There was a sudden knock on the door of the private room. Song Qianhang got up to open the door, only to see Xie Xun standing outside with a companion, both of whom were old acquaintances.

"Brother Xie, Brother Jingwen, why are you here?"

Song Qianhang was surprised. After all, Song Jingwen was a conservative and dull person with no understanding of romance at all. Why would he come to such a place?

"Qianhang, I just heard that you were up here, but I didn't believe it. With your personality, why wouldn't you go down... Hey, do you have guests?"

"Oh, it turns out to be an acquaintance."

Xie Xun's ostentatious voice couldn't even cover the sound of the pipa below.

Hearing the voice, Su Juan turned around and looked. His robe was still luxurious and ostentatious. He had two new jade pendants hanging around his waist today, and the gems inlaid on the crown on his forehead were obviously priceless.

[Dressed like a peacock spreading its feathers, Xie Xun is indeed a show-off. ]

Xie Xun's smile froze and he narrowed his eyes. A peacock? Spreading its tail? Showing off?

Song Qianhang covered his lips with a paper fan. He had always felt that Xie Xun's clothes were really eye-catching, but he only thought they were too gaudy and luxurious. His sister-in-law's description was really apt. Wasn't it like a peacock spreading its tail?

"I didn't expect that the Crown Prince's wife also likes to visit brothels. With this outfit, she really looks like a pretty young man." Xie Xun, who was described as a colorful peacock, narrowed his eyes and teased Su Juan.

"Brother Jingwen, don't you think so?"

"Yeah." Song Jingwen didn't care much. He looked around and drank the tea in his hand. The places Xie Xun took him to were full of smoke and foul smells, but Song Qianhang's place was elegant and quiet.

Su Juan lowered her eyes and glanced at her clothes. This was the second time she looked at them like this. [Isn't it said that men dressed as women are indistinguishable? How come it's so easy to be recognized?]

Xie Xun smiled but said nothing.

It's possible that it's hard to tell the gender, but we're all acquaintances who have met before, and this isn't a storybook, so how could we really not be able to recognize each other after just changing their clothes?

Although Song Qianhang has a good relationship with Xie Xun on weekdays, Su Juan is his sister-in-law in terms of status. He can't just stand by and watch Xie Xun tease and bully her.

"There are many women who visit brothels in Beijing. Brother Xie is really a little ignorant."

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such unwritten rules as men on the left and women on the right and welcoming guests in elegant rooms.

Xie Xun smiled and said, "That's because I am ignorant. Princess, please don't blame me for my slip of the tongue."

Su Juan smiled, "Thank you for being frank and open-minded, there are few people like you, how can I blame you?"

Song Jingwen suddenly said, "After all, it is a place of entertainment. It would be better for my sister-in-law to come here less often in the future."

"After all, most of the guests here are men. If you are a girl here and are recognized as a woman by drunken guests, you will inevitably get into trouble."

Xie Xun and Song Qianhang looked at each other, and the former smiled and explained, "I forgot that this is Brother Jingwen's first time here, so you probably don't know that Baihua Tower was opened in the previous dynasty. At that time, women in the capital often visited brothels, but now they just listen to music and watch dances, so these brothels have an unwritten rule that female guests are welcomed in the private rooms, and men give way, so the Crown Prince's Consort is here, so there won't be any big problems."

Baihua Tower was opened in the previous dynasty when a female emperor was in power. It was common for women to serve as officials at that time. The reason why Baihua Tower could remain open for hundreds of years in such a wealthy place in Beijing without falling is not only because it had the support of high-ranking officials and dignitaries behind it, but also because the tower not only had business with male guests, but also with female guests.

Now a hundred years have passed, and the customs in the capital have changed a lot. There are no female officials in the court anymore, so the business of female guests in the building has ceased. Now they just enjoy singing and dancing.

Song Jingwen obviously didn't know about these origins, but Xie Xun and Song Qianhang, two young men who often hung out in various romantic occasions, knew them very well.

After the two explained it this way, Song Jingwen realized that he was worrying too much.

Although Su Juan knew some things about the previous dynasty, she did not expect that Baihua Tower was actually somewhat related to these things.

She narrowed her eyes, [What a pity! I would like to experience how the business of the female guests of Baihualou was done in the past. I was born at the wrong time!]

Song Jingwen: “…”

Song Qianhang: “…”

Xie Xun narrowed his eyes.

Su Juan raised her glass to Song Jingwen, "I know you mean well, cousin. Thank you very much."

After all, he is doing this for my own good, and I really need to understand this sentiment.

Song Jingwen nodded.

When the distinguished guest arrived, the waiter brought a new pot of tea. Because there were female relatives present, Xie Xun and Song Qianhang tacitly agreed not to talk about the usual topics about which girls they met.

The two chatted about poetry and music, and as they chatted, the two unemployed young men ended up talking about the corruption of the Minister of Rites.

"I heard that Minister Du's case also implicated many people in the Ministry of Revenue. They were either demoted or dismissed and sent to prison. This corrupt official is really hateful."

Xie Xun nodded, "There are many vacancies in the Ministry of Revenue right now, I'm afraid there will be a lot of competition."

Song Jingwen had not expected that these two unemployed people at home could actually have some insights into the situation in the court. Several parties were fighting each other, and the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the wealth of the world. Who wouldn't want to hold it in their hands?

Many forces tried their best to win the position, and it was precisely because of this that the emperor hesitated again and again in choosing the candidate.

After the three of them talked, Su Juan couldn't help but sigh, "Du Peng was involved in so many things. In the end, it was because the old emperor had no children."

[Now they are just fighting secretly. As long as the emperor hesitates, these people will fight more fiercely. After all, no one is orthodox. When he ascends to the throne of the emperor in the future, won’t he clear out the former hostility to prevent future troubles? ]

Su Juan thought of Song Qianfan. After he ascended the throne, he not only implicated the entire families of King Han and King Heng, but also beheaded all those in the court who had not supported him. Anyone who spoke for him was tortured to death.

The old emperor loved his people like his own children and accepted advice from wise ministers, but he chose a madman who regarded human life as worthless.

The three of them were silent. Yes, in the final analysis, it was because the emperor had no children now. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that the emperor would sooner or later choose a crown prince from among the royal family members, so the political situation was so chaotic now.

Song Jingwen's eyes darkened, although he had no intention of wresting the throne, his father did. Now they were fighting openly and secretly, and no matter who came to the throne in the future, it would be a bloody storm that could not be avoided.

Su Juan's words hit the nail on the head.

Xie Xun remained silent. In fact, the Xie family had never given up looking for the little princess who had disappeared. Although they had the queen's jade pendant as a clue, it was really difficult to find someone in such a vast sea of ​​people.

Now, decades have passed, and most of the people in the court who knew about the incident at that time have either retired to the mountains or passed away like little princesses.

Prince Heng and Song Qianfan both wanted to recruit him into the Xie family, but his father would not lean on either side.

His Xie family only supports the crown prince who is orthodox in the royal family and truly loyal to the people.

The father already had a plan in mind. If he could not find the little princess, he would support the emperor's younger brother, Prince Jing.

But Prince Jing's son, Crown Prince Song Qianfan, is ambitious and a trouble.

Xie Xun looked at Su Juan, who seemed to have sensed something and looked over at him.

When their eyes met, Xie Xun inexplicably felt as if his mind was seen through. He waved his fan and smiled, returning to his nonchalant look just now.

"The Crown Prince's Consort is looking at me like this. I guess it's because my face is too eye-catching. Is the Crown Prince's Consort also fond of looking at it?"