Chapter 30 The Regent's Male Favorite
Chu Yannuo would never believe his cousin would leave him, even if the sun rose in the west.
He glared at Chu Yanqing with uncontrollable rage, "It must be you, it must be Mother, who hid her! Tell me now, where is my cousin? If you tell me, I'll give you anything you want, Yanqing, tell me now!"
Chu Yanqing knew that her older brother was still living in his own fantasy.
"Big brother, you need to accept reality. Your cousin doesn't want you anymore. She's gone and will never come back."
"Impossible, impossible," Chu Yannuo didn't believe a single word Chu Yanqing said.
"Guards, bring Miss Biao here to me immediately. You have one incense stick's time."
He suppressed his anger and gave instructions to the steward.
He was certain that his cousin was in the Marquis's residence, a place he hadn't paid much attention to.
"Try to visit places I don't go to often."
Chu Yannuo not only instructed the steward to lead people to search, but he also went to search for it himself.
I searched the Green Bamboo Garden inside and out more than a dozen times.
He searched every possible hiding place, including wardrobes, gardens, and woodsheds.
But there was no sign of my cousin anywhere.
She was such a delicate girl, and she had relied on his pampering to live her life since she was a child. How could she possibly leave him?
Besides, she's so naive, how could she possibly think of leaving?
Even if he abandoned her, she would still cling tightly to his clothes, begging him not to let go.
Seeing Lady Hou and Chu Yanqing approaching, he rushed over, filled with grief and indignation. He grabbed Lady Hou's hand and pleaded, "Mother, please tell me quickly, where did you hide my cousin? She's so innocent and so dependent on me. She can't live without me."
Mother, I was wrong. I will take good care of her.
"Just tell me quickly where she is, and I'll bring her back right away."
Lady Hou's heart had already been broken by him.
His current pain is nothing but the tears of a demon.
No one in the world knows her son better than she does.
He will still look down on his niece and keep her confined whenever she comes back.
"Yan Nuo, let go, your cousin is really gone."
Chu Yannuo believed everything she said. Chu Yanqing pointed to the room and said, "Go and see for yourself. Do you still have any of her jewelry? She exchanged them all for silver notes and took them away."
"Wake up!"
Chu Yannuo still didn't believe it. He rushed into the bedroom like a madman and opened the box where Tang Xinuan kept her jewelry.
Apart from large items, nothing that was inconvenient to take with me was left.
So, the girl he doted on since childhood, the one he wouldn't even dare to poke with his finger, really left him?
How is that possible!
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't believe a single word of it. You must be lying to me. Tell me quickly, where did you hide her, and I can let bygones be bygones."
Chu Yanqing waved her hand, and Qing Ning quickly came to Chu Yannuo and knelt down nervously.
"Young Master, on our wedding night... Miss Biao and Xiaoqian took advantage of the crowd and left..."
Chu Yannuo suspected that the whole world was deceiving him.
Today is the fourth day of his wedding, which means his cousin has been gone for four days.
“My cousin… she can’t even take care of herself, how could she possibly walk away?”
He pointed at Lady Hou and Chu Yanqing with resentment, "It must have been you who helped her, wasn't it?"
Madam Hou just wanted him to come to his senses. "The girls of our Tang family are never weak and easily bullied. It's just that you haven't been able to see reality."
"So you hid her away and wouldn't let me see her?"
Chu Yanqing couldn't explain it to this madman. "Big brother, how can you still not understand? It was your cousin who left on her own. She left you voluntarily. She didn't want you anymore. You pushed her away step by step."
You think she's stupid and can't manage the household.
They were afraid she would give birth to a mentally challenged child, so they wouldn't even let her have the child and fed her bowl after bowl of contraceptive soup.
Tell me, which of these things was done by a human being?
Chu Yannuo was on the verge of collapse. "Third sister, my dear sister, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please tell me where she is. I can't lose her, I can't live without her. Please tell me..."
Chu Yanqing pushed his hand away. "Big brother, my cousin has always been very smart. It's just that you refuse to admit it. She was able to escape from the heavily guarded Marquis's mansion, so she must be able to live a good life."
My mother and I were worried and couldn't bear to keep it from you, so we didn't ask where she went.
So, we don't know where she is right now.
"No, no, impossible, impossible," Chu Yannuo's expression gradually became dazed. He suspected that he had been cursed, otherwise how could he gradually believe such absurd talk as his cousin leaving him?
"Men, search the entire city! Dig three feet into the ground and find him!"
Suddenly, his blood and qi surged within him, and he couldn't hold back, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
His eyes blazed with fury. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly burst into wild laughter. The girl he had raised with his own hands! "How dare she!"
“Yan Nuo,” at this critical moment, the Lady Hou still felt sorry for her son, “Quickly call the royal physician, quickly call the royal physician over.”
Chu Yanqing had long hoped that he would regret it, but seeing it with her own eyes, she still couldn't help but care.
"Brother, you should try to think more positively. Someone like my cousin wouldn't have made the decision to leave unless she had accumulated enough disappointment. There's no point in getting angry."
"Then tell me where she is, and I'll come and bring her back."
Chu Yannuo gripped his sister's wrist tightly. "Tell me quickly, tell me, my dear sister, I only ask you this one thing, tell me where she is."
Chu Yanqing didn't ask where her cousin had gone because she was worried that she might soften her heart and tell her older brother.
That's good, now she can't even say what she wants to say.
"Brother, I really don't know."
Chu Yannuo did not wait for the imperial physician.
At this moment, he was filled with disappointment in his mother and sister.
The two people closest to him in the world actually conspired to deceive him.
"Men, lock all the people who have been guarding the Green Bamboo Garden these past few days in the woodshed. No one is to be released without my order."
Whoever remembers where the young lady is, let her out.
If Chu Yannuo still held a glimmer of hope at the beginning, maybe at any moment his cousin would suddenly run over and hug him, telling him that it was just a joke she was playing on him.
But he didn't see a soul all night. He sat in the Green Bamboo Garden from dusk till dawn, and his last bit of hope gradually shattered.
How could the little girl be so heartless, not giving him any warning and suddenly pulling him out of his world?
How is he supposed to live like this!
Prince Duan was in a very good mood today. He had just been released from prison and personally took care of Zheng Jian'an.
Afterwards, he rode in a sedan chair into the palace.
Unlike the usual bustling streets, today was a chaotic scene with guards and constables frantically checking everything.
Just then, a group of constables ran past his sedan chair, and he ordered his men to seize one of them.
"What are you doing?" Upon discovering that the other party was the prefect's subordinate, he said, "What, has your prefect lost face by making such a commotion?"
The constable recognized Prince Duan and replied truthfully, "It's not our prefect who has lost face, it's the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion that has lost face. We've been searching the whole place for two days now."
Just as the constable finished answering, Prince Duan saw guards from the Marquis's residence running out of a nearby shop, asking everyone they met if they had seen a very pretty young girl.
Prince Duan's face was full of gossip. He didn't expect the Marquis's mansion to be so slow. It had been five days since the person went missing before they started looking for him.
He couldn't wait to fly into the palace and tell this joke to his second brother.
However, he was really curious about the Crown Prince Chu's reaction.
"Walk around the gate of the Marquis of Wu'an's residence a few more times."
Prince Duan was extremely lucky today. Before he could even make his way around, he saw Chu Yannuo riding a tall horse like a stray dog heading towards the Marquis's residence.
He ordered the sedan bearers to stop, lifted the curtain, and greeted them, "Young Master Chu, what are you busy with?"
Chu Yannuo had no interest in paying attention to Prince Duan.
He cupped his hands in greeting and replied absentmindedly, "I am honored to have a safe journey home. I have urgent business to attend to and will not disturb you any longer."
He didn't even give Prince Duan a second glance.
Prince Duan suppressed a laugh and hurriedly rushed back to the palace. "Second Brother, the Crown Prince of Chu has gone mad."
Thinking of the harm the little girl had suffered, Zhou Chuanxing thought, "How dare he go crazy!"
Prince Duan: "How about I teach him a lesson and stop him from living so easily?"
Zhou Chuanxing glanced in the direction of the Hall of Diligent Governance. Since leaving the Marquis's residence, the young girl hadn't complained once, probably because she didn't want revenge. "No need, let him go crazy."
The next day at court, Chu Yannuo took sick leave and did not attend.
A courtier deliberately joked with him, "The Crown Prince of Chu is newly married and must be too tired to get out of bed."
Zhou Chuanxing listened to the gossip with a blank expression and then began today's court meeting.
The Great Zhou Dynasty had not held the imperial examinations for more than a decade, resulting in a severe shortage of talent.
Those who understand mathematics are extremely rare. If this continues, the imperial court will not even be able to calculate the salaries they issue in the future.
Therefore, he decided to add a subject of mathematics to this year's provincial examination.
He knew that the old fogies in the court wouldn't agree, but he didn't expect that as soon as he opened his mouth, he would be attacked by several old ministers.
Even the left and right prime ministers disagreed, let alone the ministers of the six ministries.
The reasons are nothing more than a few: mathematics is not important.
With the provincial examinations approaching, some students from far away have already begun their journeys. The court's sudden addition of a new subject not only increases the burden but also risks causing panic.
Fortunately, he held military power and was known for his ruthlessness. At crucial moments, he made decisions unilaterally, and although the old fogies looked displeased, they did not insist further.
However, he knew that everyone was dissatisfied.
Whether this decree can be implemented is uncertain, even if it can be issued.
At that point, with everyone from top to bottom paying lip service, this decree will quickly become a dead letter.
At this time, he especially hoped that a few great talents would descend from the heavens to help him support the imperial court.
Two weeks later, Tang Xinuan was much better.
After the imperial physician's diagnosis, he no longer needed to drink two bowls of bitter medicine every day, but only one bowl.
When Zhou Chuanxing left the palace, he made a point of buying some candy.
I finished my official duties early today and came to see her.
Tang Xinuan had just finished drinking her medicine, and her fair face was scrunched up, clearly very unhappy.
"Xiaoqian, how long do we have to drink this medicine?" She held out her hand to Xiaoqian, "Smell it, am I already overwhelmed by its taste?"
Xiaoqian smiled and coaxed her, "Miss just finished bathing, you smell wonderful all over, there's no medicine smell at all."
Tang Xinuan didn't believe it. When she saw Zhou Chuan walk in, she held out her wrist to him and said, "Erlang, smell it. Does it smell like Chinese medicine?"
The little girl exuded a faint, sweet fragrance.
When Zhou Chuanxing touched her skin, he couldn't help but feel aroused.
He feigned nonchalance and said, "It smells good."
Tang Xi snorted softly, "You've all lied to me."
Zhou Chuanxing handed her the candy he had just bought, saying, "Try it."
Having not had any candy from outside for a long time, Tang Xinuan put it in her mouth, overjoyed, "So sweet."
At this moment, Peony came over to report, "Your Highness, Miss Tang has gained two pounds in the past few days, and her appetite is also greater than before."
Zhou Chuanxing took out two hundred taels of silver notes from his pocket. "The three of you have done a good job."
Peony was so excited that her hands trembled. At first, when the prince said that Miss Tang would be rewarded for gaining weight, she thought he was just saying it casually.
Unexpectedly, he gave away two hundred taels of silver.
Each of the three senior palace maids received fifty or sixty taels of silver, and the rest was distributed among the junior palace maids.
Xiaoqian was confused and watched helplessly as Shaoyao took away two hundred taels of silver. Behind Zhou Chuanxing's back, she quietly asked her, "Good sister, why did the prince reward you just now?"
Peony replied truthfully, "The prince said that we will all be rewarded if Miss Tang gains weight."
Xiaoqian, looking like she'd just seen the world, clicked her tongue twice.
"My young lady's meat is quite valuable."
Tang Xinuan used to fantasize about leaving the mansion, especially when her cousin came back from going out and told her how interesting it was to listen to operas, watch lanterns, and go on spring outings. She was always extremely envious.
Considering she escaped from the Marquis's mansion half a month ago but hasn't left the Qin Zheng Hall, what difference is there between her and being imprisoned in the Marquis's mansion?
"Erlang," this was the first time she had spoken to Zhou Chuanxing, worried that he wouldn't allow her to go out, and that she would probably have to find a way to escape again.
However, the imperial physicians were highly skilled, so she had to persevere for at least two months to fully recover her health.
After all, she didn't want to die.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Chuanxing noticed that she had something to say.
Tang Xinu tentatively asked, "Can I leave the palace?"
Zhou Chuanxing was taken aback, then laughed out loud, "It's not a big deal, you can go out anytime you want."
Tang Xinuan could hardly believe her ears. "You agree to let me go out?"
"You really agree to let me go out?"
Zhou Chuanxing chuckled and said, "You're an adult, of course you can go wherever you want."
Contrary to her fears, Tang Xinuan suspected there was something fishy going on. "You're not lying to me?"
Zhou Chuanxing smiled and tapped her nose. "You are free to go wherever you want, but I have conditions."
Tang Xinuan would agree to any condition as long as she could leave the palace. "Tell me quickly."
Zhou Chuanxing said seriously, "First, you need to bring guards. I have assigned you four maids with high martial arts skills. You should take at least two with you when you go out."
"It's not a big deal," Tang Xinuan said without hesitation. "I'll bring it, I'll bring it, I'll definitely bring it."
Zhou Chuanxing looked the girl up and down. "You haven't left the palace much. Just to be safe, you should change into men's clothing."
Changing into men's clothing wasn't a big deal, and Tang Xinuan readily agreed, "You prepare it for me, I'll wear whatever you tell me to wear."
With two conditions so simple, Tang Xinuan asked again, "What else?"
Seeing her expectant look, Zhou Chuanxing felt a glimmer of life in his otherwise monotonous life.
"That's all. Just remember to come back when you've had your fun."
Tang Xinuan was overjoyed, "Then I'll go out tomorrow, okay?"
She looked up at Zhou Chuanxing and blinked her big, dark, clear eyes.
She's beautiful, and she's especially alluring when she's being coquettish.
Zhou Chuanxing sighed helplessly and took off the tag from his waist. "Here, take this. It will be fine for you to travel in the future. If you run into trouble, just show it to me. It will still be of some use."
For the first time, Tang Xinuan breathed in the air of freedom as she pleased, and every joint in her body exuded a sense of joy.
After having breakfast and taking my medicine, I took Xiaoqian and two guards and left the palace through the west gate, heading straight for the most bustling street in the capital.
I was so excited last night that I couldn't sleep for most of the night.
Of course, Xiaoqian thought that her mistress had simply slept too much during the day.
After half a month of treatment by the imperial physician, she is now full of energy and feels refreshed.
With one foot out of the palace gate, she couldn't contain her excitement, "Xiaoqian, we're really out!"
Xiaoqian was genuinely happy for her mistress, "Yes, mistress, I never dared to dream of this before."
When I first met the Regent, I saw how domineering and arrogant he was and thought he was an even more perverted man than the Crown Prince.
He even tried to persuade the young lady to leave.
After spending the last two weeks with her, Xiaoqian realized she was wrong.
The prince is handsome and kind-hearted, and he is especially good to the young lady. He is the most trustworthy man in the world.
She was genuinely happy for her mistress that she had met him.
A carriage was prepared at the palace gate, and the group rode in together.
Tang Xinuan lifted the sedan curtain, finding everything new and exciting, a happy smile constantly on her face.
"Xiaoqian, what do you think we'll do today?"
Xiaoqian rarely went out either.
Aside from helping the young lady sell her jewelry and finding craftsmen to forge weapons, she almost never went out.
"Miss, what do you want to do?"
Tang Xinuan has too many things she wants to do, but she can't do them all at once, which is why she asked this question.
"I don't know what fun things there are to do. This is my first time out."
Xiaoqian looked at the two guards.
The Regent paired Tang Xinuan with four martial arts masters, who were two pairs of twin sisters.
They were wearing the same clothes and had similar hairstyles. Since they didn't interact much, Xiaoqian couldn't tell them apart at all.
"You two, are you Zisu and are you Lianqiao?"
Damn it, she had just figured out who the three head palace maids were.
The girl next to Tang Xinuan corrected her: "I am Lian Qiao."
Xiaoqian said in anguish, "You two look so alike, how can I tell you apart?"
Tang Xinuan replied without hesitation, "What's so difficult about that? Zisu has a mole on her left eyelid, and Lianqiao has a shallow scar on her right cheek."
Following her mistress's directions, Xiaoqian carefully observed the two people and found that it was indeed as her mistress had said.
"Miss, you're amazing! You can spot such a subtle difference."
Tang Xinuan noticed the differences between the four people at a glance.
She has a good memory and can remember everything she sees, so this kind of thing is no problem for her at all.
"Is that so? Aren't you just too stupid?"
Xiaoqian's face fell unhappily. "Miss, I really can't tell the difference."
"The one with moles is forsythia, the one with scars is perilla..."
Zisu and Lianqiao corrected her speechlessly, "Miss Xiaoqian, you've got it backwards."
Xiaoqian: "...Never mind, you two must go out often, do you know any fun places suitable for our young lady to go?"
The two of them did go out often, but it was always sports like Cuju (ancient Chinese football), Touhu (ancient Chinese pot), and horseback riding. Tang Xinuan was weak and none of these sports were suitable for her.
Tang Xinuan saw that the two of them had no objections and were not unhappy at all, so she said, "Let's just wander around and play whatever looks fun."
This autumn, the provincial examination added mathematics.
Less than three days after the regent's decree was issued, the atmosphere in the capital had already changed.
Among them, the most elaborately decorated Caiyue Tower was usually a place where wealthy young men gathered to compose poems and enjoy the moon.
The rules have been changed in the last two days.
They've even set up a challenge today, and the winner will receive one hundred taels of silver.
From a distance, Tang Xinuan saw a lot of people squeezing in, so there must be something exciting inside. "Let's go there."
Zisu said worriedly, "There are many people there, what if they bump into the young lady..."
As the older sister, she is more composed, meticulous, and therefore has more concerns.
Tang Xinuan finally got out of the house, so she definitely wanted to have a great time.
"Isn't there the two of you?"
Lianqiao, a lively and active person, had already set her sights on Caiyue Tower. "That's right, with the two of us here, what's there to be afraid of?"
Zisu was still worried, "Since this is our first time out, we should try to go to places with fewer people."
Tang Xinuan asked doubtfully, "Aren't you good at martial arts?"
That's not what I meant by perilla.
Tang Xinuan then asked Lian Qiao, "And you, are you not good at martial arts either?"
Lianqiao's proudest achievement is her martial arts skills, although she is not as good as her sister.
"I can't speak for other things, but you can still come and go freely in the imperial palace."
Tang Xinuan felt a pang of envy. "I wonder if it's too late for me to learn now."
Lian Qiao liked this easy-going mistress very much and readily agreed, "There's still time. If you want to learn, I'll teach you when we get back."
Tang Xinuan was overjoyed, "Once I learn kung fu, I won't be afraid of anyone anymore."
She looked at Xiaoqian, "You should learn too."
Xiaoqian had no desire to wield swords or spears. "Miss, please don't make things difficult for me."
Tang Xinuan raised her fan and tapped her forehead, "What did you call me!"
Xiaoqian quickly covered her mouth, "It's young master, young master, I forgot."
Both of them came out dressed in men's clothing.
Zisu and Lianqiao were dressed as women, but they were in tight-fitting clothes and had swords hanging at their waists, making them look like they were not to be trifled with.
The four of them quickly entered the Rainbow Moon Pavilion.
Zisu kept a close eye on Tang Xinuan, afraid that she might accidentally lose her.
Caiyuelou is packed with people today.
Hearing that a contest was being held to determine the smartest person in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the young ladies from noble families, naturally curious, rushed over early in the morning to join in the fun.
This also includes Princess Chaoli and Chu Yanqing.
However, they arrived early and reserved a private room upstairs, where they could clearly see what was happening downstairs.
Tang Xinuan was squeezed into the crowd, dressed in men's clothing, so even if you met her face to face, you might not recognize her.
Moreover, how could Chu Yanqing possibly believe that she would see her cousin in a place like this?
Therefore, when they both appeared at Caiyue Tower, neither of them noticed the other.
However, Tang Xinuan's entry still caused quite a stir.
It wasn't her who caused it.
Instead, a ragged man followed closely behind her. His hair was tied up, and he looked fairly energetic, but he was sallow and thin, as if he hadn't eaten for several days.
As he stepped one foot across the threshold, the surrounding customers immediately covered their noses.
Everyone avoided him, showing their disdain.
"Where did this beggar come from, daring to enter Caiyue Tower?"
"If you don't want to live anymore, get out of here."
"Get out, get out! This is a den of rich people's money, not a place for someone like you to come in."
"Boss, where's the boss? Get this beggar out of here right now!"
...
Soon, people squeezed through the crowd, covering their noses and pushing him out.
"Get out, get out, this is not a place for you."
After shoving him, he pulled out two copper coins from his pocket and threw them on the ground, saying, "Go buy a steamed bun."
“I won’t eat steamed buns, but I still want to participate in the competition,” the ragged man insisted, his eyes filled with longing to compete.
This remark made everyone around him laugh.
"You? Today we're going to find the smartest person in the Great Zhou Dynasty, focusing on mathematics. Do you even know what mathematics is?"
"How could he possibly know anything about mathematics? He probably doesn't even recognize an abacus bead."
"Hahaha……"
Hearing the noise, Tang Xinuan turned around and saw Hanako being pushed down.
She was simple-minded and had little exposure to the outside world, so she had no concept of social hierarchy.
She asked the person who pushed Hanako over, completely puzzled, "Why can't he go in?"
The person who pushed Hanako down was the second boss of Caiyuelou, a man in his thirties who appeared to be a respectable gentleman, but whose eyes were filled with nothing but greed for money.
Few people know his real name; everyone calls him Li Pixiu.
A Pixiu that only takes in but never gives out.
His eyes were incredibly sharp; he quickly scanned Tang Xinuan from head to toe, his gaze soon settling on the jade pendant at her waist.
It turned out to be the Regent's waist token.
Somewhat incredulous, he pulled a small booklet from his pocket, flipped to the Regent's page, and quickly compared the entries.
He was greatly alarmed and dared not be negligent in the slightest.
“Sir,” he explained with particular patience and detail, “we are holding a selection competition for the smartest people here today. He’s just a beggar who can barely fill his stomach. There’s no need to trouble him with such an important matter.”
Lian Qiao looked down on his snobbish attitude and snorted, "Young master, don't listen to his nonsense. He just looks down on people because they are poorly dressed and dirty, and he doesn't want them to come in."
Tang Xinuan was somewhat understanding of Li Pixiu, "He was indeed dressed very dirty."
Li Pixiu was afraid that this young master would make things difficult for him, but when he heard the young master speak up for him, he was so happy that his mouth split open in a wide grin.
"Sir is right. It's one thing for him to be dirty, but he'll make all the other guests dirty and smelly."
Tang Xinuan had never dealt with this kind of problem before. She thought for a moment and instructed Lian Qiao, "Go and take that brother to change his clothes, buy him some food, and then bring him over."
Lianqiao: "..."
Li Pixiu: "..."
Xiaoqian didn't understand either, "Young...Master, this will cost money, let's just leave it alone."
Tang Xinuan asked Lian Qiao with a bewildered look, "Are we short of money?"
Lian Qiao looked bewildered. "That's not bad."
Zisu gave her a wink, and Lianqiao immediately said, "Young master, I'll go right away. Wait for me to come back."
Without hesitation, Tang Xinuan told Li Pixiu, "The competition is not allowed to start until they return."
"Don't worry, young master, you decide today's match. You can decide when it starts."
Now, the regent of the Great Zhou Dynasty has the final say.
Li Pixiu's Caiyue Tower was a large business, and it made money from high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and other influential figures. He had long wanted to get in touch with the Regent, but unfortunately, the Regent never came to such places, so he couldn't curry favor with him.
Now that someone has brought the Regent's jade pendant, he has to go to great lengths to secure it.
I just don't know who this young master is to the Regent.
She was extremely beautiful, with red lips and white teeth.
I've heard that the Regent is not interested in women, so he must be attracted to men.
Could it be his... male concubine...?
The regent, suspected of keeping a male lover, happened to arrive at the entrance of Caiyue Tower with Prince Duan.
Just now, Prince Duan entered the palace and told the Regent that there was a lively event in the capital today, and asked if he would come out.
In fact, Prince Duan hadn't expected his second brother to come out with him, since his second brother lived like an old-fashioned person and disliked any kind of excitement.
Surprisingly, the second brother hesitated for a moment and then agreed.
Only later did he hear that Tang Xinuan had left the palace that day.
He was a little worried at the time, "Second brother, aren't you afraid that the girl will never come back!"
What did his second brother say?
By the way, his second brother said, "What can keep a person is never high walls and courtyards, let alone shackles and chains."
Tsk tsk, look at his second brother's awareness.
He simply couldn't believe that such words could come from the mouth of his rigid, unsociable second brother.
Li Pixiu had just found a seat for Tang Xinuan.
He originally intended to take a few people to the private room upstairs, but Tang Xinuan wanted to join in the fun and insisted on staying on the first floor, so he cleared out the most luxurious spot and asked Tang Xinuan to sit down.
Then he turned around and saw Prince Duan and a tall man appear at the door.
He knew Prince Duan.
He came to the capital more than a decade ago. After the emperor ascended the throne, he, as the emperor's younger brother, became very popular in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
But who was next to him?
Li Pixiu opened the booklet, but the page for the Regent only contained accessories, not a portrait.
Because the regent had only returned to the capital a year ago, very few people knew him.
No portrait of him has been circulated on the market yet.
However, having Prince Duan as a powerful figure is already a blessing for him.
He hurriedly ran over to greet the guests.
"Sir, please come inside."
Li Pixiu shoved the Regent aside with his buttocks, grinned, and spoke to Prince Duan with a very obsequious smile.
Zhou Chuanxing was speechless, but he wouldn't bother arguing with a commoner.
Just as Li Pixiu suspected that the Regent's male favorite had arrived, Prince Duan arrived.
Everyone knew the two were brothers, which further confirmed that the young master who had just entered the room was the prince's male favorite.
No matter what happens today, he will make sure to take good care of people.
The business of Caiyuelou is bound to take off even higher in the future.
Zhou Chuanxing stepped into the house, when he was suddenly bumped by Prince Duan.
He followed Prince Duan's gaze.
Chu Yannuo was actually wandering the street looking dejected and down on his luck, clutching a wine gourd.
Two guards followed behind him, one reaching out to support him while advising him to drink less.
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Author's Note: All comments will be sent as red envelopes.
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