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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 49 (Part 2)

Zhao Yusong was feeling distressed when he saw his third cousin Zhao Yulin humming a little tune as he passed by the courtyard wearing a dazzling peony flower on his temples. He suddenly came to his senses, and secretly sighed: Why is he thinking so hard? The cleaner the white paper, the easier it is to get stained with various colours. By then, there will be no ink left on the paper and it will naturally be thrown away.

Thinking of this, he immediately called Zhao Yulin for a discussion, who was about to go out to have fun.

On the other end, You Shu finished his breakfast absent-mindedly, and asked Mrs. Wang for a bank note. Mrs. Wang didn’t ask him what he was going to do with it, and stuffed him with a thick stack, and told him to come home early. Zhao Zhizhou was managing his contacts up and down for the evaluation and his transfer, and went out before dawn.

You Shu promised to return home before sunset, put the banknotes in his pocket, and strolled towards the calligraphy and painting workshop. Along the way, he used his spiritual power to communicate with the little ghost, and asked him to help find out where the paintings of the unknown layman were stored.

The little ghost blushed and said, “My lord, I can’t even read a single character. How can I distinguish the paintings of the unknown layman? But there is a transformed ghost of a confucian scholar in the capital who is obsessed with calligraphy and painting. If you find him, you may be able to ask something.”

“Then find him.” You Shu waved his sleeves.

The little ghost soon came over with a gentle and handsome ghost. This ghost is also a strange one, it has long forgotten its previous name, and has given itself the nickname “The Immortal in the Painting”, and has repeatedly asked You Shu to call itself that. You Shu had no psychological burden, and he called it one after another, coaxing his heart into ecstasy, and in the end it doesn’t even want the yin-yang vitality talisman, and found an authentic painting of the unknown layman for You Shu free of charge.

You Shu spent three thousand taels to buy the painting, packed it in an exquisite bamboo tube, carried it on his chest, and then walked slowly towards the snack street. As soon as he walked halfway, he was stopped by Zhao Yulin who suddenly appeared and said with a smile, “Cousin, where are you going?”

“To eat.” You Shu is an honest child and he rarely lies.

“Hey, what delicious food can be found at the street stalls? Let’s go for a walk, this cousin will take you to a private restaurant. The food there is really delicious, I am sure that you never would’ve eaten this tasty food, just looking and smelling it can make your stomach full, and it will leave you with a few months of aftertaste.

Zhao Yulin winked, with an ambiguous expression, and there were many metaphors in his words. But You Shu is a straight-forward person, and he only took it literally, and even felt moved by it.

“Cousin, let’s go there.” He subconsciously licked his lips.

“Of course, let’s go immediately!” Zhao Yulin dragged him away.

Zhao Yusong got the news sent by Zhao Yulin, so he invited Xue Wangjing to go to the palace to find the Ninth Prince. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the Gate, he saw the Ninth Prince riding on horseback at a very fast speed. The two immediately backed away and bowed to salute.

The Ninth Prince tightened the reins and stopped in front of the two, pointed at Zhao Yusong with the whip, and said, “I forgot to tell you yesterday, but you will no longer be this king’s reading companion, this palace gate is not a place where you can come and go as you please, and return the gate pass.”

This sentence is not a condemnation, nor is it a ridicule, but a plain notification. However, the more indifferent His Royal Highness’s tone was, the more ashamed and indignant Zhao Yusong felt, and couldn’t help asking, “Dare to ask His Highness, what wrong did this humble minister have done?”

“Using this king as a spearman, you still ask me what wrong you have done? Zhao Yusong, you have been a reading companion of this king for ten years, and you seem to have forgotten your duty as a courtier.” The Ninth Prince flicked his horsewhip and sneered, “Even daring to plot against this king, you are still the first in Xia Qi Dynasty.”

Zhao Yusong’s face was pale, his head was dizzy, and he could barely stand still with the help of the servant beside him. And Xue Wangjing who came with him has already distanced himself from him like a snake. He also noticed yesterday that Zhao Yusong and Young Master Zhao were at odds, otherwise he wouldn’t have spread rumours, and made Young Master Zhao dress up in fancy clothes, and called him and His Highness out to watch the fun.

If His Highness hated Young Master Zhao with the first glance, he would definitely humiliate him, making it difficult for the eldest son of the Zhao family to gain a foothold in the capital. His Highness usually wouldn’t care about this little trickery, but Zhao Yusong was unlucky that His Highness fell in love with Young Master Zhao at first sight and Zhao Yusong fell prey to his own schemes.

The words that he used to slander Young Master Zhao before, now has become a thorn in His Highness’s heart, and he wants to pull it out whenever he sees Zhao Yusong. If he is still wandering around under his nose like before, how can His Highness bear it?

Thinking of this, Xue Wangjing just wanted to say to Zhao Yusong, ‘You can’t live without paying for your own crimes’. Young master Zhao followed his father to the capital to report on his duties, and he naturally would’ve left after two or three months. Why do you have to go to great lengths to deal with him? If you wouldn’t have tried to deal with him, Young Master Zhao will have no chance to meet His Highness, and you won’t be reprimanded today.

His Highness the Ninth Highness is a person who can’t tolerate sand in his eyes. Once he has disliked someone, he will never change his mind. Emperor Zhongkang is even more ruthless. Perhaps he will directly get rid of the person who plotted against his son. Seeing that the triennial examination and palace examination will be held in a few months, and as the leader of this batch of candidates, Zhao Yusong’s path to becoming an official may be over.

How could Zhao Yusong not think of what Xue Wangjing could think of? He hastily chased after the Ninth Prince to beg for mercy, regardless of how the people who entered and left the palace thought of him. Seeing the Ninth Prince leaving in despair, he was forced to shout, “Your Highness, are you looking for You Shu? He went out with Zhao Yulin early in the morning.”

The Ninth Prince immediately turned his horse and asked, “Where are they?”

“They always like to play around, and they should be in Yanliu Lane now.” Although Zhao Yusong had already tasted the consequences of scheming against You Shu, he couldn’t get out of it now. Since he has been abandoned by the Ninth Prince, he must not let You Shu be favoured by His Highness, otherwise the life of the second house will only be more difficult.

“Yanliu Lane?” The Ninth Prince’s tone became more serious, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Because Emperor Zhongkang had great ambitions and was about to unify Kyushu and restore the glory of his ancestors, his ruling skills were extremely tough. He not only severely punished corrupt officials, but also tried his best to clear up the court atmosphere. He issued a series of laws and regulations, one of which was to strictly prohibit officials from engaging in prostitution, and all offenders would be dismissed.

However, it is impossible for people to restrain themselves from food and sex. Even if the imperial court bans it, they can’t stop some people’s desires. On the surface, flower houses were not allowed to open, so these madam rented places in a quiet alley, carefully raising several beautiful “daughters”, and recruiting “husbands” for when they grew up.

These “Husbands” don’t need to come to their door every day, but only occasionally visit the girls and pay for a few cosmetics. As time goes by, everyone eventually knows the inside truth about the place , and those who want to return to their old jobs all live together in one place, waiting for their “husband” to come to their door automatically.

Looking at the dark complexion of the Ninth Prince, that place is not anywhere else, but the Yanliu Lane where You Shu went.

Xue Wangjing was so startled by his master’s bloodshot eyes that his legs trembled, and he gestured for Zhao Yusong to shut up. Knowing that his master fell in love with You Shu at first sight, this Zhao Yusong didn’t stop him from running around with a playboy like Zhao Yulin, he must have done it on purpose, right? How does this benefit him and the Zhao family? Did he really forget the duty of being a courtier!

He kept slandering Zhao Yusong in his heart, but Xue Wangjing didn’t dare to delay. Seeing that the Ninth Prince had galloped away, he quickly borrowed a horse from the guards to follow him. Zhao Yusong hesitated for a while, but in the end the idea of gloating over others’ misfortunes prevailed, and he also borrowed a horse to run towards Yanliu Lane.

It is said that ignorance is bliss. Now You Shu has no idea that he has entered the Pansi Cave, and he is lying on the edge of the pool watching the turtle. He couldn’t see harmless flowers, trees and small animals in the last days? Therefore, he likes to spend a lot of time admiring everything around him. Although this is a world where demons and ghosts exist, the sky is blue, the flowers are fragrant, the sun is warm, the water is clear, and the small animals are lively, with their own beauty.

He took out a piece of pastry from his arms, took a bite himself, and threw a little into the pool. When he saw the little turtle sticking his head out to grab it, he pursed his mouth, revealing two deep dimples.

Zhao Yulin and the Madam stood not far away, watching in amazement.

“Second Young Master, where did you find such a treasure? My daughters are all beautiful here, but when he came in, he didn’t even look at them. He just went to tease the turtle in the pond. Why is he here?”

“To eat.” Zhao Yulin was a little embarrassed, and said, “I lied to him that this is a restaurant, and the food you cook is the best in the capital. Quickly ask the kitchen to prepare food, or he will find nothing to eat after playing with the turtle, and will leave. Let me tell you, their big house has more wealth than our four families combined. If you take good care of him, you will get to keep a lot of silver notes as payment.”

Zhao Yulin has been in the capital for so many years, and he has never seen any of the three religions and nine streams, such as ghosts and gods, and he has a good eye for people. Not to mention that he had already inquired about You Shu’s temperament, even looking at his black and white clear eyes, he knew what kind of person he was.

Don’t talk about being mischievous and scheming, even if you tell a lie, this kid, You Shu wouldn’t even think about it. It is also the fault of my uncle and aunt who doted on him so much that they raised him into a child who doesn’t know much about the world. Thinking of this, Zhao Yulin felt guilty, but for the five thousand taels of silver promised by Zhao Yusong, he had no choice but to lead him astray.

It was the first time for the Madam of Yanliu Lane to see a guest who came to her place not for the girls, but to eat, she couldn’t help laughing, “Well, I will go to the kitchen to remind them, and when the food is served later, I will call out the most beautiful girls. Let’s see if he is really pure and noble! Speaking of which, I have just received a new girl for this place, and with her appearance, she is really……”

Because she didn’t know a lot of Chinese characters, the old madam couldn’t describe it, so she waved her hands and said, “Hey, anyway, you will know when she appears in front of you. I have seen a lot of girls in the capital but no one is as beautiful as her. With her beauty, she is even qualified to enter the palace and become an empress. I bet if this young master Zhao takes a look at her, he will immediately forget about the little turtle.”

Zhao Yulin felt itchy in his heart, and kept urging her to bring that girl here.

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