"I took care of some errands while I had some free time. I just got back."
"So late?"
"It's easier to get things done at night." Ye Qinghua leaned against the railing, looking languid, her eyes half-closed as she glanced back at the garden. She said casually, "Where's Situ Qingliu... a dignified prince, and handsome too, not bad at all."
"Um?"
She turned back to look at Hua Chongyang, still nonchalant:
"I said, Situ Qingliu isn't bad either. But he has a fiancée—though he doesn't like her, and Bo Jiang probably doesn't like him either, so it doesn't really matter."
"...Qinghua, have you had too much to drink?"
"Drink my ass! Do you think I'm like you?" Ye Qinghua rolled her eyes at Hua Chongyang, straightened up, and said, "Since you're sincere and not a smooth talker, you're worthy of entrusting your life to. Aren't you going to consider it?"
"Ye Qinghua, are you crazy?" Hua Chongyang sneered. "Even if we put aside the worst-case scenario—even if he were good, even if I were willing—don't forget his fiancée, Bo Jiang. Don't you know how irreconcilable Bo Jiang and I are?"
To this day, she feels nauseous at the mere mention of Bo Jiang's name; what she saw on the pleasure boat is something she doesn't even want to think about.
"That's what worries me. Although Lan Wuxie's intention to make an example of someone and she's gone to great lengths," Ye Qinghua raised an eyebrow, her eyes lowered thoughtfully, "Bo Jiang is too ruthless. If it really comes down to a fight, even though your martial arts are good, you might not be her match right now. And she sees you as a thorn in her side. If you really get involved with Situ Qingliu—"
Hua Chongyang's lips twitched, and he turned to go back to his room: "Fantasize all you want. It has nothing to do with me anyway."
"Then we might as well just get rid of Bo Jiang," Ye Qinghua muttered to herself. "Only without her can I feel at ease."
Hua Chongyang paused, turned around, and glared at Ye Qinghua:
"What? Blue and white porcelain, what did you just say?"
"It's nothing." Ye Qinghua suddenly looked up, a sly smile playing on her lips. "It's just that an hour ago, I accidentally overheard Situ Qingliu confessing his feelings to you in the Pear Blossom Courtyard. To be honest, I heard it from beginning to end, and I think Situ Qingliu is a fairly reliable person."
"……"
"Also, I just went out and heard that the Martial Alliance rescued Lan Xiang from the pleasure boat." Ye Qinghua gracefully walked to the door, pushed it open, and glanced back at Hua Chongyang. "No wonder Lan Wuxie didn't find you until then this morning. She was probably entangled with the Martial Alliance people on the pleasure boat for quite some time."
44. Brothel...
Ye Qinghua leaned against the doorway and said again:
"Lake Moon Manor is recruiting renowned doctors from all over the country. Do you know why?"
"Who got injured again?"
"Seriously injured? What a joke." Ye Qinghua sneered. "If Lan Wuxie wants to make a move, he'll kill. It's not as simple as just seriously injuring someone."
"Why is that?"
Ye Qinghua paused for a moment before saying:
"Do you remember that time on the pleasure boat, when Seventh Brother opened the door and went out, he started throwing up?"
Hua Chongyang was taken aback at first, then a chill ran through him.
"It's just what you think," Ye Qinghua lowered her voice. "I heard that several of the female warriors who went up to the pleasure boat were so frightened by Lanxiang's appearance that they cried at first sight."
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but close his eyes.
But what floated before her eyes was Lan Wuxie's gentle smile, his gentle eyes, and the way he looked at her, so pure and ethereal.
How many hearts must a person have to have such drastically different appearances?
"You," Ye Qinghua sighed softly, "please don't think about him anymore."
Hua Chongyang remained silent, stopping in front of the railing.
She couldn't hear what Ye Qinghua was saying, but she subconsciously wondered if Lan Wuxie was injured again.
How could his methods be so cruel?
However, his injury from last time has not fully healed yet, and he still coughs badly when he catches a cold occasionally.
Given his personality, he would never show weakness in front of others.
She couldn't help but sigh.
Before me stretched the vast city of Hangzhou, enveloped in a warm, soft spring breeze carrying the scents of peaches and plums, its surface glowing a deep red in the night; tiny fireflies glided past the lights, sparkling like starlight.
Everyone says, "Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou." But if you haven't experienced it, you can only think of it as a tranquil place of everyday life.
Ye Qinghua was muttering something to herself at the door when she suddenly noticed Hua Chongyang leaning absentmindedly against the railing, lost in thought. She raised an eyebrow and exclaimed:
"Hua Chongyang!"
Hua Chongyang lazily turned his head to the side.
Her former spirited demeanor was gone; now, a faint melancholy lingered in her eyes. Ye Qinghua glanced at her and began her nagging again:
"Look at you, you look like you've been dead for eight hundred years and haven't been buried yet."
Hua Chongyang curled the corners of his lips but did not reply. After a long while, he said softly:
"Blue and white porcelain."
"I'm not dead yet. Don't call me that in that half-dead voice."
Hua Chongyang smiled again, gazing into the distance, his voice low and slow:
"This is the first time I've realized how beautiful Hangzhou truly is."
Ye Qinghua was taken aback.
Hua Chongyang remained silent.
A warm breeze lifted her long, dark hair, which was thicker than the night, along with her crimson dress. In the silence, Ye Qinghua sighed deeply:
"I know. It's just that she's thinking about that person again."
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat somber, and Ye Qinghua seemed to recall painful memories from the past.
Hua Chongyang noticed this and felt a pang of guilt. He turned around, intending to change the subject, when he saw Ye Qinghua stretch, yawn, and turn to leave.
"Thinking about it is pointless, it's all for nothing. The important thing is to wash up and go to bed."
She drifted in and out of sleep all night, and when she opened her eyes the next day it was almost noon. Hua Chongyang had just lazily finished dressing when Ye Qinghua strode in and yelled at her:
"Get up right now! I'm taking you for a walk today."
"Transfer what?"
"Transfer to Hangzhou."
"What's improved in Hangzhou? It's not like I don't know the way."
"Stop babbling! I'm busy, I don't have time to waste with your nonsense, hurry up!"
"Oh, right," Hua Chongyang slapped his forehead, "Last night, Prince Situ said he had something to ask you."
"What did you say?"
Hua Chongyang raised an eyebrow:
"It seems to be related to that other phoenix-wing hairpin you gave me at the Heroes' Banquet. What...what's its origin?"
Ye Qinghua frowned, lowered her head in thought, then raised her head again and flicked her hand:
"We'll talk about it when we get back! Business is more important."
So after eating something rather haphazardly, Hua Chongyang was dragged out onto the street by Ye Qinghua.
But the more Hua Chongyang walked, the more he felt something was wrong.
Anyang Street is the busiest street in Hangzhou, but its "busiest" status is limited to areas outside Sanli Lane. If Sanli Lane is included, then the busiest street in Hangzhou can only be Sanli Lane. Sanli Lane, as the name suggests, is three li long and is filled with alleys of all sizes. The alleys are a melting pot of all sorts of people, with brothels being the most common, followed by gambling dens.
Compared to brothels, the brothels in Sanli Lane are the real brothels; the gambling dens in Sanli Lane are the real underworld.
Half surprised and half suspicious, Hua Chongyang followed Ye Qinghua into the street corner, where they saw a gambling den. Even during the day, it was bustling and noisy inside, with two or three thugs leaning lazily against the wall at the door.
Ye Qinghua didn't care at all and walked inside.
Hua Chongyang grabbed her:
"This kind of place--"
The place is a mixed bag; even if they have martial arts skills, it would be too reckless for two women to go in.
But Ye Qinghua raised an eyebrow and slapped Kai Chongyang's hand away: "You're hopeless!"
She turned and tried to walk inside, but was stopped by thugs at the door before she even entered.
"Hey, girl, women aren't allowed in here."
Ye Qinghua crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and lazily lifted her head:
"No women allowed in? Other women aren't allowed in, but does that mean even your boss and young boss aren't allowed in? I think you're completely blind!"
Hua Chongyang was taken aback.
Before I could even react, a familiar figure emerged from the gambling den.
"...Liu Da?"
She cried out.
How could Liu Da, the most beautiful of the twelve courtesans, be here?
But the tall, burly Liu, with a pockmarked face, greeted them with a smile, then raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hua Chongyang:
"Still haven't figured it out?"
Hua Chongyang suddenly realized as if waking from a dream: "So... this is what brothels do?"
"Watch this carefully with me today. From now on, this is all yours."
After saying that, Ye Qinghua walked inside without looking back.
A brothel had three branches: a gambling den, a cloth shop, and an inn; five or six people managed these within the twelve brothels. Hua Chongyang finally understood why brothels always had such excellent information networks. The gambling den, cloth shop, and inn were all places where information about the martial arts world gathered; finding out anything was incredibly easy.
"Seventh Sister usually takes care of all this for me; if you have any questions in the future, just ask her."
After leaving the inn, Ye Qinghua told Hua Chongyang this.
Hua Chongyang thought about it and suddenly felt something was wrong: "Why are you suddenly telling me all this?"
Ye Qinghua rolled her eyes and turned around: "Didn't Seventh Brother tell you I was going to hand over the brothel to you?"
"I did say that... but that's many years from now. Besides, I might not even be able to—"
"Stop talking nonsense and get to work; I've had enough of this work over the years, it's time to get a donkey to pull these millstones."