Jiu Yue had originally just wanted to avoid Song Lan, that disgusting old man—ideally, to provoke his disgust so he’d neglect her for a few days. But she couldn’t go too far. If Song Lan flew into a rage and sold her off again, all her efforts would be for nothing. She’d have to start from scratch, finding another way to sneak back in. It simply wasn’t worth it.
So, Jiu Yue needed to strike the right balance—making Song Lan dislike her just enough that he wouldn’t want to sell her off.
But it seemed she’d misjudged… Why did Song Lan look anything but disgusted? If anything, he seemed delighted?
Jiu Yue: “?”
She didn’t get it, but she’d respect it.
“Alright, alright, don’t be angry. When I return tomorrow, I’ll bring you a beautiful hairpin, how about that?” Song Lan was eating it up.
Jiu Yue felt sick inside, but on the surface, she had to put on an act—fluttering between delighted anticipation and playful petulance.
“Really?” Jiu Yue lifted her gaze, a simple questioning look. But to Song Lan, it was a coquettish glance, her eyes shimmering like autumn waters.
“Of course. This official never lies,” Song Lan assured her immediately.
Jiu Yue flicked her sleeve and rose, settling on the edge of the bed. “Then… then I’ll wait here for you tomorrow, Master… It’s getting late, please take your leave.”
Her coy, spoiled expression was vivid.
Song Lan was so pleased he could hardly tell north from south.
Even after her dismissal, he couldn’t resist sidling closer, managing only to grasp her hand before reluctantly departing.
The door closed again.
Jiu Yue’s face fell. Expressionless, she began scrubbing the back of her hand where Song Lan had touched her.
Damn fatty! Just you wait!
Meanwhile, the three girls on the bed had been watching in stunned silence.
The one who’d been crying earlier seemed to have realized something. She scrambled out from the corner, wrapped in a blanket, and glared at Jiu Yue. “Aha! So you’re trying to win favor!”
Her face twisted with indignation. “How could you do this to us? If you monopolize the master, what’s left for the three of us?”
“Yeah!” another girl stammered. “If the master leaves tonight and only comes to you tomorrow… what are we supposed to do?”
The last girl stayed silent, but her eyes spoke volumes: You’re selfish.
Jiu Yue: “?”
Sometimes, when you’re speechless, you just have to laugh.
Jiu Yue rubbed her forehead before finally asking, “So, do you actually want to be that old man’s concubines or not?”
First, they were crying about it. Now, they were blaming her for stealing his attention. What the hell, ladies?
The three froze, then lowered their heads, clearly conflicted.
“Do we even have a choice…?” The girl started crying again.
Jiu Yue: “…”
Annoyed, Jiu Yue pinched her cheek. “Cry, cry, cry. Do you know why you’re so unlucky? You’re crying all your good fortune away. Who else would be this miserable?”
The girl stared at her, wide-eyed and bewildered.
Jiu Yue wasn’t gentle, but the girl didn’t dare sob anymore.
The other two were also intimidated, realizing now that this Zhu Haitang wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
“No more noise, got it?” Jiu Yue warned, eyeing each of them.
They nodded frantically.
Only then did she release the girl’s face, standing by the bed with her arms crossed as she studied them.
If she didn’t handle these three properly, they’d cause trouble. Jiu Yue tapped her chin. “Tell me the truth—do you want to be concubines? If you do, I can help you. If you don’t, I can still help you.”
They exchanged glances, utterly lost.
Did they even have a choice?
Sold from place to place, now trapped in Song Mansion—it wasn’t like they could just run away. And even if they escaped… where would they go?
Penniless, forced to change their identities, unable to return home… what future did they have?
After a long silence, the tearful girl wiped her face and looked up at Jiu Yue. “I want to stay.”
Compared to being sold to a brothel, being Song Lan’s concubine was already a mercy.
The other two hesitated, then nodded in agreement.
Jiu Yue understood their choice and didn’t interfere. “Then I’ll help you. Just focus on being good concubines. Stay out of everything else—no meddling. Understood?”
Her gaze swept over each of them.
They stared back, dazed.
“We understand… We’ll listen to you, as long as we can live well,” one girl murmured.
“How amusing.” Jiu Yue smirked, lifting the girl’s chin with a finger. “You’re not my concubines. How would I make your lives better?”
The girl flushed. “I didn’t mean it like that…”
Jiu Yue wiped her face. “Relax. Song Lan is lustful. As long as you serve him well, your days won’t be hard. Just remember—don’t try any tricks with me.”
She smiled, but there was a blade hidden in it.
The three immediately lowered their heads, too afraid to meet her eyes.
Something about her sent chills down their spines.
Having disciplined the three pitiful girls, Jiu Yue left them be, propping her chin on her hand as she sank into thought.
She needed to get her hands on a layout of Song Mansion as soon as possible.
If she could, she might try coaxing information out of Song Lan… but that was risky. She’d just arrived—asking about account books outright would be far too obvious.
Maybe she could start with someone else.
Jiu Yue’s eyes gleamed as she recalled the intel Qiu Dongfang had given her.
Song Lan had only one son, Song Shu. His first wife had passed years ago, and though he hadn’t remarried, he had plenty of concubines. The highest-ranking among them was a former maid of his late wife, who had served in Song Mansion for over two decades.
…
The next day, Jiu Yue leaned drowsily against the doorframe, watching as the three girls were led away, one by one, to separate rooms by the maids.
They were currently in a courtyard in the rear quarters of Song Mansion, where four side rooms had been prepared—one for each of them.
Jiu Yue had been given the largest.
Before long, more maids arrived to help them freshen up, clearly on Song Lan’s orders.
As Jiu Yue washed her face, she heard commotion outside. Peeking out, she saw a group approaching.
Her eyes locked with the woman at the center.
After a beat, a woman to the right spoke up first.
“So this is the new plaything the master brought back?” The woman waved a handkerchief, her tone dripping with disdain. “Madam Yun, you should talk to the master. Tell him not to bring just any woman into the household—it’s making the rear courtyard a mess!”
The woman in the center—Madam Yun—cast her a cool glance. “If Madam Ning dislikes it, you may take it up with the master yourself.”
Madam Ning shot Jiu Yue a resentful glare before turning away with a huff.
Jiu Yue ignored her, her gaze fixed on Madam Yun the entire time.
If I'm not mistaken, this must be Yun Shi, the former maid who became Song Lan's first concubine.
