Chapter 69 Learning to Please You

The mourning hall set up by the Shen family for Shen Linhui lasted for three days. Three days later, Shen Linhui's body was buried.

Chen Qiurong was secretly sent by Shen Yao to a manor in the suburbs. Outsiders only knew that the matriarch of the Shen family was too heartbroken after losing her son, and assumed that she never left the house and refused to see guests. However, they did not know that she was no longer in Lin'an City.

Despite the harsh winter, there's no shortage of topics for conversation over tea.

The people quickly forgot about the young master of the Chengde Marquis's mansion being hacked to death by bandits in the Western Hills, and instead started talking about another strange thing that had happened in the capital recently.

As the twelfth lunar month approached, a brothel called Xianleju opened in the busiest part of the East Market.

There are many brothels and entertainment venues in Lin'an, but I have never seen one that runs a brothel for erotic nuns.

I heard that the owner of the Elephant Maiden Pavilion was a woman from the Western Regions. She was over forty years old but well-maintained. She had made a lot of money running an Elephant Maiden Pavilion elsewhere. Hearing that there was no such business in the capital of the Great Qi, she decided to try her hand at business in the capital.

At this moment, night fell, and candlelight shone brightly all around. The harsh winter did not dampen people's enthusiasm; instead, they gathered in front of the Fairy Music Residence.

Legend has it that Xianleju is divided into two courtyards, one for male guests and the other for female guests.

Shen You stood at the door, wearing a veiled hat and adjusting the sash of her cloak. She looked at Ye Mingyu beside her and asked, "Your Majesty... Yu'er, are you sure we really want to go in?"

Ye Mingyu was dressed in a striking red outfit, and also wore a veil on her head. Although her face was not visible, her tone revealed her obvious enthusiasm, "Go!"

"We're already here, it would be a shame not to go in."

People kept passing by, men and women, most of them wearing veils, and some, like them, stopped and hesitated.

Therefore, the two were not conspicuous.

Aren't you curious about what's inside?

To be honest, Shen You was still curious.

After all, there had never been an elephant brothel in Lin'an before.

She nodded, casting aside any lingering hesitation in her mind, "Let's go in."

Stepping over the threshold, the interior lights shone even brighter and more dazzling. The decor was more exquisite and elegant than Shen You had imagined. Although it was lively, it was not noisy.

If she hadn't been told this was the Elephant Maiden's Abode, she would have thought it was a place where scholars and poets would compete in literary debates.

However, she immediately dismissed the idea.

Because the servants in the women's quarters of Xianleju were all fair-skinned young men.

They were all dressed in plain robes, and were handsome and slender.

"Distinguished guests, please come inside."

A woman with a lingering charm walked over from the counter; she must be the proprietress of Xianleju.

Although she had changed into Daqi clothing, her facial features were different from those of the Daqi people, making her easily recognizable.

Ye Mingyu cleared her throat. "Do you have any private rooms here?"

Upon hearing this, the proprietress took a closer look at the two young women's attire and realized that they were truly "distinguished guests."

She smiled broadly and agreed, "Of course!"

"You two are lucky; the upper room is still available for you today."

She didn't let anyone else greet them and personally led Shen You and Ye Mingyu up to the third floor.

Compared to the first and second floors, the third floor is quieter and has fewer people coming and going.

Pushing open the door to the upper room, you'll find the interior decorated mainly in shades of green and blue, creating a fresh and natural ambiance. The room is quite spacious.

Curious, Shen You peered confidently through the veil at the layout of the room and saw a large bed in the inner chamber behind the beaded curtain.

She quickly looked away, thinking that since she was already there, it would be a real shame not to admire the young master in Xianleju.

So she asked, "What skills does the young master of Xianleju possess?"

The proprietress invited the two of them to sit down, and while pouring tea, she said with a smile, "Tea ceremony, flower arrangement, playing the zither, sword dancing, whatever you want to see, Xianleju has it all."

"Oh?" Shen You raised her hand and took off her veil, revealing a beautiful and outstanding face. She said in a calm voice, "Then let the young master pour tea, and call one to play the zither, and two to perform sword dances."

Ye Mingyu also removed her veil.

The proprietress was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the two female customers to be so beautiful. She couldn't help but glance at them a few more times, and in her daze, she forgot to reply.

Shen You glanced at her sideways, and she snapped out of her daze, quickly smiling apologetically, "Don't worry, esteemed guest, the young master of Xianleju is very talented and will surely make you feel comfortable."

After saying that, she went out to greet them.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door. It was the landlady who had returned, with four young masters.

As soon as the door opened, four slender and handsome young men dressed in light blue robes entered one by one. They stood in a row in front of Shen You and Ye Mingyu and bowed very politely, saying, "Greetings to our two distinguished guests."

The rule of Xianleju is that no matter whether a guest is male or female, they will not reveal their identity unless they wish to.

Therefore, Shen You and Ye Mingyu dared to remove their veils without worry.

Upon seeing the appearance of the distinguished guest in the upper room, the four young masters were secretly delighted.

After all, when it comes to serving guests, who wouldn't want to serve a guest who is more attractive?

Shen You stared at the four young masters in front of him for a while, then subconsciously turned his head and met Ye Mingyu's gaze.

The two understood the meaning in each other's eyes—this young master of Xianleju truly lived up to his reputation.

Perhaps noticing that the two women hadn't spoken much, one of the bolder young masters suddenly stepped forward and said, "This servant will pour tea for our distinguished guest."

Shen You quickly refused, "No need, you sit there," she pointed to the small clay stove next to her that was bubbling with hot water, "watch it and light it."

“You sit there and play the zither.”

"You two, practice sword dancing."

She finally breathed a sigh of relief after arranging all the "jobs" for her four young sons.

Just now, when that person approached, there was a faint scent of perfume emanating from him.

It was faint, but Shen You subconsciously repelled it, so she didn't want them to get close.

Ye Mingyu had no objection to her decision and watched with a smile as the young master playing the zither raised his fair fingers and gently placed them on the strings.

Tsk.

The men at Xianleju all looked delicate and fair-skinned. Ye Mingyu was used to Qi Jincheng's handsome face with its strong masculine features, but now she actually thought that the fair-skinned and delicate-looking men were not bad either.

The sound of a piano filled the room, melodious and elegant.

The two young masters, each holding a wooden sword, stood in the center and began to dance slowly to the music of the zither.

They learned sword dancing for display purposes, which is slightly less powerful, but its strength lies in its graceful and diverse movements.

Shen You was curious, so she watched very carefully, her clear and pure eyes filled with no impurities.

Ye Mingyu, standing next to her, toasted her with tea instead of wine, and sighed with emotion, "Finally, we can go out and have some fun."

She came from a family of military generals, and now that she was empress, she constantly reminded herself to be dignified and elegant.

But she was really bored staying in the palace for a long time, so she took advantage of Qi Jincheng and Chu Xiao's meeting in the Gande Hall to sneak out of the palace to find Shen You.

The Xianleju was a very famous place. On her way out of the palace, she passed through the bustling city and heard people talking about it. She immediately decided to come here with Shen You.

Shen You was also happy.

Having seen so many men with a strong and cold aura like Chu Xiao, she realized that her aesthetic sense wasn't so unchangeable after seeing these four young masters in front of her.

The music continued, and Shen You and Ye Mingyu occasionally chatted in hushed tones, but most of the time their eyes were fixed on the four of them.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was very harmonious.

But this harmony did not last long.

Before the sword dance was finished, the door to the upper room was suddenly kicked open.

Then a gloomy and angry voice rang out, "Ah, Yu."

Startled, Ye Mingyu's hand trembled slightly, and she lost her grip on the cup, spilling tea all over herself.

Upon seeing this, the two young masters who were practicing swordsmanship quickly came over with handkerchiefs to help her wipe herself.

However, before they could get close, they were directly knocked away by a palm strike.

Ye Mingyu then fell into a familiar embrace.

She blinked, trying to hide the fleeting guilt in her eyes, and preemptively asked, "What are you doing here?"

This is a women's college.

Qi Jincheng gritted his teeth, "What do you think?"

Ye Mingyu smiled and changed the subject, saying, "It's not appropriate for you to be here; the men's college is next door."

"Not suitable?" Qi Jincheng held her tightly in his arms. "But I caught someone with ulterior motives here."

Ye Mingyu muttered, "Stingy."

She reached out to pry his hands off her waist.

Qi Jincheng did not let go, raising his eyes to coldly stare at the four young masters in the room, "What? You want to watch what's between my husband and me?"

He was furious about Ye Mingyu's visit to Xianleju today; his usual smile was gone, and his tone was sinister.

The young master was startled and, without thinking, got up and left.

Before leaving, he made sure to close the door properly.

Suddenly, only the four of them were left in the upper room.

Qi Jincheng gripped Ye Mingyu's waist tightly, glanced around, and then dragged her into the inner room behind the beaded curtain.

Ye Mingyu kicked her legs back and forth, but she couldn't break free from his restraints.

All he could do was curse and swear, "Qi Jincheng, if you're so capable, put me down and let's fight."

Qi Jincheng scoffed, "Can you beat me?"

Ye Mingyu was even angrier. "You're looking down on me."

The upper room was very large, and the beaded curtains concealed some of the sounds from the inner room.

The noise from their argument subsided, and Qi Jincheng's coaxing voice gradually faded, "Then I'll give you a handicap, okay?"

Outside, only Shen You and Chu Xiao remained.

The man, dressed in a dark brocade robe, had been inside for a while, yet the chilling aura emanating from him remained.

Shen Youyi didn't speak; the two of them sat and stood, one sitting and the other standing.

She looked up at him and saw that he looked unwell, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he was trying to hold back something.

Shen You found it quite amusing. He took a new cup from the lacquer tray, poured him a cup of tea, and handed it to him, deliberately saying, "The tea brewed by that young master just now tasted quite good. Would you like to try it, Your Highness?"

Chu Xiao's hands, which were resting on his knees, remained still, his dark eyes fixed on her.

The coldness in her eyes had vanished, replaced by resentment and disappointment.

Like a large, abandoned dog, it accuses her of forgetting him after finding a new love.

Shen You finished her tea in one gulp and looked at him again, "His Majesty has come to take the Empress back."

"And where is the Duke? Are you here to take me back?"

Chu Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, knowing he had no right to nod. "No, I'm not here to take you back."

"So what are you here for?"

"I'm here to learn."

What should we learn?

"...learning how to please and win your favor."