Chapter 715 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Meet
The woman was lying face down on the ground. Luckily, there was a shed set up at the entrance of Tianxiang Pavilion and a carpet on the ground, so it wasn't hot or hard. Otherwise, she would have been smashed or burned.
Xu Fengxian stepped forward, squatted down, and brushed the strands of hair from her cheek.
When Xu Fengxian saw half of the woman's profile, she gasped.
Good heavens! Where did this fallen deity come from?
Having run a brothel for many years, and with several years of experience in the theater, she had truly never seen such a stunning beauty.
His clothes were rather shabby...
She was dressed as a woman again.
If she's not a virgin, you'll be at a disadvantage in terms of price.
But she's undeniably beautiful, and some customers prefer mature and charming women.
"Take her in!" Xu Fengxian said to the maid.
"yes."
Yinxing, the personal maid, called several strong and sturdy servants to carry the woman into the main hall.
The second floor is full now, so we have to put it in the side room in the backyard for now.
Gu Chengfeng had just returned from outside. His carriage was parked in the stable next to the backyard. He walked in through the back door and immediately saw the maids and servants of Tianxiang Pavilion carrying a woman dressed as a commoner.
He frowned: "Stop."
He is now a favorite of Tianxiang Pavilion, and with a powerful "brother" backing him up, even Xu Fengxian doesn't dare to confront him directly.
Yinxing and her group stopped with awkward smiles.
Yinxing greeted him with a smile: "Young Master Chang."
Xiao Heng borrowed Long Yi's name, and Gu Chengfeng borrowed Chang Jing's name; neither of them are good people.
Gu Chengfeng glanced at the woman being carried by the servants and said, "How could Xu Fengxian be so kind as to take in a peasant woman so casually? Turns out she's a beauty."
Yinxing chuckled dryly and explained, "This lady fainted at the entrance of our Tianxiang Pavilion. Madam Xu kindly asked us to carry her in first, and we'll talk to her after she wakes up."
Gu Chengfeng sneered, "Hmph, Xu Fengxian is probably trying to force a good woman into prostitution, isn't she?"
Ginkgo was powerless to refute.
After all, that's just how his wife is.
"I want this person."
If Xu Fengxian were to release the person, she would definitely refuse. However, if he were to bring the person to his opera troupe, Xu Fengxian would probably have little objection.
Originally, Tianxiang Pavilion is now relying on his acting to stay afloat.
“This…” Yinxing hesitated for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll go and tell Madam first. But who knows, maybe this person can’t sing opera.”
Gu Chengfeng said in an unyielding tone, "Whether she can sing or not is up to me. Don't touch her before I test her singing."
This request is not excessive. We can invite Madam Xu to come and listen to her sing. If she can't sing well, we can then send her to entertain guests.
Yinxing instructed the servants to carry the woman into the side room.
Gu Chengfeng has a play tonight, and he needs to start preparing now.
As soon as he left, Ginkgo immediately instructed the four maids in the room: "You all, keep a close eye on her. When she wakes up, remember to report to me. Don't let her escape!"
If they escape, Madam will skin them alive!
One of the maids patted her chest and said, "Miss Ginkgo, don't worry! We will definitely keep an eye on her! We will never let her step out of the house!"
...
At 5 PM, Tianqiong Academy dismissed students.
Zhong Ding and Zhou Tong, a group of eight, met up with Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun at the courtyard gate.
They even prepared three carriages in total.
The remaining six people were divided into three groups per car: Zhong Ding and Zhou Tong were in one car with Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun.
Just as Zhou Tong was standing by the carriage, gesturing for Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun to get on first, Yuan Xiao and Zhao Wei came out carrying their book bags.
Yuan Xiao is from Mingfeng Hall, while Zhao Wei and Gu Xiaoshun are in the same class and are both from Mingyue Hall.
Seeing that Gu Jiao and the others looked like they were about to leave, the two of them walked towards Gu Jiao without prior arrangement.
Yuan Xiao asked, "Sixth Brother, where are you going?"
Gu Jiao said frankly, "Let's go to Tianxiang Pavilion."
Yuan Xiao was taken aback: "Tian... Tianxiang Pavilion? How did you end up in a place like that?"
No, what's so strange about this kid going to that kind of place?
He went to a brothel on his very first day in Shengdu, okay?
Yuan Xiao said resentfully, "Didn't we agree last time that you had to take us with you when you went out to have fun again?"
Gu Jiao: I'm not going there to have fun.
Zhong Ding cleared his throat: "Ahem, that's a theater, not a brothel!"
Yuan Xiao snorted, "Same meaning."
Shengdu also has theaters for watching operas, but Tianxiang Pavilion is definitely not one of them.
Tianxiang Pavilion was originally a brothel; it just changed its name and hired an opera troupe to continue doing business.
"Are you going or not?" Yuan Xiao tugged at Zhao Wei's sleeve, trying to get an ally for himself.
Zhao Wei said with a sanctimonious air, "This is not a good idea. We are all scholars and should not frequent brothels." Then he changed the subject, "But Liu Lang is still young and unfamiliar with the place. If he insists on going, we should do our best to be hospitable."
Gu Jiao: "..."
You, surnamed Zhao, don't seem to be from Shengdu, do you? You're from Qidu in the Yan state.
Zhao Wei stammered to Yuan Xiao, "You...you're from Shengdu, you'll entertain me."
Yuan Xiao puffed out his chest: "Of course, I'll treat you!"
Because of their arrival, Zhou Tong and Zhong Ding could not compete with each other and had to go to the other two carriages respectively.
After getting into the carriage, Zhao Wei gave Gu Xiaoshun a strange look and asked, "Are you going too?"
Gu Xiaoshun nodded and said, "Yes, Liulang said he would take me to see it."
Yuan Xiao patted his shoulder meaningfully: "Sixth Brother's fellow townsman is my fellow townsman. Leave everything to me, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
Gu Xiaoshun looked bewildered, as if something was amiss.
After the carriage had traveled for a while, Zhao Wei suddenly spoke in a low voice: "Hey, have you heard? Something happened to the Han family."
Yuan Xiao asked, "The Han family? The Han family that Han Che is from?"
There are many prominent figures in the Han family, such as Consort Han, Old Master Han, General Han, and Minister Han, but they only met Han Che in a polo match, so it is inevitable that he will be mentioned.
Zhao Wei nodded: "Yes, it's Han Che's family. This afternoon, I helped the teacher carry the exam papers back to the duty room. When I passed the dean's duty room, I heard him talking about the Han family with Teacher Wu and several other teachers."
"What's going on?" Yuan Xiao was an impatient person and couldn't stand Zhao Wei's slow pace.
Zhao Wei said cautiously, "Second Master Han is dead."
Yuan Xiao was from Shengdu and had heard a little about the Han family's connections. He quickly sorted through his thoughts: "Han Che's... second uncle?"
Zhao Wei said, "It seems so."
Yuan Xiao said anxiously, "What's wrong with him? Tell me quickly, don't just answer my questions one by one, it's driving me crazy!"
Zhao Wei remained calm and composed: "It happened last night. I heard Dean Cen say that the eldest grandson of the emperor had returned to Shengdu, and the second master of the Han family attempted to assassinate him in the middle of the night, but was caught by the emperor, who was furious and had him executed."
Actually, it wasn't the king who executed him; it was Old Master Han who, out of a sense of righteousness, put aside his own family and cleansed the household.
However, information is bound to be inaccurate in the process of being disseminated.
Gu Jiao listened attentively.
Has the rumored eldest grandson of the emperor returned to Shengdu?
Then the Han family, incredibly audacious, attempted to assassinate him right under the emperor's feet?
Are you crazy?
She always felt that things were full of doubts, and that the truth might not be what Zhao Wei knew.
Yuan Xiao's curiosity was piqued: "Assassinating the eldest grandson of the emperor is a serious crime. Didn't the emperor punish the Han family?"
Zhao Wei said, "They have been punished. The Han family has lost a mine, and Vice Minister Han has been dismissed from his post."
The mines are the foundation of the Han family; losing a mine is like losing an arm.
They didn't know Han Yong's abilities, let alone that he had survived forty-nine tortures. Han Yong was the true right-hand man of the Han family.
"Have you ever seen the eldest grandson of the emperor? What does he look like?" Gu Jiao suddenly asked.
Zhao Wei shook his head: "I'm from Qidu, ask Yuan Xiao."
Yuan Xiao said, "I have never met the eldest grandson of the emperor. He left Shengdu when he was very young and went to Guanshan to guard the imperial mausoleum with the deposed crown princess. He only comes back once every two years, but he only goes to the Grand Preceptor's Hall. Outsiders have no chance to meet him at all."
"What's his name?" Gu Jiao asked.
“Shangguan Qing,” Yuan Xiao said.
“Celebration.”
Gu Jiao fell into deep thought.
...
During the conversation, the carriage arrived at Tianxiang Pavilion.
Zhou Tong and Zhong Ding's carriage was ahead, and they stopped first.
Zhou Tong quickly jumped off the carriage and went to find Gu Jiao.
"Mukuro!"
He opened the curtain for Gu Jiao.
Yuan Xiao removed his hand and snorted in dissatisfaction, "Do you need to lift the curtain?"
Zhou Tong said coldly, "I'm Liu Lang's classmate! I sit in front of him!"
Yuan Xiao chuckled and said, "I've played matches with Liu Lang! The arena is like a battlefield, we're comrades!"
How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes with you!
Zhou Tong's face darkened instantly after his debate failed.
After getting off the carriage, Gu Jiao ignored everyone. She told Gu Xiaoshun to go with them first, and then she went upstairs to find Gu Chengfeng.
Gu Chengfeng was not in the room; he had gone to the backstage area on the first floor to prepare for the upcoming performance.
Gu Jiao stroked her chin, hesitating whether to go directly to Gu Chengfeng or—
I'm not looking anymore.
Gu Jiao left.
However, she did not return to the main hall immediately; instead, she went to the small woodshed in the backyard.
The small woodshed is located in a corner of the backyard. It is the most secluded room, next to which is a temporary annex. It is usually used by Xu Fengxian to imprison various actors or women of unknown origin.
Although Xu Fengxian was ruthless in her methods, one had to admit that she was indeed quite capable.
Xu Fengxian had a small gold jar, which she had obtained entirely by exploiting actors and girls. Gu Jiao had seen her bury it under the banyan tree outside the woodshed last time.
Gu Jiao had been eyeing Xu Fengxian's gold for a long time.
There were too many guests at the moment, and Xu Fengxian couldn't take care of the backyard, so Gu Jiao wanted to dig out her gold.
Xu Fengxian was a cautious person. The soil surface after digging would be a different color than the undigging area, so Xu Fengxian planted a small flower bed here and turned the soil over every few days.
It's so bad that you can't tell where it was recently dug up.
Gu Jiao didn't care anymore; she dug from beginning to end, determined not to fail.
Gu Jiao drew her dagger and began digging rapidly, transforming herself into a mini excavator.
I dug a hole, but nothing happened.
They dug another hole, but nothing.
Gu Jiao refused to believe it, moved her almost numb feet to the side, and continued digging.
As she dug, she began to sense that something was amiss.
It felt like someone was watching me.
She turned her head strangely and saw a woman dressed as a commoner, yet breathtakingly beautiful.
The woman squatted on the ground, holding half of a large, red, chilled watermelon in her left hand and a copper spoon in her right.
Gu Jiao was digging in the soil; she was digging for watermelons.
She ate with slurping noises, her cheeks puffed out, while watching Gu Jiao dig the soil intently.
Gu Jiao: "..."
...
Canglan Women's Academy.
After leaving Linglong Pavilion, Xiao Heng went to Lingbo Academy.
He was going to pick up Xiao Jingkong from school and also to take Xiao Jingkong to Master Cheng for tutoring.
Besides Xiao Jingkong, the other child attending tutoring today is his new deskmate, Xiao Junzhu.
Xiao Heng wrote on the paper: "I'm sorry to trouble you, Master Cheng. I may have to come to pick him up later."
Master Cheng smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll take him out for dinner."
After bidding farewell to Master Cheng, Xiao Heng boarded the carriage for his journey.
The coachman looked around and asked in a low voice, "Young master, where are we going?"
“Go to the outer city,” Xiao Heng said.
The coachman was taken aback and asked in a low voice, "Young master, has no one been watching us lately?"
Xiao Heng was being closely watched by the Han family, so he dared not go anywhere, for fear that the Han family would find out about his connection with Gu Jiao through him.
But a major incident has occurred in the Han family today.
All the people that Han Shizi sent to keep watch have been withdrawn.
The reason for the Han family's troubles was that the second master of the Han family attempted to assassinate the eldest grandson of the emperor.
The eldest grandson of the emperor...
"Your Highness, the Grandson!"
These are the words Zhang Dequan shouted out into the night last night.
Who is Zhang Dequan calling?
Was the eldest grandson of the emperor nearby at that time?
Was he also assassinated?
Or is it—
Xiao Heng dared not think any further.
He desperately needed to find out what exactly happened last night; he needed an answer.
The coachman asked in a low voice, "Young master, where in the outer city are we going?"
Xiao Heng's gaze deepened as he said, "Tianxiang Pavilion."
(End of this chapter)
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