Little Xiangzi tightly clutched his horsetail whisk.
Reporting to the Prince: the place that caught fire yesterday was the palace kitchen. The fire blew against the wind and did not spread, burning down only a utility shed.
The person on duty was Vice Head Chef Huang. I investigated and found out she sent everyone away before setting the fire.
Would you like me to go and detain her right now?
Mu Guanchun fell silent for a long moment.
The kitchens use open flames every day. Since the damage isn’t severe, just have it properly repaired. There’s no need to make a fuss.
Little Xiangzi understood. The Imperial Princess managed half of the estate’s domestic tallies, and many affairs were handled by her personally. Vice Head Chef Huang was also the one who most loved currying favor with the Princess.
During the first round of selecting a princess consort, all the horses in the stables ran away completely, and the Princess’s beloved steed galloped wildly around the estate, causing utter chaos.
During the second round of selecting a princess consort, the Princess’s beloved dog, Golden Ingot, ran away and got lost, crying so hard she was frantic until Mu Guanchun left all the noble young ladies behind to rush and comfort her.
And this third round… anyway, every single time, it had something to do with the Imperial Princess.
Even if Little Xiangzi were a fool, he could see through the trickery. He understood that Mu Guanchun intended to sweep this matter under the rug unnoticed.
This servant understands.
Also,
Mu Guanchun’s voice sounded as if it were soaked in freezing water.
Pass down the order: this Prince has fallen gravely ill. Effective immediately, the estate is closed for recuperation, and no outside officials will be received. All political affairs shall be left to the Phoenix Pavilion for drafting and red-ink endorsement.
Little Xiangzi: ?
Although he was merely an eunuch, he frequently accompanied Mu Guanchun as she danced around the court ministers. Agileness aside, even he could not fathom the Prince’s thoughts.
The Regent, she was always so unfathomable.
He acknowledged the order and turned to leave, but Mu Guanchun added one more sentence: Even the Princess… this Prince will not see.
Little Xiangzi paused in astonishment.
The next day.
As soon as the sky grew bright, the news reached the Cool Breeze Courtyard.
At that moment, Lou Yunli was sitting gracefully before her dressing table, combing her hair in the mirror.
The bronze mirror reflected her jade-like, flawless side profile.
She planned to take a trip to the medical pavilion to check if Mu Guanchun’s morning herbal medicine was ready.
Even me, she won’t see? Lou Yunli paused while drawing her eyebrows.
She won’t see you, Liu Qiu said, meticulously combing her hair with a jade comb. I heard it from the cleaning old women in our courtyard this morning.
The old women in each courtyard had the loosest lips, so naturally, their news was the fastest. Forget matters inside the estate; they found out about affairs outside the estate the quickest, too.
Otherwise, how would she dare come and chatter in front of Lou Yunli?
Is she avoiding me?
Lou Yunli thought to herself.
Is there any other news?
The Prince is leaving the estate today to visit the Mangmang Tower, Liu Qiu lowered her neck and whispered.
I recall that this is a brothel?
Liu Qiu let out a string of meaningful Tsk, tsk, tsk sounds.
Lou Yunli bit her lower lip hard.
After thinking for a moment, she made up her mind.
You go to the Duke of Yong’s Manor and invite Sister Qitang to come to the estate to meet with me.
Good deeds stay at home, while bad news travels a thousand miles.
After doing the rounds in the Cool Breeze Courtyard, the news that Prince Fu had closed the estate and refused to step out blew into the inner palace with the biting cold wind, then howled into the mansions of civil and military officials. By the time it reached the homes of tens of thousands of commoners, the flavor had completely changed, transforming into: Prince Fu is gravely ill and incurable, lingering on her sickbed, and will kick the bucket in less than a month.
Empress Dowager sent her trusted confidante, Nanny Fang, to make an earnest visit.
Mu Guanchun put on an appearance of frailty, crooked her jade crown, and staggered out to receive her. After a few words of idle chatter, she looked Nanny Fang up and down: Coming empty-handed?
It made the poor woman rather embarrassed.
Nanny Fang’s expression was awkward; she had no old face left to stay, so she bashfully bid her farewell. But at noon, the person came back again, bringing countless rare treasures and precious medicinal herbs.
Blood amber, Tian Shan snow lotus, donkey-hide gelatin, deer velvet, tiger bones, and tiger whips… packed into ten large crates.
Mu Guanchun unfolded the gift list and checked them one by one.
Satisfied, quite satisfied.
Nanny Fang respectfully said, These are all fine treasures from the Empress Dowager’s private treasury. The Empress Dowager is deeply concerned for the Prince; please take good care of your health, as the peace of the nation still relies upon you.
Emotions brewed in Mu Guanchun’s brow as she tried her best to look moved.
The realm had just been pacified, the national treasury was empty, and the commoners outside the capital often went hungry. Her own estate’s treasury was also very empty, and what she had wanted was to snatch some treasures from Empress Mei.
Yet she couldn’t go too far either; after all, for thousands of years, almost no regent prince ever came to a good end.
Mu Guanchun had always viewed fame and wealth as floating clouds, and she had no original intentions for the imperial throne either. However, according to the storybooks, the young emperor and the Empress Dowager would eventually take her life in the future.
Since it had come to this, she might as well fight for it.
As long as the world carried the surname Mu.
Anyone could sit on the imperial throne.
Not to mention that this realm was protected by her in the first place.
Mu Guanchun politely replied, Troublesome for Nanny; be sure to express my thanks to the Empress Dowager.
After sending away this fawning Nanny Fang, she picked a few prized treasures, ordered Little Xiangzi to make a trip to the pawnshop to exchange them for silver, and immediately returned to the Canglan Courtyard. There, inside her bedchamber, she enjoyed her breakfast while studying The Biography of the Scumbag Female Husband.
Little Xiangzi went and returned swiftly, presenting the silver notes he had exchanged, a total of fifteen thousand taels.
Serving at her side, he used a small stove to heat a pot of Shaozhou carved wine, poured a cup, and handed it to her side: Prince, the warm sedan chair for the outing has been prepared.
A moment later, a green-cloth warm sedan chair was lifted from the back door of Prince Fu’s manor, and shortly after, it stopped outside the Mangmang Tower.
This was a newly opened brothel in Huanjing City this year.
Though called a brothel, its business scope was quite broad; it was said to feature storytelling, shadow puppetry, gambling, and fine wine… once night fell, it was even livelier than a bustling marketplace.
Its business had been exceptionally prosperous since opening day, serving as a prime spot for aristocratic youths to soothe their sorrows and amuse themselves, truly worthy of making ten thousand taels a day.
Mu Guanchun was dressed in a dark green round-collared long robe with complex embroidery winding across her chest, wide sleeves outlined with a circle of gold thread, powder-soled leather boots, and a white jade crown.
Stepping out of the sedan, the whole person shimmered with golden light.
The courtesans welcoming guests at the entrance recognized her as a god of wealth and swarmed forward, offering enthusiastic service.
Little Xiangzi and the bodyguards had all changed into casual clothes. Seeing her swallowed up by the sea of beauties, they hurriedly mustered the courage of snatching food from a tiger’s mouth to rescue her and escort her deep into the Mangmang Tower.
Mu Guanchun wiped the hot sweat from her forehead, then touched the scar on her left temple to make sure it hadn’t split open, though she often dressed as a man, she always had a reputation for vanity.
She muttered, There are way too many women here.
The owner of the Mangmang Tower was no ordinary person; it was Deng Qi, the commander and head eunuch of the Eastern Depot.
On the surface, the Mangmang Tower was a brothel, but in reality, it was the gathering place for all of Deng Qi’s dirty money, where it was washed completely clean before falling into his own pockets.
Yu Qingxiao’s status was extraordinary, and as a young maiden, being able to live in this place meant she definitely had some connection with Deng Qi.
Unfortunately, The Biography of the Scumbag Female Husband was incomplete, missing a dozen pages here and there; otherwise, Mu Guanchun wouldn’t be so unclear about their relationship.
Little Xiangzi led Mu Guanchun upstairs.
Third floor.
Heaven-tier private room.
With Mu Guanchun’s tacit permission, Little Xiangzi gave a short kick and broke the door open with a very villainous posture, rudely interrupting the singing, dancing, and stringed melodies inside the room.
Yu Qingxiao, who was sitting quietly by the wine table and immersed in the appreciation of art:
Fair is fair, after changing back into a skirt, she looked even more exquisitely striking.
Yet Mu Guanchun looked at her with horizontal discontent and vertical discontent.
Prince Fu? Yu Qingxiao said in surprise.
The bodyguards swarmed forward, tightly surrounding her and pressing her back down into her seat when she tried to stand up.
Irrelevant personnel, get out immediately. Little Xiangzi fanned his hand, and the singers and zither-playing maidens fled as if their bottoms were on fire.
Prince, what is the meaning of this? Yu Qingxiao was full of confusion.
Mu Guanchun calmly took a seat opposite her, picked up a clean wine cup, filled it to the brim, and threw her head back to drain it in one gulp. A drop of residual wine meandered down the corner of her lips, grazed her porcelain-white neck, and disappeared into her collar.
A faint smile always lingered at the corners of her lips.
Since they came with bad intentions, Yu Qingxiao steadied herself, kept quiet, and waited for the rest.
Mu Guanchun put down the wine cup, pulled out a thick stack of silver notes, and slammed them onto the wine table: Here are five thousand taels. Leave my Li’li.
Ha!?
Yu Qingxiao: Completely dumbfounded.
Little Xiangzi and all the bodyguards were equally dumbfounded.
They looked at Yu Qingxiao, unable to understand when this gorgeous and radiant young lady had… hooked up with the Imperial Princess?
Seeing that Yu Qingxiao had no reaction, Mu Guanchun pulled out another stack of silver notes and slapped them onto the wine table: I’ll add another ten thousand.
Yu Qingxiao: Even more dumbfounded.
Mu Guanchun let out a cold, mocking scoff, leaning back into her chair: Not enough? Name your price then.
Prince, this commoner does not understand your meaning? Yu Qingxiao twitched her ears imperceptibly.
Mu Guanchun narrowed her eyes, seeing that she wanted to use mind-reading, and chanted internally,
Because this Prince likes you.
Unable to watch the two of you being sweet.
Yu Qingxiao: Pupils shook violently!
At the same time.
Outside the Mangmang Tower, two snow-white dragon horses tossed their heads and snorted, steadily holding their four hooves as the spacious carriage they pulled came to a halt.
Liu Qiu jumped down and fetched the footstool, placing it securely.
Shen Qitang was the most impatient, lifting the carriage curtain and poking her head out first.
Slow down, Sister, Lou Yunli said softly.
Shen Qitang’s father and brothers were quite extraordinary, iron-blooded and fierce men whose footprints reached north to the peak of the Tianshan Mountains and south to the dangerous passes of Yunzhou.
Although Shen Qitang had never been to the battlefield, she had traveled far and wide with them since childhood and had seen every kind of scene imaginable.
The women at the door saw that they were two female guests and wondered if they had walked into the wrong place. They didn’t swarm over to make a fuss, only glancing coldly.
One of them spoke with sarcastic insinuation: This place isn’t somewhere you two should come.
Shen Qitang had martial arts skills to rely on and feared nothing in heaven or earth. She patted her chest and said to Lou Yunli, You must follow closely behind me and don’t get lost.
The interior was as full of hidden wonders as the rumors said; not only was it spacious and imposing, but it even had several winding, intersecting streams of water.
Bright red lanterns hung high, and the air was filled with a thick aroma of wine and various cosmetic powders.
Shen Qitang’s eyes were dazzled, the corners of her mouth split all the way to her ears, calling it interesting and exceptionally fun. She then said, Look at the women here, their figures and that delicate charm of theirs. You should study them, or else I’ll have to wait until the Year of the Monkey to drink the wedding wine between you and Prince Fu.
Study them?
Her words were as unbridled as ever.
Lou Yunli listened helplessly, beckoning over an elderly hall attendant. Ignoring his strange look, she gave him a tip and asked him: Have you received any distinguished guests today?
The old attendant could no longer care about wondering why there were female guests in this place. He bowed his waist enthusiastically: Those who come to our Mangmang Tower are all either wealthy or noble.
Lou Yunli made it more specific: She always wears a smile. At first glance she looks very amiable, but actually she’s very hard to deal with.
The old attendant immediately jerked his chin toward the third floor: Heaven-tier private room.
Lou Yunli raised her eyes and immediately spotted two male guards standing squarely at the entrance of the third-floor staircase.
She recognized at once that they were Mu Guanchun’s accompanying bodyguards.
The two bodyguards naturally recognized Lou Yunli as well, instantly dropping their jaws so hard they almost hit their feet.
Oh my good goodness.
The Princess is visiting a brothel.
Lou Yunli lifted her skirt and scurried up the stairs step by step, asking with rising anger, Is the Millennium Inspector inside?
Bodyguard No. 1: She is.
Bodyguard No. 2: She isn’t.
Lou Yunli flicked her sleeves, This Palace will search for her personally.
You mustn’t, Princess! Absolutely not. The two bodyguards rushed over to block her path.
Why must I not?
Remembering the previous ambiguous rumors between Lou Yunli and Prince Fu, the bodyguard stammered out of speechlessness: The Prince… she… she… there is someone inside her room…
A cold look appeared in Lou Yunli’s eyes. In a place like this, what kind of person could possibly be in Mu Guanchun’s room?
Move aside!