In the Dongchu Capital, there was a saying: "The nobility in the east, wealth in the south, chaos in the west, and poverty in the north," which meant tat titled noble families lived in the east, rich merchants gathered in the south, ordinary citizens resided in the north, and all sorts of people could be found in the west, a mix of fish and dragons, and, naturally, the streets were filled with pleasure quarters.
Qi Zonghao had been in the Dongchu Capital for some days and was well aware of this. As he saw the carriage slowly entering the western district, he grew increasingly uneasy.
He remembered that when leaving the Imperial Palace gates, a guard who was stationed there had reported to Grand Prince (during this time, both Grand Prince and Long Xuanmo were responsible for the Capital’s security), saying that the Imperial Younger Sister insisted on leaving the palace. The guard had kindly offered to escort the Princess back to the inn, but not only had she refused, she had also injured several of them. He had to not only apologize profusely but also agreed to provide appropriate compensation to settle the matter.
He really did not want to get involved with that brainless sister who only caused trouble, but he had no choice. Firstly, after all, she was his legitimate younger sister, and secondly, both their father the Emperor and the Empress deeply doted on her, capable of granting her every wish. If something were truly to happen to her in Dong Chu, he would have no way to explain it to their Imperial parents.
The carriage stopped, and Qi Zonghao stepped out, seeing the brightly red ’Gong Le Yao’ sign hanging above the door, he knew this place was a brothel of the male courtesans, said to be quite famous.
Dong Chu prohibited male prostitution, but some just couldn’t resist the temptation. Thus, although it was repeatedly banned, it persisted because of those who hypocritically indulged in such entertainments. As a consequence, as long as no trouble arose, the Imperial Court often turned a blind eye.
Outside the door, a large group of men gathered, each craning their necks to peek inside with faces full of malicious intent, discussing things among themselves, mentioning how "the Princess Xiliang was truly valiant, instantly having two men foaming at the mouth, dying from exhaustion," and so on.
Qi Zonghao’s face went dark as ink, and his eyes blazed with a towering rage and a bloodthirsty desire to kill as he hurried inside with two trusted guards.
A few Xiliang messengers, hearing the news, followed Qi Zonghao there immediately. They too, brazenly, stepped inside.
In the spacious hall, there were also many men who had come to enjoy the show, their eyes gazing upon a certain room upstairs, pointing and whispering with disdain and excitement.
This was Dong Chu, especially here, where all walks of life mixed, Qi Zonghao dared not make any rash moves and could only head straight upstairs.
Qi Zonghao, the Prince of Xiliang, participated in the four nations’ grand event and was naturally recognized by many. Seeing him approach with a somber gaze, the men clustering at the window and the door quickly dispersed, their looks filled with mockery and disdain.
Suppressing the towering rage and urge to kill inside him, Qi Zonghao took a glance inside the door and was instantly filled with shock and disbelief.
On the floor inside the room, Qi Qiuxin was sitting atop a man, naked, her beautiful face full of satisfied pleasure, and in her hand, she held her habitual whip, drenched in fresh blood.
The man under Qi Qiuxin was clearly the guard whom he had sent to secretly find Qi Qiuxin at the palace banquet. At this moment, he was also naked, his expression ashen, with eyes filled with terror and despair.
Lying beside them were two young men, foaming at the mouth, evidently dead from exhaustion.
Qi Qiuxin’s two palace maids and a middle-aged woman dressed in flamboyant clothes, along with several men who looked like thugs, were either sitting or lying on the floor around them, each one covered in bruises and cuts, the whole room a complete mess.
Seeing Qi Zonghao arrive, the guard’s eyes suddenly lit up. With a hoarse and strained voice, he cried out, "Second Prince, the Princess forced this subordinate... please... save this subordinate, Second Prince..."
Before he could finish, a large amount of white foam spilled from his mouth, his head tilted, and he died, his eyes wide open, revealing an unwillingness to die.
A hint of viciousness flashed in Qi Zonghao’s eyes, his lips tightly pursed, and the hands hidden under his long sleeves clenched into fists, the veins protruding.
The damn dog, now dead but speaking these words—he would make it impossible for him to shift the blame onto Dong Chu. If the situation were any different, he would have surely flayed this foolish creature alive!
"Ah..." Qi Qiuxin suddenly let out an impassioned moan. She stood up, and upon seeing Qi Zonghao at the door, her eyes filled with seduction as she coquettishly blamed, "Imperial Brother, why did you only come now? I’ve been waiting so long for you, couldn’t help but start enjoying these few people. You’re not jealous, are you?"
Qi Zonghao stared intently into Qi Qiuxin’s eyes, which held nothing but a raw desire, showing no sign of being controlled by any drug, leaving him both shocked and puzzled.
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