Yu Mingyue tidied her collar and smiled, "Are you asking me to report the crimes of the Luo and Meng families to the imperial court?"
Xiuhe had never once asked him to avenge Meng Sanniang, showing that she already had a plan in mind.
For a young woman like her, killing one person was easy, but killing the entire Luo and Meng clans was difficult. If their crimes were reported, the laws of the Great Wei would punish them.
What a clever girl!
Xiuhe knelt again and pleaded, "This servant knows that the son-in-law's situation at the Song family is similar to that of my young lady. The son-in-law cannot control matters within the Song manor, but he holds an important position in the Dali Temple and is upright and incorruptible. He must not be afraid of offending the Luo and Meng families."
Moreover, Madam Song and the Meng family had plotted against him. If he knew the truth, he would surely not let it go.
Yu Mingyue raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly, "Magistrate Meng is Madam Song's cousin. Aren't you afraid that I will be wary of Madam Song protecting the Meng family?"
"If the son-in-law were afraid, he wouldn't have come here," Xiuhe said with certainty.
The moment he revealed his identity, she knew that the wicked would soon face retribution.
She had come to Chunhua Tower to avenge her young lady. Luo Jingyu and the eldest son of the Meng family often came here to seek pleasure. A few days ago, she finally found an opportunity to poison their food. The poison would not take effect immediately; they would die within half a month.
Luo Jingyu deserved to be sliced into a thousand pieces for tormenting her young lady. As for the eldest son of the Meng family, he was Madam Meng's only son. This was her retribution.
Seeing that Yu Mingyue remained silent, Xiuhe added, "Everything this servant says is the truth. Now, not only my young lady but also the people of Yangzhou are waiting for the son-in-law to save them. If the son-in-law does not believe me, he can take a walk along the docks and see how the Caobang gang bullies and oppresses the common people."
"Alright, but you must not act rashly until I find proof," Yu Mingyue said, not wanting this intelligent and loyal girl to do anything against the law.
Xiuhe lowered her eyes, concealing the emotions within, and said, "Yes!"
She had to avenge her young lady with her own hands.
Yu Mingyue had asked what he wanted to know. Finally, he said, "Since you are unwilling to leave now, stay here for a few more days. Don't worry, I will redeem you before we leave Yangzhou."
"This servant has told the son-in-law everything she knows. The son-in-law need not come to see me again, and this servant will not see the son-in-law again," Xiuhe said after kowtowing, then rose and left.
Her retreating figure carried a resolute air. For a moment, Yu Mingyue wanted to call out to her, but he did not.
Although he sympathized with this loyal and righteous girl, it was her choice, and he should respect it.
As soon as Yu Mingyue returned to his room, the three girls swarmed him like butterflies. The young gentleman was handsome and talented. Even without money, they were willing to accompany him, let alone that he was generous with his spending.
"Young master, let's play a game of 'flying flower order.' Whoever loses drinks."
The three girls had good drinking capacity and were skilled at drinking games. Yu Mingyue was truly struggling to keep up. If it weren't for Li Fu's quick thinking and his ability to escape with money, he might have ended up spending the night at Chunhua Tower.
Du Rui's alcohol tolerance was even lower than Yu Mingyue's. He was completely drunk after only a few cups. Li Fu, while supporting Du Rui, also had to worry about Yu Mingyue.
After finally stuffing them into the carriage, Yu Mingyue, swaying, said to the unconscious Du Rui, "Lord Du, your tolerance is not good. In the future, when you follow me, we'll drink and eat meat every day, and there will be ladies."
"Oh, no, no, you are married, so you can only drink and eat meat, no ladies. You can't be unfair to your wife," Yu Mingyue shook his head and muttered.
Li Fu drove the carriage, listening to Yu Mingyue's constant muttering. Fortunately, Chunhua Tower was not far from the inn.
As they alighted from the carriage, Li Fu first helped the relatively sober Yu Mingyue down. "Young lady, be careful."
Yu Mingyue walked unsteadily, waved her hand at Li Fu, and then, straightening her wobbly body, said, "Don't worry, I've got this under control."
Li Fu: ...
This was what she called "under control"?
It was good for the young lady to investigate cases anywhere, but please, no more visits to places like Chunhua Tower. He feared for his lifespan.
Xie Jiayan had arrived at Yu Mingyue's inn earlier. He waited and waited, but Yu Mingyue did not return. This continued until Song Yuming returned from the Meng manor.
Song Yuming and Xie Jiayan had not interacted before, but due to his acquaintance with Yu Mingjing, he had a good impression of him and brought him to find Yu Mingyue.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped out of the inn, they heard Yu Mingyue's boisterous declaration, "I've got this under control." It seemed she had indeed drunk a lot.
"Sixth Miss," Song Yuming quickly stepped forward and supported her arm, afraid she would fall if she waved her hand again.
Yu Mingyue pushed him away, shook her head, and said earnestly, "I am not Sixth Miss. I am... *hic*... I am Song Yuming, the Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple, Song. My father is Song Wei, the Great General of the Qianniu Guard..."
Song Yuming held his forehead. Yu Liuniang was indeed Yu Liuniang. Even when drunk and making a fool of herself, she remembered to impersonate him. Was she truly drunk?
"Sixth Miss, Scholar Xie is looking for you," Song Yuming said again.
"Scholar Xie? Where did Scholar Xie come from? Want to play 'flying flower order'? The loser has to drink. The ladies here are very good," Yu Mingyue nodded, admitting defeat wholeheartedly.
"All expenses tonight are paid by Deputy Minister Song! Remember, Deputy Minister Song!" Yu Mingyue held up her index finger. "He has a salary, I have no money, and neither does Minister Di."
"Deputy Minister Yu, do you see where we are?" Song Yuming wanted to say that he also had no money, but he couldn't argue with a drunkard at this moment.
Yu Mingyue looked around and finally realized something was wrong. She thought she saw Brother Jiayan. Was she hallucinating?
Yu Mingyue staggered towards Xie Jiayan. Hua Chaofei, standing beside her, was laughing so hard she could barely stand.
This drunkard before them was the person Scholar Xie had worried about all the way. He was perfectly fine, drinking with a group of ladies in Yangzhou's largest pleasure house.
However, seeing the usually unflappable Xie Jiayan frowning now was truly amusing.
Yu Mingyue wagged her index finger and looked at Xie Jiayan, whose face was not looking good. "Don't be like that. Smile. Although you are handsome, the ladies don't like you when you're like this. You're not likable. You should be like me, smile. Smile more beautifully. Aren't you handsome and dashing?"
Yu Mingyue's finger touched the corner of Xie Jiayan's lips and pulled it upwards. "Smile more. If the ladies are happy, they won't charge you money."
Li Fu anxiously wanted to cover his young lady's mouth. Didn't she see how angry the usually gentle and refined Scholar Xie was becoming?
Song Yuming felt extremely guilty. He was a few years older than Yu Mingyue and had been entrusted by his friend to take good care of her. As a result, she had gotten this drunk because of his own affairs. "Sixth Miss, this is Scholar Xie, the Academician."
You dare not be presumptuous any longer. He is a second-rank official, and this is a grave disrespect.
"I know, it's Brother Jiayan. We're very familiar with each other, very familiar!" Yu Mingyue nodded earnestly.
Song Yuming: ...
Heh heh, Sixth Miss, don't blame me for not warning you. I'm afraid you'll regret it when you wake up.