Long Live the Empress

Chapter 143: Distinguishing Lovers

Aunt Su covered her lips with a silk handkerchief and chuckled, "Oh? So it's your lover! I wonder how old your lover is?"

Li Gouzi was about to answer, but swallowed it back. "What does this have to do with you? Do you have to ask about someone's lover or check their household registration just to buy a pair of earrings?"

Aunt Su shook her head. "No, I mean if you have a pair of earrings, I will buy them all for five hundred taels. I like them so much!"

Li Gouzi was immediately moved, but then his face fell again. "My lover... has disappeared for five months! I don't know where she went!"

Five months? Isn't that the month when the second concubine was pregnant? The old lady hammered the ground heavily with her cane, and the heavy sound brought everyone back to their senses.

The old lady asked in a deep voice: "Then tell me what your beauty looks like? How did you meet?"

Li Gouzi lowered his head and said nothing, thinking to himself, this Yuefu person is really strange, calling him over in the middle of the night and willing to spend a hundred taels to buy an earring! Now asking him about his lover, it's simply inexplicable!

Seeing that Li Gouzi didn't say anything, the old lady winked at Zhang Mama, who immediately pulled out a heavy purse from her bosom. "Mr. Li, if you are willing to tell me, this bag of silver will be yours."

Li Gouzi quickly reached out to take the purse and weighed it. There were more than fifty taels! Li Gouzi was afraid that the old lady would go back on her word, so he quickly stuffed the silver into her lapel. This wealthy family had a lot of money, and they gave so much silver just by saying a few words.

So Li Gouzi took the money and told the whole story:

"One night at midnight, I just came back from drinking, and saw a girl dressed as a maid looking around on the street. I was kind-hearted, so I went up to the girl and asked her where she lived. But no matter how I asked, the girl just said that she was punished and came out to hide! There were not many people on the road at that time, so I took the girl home. Although my house is shabby, it can shelter me from the wind and rain. And the girl is very beautiful, and she doesn't mind my poverty. In order to thank me, she... promised to marry me! But when the cock crowed in the morning, the girl left in a hurry. I asked her what she was doing, and she just said that she was in a hurry to go to work. Then she would come back at midnight, and this happened every night for several days! But after a while, the girl never came again! I was sad for a long time!"

Although Li Gouzi's words were full of loopholes, they were somewhat consistent with what Aunt Su said.

Aunt Su's eyes rolled around, "If I let you meet that woman now, would you recognize her?"

Li Gouzi nodded, "Of course! She is the woman I slept with before, how could I not recognize her?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Hanwen wanted to slam the table and stand up, but Su Hongfu grabbed his hand. "Master, this young man is really pitiful! Why not... let this young man take a look at the women in our house and see if there is anyone who looks like his lover, so that Master can help Mr. Li find his lover~"

Yue Hanwen took a deep breath and nodded.

Li Gouzi's eyes widened as he looked at Su Hongfu. How could there be such a beautiful woman in this world?

"If you dare to look at me again, I will dig out your eyes." Yue Hanwen was furious when he saw Li Gouzi's wretched appearance. Su Hongfu was his woman, how could he let other men covet her?

Aunt Su said politely, "Mr. Li, take a look around this room... Is there anyone who looks like your lover? Our master has many connections in the court, maybe he can help you find your lover back?"

Li Gouzi thought for a moment and nodded. He was already 25 years old, but he had not yet married. Since his lover disappeared, he had not met a better woman than her! So Li Gouzi looked at everyone in the room, but shook his head in disappointment, "None of them look like her..."

Aunt Su glanced at Li Gouzi and said, "Mr. Li, there is another person on the couch over there! Take a look, is it similar?"

The Second Aunt was desperate at this moment. She wanted to cover her face with the quilt. However, the few shouts just now had exhausted all her strength. Now she could only lie on the couch and breathe slightly.

The moment Li Gouzi looked at the Second Aunt, he was a little shocked, "Like! This husband... this lady..."

Aunt Su gave Madam Li a look, and Madam Li held up a candlestick and shone it on Second Aunt's face. "Sir, do you see it clearly now?"

Li Gouzi was shocked. "This is too similar! But my lover's face is not so dark. Although she is a servant, her body is fair!"