Chapter 50 Zhu Er

From the Huang family's residence, the melodious sounds of string and bamboo instruments drifted out of the flower hall, where several young women dressed in light gauze were swaying their graceful figures to the musicians' playing.

In the upper part of the flower hall, there was a long couch. Lying on the couch was a person, whose clothes were open, exposing his fleshy body to the air.

Beneath the couch, another beautiful woman in a green gauze dress gently and softly fed a red plum from a low table into the mouth of the man on the couch.

The man's small mustache jiggled as he chewed. Two pretty maids stood beside him, fanning him with feather fans.

Suddenly, a person walked in from outside the flower hall, hunched over. The person leaned close to the man and whispered a few words.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, Second Master is waiting outside now, do you see?"

"Let him in."

"yes!"

After receiving the order from the master, the man dismissed the musicians and girls and shouted outside, "Let them in!"

Zhu Er was allowed to pass by the guards at the gate. As he passed the women, one of them, a woman with a mole on her chin, glanced at him. Then, as she brushed past him, she lightly hooked her finger on his belt, and her hook-like eyes almost stole his soul.

However, these subtle movements happened in an instant and went unnoticed by others. Zhu Er couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile, raised an eyebrow at the woman, and licked his thick lips.

"That slut..."

The servant standing in front seemed not to have heard Zhu Er's mutterings clearly. He turned around and looked at Zhu Er with a slightly questioning look, asking, "What did you say, Second Master?"

"nothing."

The servant scratched his ear, thinking that he might have misheard.

"Oh, alright then, please go in. The master is waiting inside."

After saying that, Zhu Er nodded and walked into the flower hall.

"They're here."

Zhu Er's eyes swept over the woman in the green gauze dress under the couch, and his brows furrowed. Seeing that he remained silent, the man on the couch sat up slightly.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Zhu Er suddenly realized he hadn't been listening to the man. He hurriedly lowered his head and replied:

"I've been a bit tired lately, and I was a little distracted just now."

"Oh? I heard from Xiao Sanzi that you seemed to have stood up for someone yesterday?"

Hearing that Hou San seemed to have also complained about him, Zhu Er's brows furrowed even more deeply. Before he could speak, the woman in green gauze softly picked up where he left off.

"I have also heard about this matter. Second Master meant well, helping my parents find some face so that some outsiders would not humiliate my husband."

"Huh? Is that so?"

Zhu Er was somewhat surprised that this woman was speaking up for him today. But then he thought about it again and realized that it made sense. After all, she had offended both her own family and her own, so it was easier for her to please him than to please Hou San.

Thinking of this, Zhu Er's eyes darted around, and he decided to follow the woman's lead and say, "Yes, yesterday Aunt Zhang's family encountered some trouble and had nowhere to turn for help. I felt sorry for them, so I went to lend them a hand."

The woman in the green gauze dress, Zhang Yiniang, smiled gently, making no mention of Zhu Er's words that had embarrassed her parents the day before. She simply straightened up slightly and leaned against the man on the couch.

"Yes, my lord. But my parents are also confused. They just think that they can't let outsiders cause trouble in our Guqu Town. It seems that they have caused such an unpleasant situation for Third Master and Second Master."

These words made Zhu Er feel incredibly pleased! He nodded, quite satisfied with Aunt Zhang's words. Then, remembering the habits of the person on the bed, he immediately lowered his head, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Aunt Zhang, and said, "No, that's not true. To be honest, I'm ashamed to say that I wasn't able to help much yesterday. I'm truly ashamed to see you, my lord!"

The person on the couch slowly hummed and sat up. His bare feet touched the wooden floor, his flesh trembling slightly with each step. He strolled over to Zhu Er, one hand behind his back, the other stroking his mustache.

"Second brother, you've already had a falling out with third brother over such a small matter. Is it really necessary? You're not children anymore, yet you're acting like an adult."

"Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong this time. I didn't think things through before I acted. But..."

"Hmm? But what?"

The man noticed his pause and glanced at him sideways, waiting for him to continue. Zhu Er, on the other hand, glanced at Aunt Zhang, who was standing beside the bed, his expression clearly indicating that it was inconvenient for her to speak.

The man understood Zhu Er's meaning, snorted coldly, and said to Aunt Zhang, "You go back first. Don't stand here. There's no need for anyone to serve you here for now."

Upon hearing that the man wanted her to leave, Aunt Zhang's face immediately showed a hint of grievance, her expression full of unspoken words. However, she ultimately said nothing, and could only give a graceful bow before leaving.

"Now, can you speak?"

"Yes, that's right. What I was trying to say was that I've found Hou San to be a bit dishonest."

"Oh? What kind of dishonesty is it?"

When Zhu Er saw that the man had asked him, he looked around the flower hall with a serious expression, took two steps forward, leaned close to the man's ear and whispered, "Hou San and the Ji family are getting along too well. I suspect that the Ji family may be trying to bribe Hou San."

Upon hearing Zhu Er's words, the man burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha, what did you say? You're saying the Ji family might be trying to bribe Hou San?"

Zhu Er's face flushed slightly upon seeing the man's reaction. He hadn't expected this response, and his tone became somewhat embarrassed.

"Yes, yes. I didn't just make this up; I saw it with my own eyes!"

Zhu Er spoke with such earnestness, as if he had truly witnessed the Ji family bribing Hou San with his own eyes. The man became somewhat interested, stroked his mustache, and calmly asked, "Oh? Tell me, what did you see?"

"Yesterday, when I went to help the Zhang family, Hou San came with the Ji family's steward. When the party was over, the two of them were still talking with their arms around each other, and they even went to have a drink together in the end."

Do you know the family I helped the Zhang family find yesterday? That family's surname is Fan. They're not from around here, but for some reason, they've become very close to Lao San, and they've managed to get Lao San to help them on several occasions.

At first, I didn't understand what was going on. I thought the third brother had been bewitched, but guess what I saw this morning? That young lady from the Fan family, it turns out, is also getting very close to Ji Yushu from the Ji family! Based on those two things, I simply don't believe the Ji family hasn't done anything to Hou San.”

"Oh? Is that so?"

The man still seemed somewhat skeptical. Zhu Er frowned, feeling a bit annoyed. So, he gritted his teeth and gave the man another strong dose of advice: "Yes! Don't you even trust me? Besides, we're family, brother!"

(End of this chapter)