The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

On the day of the plum blossom appreciation banquet,

Su Yaoyao and Jiang Wanning rode together in a carriage to the Xie residence in the west of the city.

Jiang Wanning chattered incessantly the whole way:

"Sister, the Xie family's plum garden is the most beautiful in the capital!"

"And that kid Xie Yu, he's been talking about him for days, he's probably ecstatic today..."

Su Yaoyao leaned against the car wall, listening with a smile.

When the carriage reached the vicinity of the West Market, it suddenly got stuck in traffic.

Amidst the clamor and chatter, faint cries could be heard emanating from the crowd.

"What's going on?" Jiang Wan Ning asked curiously, lifting the car curtain.

A crowd had gathered by the roadside, and in the center knelt a boy dressed in plain white mourning clothes.

A white cloth was laid out in front of him, on which the four characters "Selling oneself to bury one's father" were written in charcoal, the handwriting neat and elegant.

Although her full appearance was not clearly visible, the contours of her profile, her figure, and the exquisite details faintly visible beneath her mourning clothes... indeed gave her a pitiful look.

"That young man is so handsome..." Jiang Wan Ning sighed softly, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes. "He looks so pitiful. Cousin, shall we help him?"

Su Yaoyao looked up and glanced at the boy.

Although the plain clothes were old, the material was fine cotton, and although they had been washed until they were white, they were not damaged in the slightest.

Her fingers were long and fair, and her nails were neatly trimmed without a single callus.

Not to mention his face—he was too handsome, with an indescribable charm in his eyes and brows, how could he be from a poor family?

Just then, the boy seemed to sense that someone was watching him and slowly raised his head.

The moment their eyes met, Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow slightly.

—What a pair of captivating eyes.

Her eyes were glistening with tears, and when she looked over, she seemed both affectionate and pitiful. Paired with her fair and handsome face, she truly... aroused a person's protective instincts.

The boy and Su Yaoyao stared at each other for a moment, his eyes glistening with tears, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to ask for help but dared not speak.

Jiang Wan Ning's heart softened at the sight: "Cousin, let's..."

"Don't rush." ​​Su Yaoyao pressed down on Jiang Wanning's hand as she reached for her purse. "Just wait and see."

Jiang Wan Ning asked, puzzled, "But..."

Before the words were finished, a burly man with a face full of scars pushed his way through the crowd, followed by two henchmen dressed as servants. The burly man's eyes swept over the boy lewdly, and he chuckled:

"Young master, you're quite handsome. Come with me, I'll give your father a grand funeral, and you'll live a life of luxury from now on!"

He reached out to grab the boy's collar.

The boy looked around in a panic, his gaze suddenly fixing on the carriage—or more precisely, on Su Yaoyao's face.

His eyes lit up, and he rushed over as if grasping at a straw, kneeling before the carriage:

"Miss, please help me! Please buy me! I... I'll do anything, and I'll repay you handsomely!"

His voice was clear and melodious, tinged with tears, and his face was streaked with sorrow; anyone who saw him would feel a pang of sympathy.

The onlookers also turned to look, and a few soft-hearted women began to speak up for them:

"Miss, please have some kindness..."

"Yes, we can't just stand by and watch these good children be abused by bullies..."

"She looks like a young lady from a wealthy family; helping her is just a small favor..."

Moral blackmail comes quickly and accurately.

Jiang Wan Ning was at a loss for what to do in this situation, and looked at Su Yao Yao: "Sister..."

Su Yaoyao smiled.

She pushed open the carriage door, stepped down, and looked down at him:

"Raise your head."

The boy looked up.

She was indeed born with a beautiful face—eyebrows like ink paintings, eyes like peach blossoms, a high and straight nose, and lips of bright red. At this moment, with tears in the corners of her eyes, she possessed a beauty tinged with sadness.

"What's your name?" Su Yaoyao asked.

"I...I am called Heqing," the boy said softly.

"Heqing..." Su Yaoyao repeated, a smile playing on her lips, "A good name. How much silver will it cost to bury Father?"

A look of delight flashed in He Qing's eyes: "Fifty taels... no, thirty taels will suffice!"

"Thirty taels?" Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. "That's cheap for your father's funeral money."

She took a purse from her sleeve and tossed it to Chuntao, "Go and count out thirty taels for him."

"Miss!" Chun Tao exclaimed anxiously, "This is clearly..."

"Do as instructed," Su Yaoyao said calmly.

Chun Tao gritted her teeth, counted out thirty taels of silver, and handed them to He Qing.

He Qing accepted the silver, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes, which she quickly concealed: "Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss! From now on, I belong to you, Miss, and will serve you like a slave..."

"Wait a minute," Su Yaoyao interrupted him, "Who said they were buying you?"

He Qing was taken aback.

"Consider this thirty taels a loan from me." Su Yaoyao took the paper and pen from Chuntao and wrote an IOU on the spot.

"Nine out, thirteen back, according to the rules of the trade, I should take 30% of your profits. But seeing how pitiful you are, I'll only take 50%. Here, sign and put your fingerprint on this."

She handed the IOU to Heqing.

He Qing: "...?!"

IOU? Loan sharking?!

Why isn't this young lady playing by the rules?!

According to the plan, shouldn't she have taken pity on him and let him in, so that he could smoothly enter her life and gradually gain her trust?

How did it turn into...a loan agreement?! And at a usurious interest rate of 5%?!

He Qing stared at the IOU, her face turning pale then red, then red again: "Miss... I... I'm willing to sell myself..."

"I don't lack servants," Su Yaoyao said with a gentle smile.

"Either sign an IOU, or... give me back the money."

She paused, then added:

"Of course, if you can't pay it back, the interest will compound, and in three months... it will be a hundred taels."

"One hundred taels?!" someone exclaimed.

He Qing's hands were trembling.

He looked at the smiling woman before him, then at the IOU written in black and white on the paper.

This...this is not the kind of soft-hearted, easily fooled young lady he imagined at all!

"What, you're not signing?" Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. "Give me back my money."

She made a gesture as if she wanted to take the money back.

He Qing gritted his teeth, grabbed the pen, and signed his name on the IOU.

"Hey, there's a handprint too. What if you use a fake name?" Su Yaoyao was even more like a bully than the bully herself at this moment.

He Qing gritted his teeth and pressed his handprint.

"That's more like it." Su Yaoyao carefully folded the IOU and put it in her sleeve. "Remember, pay me back in three months. If you can't pay me back..."

She leaned closer to him and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"I'll take this IOU and go to the Jingzhao Yin's office to accuse you of fraud."

He Qing froze.

Su Yaoyao straightened up and said to Chuntao, "Let's go, don't miss the plum blossom viewing banquet."

The carriage restarted.

Jiang Wan Ning, who had been holding it in the whole way, finally couldn't help but ask:

"Sister, why don't you just buy him? Thirty taels of silver isn't much to us..."

Su Yaoyao picked up her teacup, took a slow sip, and silently recited the first ironclad rule for transmigrated women!

"Don't just pick up any man on the street. Especially... a good-looking one who happens to be on your way."

Why?

"Because..." Su Yaoyao leaned back against the car wall, "If you find it, you'll be in big trouble."

Jiang Wan Ning was still puzzled, "Then why did your sister lend him money?"

"They've practically delivered this to our doorstep; there's no reason not to accept it." Su Yaoyao toyed with the Buddhist beads on her wrist. "Thirty taels of silver for a clue—worth it."

She recalled He Qing's beautiful peach blossom eyes, his flawless performance, and the fleeting calculation in his eyes when he knelt and begged.

Aunt Liu? Su Yun'er?

They don't have that kind of brain.

That means... it's someone else.

Su Yaoyao's lips curled into a playful smile.

Little white flower...

Those were things she had already done in her previous life.

She wanted to see who was causing trouble behind the scenes this time.

---

After the carriage drove away, the crowd gradually dispersed.

He Qing stood there, clutching the thirty taels of silver in his hand, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

The burly man leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Young master, what should we do now?"

"What can we do?" He Qing sneered. "What else can we do? We have to keep going."

He tossed the silver to the burly man: "Go, find a place to 'bury your father.' Make it look proper."

"Yes." The burly man took the silver and then asked, "Since Miss Su went to the Xie residence... should we go there too...?"

He Qing punched the big man on the head, "Get lost! There are so many people, if we get recognized, we're done for!"

The burly man scratched his head, looking somewhat aggrieved, and muttered, "Don't you usually wear a mask when you're doing things...?"

He Qing ignored him and gently touched her face.

This face has never been successful.

Su Yaoyao...

I'd like to see how long you can hold out.