Who else could you love besides me

Chapter 14

Upon seeing this, Xi Ri sneered. This Prince Ming Lu thought himself to be unrestrained and dashing, but in reality, he was a dissolute, arrogant, and self-centered man.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she couldn't marry such a person. She had to think of a way to make him refuse the marriage himself. Since the emperor favored him so much, it would be safer for him to take the blame.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. The information says that Minglu often goes to the Shili Xiang Opera House in the capital after dinner to listen to the famous actress Xiao Xiangmei sing. Seeing is believing, so she wants to meet this Prince Minglu in person and see for herself who he really is.

Not long after dinner, a small door on one side of the Tian residence was quietly opened, and a tall and exceptionally handsome young man emerged gracefully, gently waving a folding fan as he headed east. Along the way, such a handsome young man inevitably attracted the attention of many.

Summer days are long, and it was still bright outside. The streets were bustling with people. It had been more than half a year since she left Beijing, and this was the first time she had gone out since returning. The capital hadn't changed much, but it felt so familiar that she missed it.

As we strolled around, when Xiri arrived at Shixianglou, it was almost completely full.

Seeing that Xi Ri was dressed in extraordinary clothes, the waiter at the theater did not dare to neglect her and led her up to the second floor. Because she arrived a little late, Xi Ri had to sit in a more secluded spot on the second floor, but she did not care much. Looking down, she saw many people sitting on the first floor of the hall. Among them were several young men dressed in fine clothes and jade belts. They sat together, enjoying tea and music, looking very carefree.

Among the crowd, one person stood out the most. His presence was immediately noticeable. He leaned lazily against a red lacquered wooden chair, his eyebrows slightly raised as he gazed at the stage. From where Xi Ri was, only his profile could be seen, but his straight nose, slightly upturned eyebrows, and eyes that seemed to be slightly squinting were visible. Although he was sitting, he exuded an innate wildness.

At this moment, no one knew what the young master sitting next to him said, but everyone present smiled. He also tilted his head slightly and smiled, his phoenix eyes possessing a captivating charm. This person was none other than Prince Minglu.

As the opera singer reached the climax of her performance, cheers erupted from the hall. The audience threw some loose silver coins onto the stage. At the same time, Minglu and the other young masters also threw silver coins, which drew several ambiguous glances from the opera singer, Xiaoxiangmei.

Xi Ri had never been to a theater before. Seeing others throw silver coins, she assumed everyone had to do it here. She pulled out a silver ingot, the smallest one she had, since she hadn't brought any loose change. Without thinking much, she tossed it down. But when the ingot hit the stage with a loud thud, it was unusually clear, drawing everyone's attention. Even Xiao Xiangmei looked at her. Xi Ri realized she had thrown a larger ingot than everyone else; no wonder everyone was staring at her, and even Xiao Xiangmei… well… she was giving her a flirtatious look. Luckily, she was in a secluded spot, so people just assumed she was a rich but arrogant young master and didn't pay much attention. Ming Lu didn't look up either, but the young men beside him glanced at her a few times, seemingly saying something.

…………

Xi Ri had no interest in listening to the play; she was only focused on observing Ming Lu's every move. However, fearing that she might reveal too much, she only dared to glance at him occasionally.

The play is almost over. Apart from seeing Minglu in person, there seems to be no other gain today. Everyone says he likes Xiaoxiangmei, but according to her observation, there doesn't seem to be anything excessive. People say Minglu is a womanizer, and his flirting with Xiaoxiangmei is nothing special.

Next, she had to find an opportunity to get close to him. On the one hand, she could learn more about him, and on the other hand, only by getting close to him could she give him some 'advice' at the right time. As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

But how can I get close to him?

Ming Lu is no ordinary person; firstly, he is of noble birth, and secondly, he is arrogant. Getting close to him is difficult, and achieving a natural and effortless approach is even more difficult. But now, she can only try her luck.

At this moment, the crowd started throwing silver coins onto the stage again. She timed it perfectly and threw hers onto the stage one after the other with Minglu. With another clatter, the silver coin she threw was twice the size of the one Minglu threw. This time, she finally caught Minglu's attention. She lightly waved her folding fan and pretended to be engrossed in the opera. As expected, she received a flirtatious glance from Xiaoxiangmei and naturally returned it. Right in front of Minglu, she exchanged glances with Xiaoxiangmei.

After listening to this performance, it's clear that Xiri suffered considerable losses, but whether it will attract Minglu's attention remains to be seen.

When the play ended and everyone left, Xi Ri saw Ming Lu and his group about to leave the theater, so she went downstairs as well. But as soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she was stopped by a waiter who said, "Young master, Xiao Xiangmei invites you to the back hall for a chat."

Just then, Minglu and his group arrived at the stairwell. Hearing Xiao Er's words, they all looked at Xiri with smirks.

One of the young men said, "How is he? Isn't this young man handsome? From afar, he already seemed to have red lips, white teeth, and clear eyes. Now that we've seen him up close, he's probably even more handsome than Yingying."

"Yeah, what a pity. He's a man. Look at his Adam's apple. Tsk, if it weren't for that feature, I would really think he was a woman dressed as a man."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

These men were clearly prominent young masters from well-known families in the capital, and their words were even more unrestrained.

Looking at Minglu again, she saw him smiling faintly, seemingly lost in thought.

Her actions just now undoubtedly stole the limelight from Minglu and the other young masters, which displeased them, and they spoke with sarcasm and ridicule.

Xi Ri didn't mind at all, and immediately clasped his hands and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, you are too modest. This is my first time in the capital, and I am unfamiliar with the place. If I have offended you just now, please forgive me." Xi Ri deliberately spoke with a Suzhou accent.

The young men, unsuspecting, probably because Xi Ri was well-dressed and had a handsome face that made a good impression, let the matter drop. One of them laughed and said, "So you're from out of town. No wonder you don't recognize us." He then smiled at the others.

Minglu remained silent throughout, coldly observing their mutual flattery and polite exchanges.

The young men all had an exceptionally good impression of Xi Ri. Firstly, Xi Ri understood the usual conversational preferences of the young men in the capital and always said nice things, which was something Xi Ri was good at—saying the right thing to the right person to please them. Secondly, Xi Ri was truly beautiful; although she was dressed as a man, she was still pleasing to the eye even among men. Thirdly, perhaps because Xi Ri was born a woman, she inexplicably had a good rapport with men.

So these young men unconsciously started talking to her more.

After a few polite exchanges, they naturally became somewhat familiar with each other.

Xi Ri laughed and said, "Brothers, it's not very convenient to talk here. I'm new to the capital and a country bumpkin. I'm unfamiliar with the place and the people. I was presumptuous and rude in front of you all just now. I apologize to you all here. To show my sincerity, I wonder if I could have the honor of inviting you all to a gathering today? I'll be the host, and you can choose the place. What do you say?"

Her bold attempt to curry favor was not without reason. These young masters of the capital loved to socialize and flaunt their status in front of outsiders. Seeing Xi Ri's enthusiasm and knowing she was from out of town, they assumed she wanted to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy, and thus didn't refuse. They readily agreed. Ming Lu, standing nearby, also didn't object.

I was secretly pleased that I could have the opportunity to meet Minglu today, which would naturally make us get to know each other better, and it wouldn't be difficult to visit him again to exchange visiting cards.

She regretfully declined Xiao Xiangmei's invitation that day, and a young man even laughed at her for neglecting the beauty's kindness. She laughed loudly and said, "Friends are like hands and feet, women are like clothes." This drew loud praise from everyone.

A group of five walked down the street. This group was truly eye-catching; not only were they all dressed in fine clothes and exuding the air of noble young men, but Xi Ri alone was enough to draw attention. Her handsomeness was extremely rare among northern men. Fortunately, she pretended to be from Jiangnan, which conveniently provided an explanation for her good looks. Everyone knew that men from Jiangnan were generally quite handsome and refined.

She was walking ahead with a young master named Nalan the other day. The two chatted and laughed all the way and got along very well. They even made an appointment for the young master Nalan to take her sightseeing in the capital the next day at noon.

Up until this point, everything seemed to be going quite smoothly.

But when they appeared in front of the Wan Hua Lou, Xi Ri finally couldn't help but turn pale.

They brought her to a brothel!

Why didn't she think of that? These people believed that the best place for entertainment was a brothel, not a restaurant.

For the first time in her life, she visited a brothel.

Moreover, she paid for her future husband to visit brothels, making her probably the first person in history to do so.

If one day this group of people finds out her true identity, oh my god! It's unimaginable.

But now she was in a bind, with no choice but to grit her teeth and go for it. Just as she stepped into the brothel with her head held high and a death wish in her heart, Minglu suddenly turned around and glanced at her. A strange smile flashed across his face, making Xiri's scalp tingle.

A bad feeling crept into her heart. Before she knew it, she tripped and fell over the low threshold, and the next second, she fell into Minglu's arms.

That's exactly what I wanted...

The main text is getting closer to the right path.