Golden Curtain Pavilion (II): If You Have Nowhere to Go, Then Come to the Golden...

"What are you hiding from? Come out." Zhou Yao caught sight of a skirt hem behind the pillar. She set down her work, a hint of amusement in her eyes, and looked over.

She emerged and immediately knelt, head bowed in fear, not daring to meet Zhou Yao's eyes. "I... I am called Qing'er. I was a servant at the Golden Curtain Pavilion before, and I know the place well. I might be able to help you..."

Zhou Yao studied her, wondering what her true motive might be.

"I have no other intentions. It's just... I beg you, my lady, to help me save my sister." She wept profusely, tears streaming down her face like rain.

"Back when Sister Xiang'er was at the Golden Curtain Pavilion, she always targeted my sister and me. She was involved with the steward, Xiao Lin, and would take the silver we earned each month. Now my sister is seriously ill, and no one cares for her..." She seemed to realize something and quickly kowtowed, sobbing, "My sister is gravely ill. Please, I beg you to save her. I'll serve you for life, work like a horse or an ox!" She burst into tears.

"Why should I trust you?" Zhou Yao eyed her, growing more wary. But before she could dwell on it, the woman rose and tugged gently at the hem of Zhou Yao's robe.

"Every word is the truth, my lady. If you don't believe me, you can come with me to the back courtyard. But that place is filthy, and I'm afraid it might soil your clothes..."

The choked sobs sounded genuine. Zhou Yao pondered for a moment, then agreed.

Following Qing'er's lead, Zhou Yao walked with her along a long, winding gravel path until they came to a corner of the Golden Curtain Pavilion. There, a badly rotted wooden door swayed creakily in the breeze.

Qing'er had to brace the door with one hand as she pushed it open, afraid it might fall on someone.

The roof of this house had a gaping hole. It reminded Zhou Yao at once of the days when she was bullied by palace servants and didn't dare fight back.

Even from outside, she could hear coughing from the inner room. Zhou Yao stopped and stared in disbelief at the cramped, narrow house.

"My lady..." Qing'er reminded her cautiously. "You're of noble birth, I'm afraid you can't stand this. Please keep your distance, lest you catch the illness."

"How long have you been staying here?" Zhou Yao looked at the thick layer of dry straw in the yard, with scraps of cloth scattered on top.

"Ever since the Golden Curtain Pavilion was raided," Qing'er said, head bowed, sobbing. "My lady, please do something and send for a physician."

"Get up from the ground first." Zhou Yao reached up and removed a hairpin from her hair, then ordered Qing'er, "Tell the guards to arrange a carriage and go with you to fetch a physician. Send all medical bills to the Qi Mansion."

"This isn't a good place to recover. Once I've cleared out the other courtyards in the Golden Curtain Pavilion in a couple of days, you can move there." Even as she spoke, she seemed distracted, her fingers unconsciously stroking the web of her other hand.

"Yes, yes!" Qing'er was so moved she began to kneel to thank her, but Zhou Yao grabbed her arm. "Why aren't you going?"

Qing'er hurried off to the main hall. Zhou Yao didn't follow her; instead, she walked straight into the courtyard.

Though the courtyard was dilapidated, it was kept clean and tidy. The room with the leaky roof was so small it could only fit a simple bed, with no room for a table or standing space. It was a former storage room serving as a home for the two sisters.

Her sister lay in the inner room; the pile of straw probably served as Qing'er's bed.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The room was too small for Zhou Yao to even stand inside, so she simply looked from outside. The person on the bed was pale as paper and in a bad state.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Yao gave a concerned look at the patient on the bed—though calling it a bed was generous; it wasn't even much of one.

"Go... go away... cough, cough." She was coughing so hard she could barely speak, but still tried to shoo the stranger away, fearing she might infect others.

Zhou Yao nodded. Now that she understood the situation, things became easier to handle.

Soon, a guard came to report to Zhou Yao. He bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, I've handled the matter you entrusted to me. The two who disrespected you have been taken to the government office. I've also smoothed things over with Zhao Tingwei, and everything is being dealt with according to the law."

She waved him off, but he didn't take the hint and reminded her, "Your Highness, my master ordered me to remind you that your identity must never be revealed to others."

Zhou Yao gave him a sidelong glance. Before she could say anything, the guard quickly added, "I've said too much..."

"If you know you talk too much, then shut up!" Zhou Yao walked toward the main hall. "Saddle me a horse. I'm going out of the city."

"Yes!"

At the Qi family's country estate outside the city.

Zhou Yao dismounted, showed her identity token, and entered the Qi estate without hindrance.

This estate was built as a southern-style garden. Ever since the Emperor granted it to the Qi family, it had been famous for its elegance.

That was why she had gone to such lengths to place Linglong here. But despite all her efforts, she never expected Linglong to steal jewelry, sell it, and run off with the money. The wanted poster had yet to turn her up.

If Linglong managed to leave the city, it would be endless trouble...

With that thought in mind, Zhou Yao looked up and instructed the steward to bring out the women she had previously ransomed from Qingyun Terrace.

These women came from all walks of life—some were from destitute families forced into prostitution, some had been deceived and trafficked, and others had been sold by their husbands.

The steward counted them and bowed, saying, "Madam, everyone is here."

The word "Madam" caught Zhou Yao off guard; she nearly forgot she was married to Qi Yanhan. But in front of outsiders, she had to play along.

"Alright, since everyone's here, you may leave."

Zhou Yao looked at the women from Qingyun Terrace. After the brothel was raided, these women would have been sold off as laborers.

She had acted quickly, sparing these poor women such a fate.

The women stood before her. Zhou Yao didn't speak, but looked up at them. Among them was the woman she had spoken to that day. She picked up the freshly brewed tea, skimmed the froth, and took a sip.

"Now that you've left Qingyun Terrace, I won't keep you locked away here forever."

She had a guard place the wooden box she'd brought onto the table. Zhou Yao opened it and counted: there were twenty-six women in total, and the box contained their twenty-six indenture deeds along with some silver.

They looked as delicate as willow branches swaying in the wind, truly arousing sympathy—so much so that even Zhou Yao couldn't help feeling pity for them.

"These are your indenture deeds. Line up one by one to get them. After that, I'll give you two choices. First: take your deed and leave. Out of compassion, I'll give you a hundred coins to get you by. Whether you go home, start fresh somewhere else, or marry—that's up to you. I won't interfere."

Zhou Yao held the coins as she spoke, observing them. "The other choice: come with me. I'll provide you with a way to earn a living—food, clothing, housing, and a share of the profits based on your work each month. If you need to leave for weddings, funerals, or other occasions, ask the steward for time off in advance. You can leave whenever you like. And you get eight days off each month."

They glanced at each other. The boldest-looking one stepped forward. "Why are you being so kind? Don't shed crocodile tears. I don't trust your sweet talk—just like those customers at the brothel!"

Despite her bravado, Zhou Yao didn't take the bait. She just lowered her head, flipped through the stack of deeds, and asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm called Su'er." She clutched her handkerchief and stepped forward.

"So what will you do?" Zhou Yao looked at Su'er calmly, waiting for her decision.

Su'er was so startled by Zhou Yao's directness that she stared blankly, at a loss for words. Then the woman Zhou Yao had spoken to that day stepped forward, tugged Su'er's sleeve, and whispered something in her ear.

Su'er rolled her eyes, pushed her back, and said, "I want to leave."

Zhou Yao took out Su'er's indenture deed, counted out two hundred coins from the box, and handed them to her.

"Your deed says you're from Dunhuang. The journey is long, so I'll give you extra coins. Use them wisely, and they'll be enough. You may go."

Su'er took them, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

She hadn't expected Zhou Yao to actually give them to her. Grateful beyond words, she kowtowed once to Zhou Yao, then left.

"The rest of you, line up one by one," Zhou Yao said softly. "If you're tired, there are stools nearby where you can rest."

The next woman was the one who had whispered to Su'er. Zhou Yao looked up at her, waiting for her choice.

Zhou Yao actually admired her—she was perceptive and clever. If she proved sensible and honest, Zhou Yao wouldn't treat her poorly.

She smiled at her and said, "That day I asked you if you'd ever thought of buying your freedom and supporting yourself using your skills. Now you can tell me your answer."

"I am called Cuiwei, born poor. My brother sold me to Qingyun Terrace." Cuiwei kept her head bowed, stealing a quick glance at Zhou Yao. Then she made a deep bow and said, "I am willing to follow you, my lady."

"Get up." Zhou Yao helped Cuiwei up, pulled out her deed, and put it aside. "You can go wait outside in the shade for a while."

Cuiwei nodded. After she left, Zhou Yao began to deal with the remaining twenty-some women. Having seen the previous two's examples, the others quickly made their choices...