https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-298-Ye-Gucheng-Makes-an-Appearance/12536498/
Chapter 299: Visiting the Western Garden and Meeting Ouyang
Chapter 299: Visiting the Western Garden and Meeting Ouyang
With Ye Gucheng's departure, the air seemed to warm up.
"Hua Manlou said he resembles Ximen Chuixue," Jin Jiuling commented. "I've never met Ximen Chuixue, but I don't think he could beat him."
"But if you've met Ximen Chuixue and not him, you might feel the same," Hua Manlou replied calmly.
Jin Jiuling turned to Su Shaoying, "What do you think?"
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Su Shaoying replied, "They should be about the same level."
A spark flashed in Jin Jiuling's eyes as he probed further, "Originally?"
Su Shaoying nodded, "But now, it depends on the specific situation between Ximen Chuixue and my junior sister. He might become weaker or stronger because of her."
Shi Xiuxue couldn't help but ask, "Is Ye Gucheng going to challenge Ximen Chuixue to a duel?"
"He came after Master, an elderly man. How could he pass up Ximen Chuixue, a young man?" Su Shaoying said, "Isn't that obvious?"
"What about Senior Sister...?" Shi Xiuxue thought of Sun Xiuqing.
Sighing, Su Shaoying said, "When the time comes, you go and advise her. I hope she won't fall too deep."
Shi Xiuxue worriedly frowned, and even Hua Manlou's brows furrowed slightly. Su Shaoying continued, "Try to get pregnant with Ximen Chuixue's child early on. That way, she'll have something to hold onto in the future, and she can also inherit the Wanmei Manor's property."
"Su! Shao! Ying!" Shi Xiuxue exclaimed angrily.
"I'm just joking to liven up the atmosphere. Don't think too much about things that haven't happened yet," Su Shaoying laughed, then asked Jin Jiuling, "Is it alright for us to move around the prince's mansion so casually?"
Jin Jiuling shook his head and smiled, "It's fine. After all, we're also here for the case, and the prince's bedroom is quite far from the treasure vault. Moreover, the young master is not currently in the mansion."
"If he's not in the mansion, where is he?" Su Shaoying asked casually.
"He's entertaining the princes of Jixiang and De in the Western Garden," Jin Jiuling replied, "The two young princes came to Lingnan to vacation together, so they are being hosted by our young master."
A spark flashed in Su Shaoying's eyes, "The Western Garden?"
"The Western Garden is a large garden west of Yangcheng, divided into an inner and outer garden. It has everything you can imagine, and allegedly, the most central part is no less impressive than the capital or Jinling," Jin Jiuling explained.
Su Shaoying smiled, "In other words, if I go to the Western Garden now, I might run into the three young princes?"
"The prerequisite is that you have the money to enter the most exclusive parts of the garden," Jin Jiuling smiled.
"Do you think I'll be short on money?" Su Shaoying laughed.
"Of course not! My apologies, Master Su of Meizhou," Jin Jiuling laughed along.
"Lu Xiaofeng definitely won't come during the day," Su Shaoying stated.
Jin Jiuling shook his head, "No, he won't."
"So I can take my time exploring Yangcheng during the day," Su Shaoying said.
"Of course," Jin Jiuling handed Su Shaoying a token, "You can come and go from the prince's mansion at any time, but there are still some places this token won't grant you access to."
Su Shaoying put away the token, "I'm not Lu Xiaofeng."
...
"The Prince of Pingnan, the Prince of Jixiang, and the Prince of De," Su Shaoying muttered to himself as he walked through the streets of Yangcheng, shaking his head in dismay. "Three princely mansions have popped up all of a sudden. Things are getting more and more complicated."
In the original novel, Gongsun Daniang had made it clear that she had gone to the Western Garden for a reason, and she had attacked Lu Xiaofeng because he had blocked her path.
"Tsk tsk, she's indeed ruthless," Su Shaoying thought, then turned towards the Western Garden.
The Western Garden was located west of Yangcheng, an enormous garden.
Wine shops, brothels, and gambling houses... Storytellers, singers, and acrobats... Pedestrians and street vendors bustling about...
Even these were just the outskirts, accessible to the common folk of Yangcheng. To venture further in, one's attire and qualifications would be scrutinized.
"Have you been to Qinhuai River, sir, and met the courtesan yourself?" a voice asked.
"Of course," Su Shaoying replied nonchalantly. "She almost came home with me!"
"Your words are too kind, sir," another voice chimed in. "This tune, 'Longing Woman's Sigh,' is at best an eight out of ten, but it captures the very essence of obsession."
"You flatter me, miss," Su Shaoying said with a smile. "I believe this piece is called 'Sigh of the Spring Breeze.'"
"The spring breeze is affectionate, but none more so than you, sir!"
At times, Su Shaoying felt the urge to compete with Lu Xiaofeng. He imagined them both entering the brothel and seeing who would be more popular—of course, assuming they had the same amount of money.
Su Shaoying handed over another silver ticket, and the madam said, "You're truly generous, sir. Originally, Miss Qing from the north was supposed to attend to you, but she has a guest tonight."
"Who is Miss Qing?" Su Shaoying asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Why, none other than Ouyang Qing," the madam replied with a proud smile. Ouyang Qing's reputation, it seemed, preceded her in these circles.
Su Shaoying couldn't help but inhale sharply. "And who might her guest be?"
The madam smiled mysteriously. "You'll be pleased to know, sir, that Miss Ouyang's guest is a highly accomplished monk." She added with a meaningful tone, "Our Miss Ouyang's charm is so irresistible that even the Buddha himself couldn't resist her allure!"
Su Shaoying sighed. He already knew who Ouyang Qing's guest was—none other than Lao Shi, one of the four greatest monks in the Buddhist world!
"Lao Shi definitely knows the secrets of the Red Shoes Organization," Su Shaoying thought. "At the very least, he knows a part of it. The most obvious clue is that he knows Gongsun Daniang."
The original novel hadn't revealed much about Lao Shi's background, and Su Shaoying couldn't guess his true nature. However, one thing was clear: he wasn't a member of the Invisible Man Organization, but he might well know some secrets of the Taiping Kingdom.
Furthermore, given that he knew Gongsun Daniang, it was likely that he also had connections with the imperial court. But how deep those connections went, how much autonomy he had, and what his true nature was, Su Shaoying couldn't discern.
"But he's probably not a bad guy, right?" Su Shaoying wasn't sure. After all, Lao Shi had helped Lu Xiaofeng during the final battle at the Forbidden City, and more importantly, Lu Xiaofeng had once suspected him.
It was common knowledge that anyone suspected by Lu Xiaofeng during an investigation, who wasn't the final villain, could be considered an upstanding citizen.
Lu Xiaofeng: ┻╰(‵□′)
╯
"What a pity," Su Shaoying said, taking back the silver ticket from the madam's hand. "I came here specifically for Miss Ouyang. Since she already has a guest, I shall visit another establishment."
The madam's heart felt like it was bleeding, but just as she was about to despair, a heavenly voice pulled her back from the depths of hell.
"Since the gentleman has come specifically for Ouyang, how could I possibly dampen your spirits?"
(End of Chapter)
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