Chapter 5: Serving Wine
After this cup of wine, Tang Wu’s face was so enchanting that it could be described as “dripping with charm.”
As soon as Prince Ying let go, she pulled her collar back to its original position.
To hide her frantically beating heart, she could only pour wine for Prince Ying, one cup after another.
Tang Wu didn’t dare to look directly at him, only daring to steal a glance at his Adam’s apple as it moved up and down. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair, slender arms, and cautiously poured the wine for him. It was as if the steady sound of the wine filling the cup could slow down her heartbeat, which felt so loud it could be heard by others…
She poured extremely slowly, but unexpectedly, he drank extremely fast. After a few cups, it attracted many glances.
In such an atmosphere, while Emperor Jiaxuan was watching with great interest, Lian Shiyin, who was on the side, was already gritting her teeth in hatred.
She had just been pointed to this spot by an important guest, so why did Tang Wu, this little vixen, come and steal her thunder?
Lian Shiyin felt resentment and, while Tang Wu was still preoccupied with pouring wine, she leaned over and fell into Prince Ying’s arms, feigning drunkenness. “Does the Young Master have the interest to let Yin’er perform another dance to liven things up?” This was a common tactic used by the girls in the courtyard, and in the end, no one could blame her.
Seeing that he didn’t speak, Lian Shiyin cooed again, “Young master?”
Prince Ying turned his wine cup upside down, glanced at the woman on the side who was actively trying to please him, and said coldly, “No need.”
After saying this, he first pushed Lian Shiyin away, then lowered his head, unfastened the token from his waist, and left it on the table.
Afterward, he stood up.
This series of actions made both Tang Wu and Lian Shiyin’s eyes widen in surprise.
Prince Ying turning his cup over meant he was stopping drinking. Emperor Jiaxuan found it boring to drink alone, so he waved to Eunuch Xu and stood up as well.
Normally, when such an extraordinary and noble guest was about to leave, the girls would definitely try to stop him. But in a situation like today’s, how could they dare to be the ones to stick their necks out?
What’s more, with the nobleman leaving just like that, the next matter was even more difficult to handle.
There were three girls in this room. Prince Ying’s table had two, but there was only one token.
What should they do?
Before Eunuch Xu left, Gu Jiuniang pulled out a bag of gold leaves and placed it in his hand, whispering, “I am slow-witted, so I truly don’t know what His Highness meant. If you know, official, could you please tell me?” It was laughable, for this was the first time Gu Jiuniang had ever paid out of her own pocket to give gold to a guest.
Eunuch Xu narrowed his eyes, revealing an appreciative look.
He thought to himself: This madam from the common folk is very sharp.
He half-heartedly accepted the bag of gold handed to him and said with a smile, “I think those two girls are both good. A pair is always better than a single one.”
Gu Jiuniang was overjoyed and quickly bowed in thanks. “Official, please be at ease. What happened today, even if you cut my throat, it never happened.” As Gu Jiuniang spoke, she respectfully opened the main door…
Gu Jiuniang walked to the door and only stepped back into the courtyard and closed the door behind her after the carriage disappeared at the end of Yongyang Street.
Girls from the “Flower Lane” naturally didn’t care about marriage. The next morning, when the rewards from above came, Wu’er and Yin’er would be carried into Prince Ying’s residence in two small sedan chairs the day after.
According to what Gu Jiuniang had found out, there were only three people in Prince Ying’s residence: a Princess Consort who was far away at Jingyin Temple praying for blessings, a Side Consort, and a concubine.
According to the person who provided the information, the residence currently had no heirs. If these two girls could strive a bit and get the title of a Side Consort, then the stone in her heart would finally be able to fall.
It was already the third watch of the night after settling the girls. But Gu Jiuniang still found it hard to fall asleep and could only pace back and forth in the room.
In the end, she was still worried about Tang Wu. That girl wasn’t “wolfish” enough; she didn’t know what would happen to her after she entered the residence.
After all, with a man like Prince Ying, how could a girl who had just passed the age of majority be able to resist?
Gu Jiuniang sighed deeply. She still chose to go and check on that girl.
“Wu’er, open the door.” From the moment she knocked on the door, Gu Jiuniang heard clinking and clanking sounds from inside the room.
Tang Wu hurriedly opened the door, tidied her hair, and said in a soft voice, “Why isn’t Gu Jiuninag resting so late?”
As soon as Gu Jiuniang opened the door, she saw the new clothes on her and the pearl-studded, floor-length gown on the bed… She hadn’t expected that the girl was not sleeping at the third watch of the night, but was busy choosing clothes.
And the blush on her face…
It was just as she had expected.
“What are you doing?” Gu Jiuniang asked.
Tang Wu nervously clutched the hem of her skirt, then looked back at the dresses thrown on the bed and floor, and annoyedly patted her forehead.
“Wu’er, don’t tell me you think that Prince Ying’s token was left specifically for you and no one else?”
With her girlish thoughts exposed so bluntly, Tang Wu’s blood rushed to her face and neck.
In Tang Wu’s opinion, Prince Ying’s token was indeed left for her, after all, he only accepted wine from her. But judging from Gu Jiuniang’s tone, she clearly didn’t agree.
Gu Jiuniang saw the clear disapproval on her face and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. If she didn’t teach her a lesson now, they might only meet again in the underworld!
Gu Jiuniang took a discipline stick from behind her back and said sternly, “Kneel!”
Tang Wu’s face turned pale. With no other option, she knelt down stiffly. She respectfully held her hands above her head, but her eyes wouldn’t even look at Gu Jiuniang .
Gu Jiuniang narrowed her eyes. Without a word, she picked up the discipline stick and gave Tang Wu’s palm a loud “smack.” “Do you know what you did wrong?”
Tang Wu was not one to easily admit defeat. If she didn’t know, she didn’t know. With a stubborn heart, she shook her head again.
You don’t know, is that right?
Gu Jiuniang hardened her heart and delivered eight lashes in one go.
Tang Wu’s skin was originally delicate. After just a few hits, her little white hands were already turning purple.
“In the past, when you would scold me, there was always a reason. But for today, what on earth is it for? Please forgive my ignorance, but I truly don’t understand!” Tang Wu said, with her head held high.
Gu Jiuniang did not answer her, but instead shouted towards the door, “Bring me the fire basin!”
A moment later, Ning Zhi brought a fire basin into the room.
Gu Jiuniang walked to the bed, picked up the pearl-studded, floor-length gown that Tang Wu had worn today, and threw it directly into the fire basin.
This time, Tang Wu was completely stunned.
Tang Wu screamed and no longer cared about whether Gu Jiuniang was angry. She pounced on the stove and pulled out the dress, which had already been half-reduced to ashes.
While stepping on the sparks, Tang Wu picked up her handkerchief and covered her mouth.
Seeing this, Ning Zhi, who was on the side, quickly poured a basin of water that she had prepared beforehand into the fire basin.
The fire in the basin was extinguished, but all the joy in her heart had finally turned to ashes.
“Gu Jiuniang, what was that all for?” Tang Wu sat on the ground, hugging the dress, and asked pitifully.
Tang Wu looked up at Gu Jiuniang, and to her surprise, what she saw in Gu Jiuniang’s expression was not anger, but… endless disappointment.
Yes, disappointment.
Although Tang Wu had just been in a daze, with this splash of cold water, she quickly snapped out of it.
This time, Gu Jiuniang was doing this for her.
Tang Wu’s hand trembled, and she dropped the dress onto the floor.
“Tang Wu, starting tomorrow, you will no longer be a girl of my Junmeng Garden. So today, I will teach you the last lesson in this place.” Gu Jiuniang sat down on the bed and looked at Tang Wu, speaking word for word: “What I’m about to tell you today, I hope you can remember for the rest of your life.”
“In this world, there are three types of people you must never trust. One is a man who is obsessed with you, one is a generous and magnanimous woman, and the last is a powerful and influential dignitary, someone like His Highness Prince Ying.”
Tang Wu was silent for a long time before she slowly said, “Gu Jiuniang, why do you say that?”
Gu Jiuniang let out a helpless scoff. “What is Prince Ying’s status? I have already told you everything. Do you think a general who can single-handedly cover the sky is just a regular customer who comes here to seek pleasure?”
Seeing her stunned, Gu Jiuniang continued, “Wu’er, you are not the first girl I have sent away. The ones before you were just like you, waiting in new clothes for the sedan chair to pick them up, all hoping to use their beauty to trade for a life of comfort and riches. But do you know that to serve others with your looks is ultimately a low-class thing? At night, you are a seductress, but when daylight comes and the man’s passion fades, you become an ant that the mistress of the house can crush at any time. In the end, only the smart ones can survive.”
These words were like a sudden enlightenment for Tang Wu.
Tang Wu had been immersed in the joy of being able to stay away from the Count of Cheng’an, but she had forgotten that she was just a plaything chosen by the Emperor for His Highness Prince Ying.
How could she have forgotten her place and given birth to so many delusions?
“I hope you can be a smart person. What you want, you must learn to plan and execute slowly. Don’t waste your looks and your skills.”
At this point, Gu Jiuniang couldn’t help but touch her red lips with her index finger, and her tone shifted as she said, “You must know that being heartless and ruthless is the only way to protect yourself. If you dare to have foolish thoughts, I guarantee you will be bruised and battered beyond recognition…”
It must be said that Gu Jiuniang’s words made
the sky, which was just beginning to lighten outside the window, feel even more oppressive.
This sense of oppression made Tang Wu feel uneasy and anxious.
Tang Wu had a stubborn personality, clearly the kind that wouldn’t shed a tear until the coffin was in sight. And Gu Jiuniang was precisely the person who would bring the coffin right in front of Tang Wu.
Just like the shopkeeper of the Jinyu Pavilion who had once proposed to Gu Jiuniang, Tang Wu wholeheartedly believed that Xu Duo would be just as he promised and would never marry anyone but her in this lifetime. But Gu Jiuniang insisted that he would get married and have children not long after.
Gu Jiuniang’s words were baseless, so Tang Wu naturally didn’t accept it. But as the days passed, the final result was that Xu Duo really married the “Bun-steamer Beauty” from the end of the alley and lived a happy and harmonious life.
He completely forgot the vows he had sworn so vehemently.
At that time, Tang Wu thought: So, even a man who seemed as honest as Xu Duo would lie.
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The author has something to say:
I can’t write the four characters “tí hú guàn dǐng[mfn]To anoint your head with the purest cream (idiom) meaning to enlighten people with perfect wisdom[/mfn]” now. Every time I write them, I have the urge to sing them out…
Alone and desolate, in collusion with the villians, walking in solitude, suddenly enlightened…
Did anyone get it?
Song Xi: Who gave you permission to make her so miserable?
Author: If she wasn’t miserable, would you be needed?
Tang Wu: sobs
