Hongzhou didn't return home last night? Hongli immediately sensed something was wrong. Upon learning that the fifth prince was at Jintang Garden, he immediately returned to the carriage and ordered the driver to turn around.
Su Yushan was puzzled, but seeing Hongli's solemn expression, she didn't dare to ask any more questions. She sat silently, occasionally lifting the curtain to look at the scenery outside the window.
The carriage traveled for another fifteen minutes before stopping again. This time, Hongli didn't let her stay in the carriage, but instead took her inside with him.
As Su Yushan entered, she glanced up and saw the words "Jintang Garden" written above. She guessed that this must be the Fifth Prince's villa.
When Xiao Youzi saw Fourth Master arrive, he was startled and secretly thought something was wrong. He suppressed his fear and rushed forward with a smile, "Fourth Master, you are a rare guest. Please come to the front hall for tea."
Hongli, however, did not follow the direction he was directed to. "No need," he said, "I have important business with the Fifth Prince. Where is he?"
With a slight twitch of his eyes, Xiao Youzi said with a fawning smile, "Fifth Master is not home. Fourth Master, please wait a moment, and this servant will go and invite Fifth Master back."
Staring intently at him, Hongli's eyes flashed with suspicion. He immediately slapped him across the face, "You dog of a servant, how dare you lie to your master?"
The sudden action shocked Su Yushan, who was standing behind him. In her memory, Hongli had always been gentle and mild-mannered. This was the first time she had ever seen him act so violently over a single sentence.
Suddenly struck, Xiao Youzi's cheek burned, but ignoring the pain, he covered his cheek and immediately knelt down, saying, "Fourth Master, please calm down! This servant did not lie!"
Hongli was confident in his assertion for a reason: "You are his constant attendant, and should be by his side at all times. How could he go out without you? The Fifth Prince is definitely at home. What are you hiding?"
The right-hand man, caught red-handed, had no way to defend himself and kept admitting his mistake, but refused to admit it explicitly.
Xiao Youzi was on the east side, blocking the way. Hongli understood what was going on, kicked him, and then went east.
After a moment of stunned silence, Su Yushan followed.
Hongli had visited Jintang Garden twice before and knew where the bedroom was. He could find Hongzhou's residence without needing anyone to lead him.
Before he even got close, the clear sound of a pipa drifted into his ears on the wind. Hongli frowned slightly, becoming increasingly irritated, and unconsciously quickened his pace.
At that time, Hongzhou was leaning back on the Luohan bed, tasting oranges and listening to the music of Yunmeng, enjoying himself very much.
He was enjoying the music and beautiful women playing when suddenly a loud shout rang out from the doorway: "So that's why I haven't seen you lately! You've been hiding your mistress here!"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Hongzhou looked up, immediately sat up, and chuckled dryly, "Fourth Brother? What brings you here?"
Yunmeng put away her pipa, stood up, and timidly curtsied.
On the way here, Hongli was still wondering who had bewitched the Fifth Prince. It wasn't until he saw Yunmeng's figure that he finally understood. He glanced at Hongzhou and coldly snorted:
"It seems I've come at the wrong time, disturbing your enjoyment."
Seeing that his elder brother's expression was not good, Hongzhou invited him to the front hall.
The two brothers seemed to have something to say, so Su Yushan didn't follow and disturb them. Spotting a familiar figure, she entered the house and greeted them.
"Miss Yunmeng, how have you been?"
Yunmeng nodded and smiled in response, "Gege Su is well."
During their conversation, Su Yushan learned that Yunmeng had been redeemed by the Fifth Prince and settled here.
Redeeming her from prostitution was a good thing; at least Yunmeng had a home and wouldn't end up in a brothel. But what Su Yushan couldn't understand was that Hongzhou should have taken Yunmeng back to the manor, at least given her a proper status. What was the point of leaving her in a separate residence? Wasn't that tantamount to making her a mistress? It damaged Yunmeng's reputation!
Su Yushan felt indignant on her behalf, but Yunmeng was very self-conscious and felt that she had no right to care about such things. "My reputation was ruined when I entered Liuxiang Pavilion. I am already very grateful that Fifth Master was willing to redeem me. My background is too lowly, so it is only natural that he did not take me home. I understand and will not complain."
Her understanding touched Su Yushan deeply. "You can't choose your background, but you can't belittle yourself. In my opinion, a good girl is one with a pure heart. Your background can't determine everything."
Su Gege's gentle words were like a warm spring breeze, dispelling the gloom in Yunmeng's heart. "I am very pleased that Gege thinks this way. It's just a pity that most people will look at me with worldly eyes. Fifth Master has a noble status, so it's understandable that he has some concerns. What I'm worried about is Fourth Master. He seems to have a lot of opinions about me."
Su Yushan didn't understand Hongli's thoughts either. To avoid worrying Yunmeng, she decided to go to the front hall to find out what was going on.
As soon as the two brothers, Hongli and his brother, arrived at the front hall, they began to argue. "What did I say to you last time? What did you promise me?"
Feeling guilty, Hongzhou cleared his throat and argued, "I promised you I wouldn't go to Liuxianglou to participate in the singing and selling event, and I really didn't go! Today I just asked Yunmeng to come and play a tune."
Steward An had put a lot of thought into this, and Hongli naturally wouldn't betray him. He casually made up a pretext, "I've already sent someone to Liuxiang Tower to investigate. Yunmeng left half a month ago. That night, you were drinking here, but you secretly had someone redeem Yunmeng and then take her to another courtyard. Fifth Brother, you have quite the nerve!"
Faced with his elder brother's reprimand, Hongzhou felt that he was making a mountain out of a molehill and muttered in dissatisfaction, "It's just a woman! What's the big deal!"
“If it were a girl from an ordinary family, you could bring her back to your manor if you liked her. But Yunmeng is a woman of the night. If you keep such a woman outside and she doesn’t come home at night, the consequences would be unimaginable if it reached Father Emperor’s ears!”
Hongzhou didn't take it seriously, "As long as you keep it a secret for me, Fourth Brother, this matter won't get out."
He said it so casually, "Do you think everyone else is blind and deaf? Do you think there aren't any of Father Emperor's spies in your household? You won't realize how serious this matter is until Father Emperor gets angry?"
"Father is too busy to concern himself with such matters."
The fifth prince didn't take it seriously at all, which infuriated Hongli. He raised his voice and sternly rebuked, "This kind of wishful thinking is unacceptable. Send Yunmeng away immediately, away from the capital, and forbid her from contacting her again!"
His elder brother was so domineering, completely disregarding his wishes and issuing orders directly. Hongzhou was furious and, unlike before, was no longer obedient; he argued his case forcefully.
"Fourth Brother, she is already my woman. If I send her away, what will happen to her in the future?"
"That's not something I should be thinking about. I've already said it all, and you'd better do as I say. If you try anything funny again and Father finds out, he'll punish you, and don't say I didn't help you!" After saying this coldly, Hongli resolutely turned and left.
Su Yushan, who was waiting outside, overheard the gist of the conversation. She wanted to offer some words of advice, but Hongli walked straight out of the front hall without any intention of staying.
Hongzhou, who followed, walked to Su Yushan's side, sighed helplessly, and whispered to her, "Sister-in-law, please have mercy and persuade my fourth brother. I'm all grown up now and have my own opinions. He shouldn't always make decisions for me."
Su Yushan didn't know what to do and could only reply, "I'll try my best."
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