Rumble!
The wheels rolled over the blue bricks and stopped outside the Pei residence.
Pei Xiangjun was hugging the fluffy bird. Looking like a noble lady waiting for her husband to return, she was standing under a lantern and looking into the distance.
Seeing Ye Jingtang alight from the carriage, Pei Xiangjun smiled. "Jingtang, how was the discussion? Did Yang Guan make things difficult for you?"
"Third Lady, why are you waiting at the door?" Ye Jingtang stepped onto the steps and raised his hand to touch the bird that was enjoying life more than him. "It wasn't difficult. I just spent a lot of effort talking to explain the matter to Landlord Yang…"
"Ahem, ahem!" Chen Biao and the two escorts, who were unloading the carriage, staggered when they heard this. They turned around and looked at Ye Jingtang.
You said five sentences in total. Is that what you call a lot of effort talking?
Yang Guan didn't make things difficult for you. Don't you know the reason?
Yang Chao, Little Six, and the others who knew Ye Jingtang reacted calmly.
After all, in their opinion, their young master had indeed spent a lot of effort talking today.
When they were in the lawless border town, the young master wouldn't even say a word when he encountered such ruffians. He would just kill them and then turn around and leave.
Ye Jingtang ignored their gazes and continued to explain the process gently, in case Third Lady Pei was frightened.
Pei Xiangjun, who had watched from the beginning to the end, was naturally not frightened. She was like an obedient little woman. After listening to Ye Jingtang's explanation, she bit her lower lip lightly and looked at him with admiration in her eyes. "Amazing. It's really different to have a man at home~"
The peerless beauty revealed a look of admiration for the strong. It was very destructive.
Ye Jingtang admitted that he didn't care about fame and fortune, but under Third Lady's admiring gaze, he still felt a little proud. He waved his hand in a manly manner. "It's nothing."
"Your aunt and I discussed it just now. We'll let you be the young master of the Pei family and give you a hundred taels of silver a month. You don't think it's too little, do you?"
The young master was probably like the deputy chairman of the Pei Corporation. His authority would be enough to open a bank, and his monthly salary would be a hundred taels of silver. In modern times, his monthly salary would be more than a hundred thousand yuan.
This treatment was a little exaggerated. Ye Jingtang would definitely feel guilty if he accepted it. He shook his head and said, "Third Lady, you said that a man should earn his own living. The shopkeepers on the street will definitely not be convinced if you give me this treatment. Just pay my salary according to the salary of an escort head."
Hearing this, Chen Biao quickly shook his head. "Young Master Ye, you are really treating us like outsiders. You've saved us more money by dealing with Yang Guan today. Moreover, an escort head only earns twelve taels of silver a month. What can you do with this much? When Young Master Pei goes out for a drink, it costs more than this…"
Pei Xiangjun nodded and said, "That's right. Being a young master isn't that carefree and easy. There are many occasions when you go out to socialize. When you drink and listen to music with the sons of officials at Literary Virtue Bridge, you won't be able to tip any money to the girls. Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Pei family? This silver is purely pocket money. If you're really embarrassed, just work diligently for the family."
Hearing this, Ye Jingtang no longer refused. "Then, I'll listen to Third Lady's arrangements. The matter with Blue Lotus Villa is over. Do you have any other matters for me to take care of?"
Pei Xiangjun had a lot of things to take care of. Her eldest brother had died in Jianghu, and the title of Spear Chief had been taken away. She had yet to take revenge. Many forces in Jianghu were robbing her money, but no one stood up for her. The few hall masters of the Red Flower Pavilion were restless and kept pressuring her to give up her position.
But these were all matters of Jianghu. It was still too early for Ye Jingtang to come into contact with them, so she smiled and said, "I have a bunch of shopkeepers working for me. How can I let the young master handle everything? It's raining today, so there won't be many social functions. You should rest first and then let Chen Biao show you around the capital."
While speaking, Pei Xiangjun leaned closer, took out a banknote, and quietly stuffed it into Ye Jingtang's hands. "From now on, they will be your subordinates. If you have nothing to do, taking them out to a restaurant for a drink is also the young master's duty."
Hearing this, Chen Biao perked up and quickly sent the horses back to the stable.
When the bird heard that they were going out to a restaurant, it instantly felt that Pei Xiangjun's arms were not soft anymore. It jumped onto Ye Jingtang's shoulder and flapped its wings at Pei Xiangjun. "Chirp chirp~" It was probably saying: Goodbye, Sister Big Chest…
Ye Jingtang went to his room and changed back into his usual clothes before setting off with the few escorts.
But just as they were about to leave, Pei Xiangjun saw Chen Biao's sly smile and reminded, "Chen Biao, don't go to those places. Jingtang just came from the outside and hasn't seen the world of the capital. If you make Jingtang become like Pei Luo…"
Chen Biao's sly smile disappeared, and he pretended to be mature. "Boss, do you think I look like that kind of person?"
"Third Lady, don't worry. I know what to do," Ye Jingtang replied and then left the alley with his subordinates.
———
An hour later, on the second floor of the Spring Fragrance Pavilion…
The musician holding the pipa was singing a melodious tune on the stage.
Three dancers in colorful clothes danced along with the song, their figures graceful.
Seven fierce escorts stared at the girls downstairs from the window with wide eyes. They gulped and weren't even willing to take a bite of the food.
Ye Jingtang was sitting in the private room and drinking. The bird shook its head beside him, looking like it had drunk more than Ye Jingtang.
Chen Biao raised his wine glass with both hands and toasted Ye Jingtang. "Young Master, you really know what to do!"
Ye Jingtang had been ordered to bring his subordinates out for 'team building', so he naturally couldn't be too stingy. "We're just listening to music. It's not like we went to a brothel. To be honest, the girls at the border are much worse than the girls in the capital. They're probably stronger than me. If I didn't know some martial arts, I would have been snatched away at the age of fourteen…"
Chen Biao blinked and leaned closer. "Young Master, don't tell me you're still…"
?
Ye Jingtang didn't know how to answer this question.
Yang Chao, who was drunk beside them, answered, "You have sharp eyes. With the young master's looks, if he goes out to look for a girl, the girl should pay him instead. How could he do a losing business?"
"That's true. In my opinion, the only girls who match with the young master are the ladies of Literary Virtue Bridge. If the vulgar girls outside want to steal the cabbage, I'll be the first to disagree…"
"Hehe."
They had gone to a theater to listen to music, eat, and drink.
While they were drinking and chatting, there was a commotion on the street outside.
Clomp, clomp, clomp!
It was the sound of a large group of foot soldiers running.
A few of them frowned, got up, and went to the window to take a look. They saw many imperial guards and constables from the Black Office running in the rain in the direction of Jasper Pavilion, which was at the end of their line of sight.
"What's going on?"
"With such a big commotion, something must have happened at the Prince of Jing Estate. There are many Jianghu bandits locked up in the Black Office. I heard that Jasper Pavilion also has many martial arts secret manuals. There are often bold Jianghu thieves who commit crimes there. The disturbance usually stops after a few hours."
Since it had nothing to do with him, Ye Jingtang didn't pay much attention to it and continued to drink.
The alcohol tolerance of martial artists was not low, and the wine he drank was relatively high-quality. It was fragrant but not strong. For most of the day, no one drank it. Unknowingly, it was already late afternoon.
After eating and drinking to their heart's content, a lustful escort even hinted to them to go to the 'meat market' for the next round.
But Chen Biao knew the severity of the matter. Listening to music and watching girls dance was fine. But if he dared to bring the young master to a brothel, Third Lady would definitely kick them all out. In the end, he didn't dare to say any nonsense to Ye Jingtang, and everyone dispersed.
When the sky gradually darkened, one man, one horse, and one bird returned to Dye Workshop Street.
The banknote Third Lady had given him today was an advance for a month's salary. A hundred taels of silver was enough to rent two courtyards. If he was lucky, he might even be able to buy a maidservant who could warm his bed to relieve his boredom at night.
Although Ye Jingtang was not picky about where to stay, he didn't have the habit of deliberately enduring hardship. After a day of rain, with such a big hole in the roof, it would definitely be impossible for him to stay.
The reason Ye Jingtang came back was to pack up some things in the house and tell the landlady to change his accommodations to a better place.
Squeak!
The old courtyard door without a lock was opened. The furnishings inside remained unchanged.
Ye Jingtang tied the horse under the roof of the kitchen, put away the umbrella, and went to the main room. He pushed the door open and entered while talking to the bird. "Behave yourself in the future. Don't go into a woman's arms for no reason…"
The bird acted as if it hadn't heard anything. It squatted on his shoulder and hummed. "Chirp chirp chirp~"
But the next moment, both the man and the bird fell silent.
The room was mostly empty, and there was not much to begin with. Naturally, any changes could be seen with a glance—a raincoat was covering the hole in the roof.
But Ye Jingtang and the bird didn't notice this. They only stared blankly at the bed.
Beside the double bed covered with dark gray sheets was a pair of blue embroidered shoes embroidered with bamboo leaves. An unfamiliar woman was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Her hair was tied into a woman's bun, and a jade pearl hairpin was inserted diagonally. She looked like a young woman.
The young woman's skin was extremely fair. She had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, and her eyebrows were like willow leaves in the early spring of February. Her cherry-like lips didn't have any rouge, but they were naturally rosy and full. It would be too cliché to describe her face as merely gorgeous. She was more like a fox immortal who had come to a farmhouse to repay a favor or the fairy who had married the cowherd. She was so beautiful that she exuded an ethereal aura.
The young woman was wrapped in a light blue cloak, and only her fair hands folded at her abdomen were visible. Her posture made her look like an otherworldly expert. She should be circulating some profound martial arts techniques. There was some fragrant sweat on her forehead, and wisps of mist were rising from her hair bun, as if she was about to become cooked with a high fever.
"Chirp?" The bird stood at Ye Jingtang's feet and tilted its head to look at the bottom of the bed, seemingly looking for the steamer below.
Ye Jingtang was baffled and didn't even notice the young woman's transcendental beauty. He only wondered if he had entered the wrong door.
But there was probably no other house in the capital with such a big hole in the roof.
"Heroine?" Ye Jingtang's home was occupied, so it was impossible for him to turn around and leave. He called out from the door, but the young woman didn't react. After thinking for a moment, he held the saber and walked toward the bed.
On the other hand, the bird shrunk its head and peeked out from behind the door, looking frightened…