Chapter 181 Understanding
Su Wen ran out of the hall quickly. As expected, he was stopped by the little palace maid again. “How are you able to always find me?” Su Wen was very curious. “Her Highness has given the eunuch on duty some money. As long as Lord Su enters the palace, someone will inform…” The young maid whispered. Thus, Su Wen came to the side hall again. It was unknown what and how they did it, but there were very few people here. After entering, Zhao Wanrou pounced in again. She raised her head skillfully and delivered a passionate kiss. After a while, the two separated. Zhao Wanrou panted heavily and said softly, “You heartless person. You left for so long without even a letter. Don’t you know that I miss you?”
Su Wen smiled bitterly. “How would I dare to write a letter to you? If someone finds out, wouldn’t it be as good as me sending my head to His Majesty to be chopped off?”
“I know. I’m just saying!”
The two of them started to get intimate again. Suddenly, a voice came from outside. “What are you doing here?” Zhao Wanrou was shocked and whispered, “I think it’s Fifth Sister!” The maid’s reply came from outside the door, “Your Highness, I sprained my ankle just now, so I’m resting here.” The little palace maid pretended that her feet hurt.
Zhao Xuanxuan looked at her suspiciously. Sprained her ankle? She then glanced at the side hall and was about to push open the door to enter. The maid cried out, “Your Highness, please wait…”
It was obvious that she was sending a signal to someone inside.
Zhao Xuanxuan pushed open the door and walked in.
But there was no place that could hide anyone within the hall.
She frowned and walked deeper inside. At this moment, Su Wen and Zhao Wanrou were squeezed into a small corner. Su Wen’s body subconsciously had a reaction… and pressed up against her. Zhao Wanrou’s face was red, but she did not dare to make a sound. However, her breathing became heavier! “Who?!” Zhao Xuanxuan immediately reacted upon hearing the heavy breathing. She rushed over, only to see a jacket falling from the sky.
It covered her head totally! The next moment, Su Wen stood up and rushed out.
Zhao Xuanxuan removed the coat, only to discover that there was only Zhao Wanrou in the hall.
She frowned.
“Speak, who was that person just now!” Zhao Wanrou whispered, “Fifth Sister, don’t ask anymore…” “If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell Father. With this coat, I’m not afraid that I won’t be able to find
out.”
Pa!
Zhao Xuanxuan suddenly felt a sharp pain on her neck, and her vision turned black as she fainted.
Zhao Wanrou covered her mouth in shock.
Su Wen had already turned around and smiled. “This girl is right. It wouldn’t be hard to find out if there were clothes. But now that the clothes are gone…” Zhao Wanrou was anxious. “Did you kill her?!” “Don’t worry, she’ll wake up soon.” Su Wen took the clothes and walked to Zhao Wanrou’s side. He gave her a peck on her cheek before turning around to leave. He did not panic at all. Fortunately, the Fifth Princess did not bring any palace maids with her. A long while later, Zhao Xuanxuan woke up and found herself lying on the floor with Zhao Wanrou and the little palace maid beside her. Zhao Wanrou cried out in alarm, “Fifth Sister, what’s wrong? Why are you lying here?” Zhao Xuanxuan covered the back of her head and struggled with all her might. “Who… was that?” “Who was who?”
“I guess you won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin. Watch me hand over the clothes… Eh?! Where are the clothes?”
“What clothes?” Zhao Wanrou looked confused. The little palace maid also chimed in, “Fifth Princess, have you been too tired recently? Why did you fall asleep while lying in this side hall? Why are you talking about clothes when you’re awake? What kind of clothes were they?”
Seeing this master and servant acting so foolishly in front of her, Zhao Xuanxuan’s chest heaved up and down in anger. However, she knew very well that catching a thief and catching two adulterers in action needed evidence. Even if she went to complain now, no one would believe her. “Hmph! You’re on your own now. You know the rules of the palace. If anything goes wrong, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!” Zhao Xuanxuan stood up and left. Zhao Wanrou let out a sigh of relief and complained to the maid, “You should stay further away next time.”
The little palace maid also felt rather aggrieved, “I won’t even have time to signal when someone came from afar.”
“Hai…” They both sighed.
On Su Wen’s side, he left the imperial palace and boarded the carriage. He instructed Zhao Jin, “Let’s go to the Prime Minister’s Manor!” Zhao Jin shook his head helplessly and thought to himself, “The Prime Minister is going to have a headache again.” The carriage quickly arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence. Su Wen rushed in. Although Su Changqing had told him countless times to follow the rules, it was useless in front of him. “Father! Father! Your beloved son is back!” Su Wen loudly announced his return!
“What are you shouting for?!” Su Changqing walked out, frowning. “You are also a minister of the court. How can you always shout and shout like this? This is unbecoming!” Su Wen walked to Su Changqing’s side and chuckled. “Isn’t it because I missed you?”
Su Changqing’s eyes widened. He took two steps back, asking in shock, “What kind of trouble did you get into again?” Su Wen knew that this matter had to be said sooner or later, and he couldn’t hide it anymore. He scratched his head and awkwardly said, “It’s not a big deal. It’s just that His Majesty asked that Thirteenth Master to follow me and protect my life. I wanted him to protect my family, so I arranged a maidservant for him.”
“Maid… servant?” Su Changqing frowned and said, “Then? What sort of disaster is this?” Su Wen said in a low voice, “The problem is that after he returned, this old fellow actually told the emperor that he won’t be returning to the Martial Arsenal. He wants to marry that maid and have children. He wants His Majesty to find him a residence.”
“And?”
“His Majesty said that he has a chance to break through to the 3rd Stage of Heaven Rank. He wants me to break up the marriage!” Su Changqing sighed. “Don’t worry about it. Just let them get married. Thirteenth Master is a Heaven Rank expert. How can he be fooled so easily? How are we going to get rid of him? No matter what happens, it’ll affect you as well. As for His Majesty, he won’t do anything to you.” As he said that, Su Changqing smiled and said, “I thought that something big had happened and scared me.” Su Wen spoke quickly and ambiguously, “The problem is that the maid is a prostitute…” “What!?” Su Changqing’s eyes widened. He raised his voice and said, “Say that again?” “The problem is, that woman is a prostitute! I hired her from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion…” Su Wen said honestly.
Even Su Changqing did not expect such a plot twist.
He pondered for a moment and asked, “Is she a courtesan?”
“No…”
“How many years has she been in the industry?”
“I’m afraid it’s been five to seven years…” Su Changqing covered his forehead. He didn’t know what he wanted to say. “Why did you go to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to find a prostitute to be his maid? Come, tell me, what was your thought process?” Su Changqing asked. Su Wen said matter-of-factly, “Look, even though our maidservants have sold themselves to us, in a few years, when they get older, they are usually allowed to leave the residences they work at and get married.
I’m thinking that if I arrange for a maidservant to serve at Old Fogey and he takes her virginity, wouldn’t she be despised by her husband’s family when she gets married? So I didn’t think too much and went to search for a prostitute in Hundred Flowers Pavilion. She’s beautiful, living well, and understanding. What’s wrong with that? I didn’t think that he would want to marry her.” Su Wen said helplessly, “Now that he’s put out this move, if her identity is exposed, the royal family will lose all face. At that time, His Majesty might even want to kill me.” Su Changqing smiled bitterly. He already had the intention to kill Su Wen before the Emperor. The Royal Ancestor marrying a prostitute? And one who had slept with countless people…
He sighed and said, “There’s nothing I can do now. I’m not omnipotent. I can’t kill this woman! But marrying her will be a disaster. She’s been in this line of work for so long, and Hundred Flowers Pavilion is a place where high-ranking officials and nobles often go. There are no secrets in this world that can’t be exposed. I’m afraid it will spread sooner or later.
Unless… unless she doesn’t want to marry Thirteenth Master. When the time comes, let her talk to that Old Master. Go back and ask her yourself, I can’t help you…” Fine, Old Su could not help, but he did give Su Wen a way out. Su Wen pursed his lips. “You call yourself peerless in wisdom? You’re nothing!” “Rascal! Watch me beat you to death!” Old Su had learned his lesson this time. He took off his shoes and started swinging them at Su Wen! This was better than hurting his own hand.
However, if he were to try and hit him with his fists, Su Wen would still allow him to hit a few times so his hands would hurt. But the moment Su Wen saw him pick up his shoe, he immediately stood up and opened up the distance. He laughed loudly and said, “Who would let you hit them with your shoes!” With that, he ran off!
Old Su stomped his feet in anger! When Su Wen returned home, his family had already settled back down.
“Where’s Ying Hua? Let her see me.” Su Wen instructed Ning Shuang. Not long after, Ying Hua arrived. When she saw Su Wen, she was a little nervous. Although she was currently considered a servant in the manor, she did not have much contact with Su Wen. Most of the time, she accompanied Thirteenth Master instead. Su Wen looked at Ying Hua and pondered for a while before saying, “Ying Hua, I hope this Young Master here has treated you well.” When Ying Hua heard this, she winked at Su Wen and whispered, “Young Master Su can do whatever you want…”
“Stop fooling around! Young Master is talking about serious matters.”
Su Wen’s expression turned stiff. “How long have we been there? A few months. This is thirty thousand taels of silver. Take it first.”
Ying Hua was overjoyed. Her net worth was not too high. Thirty thousand taels of silver was definitely more than what she earned in the past few months. After all, the Hundred Flowers Pavilion still had to take a commission. And this sum of money would be purely hers. “Thank you, Young Master Su!” Ying Hua took the banknotes and stuffed them into her bosom.
Su Wen smiled. “There’s something else. What do you think of Thirteenth Master?” “It’s not that bad. He’s kind of fun, and he doesn’t put on any airs… or make things difficult… or have any particular fetishes…” Upon hearing this, Su Wen knew that this was a woman who had experienced many things. But what could he do? He said in a low voice, “Do you wish to marry Thirteenth Master?”
“Ah?” Ying Hua opened her mouth wide. After interacting with him for some time, she naturally knew that the Thirteenth Master had an extraordinary status.
Ying Hua’s eyes suddenly turned red. Tears fell uncontrollably. “Can I? Can I really? Is the Old Master going to redeem my body?” Ying Hua could not help but cry. She quickly said, “I’m willing, I’m willing!” To her, this was a piece of news that she would never have dreamed of.
This was not an easy job. A bit of red lips that tasted ten thousand people, a pair of jade arms that thousands have held.
Whatever grievances they had, they could only swallow them.
Just like what she said, towards some special hobbies, regardless of whether she was willing or not, as long as the other party was in a high position and paid well, she had to smile and accompany him.
How many of them really treated them as humans?
However, she suddenly stopped and muttered, “But… the Thirteenth Master doesn’t know who I am… He thinks I’m just a maid… What should I do?”
Su Wen sighed. He originally wanted to persuade her not to marry Thirteenth Master.
Suddenly, he did not want to talk about it anymore.
Actually, he was quite confident. With his power, status, a little pressure, and some conditions, this woman would definitely agree to his conditions. However, when he saw how agitated Ying Hua got, he could not bring himself to say it. As for Ying Hua’s identity, Su Wen closed his eyes and said, “Don’t worry, I will explain your identity to Thirteenth Master.” “No!” Ying Hua fell to her knees and begged, “Lord Su, please, don’t tell the Old Master… He won’t accept me…” Su Wen shook his head. “If I don’t say it and you don’t say it, will no one know? We still have to face it.” Ying Hua fell into a daze. That night, Zhao Jin went to Hundred Flowers Pavilion to redeem her. To Su Wen, regardless of whether the matter was successful or not, Ying Hua deserved her freedom.
The next day, Su Wen sent someone to the palace to send a message to the Thirteenth Master.
Soon, the old man arrived.
The moment he entered, he burst into laughter. “Su Wen, why are you looking for me?”
Su Wen came out and smiled. “Let’s talk inside.”
As he pulled the old man into the house, Thirteenth Master took out something from his pocket. As soon as it appeared, golden plumes flashed, and illusions of shiny butterflies flew all over the room. One look and one could tell that this was an extraordinary items. “What’s this? It looks like a woman’s jewelry.” Su Wen asked curiously. The old man said with a smile, “That’s right. I plan to give the Five-Colored Phoenix Coronet to Yinghua. She’s served this old man for several months, yet I haven’t expressed anything. It seems a little unsightly.” “Hehe…” Su Wen looked at him and sighed helplessly. “Thirteenth Master, I have something to tell you!” “What is it?” “Ying Hua’s identity!” “Why? You haven’t redeemed Ying Hua yet?” “Ah!”
Su Wen never expected the old man to say such a thing “How… how did you know?” Su Wen stuttered.
The old man looked at Su Wen and said with a smile, “Why wouldn’t I know? Am I a fool? How can a virtuous woman be as skilled as Ying Hua?”
“Um…”
Su Wen was instantly speechless. “Then you still want to marry her?” Unexpectedly, the old man said disdainfully, “What does it matter? As long as I like it.” The old man smiled and said, “The most important thing between people is to get along well.
If I really wanted a woman, I could play from the southern gate of the capital all the way to the northern gate without any repetition. I just thought that during this period of time, I felt that Ying Hua was quite interesting when she was by my side. Although the little girl occasionally flirts with you and secretly ridicules me in her heart, I know that Ying Hua doesn’t have any bad intentions towards me. I’m already so old, I’m already past the age where I care about all those miscellaneous things…”
So the old fellow knew everything. “Aren’t you afraid of disgracing the royal family?” Su Wen couldn’t help but ask. The old man laughed coldly. “Do you think I’m the emperor, that brat who values his face more than anything else? If I care about what others say, then I don’t need to live anymore. Back then, they wanted me to be the emperor, but I refused. If I only care about what others think, wouldn’t I die of exhaustion?” … This old fellow had too much character. The old man said smugly, “Besides, if I heard something that I don’t like, whether I’ll be embarrassed remains to be seen. But the head of that rumormonger will definitely be gone.”
“Riiiiiiiiiiight… as long as you’re happy…”
Speaking of which, Su Wen suddenly felt that as long as it was not known by the emperor, it should be… probably… not a problem. As for what happened after he found out about it, he didn’t even care about it. It wouldn’t make sense for him to come looking for trouble with me, right? “Alright, I’ll get Ying Hua out now. I have to go out too.”
Su Wen called Ying Hua out and said with a smile, “Thirteenth Master already knows your identity. Serve Old Master well in the future.”
At this point, he couldn’t help but complain, “Your acting skills are really too lousy. Luckily, the Old Master is magnanimous.” Ying Hua was naturally grateful. However, the old man was furious. “You don’t need to comment whether Ying Hua’s acting skills are good or not!? Do you really think Ying Hua is your servant? Get lost quickly.”
Su Wen was unconvinced. “This is my house! My house, okay?” “Hmph! Ying Hua, let’s go. We won’t stay here any longer!”
As he spoke, the old man picked up Ying Hua and flew up. The sound of Ying Hua’s exclamation and praise could be heard from the sky, as well as the old man’s hearty laughter. Su Wen shook his head and got into the carriage. He smiled and said, “Let’s go to the market!” “Why are you going there?” Zhao Jin asked curiously. Su Wen smiled. “I’m going to pick a gift for my future father-in-law. It’s not good to go empty-handed.” He was referring to Wu Kunhu. Sister Muyu, it has been a long time since we last met. How could I not miss you? Zhao Jin immediately drove the carriage to the most prosperous place in the capital. As Su Wen’s carriage left, two people appeared around the corner.
One of them had a cold expression and was about 30 years old. He coldly said, “Is that Su Wen? The culprit behind my brother’s death?”
“Yes…”
Xu Longzun narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Follow! If there’s a conflict later, you go and stop that guard. I’ll beat him to death on the streets. I’ll see what he can do!” “Yes!”
This person was Xu Longcheng’s second brother. He had been fighting enemies in the northern border and had just been ordered to return to the capital.
Upon hearing that Xu Longcheng was dead, Xu Longzun was enraged! That was the younger brother from the same mother!
The two of them followed him out. Xu Longzun’s body was filled with killing intent. He coldly said, “Back then, when I, Xu Longzun, ran amuck in the capital, Su Wen was still playing with urine and mud! He actually dared to kill a member of my Xu family! I will definitely make him pay the price!” As he spoke, the surrounding temperature seemed to have become much colder.
The Xu Family’s cultivation technique was the most suitable for fighting on the battlefield. Xu Longzun, who had been training for a few years, had also had a fortuitous encounter. At this moment, his cultivation base had already reached the 8th Grade Earth Rank! He was only one grade weaker than his father, Xu Qiao.
He didn’t fear anyone since he also possessed a Heaven Rank cultivation method!
As the core of Great Zhou, the capital naturally had many places to sell treasures. Su Wen and Zhao Jin parked their horse-drawn carriage outside and strolled along. “What do you think I should give my father-in-law?” Su Wen asked.
Zhao Jin began to ponder. “General Wu comes from a military background and has a noble status. Young master, what do you think he likes?” “A woman?” Su Wen frowned. “But if I send over a woman, I’m afraid I’ll offend my mother-in-law.”
Zhao Jin laughed, “Young master, General Wu isn’t lustful.” “Treasures and money?”
“Hahaha, Young Master, you have no idea. General Wu is an honest person. His Majesty has rewarded countless treasures, but he even sold them to compensate the families of the soldiers who died in battle.”
Su Wen frowned. “Thankfully, his cultivation base isn’t high. Those who don’t know might think that he’s rebelling.”
“Young Master, is General Wu’s cultivation base not high enough? He’s the number one person in the 9th Grade Earth Rank!” Zhao Jin didn’t understand what Su Wen was thinking at all.
Su Wen shook his head and said, “Didn’t you see the Thirteenth Master make a move? With such power and influence, what’s the use of a 9th Grade Earth Rank martial artist? He can be killed with a single finger.” Zhao Jin was speechless. “There aren’t many Heaven Ranked experts… even the Great Zhou Empire doesn’t have that many… and they’re all elusive. 9th Grade Earth Rank experts are already very powerful, not to mention General Wu’s combat strength.”
This kind of person was annoying, since you would not know what he liked.
Suddenly, Su Wen thought of something. The last time, the Wind-Ripping Hou seemed to be extremely delicious.
He brought Zhao Jin to the Spirit Beast Pavilion.
This place sold both beasts and meat, but Su Wen had never been here before.
After entering, the boss welcomed them.
“Sirs, what would you like?”
“What grades are your Vicious Beasts?” Su Wen asked.
“Do you want the young, mature, or the corpse of a Vicious Beast? The prices of these things are different,” the boss asked.
Zhao Jin wasn’t happy and said, “My family’s young master is asking you what grade you have, so just report the highest grade of each item. There’s no need for so much nonsense.”
The boss saw his domineering attitude and hurriedly said, “For the younglings, currently, there’s a Blue Cloud Tiger, a 3rd Grade Earth Rank beast. If it’s properly raised, it shouldn’t be a problem for it to grow to the 5th or 6th Grade. As for the adults, we have a Fire Horned Python, a 7th Grade beast. As for corpses, a fresh 5th Grade Stone Horned Rhinoceros was delivered today.”
Zhao Jin whispered into Su Wen’s ear, “The meat of this Stone Horned Rhinoceros is not tasty…”
Su Wen asked curiously, “Then what about the Fire Horned Python?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never eaten it before,” Zhao Jin said.
At this time, the boss interjected, “Although this Vicious Beast meat isn’t very tasty, it is very beneficial to martial artists. Even this Stone Horned Rhinoceros can be sold for hundreds of taels of silver for a half a kilogram of beast meat.” Just one Stone Horned Rhinoceros already weighed more than a thousand kilograms…
Su Wen said, “Then I’ll buy this Fire Horned Python. Can you help me kill it? It’s best to clean it up. It’s more convenient when you make it.”
The shop owner’s mouth was wide open as he muttered, “Sir, this thing isn’t meant to be killed. We have to see if it can be tamed or not. If it really can’t be tamed, then we can fight against it to sharpen our battle techniques. If we kill it just like that… then it won’t be worth anything. It’ll be a pity.”
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