allonlinenovel Chapter 469 It has always been like this, who can escape it?
Chapter 469 It has always been like this, who can escape it?
Early in the morning of August 16, Liu Jiangxi once again came to the famous Li Bu Zhuang in Jiangnan and handed a letter to Qi Qiang, asking him to send someone to deliver it to Qi Le City in Jiangnan.
"Miss Liu, what happened? Just let me know if you need my help." Seeing Liu Jiangxi's worried look, Qi Qiang couldn't help but ask worriedly. After all, Shopkeeper Mu had privately told him before leaving Beijing that if Miss Liu came to him, he would do his best to help.
"Manager Qi, just help me deliver this letter to Manager Mu as soon as possible." Liu Jiangxi shook her head and smiled faintly at him. Even her father couldn't help her with Hong Qing's matter, so she certainly couldn't drag the famous Li people in Jiangnan to offend the prince.
Seeing that Miss Liu was unwilling to talk, Qi Qiang naturally did not dare to ask any further questions. He bowed and hurriedly turned to the backyard to arrange for someone to deliver the letter.
Liu Jiangxi also walked out of the Li family cloth shop with her maid Shiwen, looking worriedly. When the carriage left the market and passed Fengqifang, she half lifted the curtain and looked up at the gorgeous attic, her eyes welling up again.
"Miss, please don't let anyone see you like this!" Shiwen hurriedly pulled down the curtain upon seeing this. She knew that the young lady was worried about Miss Hongqing, but she was still a girl who had not yet married, so she had to be careful when she was outside, especially since the young lady was now sad about Fengqifang. If someone saw it, who knows what would happen.
"Later, ask Xiaodong to go to Fengqifang to inquire about the news." Liu Jiangxi came back to his senses and turned to give instructions to Shiwen.
"What can we do if we get the news? Since we can't redeem Miss Hongqing for the time being..." Shiwen didn't respond immediately. She just sighed with a worried face and then muttered. But when she saw the young lady's cold eyes, she quickly shut up.
Knowing that Shiwen was thinking about her, Liu Jiangxi couldn't just sit there and let Hongqing suffer alone in Fengqifang. Even if she couldn't redeem her for the time being, she would find a way to help her.
Within two days, the whole Liangdu City was filled with rumors that the famous prostitute Hong Qing in the capital had become arrogant due to her favor. She was injured due to slackness during a performance in the Prince's Mansion, which embarrassed the Prince in public and made him furious. He immediately beat her out and she is now lying half-dead in Fengqifang.
As soon as the news came out, those who usually envied her for being a prostitute favored by the prince and living a glorious life were gloating over her misfortune, and they criticized her and added insult to injury. Most people followed suit, and although they just talked about it at first, with both ridicule and pity, as someone wantonly spread rumors and slandered her, fanning the flames, the public's thinking was swept to one side before they could react, and most of the people who once admired Hong Qing turned to spit on her and ridicule her, wishing to trample her under their feet to vent their anger.
It was already the third day when Hong Qing woke up. Although Mother Yun saw that she was still weak, she ignored Da Feng's pleas and drove her down from the attic. It was only when she saw that her wounds had not healed and threatened the guests that she reluctantly let her stay for two more days. As for the other people in Fengqifang, seeing that Hong Qing had lost power, those who used to flatter her avoided her like the plague. Even if some people felt sorry for her plight, they dared not approach her.
From being on top of thousands of people, she fell into the mire overnight, just like falling off the stage in the Prince's Mansion on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Hong Qing was at a loss for a moment. She looked around the strange and simple room in despair. When she turned her head, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of herself in the bronze mirror, and saw the deep scar on her face and couldn't help but smile miserably.
"Miss, today is my last day to serve you." After cleaning the room, Dafeng came to the bedside with tears in her eyes and cried sadly to Hongqing.
"Be more careful in front of others in the future to avoid being scolded." Hong Qing also felt sad because of Dafeng's crying, but she didn't cry. Instead, she held the other's hand and gave instructions.
"The girl's injuries should have required her to rest for half a month as ordered by the doctor, but Mother Yun... aren't you pushing her to death?" Dafeng also sat down next to her and continued crying.
"It has always been like this. Who can escape it? I have been in Fengqifang for decades and I have never seen anyone with a good ending. Some died of illness, some went crazy, some were hanged, and in the end, they ended up with a straw mat rolled up and thrown into a mass grave with a curse of bad luck. Who would pity people like us? No, in their eyes, we are not even human beings." Hong Qing wiped the tears from Dafeng's face with a handkerchief, smiled bitterly weakly, and sighed softly.
"Don't be discouraged, young lady. You are different. In this Liangdu city, you still have Liu..." Dafeng shook her head. She was about to convey Liu Jiangxi's words but Hongqing raised her hand to stop her. She looked back in the direction of her gaze and saw a figure swaying outside the door. Dafeng was so shocked that her eyes widened and she tiptoed to the door and suddenly opened it. A woman fell in immediately.
"Oh my, Dafeng, are you going to die? You opened the door without any sound?" The woman got up from the ground and slapped Dafeng, cursing at her in a pinched voice. Without Hongqing's support, the honest Dafeng could be bullied by anyone.
"We were all peacefully staying in this room, but who knew Miss Liuwu would break in and eavesdrop?" After being beaten, Dafeng returned to Hongqing feeling aggrieved and muttered.
"Don't talk nonsense, who was eavesdropping? I came here with good intentions to see Sister Hongqing, but you, a damned girl, wrongly accused me!" The gorgeously dressed woman said with a frown and an angry look, and was about to raise her hand to hit Dafeng, but was stopped by Hongqing with a smile:
"Since Sister Liuwu came to see me, why do you care about a stupid girl like her? Why don't you pour tea to apologize?" Hong Qing gave Dafeng an order and continued to smile weakly at the woman, "It's a pity that you came to see me, but unfortunately I'm not well yet, so I can't entertain you, cough cough..."
"What's the matter with entertaining or not? We see each other every day, so how can we be so unfamiliar with each other? You just moved out of the attic and lived next door to me, so I came to see if you need any help. Sister Hongqing is not well yet, so you should rest more. I won't bother you anymore." Hongqing's smiling and coaxing words calmed Liuwu's anger. Turning his head to look at Hongqing, whose face was disfigured, sick and embarrassed, and who no longer had the dazzling glory of the past, Liuwu felt both sighed and secretly delighted. Seeing that she was coughing badly, he naturally took a few steps away in disgust, smiled falsely and turned away.
"The girl and she barely exchanged a few words before, so how can they be sisters?" Seeing Liu Wu leaving, Dafeng handed a cup of warm tea to Hong Qing and snorted.
"You can't speak with your mouth, so speak less in the future to avoid being beaten and scolded everywhere. Now I am in a difficult situation and I am afraid I can't protect you anymore." Hong Qing took the tea and continued to remind her meaningfully.
"From now on, Dafeng will pretend to be mute except in front of the girl." Hearing the girl say this, Dafeng couldn't help wiping away her tears.
Seeing that the girl was about to start crying again, Hong Qing became upset, so she fell back on the bed tiredly and fell asleep unknowingly.
At dusk, in a teahouse outside Liangdu City, Shiwen, a maid of the Liu Mansion, was looking around anxiously. Half an hour ago, the young lady had brought her to this teahouse and asked her to wait here. Although Shiwen was puzzled, she had to do as she was told. However, after waiting for so long and still not seeing the young lady, she began to worry.
"Miss, are you waiting for someone?" At this time, a sturdy young man with handsome features but half a beard came up to her and asked in a rough voice.
Shiwen, a little maid, was frightened when she saw a strange man approaching her. She just glanced at the man in front of her and then lowered her head and ignored him.
"Why are you ignoring me, girl?" Seeing that Shiwen ignored him, the man suddenly sat down in front of her and refused to leave.
"Who are you? Why should I care about you?" Seeing that she was pestered by this man, Shiwen was anxious and annoyed. She said to him with a blushing face, and in her heart she was hoping that the young lady would appear soon.
"Even you didn't recognize me, it seems there's nothing wrong with my appearance." Seeing that Shiwen was almost scared to tears by him, Liu Jiangxi finally regained his normal tone and smiled.
"Small...."
Suddenly hearing the young lady's voice, Shi Wen was so surprised that she looked up at the half-bearded man in front of her again. After a careful look, she recognized the young lady from his eyebrows and eyes. She was so happy that she was about to speak, but was stopped by Liu Jiangxi:
"Shh!"
"What are you doing?" Seeing the young lady's ridiculous appearance, Shiwen couldn't help but frowned and asked in confusion.
"Don't ask too much. Just take the Liu family's carriage back and don't worry about me. If the master asks, just give him the letter I left in the room. He will understand after reading it." Liu Jiangxi turned back to the man's rough voice and gave her instructions before leaving.
"I probably guessed it." Looking at the young lady's broad back disappearing in the teahouse, Shiwen shook her head helplessly and muttered.