in2ebook Chapter 257 Repaying the favor
Chapter 257 Repaying the favor
She came forward and said, "Hey~ this——"
"I'm Yu Sulan, and I want to see Miss Jin Xuan." I said in a low voice.
She was stunned for a moment, then nodded calmly and whispered back, "Follow me."
I followed her up to the third floor and walked to Jinxuan's boudoir.
She smiled at me and said, "Please wait outside the door for a moment. I'll go in and let them know."
I took out a fifty-liang silver note from my pocket and handed it to her: "Thank you for your care in the past. It's very troublesome."
When Yuyun saw it, she accepted it with a smile, glanced at me, knocked on the door and went in.
Soon she came out: "Miss, please come in."
I walked in. Although the furnishings in the room had changed slightly, the overall style was still elegant.
Miss Jin Xuan is still as beautiful as she was in the past. She smiled at me while sitting at the table. Her beauty is so stunning that it can be said that “her beauty is beyond compare, and the lotus is ashamed of her beauty.”*
I smiled too, bowed and said, "Miss, how are you? You are still as charming as ever."
She stood up and bowed back: "You are joking, please take a seat! I am just living in a corner of this world, trying my best to avoid the wind and rain. I didn't know where you were after we parted that day, but later I heard that something happened in the prison in the west of the city, so I think you got what you wanted. I wonder if you have anything to do today?"
I sat down: "Nothing, just come to repay a favor."
After that, I took out a five thousand tael silver note and put it on the table for her: "I left in a hurry that day, and I haven't been able to visit you or send you a message these years. I have always felt bad. Today I came to your house to express my gratitude. I can only use some vulgar things to repay your help in the past. At least I have lived up to the reputation of my Tushan family. Miss Jinxuan, if you need anything else, please let me know. As long as I can help you, I will do my best to repay you."
Jin Xuan looked down, raised her jade hand to take the banknote, and said with a smile: "No, no, we each serve our own masters, and I am just helping out where it is convenient. Thank you, young lady. There is no need for help at the moment, and even if there is, this money is enough for me to find someone to do it."
I smiled and said, "That's good. I came here today to ask you for a few things. There is no one else in this city that I can trust except you."
Jin Xuan poured me a cup of tea: "Okay, okay. What's the matter?"
"First, I want you to help me find a carriage and a few bodyguards. The driver and bodyguards must be women of good character to escort me back. Second, I want you to help me send an anonymous letter to Tushan Mansion in Qingqiu, to Master Chunming."
Jin Xuan pondered for a moment and replied, "The second thing is not difficult. As for the first thing... I wonder if the young lady has a preference? In terms of spiritual power, it must be the Guifang family."
When I heard this name, my heart moved, as if I was back in that scorching summer.
In fact, I should have gone to him to thank him, but unfortunately I couldn't come and I don't know where he is. Now that I know, it's hard to repay the kindness. In addition, I know that he had some feelings for me back then. Now he is entangled in many things and his appearance has changed. I am not ready to face him.
I hesitated and said, "So, there is a third thing. Miss, please help me deliver a letter to Gui Fangduan. But I don't need their bodyguards."
Jin Xuan nodded: "I see. The rest of the families are all pretty much the same. I'll go check for you tomorrow morning to see which family's escort has the highest spiritual power."
I toasted her and asked, "Thank you. Gui Fangduan... Is he okay?" I knew he had great spiritual power and would have escaped back then. But I couldn't imagine what kind of punishment he would receive if his third uncle found out that he was helping outsiders.
Jin Xuan looked at me and replied, "He's... not bad. The day after the prison in the west of the city was robbed, he came to see me and asked if he had seen you. I said no, and he left in a hurry. Later, it was said that he was half-expelled from the Guifang family. Thanks to his grandmother's protection, he was not expelled from the family. After that, he came to Xiyan City for a while every year, and seemed to take some work here. I met him on the street once, and he looked nonchalant, so he didn't seem to be a bad person."
I felt sad, and thought I could only send him some money so that he wouldn't have to work so hard, and then tell him that I was fine. After I was done with this matter, I would find time to go see him.
I wanted to ask the shadow guard, but then I thought that Jin Xuan might not know their identities and whereabouts. To be on the safe side, I decided to find another time to ask.
After chatting with Jinxuan for a few more words, Yuyun came to her and said that there was a guest downstairs who wanted her to dance.
I said goodbye to Jinxuan and asked Yuyun to arrange me in the room I had lived in before. I wrote a thank-you letter to Master Chunming and Gui Fangduan and went to bed early.
At noon the next day, I arrived at the bank where I had been yesterday. The shopkeeper who had received me yesterday was standing at the door, looking out, as if he was waiting for me.
Seeing me coming, he came up to me with a big smile on his face: "Are you a distinguished guest? Please come in."
I followed him into a private room. As soon as the door was closed, someone pushed me to the ground from behind.
"Master, it was she who came to withdraw money yesterday!" the shopkeeper pointed at me and shouted.
"Tell me! The owner of this seal has been missing for many years. Where did you get this seal?!" a man asked harshly, stepping on my back.
The voice sounded familiar to me. Ignoring the pain in my body, I turned around and saw that it was Li Rongchang.
"Master Chang, it's me! Lanxiang!" I said to him.
“Lanxiang?!” He quickly retracted his foot, looked at me carefully for a long while, and then pulled me up from the ground: “Is it really you?! Why... did you become like this?!”
I patted my clothes and sighed, "It's a long story. But please believe me, it wasn't me who kidnapped the young master."
He looked at me scrutinizingly. "I heard from Jingye and Ruiyang, but we have no evidence and can't find Brother Jing. Over the years, Fenglong and I have been looking for him and you. I'm sorry for offending you just now. Are you... okay? Where is Brother Jing now? I haven't seen you for a long time, and you came out to withdraw such a large sum of money. But where is Brother Jing now?"
Although I believe that neither he nor Fenglong will do anything to Tu Shanjing, but at this time Tu Shanjing wants to be Ye Shiqi, and is living a rare peaceful life. The fewer people who know, the less risk there is. So I said to him, "I'm fine. After investigating for so long, I just got some clues and learned that he is fine. I still need to continue to investigate the details, so I took this money to do something."
Upon hearing this, Li Rongchang took a step forward and asked anxiously, "Can I go too?"
I shook my head. "I have finally gained the trust of this person. I am afraid... it is not convenient. Please don't tell anyone, Master Chang."
He sighed and said, "Well, you must be careful. If you have any news, you must tell me!"
I agreed and asked him to open two accounts. One was for Chunming, in which I deposited 230,000 taels, intending to repay him both the principal and the thank-you money, and I also put Xiaoshun's thank-you gift in the envelope. The other was for Guifangduan, in which I deposited 50,000 taels, intending to transfer the account and the letter to him through Jinxuan.
After getting the remaining banknotes from Li Rongchang, I said goodbye to him and returned to Zuihualou.
*Quoted from Li Bai's "Ode to Xi Shi".