Chapter 47: The Pauper and the Vase

Page (1/3)

To be honest, Bai Yu was rather dazed at that moment, his soul having suffered the tiniest of shocks.

After living two lifetimes, he had never personally witnessed such a pure and blatant act of treating a woman as a gift and presenting her to someone—especially not to himself.

In his previous life, he had often seen people arguing online about whether women were being objectified. Only now did he understand what genuine objectification looked like.

His original plan had been that, once he found out who was behind the scenes, he would try using the AI to dig up some incriminating material on them.

He had never expected that before he could even begin, the other side would voluntarily come knocking—with a gift in hand.

Seeing Bai Yu standing there in a daze without saying a word, Thousand Household Officer Qian feared he might have another fit of madness. He therefore spoke to the Duke's retainers on Bai Yu's behalf:

"Since this is the Duke's kind intention, we would be rude to refuse! Young people aren't always good with words, so please don't take offense. As his superior, I shall thank His Grace on his behalf!"

Having completed his task, the retainer handed Bai Yu a deed symbolizing ownership of the maidservant and then departed with the others.

Even the old brothel madam, who had been beaten black and blue, was carried away. Only the sedan chair remained behind.

Bai Yu came to himself and hurriedly said to Qian, "How can we accept such a valuable gift so casually?"

"Precisely because it is so valuable, we must accept it," Qian replied. "To refuse would be tantamount to slighting the Duke of Chengguo!"

Bai Yu countered, "By your reasoning, then, are we actually obliged to accept it?"

"That is exactly right—we have no choice but to accept it! You may be bold and meticulous when it comes to getting things done, but when it comes to conducting yourself, you still lack experience.

"If the Duke of Chengguo had treated you carelessly and tossed you some trifling thing to send you away, you could have refused it.

"But His Grace has already shown sufficient sincerity. If you still dared refuse, it would amount to declaring war on him all over again.

"And in the eyes of everyone watching, you would simply look like an uncouth, insatiably greedy man who had no idea when to stop!"

Bai Yu asked, puzzled, "I still don't understand. How could this minor trouble of mine have provoked someone as exalted as the Duke of Chengguo?"

Qian, an old hand among military officers, had already guessed the answer.

"I heard that the current Duke of Chengguo, Zhu Xizhong, has a younger brother named Zhu Xiaoxiao, who serves as a Chief Archivist in the Eastern Depot.

"So the person in the Eastern Depot who accepted the commission and plotted to frame you was probably Zhu Xiaoxiao. He simply botched the affair, and if the matter grew any larger, he might have suffered a backlash.

"Duke Zhu Xizhong has always been cautious and prudent in the way he handles affairs. He would rather not invite unnecessary trouble, so he chose to settle the matter by sending you a beauty.

"After all, the trouble began because of a beauty, so using a beauty to bring it to an end is perfectly reasonable."

Bai Yu used the AI to look up the name Zhu Xiaoxiao and was astonished to discover that, in the history he knew, Zhu Xiaoxiao had taken command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard after Lu Bing's death.

Page (1/3)

Damn it! Bai Yu became even more determined to pursue the imperial examinations. He had no future in the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Without realizing it, he had already crossed swords once with the future head of the organization.

That was the capital for you. The slightest incident could lead, who knew how far, up the chain of influence.

Forget it, forget it. There was no point thinking about it for now. If one worried about too many consequences in the capital, one might as well do nothing at all.

While Bai Yu was speaking with Qian, the sedan chair was set down at an angle. A graceful figure stepped lightly out and came to stand beside him.

Bai Yu caught the scent of perfumed powder. He turned his head, and his expression immediately changed.

The jeweled ornaments in her hair, the jade bracelet around her wrist, the silks and brocades she wore... The clothes and accessories covering her from head to toe were probably worth several years of his salary, assuming he earned two piculs of grain a month.

Even if he sold both rooms of his house, he probably could not afford this single outfit.

Just moments ago he had been complaining that the Duke of Chengguo was stingy. It seemed he might have wronged His Grace after all.

But that raised another question: if this person belonged to him, did the jewelry she wore belong to him as well?

The young beauty stood there timidly. When no one addressed her for a long while, she raised the corners of her eyes and skillfully sent Bai Yu a bold, flirtatious glance, clearly trying to coax him into speaking first.

Bai Yu: "..."

In a later age, this combination of feigned shyness and deliberate seduction would probably be called the behavior of a manipulative coquette.

It was obvious that this beauty had been trained in pleasure houses since childhood. Her movements and bearing were far too practiced.

She was not very old, and her appearance and bearing were both quite pleasing. Her features were as lovely as a painting, and her small oval face was fresh and luminous—the very picture of a delicate beauty.

As for her figure, she appeared to have neither much bosom nor much backside. For some reason, the prevailing taste of this era favored willowy figures like willow branches.

After looking her over, Bai Yu sighed and frowned deeply.

What a huge vase they had sent him.

His mood was much like that of a poorly paid office worker in a later age suddenly being gifted a luxury sports car worth millions. He simply could not afford to maintain it.

A woman as exquisite and beautiful as this had surely been the pampered possession of some powerful and wealthy man before age and fading beauty caught up with her. Even if she had not lived in the lap of luxury, she could hardly have known hardship.

How could he possibly support such a lifestyle in his current circumstances?

Quite apart from anything else, his family had only two rooms. The outer room served as his father's bedroom, living room, and dining room, while the inner room was Bai Yu's bedroom.

So after he brought her home, where exactly would this beauty sleep?

It was not that Bai Yu lacked courage. The objective circumstances were simply too poor.

Page (2/3)

If they truly slept together and did anything else, his father in the outer room would hear every sound clearly.

That would be unbearably embarrassing. Bai Yu's face was not yet thick enough to put on a live broadcast.

He therefore tugged Qian a little farther away and whispered, "What do you think about my selling her to someone else?"

Qian: "..."

Was there something seriously wrong with this man's head? He had only just acquired such a lovely girl, and he already wanted to resell her?

"What do you think?" Bai Yu asked sincerely. When it came to human relationships and worldly etiquette, he still had to hear his superior's opinion.

Qian was almost ready to curse. "Have you considered the Duke of Chengguo's feelings?

"If you kindly gave someone a gift, and they turned around and threw it away, how would you feel? Wouldn't you resent them?"

Left with no alternative, Bai Yu turned back and asked the young beauty, "What's your name?"

The young beauty obediently replied, "My humble name is Green Lotus."

Bai Yu continued, "If you stay with me, you will certainly have to suffer. At the very least, I cannot offer the luxury of the Duke's residence or the courtyard houses in the alleyways."

Green Lotus lowered her eyes and answered softly, "To be allowed to follow you would be the blessing of three lifetimes. I do not care about such worldly possessions.

"So long as you treat me sincerely, I shall be deeply grateful. Even if I must endure some hardship, I will not think it a burden."

Bai Yu pointed toward the guardroom behind them and said matter-of-factly, "There are three hundred pounds of rice inside, sent by the court as back pay. Go carry fifty pounds first, then come home with me."

Green Lotus stared at him in bewilderment.

Was he a demon? He wanted such a delicate beauty to haul a heavy sack?

"I am only worried that I may not be strong enough for the task," Green Lotus asked tactfully. "Could you perhaps arrange for another servant to help me?"

Bai Yu shook his head. "Our household has no servants. If one must be counted, you are the first."

Green Lotus: "..."

She had originally assumed that anyone receiving a gift from the Duke would at least belong to a moderately well-off household.

How had she ended up in such a bizarre place?

Page (3/3)