Chapter 28: Miss Gao? Sure, That Works Too!

Shen Yuezhuang settled into the private residence.

Without Liu Yun’s constraints, she was living the good life!

She had A Sang to keep her company. The butler cooked them delicious meals that changed every day. He thought Shen Yuezhuang’s stay was because she had her period and couldn’t conveniently pray at the temple. So he seized the opportunity, wholeheartedly trying to impart the wisdom of “how to stand firm in your mistress’s eyes” that he hadn’t finished explaining the night before.

Of course, simple lecturing wouldn’t work. And he couldn’t punish someone from the palace. So, the old butler stood before a table full of delicacies, smiling kindly as he pointed to the feast before him.

“This smoked pig trotter is first braised with an old marinade and spices, then colored with rock sugar. The skin is crispy, the meat tender, and the flavor is excellent!”

“The chicken drumstick is from free-range mountain chickens raised on the estate. The meat is firm.”

“The fish balls are made from fresh grass carp caught this morning. They’ve been beaten until they’re bouncy and smooth.”

“…”

After his introduction, Shen Yuezhuang and A Sang, who had been eating vegetarian for so many days, had their mouths, eyes, and noses watering.

The old butler was satisfied. He clapped his hands lightly.

“So, who can tell me the most important thing to win your mistress’s favor?”

A Sang, who was new here, was a little shy. Shen Yuezhuang enthusiastically raised her hand. “Sweet talk, good skills, attentive, and thoughtful!”

“Correct!” A gleam of approval shone in the old butler’s eyes. He brought a bowl, ladled some clear but fragrant fish ball soup, and placed it before Shen Yuezhuang.

“And what’s the key to getting along with your colleagues?”

A Sang slammed her hand on the table, making Shen Yuezhuang, who was about to raise her hand, jump.

“Do not become arrogant or impatient. Be in harmony with light and dust!”

And so, a fragrant, rich smoked pig trotter was placed in A Sang’s bowl under Shen Yuezhuang’s watchful gaze.

“Next…”

~~~

The next three days were very happy for Shen Yuezhuang!

With the butler’s constant stream of delicious food and A Sang’s company for meals, and with her body feeling a bit uncomfortable, she didn’t think about going out. Just eating, drinking, and answering questions was way better than being stuck in the temple copying sutras!

The only fly in the ointment was that A Sang kept stealing her food!

A Sang ate with lightning speed. Often, before Shen Yuezhuang had even finished her chicken drumstick, A Sang would have already polished off a bowl of rice and a huge pig trotter.

When A Sang finished, she would stare at Shen Yuezhuang. At that point, if Shen Yuezhuang had food on her chopsticks while talking to the butler and wasn’t paying attention for a moment, A Sang would snatch it and eat it.

And A Sang never felt guilty or apologized. She’d just blame Shen Yuezhuang for eating too slowly, or for being left-handed!

Shen Yuezhuang: “…”

Shen Yuezhuang ate slowly because she had ruined a back molar on her right side as a child from too many sweets.

As for being left-handed, A Sang said with a completely serious face, “When you’re holding food towards me, I can’t help but feel that food is about to go into my mouth.”

Shen Yuezhuang: “…”

If you can’t beat them, avoid them. At the next meal, Shen Yuezhuang moved to A Sang’s right side. Then, A Sang grabbed Shen Yuezhuang’s hand and fed the spoonful of fish ball soup into A Sang’s own mouth.

“…”

Shen Yuezhuang was speechless. A Sang nodded knowingly. “Got it. It’s not about being left-handed.”

Shen Yuezhuang, now an expert, threw the spoon into A Sang’s bowl. “So, you just think the food in other people’s bowls tastes better, right?”

A Sang shook her head, looked at the butler, and applied the lesson she had just learned. “Because we are colleagues. Be in harmony with light and dust.”

A gleam of light shone in the butler’s eyes. He added a bowl of rice for A Sang, ignoring Shen Yuezhuang’s protest as she guarded her small bowl. “It’s ‘be in harmony with light and dust,’ not ‘be in the same bowl with the same spoon’!”

The butler didn’t bother with Shen Yuezhuang’s protests. He just looked at A Sang with delighted surprise and added another bowl of rice for her…

But aside from stealing her food, A Sang was very good to Shen Yuezhuang.

When Shen Yuezhuang asked her to go find out who won the Flower Queen title, A Sang went without a word and came back with a carriage-load of news.

Besides big news like the Emperor’s decision to go to war with the Xiongnu, she also brought news like: after the court debate, it was Shen Yuezhuang’s maternal grandfather who, despite his illness, went to the Imperial Study to express his support for the war.

Or that the Emperor had mobilized a hundred thousand troops from Yongzhou to the front lines.

Or that the Emperor had ordered the Marquis of Yongding, her own father, to travel to the Precious Flower Temple to kowtow to the gods on behalf of the three armies…

Besides congratulating herself on dodging that bullet, Shen Yuezhuang was even more curious. “So, after all that talk, who actually won the Flower Queen title that night?”

“No one.” A Sang said, “The brothel madam said Ninth Lady and Rui Niang were called to serve at a mansion that night, so they didn’t participate in the final competition.”

Ninth Lady was the one Shen Yuezhuang had bet on, and Rui Niang was the one Duan Liang had bet on. Naturally, they had both bet on people with a very high chance of winning! And after winning the title, a courtesan’s value would skyrocket. Logically, the madam wouldn’t have let those two cash cows go out before the Hundred Flowers Banquet!

Shen Yuezhuang was astonished. “They were both top contenders on the Hundred Flowers Ranking. They cost a fortune to build up. Weren’t the people who spent money on them upset that they were taken away without a word?”

The kind of people who had that kind of money to throw around weren’t easy to deal with. Besides, the Capital was full of powerful people. Who had that kind of power, to just take the women away?

Shen Yuezhuang pressed on. “Did you find out who summoned them?”

“No,” A Sang took a silver note from her pocket. “I heard that several people were causing trouble at the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion in the past few days, so the madam refunded everyone’s money.”

“Here’s your thousand taels.”

This was the thousand taels Shen Yuezhuang had spent, recorded under the Second Young Master of the Yongding Marquis Manor, so it was actually Shen Qingjue’s money.

But Shen Qingjue had never dreamed that Shen Yuezhuang’s money would come back. And since the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion didn’t want to make a big deal of it, the money had smoothly returned to Shen Yuezhuang.

A Sang looked at her. “Are you going to pay back your younger brother?”

Of course not!

Shen Yuezhuang, burdened by a thousand-tael debt for so many days, had been under too much pressure. She needed this money to relax her tense body and soul!

So, without a second thought about repaying the debt, Shen Yuezhuang waved her hand. “Come on, we’ve got money! Let’s go out and have some fun!”

“No can do!” A Sang was unusually serious. “The Empress Dowager said you’re not allowed to leave the house.”

Shen Yuezhuang: “???”

She looked A Sang up and down. Are you serious?

“Wait a minute.” Shen Yuezhuang looked incredulous. “We’re on the same side. Why are you listening to her?”

A Sang: “She said she could let me see Miss.”

Shen Yuezhuang: “…”

Fine. I just didn’t offer enough.

Faced with the truth, Shen Yuezhuang was dejected.

She finally had money and free time, and she was stuck here!

And she never had money!

Shen Yuezhuang clutched the silver note, her face a picture of intense grief. A Sang felt a little guilty.

Shen Yuezhuang had helped her pass a letter to her Miss before.

After a moment of thought, A Sang clumsily crouched down to console her. “It’s okay. You can’t go out, but I can!”

Shen Yuezhuang looked up in disbelief. “Are you even human?!”

A Sang continued, “No, I mean, you can’t go out. But if there’s anything you want, I can go buy it for you!”

Shen Yuezhuang’s expression softened a little. “Are you serious?”

A Sang nodded seriously.

Shen Yuezhuang thought for a moment. “…You have to promise me!”

A Sang: “Write me a list. I promise to get everything for you, without missing a single item.”

“No,” Shen Yuezhuang pointed at her. “Promise me you’ll stop stealing my food!”

A Sang: “…”

Shen Yuezhuang’s voice was flat and to the point: “Why are you making a face like someone just asked you to cut off a piece of your flesh?”

~~~

The list Shen Yuezhuang gave A Sang only had wine and story scripts.

From before sunset, they had been whispering and hiding in the room. When night fell, Shen Yuezhuang made sure to bolt the door from the inside, then called A Sang over.

“A Sang, come here. Have a drink of wine to give you courage!”

“Why do I need courage?”

Shen Yuezhuang was busy rummaging through the pile of story scripts. Without turning her head, she said, “I’m afraid you won’t be able to let yourself go!”

A Sang still didn’t understand, but she obediently did as she was told. A large mouthful of strong osmanthus fragrance filled her lungs. A Sang took a breath. “Do you need to let yourself go to read a script?”

Shen Yuezhuang mumbled a few vague replies, then hesitated over a few scripts she had picked out. So she turned and asked, “A Sang, do you prefer me or the Monkey King?”

A Sang choked on her wine. After a long, silent pause, she said with a strange, aggrieved look on her face, “I like my Miss.”

“Miss?” Shen Yuezhuang flipped through the scripts. “Miss Gao? Sure, that works too!”

Shen Yuezhuang held the script, glanced at the door to make sure it was locked, then sat down next to A Sang. She raised a bowl of wine and downed it in one gulp.

She spread the script out in front of A Sang.

Pointing to the chapter title, “Chapter Eighteen: Tang San Escapes from Guanyin Temple, The Pilgrim Subdues the Demon at Old Gao’s Village,” she said, “Come on! Let me show you how to act out this scene!”