After a quick wash, Song Ruoan went out to Xianglou. She looked sleepy and disheveled.
The night was still and quiet, the surroundings were pitch black, and there wasn't even a shadow of a living person in sight. Song Ruoan gripped He Yunce's hand tightly:
"Husband, what's going on? Is that boss really trying to see us?"
He Yunze took a deep breath, a sense of bewilderment washing over him. He simply couldn't understand what the owner of Pinxianglou meant.
"If the owner of the brothel is too busy to meet me, he can simply refuse. Why play tricks on me like this? It's not necessary."
Moreover, he dared not leave at all. After the hour of Yin, it would be the hour of Mao. If he did not meet the owner of Pinxianglou and get a definite answer, Prince Xiu would probably not let him go easily.
Thinking of this, He Yunze smiled reassuringly at Song Ruoan: "Since he is your senior brother, and he said he wanted to see you, how could he bear to make things difficult for you and me?"
"There must be something that's keeping us waiting. We'll just wait here."
Upon hearing this, Song Ruoan managed a weak smile and stood with He Yunze at the entrance of Pinxianglou, practically waiting impatiently.
I don't know how much time has passed.
As dawn broke, Song Ruoan felt her swollen legs; the cold wind seemed to have stiffened her bones.
A few pedestrians gradually appeared on the street, and the people coming and going craned their necks to look in her direction. Song Ruoan's eyes reddened instantly at their curious gazes.
She had never suffered such humiliation since childhood, let alone standing on the street waiting for the owner of a brothel, from day to night, and from night to dawn.
But He Yunze's voice still came from beside her: "Ruo'an, it's almost time. I have to rush to the morning court. You wait here by yourself."
Song Ruoan suddenly looked up at him, her face filled with helplessness: "But my husband..."
He Yunze reassured him with concern: "After you meet your senior brother, besides talking about the Prince of Xiu, you should also talk about cooperation."
As he spoke, he put his arms around Song Ruoan's shoulders and pressed her down heavily: "Important people are busy, so it's not easy to meet you, but think about the future business, isn't it much easier now?"
The thought of making a fortune by reaching a cooperation agreement, becoming famous worldwide for her incense, and becoming the second owner of the Fragrance Pavilion made her a figure of immense wealth. At that time, everyone would have to wait anxiously to see her.
Not only that, but the brothel was so popular that after she made a deal with the owner, the people in the Marquis's mansion treated her differently, and even Song Xizhi had to be mindful of her feelings and beg her for favors.
Song Ruoan's mood improved considerably.
She forced a smile at He Yunze: "Husband, you go ahead, I'll wait here. Once my senior brother has some free time, he won't refuse to see his junior sister."
He Yunze looked at the sky above, nodded, and hurriedly got into the carriage. He returned to the Marquis's residence, changed into his official robes, and was about to go to court.
Sure enough, he was worried all the way in the carriage, and ran into Prince Xiu as soon as he arrived at the palace gate.
He Yunze paused, standing by the carriage without moving forward.
Prince Xiu had his hands tucked into his sleeves, a slight smile on his face, while Prince Yu beside him spoke with great enthusiasm and animated gestures.
"I heard that the newly opened Pinxiang Pavilion was extremely lively yesterday. I regret not going to join the fun."
"But I heard that you went there, my brother, and that you were going to send some precious incense to Father. You are quite filial. When do you plan to send it? Let me have a look."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Prince Xiu's face froze for a moment: "The incense at Pinxiang Pavilion is nothing short of miraculous. Even my little uncle praised it highly. It's a real pity that my brother didn't go to see it yesterday."
Prince Yu smiled meaningfully: "If my younger brother presents the incense to Father, and I smell it in Father's study, the effect will be the same."
Prince Xiu remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping around for a while. When he saw He Yun Ce, a smile returned to his face.
"Once I obtain the Penglai Wonderland, I will present it to my father in a few days. I will definitely invite my elder brother to come and appreciate it together."
Prince Yu was genuinely surprised to hear this: "Isn't it said that the owner of the brothel is elusive and that even the young prince has never seen what he looks like?"
Prince Xiu smiled mysteriously, then raised his voice: "As long as it's for Father Emperor, I will try no matter how difficult it is. After all, the Penglai Wonderland is rare in the world and is also beneficial to Father Emperor's health."
As he spoke, he suddenly changed the subject and addressed He Yunze, "Young Master He, you were also at the Fragrant Pavilion yesterday. Were you amazed by that Penglai Wonderland?"
Hearing the Prince of Xiu suddenly mention him, with a deep meaning in his eyes, He Yunze's throat tightened, and he immediately felt the pressure. He knew he could no longer hide, so he gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
"Yes, that's right, that fairyland is truly one in a million. His Highness Prince Xiu's filial piety will surely please His Majesty."
Upon hearing He Yunze's words, Prince Xiu's smile finally became genuine.
Upon hearing this, Prince Yu snorted coldly, looking at He Yunze's nose and eyes, which were neither quite nose nor quite eyes: "Having accomplished nothing else, you can only rely on incense to win Father's favor! Humph!"
He spoke without any mercy, then turned and left.
After he left, He Yunze carefully comforted him, "It's just that His Highness Prince Yu has never heard of Penglai Wonderland and doesn't know how precious it is, so that's why he said that."
Prince Xiu smiled, not taking it to heart: "Let him say what he wants. But I did understand what you just said... You met the owner of the Fragrant Pavilion, and the incense ended up in your hands?"
He Yunze clenched his teeth and smiled cautiously at Prince Xiu: "It has been confirmed that the boss is my wife's senior brother. Upon hearing of this relationship, the boss was eager to meet my wife, but he was too busy yesterday to meet her."
Upon hearing that He Yunze had not received the incense, Prince Xiu's expression instantly became subtle.
He Yunze then hurriedly said, "Now that I have come to court, I presume my wife has already met the owner of Pinxianglou. After you leave court, the incense will be in my hands, and we can reach a cooperation agreement."
There were many officials coming and going at the palace gate. With so many people around, Prince Xiu couldn't say too much. Seeing He Yunce's confident expression, Prince Xiu reluctantly nodded.
He leaned close to He Yunze's ear and whispered, "Since that's the case, I'll give you a little more time. Just now, I made a promise to Prince Yu. Don't challenge my bottom line."
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