Heaven-Piercing Tower

Many important officials of the Yin Dynasty originated from the Sword Dao Academy.

In a world where gods, ghosts, demons, and monsters are commonplace, if the court's important officials were mere mortals with no power to defend themselves, it would be difficult for the nation to remain stable. Therefore, the higher the rank of the important official, the more emphasis is placed on cultivation during selection. Between two people of equal ability, the one with higher cultivation has a significant advantage.

If they were of mortal bodies, strong individuals would have to be specially assigned to protect them in real-time, which would be quite troublesome.

Moreover, as more officials from the Sword Dao Academy joined the court, they would prioritize promoting their juniors from the academy when selecting subordinates. Over time, this led to the current magnificent scene where students from the academy occupy half of the court.

Especially among the important officials, the Right Prime Minister Song Zhili, the Left Prime Minister Liang Fuguo, and the three ministers of the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Revenue, and Ministry of Personnel... all came from the Sword Dao Academy.

Therefore, Liang Peng wanting to pass the entrance exam for the Sword Dao Academy and eventually become an official in the court was indeed a path to success.

Liang Yue didn't offer much advice on this matter. His younger siblings were intelligent people, and they had clear plans for their futures, so there was no need to worry too much.

He currently had more pressing matters to attend to.

The small one-third of an acre that was the Fukang Ward station had been experiencing continuous turmoil recently. Speaking of which, it was all because of the shops on Linmen Street. To thoroughly investigate the intricacies of this matter, Chen Ju specifically hosted a banquet for two of his friends.

The location of the banquet was the Mystic Sound Pavilion in the Red Sleeve Brothel.

Although he had long heard of the Red Sleeve Brothel's fame, and Fukang Ward was only a short distance away, Liang Yue had actually never been here before. The next evening, he followed Chen Ju and stepped into this most famous place of extravagance in Dragon Abyss City.

"Two young masters—"

As soon as they stepped onto the street of the Red Sleeve Brothel, a strong scent of rouge and powder assailed their nostrils. Looking around, both sides of the street were filled with enthusiastic madams soliciting customers, standing at the entrances and waving colorful handkerchiefs, all with graceful figures.

Looking up, the balconies of the buildings were filled with beautiful girls in vibrant clothing leaning against the railings, their colorful sleeves fluttering. Without even needing to look closely, one could see patches of smooth skin, as white as snow and illuminated by the golden-red lanterns, trembling slightly and truly dazzling the eyes.

"This smell is a bit pungent. Every time I come, I feel uncomfortable, achoo—" Chen Ju sneezed, rubbed his nose, and continued, "After an hour or two, it will be covered by the smell of alcohol, and then it will be fine."

"You might be a bit allergic to this smell," Liang Yue said.

"What do you mean by allergic?" Chen Ju was puzzled. "You said the same thing about that person who got drunk and caused trouble before. Is it some kind of illness?"

"Sort of," Liang Yue explained. "Simply put, others can smell it, but when you smell it, your body feels uncomfortable."

"Ah?" Chen Ju became worried. "So it's an illness? Will I die?"

"The symptoms can be mild or severe..." Liang Yue shrugged. "It's hard to say with this kind of thing."

"Could I really die?" Chen Ju immediately panicked and asked nervously, "Is there any medicine?"

"There probably isn't any at the moment, but it's easy to deal with." Liang Yue looked around and waved his hand. "Just don't come here and expose yourself to this environment anymore."

Chen Ju's eyes widened suddenly: "If I can't come to the Red Sleeve Brothel anymore, I'd rather die!"

"..." Liang Yue was silent for a moment.

Love needs no words.

Before long, the two had walked through the first street.

According to Chen Ju, the brothels on the outer street were low-class, which was why the madams came out to solicit customers. Truly high-class brothels didn't need to be so direct in attracting guests.

Mystic Sound Pavilion was such a tasteful place.

Turning the corner, they saw a three-story carved building with green tiles and flying eaves. Several pavilions surrounded a few small courtyards on all sides, with several peach trees that bloomed year-round, their petals falling like rain in the wind.

The faint sound of silk and bamboo instruments flowed out from the open doorways.

Quiet and elegant.

This was the first impression the place gave off.

Chen Ju walked in with practiced ease. Inside was a rather spacious hall with a stage in the center. Several beautiful female musicians in thin gauze dresses were playing intently. Scattered around were a few tables of guests, all looking as if they were waiting for something.

It seemed it was still too early for a brothel at this hour, likely just opened.

"Oh, Young Master Chen!" As soon as he entered, a clear call rang out.

A plump woman of about thirty suddenly came forward to greet him. She wore a golden gauze flowing dress, her waist swaying, her full hips undulating, as she approached Chen Ju.

"Phoenix Madam, is the private room I requested ready?" Chen Ju reached out to put his arm around her waist, but she twisted away, avoiding him.

Phoenix Madam chuckled, "Verdant Bamboo Hall on the second floor. Young Master Chen's guests have already arrived, and the musicians and dancers are also waiting. Is this handsome young master also a friend of Young Master Chen?"

Liang Yue smiled and nodded, not saying much.

He still lacked experience in handling matters in such places. Professional matters should be left to professionals.

Chen Ju, on the other hand, was in his element. He greeted people all the way up the stairs, looking as if he had returned home upon entering the brothel.

Phoenix Madam escorted Chen Ju to a door hidden by green bamboo, pushed it open, and called out loudly, "Girls, show your talents—"

Inside the hall, clusters of slender bamboo were interspersed among the elegant decorations. The musicians were positioned behind the bamboo, their figures concealed in the green. The effect was that you couldn't see the people, but the sounds of the zither and guzheng surrounded you.

As soon as Chen Ju entered, the music around him began to play, and the two people who had arrived early also stood up to greet him.

Both were young men. The one on the left was of medium build, slightly thin, with two noticeable moles on his cheeks. The one on the right was short and stout with a round face, looking somewhat cheerful.

"Come, let me introduce you." As soon as Chen Ju entered, he led Liang Yue over and said, "This is Young Master Hu Peng, the son of Master Hu from the Ministry of Works; this is Young Master Gou You, the son of Director Gou from the Ministry of Works. Gentlemen, this is my colleague from the Imperial Capital Guard, Liang Yue. He's here with me today to see the world."

Liang Yue nodded to the two, while thinking to himself, So this is what a 'fox friend and dog friend' is.

"Since he's a friend of Young Master Chen, he's our friend too." Hu Peng said politely as he sat down, "Let's keep in touch from now on."

After exchanging pleasantries and chatting for a while, Chen Ju seemingly casually brought up the topic.

"Speaking of which, my family seems to be buying some properties in the Southern City recently. I'm working nearby, and I said what's so good about buying in this godforsaken place, and at such a high price too. My father won't tell me what's going on." He scratched his head, "It's really a bit strange."

"Haha." Hu Peng chuckled twice and said, "It seems Young Master Chen doesn't participate much in family business. You don't even know about such a big matter."

"Big matter?" Chen Ju showed a questioning expression.

Hu Peng didn't speak, but glanced at Gou You.

In the short time just now, Liang Yue had already discovered that these two also had a clear hierarchical relationship. It was likely because Gou You's father was a fifth-rank Director in the Ministry of Works, one rank higher than Hu Peng's father, and this status was inherited by the son.

The little fat man Gou You also chuckled, "Actually, there's nothing hidden about it. With the Chen Family's status, they must have known long ago. Your uncle might just be afraid you'll spread it... The recent rumors in the Southern City are related to the Heaven-Piercing Tower."

"Heaven-Piercing Tower!" Chen Ju was surprised, "Is it going to be built?"

Liang Yue had also heard some rumors about this Heaven-Piercing Tower before.

The Imperial Advisor Li Longchan had once proposed building a thirty-three-story Heaven-Piercing Tower outside Dragon Abyss City to gather the aspirations of the common people and pray for the current Mubei Emperor's longevity.

However, this proposal was strongly opposed by the Left Prime Minister Liang Fuguo, who said that building the Heaven-Piercing Tower would be a waste of resources and labor, and the idea of extending life was illusory, while Li Longchan's true motive was selfish.

Li Longchan's Dragon Tiger Hall had a large following in the Divine Capital, causing a huge stir and criticizing Liang Fuguo everywhere.

However, aside from the National Teacher's followers, most ordinary people still supported the Left Prime Minister. After all, even if the Heaven-Piercing Tower was useful, it extended the Emperor's lifespan, but it cost the people's money.

Later, the matter was dropped.

"The Ministry of Works, in conjunction with the Ministry of Revenue, has presented a complete plan. Although building the Heaven-Piercing Tower is very expensive, once completed, it can attract believers from the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, which is also beneficial for the development of the Divine Capital. After the Left Prime Minister saw it, he no longer obstructed it. It was decided in the imperial court before the new year, and these past few months have been spent selecting the site." Hu Peng lowered his voice and said softly, "They said they were choosing from six locations near the Divine Capital, but in reality, it was decided three months ago, on the Qingfo Plains south of the Divine Capital."

"So that's how it is!" Chen Ju and Liang Yue suddenly understood at the same time.

Once the Heaven-Piercing Tower is built in the south, there will be a huge flow of people, countless officials and nobles, and the worthless shops near the South Gate will immediately become prime real estate worth an inch of gold, their value possibly increasing dozens of times!

And several months ago, the Dragon Tooth Gang was already planning to buy the shops along the South City Gate, not just Linmen Street. At that time, the site was definitely not yet decided, and even the Emperor might not have known where it would be built, but the Dragon Tooth Gang already knew...

This matter cannot be thought about in detail.

"No wonder Fukang Ward has been so restless recently," Liang Yue said, hinting.

"Yes," Chen Ju continued, "There's a Dragon Tooth Gang in the Southern City that's been causing trouble for us. Thinking about it now, it should also be related to the construction of the Heaven-Piercing Tower. This news won't be kept secret for long, they must be eager to buy the shops at the South Gate, which is why they're doing this."

"Dragon Tooth Gang..." Gou You smacked his lips, smiled meaningfully, and said, "Young Master Chen, I advise you not to bother with them."

"Hmm?" Chen Ju pretended to ask casually again, "Do you know their background?"

"Let's not talk about it anymore, our status is not enough to know too much," Gou You gently interrupted the conversation.

Liang Yue glanced at Chen Ju, signaling him to dig deeper. The other party clearly knew the inside story.

"This..." Chen Ju was thinking about how to ask again when he heard a gong sound from outside.

Clang!

"Miss Wen Yuan is about to perform—"

This shout came in, breaking the quiet atmosphere in the Verdant Bamboo Hall. Hu Peng and Gou You immediately couldn't sit still, and both stood up.

Hu Peng said, "Young Master Chen, you don't know about this new Miss Wen Yuan, do you? She amazed everyone with her first appearance yesterday. I heard her zither skills are superb and her appearance is as beautiful as a celestial being. We can't miss her performance."

"Yes, if she can choose us for a chat, that would be a great opportunity to show off." Gou You also called out, "Let's go and see quickly."

Chen Ju was originally concerned about the main business, but when he heard this, his eyes immediately lit up: "I must see this!"

Good morning.