Chapter 15 Showgirl
◎Mother, all this is for your own good.◎
Chen Lishi didn’t gain any advantage at the Zhan family and was driven away by her own sister, even losing her carriage.
Without an umbrella, the mistress and maid walked home in the rain.
Mu Jiaojiao was also anxious. She wanted to hurry back through the dog hole, but Madam Zhan insisted Shan Cha come back later for the ginger tea, before letting them go.
She wasn’t unconcerned about her son, but she believed in repaying kindness tenfold.
So, after boiling the ginger tea and Shan Cha took two portions, she locked the door with the remaining two portions and went to check on her son.
The mother couldn’t rest easy and went to see him in the rain. She remembered the location of Huichuntang and went there with the ginger tea and the remaining family money.
Despite drinking hot ginger tea, Mu Jiaojiao, having been drenched in the rain for a long time, fell ill.
She didn’t tell Shan Cha she was unwell, instead telling her to drink the ginger tea and rest.
Only after returning to her room did Shan Cha slowly remove her outer trousers. The white underpants were stained with blood. She cleaned her wounds and carefully applied ointment.
She lay in bed, covered herself with a quilt, and slowly fell asleep.
The next morning, a fully recovered Shan Cha saw her unconscious young mistress and quickly reported to Madam Mu that she was ill.
When Mu Jiaojiao opened her eyes, she saw a room full of people. She saw her mother’s tense face, bringing back childhood memories.
“Jiaojiao, are you still unwell?”
Madam Mu was unusually kind, holding a bowl of medicine and feeding her daughter spoonful by spoonful. Mu Jiaojiao felt the benefits of being reborn; at least her mother loved her now.
After drinking the medicine, Madam Mu sent the servants out and spoke to her daughter earnestly.
“Jiaojiao, promise Mother you will take care of your health. You are the only hope for the Mu family.”
Every word felt like a knife piercing Mu Jiaojiao’s heart. Her warmth slowly turned cold, as if dripping blood.
Why did her mother crave that illusory wealth and glory?
Could a merchant’s daughter, relying solely on her beauty, rise to prominence?
That was merely a fantasy of women who had never experienced the imperial palace. Beauty might be an advantage, but power and influence were far more powerful than beauty.
She trembled, feigning incomprehension, “Mother, I don’t understand what you mean.”
But Madam Mu was only thinking of becoming the emperor’s mother-in-law. When she went to a temple to offer incense, a monk said her daughter was destined for greatness and would marry a prominent man. She decided to do whatever it took to get her daughter into the palace.
She hadn’t even informed her husband, who was away on business. She anticipated his strong opposition, so she decided to send her daughter to the palace first.
This year, the imperial palace was selecting showgirls. Although the emperor was almost forty, he had few children, so officials were sent to select beautiful showgirls.
The selection officials happened to be in the provincial capital, so Madam Mu spent a considerable amount of money to register Mu Jiaojiao.
Unexpectedly, she was selected. Madam Mu was about to announce the good news when she heard her daughter was sick.
Mu Jiaojiao’s lips were pale, her face flushed from fever, and her voice slightly hoarse. She asked despairingly, “Does Father know?”
In her past life, after boarding the carriage to the capital, Mu Ming rushed over from another city. He watched helplessly as his daughter was taken away. Tears streamed down his weather-beaten face. He offered money to the official to release his daughter, but was cruelly refused.
It was said that her father turned grey overnight and his health deteriorated, unable to go out to do business anymore.
Mu Ming was a good man. He toiled away from home to provide his wife and children with the best life, hoping for their happiness, but his wife ruined everything.
He didn’t blame his wife, instead blaming himself for his inadequacy, for not giving his wife the life she wanted, forcing her to send their daughter away for wealth and glory.
Madam Mu paused, then said evasively, “This is great news. Your father would agree even if he were here.”
As if to prove herself, she babbled about how glorious it would be to become a noblewoman, bringing endless honor to the family.
But in her previous life, upon entering the palace, Mu Jiaojiao learned the cruelty of the imperial court. A showgirl died on her first night in the palace; she remembered the showgirl chatting happily that day and then dying mysteriously.
That day, she understood why her father cried, that there was no turning back.
Their open-minded father raised his three children permissively, allowing them to live as they pleased. He didn’t mind that his eldest son liked fighting crickets, and his second son traveled everywhere.
“Jiaojiao, Mother did this not only for the family but for you. Once you become a noblewoman, you’ll know how good it is.”
Madam Mu had a strangely manic smile, as if it had already happened.
The woman lying down half-closed her eyes, but knew that her mother in her past life didn’t get what she wanted and lost her life. It was both laughable and tragic.
Madam Mu not only didn’t enjoy wealth and glory but lost her peaceful life; it was ironic.
This time, Mu Jiaojiao couldn’t change everything, but she could prevent her brother from marrying Miss Mao; perhaps the Mu family could escape disaster.
Remembering that she hadn’t seen her father since her rebirth, Mu Jiaojiao felt regret. Their father loved them deeply and had done so much for them.
Finally, she closed her eyes, weary, and replied to her mother, “Mother, I’ll listen to you and enter the palace.”
However, feeling exhausted, she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.
In the examination room of Huichuntang, Zhan Qiyu also opened his eyes. He saw his mother weeping beside him.
At some point, Zhan Qiyu stopped crying to his mother. After repeated humiliations, he knew he had to protect his weak mother.
He had planned to become a local official and give his mother a home.
But now, there was another woman he cared about, giving him greater ambition to become a high-ranking official.
The man’s lips were still pale, his face bloodless, but he tried to speak, “Mother, I’m fine.”
Hearing his master awake, A Liu happily approached, “Master, I’ve asked for leave for you from Master Guan, and he sent this.”
A Liu opened the brocade box; inside was an old ginseng root.
Master Guan was worried about his student being bitten by a snake but, knowing he was fine, didn’t visit, sending ginseng instead.
The nearly fifty-year-old Master Guan remained unmarried, only traveling to lecture with two servants.
Though not in court, his heart remained there.
Zhan Qiyu didn’t see Mu Jiaojiao. Although he knew it was unlikely, he was still disappointed.
The doctor from Huichuntang checked him and said he could go home to rest.
A Liu, still worried, carried two packets of medicine back. After Zhan Qiyu lay back in his room, he said, “Master, rest assured, Madam sent ginger tea to Miss Mu, and she returned safely.”
The young man’s expression was calm, but his mood relaxed. Perhaps it was because she had rested her head on his lap yesterday, he found the pillows at home uncomfortable.
The porcelain pillow, though used many times, felt uncomfortable now.
“Mm, I know.”
Zhan Qiyu turned sideways and closed his eyes. After A Liu left, he got up impatiently.
He felt much better. He knew last night that the snake wouldn’t kill him, only causing some pain. For her, he willingly endured it.
He sat up and read. The book’s content was dry, but thanks to Master Guan’s explanations, he understood it better.
When he was tired of reading, he looked towards the Mu family’s direction, Mu Jiaojiao’s fragrance filling his mind, just like last night.
Unbeknownst to him, his beloved was on the showgirl list.
She would leave for the capital in five days.
This news unexpectedly reached the Chen family. Chen Xing’er, hearing her mother saw a stunningly beautiful girl, immediately thought of Mu Jiaojiao.
No one in Yanhuazhen was more beautiful than her.
Chen Lishi immediately inquired and learned that the Mu family had sent their youngest daughter to become a showgirl.
She was first shocked, then gleeful. It seemed that Zhan Qiyu was destined for unrequited love. A girl with such beauty wouldn’t be with a poor boy.
Although she received an anonymous letter stating someone else had taken advantage of her daughter, she still wanted to make the Zhan family suffer.
Chen Xing’er, crying bitterly, knew that she had been defiled by another man.
Only after hearing news of Qin Fenghang did she stop crying.
Although the Qin family only had a minor official in the provincial capital, they were still considered well-off in Yanhuazhen. But two days had passed with no news from the Qin family, indicating they didn’t want to take responsibility.
Chen Lishi dared to make a scene at the Zhan family but not at the Qin family. She could only take her time and see how to marry her daughter off there.
She asked her daughter for details. There was a chance her daughter was pregnant and needed to plan quickly.
Chen Xing’er also mentioned Qin Fenghang’s claim of becoming a high-ranking official. Chen Lishi naturally set her sights on this golden son-in-law.
Now, Zhan Qiyu was no longer the most attractive prospect. Dealing with the Qin family was the priority. After a few days, she would go to the Zhan family to show off.