[World 5] Chapter 131

　　Murong Yan finally gave in. Although he didn't nod in agreement, he didn't strongly object either. In the evening, Jiang Mu sent Xia He to the side room and asked her to serve Murong Yan.

　　Xia He never dreamed that she would have such good luck, but she did not show any joy at all. Instead, she said that she was reluctant to leave Jiang Mu.

　　Jiang Mu didn't point it out, and looked at her with a smile, "Since you don't want to, then I will find someone else."

　　Xia He was stunned, and the hypocritical words were choked on her lips.

　　"Miss..."

　　Jiang Mu picked up the teacup on the table, held it calmly in her hand, and without drinking, she blew on it slowly. Her eyes fell on Xia He, which made her feel embarrassed.

　　Immediately, Jiang Mu looked at the other maids, "Anyone else willing?"

　　Xia He bit her tongue, regretting that she shouldn't have pretended to be loyal. If Jiang Mu really changed someone else, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

　　She looked at the others nervously, luckily the others also said that they didn't want to follow the prince and wanted to stay with Jiang Mu.

　　Xia He thought that she still had hope, but Jiang Mu didn't say anything and deliberately looked at Xue Teng.

　　"Xue Teng, why don't you go?"

　　Xue Teng certainly knew that Jiang Mu would never abandon her to Murong Yan. She knew everything Jiang Mu had done these days. Jiang Mu would leave the palace sooner or later. She didn't care about Murong Yan at all, so the person who was sent to Murong Yan at this time could only be a discarded pawn.

　　Xue Teng said expressionlessly: "I will follow the young lady's instructions."

　　What she mean is that as long as you are happy, she will do whatever you ask me to do.

　　"In that case..."

　　Before Jiang Mu finished speaking, Xia He suddenly said, "Madam, Xue Teng was sent by the general to serve you. I'm afraid it would be a bad idea to give her to the prince as a concubine. Wouldn't that be a waste of the general's efforts?"

　　Xia He decided to give it a try for her own future.

　　She had agreed to help Qiu Ya Pavilion for this reason. If she had known it would be like this, she would have asked her master for advice. However, she had previously thought that her master loved the prince so much that she would not tolerate sharing the prince with others.

　　It turned out that she was wrong.

　　"Madam, if you must do this, Xia He is willing to share your worries. I just hope you will not forget our relationship as master and servant."

　　Jiang Mu held back her laughter, took a sip of tea, and said, "The taste of this tea is still lacking a little. Maybe it's because this green tea is too tender."

　　Xia He was stunned and didn't understand what Jiang Mu meant.

　　Jiang Mu raised her hand gently and sprinkled the cup of tea on Xia He's face.

　　Everyone was stunned, especially Xia He, who still had some tea leaves on her face. She looked at Jiang Mu in surprise, "Madam? What do you mean?"

　　Jiang Mu: "This West Lake Longjing is a kind of green tea, so, Xia He, you have to drink more."

　　Xia He looked confused when she heard this.

　　"Alright." Jiang Mu clapped her hands and said to Xue Teng, "Take out the things."

　　Xue Teng took out a hairpin and a jade pendant from her sleeve and handed them to Jiang Mu.

　　When Xia He saw these two things, her face turned pale immediately.

　　"This was found in your room. It shouldn't be yours, right?" Jiang Mu threw the thing in front of her.

　　Xia He still held on to her luck and tried to explain, "This... this was picked up by me. I was greedy and didn't hand it in... Please punish me, Madam."

　　Jiang Mu nodded. "Picked it up? Picked it up in Qiuya Pavilion?"

　　Xia He felt a chill in her heart and thought it was all over.

　　She fell to her knees and said, "Madam, it was my fault. I was blinded by greed."

　　Jiang Mu smiled, "What's wrong with that? Don't you care about me? You said you would share my worries, and you even sacrificed yourself to accompany the prince for me."

　　Xia He's face turned as red as pig liver.

　　The other maids didn't understand what was going on. They looked at Jiang Mu in confusion and asked, "Madam, what happened to Xia He?"

　　Jiang Mu looked at the disheveled Xia He. The tea residue on her face was not wiped off, and the tea just now left stains on her face. Her eyes were red and she looked pitiful, but she seemed somewhat charming and lovely.

　　No wonder she has such inappropriate thoughts given her beauty.

　　"Tell me, when did it happen?" Jiang Mu stared into her eyes coldly.

　　Xia He saw Jiang Mu's cold expression and knew that she would never forgive her.

　　She lowered her head and said nothing.

　　"Okay, you don't want to tell me, right? Then just sell it. Say it's a theft, and have someone sell it as far away as possible."

　　After hearing this, Xia He hurriedly knelt down in front of Jiang Mu and begged for mercy.

　　"Madam, please don't, madam...I'll tell you."

　　She told the whole story in detail how she was bribed by Huanruo and how she tipped off her.

　　Only then did the other maids realize that Xia He was Qiu Ya Ge's spy in Mingyueju.

　　They looked at Xia He angrily, "How could you do such a thing? Madam has treated us well, you are such an ungrateful person."

　　"We all thought of you as a good sister, but we didn't expect you to be this kind of person."

　　Xia He just looked at Jiang Mu pleadingly, begging her not to sell her out.

　　Jiang Mu had no intention of selling her, as that would have been too cheap for her.

　　She would double the pain that the original owner had endured and inflict it on Xia He.

　　"Get up and pack your things. After serving the prince tonight, you will move to Qiuya Pavilion. From now on, you belong to Qiuya Pavilion. Miss Huanruo is not feeling well, so when the prince goes to Qiuya Pavilion in the future, you will be the one to serve him. However, if Miss Huanruo is dissatisfied, you will have to bear with it."

　　Jiang Mu thought for a moment, then looked at Chun Tao, "Before she leaves, give her two packs of the best West Lake Longjing tea, so that she can drink more. This will also help her avoid being unable to defeat others because her rank is too low. After all, she is the one who left Mingyueju."

　　After giving the instructions, Jiang Mu didn't care whether others understood or not. She waved her hand and asked someone to take Xia He downstairs to wash and dress, and then send her to the side room later.

　　Xia He didn't expect that she could still serve the prince. She was surprised and happy, and of course scared. But she couldn't care less at this moment. As long as she was not sold, she still had a chance. Even if she went to Qiuya Pavilion, she would not necessarily lose to Huanruo.

　　Both of them are concubines. In terms of status, Huanruo is no more noble than her. As long as she wins the favor of the prince, she may be able to become his concubine in the future.

　　…..

　　At night, many people were paying attention to what was happening in the side room.

　　The people in Qiuya Pavilion were curious, and even the maids in Jiang Mu's room were curious.

　　Only Jiang Mu didn't care. She went to bed early. The maids outside the house were talking about it, and they didn't understand why Jiang Mu would let a traitor serve the prince.

　　These days, the princess's behavior has become more and more unpredictable.

　　Chun Tao: "Yes, and she also asked me to bring two bags of West Lake Longjing tea for Xia He. Why?"

　　Qiu Ju shook her head: "I don't know either."

　　Dongmei sighed and said, "Xiahe is not worthy of drinking such a good tea as West Lake Longjing. Madam's idea is really weird."

　　As the three were talking, Xue Teng appeared from nowhere and scared them.

　　Chun Tao asked: "Xue Teng, you follow Madam all day long, do you know what Madam thinks?"

　　Xue Teng said coldly: "Because the lady wants to see a dog-eat-dog fight."

　　After saying that, Xue Teng turned around and left, leaving the three of them stunned.

　　The next day, Xia He packed her things and went to Qiuya Pavilion. Before leaving, she wanted to see Jiang Mu, but was stopped outside the door. Jiang Mu didn't want to see her, and others also mocked her.

　　Xia He was thinking about her bright future, and she made some harsh words to her other sisters, saying that they would become the superior ones in the future and would no longer have to serve others.

　　But what she didn't expect was that as soon as she entered Qiuya Pavilion, she was given a show of power by Huanruo.

　　Seeing that the person coming was Xia He, Huanruo immediately understood that Xia He's affair with her was exposed. Xia He was Jiang Mu's abandoned child and could no longer be used by her.

　　Jiang Mu's move was truly brilliant, killing two birds with one stone. Not only did she gain a good reputation for being virtuous, she also eliminated the spies she had placed in her yard, and was able to annoy her at the same time.

　　Huanruo looked at Xia He with a sneer and arranged her to the most remote room in Qiuya Pavilion, next to the woodshed, which was cold and shabby.

　　When Murong Yan came, Huanruo asked Xia He to come out and serve them, serving tea and water, massaging their feet, and all these trivial matters were left to Xia He.

　　Murong Yan didn't care about Xia He at all, so naturally he wouldn't bother with such matters.

　　In his eyes, Xia He was just a lowly maid. Even if he slept with her, she was still just a maid and could not be compared with Huan Ruo at all.

　　Xia He repeatedly tried to cast pitiful and pleading glances at Murong Yan, hoping that Murong Yan would look at her, but Murong Yan never even looked at her, as if he didn't take her seriously at all, even though she was already his.

　　Every time he came to Qiuya Pavilion, Murong Yan only had Huanruo in his eyes.

　　Day by day, Xia He's hatred for Huan Ruo grew deeper and deeper.

　　But she also learned to be smart and to endure it, and she didn't show it.

　　Instead, she tried to please Huanruo and gave her advice.

　　Because she was from Mingyueju, Huanruo felt that she was still of some use, so she kept her by her side. Otherwise, she could just use some tricks to send her away, and Murong Yan wouldn't say anything.

　　But she knew that even if she drove Xia He away, Jiang Mu would not give up. Instead, countless women would be sent to him. Maybe the next woman would not be as sensible as Xia He.

　　Moreover, she had embarrassed Xia He many times in front of Murong Yan, but Murong Yan had never said a word to help Xia He, which showed that he didn't care about Xia He at all, so gradually she stopped taking Xia He seriously.

　　…..

　　Ever since Xia He went to Qiuya Pavilion, Jiang Mu's mind was basically no longer in the palace. She was thinking about the business strategy of Xunhuanju every day.

　　The questions asked by Jiang Mu were both tricky and novel, and many talented scholars were unable to answer them. Word of this spread from one person to another, and over time, more and more talented scholars came.

　　Jiang Mu is determined to turn Xunhuanju into a high-end entertainment venue.

　　After just half a month of operation, Xunhuanju's reputation has spread and it is now making a fortune every day.

　　The threshold to enter Xunhuanju is getting higher and higher.

　　Having money alone won't get you in, you must have talent, either play a tune at the door or compose poetry on the spot. In short, you must have real talent and knowledge. At worst, you have to be good-looking and have a skill.

　　Such bizarre requests made Xunhuanju a topic of conversation among people.

　　Not only did it not drive away the guests, it made Xunhuanju even more popular.

　　The courtesans in Xunhuanju do not need to accompany drinking. In Xunhuanju, they are the masters and can do whatever they want. No one can force them to do anything they don't want to do. It is not like other brothels where they often encounter unpleasant things that are beyond their control.

　　Recently, Xunhuanju has also developed many other elegant businesses, such as painting auctions, drinking games, and treasure riddles. Such activities have attracted many talented scholars and writers.

　　Every ten days or half a month, there is a theme event called something like a party.

　　Xunhuanju wrote the rules and conditions of participation on paper and posted it on the notice board outside the door of Xunhuanju.

　　At the party, you can eat, drink and have fun for free, and watch grand singing and dancing.

　　This kind of unique activity is simply unheard of.

　　When Gu Jue heard Jiang Mu talk about these ideas, the way he looked at Jiang Mu changed.

　　After spending these days together, Jiang Mu really gave him too many surprises.

　　He thought that his talent was not inferior to others, but compared with Jiang Mu, his brain always seemed to be insufficient.

　　Gu Jue originally regarded Jiang Mu as his benefactor and did things for her just to repay her, but gradually, he was also attracted by Jiang Mu's talent, and his eyes always chased her uncontrollably. Every time Jiang Mu came, he seemed to be in a particularly good mood.

　　Seeing that Xunhuanju was getting on the right track, Jiang Mu considered whether to open another branch, but lack of staff was a problem, so she put it on hold for the time being.

　　Where can she find a talent like Gu Jue? With Gu Jue's help, she only needs to give advice and leave the implementation to Gu Jue, and Gu Jue can do it perfectly every time.

　　After Jiang Mu came up with an idea, all she had to do was collect the money. Every time she went, Gu Jue would give her a handful of banknotes.

　　Jiang Mu is the happiest at this time.

　　She took the money, counted it, and then handed it all to Xue Teng.

　　Although Xue Teng doesn't know how to bargain, it's not easy to lose the money if it's with her.

　　The sound of firecrackers was heard outside, and Jiang Mu opened the window and looked out.

　　"Why is it so lively?"

　　Gu Jue said, "There is a party at Xunhuanju today."

　　Jiang Mu nodded. She had forgotten that today was a lantern riddle party.

　　Xunhuanju is filled with various kinds of lanterns, which took half a month to prepare. Each lantern has a riddle, which were all thought of by Jiang Mu and Gu Jue together.

　　"Do you want to go down and play for a while?"

　　Jiang Mu shook her head: "No, I have an appointment."

　　She came today because she had an appointment with Murong Heng.

　　Now the two of them would make appointments in advance to meet. After all, Murong Heng was an emperor, and he was busy with many things, so he couldn't come every day. So he would tell her in advance when they would meet next time, and Jiang Mu only had to go at this time.

　　Murong Heng had already decided to redeem Jiang Mu and bring her back to the palace, but this matter needed careful planning.

　　His trusted eunuch gave him an idea, saying that he should reorganize the music school in the palace, and then let it recruit capable musicians. Then he could let the girl who was seeking pleasure enter the palace. First, he would get her an identity to join the music school, and then it would be much more legitimate for him to take her into the harem.

　　It's better than being a prostitute of unknown origin.

　　After all, the life story that Jiang Mu fabricated for Murong Heng was that he had no father or mother and no family.

　　Murong Heng came here today just to talk to Jiang Mu about this matter.

　　Jiang Mu also planned to take off her veil in front of Murong Heng today. After so long, it was time for their relationship to make some progress.

　　When Gu Jue heard Jiang Mu's words, his brows frowned slightly.

　　Of course he knew who Jiang Mu was talking about.

　　He had clearly told Jiang Mu that the man was the current emperor. Even if he admired her, he could only take her into the harem and make her a concubine. At that time, her freedom would be restricted and she could only become a canary in the palace.

　　Gu Jue thought that the Jiang Mu he knew would not want such a life, but Jiang Mu still insisted on her own way and continued to meet with Murong Heng. Instead of becoming distant, their relationship became closer and closer.

　　Gu Jue said: "If you really want to be with him, you know that you will lose everything you have now after entering the palace."

　　Jiang Mu smiled, "What's wrong? You seem to care about me a lot."

　　Gu Jue paused and said in a deep voice: "No."

　　"Really not?" Jiang Mu had not been paying attention to Gu Jue in recent days. Only then did she realize that Gu Jue's attitude towards her seemed unusual.

　　Gu Jue said calmly: "I just think you are not a vain person, and I don't want to see you bound by the shackles of the palace."

　　Jiang Mu nodded doubtfully, "Is that so..."

　　She walked closer to Gu Jue, "I thought you didn't want to see me getting close to other men."

　　Gu Jue was startled, with a look of surprise in his eyes, "You...you worry too much."

　　"Really?" Jiang Mu seemed a little disappointed. She looked up at Gu Jue and said with some regret: "But if you said you liked me, I might not choose him."

　　Gu Jue was stunned, looking flustered, and said nothing.

　　Jiang Mu sat down in front of him, holding her chin and looking at him, "It's a pity that you have someone else in your heart. Even though she abandoned you to save her life and has given herself to someone else now, you still think about her, right?"

　　Gu Jue's brows were furrowed. Just now he had only frowned slightly, but now an expression of disgust appeared on his face.

　　"No."

　　Jiang Mu continued, "Really? Why do I feel like you're turning love into hate? I heard she's pregnant."

　　Gu Jue stared at Jiang Mu coldly, "So what do you want to hear from me?"

　　Jiang Mu smiled and said, "What do you think?"

　　Gu Jue said nothing, but his expression was heavy.

　　At this time, the voice of the maid came from outside the door.

　　"Girl, the young master is here."

　　Jiang Mu raised her eyes and said, "Tell him to wait for a while while I change my clothes."

　　Gu Jue felt very uncomfortable when he heard this. He had an indescribable awkwardness. He even wanted to pull Jiang Mu aside and tell her not to see that man again.

　　But he was not qualified to do so.

　　Jiang Mu said calmly: "You can go out now. I want to change my clothes."

　　She took off her veil and turned slowly.

　　Gu Jue turned around and saw her red dress hanging on the hanger. He could imagine how beautiful Jiang Mu would look in that dress.

　　His steps became heavy.

　　After a moment, Murong Heng pushed open the door and walked in.

　　Ever since he realized that Murong Yan seemed to have some other thoughts about Jiang Mu, he no longer asked Murong Yan to come along.

　　Jiang Mu was holding a pipa and started playing when she saw him.

　　This piece of music was specially prepared for him.

　　One can hear the lingering and sad feelings from the music.

　　Murong Heng could understand it, and of course Gu Jue who was standing outside the door could understand it as well.

　　Gu Jue clenched his hands tightly and did not let go for a long time.

　　Murong Heng stared at Jiang Mu without blinking, until Jiang Mu stood up and put down the pipa, he was still immersed in the music just now.

　　Although he had heard it many times, he still had new feelings every time he heard Jiang Mu play the pipa.

　　And this time the feeling was particularly strong. In the past, the music played by Jiang Mu was always very subtle, like a flower bud about to bloom, reluctant to reveal its charming face, shy and graceful.

　　But this time, she was wearing a red dress and the music she played was also passionate.

　　The fire burned so fiercely that it enveloped him in an instant.

　　Jiang Mu walked towards Murong Heng while untying the veil on her face.

　　When he saw Jiang Mu's face, he suddenly understood what a beauty that could overwhelm a whole country was.

　　As an emperor, he had seen countless beauties. He had had women of all types, and there were many beauties who made him fall in love at first sight. However, none of them shocked him as much as this one.

　　Everything in front of him seemed to be unimportant. He couldn't pay attention to anything else except Jiang Mu.

　　"Didn't you say you wanted to see me a long time ago? Why didn't you say anything when we met today?"

　　Jiang Mu pursed her lips and smiled. She was usually very generous, but now she seemed a little shy.

　　Murong Heng couldn't hide his throbbing heart at this moment. He looked at Jiang Mu deeply and said gently, "Didn't you say that the time was not right and you didn't want me to see it? Why did you change your mind today?"

　　Jiang Mu lowered his head slightly, "I haven't changed my mind, I just think today is the best time."

　　Murong Heng lifted her chin and said, "If you want me to see it, why are you lowering your head?"

　　Jiang Mu looked up at him shyly, and the two of them stared at each other lovingly for a long time.

　　Murong Heng saw admiration and joy in her eyes, and his heart was overjoyed.

　　How could he not have known before that mutual love could be such a joyful thing.

　　He couldn't seem to remember the last time he was so happy.

　　Murong Heng couldn't help but pull Jiang Mu's hand and hold her in his arms.

　　Jiang Mu resisted slightly, but was then held tightly by him.

　　Murong Heng lowered his head and kissed her lips, sighing as if his long-cherished wish had come true, "If I had known that being with you would be like this, I would not have endured it for so long."

　　Jiang Mu whispered, "What does it feel like?"

　　Murong Heng placed her hand on his chest and said, "You will know if you feel it yourself."

　　His heartbeat was fast and heavy. As soon as Jiang Mu put her hand on it, she was startled and said innocently, "How could it be so fast?"

　　Murong Heng smiled and said, "Because I like you."

　　Jiang Mu's eyes suddenly became bright, like stars in the Milky Way, dazzling and mesmerizing.

　　"Me too."

　　As soon as Jiang Mu finished speaking, Murong Heng kissed her on the lips again and picked her up skillfully.

　　Jiang Mu exclaimed softly.

　　Murong Heng whispered, "Can I stay tonight?"

　　Jiang Mu blushed, "But...but..."

　　Murong Heng smiled and said, "But what?"

　　Jiang Mu turned her face away from him, hesitating, not knowing what to say.

　　Murong Heng said gently: "If you don't want to, I won't force you."

　　Jiang Mu uttered a low "hmm", but Murong Heng heard it.

　　He smiled brightly and carried Jiang Mu into the inner room.

　　When the curtain was drawn, there was a large bed in the inner room.

　　Murong Heng gently placed her on the bed and carefully admired her face in the candlelight.

　　The tender and juicy lips were gently pursed, hiding countless sweetness; those eyes were full of affection, as if containing spring water, and you would fall into them without realizing it.

　　Murong Yan stretched out his hand and slowly stroked her face. Her silky and delicate skin was so lovely that he couldn't let it go.