People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

For a beauty of her stature to be directly asked by Cao Ze to come out and guard the gate is simply too much!

Madam Hu felt somewhat guilty towards her sister after Cao Ze stripped her clothes off.

But when Cao Ze hugged and embraced her, her body went limp, and she stopped thinking about her sister.

Hu Meiren rested her chin on her hand, gazing somewhat bewildered at the post-rain courtyard scene outside the main hall.

Ever since she met Cao Ze, she has never had any good luck.

The thought of potentially getting involved with Cao Ze in the future made Hu Meiren sigh deeply, worrying about her future and fate.

The strange sounds gradually spread.

Hu Meiren listened intently to the sounds coming from the next room, and after a moment's discernment, she recognized them.

It's my own older sister.

I never expected that my usually dignified and gentle older sister would make such sounds during sex.

Hu Meiren smiled at first, then her face darkened.

I almost forgot that it was Cao Ze who was bullying my sister.

She wished she could take matters into her own hands and join her sister in taking down Cao Ze!

……

An incense stick has burned for a while.

Madam Hu emerged from the house, her face radiant, but there was something unusual about her gait.

Cao Ze, seeing Hu Meiren constantly yawning and nodding, coughed lightly, instantly startling her.

Hu Meiren glared resentfully at Cao Ze, "You guys are having a good time, but I can't even take a nap."

"Your Majesty, it's getting late, you should return to the palace."

Cao Ze treated Hu Meiren as an outsider without any regard for her status, and directly issued an order to leave on behalf of his brother-in-law.

Hu Meiren was unwilling to give up: "What about the Tide Demoness?"

Cao Ze paused for a moment, then said, "Behave yourself. Oh, and by the way, keep a close eye on things in the palace. If anything happens, don't forget to report it."

Hu Meiren looked defeated, like a defeated dog.

Night was falling.

Lady Hu left the Liu residence early and returned to the palace, becoming Cao Ze's spy planted in the palace.

Although Madam Hu was worried about her sister, she had to suppress her anxiety to see her daughter that evening and avoid making her daughter worry.

Cao Ze drove his donkey, carrying Madam Hu, towards Zilan Pavilion amidst the rumbling of the wheels.

Inside the Purple Orchid Pavilion, Nongyu looked at Zinu with a helpless expression.

"Sister Zi Nu, you've dressed me up too beautifully; it will frighten Mother."

Zi Nu held a jade hairpin in her hand and looked at the exquisitely dressed girl with delicate and beautiful features, who looked like a carved jade sculpture. She was slightly taken aback.

She said with some annoyance, "Yes, I forgot that your mother is an elegant lady."

Nongyu removed her gorgeous clothes, revealing her smooth, jade-like, and delicately fair skin. She smiled and said, "It's alright, Sister Zinu. It's not dark yet, there's still time. Nongyu wants to wear simple clothes to meet her mother."

Zi Nu helped Nong Yu take out a light yellow, elegant dress and praised her, saying, "It's you who has such a clever mind."

Nongyu smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling. She put on a casual dress and changed into a pair of wooden shoes with white sandalwood soles and upturned toes. The shoes were made of yellow silk, which was neither too flashy nor too plain, but rather accentuated her delicate charm.

Even in simple clothes, Nongyu's pure and gentle appearance and delicate beauty still shone through.

Zi Nu chuckled and said, "Sit down, I'll redo your makeup, this time with a light touch."

"Yes, thank you, Sister Zi Nu."

"No need to thank me, just remember how good your sister Zi Nu was to you in the future."

While Nongyu and Zinu were having a private conversation, Cao Ze drove Madam Hu to Zilan Pavilion.

Han Fei bowed and said, "Han Fei greets Madam."

Madam Hu quickly said, "Ninth Young Master, there's no need for such formalities."

Han Fei replied matter-of-factly, “Madam is the elder sister of Consort Hu, so Han Fei should pay his respects.”

Cao Ze smiled without saying a word. If Lady Hu were to pledge allegiance to him in the future, would Han Fei call him brother-in-law or godfather? Hmm, let's stick to each. He was afraid Han Fei might do something rash and fight him to the death with his Reverse Scale Sword.

Madam Hu asked anxiously, "Where is Nongyu?"

Han Fei smiled and said, "I am not waiting here, but rather to introduce my wife to Nongyu."

Just as he had predicted, Nongyu and Madam Hu had an extraordinary relationship.

Cao Ze coughed lightly: "Brother Han, let's not delay any longer."

Han Fei chuckled at Cao Ze, and he was waiting for the end of the month for Cao Ze to ask him to sign a written agreement admitting defeat.

Third floor, observation deck.

Nongyu met with Madam Hu.

Instead of the tearful wailing described in novels, there was an unexpected calmness; they were all quietly recounting the past.

If it weren't for the tears in the two women's eyes, an uninformed person would have thought it was just a reunion of sisters who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Wei Zhuang, who had been keeping watch from the lookout tower, turned around and jumped onto the roof. He gazed wistfully at the bright moon in the sky, wondering how his senior brother was doing now and whether he had entered the court as an official.

If all goes well, the darkness will be completely lifted, and it will be time for him to rise to power.

Senior, I hope you don't slow down!

Madam Hu was worried that he would feel uncomfortable around her, so Cao Ze could only enjoy the moon in another elegant room with Zi Nu and his brother-in-law Han Fei.

Han Fei, ever the opportunist, brought up a sore spot: "Brother Cao, I've already raised four thousand gold pieces. How much have you raised?"

To put it bluntly, he wanted to test Cao Ze. If Cao Ze had any hope of turning the tables, he would ask Wei Zhuang to go to the Seven Absolutes Hall to get an advance of several more months' worth of tribute money.

Cao Ze coughed lightly: "Not much, just fifty gold coins."

Han Fei spat out the wine in his mouth and looked at Cao Ze with disbelief: "How much? Fifty gold? Brother Cao, I consider you a brother, but do you think I'm a fool?"

Cao Ze glanced at Zi Nu, who was smiling, and said innocently, "Miss Zi Nu only gave me fifty gold coins. Adding what I have on me, I only have less than two hundred gold coins."

Han Fei still didn't believe it. Based on his understanding of Cao Ze, Cao Ze must have at least three or four thousand gold coins in his possession to be so calm.

He suspected that Cao Ze had obtained the treasure inside the Baiyue treasure chest.

"Brother Cao, there are only a few days left until the end of the month."

Han Fei offered a "kind" reminder.

Not knowing Cao Ze's trump card made him feel vaguely uneasy and extremely uneasy.

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "Brother Han, are you really only prepared four thousand gold coins?"

Wei Zhuang had openly given Han Fei two thousand gold coins; he didn't believe Han Fei only had four thousand gold coins.

Han Fei coughed and said, "Brother Cao, instead of worrying about how much gold I have prepared, you should try to raise the money first, so you don't just admit defeat when the time comes."

Faced with Han Fei's provocation, Cao Ze smiled and said, "Raising the money is not difficult; someone will bring it tomorrow."

Zi Nu slowly poured Cao Ze a full glass of wine.

She was now eagerly anticipating the moment Cao Ze succeeded, the moment when her Zilanxuan's wealth would double in just a few days, a moment that even she would find hard to resist.

Han Fei was full of suspicion. Seeing that Cao Ze wouldn't reveal anything, he had no choice but to suppress his curiosity and wait until tomorrow to come to Zilan Pavilion to see for himself.

He couldn't think of anyone in Xinzheng who was so wealthy that they would disregard personal gain and rush to give Cao Ze at least four thousand gold coins.

It should be noted that the ghost soldiers who robbed the South Korean army of their pay back then only lost 100,000 taels of military pay.

Han Fei wanted to test Cao Ze further, so Nongyu helped Madam Hu in.

"Mother, this is Sister Zi Nu."

Madam Hu bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for taking care of Nongyu, Miss Zinu."

Zi Nu smiled and helped Madam Hu up. "There's no need for that. You should be more grateful to Mr. Cao Ze. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid you and your daughter would never have been able to see each other again."

Madam Hu looked at Cao Ze, who quickly waved his hand, "No need, thanking me any further would make us seem distant."

He had talked to Madam Hu countless times, and even if Madam Hu could express her gratitude to him in front of everyone, he would still feel very awkward.

Madam Hu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling very happy that Cao Ze was understanding.

"Um, Miss Zi Nu, may I bring Nong Yu back to my residence for a while?"

Zi Nu looked at Nong Yu and chuckled, "I have already told Nong Yu that whatever she chooses, I will support her. Madam, you don't need to ask me. As long as Nong Yu is willing, I have no problem with it."

Nongyu said shyly, "Mother, I told you Sister Zinu wouldn't say anything."

Madam Hu stroked Nongyu's hair and said with a loving smile, "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you from now on."

Cao Ze drove a donkey cart, carrying Nongyu and Madam Hu and her daughter back to the Liu residence.

Nongyu helped Madam Hu down from the donkey cart, and Madam Hu said, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "You and your daughter can reunite. I won't disturb you any longer."

After saying that, he turned around and drove the donkey cart back to Zilan Pavilion.

The only pity is that with Nongyu by his side, Madam Hu probably won't be able to secretly communicate with him these next few days.

……

Day two.

As dawn broke, Zilanxuan opened its doors for business as usual, even though there were hardly any customers coming in late at night recently, let alone during the day.

But today is different.

Just as the many graceful young women in Zilan Pavilion were leaving, a fat man, resembling a green pig, strode arrogantly towards the pavilion with an air of arrogance.

He was dressed in gold and green, with gold and jewels adorning his waist, neck, and fingers. He was dazzlingly radiant.

"Where are they?! Where have they all gone?!"

The Emerald Tiger unleashed a barrage of attacks and roars.

The dozen or so thugs following behind him started shouting, clearly intending to smash up Zilanxuan at the slightest provocation.