Chapter 58 Brothel

Jiang Ling stood at the gate of Pingkangfang, looking at the beautiful women in revealing clothes, heavy makeup, laughing and soliciting customers in front of him, and he felt his legs go weak.

Behind him were two thin, yellow-faced, mustache-wearing attendants. One of them frowned and tugged at his beard, seeming impatient, while the other stared at Pingkangfang with shining eyes, looking impatient.

Jiang Ling: “…”

He is obviously the man, why are they more active than him?

The two attendants were Ming Huashang and Ren Yao in disguise. Yueman Tower was the base of the Xuanxiao Guards, and disguise tools and hidden weapons were readily available. The five of them were equipped with weapons, Ming Huashang and Ren Yao disguised themselves as men, and then split into two groups, finally meeting at Tianxiang Pavilion.

Ming Huachang was in contact with disguise tools for the first time and was full of novelty. But the face can be disguised, the voice and bones can be disguised.

But it's impossible. An experienced person can tell at a glance that she is a woman.

It didn't matter if they were found out to be women. It was a trend for the maids of the rich and powerful to dress up as men. It was not uncommon for a rich young man to bring a maid to a brothel for pleasure. They just had to avoid letting the people in Tianxiang Pavilion see their true appearance.

Although Tianxiang Pavilion has no intersection with the noble families, the capital will be moved in the future, and both the Ming and Ren families will move back to Chang'an. After a long time, who can guarantee that there will be no accidents and Tianxiang Pavilion will not encounter the Zhenguo Mansion and Pingnan Marquis Mansion?

Once this happens, the consequences will be completely unpredictable. Ming Huachang will move out of the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion in the future. She doesn't care about her reputation, but it's better to have less trouble than more. It's best to cut off the hidden dangers at the source.

Ming Huashang was eager to go to a brothel. She had never seen one in her life and was extremely curious. She couldn't wait to go in, but Jiang Ling was like a nail on the ground and didn't move for a long time. Ming Huashang glanced at him and asked suspiciously, "What are you waiting for?"

Jiang Ling's expression was hard to describe. He was playful, but he knew the bottom line. He was not doing his job, was extravagant, and acted tyrannically with his lynx and leopard. This was one thing, but if he robbed women and visited brothels, that was another matter.

The most boring time for him was when he took his baby Beibei to hunt in the mountains. He had never thought about playing with women, but this time he had to go to a brothel "on business" and brought two unmarried girls with him.

Jiang Ling felt so awkward that he lowered his voice: "You are women. How can you enter a place like this?"

Ren Yao couldn't stand the itchness on his face and said impatiently, "If you want to come in, just come in. Don't complain."

"Yeah, we don't care, why are you nagging?" Ming Huashang looked at Jiang Ling and said, "Isn't it your first time here and you don't dare to come in?"

Jiang Ling was furious: "Who said I don't dare? I'm used to it! This is your choice, don't regret it after you go in."

Jiang Ling said this as he walked towards Pingkangfang with his head held high. It was clearly the gentle and peaceful town of Honglang, but he walked out with the posture of a heroic martyr.

Pingkangfang is adjacent to Dongshi in the east, Chunming Main Street in the north, and Xuanyangfang in the south. It is located in a busy area, and a large number of dignitaries gather around it. Not far away is the Shangshu Province, where candidates, candidates, and people from all over the country who come to Beijing gather.

Because of its unique geographical location, Pingkangfang had many prostitutes coming and going, which in turn attracted more playboys to come to Pingkangfang. Gradually, this place became a gathering place for brothels, a hotbed of romance, with music and revelry every night. It was Chang'an's city that never sleeps.

As soon as Jiang Ling stepped into Pingkangfang, he felt as if he had fallen from the solemn and strict capital into another world. The lights on both sides were dim and ambiguous, the drum beats of Hu music were passionately beating in the night breeze, and the air was filled with the smell of greasy powder. The women on the roadside were wearing thin clothes, and when they saw him smiling frivolously, they were bold enough to come up and pull him.

Jiang Ling seemed to be on fire, and he quickly flashed behind Ming Huashang and Ren Yao. Ming Huashang cursed them in his heart, and asked in a low voice: "Didn't you say you come here often? What are you doing?"

Jiang Ling tried to save face and said stubbornly, "I come here often, but you are my servants now. A servant should stand in front and clear the way at a time like this, otherwise people will see through my flaws."

Ming Huashang didn't believe him. She pushed Jiang Ling hard and said, "There is a hierarchy. How can I let my master walk behind me? You go first!"

They both tried to use the other as a shield. The women next to them were attracted by Jiang Ling's red lips, white teeth, and handsome appearance. They knew he was a rich man. Several women exchanged glances with each other, rushed up, and pulled them into their own building with a coquettish smile: "Is this your first time here, sir? The girls in our building like to entertain new guests the most. Come in and take a look."

Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling were being courteous to each other, and were suddenly overwhelmed by the scent of powder, and the two were almost swept away by a wave. In the critical moment, Ren Yao was still reliable, grabbing one of them with one hand, and forcibly dragging them out of the whirlpool.

Ming Huashang had never run so hard before. After finally breaking free from the hands on all sides, she stopped at the corner of the wall, panting and still in shock.

She raised her eyes to look at Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling looked even more ferocious than her. His clothes and hair were all tangled, like a delicate flower destroyed by a storm.

Ming Huashang inexplicably felt pity for him, patted his shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to be so popular with the sisters. If you run out of money in the future, at least you can still make a living here."

Jiang Ling angrily scolded, "Get lost."

Ren Yao rolled his eyes and said, "How can you still have fun? We don't know where we are, how can we find Tianxiang Pavilion?"

Ming Huashang straightened his beard and said, "It's simple. We go to a place with fewer people and we will find Tianxiang Pavilion soon."

Jiang Ling was puzzled: "Why?"

Ming Huashang said, "People who come to Pingkangfang are here to have fun. Someone just died in Tianxiang Pavilion last night, and the government was alarmed today. Customers think it's unlucky, so they will definitely not come to Tianxiang Pavilion in the short term. So, we just need to go to the place with the least people."

Ren Yao thought it made sense. She had good eyesight, so she leaned against the wall to take a look, pointed in a direction and said, "Look over there, isn't everyone avoiding it?"

Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling stuck their heads out and saw a three-story building with carved beams and painted rafters. This building is one of the largest buildings in Pingkangfang, but at this moment, the front door is empty and the crowd is deserted.

Ming Huashang thought there was hope: "Maybe that's the Tianxiang Pavilion. Let's go and take a look."

Ming Huashang and the other two were still frightened by what they had just seen. They did not dare to walk on the main road anymore and carefully walked along the side towards Tianxiang Pavilion. After the three sneaky figures walked away, two figures walked out from the shadows.

Xie Jichuan chuckled and said, "Since you are worried, why don't you let them stay outside? At worst, after completing the task, you can go back and tell Han Jie that we did it together."

This is actually the simplest and most reliable method. It is too bold to let two unmarried young ladies go to a brothel. Once the news gets out, Ming Huashang and Ren Yao will never be able to talk about marriage again. I am afraid that they will be pointed out for being unfaithful to their husbands for the rest of their lives.

Even if we don't take reputation into consideration, there is a storm brewing in Tianxiang Pavilion, and undercurrents are surging. Letting the two women in would be tantamount to playing with their lives.

Whether it's for reputation or safety, entering Tianxiang Pavilion will do more harm than good. No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem like protecting your sister.

How could Ming Huazhang not know? He stared at the slender figure in front of him quietly. Until now, he still regretted that he should not have let her get involved. He should have found a safe house, put her and Ren Yao there, and picked them up after the mission was over.

But Ming Huazhang finally resisted the urge to ask them to come back and said softly, "That's not what they want."

Ming Huazhang knew why Ren Yao joined Xuanxiaowei. Ren Yao wanted to inherit the Marquisate and be named Marquis of Pingnan as a woman. This was shocking and unprecedented. Unless there was support from the authorities, it would be useless to find many old friends or give many gifts.

Therefore, this mission was of great significance to Ren Yao. If she gave up the first mission because it was inconvenient for women to enter the brothel, how could she recruit other things in the future? So when she heard that the three of them were going to appear in Tianxiang Pavilion as a clear card, Ren Yao agreed without thinking.

Ming Huazhang understood that she wanted to make achievements and prove herself urgently. Because he understood, he couldn't bear to deprive her of her.

As for Ming Huashang, she doesn't have Ren Yao's ambitions. She just wants to know how the person died and who the murderer is. Ming Huazhang has the responsibility to protect her, but does she really need this kind of protection?

Protecting her everywhere, isn't that just another form of contempt? Ming Huazhang suppressed the self-blame, worry, and anxiety that were about to drown him, and was willing to give it a try, believing that she had the ability to face difficulties and dangers.

Xie Jichuan heard this, laughed briefly, and said, "You are still so soft-hearted."

Ming Huazhang did not comment, and said: "They have already entered Tianxiang Pavilion. Get ready and start the next step."

At this moment, in front of the red building with carved beams and painted buildings, Ming Huashang, Ren Yao and the others clearly saw the three characters "Tianxiang Pavilion" on the plaque of the gate, and they were sure that this was the place. Compared with other brothels with fancy decorations, Tianxiang Pavilion was a little too deserted, so Jiang Ling coughed and deliberately asked loudly: "Hey, why is there no one at the door of this house?"

After Jiang Ling's overly obvious doubts, a group of people rushed out of Tianxiang Pavilion, led by a plump woman in her thirties, with a face like a full moon, a plump figure, and a large red peony in her hair. Her facial features were not inferior, but her skin was no longer tight, and wrinkles even appeared at the corners of her eyes.

Compared to her age, she aged too quickly, so her overall look has been greatly reduced, and she can barely be said to still have some charm.

When the plump woman saw Jiang Ling, her eyebrows immediately lit up and she came out to greet him with a charming smile. Her body was shaking with laughter: "Oh, I didn't know you had a distinguished guest. I am sorry for not welcoming you from afar. You look unfamiliar. This must be your first time here, right?"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but wipe Jiang Ling's face, and smiled coquettishly, "My dear, you are so handsome. I haven't seen such a handsome young man for a long time."

Jiang Ling felt so disgusted at that moment that he almost vomited the food he had eaten the night before. His face turned cold and he turned around to leave, but was held back by Ming Huashang and Ren Yao on his left and right.

Ming Huashang "supported" her young master and asked enthusiastically on his behalf: "Our young master has just arrived in Chang'an and came to Pingkangfang to have fun. Do you have anything new and interesting here?"

When the madam heard Ming Huashang's words, her eyes lit up again. The young man came to Chang'an for the first time and was looking for fun. The madam looked at Jiang Ling with more loving eyes. No matter how you looked at him, he was a fat sheep.

The madam smiled and said, "Yes, of course! I am not exaggerating. In the whole Pingkangfang, there is no other place that is more novel and fun than our Tianxiang Pavilion. My dear, it's cold outside, why don't you come in and have a drink to warm yourself up?"

Jiang Ling wanted to say "It's not cold, I don't want to drink, get out", but his body was not under his control. He didn't want to go in at all, but was dragged into Tianxiang Pavilion by his loyal servant.

When the madam saw Jiang Ling coming in, she smiled so hard that her teeth were showing. She walked quickly through the main hall and said with a giggle, "Girls, the distinguished guest has arrived. Come down to receive him."

Ming Huashang couldn't stop him, but Ren Yao was a manly woman with strong hands. Jiang Ling was competing with Ren Yao, and when he looked up, he saw a large group of women with colorful and ferocious faces waving handkerchiefs rushing towards him. Jiang Ling was so scared that he trembled and subconsciously hugged Ren Yao beside him: "Monster, what are you doing!"

The girls who hadn't opened their shops for the day were trying their best to catch this fat sheep, but they didn't expect that the fat sheep would fall into the arms of the man next to them. It would be fine if he was a beautiful boy, but he turned out to be an ugly man with a pale face, skinny body and small body!

The girls' smiles froze on their faces, and Tianxiang Pavilion seemed to be suspended by some mysterious force. Fortunately, Ming Huachang reacted quickly and said, "Our young master has been eating and drinking gold and jade since he was a child. His taste is very high. Ordinary women are not worthy of our young master. Go and call the best girl in your building."

The madam thought this made sense. She knew from the youth's demeanor that he was definitely from a wealthy family and ordinary girls would not be in her eyes. She was more and more certain that this was a big fish and she must not let it go. She signaled the girls to go back and said, "It was my negligence. What are you still standing there for? Go get Jinling Chunlai and send it to Guanghan Yueyuan. Don't keep the distinguished guest waiting for too long."

Then, the madam turned to Jiang Ling and said with a big smile, "Sir, the best box is on the second floor. Please come with me."

Jiang Ling was forced onto the shelf and now couldn't get off. He could only snort, straighten his clothes, and walk upstairs with his head held high.

Ren Yao followed Jiang Ling, followed by a crowd of brothel owners and girls. Ming Huashang lagged behind a few steps and was at the end, taking the opportunity to see the layout of Tianxiang Pavilion.

It seems that Tianxiang Pavilion is elegant, and even the private rooms are designed to be romantic. Tianxiang Pavilion is very spacious, with three floors. The first floor is the largest, with a stage in the center, like a patio, and the sight of the whole building is focused on it. There are flower and grass carvings around the stage, and seats are surrounded on the south, east and west sides. There is a huge landscape screen in the back to the north.

The second and third floors are for living. They run from east to west, with corridors and private rooms built around the stage. You can see the singing and dancing downstairs by just opening the window. But for the sake of the stage view, the corridors on the east and west sides of the second and third floors are not connected, like two pleasure boats, facing each other across the Milky Way.

The second floor is obviously more luxuriously decorated and has larger rooms, which should be the private rooms for entertaining distinguished guests; the third floor has densely packed rooms, most of which are the rooms where brothel girls live.

Ming Huashang walked up the stairs. Guanghan Yueyuan was located on the north side of the west side of the second floor, not far from the stairs. After Ming Huashang entered the room, she found that Jiang Ling had been arranged clearly.

In the blink of an eye, the table was already filled with delicious food and wine, and beauties of all shapes and sizes stood in front of him, silently emitting seductive glances. The madam enthusiastically introduced each of the beauties, praising them to the highest level possible.

However, the recipient of the glance seemed a little absent-minded. He noticed Hua Chang coming in and squeezed his eyes hard, suggesting that she should hurry up and rescue him.

Ming Huashang, however, seemed not to see it. She stood by the door, listening carefully to the madam's introduction of the beauty, and nodded in agreement from time to time, as if she was really considering it.

Jiang Ling was so angry that he fell backwards. What the hell was she, a woman? Wasn't he the one who got hurt in the end? The madam introduced all the beauties, and her mouth was dry. She looked at Jiang Ling expectantly, waiting for him to choose someone.

Jiang Ling's eyelids were almost cramping. He stammered, "Hey, can you say it again? I don't remember it."

The madam took a deep breath. Ming Huachang heard that brothels hired thugs. She was afraid that the madam would wave her hand and say, "Beat me up," so she hurriedly said, "What our husband means is that these are too vulgar. Is there anything better?"

The madam was stunned for a moment, her face clearly looking ugly: "There are so many girls, each of them is the pillar of our Tianxiang Garden, and you don't like any of them?"

Jiang Ling was supposed to nod, but seeing the beauties in front of him looking even uglier, Ren Yao quickly lifted Jiang Ling's chin to stop him from nodding, and smiled stiffly, "Not really, it's just that we want the most popular one."

The madam flew to the leading girl like a butterfly, waving her arms quickly. Ren Yao seemed to see the powder on her face falling off: "Shancha is the most popular! Go out and ask around in Pingkangfang, who doesn't know our Shancha?"

Shan Cha was also unhappy about being called a "vulgar woman". She held her handkerchief and said in a sinister tone, "Yes, if there weren't so few guests today, I wouldn't be able to come even if you wanted to. My dear, you are humiliating me like this, are you making fun of me?"

Ming Huashang found the flaw and immediately asked, "What you said is not right. Since you are the most popular lady in Pingkangfang, why is there no one to support you today?"

Shancha's face turned red. She stamped her feet angrily, threw her handkerchief and left: "Mom, the guest is too picky. I can't afford her. Let's ask Sister Yuqiong to come."

Jiang Ling, Ren Yao and Ming Huashang exchanged glances secretly. Apparently, they all heard the key name, Yuqiong.

Seeing that Jiang Ling and the other two had driven her new darling away, the madam was so angry that she grimaced: "My dear, we respect you as an honored guest, so we try to please you in every way, but you are too disrespectful. You look down on our girl, and we dare not marry her, but you tolerate your servants humiliating her, isn't that too much?"

This time Jiang Ling didn't need to perform at all. He raised his sword-like eyebrows and immediately crushed down with the arrogance of the little bully of Luoyang: "Who are you scolding? The people around me, even if they are dogs, are more noble than others. It's your turn to point fingers?"

Before he could finish his words, he was pinched hard. His arm hurt so much that he almost couldn't hold back his expression. He looked at Ren Yao in disbelief, and Ren Yao glared at him secretly, his eyes full of murderous intent.

Who are you calling a dog?

Jiang Ling simply felt that this woman was unreasonable. Was that the point? Fortunately, there was Ming Huashang. In comparison, Ming Huashang was sensible and reasonable. She was simply a fairy!

Before he could finish this thought, he heard Ming Huashang shout angrily, with her hands on her hips, "How dare you! Do you know who you are talking to?"

The madam was frightened by their sudden action and she couldn't help but think about it.

Chang'an is a big city, but it is also a small city. There are only a few noble young men in the area. Although this young man has red lips, white teeth and noble manners, I have never seen him before. I think he is at most the son of a wealthy businessman who has just come to Luoyang to broaden his horizons. What kind of ability does he have?

Thinking of this, the madam also became tough and raised her chin and said, "Oh, I am blind and can't tell your identity. Can you help me solve this puzzle so that I can learn more?"

The madam said this with a half-smile, her eyes slanting downwards, obviously deliberately speaking sarcastically to mock them. Ming Huashang sneered. She was wearing servant clothes, and her appearance was even more pale and ugly, but when she spoke, the madam inexplicably dared not look directly at her.

The madam thought to herself, what a freak! She started to sell her skills at the age of twelve, became an Oiran at the age of fourteen, and now she is the shopkeeper at the age of thirty. She has seen more people than these young people have eaten rice. She has been involved in the world of prostitution all her life and has taught several generations of "daughters". Naturally, she has long seen that this weak servant dressed in men's clothes is actually a woman.

But what does it matter? How can a noble person follow a man to a brothel? She is just a favored maid who is taking advantage of the power of others. Why did the madam feel scared just now?

The madam was muttering something strange in her heart, which made her slow to hear Ming Huashang's words: "I'm afraid you will be scared to death if I tell you, but our husband is the eldest son of Marquis Jiang'an, and he has been officially canonized by the court as the heir of Marquis Jiang'an!"

Jiang Ling nodded in agreement, then suddenly realized something was wrong and looked at Ming Huashang in surprise: "Huh?"

Ren Yao silently moved her eyes away and covered her face. Thank God she was not a man. If she said the name of Pingnan Marquis Mansion in a place like this, her grandmother would definitely beat her to death.

The madam opened her mouth wide and looked at Jiang Ling in astonishment, unable to speak clearly: "Jiang... the heir of the Marquis of Jiang'an?"

"Yes." Ming Huashang raised her eyebrows and said condescendingly, "You don't know about Marquis Jiang An, do you?"

How dare the madam not know! Although the emperor is not in Chang'an now, there are still a large number of wealthy families living here, always keeping an eye on the court's movements. It is difficult to say who is the most powerful person in the court now, but the most favored one must be Princess Taiping!

Marquis Jiang'an is Princess Taiping's confidant. How could Tianxiang Pavilion, a small business that relies on luck, dare to offend Marquis Jiang'an's son?

The madam's expression changed drastically immediately. The wrinkles on her face were so thick that you couldn't see her eyes. She smiled bitterly and said, "I have no eyes to see the great man. I neglected the prince. I really deserve to be beaten! Prince, wait a moment. I will go and call Yuqiong."

Jiang Ling was in despair. He couldn't imagine what his father's expression would be when the news of his visit to the brothel spread back to Luoyang. Jiang Ling had nothing to live for, and even his face was very sour. He waved his hand casually and said, "Get lost. I just came to Chang'an to have fun. I don't want to make it public. Don't talk nonsense."

The madam immediately understood and changed her address tactfully: "I understand. My lord, don't worry. I will make sure the servants won't spoil your mood."

After saying this, the madam winked at the people around her and left in a hurry. After everyone left, Jiang Ling immediately put away his fearless attitude and asked Ming Huashang in a low voice: "What are you doing?"

"Don't panic." Ming Huashang sat down calmly, poured a glass of wine, and took a sip. "It's really good wine. You were originally ordered to go to Chang'an to buy furniture for Princess Taiping. Everyone in the capital knows that you are a playboy. You can't stand the loneliness, so you come to Pingkangfang to have fun. Isn't it normal?"

That's true, but Ren Yao frowned and said, "But wouldn't that expose my identity?"

"What are you afraid of?" Ming Huashang said, "He is Jiang Ling, and what he did is consistent with Jiang Ling's character. If we try to hide our identities and get recognized later, we will be suspected. We might as well reveal our identities openly, mix the truth with the falsehood, and catch them in the dark. This is the safest way."

Jiang Ling was thinking, it seemed to make sense. However, Jiang Ling tilted his head and looked at Ming Huashang, very puzzled: "Ming Huazhang is now in Chang'an, why don't you use his identity?"

Ming Huashang blinked and said seriously, "My second brother is a famous man in the imperial capital. How could he ruin my brother's reputation like this?"

Jiang Ling gritted his teeth, his fingers itching with anger: "Then you ruined me?"

"Oh, it's okay." Ming Huashang waved her hand generously, "It's better to hide this kind of thing than to make it public. Now the murderer who killed Zhang Ziyun is very likely still in the building. If you reveal your identity, the other party will not dare to do anything to you. It's a good deal to trade your reputation for safety! The worst consequence is nothing more than being beaten by your father, and your reputation will be ruined, making it difficult to get married."

Jiang Ling stared at her with eyes wide open and said, "How about you listen to what you are saying?"