shiyin knew how difficult it was to become the top courtesan of the Junmeng Garden. She also knew that after these layers of obstacles, endless glory and wealth awaited her.
So, no matter how difficult the dances Gu Jiuniang taught her were, she gritted her teeth and learned, all for the sake of that one day she could turn her life around!
But who would have thought that her day-after-day efforts would be ruined by a cheap harlot who came in halfway through?
How could she be willing to accept that?
Tang Wu knew there was a hidden meaning in her words, so she ignored her sarcasm, smiled, and said softly, “What a coincidence, Sister Lian is here too.”
Normally, what Lian Shiyin hated most was Tang Wu’s calm and composed facade.
Every time she saw it, it made her think of the black-hearted cotton sold cheaply in the market, disgusting to look at, and no matter how much you hit it, it wouldn’t make a sound.
However, she then thought of the news she had heard this morning and couldn’t help but laugh back.
This frustration she had been holding in for four years, Heaven had eyes, and someone was finally avenging her.
Lian Shiyin covered her mouth with her handkerchief and said softly in Tang Wu’s ear, “You’re so capable, even a high-status man like the Count of Cheng’an, who has seen countless women, is willing to keep raising the price for you, little sister Wu. It’s truly enviable.”
These words hit a nerve for Tang Wu.
Because of the Count of Cheng’an, she hadn’t been able to eat or sleep well these past few days. With this taunt, the corner of her mouth, which had just curved up, immediately flattened.
“Sister Lian doesn’t need to be envious. If Wu’er is truly fortunate enough to enter the Count’s residence, I’ll be sure to remember to promote you, Sister Lian.”
When the word “promote” is put together with the Count of Cheng’an, who wouldn’t be scared?
So the moment these words were spoken, Lian Shiyin’s face immediately changed.
She had only been promoted to a first-class dancer at the beginning of the year and had finally found a decent official who liked to watch her dance. She was eagerly waiting for that official to give her the gold for her freedom.
When she heard Tang Wu was trying to drag her into this mess, her eyes instantly widened!
“Tang Wu! I can’t believe Jiuniang praises you all day, saying you’re sweet, clever, and have a honey-coated mouth. What’s wrong with you today? Are you finally showing your true colors? Everyone in our residence knows about you and the Count of Cheng’an. Did you get too used to being a young lady that you can’t even stand your sisters’ straightforward words anymore?”
Not satisfied with just that, she continued in a low voice, “I think you have a flawed character! That’s why God is making you the next person to die young in the Count of Cheng’an’s residence!”
Lian Shiyin was about to say more, but a door not far away was “bang!”ed open.
The first thing they saw was a disheveled girl crawling on the ground and a vicious-looking old woman.
“So you little harlot were just pretending to be sick here, huh? You haven’t eaten for two days, where did you get the strength to ram the door! Tell me! Did you hide something!” The one speaking was the stern-faced Old Woman Wang, who specialized in training new girls.
She held Zhao Jinxuan’s hair with her left hand and kept slapping her below the face with her right.
The small side door was a place for setting rules, so the girls in the courtyard naturally couldn’t get close. Therefore, the two of them, in a silent agreement, took two steps back, moving out of Old Woman Wang’s line of sight.
After Old Woman Wang slapped her, she seemed to not be satisfied and kicked her viciously again. Then she sneered, “It looks like you won’t learn your lesson until I get serious.”
Saying that, Old Woman Wang tore Zhao Jinxuan’s clothes.
Her pale arms were protecting her chest, but the bruises on her body were completely exposed, not hidden at all.
She curled up on the ground without moving, only the heaving of her breathing remaining.
After a while, Old Woman Wang must have said something to her, which made her immediately burst into a loud cry, sobbing, “This servant… this servant accepts.”
See that?
What if she’s the legitimate daughter of a marquis’s residence?
She still has to beg for her life under her watch, right?
Thinking this, Old Woman Wang’s expression gradually improved. She turned and threw the clothes to her, “Miss Zhao, there’s only one chance here. You should cherish it. Otherwise, you’ll never get to wear these beautiful clothes again. Did you hear me clearly?”
Zhao Jinxuan nodded lightly, quickly wrapped herself in the clothes, and with a trembling body, followed Old Woman Wang back into the small side door.
At this point, the two girls who had been arguing fiercely instantly became quiet.
It seemed like a long time passed before Lian Shiyin muttered to herself, “Jiuniang has said it before, once you enter this house, no one can leave. We’re all born with a low fate. Our life is not our own, and our death is not our own.”
