Chapter 1265 The Brothel Where Lady Hou Stayed

This was Shu Yu's first time seeing a brothel in the Great Su Dynasty. Standing at the entrance of Piaoxiang Courtyard, watching the girls at the door dressed lightly in the cold weather, smiling as they greeted and saw off guests, she couldn't help but shiver.

Meng Yunzheng assumed she didn't like the occasion, so he said, "Let's go first. We don't necessarily have to go in. We can just ask around among the people nearby."

The madam of Piaoxiang Courtyard was a woman in her forties who still retained her charm. She managed the entire brothel in an orderly manner, and no one in the area was unaware of the name of Liu Ru.

But Liu Ru was just a madam; she wasn't the real owner. What they were looking for was someone with the authority to make decisions.

"There's no need to ask." Shu Yu saw that the girl inside had already reached out to pull her and Meng Yunzheng, so she quickly moved to the side.

The two huddled in a corner, watching the lively scene ahead.

Shu Yu suddenly said, "I felt that Piaoxiang Courtyard sounded familiar just now. Now I remember, Piaoxiang Courtyard is the brothel where Hou Shi used to stay."

Hou was originally a maidservant by the side of the top courtesan of Piaoxiang Courtyard. She was able to live peacefully because of the protection of the top courtesan. However, after she grew up, the madam took a liking to her and planned to auction off her virginity.

Hou was clever; before that happened, she chose the second master Shu, who was still the prefect's younger brother, and became his concubine, thus avoiding this life of welcoming and seeing off guests.

Hou had talked to Shu Yu about many things that happened in brothels. She had felt somewhat ashamed and embarrassed to bring up the past before. Later, when she chatted with Shu Yu about it by chance, she saw that Shu Yu did not seem to look down on women in brothels, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Later, Madam Hou talked to her more, mainly wanting to share some life experiences with her. Especially since Shu Yu was about to come of age, and when she arrived at Zhengdao Village, the former manager, Master Lan, even wanted Shu Yu to work at the music school.

Isn't that music and entertainment venue similar to a brothel? Madam Hou was worried that she wouldn't understand these things, so she also told her about some of the sordid things that happened in brothels, so that she wouldn't be fooled by them.

Therefore, Shu Yu actually knew quite a lot about Piaoxiang Courtyard.

Meng Yunzheng's lips twitched involuntarily. He really hadn't expected there to be such a... connection.

He rubbed his temples and asked, "Did she mention who owns this Fragrant Courtyard?"

Shu Yu frowned. "Wait a minute, let me think about it."

Hou talked most about the girls in the brothel, some of the customers, and some of her own experiences.

Of course, she also talked a lot about the madam. However, back when she was in the brothel, the madam wasn't the Liu Ru we know today.

As for the employer...

After searching her memory for a moment, Shu Yu suddenly laughed, "I remember now, the owner of this Fragrant Courtyard is Master Miao who lives in the west of the city."

Master Miao?

Meng Yunzheng was fairly familiar with Dong'an Prefecture, but not with everyone. Master Miao ran a brothel, and he really hadn't looked into that aspect.

"It seems we need to go to the west of the city to investigate what kind of person this Master Miao is."

They were hoping that Master Miao would act as an intermediary to buy up the black market and then resell it to them, so naturally they had to cater to his preferences.

But Master Miao is no ordinary man; he's the kind of person who can run such a large brothel.

It's impossible to appeal to his emotions; the only option is to find his weaknesses and then resort to threats or bribes.

Meng Yunzheng got up to leave, but Shu Yu suddenly stopped him, "No need to go to the west of the city."

(End of this chapter)