Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C063

Unlike other brothels, Qunyu Pavilion was not situated on a main street, but rather in a deep alley.

From the facade, it did not resemble a brothel at all, but rather the private residence of some wealthy family. However, once inside, it was different; the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, the warbling of orioles and swallows, it was truly a land of gentle pleasures.

Qunyu Pavilion was renowned for its elegant environment and the beauty and talents of its courtesans. Moreover, because the place was secluded and inconspicuous, it was often frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles seeking wine and entertainment.

But no one knew that behind Qunyu Pavilion was Prince Wei's mansion. Prince Wei had established this place specifically for gathering information. Fusheng, unable to dissuade that living ancestor, could only try his best to arrange things as thoroughly as possible. What place could be more secure than one under his own control? Even if something truly happened, it would be easier to manage.

In order not to attract attention, he and Ji Yang not only changed their carriages, but even their attire.

Upon arriving, they hurried inside. A private room had already been arranged in advance.

According to Fusheng's thinking, since this ancestor was curious, he should let him come and see. Once his curiosity was satisfied, he would quickly return. Little did he know Ji Yang's hidden intentions.

Although Wushuang had comforted him on their wedding night, saying that the first time was always like that, he was still the same even after it wasn't his first time. The key was that it was completely different from what he had heard. He wanted to know if it was just him, or if everyone was like that. However, in front of Fusheng, he was too embarrassed to say so, and just made up some excuse about wanting to broaden his horizons.

After entering the private room, he told Fusheng to stay there and drink tea. He took a set of night clothes from An Yi, changed into them, and then went out. Fusheng couldn't stop him, and could only tell An Yi to quickly follow.

And so, the two of them became eavesdropping roof-climbers.

For the rooftops, An Yi was an expert, but after they had wandered through several rooms, they found that the people inside were either playing music and singing, or chatting and drinking. They had not gotten to the main point at all.

Ji Yang had no idea that a brothel was not a place for cheap entertainment. Those who came here were wealthy and powerful, and sought only 'elegance'. Those who went straight for the flesh were usually found in the lower-class brothels and entertainment districts.

An Yi silently followed behind, until Ji Yang, feeling stifled, ran to the rooftop to catch some air. Only then did he speak, "Your Highness should go find Song You."

Although Song You was proficient in the Zhu You healing arts, he was, overall, still a physician.

"Are you saying that this Prince is ill? Have you been eavesdropping on this Prince?" Ji Yang narrowed his eyes dangerously.

An Yi still had the same expression. To be precise, he always had the same expression. His face was covered with a black cloth, so one couldn't see any expression at all. He retreated a zhang* away before quietly saying, "This subordinate's duty is to protect Your Highness."

TN: about 3.3m

The implication was that even when he slept, he slept on the roof of His Highness's room, so naturally he would inevitably hear things he shouldn't.

These dark guards had been trained by Ji Yang himself. Although An Yi, due to his special status, was not trained by him, Ji Yang knew what the dark guards were generally for.

The dark guards' duties were to protect and to spy, following a path of appearing and disappearing without a trace. Ji Yang had once been quite proud of the dark guards he had trained, but now he felt like he had lifted a stone only to drop it on his own foot.

Fortunately, his face was also covered with a black cloth, so no one could see his expression.

He was silent for a moment, then uttered a harsh threat, "You are not allowed to eavesdrop on this Prince again!"

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Will finding Song You be useful?"

"Song You is a physician. He is better than Your Highness, who understands nothing, running around everywhere."

This time, An Yi simply disappeared, not giving him a chance to be embarrassed into anger.

And so, Fusheng, who had been drinking tea in the private room below for half the day, was told to return. Ji Yang did not leave with him, but went directly to the Song family.

When Ji Yang arrived at the Song family, Song You was in a room, grinding something.

Late at night, the sound of the medicine grinder creaking was rather unsettling. This was the reason why Song You often couldn't wake up during the day. He always acted on a whim, regardless of whether it was the middle of the night.

"What brings Your Highness to me at this hour?"

At this time, Ji Yang was still wearing his daytime attire, exuding an air of nobility and composure.

Hearing this, he did not speak, but instead imitated Prince Wei's manner, beckoning An Yi to come down from the roof beam.

Song You knew that An Yi was Prince Wei's hidden guard. Seeing that An Yi did not speak, but kept hesitatingly looking at 'Prince Wei', he wondered if there was some unspeakable difficulty. He then walked outside, intending to speak with An Yi there.

Before long, Song You returned.

His expression was calm, as if nothing had happened, and he said, "Actually, this matter is not uncommon."

Ji Yang appeared calm and composed as he drank his tea, but in truth, his ears were perked up.

"Your Highness's qi and blood are abundant, and your kidney qi is vigorous. Logically, this situation should not occur. The reason why this has happened is likely because..." He coughed at this point, "of a lack of experience. It is also possible that the Princess Consort has some unique talent. Such women are not common, but they do exist. Men who encounter them cannot endure for long...

Ji Yang interrupted him, saying, "Is there a solution?"

Song You pondered for a moment, "I will find a few books. Your Highness can take them back and study them. It should be helpful. If it is not, then come find me again."

Song You was gone for almost two quarters of an hour before he returned.

When he returned, he had several tattered books in his hands.

An Yi took them, went outside to shake off the dust, and then brought them back to give to Ji Yang.

Ji Yang glanced at them. Most of the titles had the character 'scripture' at the end. After flipping through the contents, his expression became extremely strange.

"Why do you have books like these?"

Song You's expression was natural as he said, "Your Highness, do not forget that I am a physician. Furthermore, I also cultivate the Dao. The Daoist school emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang, nourishing life and regulating qi. Physicians do not avoid these matters; in fact, they believe they are beneficial for nourishing life and longevity. In ancient times, medicine, the Dao, and the art of the bedchamber were often discussed together. It is only in recent years that some people have turned them into heretical and wicked practices, causing ordinary people to avoid mentioning them."

So, he was the only one who felt a little ashamed?

However, on the surface, Ji Yang said nothing. He simply had An Yi put the books away, and after exchanging a few more words with Song You with a calm expression, he left.

After leaving the Song residence, Ji Yang warned, "Do not tell him about this. But even if you do, it will not matter. You are still an accomplice."

An Yi still had the same expressionless face, but if anyone could hear his inner voice, he had probably already articulated countless times how he was being coerced by one master to frame another.

***

Wushuang was sleeping soundly when suddenly a somewhat cold body rolled into the quilt with her.

"Where did you go?" she mumbled sleepily.

"To take care of some matters." After a pause, he added, "I will be busy with matters for the next few days, so do not wait for me at night. I will return when I am finished."

Previously, he had often gone to Marquis Changyang's mansion, so Wushuang had gotten into the habit of waiting for him at night, unless he said beforehand that he would not come. Ji Yang was also aware of this, which was why he said that.

She gave an "oh" and continued to sleep.

With one less person clinging to her, Wushuang had time to take care of some important matters.

Fulai had previously mentioned the matter of managing the household affairs to her. Wushuang took the opportunity these past two days to understand it, and after understanding it, she did not plan to manage it.

Generally speaking, the Prince's mansion was divided into two parts: the front courtyard and the rear courtyard.

The front courtyard included all external affairs, including the Prince's officials, the affairs office, the guards, as well as Prince Wei's personal soldiers and his advisors and retainers. These all pertained to Prince Wei's official duties, and previously, they were all managed by the study. Wushuang, as a woman, could not interfere.

As for the rear courtyard, it was even simpler. Previously, there was no one in Prince Wei's rear courtyard. Now, there was only Wushuang, so there was basically nothing to do.

Since there was nothing to do, what was there for her to manage? It was better to leave it to whoever had managed it before. However, Wushuang did take the time to meet the other servants in the Prince's mansion.

Most of these servants were palace attendants, and a small portion were slaves purchased by the Prince's mansion. Fulai managed all the affairs of the mansion. As for the flowers and plants in the garden and the servants in the rear courtyard, they were managed by an auntie called Shuyu.

The reason why Wushuang paid attention to this auntie Shuyu was because the way this person looked at her was strange, and this person's reach was a bit too long.

It was the first time she had met this auntie Shuyu, and the other party had immediately brought up the matter of the kitchen, telling her that since the Princess Consort had entered the gates, she should put the matter of the kitchen on the agenda.

Speaking of this, it is worth mentioning the unique layout of the Prince Wei's mansion.

Perhaps because Prince Wei was not in the capital for many years, there was no mistress in the mansion. There was only a large kitchen in the front yard, but no kitchen in the back yard.

After Wushuang entered the gates, it was reasonable to say that the kitchen in the back yard should also be put on the agenda. However, her three meals a day all came from the small kitchen in the front study, so she did not think about this matter. She even thought that instead of setting up a kitchen in the back yard, it would be better to set up a small kitchen in Luanxiang Yard.

Therefore, when auntie Shuyu brought up the matter of the kitchen, she spoke her mind. Who knew that auntie Shuyu would give her a lecture on why it could not be handled this way, with a rather accusatory tone. The implication was as if she was unwilling to set up a kitchen in the back yard, only wanting to set up a small kitchen in Luanxiang Yard, harboring some ill intentions, planning to monopolize Prince Wei, and that was why she was doing this.

How could a normal servant be like this? And also, the form of address was incorrect.

This auntie Shuyu, judging from her appearance, was almost fifty years old. If she were a person from the palace, she should be called a granny. If according to the outside custom, she should be called a steward mama or a steward old woman. But everyone called her auntie, even Fulai addressed her this way, which made Wushuang somewhat confused.

After arriving at the Prince's mansion, Xiaohong, who had almost nothing to do, volunteered to tell Wushuang that she would go and inquire.

Wushuang thought for a moment and did not allow it, but instead had granny Gong invited over.

Granny Gong thought she had something to attend to and arrived quickly.

After listening to Wushuang's words, she hesitated slightly before revealing the identity of this auntie Shuyu.

It turned out that this auntie Shuyu was the wet nurse of Prince Wei's first Princess Consort. After that Princess Consort Xi passed away, auntie Shuyu had no place to go. Later, when Prince Wei left the palace to establish his mansion, she followed him to the Prince's mansion.

The reason why everyone called her auntie was also because she had stayed in the palace for a while before, and the form of address had never been changed.

Seeing that Wushuang did not speak, granny Gong thought for a moment and said, "This servant is not familiar with her, but if she has accidentally offended the Princess Consort, the Princess Consort should still be lenient."

Wushuang understood what granny Gong meant. After all, she was new here, while the other party was an old-timer. Unless it was necessary, there was really no need to start a conflict. It was not that she could not afford to offend her, but it was not worthwhile, and she would also get a reputation for being harsh to old servants.

"She did not offend me. I was just curious, seeing that she was different from ordinary servants."

Granny Gong looked at Wushuang's expression and did not see anything unusual, so she breathed a sigh of relief. After that, she changed the subject and did not mention anything about Shuyu or the former Princess Consort, for fear that Wushuang was young and would feel uncomfortable hearing it.

In fact, Wushuang did feel a little uncomfortable. Her discomfort had nothing to do with auntie Shuyu, but rather with the thought that he had married someone before, which made her feel a little uneasy.

After granny Gong left, Xiaohong saw that Linglong had gone out, and only she and Meifang were left to serve Wushuang in the room, so she said, "Princess Consort, does granny Gong mean that we can only endure that old woman's hand reaching into the Princess Consort's affairs?"

"That's not what granny Gong meant." Wushuang thought for a moment and said, "Moreover, it's just this once, and it's not too excessive. Maybe she just doesn't know how to speak?

Xiaohong was noncommittal.

Wushuang then said, "You said that her master died, so there's no benefit for her to do this."

Xiaohong said, "This servant will help the Princess Consort keep an eye on her."

However, what Wushuang did not expect was that she did not seek trouble, but trouble came looking for her.

This day, Wushuang had just finished her breakfast when a maid said that auntie Shuyu had arrived.

This auntie Shuyu was wearing a blue jacket and skirt, and she was very thin. It could be seen that she was very disciplined, and her walking, speaking, and handling of matters were all very methodical.

After entering, she first bowed to Wushuang.

"I wonder what matter auntie has in seeking me?"

Auntie Shuyu placed her hands together in front of her abdomen, respectfully lowering her eyes slightly: "It has been some days since the Princess Consort entered the gates. The mansion has always enshrined the spirit tablet of Princess Consort Xi. Logically speaking, the Princess Consort should have gone to pay respects on the second day after entering the gates. However, this servant saw that the Princess Consort had not made any move, and did not dare to say much. But today is the anniversary of Princess Consort Xi's death, and this servant feels that the rites cannot be transgressed. Therefore, I have come to report to the Princess Consort, so as to avoid transgressing the rites and alarming the public, and causing the Prince Wei's mansion to become the laughingstock of the entire capital."