Сун Синчжи жил во времена правления императора Хуэйцзуна

Глава 15

Xi Ri was helped up by Ming Lu, and she was quite embarrassed. But when she looked up, she saw Ming Lu staring at her in a daze, seemingly lost in thought. She felt uneasy and wondered if she had given herself away.

Just then, Young Master Nalan came over to ask if she was alright, his words full of consideration and concern, which immediately made Xiri feel more favorably toward him. Xiri smiled and replied that she was fine. She then cupped her hands to Minglu and said, "Thank you for your help, Prince Ming."

They had just exchanged names; she used to call herself Li Yu, and they all called her Brother Yu.

Minglu seemed to have recovered his senses and said, "It was nothing, no need to thank me."

She smiled awkwardly, not knowing why, perhaps because Minglu was the man she was betrothed to, she always felt very uncomfortable in front of him.

Fortunately, at this moment, Young Master Nalan put his arm around her shoulder and invited her inside. He explained to her with great enthusiasm that all the girls in the Wan Hua Lou were beautiful and charming, especially the courtesan Su Yingying, who was so beautiful that even a thousand pieces of gold could not afford to see her. But today, Prince Ming had come, so she was fortunate enough to see the courtesan of the capital.

Xi Ri seized the opportunity to say, "Since Su Yingying is so beautiful, why doesn't Prince Ming take her as a concubine?"

Nalan smiled and said, "That's exactly what Minglu was thinking." Nalan and the others addressed each other by their given names. Because they were of similar age, shared similar interests, and were noble children who had grown up together, they had been close since childhood. Therefore, they omitted the title of "Prince" and were very casual with each other.

By this time, the other two had already entered, clearly eager to go.

One of them was Fu Jin, the fourth son of the Minister of Rites, whom everyone called Young Master Jin or Master Jin. The other was Xi En, the youngest son of the Commander of the Ministry of War, whom everyone called Young Master Xi or Master Xi. They were both young, around eighteen or nineteen years old, about the same age as Xi Ri. However, Xi Ri was shorter than them and had a handsome appearance, making him look like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. Therefore, he was called Yu Di (Younger Brother Yu). Xi Ri did not explain and simply called them elder brothers.

The group, led by a clever young girl, entered a private room on the second floor. As soon as they entered, they saw that delicacies had already been prepared on the table. It seemed that even if they hadn't brought her along, they would have already reserved a table here.

At this moment, a woman in her thirties came in and greeted everyone present with a deep bow. This woman was none other than Granny Wan, the madam of Wan Hua Lou.

It was her first time visiting a brothel, and she was naturally very curious. She carefully observed the madam of Wan Hua Lou, Granny Wan. She was quite different from what she had imagined.

She was flamboyant yet not vulgar; her every move exuded a mature charm; and her eyes were sharp and insightful, unlike those of a despicable person.

When Granny Wan's gaze fell upon Xiri, she paused slightly, her smiling eyes immediately revealing a look of amazement as if she had discovered a new continent. "Oh my, which family's young master is this? So handsome! I've never seen him before!"

Xi Ri chuckled awkwardly, about to speak, when Nalan Xuri chimed in, "He's from out of town, new to the capital. He's a little brother we just met. His surname is Li. Granny Wan, please don't make things difficult for him. Just find a new virgin to serve my little brother."

Fu Jin smiled and said, "Yes, Granny Wan, this young man we just met is young, but he is quite handsome and generous. You mustn't neglect him."

Xi En watched with a smile.

She looked embarrassed, but everyone seemed to really enjoy taking care of her.

Granny Wan smiled and agreed, but still glanced at Xiri a few more times, as if trying to discern something.

Looking back on the past with equanimity, there is nothing to fear.

Granny Wan's gaze swept from her Adam's apple to her ears, and then to her temples.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he gave Xi Ri a slight bow and said, "Young master is truly handsome. I have known countless people, but apart from one person, I have never seen such a handsome and elegant man."

These words drew everyone's attention to her, and for a moment, everyone in the room began to pay close attention to her again.

However, Xi Ri smiled calmly and remained composed, showing no emotion.

Her disguise skills were originally quite advanced, but this time she did not wear the troublesome human skin mask to conceal her true appearance.

On the one hand, human skin masks can damage the skin and should not be worn too often. On the other hand, she did not intend to deceive Minglu for too long this time. Some things had to be resolved quickly to prevent complications. Moreover, with the wedding date approaching, she had no more time to waste. In addition, not many people in the capital knew her except for a few close female relatives and her family.

Although she wasn't wearing a mask this time, other key features had been altered, making it difficult to recognize her. She had an Adam's apple, thicker eyebrows, and her ear piercings were gone; there was no clue anywhere to tell the difference. Furthermore, her voice had changed, so even someone who knew the original her might not be able to confirm that it was her.

Even if some people have doubts, they cannot be certain that she is Tian Xiri.

Within the Tian family mansion, everyone knew that the second young lady, Tian Xiri, spent her days reading and embroidering. Except for Tian Shuang and Tian Yong, no one knew that the real Tian Xiri had left the mansion, and that the one impersonating her was the maid, Tian Shuang. To the outside world, everyone knew that Tian Shuang had already left the capital to visit her hometown and wouldn't return for a month.

Furthermore, who would suspect that a lady from a prominent family would disguise herself as a man and even deceive Prince Minglu into not marrying her? No one could have imagined it.

Because in the eyes of the world, her marriage to Prince Minglu was already a great blessing, and she also relied on having an aunt, the Empress Dowager, to support her.

Therefore, they couldn't possibly suspect it was her.

However, her appearance has now become the focus of attention for these young men who love beautiful women, which is a big taboo. But if she didn't have such a beautiful appearance, she wouldn't have been able to attract the special attention of these noble young men at the theater.

Alas, looks can make or break a person.

At this moment, Minglu suddenly spoke up: "Granny Wan, go and call Yingying here. I suddenly want to know whether Yu Di is more handsome or Yingying is more charming."

Upon hearing this, Fu Jin immediately laughed and urged Granny Wan to hurry up.

Granny Wan smiled and nodded, then looked at Ming Lu and said intentionally, "Yingying heard that Prince Ming is coming today, and she's been preparing for it for a while now. She's asked several times already. I'll send someone to fetch him right away. Gentlemen, please wait a moment." After saying that, she went out to fetch someone.

Xi En said from the side, "Nalan, Yu Di, what are you two standing there for? The food and wine are getting cold."

Nalan smiled and yielded to Xiri, taking his seat with her.

She smiled faintly, but secretly wondered if the man Granny Wan had mentioned could be Long Ming. Her expression remained impassive. Seeing they were still watching her, she chuckled, "Granny Wan, you flatter me. Brothers, you don't know how much I've suffered because of this appearance. Please don't laugh at me, but with this face, I attract too much attention wherever I go. It's hard to be low-key, and I'm often mistaken for a woman. Even worse, some people think I'm gay! Sigh..."

What she said was quite interesting, and the group laughed together.

Minglu disagreed, saying, "People say that beautiful women bring trouble, but it's not necessarily a good thing for a man to be too handsome."

Fu Jin largely agreed with this statement.

Xi En, standing to the side, said, "Brother Yu is indeed too handsome. However, if he grows taller in a few years and goes to the army for training, he will develop some manly qualities." Xi En had a dark complexion, but his eyebrows were like bright stars. His thick eyebrows exuded a resolute aura, and he was imposing without being angry. He seemed to be someone who had joined the army.

Nalan said, "Forget it. It's not bad for you, with your rough skin and tough bones, to join the army. But Yu-di is so handsome and delicate. If he were to join the army, wouldn't you all tear him apart alive?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Xi Ri smiled and said, "It is my great honor to meet you all today. I would like to offer you a toast first, bottoms up." After saying that, he finished the wine in his cup.

Xi En said, "Alright! Although Brother Yu has a somewhat effeminate appearance, his behavior is very dashing and decisive, which is incomparable to those women. Appearance is something that cannot be forced, so why care too much? Let it go." After saying that, he also finished his drink.

The other three nodded, quite agreeing with Xi En's words.