Chapter 11 Brothels Disgrace One's Reputation

.

Lin Xihe, disguised as a servant, passed by Wen Zhixu.

Wen Qi braced himself and reported, "Second Young Master, I just asked the servants at the Lin residence, and no one has seen Cuihuang."

“Never mind,” Wen Zhixu waved his hand. “Perhaps I’m mistaken. You should go and inquire with the manager of Yulin Garden.”

"Yes," Wen Qi replied verbally, inwardly groaning—the shopkeeper was already fed up with his questions, and if it weren't for the sake of Young Master Wen…

Wen Zhixu handed over two silver ingots: "Buy another gilded leg cord. If Cuihuang returns, we must tie it up and not let it escape again."

Wen Qi weighed the silver in his hand and gently advised, "Second Young Master, this is enough to buy ten of the best sparrows!"

Wen Zhixu's expression remained unchanged: "Tell the shopkeeper that if there is any news of Cuihuang, I will reward him handsomely."

As they were talking, Wen Zhixu squinted and looked around. The skinny servant he had bumped into earlier had already run far away. Recently, there had been frequent thefts in Shengjing City, and he quickly patted his sleeve.

Fortunately, the silver was still there.

The coarse cloth clothes made her back itch, and Lin Xihe scoffed at herself for being pretentious: She had only been transmigrated for two days, and this tender flesh had already become spoiled; it's truly hard to go from luxury to frugality.

She had overheard part of what Wen Zhixu and the servant had said, and then asked Qingwu, "What kind of place is Yulin Garden?"

These words were like cold water poured into hot oil. Passersby on the street turned their heads, their gazes filled with surprise and disdain.

Qingwu disregarded the traditional male-female separation and pulled Lin Xihe to her side: "Little...Lin Daniu, that Jade Lotus Courtyard is not a good place, don't mention it again!"

Jade Lotus Courtyard? Lin Xihe suddenly realized: "It's a brothel... Waaah!"

The words were tightly covered by Qingwu's mouth.

Lin Xihe walked with her hands clasped behind her back, looking just like an old scholar from Li Su Academy.

Tsk tsk tsk, so that's how it is.

The person Wen Zhixu was looking for in the courtyard that day was named Cuihuang. She was a girl from Yuling Courtyard who had been taken as a concubine by the Second Young Master Wen. Such things were quite normal in ancient times.

But Cuihuang ran away, no wonder Wen Zhixu was looking for her everywhere.

Wen Zhixu is quite handsome, and Cuihuang is eating well. This is not a loss at all, so why is she running away? Lin Xihe thought for a moment and understood!

It must be that the man surnamed Wen is too wild and has too many wild ways that Cuihuang couldn't stand it and ran away overnight! No wonder he sent someone to buy leg irons; he's planning to catch him and tie him up!

.

The news that the Second Young Master Wen's beloved pet had disappeared had already spread throughout the wealthy and dissolute circles of Shengjing.

"Really?" The top courtesan of Yuling Courtyard took a sip of fragrant tea, the steam from the tea reddening her cheeks. Her demeanor was perfectly captured, leaving Young Master Qian mesmerized.

Young Master Qian quickly composed himself: "Of course. I've known Wen Er since childhood. How could I not know anything about him?"

"Does Young Master Wen keep a myna bird?"

"Exactly!" The smile that radiated from his wife penetrated the young master's very bones. "My dear wife, tonight is a fine night, why don't we admire the moon together?"

The smile lingered in the woman's eyes, but her gaze dimmed: "See the guest out."

She wrote a letter and ordered someone to send it to the Wen family.

[I recently acquired a rare black-feathered bird, which seems quite like your prized possession. If you, Second Young Master, have the time, would you be so kind as to come and have a chat?]

Wen Qi had only read half of it when Wen Zhixu's face darkened: "How could my Cuihuang go to such a place?"

Wen Ba, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "Second Young Master, perhaps there is a female bird in Yuling Courtyard?" Male birds chasing female birds is only natural.

Wen Zhixu retorted, "Absurd! Cuihuang is a female bird! Who gave you permission to tarnish its reputation?"

Wen Ba roared inwardly: Let whoever wants to do this damn job do it!

Yulingyuan.

The young master, who had condescended to enter, was brought to tears by the aroma inside.

The top courtesan had long admired the second young master of the Wenguo Duke's mansion, and specially prepared incense and hot tea for him.

"I have long heard of the Second Young Master's quick wit and outstanding talent. Today, I finally meet you—" The lady put down the white porcelain cup lid, her eyes gleaming with allure.

Her eyes were filled with all her flirtatious glances, her left eyelid twitched a few times, and the words she was about to say were stuck in her throat.

Rumor has it that the Second Young Master Wen is unparalleled in appearance, so why is the person in front of me so thin and dark, like a piece of dried meat that has been dried for years?

Wen Ba: "My second young master's Cuihuang—"

His wife, enraged, interrupted him: "Where is your young master?!"

Wen Ba: "The Second Young Master is allergic to incense and cannot enter, so he specially sent me here."

The tea lid shattered on the floor. Wen Ba's heart pounded. If he had relayed the Second Young Master's harsh words truthfully, it would probably be his skull that was broken right now.

Wen Ba glanced at her. He was a member of the dignified Wen Guogong Mansion. How dare a brothel prostitute act arrogantly in front of him?

"Please return my young master's beloved pet to him, madam. If it is indeed the lost sparrow of our manor, my young master will reward you handsomely." As he spoke, his tone carried a hint of disdain. "If it is not the original, madam, please consider this carefully."

.

"Achoo!" Wen Zhixu raised his sleeve to cover his nose, cursing inwardly. The garish fragrance made him want to vomit.

Seeing that Wen Ba came out empty-handed, Wen Zhixu understood and walked towards the carriage expressionlessly.

The alleyway outside the gate of Yuling Courtyard.

Qingwu, pale-faced, grabbed Lin Xihe's arm: "Let's go, Lin Daniu, this isn't a good place!"

Lin Xihe hid behind a luxurious carriage, craning her neck: "It's just a brothel, what's wrong with me taking a few glances? It's free!"

Just as Wen Zhixu was about to get on the bus, he bumped into someone.

The man quickly stepped back, bowed his head and put his hands in his pockets, looking like an honest and simple man.

Another servant boy. Wen Zhixu sighed inwardly: Today is probably an inauspicious day for traveling, especially for servant boys.

His gaze fell on the drooping neck, a slender, fair section peeking out from the coarse cloth collar, like a newly sprouted white wild mushroom emerging from the bamboo forest after the rain.

While Wen Zhixu was still in a daze, he noticed that the servant's shoulders were trembling suspiciously.

This fellow is far too presumptuous.

Wen Ba was displeased: "Whose servant is this? Why didn't he give way when he saw the carriage of the Duke of Wen's mansion?"

Immediately, giggles broke out.

Lin Xihe couldn't hold back any longer. She raised her head sharply towards Wen Zhixu, her face full of cunning and lively expression.

"Oh, it's only 7 PM, and you're already done?" She raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down. "Tsk, so young... How about I give you Huiyuan Kidney Tonic to help you recover?"

Wen Zhixu clutched the imperial ointment in his sleeve, his thoughts lingering on Lin Xihe's last words.

Huiyuan Shengbao.

Was it a royal tonic?

"Oh dear, I forgot!" Lin Xihe exclaimed in surprise. "How could you, a country bumpkin, know about Huiyuan Kidney Tonic? Alright, we'll take another look and discuss it later."

She waved goodbye dramatically, then led her maid around the street looking around aimlessly. When they came across a birdcage hanging high in the sky, she made a few "tsk tsk tsk" sounds, pretending to tease the bird.

This was a restaurant, and it was peak business hours. The waiter glanced at the shabby Lin Xihe and said disdainfully, "Are you begging? Go to Shushi Nunnery on the first day of next month, where you can get a bowl of thin porridge."

"Go away, go out into the street!"

They actually mistook her for a beggar! Lin Xihe was speechless, unable to catch her breath.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of rapid hoofbeats rang out from behind—the Wen family's carriage sped past, and she was hit with a mouthful of dust.

She was covered in dust and grime, and jumped up and down in anger: "Cough cough... You bastard! You definitely did it on purpose!"