Luzhou-Mond - Kapitel 104
I had just sat down when I quickly stood up again: "I dare not accept such praise." I saw Gan Lin twitch the corner of his mouth. I glared back at him and then looked at Shen Zexuan, begging Your Highness not to bring this up again. Because of this, Shen Haoyu already dislikes me a lot, and life is not easy for me.
Just then, Shen Haoyu's voice rang out again, completely out of place: "How can a mere servant of the Prince Qing's mansion be worthy of being Third Brother's teacher?" I almost fainted; it really was exactly what I feared.
"Yu, you can't say that. Anyone with expertise can be a teacher," Shen Zexuan said calmly. Finally, he said something sensible, capturing the essence of Han Yu's "On Teachers." But please, let's not discuss my issues.
Shen Haoyu gave me a cold look: "Mo Huaien, did the Prince Qing's Mansion teach you to disregard hierarchy and sit with princes and grandsons of the emperor?"
It had been a long time since I'd been called by my full name, so I quickly stood up from the stool. Gan Lin glanced at Shen Haoyu, then stood up without making a sound, her posture much more graceful than mine.
Shen Zexuan suddenly said, "It was this prince who asked her to sit with us. Does Prince Qing have any complaints?" Oh no, the tension is getting stronger and stronger. I looked around and realized that there were only a few of us. Shen Haoyu didn't have a single follower.
"If that's the case, then please make yourself at home, Third Prince," Shen Haoyu said coldly. "However, Mo Huaien doesn't know the rules, so we'll have to find someone to teach her properly later."
Shen Zexuan stood up from the stool and walked step by step to Shen Haoyu: "Shen Haoyu, what exactly do you intend to do?"
Shen Haoyu slightly shifted his steps and looked directly at Shen Zexuan: "It's just a family matter of the Prince Qing's residence, and it has nothing to do with Your Highness."
“You…” Shen Zexuan angrily pointed at Shen Haoyu, only uttering the word “you” before turning away. Shen Haoyu’s cool voice came: “Mo Huaien asked Zhao Ming to take thirty strokes of the cane, the crime being to sow discord among members of the royal family.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Zexuan turned back: "Shen Haoyu, don't go too far!"
Shen Haoyu looked at Shen Zexuan provocatively. Seeing that the two of them were about to start fighting, I couldn't help but shout, "Enough, my lords! If you want to fight, why do you always have to drag me into it?" The two of them did start fighting after all. I looked at them angrily, not knowing what to do. Gan Lin, on the other hand, was relaxed, crossing his arms and watching with a smug look on his face.
This was the first time I had seen Shen Zexuan fight. His movements were graceful and beautiful. Perhaps the two of them were of similar skill, but Shen Zexuan's clothes were too loose, making it inconvenient for him to move around. Seeing that Shen Haoyu was about to strike Shen Zexuan and he couldn't dodge, I rushed over without thinking. If Shen Zexuan were injured here, the emperor would probably not allow me to live another day.
Shen Haoyu landed a palm on my shoulder. It turned out he used so much force to hit Shen Zexuan. I winced in pain. Shen Zexuan quickly took me and jumped to the side.
Shen Haoyu withdrew his hand, glanced at it, and looked at me with a mixture of shock and anger: "You actually chose him? Who is it in your heart? Is it the Third Prince? Or him?" He then pointed at Gan Lin.
I glared angrily at Shen Haoyu. Yes, I had feelings for Shen Zexuan, but that was impossible now. Gan Lin was my friend, how could he say such a thing and make things awkward between us in the future? So I yelled at Shen Haoyu, "No matter who it is, it's not like they're trying to climb up to you, Prince Qing!" You keep calling yourself a servant of the Prince Qing's mansion. Yes, I sold myself to the Prince Qing's mansion, but I still have my dignity. You, Shen Haoyu, have an eccentric personality. I've tolerated you again and again because you're an old-fashioned person, but now I can't tolerate it anymore!
Shen Haoyu's body trembled slightly, and it took him a long time to say, "You...you get out!"
I smiled slightly at Shen Haoyu: "I wonder where Your Highness wants me to go?"
"Get out of here, get as far away as possible!" Shen Haoyu practically roared.
Wrinkling my nose, I broke free from Shen Zexuan's support, endured the pain in my shoulder, and strode out of the garden. Gan Lin immediately chased after me. Shen Zexuan looked at me, then at Shen Haoyu, and finally also left.
Outside the garden, Zinuo and the others were waiting anxiously. When they saw me clutching my shoulder, Zinuo rushed over and asked, "Sister, what's wrong?"
I shook my head and said, "It's okay, come with me, let's pack our things."
Back in my room, I grabbed a change of clothes and told Zinuo to go back and pack some things too. He was the one who told me to get as far away as possible; I never want to be caught in the middle again! Since Zinuo didn't sign any contract of servitude, there's nothing more to say about him leaving.
He glanced around the room and realized how poor he really was; everything he had was given to him by others. He gave a self-deprecating laugh and then, along with Zi Nuo and Gan Lin, used their light-footed skills to leave the mansion.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 088
Chapter word count: 3881 Update time: 09-08-28 08:11
Upon arriving at the streets of Shizhou City, Ganlin took me to a clinic to examine my shoulder injury. The female physician touched it, and my shoulder burned with pain. Turning my head, I saw a large bruise. Ganlin and Zinuo were in the outer room. The female physician applied a hot towel to my shoulder and then a thin layer of ointment, which felt cool and soothing, and the pain seemed to lessen somewhat.
After getting dressed and taking the ointment prescribed by the doctor, I went out with Gan Lin and Zinuo. Zinuo didn't ask me anything; with such a commotion in the garden, she probably heard everything she shouldn't have.
Once they reached the main street, Gan Lin asked, "Where are we going?"
Naturally, they wanted to head to a place farther from the battlefield. Thinking about the cities they had passed through, Qingzhou seemed the most comfortable place to stay, so they said, "Let's go to Qingzhou first." They had said they would visit Youlan, and perhaps this would be an opportunity.
We didn't want others to know our whereabouts. Now that we're separated from Shen Haoyu, we don't know if those who wanted me dead are still after me. It's best to be careful. We secretly climbed over the city wall and left the city after dark. Most of the guards were at the north gate, so the south gate was much less guarded.
Traveling at night is a great option; there's moonlight and it's cool. Afraid of being followed, I asked Ganlin, "If someone is following or monitoring us, can you sense it and shake them off? I don't want anyone to know where I'm going." I just want to steal a few days of relaxation and joy with my closest loved ones.
Gan Lin nodded: "If I don't want to be discovered, I can still manage it." With an expert like Gan Lin by my side, I truly felt at ease.
Zinuo remained silent the whole way, so I couldn't help but ask, "Zinuo, did your sister take you away from the young prince?" Zinuo insisted on coming to the Northwest to repay Shen Haoyu for saving her life, but now, I've taken her away.
Zinuo shook his head: "He hurt my sister, so he's nothing to me now." This child... I felt a little helpless, but more than that, I was touched and delighted. It seems that I hold a higher place in his heart than anything else.
They rushed to Qingzhou City overnight, found a place to stay until dawn, took a nap, and then, with Gan Lin's help, changed their appearance (it turns out that assassins also know how to disguise themselves). Although they didn't completely transform into a different person like Nightingale, they were still unrecognizable for a while.
After going out onto the street and having something to eat, I saw that it was still early and there weren't many people around, so I wandered around for a while. To be honest, I had been in Qingzhou City for quite some time but hadn't been anywhere, so I didn't even know the name Youlan back then.
While strolling around town, I inquired about Youlan. Zinuo was quite displeased, so I had to lecture him again: "You can't look down on courtesans. If they had a choice, I doubt any girl would willingly choose to be one." I had told him when he was little to respect everyone, but he had excluded women like her.
"But sister can't go to a place like that!" Zinuo took a step back, but still refused to listen.
I said helplessly, "It's just visiting a friend. Didn't she save the young prince and the third prince before? Just treat her like a pretty older sister, and don't think about anything else." Is it my failure in educating her, or are feudal ideas really that deeply ingrained in the people who grew up here?
Gan Lin, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, letting me do as I pleased. Perhaps he simply shared my feelings; after all, his past identity must have been fraught with unavoidable hardships.
You wouldn't know unless you asked, and what you found out was astonishing. It turns out Youlan is still so amazing. It's said that although she is the top courtesan of Zuiyan Pavilion, she doesn't live there. Instead, she has another place to stay and only goes to Zuiyan Pavilion every other day to play the zither, sing songs, drink tea, and chat with people. She doesn't even drink alcohol.
Hearing that Youlan had another residence, I couldn't help but think of that vast, nameless lake. I had a feeling that her residence might be by that lake, otherwise it would be hard to explain why she appeared on the lake so early.
In the evening, the three of us tidied up a bit and went to Zuiyan Pavilion. Today was Youlan's workday, so naturally I had to go to Zuiyan Pavilion to find her.
Although it had just experienced war, brothels seemed to be an industry that would never decline; as long as men lived, they would exist in the world in various forms. This alley, known to the city's residents as "Rouge Street," was the legendary red-light district. A dozen or so brothels of all sizes lined the street, and at this moment, they were bustling with people, their clothes fragrant, their hair flowing, and their skirts fluttering in the wind.
Finding the large, golden signboard of Zuiyan Pavilion, the three of us stepped onto the stone steps. The pimp standing at the entrance immediately came to greet us, but seeing our ordinary clothes, his face immediately turned cold: "The minimum charge for Zuiyan Pavilion is ten taels of silver per person." Ten taels of silver was indeed a lot; it was my monthly salary for four months at the Prince Qing's mansion.
"We're here to see Miss Youlan," I said. Although I don't mind spending money, I don't have that much money to spend.
The pimp sneered, "Miss Youlan, it'll cost at least fifty taels of silver. Not everyone can find Miss Youlan."
Before I knew it, Gan Lin had pulled out a large silver ingot and was holding it in his palm. I didn't know how much money Gan Lin had, but I felt that his money must have been earned with his life, and besides, it didn't require spending much money. So I pushed Gan Lin's hand back, and the pimp's eyes, which had been shining, quickly dimmed again.
"Please go in and ask first. They say an old friend from Youlan has a song for you, and they don't know if you'd like to see him." Saying this, he placed a piece of silver in the pimp's hand, and only then did the pimp reluctantly go in. He was reluctant, but I was the one who felt the pinch!