When Zhou Zhaonuan rode ahead, followed by a large group of imperial guards, and rushed to the door of Zuihonglou, the people inside were almost in an uproar, and half of them were already at a loss.
I want to leave, but I also want to watch the fun. If I don’t leave, I’m afraid of getting involved in trouble.
When several high-ranking court officials heard the commotion outside, they immediately asked their servants to go out and inquire.
General Ye hurriedly pulled up his trousers, put on his clothes after just rolling out of bed, and prepared to go out to see what was going on.
"Master, what's going on outside?"
Cuilan, who had just been with him, had a serious expression on her face, gritted her teeth, and looked frightened.
General Ye liked girls’ shy look the most. He pinched Cuilan’s fair and smooth face, asked someone to hug him, and walked out with a swagger.
"Don't be afraid, I'll go out and see who's up in the middle of the night and causing trouble in this Zuihonglou for no reason."
The madam naturally heard the noise. When she ran out, she bumped into Shen Zishan, a frequent visitor to Zuihonglou. The madam nervously grabbed his clothes and said, "Sir, if anything happens tonight, you must help me with Zuihonglou."
The imperial court has always been very lenient towards men having three wives and four concubines, so there are no laws against men going to brothels. As for officials, as long as it does not interfere with their official duties, they can do so.
Shen Zishan patted his chest and walked out with a swagger, while making assurances to the nervous-looking madam.
"Don't worry, I'm here. I want to see who is so blind as to bring people to Zui Hong Lou to block the door. Don't they know that this is not a decent thing to do?"
"Yes, Lord Shen, you don't know that I'm having a great time. If I catch the guy who disturbed my fun, I will definitely drag her to the government office and beat her up."
The madam looked at the officials in front of her and felt a sense of security.
When they walked to the door, not only Ye Chouxiu, but even Shen Zishan was stunned. Why did the Royal Guards come to Zuihonglou to block the door in the middle of the night?
The madam's face was even paler than before, and her teeth were almost chattering.
"My lords, judging by the clothes these people are wearing, they must belong to the imperial court, but...but why are they coming to my Drunken Red Mansion for no reason?"
After rolling their eyes, Shen Zishan and Ye Chouxiu felt a little guilty. They always felt that today's incident was too strange. There was no way the emperor would bring the Imperial Guards to personally seal off Zuihonglou. Wouldn't that mean he would be too idle? They had to find an opportunity to submit more useless memorials to prevent him from causing trouble for them whenever he was free.
"You stand back."
Ye Chouxiu plucked up his courage, pushed the madam to the back, walked forward with a swagger, and said arrogantly.
"The existence of Zuihonglou is in accordance with the law. I wonder what your purpose is in coming here?"
Shen Zishan also followed him out and said sternly.
"Yes, Zui Hong Lou is also operating legally. Where is your master? Let him come out."
Shen Zishan vaguely felt that Zhou Beichen had come, but he was not sure. But no matter what, he had to take this heavy blow.
"Grandpa, it's Nuannuan."
When they heard someone calling them "Grandpa", Shen Zishan and Ye Chouxiu looked at each other in surprise. When they saw the little girl walking out of the crowd, Shen Zishan almost dropped his jaw in surprise.
As a high-ranking official in the court, it would have been fine for him to come to a brothel in the middle of the night, but the most important thing was that he was caught in the act by his granddaughter. Shen Zishan felt that his face turned a little red and he was embarrassed.
Ye Chouxiu was also startled, and his words were a little incoherent and he stuttered.
"Princess Chang'an, this old minister pays his respects to Princess Chang'an."
Oh, how embarrassing!
Ye Chouxiu knelt down, and after Shen Zishan reacted, he knelt down as well.
"Meet Princess Chang'an."
When he said this, he felt very uncomfortable and even guilty towards his two daughters.
"Well, get up!"
Ye Chouxiu got up from the ground and ran to Zhou Zhaonuan almost immediately. He was thick-skinned at this moment and said those words without changing his expression or heart beating.
"I wonder what brings Princess Chang'an here to do. Old brothel owner, quickly, do you have any men here? Princess, are you looking for a lover? Don't worry, I will do my best to assist you in finding one. Although this matter may not be made public, it is just like our visit to the Drunken Red Tower, a tacit understanding. Don't worry, I will not personally report your visit to the Drunken Red Tower with the Imperial Guards today to the Emperor."
There was a cunning glint in Ye Chouxiu's eyes. After all, they had come to Zuihonglou more than once or twice, and the emperor always made a lot of noise but did little. What was he afraid of?
Besides, who doesn’t have needs? Isn’t this normal?
Zhou Zhaonuan: “…”
She clenched her fists tightly. Good, this guy actually dared to threaten her.
After Ye Chouxiu finished speaking, he stood there with a clear conscience, intending to have a good talk with Zhou Zhaonuan. Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhaonuan ignored him at all.
Instead, he smiled slyly, walked a few steps to the madam, and reached into his sleeve. The indenture of Liu Qingqing appeared clearly in front of the madam. In an instant, the madam's face turned pale.
"Mom, this is Liu Qingqing's indenture. Her age is fifteen. I bought her back and checked, and she's only fourteen now. How do you want to explain this?"
The madam blinked violently, as if all the strength in her body had been drained away, and then she fell heavily to the ground.
To put it simply, this matter can be said to be a forged identity. If it does not involve the interests of people in high positions, generally no one will care about it; but if it is put more seriously, it is a crime of deceiving the emperor. After all, this law was set by Zhou Beichen.
Zhou Zhaonuan saw her dry and pale lips and understood. She walked over to the madam and said, "Mom! How do you explain this? This princess is asking you something."
The madam's brain was like a mess, extremely confused. Her instinct for survival made her get up, tug at Zhou Zhaonuan's trouser leg, and try to explain word by word.
"Princess, please forgive me. Please calm down. I bought Liu Qingqing from someone else because she was so beautiful and I couldn't bear to keep her for just one year, so I changed her identity. I didn't mean to deceive you. Please have mercy on me, have mercy on me."
The madam kowtowed repeatedly, but Zhou Zhaonuan's expression didn't change at all. Having grown up in the deep palace, she had long been immune to some people's crying.
He simply took a step back and said coldly, "Since the matter of you changing Liu Qingqing's identity and age has not been brought to the attention of the emperor, then it naturally cannot be considered as deceiving the emperor. However, you are exploiting a loophole in the court, which is also an unforgivable crime."
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