Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 21

Pei Yuqing lowered her eyes. “My Lord, what do you need that for?”

“I’m looking for a business opportunity!” Qiu Qi excitedly gave Pei Yuqing an example. “How much money can erotic art make? Even if I sell one for only 20 copper, ten is 2 silver, a hundred is 2 gold. A thousand, ten thousand… I’ll be rich!”

Pei Yuqing’s lips twitched visibly, a sign of her admiration for Qiu Qi’s bizarre thought process.

“My Lord, if you are in urgent need of money, I have some jewelry and clothes that can be pawned.”

“No way!” Qiu Qi’s refusal was firm. “The situation today is all my fault. I was too extravagant in the past. How can I sacrifice Madam to help me?”

She finished, then smiled. “Besides, I want Madam to look beautiful every day. Those jewels and clothes look especially good on you.”

Her words were as sweet as honey, softening even Pei Yuqing’s gaze somewhat.

“So, My Lord has an idea then?”

“Yes, I do, but the success rate is pending.”

Soon, Yan Wan arrived to announce that everyone in the courtyard had gathered. Qiu Qi nodded, grabbed the list of concubines, and headed to the main hall for the meeting.

This area occupied a large portion of the entire courtyard. The original owner used to regularly invite dance troupes and singers to perform. But today, the place that was once filled with nightly revelry was packed with people, each with a low-pressure expression on their face.

Accompanied by Pei Yuqing, Qiu Qi sat on the flamboyant golden chair. To project a sense of authority, she was very mindful of her image and wore a hat to cover the ears on her head. Sitting upright and proper, she actually had a somewhat serious and dignified “kingly” demeanor.

“I’ve called everyone here today for something important.”

Below, people began to whisper.

“Wouldn’t it be simpler for Butler Yan to just announce it, no matter how important? Why gather us all here?”

“Right, this display is so scary…”

“They’re not going to randomly pick a few of us and drag us to the beast arena, are they?” A frail beauty trembled, saying, “A delicate herbivore like me can’t possibly fight those fierce beasts. I’m so scared.”

“Cough, cough.” Qiu Qi cleared her throat, signaling for the people below to quiet down. “It’s nothing bad. Everyone, there’s no need to panic.”

“Is she comforting people?”

“Are you crazy? That demon comforting people? She’s probably hiding a knife in her smile, and will pull out a fire and burn you to ashes on the spot.”

“Like Sister Wang, who privately escaped the courtyard last time?”

Qiu Qi, with her excellent hearing, caught every word of the group’s “whispers,” and the smile on her face grew increasingly stiff.

“Butler Yan should have already told everyone what I said, right?” Qiu Qi finally found a chance to speak again. “I’ve canceled the plan to choose concubines.”

“So, My Lord, you called us here because you regret it and want to reinstate the rule of choosing concubines?” Zu Mianmian sounded a little hopeful.

Her assassination plan was already ready, just lacking an opportunity to be alone with Qiu Qi. If the selection process was reinstated, wouldn’t it be much easier for her to act?

Qiu Qi shook her head. “No, I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf. From now on, I will no longer trouble anyone to serve me, and I will live a peaceful life with Madam.”

“Heh…” From the front row on the left, Xiao Chu’er, dressed in blue, sneered, her expression full of mockery. “What a ‘peaceful life’.”

“I know that none of you here have much affection for me, so I’ve decided—” Qiu Qi stood up and raised her voice, stating each word forcefully, “to disband the harem. You are all free!”

This was one of the methods she had devised. The number of concubines was simply too large. In 80% of cases, she couldn’t even match the names to faces in the original owner’s memories. Many of them had never even met the original owner. The reason they were there could be that they were sold for money by their families, or abducted by schemers and sent as “gifts” to the original owner.

In fact, after seeing Yan Wan’s exorbitant salary in the ledger, Qiu Qi’s first reaction was to fire her. But upon calming down, she realized that Yan Wan knew too many of the original owner’s secrets and was someone who only recognized money, not people. If she left, someone might offer her a few gold coins and she’d spill all the secrets. Keeping her around now, she could at least serve as a bodyguard and accountant, which was worth the peace of mind.

Besides that, the only expense Qiu Qi could think of cutting was this group of beauties.

Her gaze swept over the people present. The colorful, luxurious robes made of various rare materials looked more beautiful on the beauties than the last. But all Qiu Qi could see now was money! This was all her hard-earned cash!

As soon as these words were uttered, the crowd below erupted. Their first reaction was that Qiu Qi was joking, but when Pei Yuqing on the side took out a list and called out names one by one for them to come up and collect their severance pay, the doubts subsided.

“Rea-really letting us go?”

“I can go home?”

“Not only are they letting us go, but they’re giving us severance pay?”

Everyone’s expressions showed disbelief, but their movements to collect the money were quite swift.

Qiu Qi watched with reluctance as Pei Yuqing distributed her dwindling personal funds, bit by bit. Although each person only received a few dozen copper coins, it was enough to make her heart bleed.

As the distribution reached the front rows, the hall became increasingly empty. Those who had received their money were more excited than students on summer break, practically skipping and hopping back to their sleeping quarters, eager to pack their bags and prepare to return home.

“My Lord.” Yin Ci, dressed in a close-fitting outfit, stepped forward and bowed to Qiu Qi. Although she looked respectful, Qiu Qi felt that her cold eyes seemed as if she was about to raise her arm and strike her with a sword at any moment.

“Wh-what is it?”

No sooner had Qiu Qi spoken than the remaining people, led by Yin Ci, recreated the grand scene of “universal favor” from that day, kneeling in unison. “My Lord! We won’t leave!”

Qiu Qi nervously swallowed. “Are the remaining beauties worried they won’t find a place to live outside? I can arrange that for you through Butler Yan, and I’ll pay the first month’s rent. Don’t worry, you’re all so capable; you’ll surely thrive even more once you leave this harem. And after staying in this courtyard for so long, don’t you long for freedom? Don’t miss this opportunity!”

“We have accompanied My Lord for many years and have already developed deep feelings for you. To leave like this…” Lin Yujin said softly, her frail figure speaking in such a mournful tone was quite endearing. “We cannot bear to leave My Lord. Please grant our wish, My Lord!”

Qiu Qi covered her mouth, not out of emotion, but to hide her twitching lips and the urge to cry.

Before, she might not have known exactly who wanted to kill her, but now they all floated to the surface. Any one of these people kneeling below, if she picked one at random, would have a 100% chance of leaving her beheaded if they were alone.

“Actually—”

“My Lord.” Pei Yuqing interrupted Qiu Qi’s refusal, gently placing her right hand on Qiu Qi’s shoulder. The pressure was light, yet it exerted an invisible force on Qiu Qi. “If it’s truly for their good, then provide them a place to shelter from the wind and rain. I’m sure everyone will understand My Lord’s compassion in the future and try to reduce their extravagant habits, becoming more diligent and frugal.”

Qiu Qi wanted to cry but no tears came. “Everyone will definitely be happier living outside than here, truly. I’m doing this for your own good.”

The people below collectively shook their heads. “My Lord, we are loyal to you and cannot leave you for a single day. You are the full moon, and we are the stars that cluster around you. Without you, we would lose our value. Please grant our wish, My Lord!”

Why didn’t I see you all using such cheesy pick-up lines before?

Qiu Qi tugged at Pei Yuqing’s sleeve, dabbing at the corners of her moist eyes. With a last flicker of hope, she asked, “Is there no room for negotiation on this matter?”

Pei Yuqing’s fingers on Qiu Qi’s shoulder gently tapped. The latter instantly straightened her back, not daring to move. “My Lord may decide according to her heart’s desire, without difficulty.”

Easy for you to say, but take your hand away!

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Qiu Qi could only nod heavily. “Since Madam herself speaks on their behalf, how can I disappoint you?”

The group was all delighted, bowing in obeisance. “Thank you, My Lord.”

Qiu Qi: No need to thank me, I was forced, wuwuwuwu.

••••

After the dismissal, Yan Wan tallied the numbers. Fewer than twenty people remained, fortunately still within Qiu Qi’s acceptable range.

So, she wholeheartedly threw herself into her plan to get rich.

Before starting to draw, Qiu Qi first laid out and read through the currently best-selling erotic art.

The first one: single poses, no innovation, but good artwork.

The second one: more varied poses, but clearly much rougher in production.

The third, and best-selling one, combined the strengths of the first two and also had the gimmick of “limited release,” stimulating public consumption.

Qiu Qi, having read extensively in this field, considered herself a seasoned veteran. By her standards, none of them were impressive.

First, to produce images quickly, most were black and white. Aside from the main figures, the backgrounds were largely empty. Furthermore, perhaps influenced by previous artists’ styles, most only roughly sketched facial features and bodies, focusing solely on the “selling points” of a few body parts. And most, most importantly! There was no story!

In Qiu Qi’s eyes, these were at best anatomical diagrams from a middle school textbook, not even qualifying as children’s books.

She smiled confidently, picked up her brush, and decided to recreate some of her best-selling comics from before.

Considering time constraints, Qiu Qi didn’t plan to color them. But even with black and white comics, she was confident that the quality would crush those anatomy diagrams.

Using a brush was somewhat unwieldy, but it didn’t slow Qiu Qi down much. She holed up in the study from noon until late at night before finally completing her first “little vehicle” (erotic comic).

“Ugh, a cold cola would be so good right now. Then I could keep going for another day and night,” Qiu Qi said, resting her chin in her hand, regretfully. As she spoke, a cold draft from under the door made her sneeze, making her even more parched.

Drinking ice-cold cola in cold weather—that’s beyond refreshing!

“My Lord.” This was Pei Yuqing’s third time knocking on the door tonight.

Qiu Qi rarely returned to her room so late. At first, Pei Yuqing thought the other person was scared by her actions that day and dared not be alone with her. However, each time she entered, she saw Qiu Qi diligently working at her desk, and only then did she believe that Qiu Qi’s idea of selling erotic art was not a joke.

“It’s time to rest, My Lord.” Pei Yuqing carried a thick fur cloak and draped it over Qiu Qi’s shoulders.

It was late in the month, and the weather was turning cold quickly. Qiu Qi, unable to adapt, had been sneezing uncontrollably for the past few days. However, the original owner preferred cold weather, even wearing thin clothes and wandering around in winter. It was said that cold made her feel comfortable and refreshed.

But looking at Qiu Qi now, she clearly couldn’t experience that refreshment. Moreover, since the original owner’s wardrobe contained no warm clothing for Qiu Qi, she was forced to endure the cold in thin fabrics every day.

Pei Yuqing found the coughing and sneezing too disruptive, so she took out one of her own cloaks and shared it with her.

Qiu Qi clutched the fur cloak tightly. Her face, framed by the snowy white fur collar, looked even more docile and gentle. When speaking to Pei Yuqing, the beast ears on her head excitedly perked up, as if recognizing their master. “Madam, you’re still awake. Were you waiting for me?”

Pei Yuqing did not answer her question. Her gaze fell on the drawing on the white paper, lingering on the protagonist’s face for a moment, her eyes visibly growing colder.

Qiu Qi instinctively recoiled, feeling as if Pei Yuqing was looking at her as if she were some hopeless scoundrel.

“Wha… what’s wrong?” This time, the protagonist was her original creation; she hadn’t dared to boldly use Pei Yuqing’s face again.