Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Mother

The three of them walked through a long, winding passageway. Finally, the matchmaker stopped in a small courtyard.

"Madam, we have different lovely ladies to suit different needs. Some are skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, while others are skilled in needlework and embroidery. They can be elegant or common, depending on what kind you need!" The old woman looked at Xu Zhu with a fawning expression and introduced her to her incessantly.

"I wonder if Madam has come today to buy maids or servants, or to buy people to serve in the room?" This matchmaker was quite eloquent, referring to the bed-warming maids as people to serve in the room.

"Serving people." Xu Zhu was taken aback. She genuinely didn't understand the intricacies of the job, but she knew how to pretend. Her face hardened, and she spoke casually, clutching her handkerchief. She acted as if she truly understood, but in reality, she was afraid of saying too much and making a mistake.

Even the matchmaker, who had seen countless ladies, couldn't tell that Xu Zhu was a lady who didn't know the ways of the world.

"Madam, please come over to the main hall and sit down. I'll go and call them over for you." The matchmaker's face crinkled with a smile. Selling these "thin horses" usually yielded more money than selling ordinary maids.

Xu Zhu looked around the main hall. Although it wasn't large, it was exquisitely decorated. It didn't look like a human trafficker's courtyard at all; rather, it resembled the residence of a wealthy family. Several paintings of ladies hung on the walls of the main hall. In the paintings, the ladies covered their faces with fans, and the flowers falling from the sleeves of the flying apsaras seemed to stay still on the paintings, which were indeed pleasing to the eye.

"Girls, come in and greet our distinguished guests!" the matchmaker shouted from outside. Xu Zhu's eyes lit up. A dozen or so beautiful, slender women filed in. Leading them was Chu Qiao, one of the most beautiful among them, graceful and alluring. She possessed a captivating blend of innocence and allure, poise and liveliness. These two seemingly contradictory qualities blended perfectly within her. Xu Zhu, a woman herself, felt her heart flutter.

"Qingqing greets Madam, may Madam be blessed." Qingqing walked over and gave Xu Zhu a gentle curtsy. Where can one find such a beauty!

After talking with the women, Xu Zhu decided that he would still choose Qingqing.

"Madam, you have excellent taste! Qingqing is superb at playing the zither and flute, reciting poems, writing calligraphy, painting, and playing Go." The old woman beamed with joy.

"How many taels of silver?" Xu Zhu glanced at her, and Ping'er stepped forward to ask.

"Three thousand taels," the matchmaker said, holding up three.

Xu Zhu's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, but he casually used the lid to stir the tea leaves in the cup, took a sip of tea, and calmly asked, "How much is it per day?"

The matchmaker didn't understand and stood there dumbfounded.

Seeing that the old woman didn't understand, Xu Zhu explained it again in detail: "How many taels of silver are needed to buy Miss Qingqing for a day?"

The matchmaker finally understood, blinking hard. You can buy people like this? Xu Zhu wanted to buy her, but her resources wouldn't allow it. The other young women were suppressing their laughter, and even Qingqing looked on with a puzzled expression.

Ping'er lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment. If there were a hole right now, she would definitely crawl into it.

"Madam, you can take a look at other 'skinny horses' (young, attractive women)." The matchmaker still had a smile on her face, but inwardly she spat, thinking, "They look decent enough, but they're actually poor bastards."

"Qingqing is pretty, but not exceptionally beautiful. The worst thing is that a wealthy person wouldn't be interested in her. While I don't care about the money, I don't want to buy her for nothing." Xu Zhu spoke nonsense with a straight face, completely unfazed. He held himself in high esteem, his eyes practically on his nose, exuding an air of superiority. "Of course, you can choose not to trade. It's up to you."

The matchmaker looked at Xu Zhu, her heart filled with doubt. If she was a fraud, her entire demeanor and confidence were undeniable; if she wasn't, her demands were far too much…

While the matchmaker was pondering, Qingqing quietly tugged at her sleeve: "I want to go."

It wasn't until Qingqing followed Xu Zhu out of the courtyard that she came to her senses. She didn't know what she was thinking when she begged the matchmaker to agree.

Back at the Li residence, Qingqing finally realized she had chosen the right person to follow. What was the "thin horse" (a euphemism for a prostitute) good at? One was her bedroom skills, and the other was knowing which high-ranking officials and nobles were in the capital.

The Li family is newly powerful, with officials holding the rank of fourth grade. That lady said she would send her to a nobleman, and from fourth grade upwards, one could become a third or second grade official, or even a first grade official! Thinking of this, Qingqing suppressed her joy. Women like her were all children from poor families, learning all sorts of skills from a young age, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If given an opportunity, they would never easily let go of the chance to climb the social ladder.

Xu Zhu sent a letter to the Grand Commandant's residence yesterday evening, hoping to visit the Grand Commandant's mistress, Zhao Yu. Today is a day off, so Li Qian went with Xu Zhu.

Upon arriving at the Grand Commandant's residence, Li Qian alighted from the carriage first, reaching out to help Xu Zhu and even lifting her skirt. Xu Zhu smiled, noticing the tall man awkwardly tugging at her skirt. She didn't stop him, allowing him to take such good care of her.

The people in the Grand Commandant's mansion were stunned. This couple must be deeply in love! The people in the General's mansion looked at the astonished faces of the servants in the Grand Commandant's mansion with disdain. These bumpkins, their master had even more loving moments.

"Greetings, Madam Zhao Yu." Xu Zhu bowed to Madam Zhao Yu.

"Sister, please get up, please rise." Madam Zhao hurriedly had someone help Xu Zhu up. Indeed, Madam Zhao and her husband were younger than Xu Zhu and Li Qian. The Emperor, grateful for their family's contributions, had specially appointed him as a third-rank military officer, clearly one rank above Li Qian.

Xu Zhu observed Zhao Yu, who, despite her young age, wore a headband and appeared excessively mature. Appearances can be deceiving. This seemingly delicate woman, to prevent a seductive woman from climbing into her bed, actually sent a woman to her subordinate, Li Qian. She truly showed no regard for Xu Zhu whatsoever.

While Xu Zhu was observing Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu was also observing her. Zhao Yu didn't take Xu Zhu seriously. She hadn't gone to the polo field at the time, but she knew Xu Zhu had been framed and could only swallow her anger. Zhao Yu mocked Xu Zhu for being cowardly and unpresentable.

“Madam, I came here today specifically to thank you for the lovely ladies you sent. I am truly grateful…” Xu Zhu said sincerely, with a hint of reverence for the noble family.

“Sister, you are so thoughtful. General Li is new to the capital and must be unfamiliar with the place. Since my husband is General Li’s superior, I thought we should consider General Qian’s feelings. So I sent a few familiar people to serve him, so that you won’t be unfamiliar with the area.” Zhao Yu smiled brightly.

Xu Zhu was truly impressed by Zhao Yushi. She had solved her own problem but still managed to claim credit for herself. How clever!

"I should thank you. Madam has been so considerate of Xu Zhu, so Xu Zhu should also express her gratitude to you." Xu Zhu smiled insincerely, but she got straight to the point and hit Zhao Yu's weak spot.

"Qingqing, why don't you go and greet the madam?"

"This humble servant greets Madam..."

"What do you mean by this, sister?" Zhao Yushi immediately lost face. The woman kneeling in front of her was even more alluring than those little sluts.

"I've come to thank you, Madam. You gave me three capable assistants, and I can't be ungrateful for taking all three without showing gratitude. So, I've brought a young lady with me today."

Xu Zhu gave Zhao Yu a look that said, "I'm very, very grateful to you, you should accept this." Zhao Yu was practically bursting with embarrassment.

"No need, sister. You've just arrived in the capital, how could I possibly accept this?" Zhao Yu Shi said, gritting her teeth as she looked at Xu Zhu's sincere expression.

"Does my sister look down on me?" Xu Zhu looked aggrieved and upset, as if asking Zhao Yu Shi why she refused the maid Zhao Yu Shi offered to her.

Zhao Yu was now in a dilemma. If she accepted the offer, it would be like pushing her husband into someone else's bed; if she didn't accept it, wouldn't that be a tacit admission that she looked down on Xu Zhu? Zhao Yu now realized how shrewd Xu Zhu was. This was no ordinary village woman; her scheming was just as sophisticated as that of people living in high-ranking official residences.

Xu Zhu was secretly delighted to see her utterly defeated expression. "Hmph, a white lotus? Let's see who's whiter!"

“It’s not that our family looks down on you, but we don’t need another maid.” Zhao Ying lifted the curtain and came in.

Zhao Yu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her sister-in-law come in; it had truly solved her predicament. She quickly changed the subject and introduced the two of them.

“This is my younger sister Zhao Ying, and this is General Li’s wife Xu Zhu. Sister, if my younger sister has offended you with her straightforward nature, I apologize.” Zhao Yu cleverly embellished Zhao Ying’s words.

Xu Zhu was completely stunned, utterly dumbfounded. She had heard of Zhao Ying on the sports field, but she never imagined she was from the Grand Commandant's mansion.

To say that this woman, with an ordinary name and above-average looks, shouldn't have caught Xu Zhu's attention so much would be surprising. However, Xu Zhu was indeed deeply impressed; this Zhao Ying was none other than the mother of the male protagonist in the book, and Li Qian's future wife. And Zhao Ying's son had killed her adorable baby.

Xu Zhu quickly lowered his head to hide the turmoil in his heart.

Li Qian and his wife naturally ate at the Grand Commandant's residence. Men and women were not seated at the same table, but Xu Zhu deliberately found an excuse to have Qingqing sit at the men's table. Qingqing wasn't stupid; she knew this was Xu Zhu's last chance for her. She used all her skills, her eyes alluring, her lips fiery red. She made Zhao Liang's heart itch. He even ignored Li Qian when he spoke to him. It wasn't until Li Qian called him several times that he snapped out of it.

Xu Zhu originally only wanted to buy Qingqing for a day to spite Zhao Yu Shi. She never expected to encounter Zhao Ying. Xu Zhu herself wasn't a good person; Bao'er was practically her lifeblood, yet she died so tragically in the book. So she gave Qingqing another chance. This wasn't really revenge; Zhao Yu Shi had given away her concubine first, and she was just following suit.

Xu Zhu "accidentally" revealed to Zhao Liang that she originally intended to give Qingqing to him, but his wife and sister wouldn't allow it. Zhao Liang glared at Zhao Yu Shi several times in anger.

"No need to see me off, you can go back now," Li Qian said, bowing to Zhao Liang as he left the Grand Commandant's residence.

"Work hard, very good. You have a virtuous wife, your future is bright!" Zhao Liang, excited to have gained a new beauty, patted Li Qian's shoulder vigorously.

Zhao Yu glared hatefully at Li Qian and Xu Zhu, who were walking away looking so affectionate, and then at her husband embracing Qingqing as they entered the courtyard without waiting for her. Enraged, she fainted.

"Madame, madam..."

"Who was that person today...?" Li Qian asked after a long silence.

"Qingqing, I bought it from outside. What's wrong?"

"My good wife!" Li Qian exclaimed. He hadn't expected his usually unapproachable boss to treat him so much better because of a woman, even going so far as to offer him a promotion. However, to be honest, he didn't like Xu Zhu helping him in this way. Men, after all, wanted to gain their boss's approval through genuine talent and ability.

Xu Zhu could tell that Li Qian was overthinking things, so she didn't explain. She had recently heard that Princess Wenruo's facial injury seemed to have been healed by a doctor, and that her skin was as smooth as a peeled egg.

n