Yi Qing was afraid that Deng Xiao would ruin her big plan, so she warned him, "Don't dress like this to scare people later. If you ruin my good deed, I won't show you any mercy."
Deng Xiao burst into laughter. "You're the only woman who dares to talk to me like this."
This was precisely the fun of life.
Yi Qing let out a cold snort and imitated the voice of Old Madam He. "Gou'er~"
The smile on Deng Xiao's face froze instantly. He gritted his teeth and said, "If you weren't a woman, I would've... I would've..."
Yi Qing rolled her eyes. "The person has been delivered, and I appreciate your kindness. Let's catch up some other day. Commander Deng is so busy. Go attend to your important business."
"Fine, fine." Deng Xiao was both angry and amused. "You're really ungrateful, woman."
"I'm even more heartless than that," Yi Qing replied.
After Deng Xiao left in a huff, Yi Qing didn't forget to shout after him, "Stay away from Yi Weiwei, or you'll end up as brainless as she is."
Deng Xiao thought that Yi Qing was just born to infuriate him.
Yi Qing stood up and clapped her hands cheerfully. "Alright, I've seen him off. Come on, Xiao Tian. Let's start our business. By the way, let's see what this new girl, Sang Sang, is really like."
Xiao Tian had a feeling that this wasn't going to be good, but he didn't say anything.
The next morning, after breakfast, Yi Qing sent Xiao Tian back to change his clothes. "Once we're out, you're my bodyguard, the bodyguard of a nouveau riche. Do you know how to dress? After you're done, I'll do some makeup on you. It'll be a perfect disguise."
Xiao Tian left with a dark face.
Yi Qing kept Sang Sang and pointed at a set of gorgeous clothes she had rummaged out early in the morning on the couch. "Put this on."
It was a high-waisted ruqun with a sheer silk shawl. Wearing this out was sure to attract everyone's attention.
Sang Sang looked up at Yi Qing. "Madam, do I really have to wear this?"
"Really," Yi Qing replied calmly, raising an eyebrow. "Any problem?"
"No," Sang Sang replied, biting her lips. Although there was a hint of reluctance in her eyes, it was obvious that she was struggling to persuade herself to accept it.
"Good. Go change behind the screen."
"Yes."
Sang Sang went behind the screen and rustled as she changed her clothes. Yi Qing had already sat in front of the dressing table to do her makeup.
The clothes were really too revealing, and Sang Sang had a hard time putting them on. Several times, she had to think of her daughter to force herself to continue.
"Not done yet?"
A strange man's voice came. Sang Sang let out a scream and instinctively covered her chest with both hands. She was on the verge of a breakdown. "Who?"
A man's face appeared over the top of the screen, staring at her intently.
Sang Sang let out a series of shrill screams and hurriedly ran out from behind the screen, clutching her clothes. "Madam, Madam~"
How could a man get in? Did Madam allow it?
Was she out of the frying pan and into the fire?
"Hahaha~" Yi Qing jumped down from the chair, laughing heartily after her prank succeeded. "It's me. Do I look like a man?"
Sang Sang, still in a state of shock, stared at the "man" in front of her in disbelief.
The clothes and figure were Yi Qing's, but the face had been transformed into that of a man.
Yi Qing then spoke in a man's voice. "Pretty girl, give me a smile."
Sang Sang was too shocked to say a word.
If the clothes and figure weren't enough to prove that the "man" in front of her was Yi Qing, her slender neck and the unwashed nail polish on her nails left no doubt in Sang Sang's mind.
"Do I look like a man?" Yi Qing switched back to her female voice and said proudly.
"Madam, you..." After a long while, Sang Sang finally found her voice.
"Today, I'll take you out to see the world." Yi Qing put her hand on Sang Sang's shoulder and lifted her chin with the other hand. "Let my concubine see the prosperity of the capital!"
Sang Sang was surprised to find that Yi Qing not only spoke in a man's voice but also had a Shanxi accent.
"Do I look like a Shanxi merchant? The kind who is rich and powerful," Yi Qing asked.
Sang Sang replied, "You don't look like one in this outfit, but if you change your clothes, I'm afraid I'll really be fooled."
"Don't say fooled. Say enchanted. After all, I'm a stupid but rich man who's easy to serve," Yi Qing said with a laugh.
A faint smile appeared on Sang Sang's face.
Her new mistress seemed to be a lively, smart, and easy-to-get-along-with person, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.
Xiao Tian stood in the yard after changing his clothes. Listening to Yi Qing switching between a man's and a woman's voice, acting on her own and then ruining her own act, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, and his eyes were filled with amusement.
"Are you done?" he asked.
Sang Sang looked at her thin clothes and suddenly felt a little nervous.
"What are you so nervous about?" Yi Qing said calmly. She took out a cloak from the wardrobe and handed it to her. "Put this on. I won't let those stinky men take advantage of you. Like a girl holding a pipa and half-hidden, being in a state between being seen and not being seen is the most alluring."
As she spoke, she leaned closer to Sang Sang's ear and said, "You're lucky. This outfit inside was prepared for myself. Since I've given it to you, I'll have to prepare another one for myself later."
Then she raised an eyebrow at the door.
Sang Sang obviously didn't expect her to be so bold and straightforward, not even bothering to hide her affair with the bodyguard in front of her. For a moment, she was at a loss.
Yi Qing laughed proudly and shouted at the door, "Wait a moment. I'll be done after I change my clothes."
She had deliberately done this today to test Sang Sang.
First, she gave her a set of clothes that might be hard for her to accept. Although Sang Sang was reluctant, she finally put them on. Yi Qing was very satisfied with this.
She liked obedient people. She was looking for a maid, not a master who would argue with her and set conditions.
Then she also deliberately let Sang Sang know about her "secret relationship" with Xiao Tian to see how Sang Sang would react.
So far, Sang Sang hadn't shown a strong reaction, and Yi Qing was temporarily satisfied.
To be a competent personal maid, blind loyalty was the most important. If the master killed someone, she should cooperate by setting the fire.
As long as Sang Sang passed her test, she would do everything in her power to help Sang Sang achieve her wish.
Wasn't it just about rescuing a little girl from the Minister's Mansion? Yi Qing could do it for Sang Sang, as long as she was worthy.
Yi Qing changed into men's clothes, took out a folding fan, and snapped it open with a flourish. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Sang Sang. "How do I look?"
Sang Sang curtsied. "Greetings, Master Qing."
Yi Qing laughed and pinched her waist. "Good girl."
Sang Sang's face turned bright red instantly.
"Xiao Tian, come in," Yi Qing opened the door and then said to Sang Sang, "Call me Master Qing when we're out."
Xiao Tian looked at her dressing and frowned. "Why did you make yourself look so ugly?"
"Do you want me to be a gigolo if I'm too handsome?" Yi Qing replied. "Remember, I'm a Shanxi merchant, rich and powerful. I'm taking my concubine and bodyguard to the gambling houses in the capital to see the world. I'm stupid and rich, easy to be deceived. Got it?"
Xiao Tian: "..."
"No, no. I still have to do something to you. Your face is too attractive." Yi Qing pulled Xiao Tian to the dressing table and pressed him down on the chair.