Chapter 132

Chapter 132: A Funny Story

Sheng Zhi Wan coughed lightly and said, “A storybook.” Then Sheng Zhi Wan remembered what needed doing today and added, “Go fetch a set of my men’s clothes. You and Liu Shang should change too. We’re going somewhere nice.”

“Men’s clothes?” Ting Lan asked, thrilled. “Princess, where are we going?”

Ting Lan liked nothing more now than leaving the residence with Princess. The gates that had trapped Princess for two whole years were no longer a cage.

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Sheng Zhi Wan said.

Soon, Sheng Zhi Wan changed into men’s clothes and made a few adjustments to her own look. Then Sheng Zhi Wan fixed Ting Lan and Liu Shang as well.

Two bright, handsome youths appeared before Sheng Zhi Wan, and only then did Sheng Zhi Wan take them out of the residence.

When Zhang Da heard where they were going, Zhang Da’s face flushed red. Zhang Da stammered, “Y-Young Master, you really want to go there?”

“Yes,” Sheng Zhi Wan replied.

Rouge House.

It was one of the four most famous brothels in capital city, a gold-devouring pit for men and a place that made women grit their teeth in rage.

What was Princess doing there? Still, since Sheng Zhi Wan insisted on going, Zhang Da could only stay sharp and cautious. Zhang Da parked the carriage outside the long street where Rouge House stood.

Many young masters from official families did the same, so no one found Zhang Da’s behavior strange.

Sheng Zhi Wan stepped down and headed straight for Rouge House.

It was Sheng Zhi Wan’s first time there. The moment Sheng Zhi Wan entered, fluttering sleeves swept over with fragrant wind. Sheng Zhi Wan laughed and pulled a woman into her arms.

The woman lifted her eyes and met a pair of eyes that seemed to hook the soul.

The woman’s fingers trembled before she smiled. “So you young masters are new here. Do you have a favorite miss already, or would you like me to introduce a few?”

Sheng Zhi Wan loosened her hold. “Then I’ll trouble you to introduce them.”

The woman led the three of them to a private room on the very top floor.

As soon as they stepped inside, the woman’s gaze locked tightly onto Sheng Zhi Wan. But with outsiders still present, the woman did not dare speak at once.

Sheng Zhi Wan smiled first and said, “Hong Yan, it’s been a long time.”

“Princess!” Hong Yan’s eyes filled with tears as Hong Yan dropped to her knees. “Hong Yan thought Princess had cast Hong Yan aside.”

“How could I?” Sheng Zhi Wan said as Sheng Zhi Wan helped Hong Yan up.

Outside the room, the building roared with laughter and music. Sheng Zhi Wan listened for a moment and said, “You’ve run Rouge House well.”

“I did not fail Princess’s trust,” Hong Yan replied, pride flickering in Hong Yan’s eyes.

Back then, Hong Yan had been forced to fake death and leave Sheng Zhi Wan’s side. After Hong Yan escaped, Hong Yan changed her appearance, took over this place, and renamed it Rouge House.

Hong Yan did it for one reason only: to wait for the day Princess might need Hong Yan again.

Now Princess had truly come.

“Princess, what do you command?” Hong Yan asked, eyes burning with eagerness.

“Yes, I do need you to handle something,” Sheng Zhi Wan said softly.

Sheng Zhi Wan spoke in a low voice for a few moments.

After listening, Hong Yan nodded. “That’s easy. That man is in Rouge House right now. I’ll have someone pretend to be a customer and speak a few lines in the room next door. I guarantee he’ll hear every word.”

“Good,” Sheng Zhi Wan said. “I always feel at ease when you handle things.”

To avoid suspicion, Hong Yan left quickly.

Ting Lan could not hold back any longer. “Princess! You… you actually know Rouge House’s madam!”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s lips curved into a small, bitter smile.

Hong Yan was a girl Sheng Zhi Wan had picked up near the travel palace when Sheng Zhi Wan was five. Hong Yan was two years older, yet because Hong Yan had gone hungry for so long, Hong Yan looked like a child of three or four.

Sheng Zhi Wan pitied Hong Yan and let Hong Yan stay at the travel palace to do small chores.

Later, when Sheng Zhi Wan began studying medicine and poisons under three Masters, Hong Yan learned quite a bit as well.

Sheng Zhi Wan had to hide what Sheng Zhi Wan learned, but Hong Yan did not. Many people came to know that there was a maid beside Sheng Zhi Wan with remarkable medical skill.

After that, Hong Yan met danger more than once. Sheng Zhi Wan realized someone was striking at useful people around Sheng Zhi Wan.

When Hong Yan was once gravely injured, Sheng Zhi Wan finally decided to send Hong Yan away.

So Hong Yan “died.”

In Hong Yan’s place stood Rouge House’s madam, Yan Zhi.

Sheng Zhi Wan stayed at Rouge House for a while longer. Sheng Zhi Wan even called a few misses to dance for entertainment before Sheng Zhi Wan finally left.

That night, something not too big and not too small became a “fun story” in capital city.

A few drunk young masters, reeking of flower wine, teased a beautiful married woman in Lang Men Alley. The woman was slender and delicate, and even with a child in her belly, she carried a special charm that drew the eye.

Among that group of young masters, there happened to be one who loved other men’s wives, especially pregnant wives.

Drunk and overcome with lust, that young master did what he always did. He flaunted his elder sister’s status and threw down banknotes worth several hundred taels.

Right there in the street, in front of the pregnant woman’s nanny, he tried to seize her and drag her away.

Luckily, the woman’s husband arrived at that exact moment. The wealthy merchant had been out all day doing business.

When the wealthy merchant saw someone trying to take away the wife he cherished and spoiled, how could any man endure it?

The wealthy merchant immediately ordered his people to fight the young master’s guards.

The ending surprised everyone. The wealthy merchant actually won, and the young master ended up with a bloody nose.

Inside Rouge House, Deputy Censor-in-Chief Zhang Huan lounged while a miss clung to him and chattered about the incident. Zhang Huan gave a lazy “mm” in reply, Zhang Huan’s hand already slipping beneath the miss’s clothes.

The miss wore red and looked dangerously seductive. With a coy laugh, the miss dodged Zhang Huan’s hand and said, “My lord, don’t be in such a hurry. Do you even know who that young master was?”

“Oh?” Zhang Huan asked, mind wandering. “Who was it?”

The miss leaned close and whispered a few words into Zhang Huan’s ear.

Zhang Huan’s hand froze.

The light drunken haze from the wine vanished in an instant.

“Is that true?” Zhang Huan demanded, forcing down the surge in his chest.

“Of course it’s true,” the miss said. “I saw it with my own eyes when I went to buy rouge.”

Zhang Huan lost all interest in what had been happening just moments before.

The miss did not notice. Still curled against him, the miss sighed and continued, “What a pity for that wealthy merchant. He probably won’t be seen again.”

“Why do you say that?” Zhang Huan asked distractedly.

“Think about it,” the miss said, voice full of regret. “He’s only a small merchant, yet he dared offend Yang Second Young Master. Yang Second Young Master is the Third Prince’s maternal uncle and Noble Consort Qi’s brother. Isn’t that asking for death?”

The miss clicked her tongue. “He might not even live to see tomorrow. His whole family could be wiped out, and that pregnant wife of his will be taken away too.”

Zhang Huan narrowed Zhang Huan’s eyes.

If Shang Xing Yu and the others were called capital city’s spoiled playboys, then this so-called Yang Second Young Master, Yang Jun Kang, had been capital city’s biggest tumor a few years ago.

Back then, Yang Jun Kang relied on Minister Yang, the Minister of War, and on Yang Jun Kang’s favored elder sister, Noble Consort Qi. Yang Jun Kang had done evil without restraint.

But that was years ago.

Four years earlier, Yang Jun Kang had forcibly taken a low-ranking official’s wife, driving her to hang herself afterward. When the official beat the Petition Drum to sue, Yang Jun Kang supposedly repented and restrained himself.

Later, people even said Yang Jun Kang had done many good deeds.

In capital city, many had already forgotten what happened back then.

Some even twisted the story after that low-ranking official died, claiming the official had tried to sell his wife to win Minister Yang’s favor, failed, and then turned around to slander Minister Yang’s son.