After a while, Yan Hong finally came to her senses, quickly got up, opened the door, and hurried downstairs towards the entrance of Wan Jiao Pavilion. The madam watched Yan Hong's departing figure, shook her head, sighed deeply, and looked completely bewildered.
"Sister Xiang'er, you are Yan Hong's only support in this world from now on. Wait for me, you must wait for me. You must not die, you must not die..." Yan Hong murmured as she ran through the street.
Just as Yan Hong hurriedly left the room and strode downstairs, she brushed past Tuoba Ze and his personal guard at the bottom of the stairs. Tuoba Ze saw that she was so engrossed in running downstairs that she hadn't even noticed him, so he immediately ordered his personal guard, "Go and follow her." The guard immediately obeyed and chased after her.
"Hmph, I'll see where you can run to this time." Tuoba Ze stood by the railing with one hand behind his back, talking to himself as Yan Hong and the guards left, a sly expression on his face.
Just then, he suddenly saw Cheng Liang enter through the door with two guards. He glared at him fiercely, then turned around and quickly went back to the backyard.
Upon reaching the attic in the backyard, Tuoba Ze went straight to a large ebony tea rack next to the tea table in the tea room. The rack was filled with a dazzling array of tea jars for storing tea leaves. Looking at each jar, he seemed to be selecting the tea that best suited his taste.
Finally, I chose a can of the world's best rose black tea, made from the finest black tea from the south and the finest roses produced there. This tea has a mellow taste, benefits the lungs and spleen, and is especially suitable for women to drink for beauty and health in winter.
Having chosen the tea that best suited his current mood, he slowly strolled to the tea table in the tea room and sat down. He boiled a pot of water, gazing intently at the kettle before him, lost in thought. He couldn't help but recall the scenes of enjoying tea with Yu Niang that day, muttering to himself, "I wonder if you like this new rose black tea that I sent you later..."
"Boss, we've searched every inch of Wanjiao Pavilion, but we haven't found a single trace of Miss Yi, Yu Niang, or that Northern Prince Tuoba Ze. Could His Highness have made a mistake?" One of the guards complained to Cheng Liang as soon as he entered.
“Impossible. His Highness has always been insightful and prescient. If he says it’s here, it’s here. There’s no mistake.” Cheng Liang said after hearing this.
"Yes, but what should we do now?" the guard asked somewhat fearfully.
"Search, keep searching, don't miss any corner, you must find it." After a moment's thought, Cheng Liang said firmly.
Suddenly, the madam appeared with a beaming smile and called out, "Oh, sir, you're here again. What's up? Have you found the girl yet? Are you here at my Wanjiao Pavilion on official business or personal matters today?"
"Get out of here, enough nonsense." Before Cheng Liang could speak, one of the guards raised his sword and reprimanded the madam.
However, Cheng Liang waved to the guard who had spoken, stopping him, and asked, "Are you the madam of this Wanjiao Pavilion?"
The madam, still beaming with joy, calmly replied, "Yes, sir, it is indeed this old servant."
Cheng Liang gave her a quick look and then asked, "Why is there no sign of your master? Where is he?"
The madam, however, remained completely unfazed. Her eyes widened only for a moment before she fluently replied, "Oh dear, sir, you flatter me. To put it nicely, I am the madam of Wanjiao Pavilion, meddling in some trivial matters. To put it bluntly, I am merely a dog kept by my master. What right or audacity do I have to inquire about my master's whereabouts? You are too kind to me."
Upon hearing this reply, Cheng Liang was somewhat expecting it, but he still couldn't suppress his anger. He had no choice but to force himself to warn her, "You'd better tell me honestly what you know. Otherwise, if I find out for myself, we won't be speaking so politely today."
"This old servant truly has no idea what you are talking about, sir. Please forgive me for not being able to tell you," the madam said, still maintaining a stiff smile.
"Don't be so stubborn..." At this moment, the two guards standing to the side, seeing the madam's arrogant attitude as she spoke to their leader, were so angry that they wanted to draw their swords to scare her, but Cheng Liang stopped them.
The more unusually arrogant the madam's demeanor, the more Cheng Liang felt that there were undercurrents surging within the Wanjiao Pavilion.
Remembering his master's words, Cheng Liang turned to the madam and said, "You probably already know that the girl in the portrait we're looking for is the white-robed young master from the west of the city who came to Wanjiao Pavilion disguised as a man, right?! Which girl did you send to serve her that day? I want to question her now, so please call her out."
The madam was startled upon hearing this. After a moment's hesitation, she revealed a sly smile. "Oh, so you've come to see Lanxiang, sir? Well, you've come at a very inopportune time. Lanxiang was unwell yesterday and has already taken leave from Wanjiao Pavilion to recuperate!"
Cheng Liang exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? What a coincidence! Do you know when she will be back?"
"This old servant can't say for sure. It could be as short as three to five days, or as long as ten days to half a month, or perhaps..." As the madam spoke, the smile on her face gradually faded, as if she was deep in thought.
"What, so long?" Cheng Liang was unaware that Lan Xiang had long been a pawn of Tuoba Ze and was being hunted down by him with all his might.
After a slight hesitation, Cheng Liang immediately asked, "When she left, did she say where she was going to recuperate?"
The madam shifted her eyes slightly to one side, then lightly covered her nose with a silk handkerchief, pretending to think for a moment before replying, "She only said she wanted to find a place to recuperate quietly, but didn't specify where. Lanxiang has always been a loner and rarely gets close to others."
"You really don't know?" Cheng Liang asked, extremely puzzled.
However, the madam firmly insisted on her statement, shaking her head and saying, "How could this old servant dare to deceive Master Guan? My Wanjiao Pavilion will have to rely on your care and protection in the future!"
The madam was indeed tight-lipped and quite cunning. She then asked, "Which room does Lanxiang live in? Take me there to see her."
"Of course, no problem. This old servant will take you there right away. Lanxiang's room is on the second floor, on the east side. Please, sir!" With that, the madam politely led Cheng Liang and his two bodyguards up to the second floor.
"Sir, please look, this is Lanxiang's room. Because she is both beautiful and intelligent, this old servant treats her very well. The food, clothes, and other necessities she receives are the best among all the girls in Wanjiao Pavilion. Therefore, that night, Lanxiang was sent to serve Miss Yi..." The madam seemed to realize that she had said something she shouldn't have, and stopped speaking.
"How do you know the woman in the portrait is surnamed Yi? There's nothing written on the portrait." Cheng Liang looked at the madam in surprise.
The madam hesitated for a moment, then quickly came up with a response: "Oh, so many soldiers have suddenly surrounded Wanjiao Pavilion for several days, just to find the girl in the portrait. It's no wonder the guests are gossiping. I only heard a little from the guests, and I don't know if what I said is right or wrong?"
Clearly, Cheng Liang disdained the madam's probing and did not answer her. He simply waved to the two guards, who then began to search Lanxiang's room thoroughly again.
Suddenly, Cheng Liang's gaze fell upon a tea canister on a table by the window in the room. The canister was decorated with patterns reminiscent of the folk customs of the Northern Lie Kingdom, but these were not favored by the people of Western Qin. So, he slowly walked over, picked it up, and opened it. It was empty, yet it still emitted a very strong aroma of tea. He gently brought it to his nose and inhaled. Having spent his days with Xuan Yuanhan, he had been exposed to some of the aromas, and this smell immediately surprised him. "This is the finest rose black tea in the world, made from the finest black tea of the Southern Kingdom blended with the best roses produced there."
After some hesitation, he asked the madam, "Is this fine rose tea also prepared for Miss Lanxiang? It's rare for a woman of the night to recognize such excellent tea."
Upon hearing this, the madam was immediately startled and could only continue to lie, saying, "That Miss Lanxiang is the most knowledgeable about tea ceremony among all the girls in our Wanjiao Pavilion."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang, holding the tea canister in his hand, shook his head and chuckled lightly, "Hmph... we're out of tea, time to add some new tea."
The madam then gave an awkward smile.
Just then, Cheng Liang suddenly looked up and saw a small pavilion across the street with its windows still open, indicating that someone was there. He asked, "What is this courtyard for? Is that small pavilion across the street also part of Wanjiao Pavilion?"
The madam glanced over and replied nervously, "Sir, that's just the Chu Tea Room of Wanjiao Pavilion, a dirty and messy place with nothing to see."
However, Cheng Liang didn't take it seriously. He glanced back at the madam, who seemed extremely guilty and her eyes darted around. Cheng Liang became even more curious about her.
Just then, two guards came over and reported, "General, we found nothing of interest."
So, Cheng Liang slowly walked over to the madam, looked into her eyes and said, "Come on, take us to visit your Chu Tea House."
The madam was so startled she couldn't move her legs. During the previous searches, she had always resisted the officials with great effort, claiming it was an unclean place. But now, it was clear the general wouldn't believe or care about such superstitious tales.
"Let's go. What's wrong? Is there some secret there that you're afraid we'll discover?" Cheng Liang urged, seeing the madam standing there motionless.
Upon hearing this, the madam had no choice but to take heavy steps to catch up.
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