They had already arrived in the capital, and with New Year's Eve fast approaching, Zhu Lin thought it best to wait until after the Spring Festival before considering entering the palace. The Empress seemed to be doing well, and she and the fake princess had a very close mother-daughter relationship, and she didn't realize at all that the princess was fake.
The Fu brothers traveled from Yegou Village to Nanyang Prefecture, then to Quanshui Prefecture, and later all the way from the south to the capital. They had seen the world, but no matter how prosperous other prefectures were, they could not compare to the capital.
They couldn't quite describe the feeling, but it was probably because the city walls of the capital were higher, more imposing, and more magnificent. There were many buildings, and even the streets were paved with bricks. Most of the pedestrians were dressed in brocade and silk.
The magnificent carriages and the occasional patrol of the Imperial Guards made it clear that in the capital, even a single brick falling from the ground could hit a fifth-rank official.
"I heard that many literati are holding tea parties at that teahouse in the north of the city. Those scholars gather together to compose poems and exchange verses, which is quite lively."
Zhou Dafu was somewhat envious. Although he was of average talent, he was diligent and loved reading. He hoped that one day he could also participate in such a literary tea party.
"Why don't we go take a look together?" Zhou Zhoufu suggested. Zhou Dafu naturally agreed, and the other brothers, seeing how much their eldest brother longed to go, didn't want to spoil his fun, so they agreed to go and take a look together.
However, Zhu Lin and the others were not excited about the literati's tea party at all. They just wanted to wander around and familiarize themselves with the environment. Xingxing, on the other hand, just wanted to eat delicious food and had no interest in watching the literati compete in poetry or compose couplets.
So the group headed to the teahouse in the north of the city, taking the opportunity to drop off Brother Fu and his friends along the way. When they arrived at the teahouse, they found it already packed with people.
"There's no need to squeeze in. Let's book a private room at the restaurant across the street and watch the show while we eat." Zhu Qiuyu waved her folding fan, then immediately closed it when she felt a gust of cold wind.
When Brother Fu and his friends set off from their hometown, Zhao Guihua and her husband also gave them money: a thousand taels of silver notes, which were kept with Zhou Dafu, and two hundred taels of cash. The two hundred taels of silver were for their expenses on the journey, and the silver notes were for them to use after they arrived in the capital.
However, they didn't spend a single copper coin along the way. When they first wanted to stay at an inn, their second master paid the bill. Later, after they saved Tie Qingfeng, when they wanted to stay at an inn again, Tie Qingfeng paid the bill.
Upon arriving in the capital, they were provided with excellent accommodations and food, with no need to spend money. They hadn't spent any money on their trip today either. However, upon seeing the luxurious restaurant in front of them, the frugal Fu brothers all shrank back. Eating here must be very expensive, and it would surely consume most of their cash.
Zhu Qiuyu smiled slightly, understanding what the five boys were worried about. Without saying anything to them, she went straight into the restaurant, asked the manager for a private room, and paid the bill.
"Go inside and stay in the private room to eat and watch the show. Don't wander around. We'll just take a walk and come back to find you later," Zhu Qiuyu instructed.
"We're here to broaden our horizons, not to watch a show... We'll go upstairs now. Have fun, masters. And have fun too, Brother Lin." Zhou Dafu originally wanted to tell Zhu Lin to take good care of Xingxing, but he realized that would be superfluous. Without his reminder, Zhu Lin was already protecting Xingxing like the apple of his eye.
And then there's the master, who's actually a nice person, but he loves to be sarcastic. Those literati engaging in poetry battles are such an elegant and rare scene, but in his mouth, it's just like watching a play, as if those literati are putting on a show for someone else.
Xingxing didn't want to eat yet; she just wanted to try all the food from the street vendors in Beijing. Actually, she wouldn't be able to eat much even if she bought it, but she just wanted to try it. Zhu Lin naturally wanted to fulfill her wish. She glanced at something, and without her saying a word, he immediately paid for it.
"Oh dear, you've bought so much stuff! What are we going to do if we can't finish it all? Let's take it back for Brother Fu to eat." Xingxing looked a little embarrassed as she saw the boy carrying a large package.
However, those were all leftovers from her meal. For example, she only ate two candied hawthorns and had many left, but Zhu Lin bought her several skewers. Another example is that she only ate one pancake, but the boy bought her a whole bag.
The boy also ate, but there were too many kinds, so he only tried one or two and couldn't eat much.
Zhu Changge and Zhu Qingruo wanted to try everything they saw. Although they had secretly left the island before and traveled around, the capital was too far away, so this was their first time in the capital.
It's said that women love to shop, and this truth remains unchanged. Looking around, the male students were simply strolling around, while only three women were making purchases.
When they went out today, in order not to attract attention, they changed out of their white clothes and came out in plain brocade clothes. However, the group of people had an ethereal appearance and walked together one after the other. Even if they tried to keep a low profile, they were still very eye-catching.
The main reason is that they are good-looking, the kind that can be spotted in a crowd, and they always attract the attention of passersby no matter where they go.
"Let's split up and avoid being stared at like we're watching a monkey show." Zhu Yueran didn't like being stared at all the time, so she immediately slipped away from the group after saying that.
Then Zhu Xichen and Zhu Chumo quickly disappeared, while Zhu Qiuyu opened her folding fan, fanned herself twice, and then closed it again, continuing to stroll around as if nothing had happened.
Spreading out made them less noticeable, and fewer people looked over. However, many young women and old ladies would still turn around for a second glance. Zhu Qiuyu kept her eyes straight ahead, ignoring all the stares.
By this time, Zhu Lin had already walked far away with Xingxing, and Zhu Changge and Zhu Qingruo had disappeared somewhere. Zhu Qiuyu was walking around casually when suddenly Zhu Yueran, who had left first, found him again.
"Senior Brother, there's a brothel up ahead. Would you be interested in going in with me to take a look?" Zhu Yueran had a righteous face and a straight eye, with a cold and ruthless demeanor, but he was saying the most vulgar thing: he wanted to visit a brothel.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
