The Cigarette Plan: Erniang Becomes a Godmother ( Part 2 )

Xu Erniang chuckled and continued, "If my three daughters find good husbands, as a mother, I will certainly be happy for them. After all, I have gone through the same thing, and I know how unlucky they are. I am just too soft-hearted and love my daughters so much, but they don't know how hard and difficult it is for their mother!"

Mu Lingfeng was moved and asked, "Does Madam Xu have any difficulties?"

Madam Xu replied, "Does Mu Gongzi really not know or are you joking with me?"

Mu Lingfeng wondered, "I have only been in Jinling for a few days, so I really don't know. But I am also a straightforward person, so if Madam Xu has anything to say, please tell me. If there is anything I can do to help, I will certainly do my best to share your burden!"

Madam Xu sighed and said, "Mu Gongzi met Prince Xiaofu not long ago. As a man, you should know what is on his mind."

Mu Lingfeng trembled inside but remained calm and asked, "Does Prince Xiaofu also have his eye on..."

Madam Xu interrupted, "Isn't it obvious? Which big shot in Jinling or even the entire Ming Dynasty doesn't like beautiful women? Some are restrained by taboos, while others lack the courage, but Prince Xiaofu is wealthy and powerful, and he has been eyeing our girls for a long time. If I give all three of them to you, can he spare me?"

Mu Lingfeng thought to himself, "Why didn't I think of this before? Madam Xu has been in Nanjing for many years and must have ingratiated herself with the powerful. She certainly doesn't want to offend them, especially local tyrant Zhu Youzhen. Although 300,000 taels of silver is not a small sum, Zhu Youzhen must have thought of redeeming Saixixi long ago. In theory, these three flower girls should already be in his hands and there is no reason for him to wait for me. I wonder what's going on!"

Madam Xu noticed Mu Lingfeng's changing expression and sighed again, "Prince Xiaofu has been interested in our three girls for a long time... He once offered 300,000 taels of silver for each of them. At that time, I really thought my daughters had found a good home, but unfortunately, Prince Xiaofu has a hidden agenda..."

Mu Linfeng exclaimed, "The River East Lion?" but he already had a rough idea in his mind. He finally understood why Zhu Yousong had not made a move on the Three Flower Beauties all these years; it was because he was a coward. Fortunately, Zhu Yousong was like Mu Linfeng - although they were both lecherous, they were not despicable. Otherwise, even with the River East Lion at his disposal, Zhu Yousong would have used other means to take advantage of the Three Flower Beauties long ago. In addition, because of Zhu Yousong's power, it made other people with ulterior motives and thieving courage more apprehensive. It could be said that Zhu Yousong indirectly protected Bian Saisai and others.

Mu Linfeng took out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling a few puffs of smoke, saying, "Alright, I won't make things difficult for Er Niang. However, Er Niang should also know that Sai Sai has feelings for me. I hope Er Niang won't make things difficult for her. I will redeem her within a month, and I will make Xiao Fu Wang willingly give up Sai Sai. As for Gu Mei and Kou Mei, we can talk about them later. Besides, in my eyes, they are still just children. I want to redeem them out of sympathy and compassion. I cannot bear to see them fall into the mundane world at such a young age."

Xu Er Niang smiled and said, "Mu Gongzi is really kind-hearted. These three girls are my precious darlings. How could I make things difficult for them? Mu Gongzi, you also know the current situation in the world. There is war every year in the frontier, disasters frequently occur in the north, and bandits in the northwest are rampant. Only our half of the country is still relatively peaceful, but who knows when this world will change hands? I have already seen through the ways of the world and just want to have someone to rely on and protect me before the great disaster arrives."

Mu Linfeng was impressed by Xu Erniang's cunning and shrewdness when she spoke such words. After all, Xu Erniang had been rolling in the red dust for so many years that although not everyone knew her, the brothel was a place with diverse people and the widest range of information. Xu Erniang was also a person who had some understanding of the state of the world, which was not surprising.

Mu Linfeng took a few puffs of his cigarette and laughed, "I didn't expect Erniang to have such foresight. I really admire you! To be frank, I don't have any siblings since I was young. Since I first saw Erniang, I felt that you were kind and approachable. I want to be related to you and call you my elder sister. I don't know if..."

Xu Erniang's face changed drastically, "Oh my, Lord Mu, Prince Mu, are you joking with me? What status do I have? How dare I be related to you, Lord Mu? This is too disrespectful to me! Absolutely not!"

Mu Linfeng laughed, "Erniang, where did you get that idea? Moreover, I have been drifting in the South Seas since I was young, and I have never experienced life in a royal palace for a few days. I can't be considered a prince. If you don't agree to my request, it would mean that you look down on me, Mu Linfeng."

Xu Erniang had been rolling in the red dust for so many years, and had sworn sisterhood with many sisters and called many patrons as brothers. However, they were all lower-class people at best, and most of them were just idle young masters. She had never heard of anyone from the officialdom wanting to become sworn sisters with a brothel woman. Even if they were really interested in each other, those people would be constrained by their status and avoid it. How could Mu Linfeng openly want to recognize her as his elder sister? Xu Erniang was really happy and worried. She was happy that her efforts had paid off, and a prince wanted to recognize her as his elder sister. However, she was worried that the two of them had different identities. One was a high-ranking person, although not a member of the imperial family, he was still a noble, while the other was just a brothel madam who couldn't even be counted as a low-ranking person.

Mu Linfeng said, "Erniang, don't worry. I sincerely want to recognize you as my elder sister. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, I, Mu Linfeng, will definitely go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

After all, Xu Erniang was a figure who had been rolling in the world for many years, and she could naturally think of Mu Linfeng's plan. He claimed to be her younger brother, but it was only for the sake of the three flower girls in Chunxianglou. Xu Erniang had seen many lecherous people, but she had never seen anyone as shameless and unscrupulous as Mu Linfeng who would do anything to achieve his goals. Although she didn't admire him, she had to look at him in a different light.

Without waiting for Xu Erniang's response, Mu Linfeng immediately shouted, "Elder sister, please allow me, Mu Linfeng, to bow to you!" As he spoke, he was about to kneel down and bow, but Xu Erniang was greatly surprised and quickly helped him up, saying repeatedly, "No need, no need..."

Mu Linfeng laughed and said, "Then I'll take elder sister's silence as consent! I have important matters to attend to now, and I'll talk to elder sister again tonight!"

Without waiting for Xu Erniang's answer, Mu Linfeng immediately left Chunxianglou. Xu Erniang's eyes flickered, and she had another plan in mind.