"My eldest aunt has gone on a journey across the world."
When the topic turned to the eldest princess of Shu, Lianqiao's expression became noticeably stiff.
"If our eldest aunt were here, we wouldn't be so happy!"
"Yes, my eldest sister is busy arranging marriages and doesn't have time to take care of us."
Lianrong said, letting out a long sigh of relief. Recently, both the eldest princess Lianxiang and the eldest princess Lianqingcheng have been busy, which has allowed them to run wild outside without restraint.
[It turns out the eldest princess of Shu wasn't in the palace. It seems the third prince, Yun Beiming, went with her.]
No wonder there hasn't been a single word from the Third Imperial Uncle all these days.
Yun Duoduo looked at the copper plate tied around her waist.
[They've been in Shu for so long, and every day these black and yellow copper plates hang outside, dangling around.]
But why haven't we found anything?
What exactly is the purpose of this thing that the Third Imperial Uncle gave her?
Just then, Lianrong made a few clicking sounds.
"Going to a brothel is fine, but we can't dress like this."
"The brothel madam must think we're here to cause trouble!"
Lianrong glanced at the group's clothes; Yun Duoduo was wearing a brightly colored embroidered vest.
Ah Xiang was dressed in plain clothes, while I was in a light pink long dress. Lian Qiao was in a sky blue short top and skirt, and Jin Zhuangzhuang was in a dress embroidered with butterflies and ladybugs. They were all dressed as girls.
Lianrong looked around to see if there were any shops where she could buy some men's clothing.
"This is Xishui Road on Rizhao Street. All the embroidery workshops in the capital are located in this area."
"Let's go take a look!"
Lianrong and Lianqiao led the way, with Yunduoduo, Jinzhuangzhuang, and Axiang following behind.
"It's just ahead!"
Lianrong seemed very familiar with the embroidery shop. She found the shopkeeper and said she had come to pick out two sets of men's clothing.
The shopkeeper led the group upstairs to try on men's clothing.
"This shop is quite big."
The group chatted and laughed as they tried on men's clothing, eventually choosing the clothes they wanted to wear.
Yun Duoduo wore a purple robe, her hair was tied up with a jade crown, and she held a folding fan in her hand. Jin Zhuangzhuang wore a dark blue robe, and the two of them looked like young masters.
Lianrong was dressed in a white satin dress, Lianqiao in a black robe, and Axiang in a blue satin dress; the group looked every bit the noble young masters.
"Sister Lianqiao, Sister Lianrong, you look so good in men's clothes!"
"If I were a woman, I would definitely marry you!"
"Hahaha!"
The group exchanged glances, praising each other's handsomeness and dashing appearance, before strolling through a small alley and swaggering into the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.
"Oh dear, young master, your arrival is an honor! Why didn't you give us prior notice?!"
When Zhang Mama of Xiaoxiang Pavilion saw the group of men enter, dressed in fine clothes and exuding an extraordinary air, she quickly swayed her hips to greet them, "Young master, what kind of girl are you looking for?"
Seeing that the men did not answer, Madam Zhang continued, "I will have our best girls entertain these gentlemen."
"Xiaoya, Mitao, come quickly and entertain these young masters!"
Mother Zhang greeted the girl who was playing the zither and dancing on the stage.
"Xiao Shi, Xiao Yue, come and greet these young masters!"
"Mom, there's no need to trouble yourself. Let's just stroll around for a bit and then we'll talk."
Lianrong took out a silver ingot from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhang's mother's hand.
This trip was originally just to take Yun Duoduo shopping; it would be very inconvenient to talk if we were accompanied by some ordinary women.
Madam Zhang paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Alright, alright, gentlemen, please make yourselves at home. Ah, haha, please make yourselves at home."
He then turned and left.
The group looked at the girls in Xiaoxiang Pavilion; some had oval faces, slender waists, were delicate and gentle.
Some have creamy skin, full and sexy lips, and a good figure; others have fair skin and a tall figure.
"This Xiaoxiang Pavilion really has all kinds of girls."
Yun Duoduo exclaimed in admiration.
"Yes, you can find all kinds of girls here—gentle, lovely, beautiful, and charming."
The group stared, mesmerized, at the people coming and going inside the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.
The Xiaoxiang Pavilion is also very stylishly decorated, with sandalwood beams, crystal and jade lamps, pearl curtains, and colorful gauze floating in the stairwell, emitting a faint fragrance.
"Let's not block their doorway, let's go upstairs and take a look."
Lianrong suggested, walking ahead of the group as she spoke.
The group went upstairs, where there were private rooms where girls were playing instruments and singing.
"So this is what brothels in Shu look like, just like the ones described in the stories."
Yun Duoduo looked at the furnishings inside Xiaoxiang Pavilion with excitement, "It really is carved railings and jade steps, the colors and scenery are very beautiful."
Yun Duoduo pondered that the decoration style on the second floor of the money exchange in Nanyang could be similar to that of Xiaoxiang Pavilion, specially designed to receive distinguished guests.
"Little sister Duoduo, you've read quite a few storybooks!" Lianrong teased.
"It seems like there are people talking in this room."
"Yun Duoduo said."
Inside the side room, several men were sitting, and one could faintly hear their voices.
"Yes, some people come here to seek pleasure, while others may come here to discuss business in order to avoid suspicion."
Yun Duoduo nodded.
"Where is the most beautiful courtesan here?"
Yun Duoduo looked around, very curious about what the top courtesan of Xiaoxiang Pavilion looked like.
"We must have arrived too early. Usually, the courtesan would play music in the main hall at night."
As the group looked around and chatted, girls kept approaching them, saying, "Gentlemen, you look unfamiliar. Let me serve you!"
Yun Duoduo was startled when someone grabbed her arm and hurriedly dodged away.
"Little Duoduo, have you seen enough?"
"Let's go, the smell of cosmetics here is too strong."
Lianqiao sneezed several times in a row and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
"Okay, let's go then."
After leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion, the sky outside gradually darkened, but it wasn't completely dark yet.
Walking on the bustling streets of Shu, the air was exceptionally fresh. A few people sat down at an outdoor table in a small restaurant, ready to have a casual meal together.
"Boss, five bowls of rice noodles and five bowls of red bean sweet soup, please."
"You want the kind with rice noodles?"
The owner asked, "Vegetarian, meat, soup noodles, stir-fried noodles, which one would you like, young lady?"
Lianqiao hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Lianrong and said, "Two servings of mutton rice noodles, one serving of cabbage and shredded pork stir-fried rice noodles, one serving of pork stir-fried rice noodles, and one serving of chili and pork rice noodles."
After paying for the meal, Lianqiao sat down with the others.
"Sister Lianqiao, do you come here often? You seem to know this place very well."
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