NOVEL WEB Chapter 10 - go to the brothel
The night market in Beijing is bright as day, bustling and bustling. It’s more fun than in the daytime.
When Xia Chu and Su Qianan walked to the center of the city, they saw the sign of Yixianglou Fire Tree and Silver Flower from a distance. The melodious phoenix flute could be heard beside his ears, and the sound of the wind was confusing.
“Master, do you really want to go in?” Su Qianan asked reluctantly.
Xia Chu said nothing, put his hands behind his back, and walked unrestrainedly. Su Qianan was helpless and could only keep up.
As soon as I entered the door, two beautiful girls were posted. Xia Chu was not angry, and Su Qian’an followed closely with a proud and upright body. The two girls backed away in shock at the momentum, and turned back to look at the prostitute.
The old maid swayed around and asked with a flattering smile, “Is there a good girl in your son? Or should I introduce you to the two of you?”
Xia Chu didn’t look at her, and directly ordered: “Call Li Xinlan over.”
The old bustard was startled, put away his flattery, and hurriedly sent someone to invite him.
After a while, a woman of about forty came hurriedly.
She looked at Xia Chu and called out tentatively, “Young Master Chu?”
Xia Chu nodded.
Li Xinlan looked happy, and led Xia Chu to the upstairs private room.
Going to the innermost room on the right hand side of the fourth floor, Li Xinlan stood aside and opened the door. Su Qianan followed Xia Chu in, and Li Xinlan instructed the servant to make a good Biluochun in a pot, and then add some snacks and a fruit plate, and then followed into the house and closed the door.
“Aunt Li.” Xia Chu called sweetly, smiling happily.
Li Xinlan stepped forward excitedly and took Xia Chu’s hand.
“Master Hou sent someone over in the afternoon and said that you would come over in the evening, so I’ve been waiting.” She looked at Su Qian’an and hesitated.
Xia Chu understood, looked at Su Qian’an and said, “I’ll arrange a girl for you? Huan Fei Yan Shou, which one do you like?”
“No, no, it’s good to keep watch outside the subordinate’s house.” Su Qianan rushed out immediately after speaking, as if she was swallowed by a flood of beasts a little too late.
Seeing him go out, Li Xinlan looked at Xia Chu carefully.
“These years in the mountains have been fine.”
“Everything is fine.”
“That’s good. After the new year, I’ll be fourteen, and I’m almost a girl.”
“Aunt Li, forget that I’m a woman.”
“Yes, sir.”
Xia Chu couldn’t bear to make her sad, so he pulled her to sit down, changed the subject and asked, “This building is not bad, I just glanced at it, there are quite a lot of rooms.”
“Yes. Twelve rooms on the first floor, ten rooms on the second floor, eight rooms on the third floor, five rooms on the fourth floor, this is the largest one.”
There was a knock on the door outside the house, and the servant brought in the tea, food, and fruit plate.
When he went out and closed the door, Xia Chu put away his smile, and the expression on his face became serious.
“Father should have told you my purpose for opening this brothel.”
“Yes, the master said that the young master wants to use the brothel to find out some news.”
“Well. Therefore, people are the most important thing. Train more caring girls, and leave the inquiries to people who are assured. Spreading news can be done casually and let the girls do it.”
“I saved it.”
“I have someone here who is specially responsible for handling news. I will bring him to see you when I am free in a few days, and let him come to you regularly to hand over to you in the future.”
Li Xinlan replied yes and poured a cup of tea for Xia Chu.
After the business was finished, Xia Chu’s face relaxed, and he started with Li Xinlan. He asked Li Xinlan how her health was, how she had been in the mansion over the years, and so on. Li Xinlan went back one by one, and sighed that the babies who were still in swaddling back then were already so big now.
Li Xinlan sighed, her eyes were red, and her voice was choked: “If Miss is still here, I will be very happy to see you now.”
Xia Chu couldn’t help but think.
In the last life, he only knew that his mother died to save the emperor, so he didn’t get into it.
In this life, his father told him that it was the emperor who was poisoned, and his mother used herself as a medium to detoxify the emperor before he died. His right index finger tapped the table habitually. After a while he asked, “Aunt Li, do you know what poison my mother was poisoned with?”
Li Xinlan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and thought about it seriously.
“I don’t know the specifics, but the lady seems to say that it is a poison from the Western Regions, and she has never seen it before.”
How could Xiao Guo have the poison of the Western Regions, Xia Chu was puzzled.
“Hasn’t the emperor checked it?”
“I checked it, and it was extremely secretive. After all, it involves the well-being of the emperor’s holy body, the foundation of the country. I didn’t dare to search for it, but I searched carefully and secretly for a long time. However, nothing was found. There is no clue.”
“What are the symptoms of poisoning?”
“The meridians on the body will be swollen and thick, and there will be vomiting blood. In the past, Miss, she kept vomiting until the oil ran out…” Li Xinlan said, but she couldn’t stop crying.
Xia Chu felt that this matter was extremely strange, and while patted Li Xinlan’s back as comfort, he pondered the whole story. After a long time, seeing Li Xinlan no longer sobbing, she got up and said, “I will continue to investigate my mother’s death. Although I was only affected by Chi Yu, I can’t let the poisoner go.”
Li Xinlan looked at Xia Chu under the glazed lamp, but she was only thirteen years old, but she already had a mind and steadiness that surpassed her peers. Hou Ye sighed with her that day, saying that Yun Yi suddenly grew up. She didn’t think so at the time, but now that she met Fang Zhi, it was true, she grew up…
“Behind this incident is bound to be very dangerous, young master must be very careful.” Li Xinlan’s eyes were full of concern and worry.
Xia Chu hugged Li Xinlan.
“I understand. Aunt Li should also cherish her body.”
Li Xinlan nodded with a consoling smile on her lips, and turned to help Xia Chu open the door.
Su Qian’an was still standing outside the door, eight feet tall, with her feet shoulder-width apart, her arms around her chest, and she was serious.
Xia Chu turned back to Li Xinlan and said, “Aunt Li doesn’t need to give it away, and I don’t want to be too conspicuous.”
Li Xinlan nodded and bowed again.
Xia Chu glanced at Su Qian’an and signaled to leave. Su Qianan was relieved and heaved a sigh of relief.
On the way back, Su Qianan saw Xia Chu frowning and asked carefully, “Young master is not happy?”
“Yeah, one more bad thing.”
Su Qianan didn’t dare to ask. He felt that Xia Chu felt bad, so it was useless for him to ask.
“Tomorrow morning, you go to the accountant to collect the money and give it to Yinzhi, and let him buy a yard to live in by himself.”
“Don’t you live in the mansion?”
“No. I don’t want people to know that the person behind him is me. Although you are in the same shop, to the outside world, you only need to say that the second floor is sublet to him. You don’t know the rest.”
“My subordinate understands.”
It was late at night, and the cold winter wind blew faintly on his face. Xia Chu put his fists on his lips and let out a thin white breath, speeding up his return to the house.
He…is most afraid of the cold.