Chapter 170: The Courtesan

Hearing this, Qi Erliu stared at Master Ge for a moment, her expression suddenly changing as she blurted out, "N-No! We couldn't have met. I have no recollection of it."

"Is that so?" Master Ge pondered for a moment before saying, "Then I must have remembered incorrectly."

Lin Sangqian watched Qi Erliu's reaction with great interest.

Her reaction certainly didn't look like someone who had no recollection.

Could it be that she really had met Master Ge before?

Where had they met? And why was she in such a panic?

It seemed there were still many secrets hidden within this Qi Erliu, just waiting for them to uncover.

At that moment, Xiao Yawen cleared her throat and launched into her act. "Young Master Yu, with so many of us moving in, won't Madam Yu be unhappy?"

Qi Erliu: "..."

"Young Master Yu, we are causing you such trouble. Will Madam Yu yell at us like she did last time?"

Qi Erliu: "..."

"Madam Yu is so terrifying. Unlike me..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Beitao quickly covered her mouth.

Any further acting would make it too obvious.

Qi Erliu shot a chilling glare at Xiao Yawen.

What an absolute green tea bitch!

"She won't," Yu Jingxiao said. "Erliu has always been virtuous and kind-hearted. The Yu residence is so vast; it's no trouble at all for you to stay here. Am I right, Erliu?"

With that, he turned his head to look at Qi Erliu.

Caught off guard, Qi Erliu felt a jolt in her heart before hurriedly plastering on a smile. "Yes, of course... Please make yourselves completely at home here. If you need anything at all, just call for me."

"Alright then," Lin Sangqian said with a smile. "Then we shall have to trouble Madam Yu."

She loved nothing more than seeing Qi Erliu despise them yet being completely powerless to do anything about it.

Though boiling with suppressed rage inside, Qi Erliu had no choice but to maintain a gentle and virtuous facade as she arranged the accommodations for their large family.

The Yu residence was spacious with plenty of rooms for them to choose from.

However, they preferred to stay close together; after all, in these chaotic times, sleeping in the same room at night provided a greater sense of security.

In the end, they occupied only two rooms in a small courtyard—the men in one, and the women in the other.

Instead of beds, these two rooms were furnished with heated brick kangs, which were large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably.

"Are you sure you want to stay in this small courtyard?" Qi Erliu frowned, looking somewhat uneasy.

While she certainly didn't want them to be comfortable, putting them in such a cramped courtyard might make Yu Jingxiao suspect she was deliberately mistreating them.

"This courtyard is quite nice," Lin Sangqian said. "Rest assured, we won't try to undermine you in front of Young Master Yu. After all, not everyone possesses your particular brand of scheming."

Qi Erliu raged, "You wretched bitch, what did you just—"

Cutting herself off, she hurriedly looked back. Seeing that Yu Jingxiao was not around, she let out a sigh of relief.

Her reaction sent the others into roaring fits of laughter. Humiliated and furious, Qi Erliu turned on her heel and stormed off.

Master Ge watched her retreating figure, still deep in thought.

"I still feel like I've seen her somewhere before," Master Ge said. "Though it must have been many years ago, and I don't remember clearly... Wait, I think I remember now!"

"Where?" Xiao Yawen asked eagerly.

With a somewhat grim expression, Master Ge replied, "About five years ago, in a place called Kuiyang City."

"Kuiyang City... Ah, yes. Young Master Yu mentioned before that he and Qi Erliu met in Kuiyang City. He had gone there on business, encountered Qi Erliu, and after a few chance encounters, they gradually developed feelings for each other."

"Back then, I was invited to attend a poetry gathering. After it ended, a close friend of mine dragged me to a certain place..."

At this point, Master Ge wore a look of mild embarrassment.

"A brothel?" Lin Sangqian unhesitatingly exposed him.

"I was genuinely dragged there against my will! And I had no idea beforehand that we were going to such a place!" Master Ge hastily defended himself, turning to Lin Yanbei to add, "Your master is not that kind of person. Such behavior is disgraceful, and you must never imitate it."

Lin Yanbei nodded earnestly. "Master, I believe you."

"Master Ge, could it be that you met Qi Erliu in a brothel?" Zhao Lan'er asked with wide eyes.

"Yes," Master Ge said. "At the time, my friend ordered several—cough, courtesans. One of them kept pouring wine for me and kept pressing herself against me. Every time I pushed her away, she clung right back, and finally, she tried to drag me into the inner room. I was so frightened I bolted right out of there! If I'm not mistaken, that woman was none other than the current Madam Yu..."

Everyone was stunned.

They had originally thought Qi Erliu was merely a hypocritical white lotus who loved putting on an act.

They never expected that she used to work in such an establishment.

Suddenly, they felt a twinge of sympathy for Yu Jingxiao.

"Young Master Yu probably doesn't know about this, right?" Lin Beitao asked.

"Of course he doesn't!" Xiao Yawen said. "If he knew, would he have married her?"

"Besides, judging by Master Ge's description, Qi Erliu didn't seem like someone forced into a life of dust and wind back then," Zhao Lan'er noted. "If she had been forced, she would at least be worthy of some sympathy."

"That being said, I'm starting to suspect that Young Master Yu's several 'chance encounters' with her were all carefully orchestrated by her," Lin Sangqian remarked.

"What should we do then? Should we tell Young Master Yu about this?" Wang Qiongshi asked.

"Young Master Yu is truly pitiful, being deceived to this extent by that woman," Lin Yanbei sighed.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Qiongshi chimed in, "That just goes to show how difficult it is to find a girl who is truly sincere to you!"

Startled, Lin Yanbei stepped back two paces and frowned. "You girl, why are you always like this!"

"Hmph, it's the truth though."

"We don't have any evidence. Relying solely on Master Ge's word won't prove anything," Lin Sangqian said. "And..."

If Yu Jingxiao found out, there was no telling how devastated he would be.

Lin Sangqian found it rather hard to bear.

Yet, now that they knew the truth, her conscience wouldn't let her keep silent either.

"Let's discuss this matter thoroughly later," Liao Shuxia suggested. "It would be best to find conclusive evidence of her time in the brothel, and deal with this after the bandit threat has passed."

"Agreed," the others chimed in, expressing their approval.

Back in her own room, Qi Erliu's complexion remained unsightly.

"Madam, what is wrong?" Yemei asked anxiously. "Did something happen?"

"Just now, I saw someone... I saw him back when I was at the Chunxi Pavilion..." Qi Erliu clenched her fingers tightly, her face pale.

"What? The Chunxi Pavilion? Are you certain, Madam?" Yemei's expression shifted as well.

Having followed Qi Erliu out of the pleasure house, she had been Qi Erliu's personal maid back in those days.

Consequently, she was privy to many of Qi Erliu's secrets.

"I'm certain. That customer was extremely averse to me and didn't even want to enter my room. Out of a hundred guests visiting the Chunxi Pavilion, you couldn't find a single one like him, which is why I remember him quite clearly."