Imperial Brothel

"How do you think this matter should be handled?"

Yan Shuzhu smiled as she looked at Ye Liuyun, seemingly eager to know what he planned to do.

Ye Liuyun's gaze swept over Yan Shuzhu and Lü Lan in turn.

Finally, it landed on the token in Lü Lan's hand.

"Leave the token behind. When you bring the money, you can take it back."

"Do you know what kind of token this is?"

Lü Lan frowned.

What if Ye Liuyun used the token to do something? Who would be held responsible then?

"Fine!"

Before Lü Lan could say anything more, Yan Shuzhu agreed outright.

After a moment of silence, Lü Lan still tossed the token to Ye Liuyun.

This entirely gilded token looked far grander than a Centurion's token. Ye Liuyun merely glanced at it before putting it away.

"Come retrieve it whenever you've scraped together the money."

With that, Ye Liuyun waved his hand and left directly with Si Nan and Shi Sheng.

Yan Shuzhu watched Ye Liuyun's departing back for quite a while.

Only then did she turn around, preparing to return.

"Yes! Your—Young Master!"

Shi Sheng had thought that after causing such trouble, Ye Liuyun would at least hold him accountable.

But he did not. After returning to the Brocade Guard, he simply prepared to leave, as though he had not taken the matter to heart at all.

"This..."

Shi Sheng wanted to say something, but for a moment, he did not know what to say.

"What, do you feel that Lord Ye is very different?"

Shi Sheng did not answer, only looking strangely at Si Nan beside him.

"Just work without worry!"

Si Nan raised a hand and patted Shi Sheng on the shoulder.

"My lord will never treat us unfairly."

Although Si Nan had felt something was off when Ye Liuyun wanted to recruit Shi Sheng, the die had already been cast.

As Ye Liuyun's subordinate, he naturally had to help Ye Liuyun win people over.

Night fell.

Within the quiet imperial palace, Yan Shuzhu had changed into a Dragon Robe. Her hair was not tied up, but hung loose around her shoulders.

As her guard, Lü Lan stood at Yan Shuzhu's side with a serious expression.

The imperial palace did not lack martial artists of Grandmaster rank.

But the most important reason Yan Shuzhu kept Lü Lan, who possessed innate strength, at her side was that Lü Lan had followed her since childhood. She trusted her greatly.

"Though I've always heard that a prodigal who turns back is worth more than gold, this is the first time I've truly seen it."

What Yan Shuzhu held in her hand was information on everything Ye Liufeng had done since childhood.

As the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, although many of Yan Shuzhu's powers were obstructed, investigating one person was still simple enough.

Thinking of their meeting during the day.

Yan Shuzhu had originally thought that this Brocade Guard Centurion's conduct from childhood onward would be somewhat exceptional as well.

Yet judging from the intelligence report, he was plainly a vulgar, petty man, with a belly full of chicken crows and dog thefts. No matter how she looked at it, she could not connect him with the man she had met during the day.

Could it truly be that he had turned back from the wrong path and suddenly awakened?

Yan Shuzhu felt that it was not so simple.

The report also said that Ye Liufeng had a twin younger brother, a street thug named Ye Liuyun.

But Yan Shuzhu only skimmed over such information and did not pay it much attention.

"Interesting!"

She had intended to leave the imperial palace and search the imperial capital for a way to break the deadlock, yet she had unexpectedly encountered someone interesting.

Closing the dossier, Yan Shuzhu raised her head.

"Have someone keep an eye on Ye Liufeng's movements. I want to see whether he truly has turned back from the wrong path."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Lü Lan answered solemnly.

Inside the imperial palace, there was no need to conceal her title with other forms of address.

Ye Liuyun did not take Yan Shuzhu's matter too seriously.

He had taken that token, but he had no plans to use it. After all, tokens from the imperial palace were not something one could use casually.

Early the next morning.

When Ye Liuyun arrived at the Brocade Guard to check in, he heard Shi Sheng and Si Nan talking.

"Really? You're actually planning to treat us to the Imperial Brothel?"

Si Nan looked at Shi Sheng with a face full of astonishment.

He truly had not expected Shi Sheng to treat them, much less invite them to a place like the Imperial Brothel.

But Shi Sheng frowned at that exclamation and corrected him.

"Not 'us,' because I wasn't planning to invite you."

Shi Sheng mainly wanted to invite Ye Liuyun and had not intended to bring Si Nan along.

"Uh."

Those words choked Si Nan up.

He promptly leaned over and draped an arm around Shi Sheng's shoulders.

"You're going too far. We're colleagues now, aren't we? And wasn't I there yesterday too?"

"You were there yesterday too?"

Shi Sheng looked at Si Nan in surprise. He truly had not realized Si Nan had been there yesterday as well.

"..." Was I really that lacking in presence?

"Then who did you think went to report the news to my lord?"

"Fine!"

Shi Sheng was a rather straightforward person. Hearing Si Nan say that, he did not doubt him.

"Then let's go together!"

"Now that's a good brother."

Si Nan smiled happily at first, but then asked somewhat curiously.

"I didn't expect you to be so rich. You can actually treat us to the Imperial Brothel?"

Shi Sheng had just been about to answer when he saw Ye Liuyun walk in.

"My lord! Thank you for what happened yesterday."

Shi Sheng clasped his hands in salute and spoke earnestly.

After thinking about it all night, Shi Sheng felt that since Ye Liuyun sincerely treated him well, continuing to pull a long face would be rather ungrateful.

Moreover, Shi Sheng truly was grateful that Ye Liuyun had supported him yesterday.

"It's nothing. I heard all about it—the Imperial Brothel, right?"

Ye Liuyun smiled and waved his hand.

Ye Liuyun had heard a little about the Imperial Brothel. Unlike ordinary brothels, most of the women there were family members of convicted officials whose households had been confiscated.

Before their families were ruined, every one of those women had been a daughter of a distinguished household, with exceptional beauty.

For that very reason, many people wanted to visit the Imperial Brothel and catch a glimpse of them.

Ever since transmigrating here, Ye Liuyun had devoted most of his attention to cultivation. He had forgotten that brothels were also part of the ancient era's flavor, and the women in brothels of this age truly excelled in the four arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

It would not be bad to take this opportunity to have a look.

Shi Sheng did not know so much.

He had only heard from others that the Imperial Brothel was a good place. Since that was so, he thought it could not be more fitting for treating guests.

"In that case, my lord, please be sure to honor us with your presence tonight."