Duke Xu Chengbi of Wei immediately had someone help her up, and said in a gentle tone:

"Good daughter-in-law, you've been widowed in less than a year since you married into the Xu family. It's our Xu family that has dragged you down. Go back to your room and rest. What are you standing there for? Quickly, help her back to her room!"

That evening, Duke Wei and Han Xiufen locked themselves in their room and had a huge argument.

The sound of breaking porcelain echoed throughout the room.

He Ying had already prepared bath supplies and hot water. Su Wanwan soaked in the hot water, and her aches and fatigue were slightly relieved.

She let out a long sigh of relief.

Yan Rong looked at the bruises on her calves, her eyes reddened, and her throat tightened slightly, but she forced a smile:

"Miss, the third young lady of the Qingyun Marquis's mansion has sent an invitation, saying that she will visit you at the mansion tomorrow."

He Ying, who had been looking worried, immediately brightened up upon hearing this.

"That's right! The young lady's maternal grandfather is the Earl of Changning, the younger brother of the Marquis of Qingyun. With these two families backing her up, I'm sure the Duchess wouldn't dare to make things too difficult for us openly!"

Su Wanwan smiled slightly, "Then please tell them to prepare her favorite osmanthus taro paste."

Yan Rong and He Ying both secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as they agreed in unison, "Yes."

This was the first time the girl had smiled since returning to the capital.

The third young lady of the Qingyun Marquis's mansion is Zhou Wanxiu, who is two years younger than Su Wanwan. According to seniority, she should call Wanwan her cousin.

However, she was Su Wanwan's only best friend, and they had grown up together since childhood.

Early the next morning, Zhou Wanxiu lifted her skirt and walked over to Su Wanwan in a few steps.

"Aunt Wan, I need to talk to you!"

Su Wanwan laughed and said, "You're so old, why are you still in such a hurry?"

Zhou Wanxiu squeezed her hand, her eyes serious.

Su Wanwan told the maid who was setting out breakfast to leave first: "What is it?"

"Do you have a cousin named Su Wanying who has gone missing?"

Su Wanwan's expression changed instantly.

This is a little-known secret of the Su family, and not many outsiders know about it.

Seeing this, Zhou Wanxiu became even more certain.

“My brother was entertaining guests at Cuiyun Tower last night when a young girl performing for money stopped him and said she was your cousin and asked you to send a message to redeem her.”

Su Wanwan's eyes welled up with tears, and she gripped Zhou Wanxiu's hand tightly: "Quick, take me to her!"

Zhou Wanxiu comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, Cuiyunlou only opens this afternoon. My brother has already spoken to people and told them not to make things difficult for her. We'll go there quietly this afternoon."

Her eyes flickered, and her expression became somewhat unnatural: "However, your identity is a problem."

A widow visiting a brothel—she could easily imagine how nasty the rumors would be.

Cuiyun Tower was a high-end entertainment venue under the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau), which also offered singing, dancing, banquets, and accommodation. Its guests were all wealthy and noble.

Some went there to discuss business, while others went there for leisure.

Su Wanwan is a widow.

Moreover, she is a widow who has been at the center of public opinion these past two days.

If people found out that she had been to a place as glamorous and decadent as Cuiyunlou, it would be devastating to her reputation.

I'm afraid that in the future, any dirty or smelly man will dare to come knocking on your door and flirt with you.

After a moment's thought, Su Wanwan came up with a solution.

She told her mother-in-law that she was going to visit her maternal grandfather, and then she and Zhou Wanxiu went out, taking with them the gifts they had prepared beforehand.

When she got off the carriage, she was already dressed as a man.

He was dressed in a sky-blue Taoist robe, holding a folding fan, and wearing a large hat, half of his face was hidden under the hat, making it impossible to tell whether he was male or female.

Zhou Wanxiu's older brother, Zhou Shuyan, who was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, bowed respectfully and said, "Aunt Wan, please come with me."

Su Wanwan couldn't help but blush slightly.

She was of a higher generation on her maternal grandfather's side, and men older than her called her aunt, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

Cuiyunlou's peak business hours are in the evening; it's less crowded in the afternoon.

It was Su Wanwan's first time in a place like this, and she was immediately drawn to it as soon as she entered.

The interior of Cuiyun Tower is decorated in a luxurious and elegant style, with private rooms surrounding the perimeter and a stage in the central atrium.

A faint fragrance filled the air.

The stage was surrounded by beaded curtains that stretched for several meters from the roof.

In the very center of the beaded curtain sat a beautifully dressed woman with a graceful figure, holding a pipa and singing in a sweet and charming voice, the melodious ending notes captivating the heart.

"A foot of deep red is covered in dust, old things are never as good as new..."

Even Su Wanwan, a widow who had lived a life of quiet celibacy for many years, felt a touch of romance and tenderness in her heart.

Zhou Shuyan first communicated with the manager of Cuiyun Tower.

Seeing that Su Wanwan was looking at the singer on the central stage, he assumed she found it novel and asked her to wait for him in the second-floor corridor for a moment.

Su Wanwan glanced at it a few times and turned to continue walking, but when she looked up, she met a pair of cold eyes.

Her breath hitched for a beat.

I instinctively took a step back.

It was actually... Lu Xingjian.

Lu Xingjian hadn't expected to run into her here.

He stood there, frowning, and stared at her for a long time.

The lingering, sweet song continued: "The peach pit of the mimosa tree is truly hateful, for there is someone else hidden there..."

Su Wanwan stood frozen in place.

Did he come here to solicit prostitutes?

So thirsty?

The warm light of the lantern stretched his shadow long as he walked towards her step by step.

Each step felt like stepping on her heart.

Su Wanwan clenched her hands, her face turning pale for a moment.

My heart was pounding.

The secret passage is terrible.

A widow was caught red-handed visiting a brothel!

I was so embarrassed I wanted to crawl into a hole.

There was a large crowd at the stairwell.

Lu Xingjian frowned, quickly pulled her into a private room next door and closed the door.

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