Edited by Tnyhy

Bao Xiang Lou was the biggest money squandering establishment in the Ding capital. Since brothels were cla.s.sified into third, sixth and ninth ranks, then Bao Xiang Lou would definitely be considered as the top ranked in the Ding capital. A casually chosen young lady would be able to be the face of a normal brothel, be it thin or plump, feisty or gentle, cute, delicate or innocent, as long as one was able to think about it, Bao Xiang Lou would have.

And therefore the prices of the young ladies in Bao Xiang Lou were the most expensive.

Beautiful young ladies were at the door waving scented handkerchiefs to welcome the guests, a male wearing fine clothes walked in and attracted a few glances from the surrounding young ladies.

Those who are able to come to Bao Xiang Lou were the rich and most of them were gentlemen from wealthy families or officials, but this male did not look like he was from a wealthy family and the murderous air around him made the young ladies to retreat. A red clad middle aged female walked out and saw him before smiling, “Gentleman Mo came again? Is it to look for Liu Ying again?”

Mo Qing nodded his head and took out a piece of a banknote for the person in front. When that female got the banknote, she smiled in satisfaction, “Gentleman, please follow me in to bring you up now. Liu Ying had been waiting for you for these days.”

Mo Qing forcefully restrained the uncomfortable feelings in his heart and followed this person up with an undaunted face.

The young ladies of Bao Xiang Lou were the most expensive and similarly the young ladies of Bao Xiang Lou were the best. Even though Liu Ying was not considered the number one in Bao Xiang Lou, she was famously beautiful but this was only relative to the rumours outside. In actual fact, there were always new young ladies coming in every day and each had different appearances and talents. Men were always enamoured with the new and bored with the old so Liu Ying’s guests had been reduced a lot.

But recently the ladies of Bao Xiang Lou knew that the somewhat unfrequented Liu Ying had a big business lately. A young male would come over and visit her every three to five days. In Bao Xiang Lou, it was very rare to see a guest only picking out a single young lady, so everyone was speculating if he was going to redeem Liu Ying.

Mo Qing followed that female to a little room upstairs and the red clad female smiled as she withdrew. On the soft couch, a young female who was wearing a thin red dress leaned as she plucked the Qin she was holding. Her eyes were filled with emotions and there was an ambiguous smile on her lips as her clothes half exposed her shoulders, provoking one’s wild and fanciful thoughts.

Mo Qing took a deep breath and headed straight to the table and sat down. He poured a cup of tea for himself and started the course of the day — Stare blankly.

The Qin’s sound abruptly ended and there was an irritable look on Liu Ying’s face. She walked to Mo Qing and angrily said, “Gentleman Mo had come for a few times but only to turn a blind eye to Liu Ying, could it be to play with Liu Ying? Or to resent that Liu Ying is dirty?”

The sisters were all envious that she might be able to break clear of all troubles and hards.h.i.+p because there was a man who was willing to only pick her alone, but they did not know that this man was impressive looking but useless. No matter what kind of techniques she threw at him, this person would not even look at her, much less anything else.

Mo Qing shook his head but did not say anything and simply stared at the teacup in front. But his heart was extremely helpless. Shen Miao was indeed not wrong as this Liu Ying was a female with tens of thousands of flirtatious expressions, and previously when she tried different methods to tease him, Mo Qing himself almost could not resist that now an additional moment sitting here was a moment of more suffering, but Shen Miao wanted him to continue to sit.

The more Liu Ying was enraged, the more the smile on her face became more seductive. She simply sat on Mo Qing’s thighs and reached her hands out to his neck and whispered by Mo Qing’s ears, “Gentleman Mo, do you bear to just let me sit here?”

A ‘Pa’ sounded and it was Mo Qin who pushed Liu Ying onto the floor.

Sitting in Kuai Huo Lou, facing Bao Xiang Lou, in an elegant room, the table was filled with dazzling jade dishes and music filled one"s ears as three people sat in the middle. A person who looked like a guard came in and whispered some things to the ears of the purple clad youth who was sitting right in the middle.

“Speaking of which,” Ji Yu Shu spoke puzzled, “Why did Shen Young Lady let her guard go to Bai Xiang Lou to look for young ladies?”

“Furthermore this guard only look and not eat.” Gao Yang added.

As far as Shen Miao was concerned, Gao Yang and Ji Yu Shu now would not view her as just a normal Young Lady with military lineage, as her every action seemed to have very profound meanings. Thus when they knew that Shen Miao had gotten Mo Qing to go to Bao Xiang Lou to look for ladies, both of their first reaction was which person was Shen Miao intending to pit against.

Bai Xiao Sheng’s people were out observing for several days and the most shocking thing was that, that guard picked Liu Ying but did not do anything at all and sat in Liu Ying’s room for the entire night before leaving. They inquired Liu Ying’s background in detail and found that it was nothing special, as she was just a female who was sold to the brothel and did not understand the deeper meanings behind Shen Miao’s actions.

“Could it be that she wanted to train an eunuch to be a confidant?” Ji Yu Shu’s thoughts were always particularly strange, “So now she let that guard adapt to the days of an eunuch in advance?”

“Your thoughts are as always fantastic.” Gao Yang pondered, “I think that she want to win Liu Ying over, perhaps in order to deal with the two other households in the Shen family. But there is no need to look for Liu Ying. There are much more young ladies in Bao Xiang Lou that can seduce better than Liu Ying.” He looked towards Xie Jing Xing, “Third Xie, how do you see this matter?”

Xie Jing Xing was looking outside the window at the moment and casted lazy glances at the two of them, “You all are very free?”

“In any case you also have some friends.h.i.+p with Shen Young Lady, could it be that you do not care about it?” Ji Yu Shu said, “Xie Third Older Brother, you are so smart, you must know.”

“I do not want to know.” Xie Jing Xing interrupted his words, “Recently, I want to go out of the city.”

“Is it because of the matter during Jade Rabbit Festival?” Gao Yang asked with a frown.

“The Emperor intend to send the Xie old man off to war.” Xie Jing Xing said, “One cannot wait any longer.” The ‘Xie old man’ he mentioned referred to the Marquis of Lin An, Xie Ding.

Gao Yang was silent for a moment before speaking, “If that is the case, then it seems that it is too late.”

“One heard that Shen Yuan is very close with Prince Ding lately.” Xie Jing Xing’s lips hooked up, “Seemingly preparing to deal with the First household of the Shen family?”

“Shen Young Lady going to be unlucky again?” Ji Yu Shu was somewhat surprised, “Why does she always provoke those with ill-intent. That Prince Ding is not a good bird and which person that Prince Ding set his attention on have a good ending?”

“Prince Ding is one that is enigmatic and impossible to predict.” Gao Yang frowned, “Although he looked powerless but his secret military power is not weaker than anyone else. Shen Xin has the military power on hand, and a man’s fortune is his own ruin by causing other’s greed. The Shen family is big and successful and is already feared by the Imperial family. With Prince Ding dipping his hands in, one fear that Shen Xin could be destroyed.”

“Would not Shen Young Lady be in danger?” Ji Yu Shu looked at Xie Jing Xing, “Xie Third Older Brother, how do you want to help her?”

Xie Jing Xing raised his eyebrows, “Why should I help her?”

“Are not you both… Considered as friends?” Ji Yu Shu stared wide eyed, “Did not you previously save her? You do not intent to help Shen Young Lady?”

Xie Jing Xing looked at him with a smile but not a smile, and his eyes were as deep as still water. It was clearly a dissolute style but the words that were spoken had a cold thin indifference, “I need the Shen family to delay some time for me, so for Prince Ding to deal with Shen Xin… It is very good.”

Ji Yu Shu drew in a mouthful of cold air.

In the Prince Ding"s residence in the Ding capital.

A young male was sitting on the highest seat, dressed in plain coloured ill.u.s.trious robes. He looked cold but when he was talking to people below him, he was however very cordial which melted that cold look a little.

This was not someone else but Prince Ding, Fu Xiu Yi.

At the moment there were a few strangers sitting in the middle of the hall and these people were all Prince Ding’s, Fu Xiu Yi’s, aides. He knew how to put people to good use and also respected the wise. For an ordinary prince, even though he was to give money and land to aides, there was not one that would be as respectful as him. Not only that, they would sit with him on an equal footing. Even when speaking, he would be extremely respectful and it was because Fu Xiu Yi’s had such an att.i.tude, that he attracted a lot of wise aides. It was precisely because of these wise aides, that Fu Xiu Yi’s schemes and grand plans were able to stay hidden from the rest of the world, including Emperor Wen Hui.

The young person that was sitting in the middle was clad in blue, and his looks were out of tune among these top official aides because he was too young. He stood up and Fu Xiu Yi asked, “Shen Yuan, do speak your thoughts out.”

Shen Yuan cupped his hands in obeisance towards Fu Xiu Yi. He just entered officialdom and became Fu Xiu Yi’s people secretly. This Fu Xiu Yi was one who was good in attracting talents and with the kind of ambitions that Shen Yuan had, So Shen Yuan would tolerate to live alone and simple so Fu Xiu Yi would view him positively.

Shen Yuan said, “At present everyone is secretly building up forces and whoever have the troops, whoever would have more bargaining chips. Currently Ming Qi’s military power is Southern Xie, Northern Shen. Even though the Xie family military power is magnificent, but His Majesty would be sending the Marquis of Lin An to war at the start of spring, so there are definitely other plans. The Xie family cannot be touched but the Shen family is different.” Shen Yuan paused before continuing, “Shen Xin took the initiative to request to stay in the capital for half a year more, and there are many who want to draw Shen Xin to their side. The Shen family army is a big variable and if one is unable to get it then it would be better to ruin it. If this is considered then it would even be of the same mind as His Majesty, and also prove to His Majesty that one do not have any ambitions.”

Shen Yuan himself was a member of Shen family but used the words ‘Shen family’, which indicated clearly that he did not put himself together with Shen Xin, and was against him. Fu Xiu Yi smiled at him, perhaps he understood but pretended not to know as Shen Yuan’s words were after all, only bringing him benefits and no harm. He said, “What you said was not bad but now there is no trace of any loophole in the Shen family, so even if one were to find a mistake, there would be no rationale.”

Shen Yuan did not speak.

Fu Xiu Yi’s eyes flashed and his tone got even more amiable, “But since you are in the Shen residence, you would definitely know things that ordinary people would not know of.” He looked at Shen Yuan, “If this matter can truly control the Shen family, your credit would be the largest.”

Hearing the a.s.surance he wanted, Shen Yuan then respectfully spoke, “Replying Your Highness, early on this official"s people were mixed in the Shen family army and when they went to the Northwestern region to fight, there are some matters that were not done according to the rules. At the moment evidences are still being collected but once the evidence is completed, this official would definitely offer it up with both hands. This official a.s.sure that this time even if the Shen family army is not completely collapsed, it would be at least badly affected.”

Fu Xiu Yi faintly smiled, “Then would need to trouble you for your care.”

Shen Yuan bowed down and smiled.