Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 601 - 58: Submission

Lady Fen Xiang thought it over for the entire night, and the next day, she still brought a group of courtesans to the Duke Mansion.

Lady Fen Xiang and her courtesans, although often guests at the homes of some grand households in the Imperial City, had never entered the residences of those wealthy families.

After all, in the eyes of the world, especially the upper class of the Imperial City, Lady Fen Xiang and these courtesans are considered the most contemptible of women; their presence would only insult the households’ thresholds.

Though the Duke Mansion has declined, it remains a hereditary dukedom, a top-tier household in the Imperial City. By inviting a group of courtesans over as a young lord, Yue Jinghua has given Lady Fen Xiang considerable honor.

As the women stepped off the carriage, they saw from afar the bright lights outside the Duke Mansion, and a kind-faced young woman welcomed them in through the main entrance.

After some introductions, the young woman led everyone into the main hall of the Duke Mansion, where tables were set with a lavish spread of exquisite dishes. It seemed that the young lord of the Duke Mansion really did intend to host his guests.

Lady Fen Xiang took her seat with suspicion.

Before long, Yue Jinghua appeared, supporting Lie Rou, accompanied by the ladies of the Duke Mansion.

Lady Fen Xiang looked up and saw a leading lady with elegant demeanor, like a high mountain snow lotus, whose speech and appearance suggested she must be the Duchess.

The young man who followed, with a face as handsome as jade and a smile on his lips, wore a white robe and looked very refined. It was hard to associate him with the "Little Evil Star" of the Beast Fighting Arena who had been the talk of the town recently.

The women behind him also had their unique charm. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Lady Fen Xiang thought to herself, the Duke Mansion is said to be a declining household, but looking at these people here, they each seemed remarkable in their own right.

It seems that tonight’s banquet, the meal is but a facade, what truly matters is the Hongmen Banquet.

"Duchess, young lord," greeted Lady Fen Xiang, beaming with a smile that filled her brows with joy.

Lady Fen Xiang, accustomed to all kinds of situations, was as adept as ever, despite the turmoil in her heart, and even more so indignant over Yue Jinghua’s repeated underhanded tactics against her subordinates.

But her adaptability shone brilliantly in this kind of setting.

Lie Rou nodded respectfully. The butler Hong Shan had previously strongly objected to inviting this flock of birds into the Duke Mansion.

Yet, with Yue Jinghua’s insistence, Lie Rou had agreed to it.

Lie Rou came from a prominent family and had never interacted with a woman like Lady Fen Xiang before this.

During the meal, everyone talked about their interesting daily lives while enjoying the dishes prepared by Chi Xi, all tacitly avoiding any mention of the previous conflicts between the Duke Mansion and Lady Fen Xiang.

Lady Fen Xiang was exceptionally articulate and full of witticisms, which greatly improved the atmosphere of the banquet.

Yue Jinghua occasionally shared his experiences and observations from the Shang Kingdom, and by the end of the meal, both parties were quite pleased.

After the feast, Lie Rou, assisted by Hongling, retired.

Hong Yao also rose, leading away the courtesans under Lady Fen Xiang on the pretext of walking off the meal, towards the courtyards of the Duke Mansion.

At the banquet, soon only Lady Fen Xiang and Yue Jinghua remained.

After the laughter and chatter subsided, both were lost in thought, holding their wine cups containing little more than dregs, yet neither took a drink.

"Young lord, inviting a lowly one like me to your banquet tonight couldn’t have been just to taste the new wine from the Duke Mansion, could it?" Lady Fen Xiang swirled the remaining wine in her glass, her expression growing grave.

"A woman as astute as yourself surely knows my intent. I’m someone who has always cared for proper reciprocation. You’ve tampered with my grocery store behind the scenes, and naturally I must present you with two generous gifts," Yue Jinghua said, her smile brimming.

"Hmph, young lord crafty as a fox, targeting a group of defenseless women, are you not afraid of becoming a laughingstock?" Lady Fen Xiang slammed her fist on the table, her cup falling to the ground and shattering into three or four pieces.

Her ten fingers were adorned with inch-long nails, the roots tinged with purplish blue, evidently concealing an extremely potent poison.

"Lady, even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone someone like me who’s very much alive. Moreover, do you really think what happened to the sisters under your care was solely my fault?" Yue Jinghua tossed a piece of paper in front of Lady Fen Xiang.

Lady Fen Xiang glanced down at it and saw that it was a letter from Commander Chen to his lawful wife.

The letter made it clear that Commander Chen had taken a liking to another beautiful woman and wished to take her back to stay in the quarters where Xiaoqiang lived. It explicitly stated that Commander Chen directed his wife to beat Xiaoqiang severely, forbidding her to take any property from the quarters and forcibly driving her out.

Lady Fen Xiang’s eyes were nearly spitting fire.

Men are said to be heartless, but she had not expected Xiaoqiang’s lifelong trustee, Commander Chen, to be such a heartlessly cruel beast.

"Furthermore, you angrily accused me of slandering your girls with incurable diseases. You say it’s false accusation, but I say it’s not. If you don’t believe it, you can follow me to the quarters and see for yourself," Yue Jinghua stood up, leading Lady Fen Xiang into the flower garden of the Duke Mansion.

In the flower garden next to the stone table, Pill Master Feng Chuo was taking the pulse of several prostitutes who had come with Lady Fen Xiang.

"This lady, your complexion is dull, your eyelids are red, you often feel nauseous and dizzy, and your menstrual cycle is also irregular. This is because you’ve been overindulging in intimate activities, harboring evil toxins within your body," Feng Chuo advised her.

Then, Feng Chuo sequentially took the pulse of several other women, each of whom had their own share of chronic ailments.

These prostitutes led unregulated lives and lacked the circumstances to seek medical treatment. Over the years, ailments in their bodies had accumulated, big and small alike.

Hearing Feng Chuo’s words, all the women had tears welling up in their eyes, begging Feng Chuo to treat them.

"Lady Fen Xiang, your mastery in the Poison Technique is unparalleled in the world, yet you know nothing of the principles of Elixir Pills. You think you can shelter your sisters from the storm, yet in doing so you’ve inadvertently exposed them to greater harm from men. Although I have indeed punished you this time, I have also paradoxically saved you," Yue Jinghua said, then took out a house deed.

"I’ve greatly enjoyed our conversation today, Lady Fen Xiang. I find your social skills to be quite remarkable. It’s a pity if you only act as a brothel madam. Duke Mansion has two or three large stores that I plan to invest heavily in, renovating and converting them into a tavern. If you are interested, you can bring your group of sisters to work in the tavern. If the girls are willing, they can work there as well. We will split the profits fifty-fifty."

Upon hearing this, Lady Fen Xiang’s body jolted. She had not expected Yue Jinghua to make such a proposal.

She hesitated, not daring to accept the house deed immediately.

"Big sister," looking at the pitiable sisters living at the bottom of society next to her, Lady Fen Xiang, trembling, took the house deed and said softly, "Thank you, young lord."

Yue Jinghua and Feng Chuo exchanged glances, revealing satisfied smiles.