Chapter 220 Elephant Maiden's Pavilion

Ji Shu gently covered his mouth and shook her head, saying, "I never thought of letting Qinghe sit in that position. That child's personality is too much like mine."

She was well aware of Pei Yanzhi's concerns; this vast empire was built step by step by him.

Moreover, Pei Xingjian is indeed worthy of being the next master of this land.

"Shu'er, I just hope you won't blame me for handing over the country to Xingjian instead of Qinghe."

Ji Shu suddenly looked up: "Aren't you afraid that years from now, after you're gone, what if he treats Qinghe differently, or perhaps treats me differently..."

Pei Yanzhi knew what she hadn't finished saying, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. It was only for a moment, but Ji Shu caught it.

She couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind it, but she clearly sensed that if that day ever came, Pei Yanzhi would never easily forgive Pei Xingjian.

“If that day ever comes,” he said slowly, his voice cold and ruthless, “I will prepare for it long in advance.”

He stroked Ji Shu's delicate face, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. "Shu'er, you wouldn't understand. The power struggles of an emperor are far beyond what you see."

"It's not difficult to change who sits on this throne!"

Ji Shu was startled and suddenly looked up at him.

"But Xingjian is, after all, my son and the crown prince of the country. I cannot depose him without cause."

Ji Shu came to her senses and said softly, "Alright, get up, it's time."

Seeing that her expression was not unusual, Pei Yanzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The brown water in the bathtub rippled as he stepped out naked.

Ji Shu heated the silver needles with wine and waited until his breathing calmed down before she began to administer the acupuncture.

She took a deep breath and said, "Right now, all I want to do is cure your illness. I won't think about anything else, and neither will you."

Hearing this, he responded softly while lying on the couch.

I served him for seven consecutive days, every single day.

On the eighth day, after the first course of treatment, when Ji Shu took her pulse again, she found that it was much better than before.

He was overjoyed, if that's how it is.

Perhaps in less than two months, my body will recover to its previous state.

Pei Yanzhi noticed that her expression shifted between sunshine and gloom, and couldn't help but think of something.

These days, with the family together, are the happiest time for him.

The only regret is that the period of abstinence is not over yet, and he cannot touch her body for even a moment, not even when he goes to sleep at night.

Now, he can only stay with his youngest child.

On the ninth day, Ying'er arrived in Luoyang.

From the letter, I learned that Ying'er had arranged to meet her at a restaurant, perhaps knowing that it was inconvenient to do so inside or outside the palace.

Thinking of this, she instructed Chunzhi, "We'll go out for a bit later, just the two of us, and we don't need to worry about the others."

Chunzhi understood that "Niangzi" referred to those who always followed her.

These days, whenever Chunzhi goes out, someone always follows her. When she comes back and talks to her wife, she sees no surprise on her wife's face.

It was obvious that they already knew, so they were no longer surprised.

As soon as the two left the mansion, Pei Yanzhi learned the news that Ji Shu had been going out occasionally these past two days because she didn't need acupuncture.

He tried to subtly inquire, but her response was indifferent; she simply said she was looking at the shop.

If the pharmacy is to continue operating, its location must be carefully chosen.

Seeing his nervous expression, she thought he was making a fuss over nothing: "You don't understand business, and you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

One sentence left Pei Yan speechless, unable to say anything more.

They had no choice but to give up.

It was never mentioned again.

Therefore, when the guard reminded him, he didn't take it seriously, only responding when the guard said, "Madam went to the Elephant Maid's Pavilion—"

That's a male brothel!

Pei Yanzhi suddenly stood up, and said angrily, "You didn't even stop the madam from going in?"

The guard said in a low, aggrieved voice, "Your Majesty, didn't you say before that you couldn't stop the Lady from going anywhere?"

"I've been thinking that Madam has been frequently traveling to various places these days, going to teahouses to listen to music and to restaurants to try new things. It doesn't seem right for her to go to the brothel..."

"You bastard!" Pei Yanzhi roared, throwing the memorial on the table straight to the ground.

"This is utterly absurd!"

"What are you all standing there for? Go and fetch my horse!"

The bodyguard immediately stood up and disappeared in a moment.

Wu Yang hurriedly led the horse out from the stable, and saw his lord quickly mount the horse and disappear from sight in no time.

Pei Yanzhi sped along, his mind in turmoil. Although Qinghe had now come between them and they were staying at the imperial palace, he was still deeply troubled.

But fundamentally, he had no official status or position, so if she really wanted to go out and relax, he really couldn't say anything.

What if he speaks too harshly and she leaves again?

These days, when I give him acupuncture, I feel uncomfortable even lying down, and I imagine she feels the same way.

The more he thought about it, the more the nameless fire in his heart burned, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Inside the Elephant Maiden's Pavilion.

Ji Shu looked around and saw Ying'er smiling sweetly at her. She touched her face.

Mo Ming asked, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Then he couldn't help but frown: "Why did you arrange to meet in a place like this?"

Ying'er smiled and said, "I see that you've been living very well these days, and your face is as beautiful as a spring flower. Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Luoyang?"

Chunzhi sat to one side, looking around curiously.

"This place is so strange! There are even men dressed as women!" she exclaimed.

They sat in a private room on the second floor, where they could see the entire lobby from above.

This time of day is when things get lively.

Many male prostitutes wear painted eyebrows and lips, and if you don't look closely, you might mistake them for women.

But it wasn't just women who came in for entertainment; there were men too!

Chunzhi watched in amazement.

Seeing that Ji Shu's expression was calm, she realized that she had seen this kind of scene before. Ying'er asked curiously, "Shu'er, don't you feel awkward? This place was recommended by my old customer. It's a good place. There are not only handsome male prostitutes here, but also male prostitutes who look like women."

She lowered her voice and continued, "And then there are... strong, talented men."

"Many nobles in Luoyang like to come here, including many ladies from famous families."

Upon hearing this, Chunzhi covered her mouth in shock and exclaimed, "There are still married noblewomen? This, this is... this is a violation of social order!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Shu couldn't help but look at Ying'er; it was indeed quite shocking.

However, such secrets must have been heard by Ying'er from her old customers.

Upon hearing this, Ji Shu couldn't help but turn her gaze to Ying'er—this news was truly shocking.

However, such secrets must have been heard by Ying'er from the regular customers.

Ying'er blinked, then leaned closer and whispered, "It's absolutely true. Take that fourth-rank official, Lord Chen, for example. His wife comes here quite often. I heard that she and Lord Chen have long been estranged and living separate lives."

As she spoke, she gently nudged Ji Shu's waist with her arm, her tone playfully encouraging: "Shu'er, now that you're in Luoyang, why don't you learn from those men and find a place to relax?"

"How about I treat you, sis?"

Before Ji Shu could answer, the door was kicked open with a loud bang, and the door slammed against the door panel, making a trembling sound.