After Mu Houchu left the capital, it still remained as prosperous as ever. Although people occasionally talked about this once astonishingly powerful minister after their meals, lamenting his rise from obscurity to the position of Prime Minister, and regretting his "withdrawal", as time went by, this former minister naturally faded from people’s memories.
Because in a place like the capital, there was never a shortage of fresh gossip, such as the Shen Family, the top aristocratic family in the capital, which gradually rose to prominence after Mu Houchu’s withdrawal, and the Duan Family, which started gaining power.
It seemed that these two families were the Emperor’s most favored people now, naturally enjoying unlimited glory. Even Lord Shen felt triumphant, feeling that he was one step closer to grasping total power.
No one noticed that the newly-appointed court officials led by Chen Hanliang, though their individual powers were not comparable to the Shen Family, when combined, they constituted half of the court’s power.
Even the Shen Family could only regard such power with envy.
But who could have guessed that these newly-rising talents led by Chen Hanliang were Mu Houchu’s people? And who could have guessed that they were originally united?
However, the dark undercurrents in the Imperial Court were never-ending. Who could predict what would happen next?
Recently, a hot topic in the capital was that Duan Lan, Elder Duan’s youngest son, had joined the government service.
After many years of leisure at Jishan Academy, he eventually got involved in the whirlpool of politics. Some people said it was due to the rise of the Duan Family, and Elder Duan intended to make his son his wings.
Anyway, there were many different opinions, who knew the truth? At any rate, Duan Lan had become an official, backed by the powerful Duan Family, and had a promising future.
That Young Master Duan, who had never been very prominent in the capital, had caused quite a stir, filling the hearts of the bored ladies in the boudoir after Mu Houchu left.
It was almost impossible to avoid talking about Duan Lan.
But today, an even more explosive event surpassed all the momentum - Ah Lian, the most famous courtesan in the capital, was surprisingly leaving at the height of her fame!
The capital was filled with criticism, and at this moment Wanhua Tower was in chaos.
Madam paced anxiously around Ah Lian, "Ah Lian, Ah Lian! I don’t understand why you’re leaving now. Do you know how much you’re worth now? You, you, you weren’t so foolish in the past!"
Yet, Ah Lian looked very indifferent, leisurely sitting on the round stool with her arm resting on the table, playing with the lid of the tea cup. Her fan-like eyelashes drooped down, her beautiful eyes turned to see the anxious madam in front of her, her lips curving up in a slightly mocking smile.
"What’s the rush, mama? You already have Hanxiang, and I’m just superfluous here. Why bother? It’s better not to see anything, and in the future, Hanxiang will be able to sustain this place. What difference does it make if I want to leave?"
The madam was close to tears, knowing that Ah Lian still held a grudge against her! When she previously planned to give up on her and promote Hanxiang, Ah Lian must have held a grudge until now. At that time, she did say this to her - Ah Lian was already twenty-five, and she had painstakingly cultivated Hanxiang and wanted to give up on Ah Lian to let Hanxiang take her place. After all, in her eyes, they were all money trees, and she naturally favored the one that made more money!
But who would have thought that Ah Lian would be so capable, able to make a comeback, and her performance of the drunken concubine a few months ago, attracted the city’s attention, leaving Hanxiang’s spotlight completely overshadowed!
Now things were different, this girl whom she once wanted to abandon, was at the height of her fame! How could she let her leave now?
"Ah Lian, what I did in the past was wrong, but after all, I helped you in some ways. Don’t you know that if I hadn’t bought you from a human trafficker all those years ago, you would have been sold to a wealthy family as a maid, and with your face, you would have been treated as a desirable trophy here, and raised like a delicate girl of a prestigious family? But in the big houses, the madams and masters would be the first to not tolerate you! Let alone today’s glory, it’s hard to say whether you would have been able to live until now!"
Madam spoke sweetly, trying to coax her.
But Ah Lian sneered, "Mama’s words are quite touching, but the favor Mama showed me has been repaid over the past ten years. I don’t know how many times more money you’ve made during these ten years compared to what you paid for me in the past. Bringing up such old, trivial matters today, without mincing words, it’s all just a matter of interest. Why bother with so much hypocrisy? It only makes people laugh!"
The madam’s face changed, "Chen Ah Lian! Don’t you try to take advantage of my kindness!"
Ah Lian snorted coldly, "Finally revealing your true colors? Let me tell you, my servitude contract is now in my own hands. Do you think you can keep me?"
The madam’s face grew even more ugly. Chen Ah Lian was very cunning. Before the Oiran competition, she knew that the madam wanted to abandon her, so she asked the madam to buy her freedom.
At that time, the madam only wanted to promote Hanxiang and didn’t care about her. She simply wanted to abandon her. Since Ah Lian wanted to redeem herself, of course, she let her go. If it were today, even if Ah Lian offered her ten thousand gold, she probably wouldn’t be willing.
"After leaving here, do you think you have any other options? Do you really think you can maintain your current reputation somewhere else?!" The madam said angrily.
Ah Lian put down her teacup, fiddled with her hair, and raised the corners of her lips, "Yes, I certainly do."
"Where?" Madam’s eyes widened.
"Yu State, Lanshan City, a place called... Huamanlou." Ah Lian said with a smile.
Madam was left puzzled, what was this remote and obscure place?
---
The news that Miss Ah Lian was leaving the capital and heading to Lanshan City spread quickly throughout the capital. When it was time for her to leave, many nobles and young masters came to see her off, causing quite a stir in the capital. No one would have known that it was just a courtesan leaving the city, had they not been told.
At this time, in the Shen Family residence.
"Is there any news from Mu Houchu’s side?" Lord Shen asked with a solemn expression.
Although Mu Houchu had left the capital, this man had always been extremely cunning, and Lord Shen could never let his guard down. He always had people keep an eye on the events in Lian’an Town.
A servant said, "There’s no news. As for the Prime Minister... Prince Pingyang arrived there, and there hasn’t been any news since."
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