No. 1 Girl in the Imperial City

Chapter 176 Destroying the Orchid and Breaking the Jade (two chapters in one)
In the Empress Dowager's Palace, Empress Dowager Zhu sat alone in the main hall, her beautiful face was gloomy and condensed without the slightest smile.

A servant stepped into the palace cautiously, looked at the Empress Dowager Zhu who was propping her forehead and closing her eyes, and walked in lightly.

"The Prince Regent has left the palace?" Before the servants approached, Empress Dowager Zhu had already opened her eyes and asked.

The servant quickly lowered his head and replied: "Yes, ma'am. The prince has already taken the second daughter of the Luo family out of the palace."

"Where is Ah Cheng?" Queen Mother Zhu asked.

The servant replied: "Go back to the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty is studying in the Imperial Study. Today is Mr. Shi's lecture for His Majesty, and there is still a quarter of an hour until the end."

Empress Dowager Zhu sat up straight, snorted softly and said, "How did I hear that His Majesty went to Chenyou Palace?"

The servant paused, and quickly said: "Your Majesty... You know that His Highness the Regent and Miss Luo Er are in Chenyou Palace, because they are close to the Imperial Study Room, so they went to pay their respects to His Highness the Regent, right? I heard that Master Shi also praised them. Your Majesty is well-mannered."

Empress Dowager Zhu's complexion did not improve because of this, she frowned and said: "Ah Cheng doesn't pay attention to his cousins, but he is so close to that girl of the Luo family."

The servant naturally heard the obvious displeasure. He has served the Empress Dowager Zhu for many years and knew her quite well, so he quickly persuaded him: "Your Majesty, your Majesty's closeness to the future Princess Regent shows that your Majesty is sensible. Now His Majesty the Regent After all, he is willing to marry the second daughter of the Luo family, which must be very important to him. If His Majesty disrespects the future Princess Regent, I'm afraid..."

Empress Dowager Zhu naturally understood what the servant meant, now that Xie Yan is in power, their mother and son are the real orphans and widows.

If Ah Cheng is rude to the future princess regent, there is no guarantee that the regent will not have other thoughts.

Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Zhu was even more disturbed, "What do you think is so good about that girl of the Luo family? Zhi Fei refused to marry Ah Jin just because she let her go, so she fell in love with such a notorious girl!"

The servant did not dare to speak, the Second Miss Luo was the only beloved daughter of General Luo, and she was ten times better than Miss Zhu in this regard.

Speaking of which, Ms. Zhu is the daughter of Marquis Chengen and the niece of the Empress Dowager, but a title of grace and a son who will be in charge are still far away. Compared with the second daughter of the Luo family, the Empress Dowager who is supported by the Prince Regent's Palace is no better than the second daughter of the Luo family. It's a better choice for you, even if you close your eyes, you know how to choose.

"Ajin is useless too!" Empress Dowager Zhu couldn't help but gritted her teeth and scolded her niece again, and snorted coldly: "Mrs. Xuan Chengenhou will come to see me in the palace tomorrow!"

"Yes, ma'am." The waiter breathed a sigh of relief and quickly responded.

After leaving the palace, Luo Junyao instantly felt that the air was much fresher.

Sitting in the carriage, Luo Junyao was in a very happy mood, even Xie Yan who was sitting next to him could clearly feel it.

"Shaking out of the palace in such a good mood?"

Luo Jun smiled and said: "Naturally, is the prince in a bad mood?"

Xie Yan nodded and said, "I'm fine too, where else do you want to go?"

Luo Junyao was a little surprised, "Can I still go out to play?"

Xie Yan said: "Of course, our marriage has been settled, and it's okay to bring you to meet the Empress Dowager. You can tell me directly if you want to do anything."

After being hired, he had to go to the yamen to register for the record, and Xie Yan, as a member of the royal family, had to make a note in the clan mansion.Strictly speaking, even if the wedding has not yet been held, as long as the appointment is successfully filed in the Yamen, the second daughter of the Luo family is already considered a member of the Prince Regent's Mansion.

Therefore, unless there is an extremely important reason, almost no one will regret marriage after being hired.Because whether it is a man or a woman who regrets the marriage, the man will not return the dowry, and the woman will pay the man the dowry if he regrets the marriage.

Unless there is a reason for the two people to absolutely not get married that can be recognized by the court or the two parties reach an agreement in private, the court does not support unilateral repentance of the marriage, and the father of the party who forcibly breaks the contract may go to jail.

"Will you agree?" Luo Junyao asked.

Xie Yan thought for a while and said, "You can't put yourself in danger."

Luo Junyao looked at the man in front of him seriously and said, "You seem very different from what I imagined."

Xie Yan raised his eyebrows and said, "It's not a good habit to judge people by imagination. What do you think I look like?"

Luo Jun shook his chin and said: "Probably, it's... the kind that will send me home immediately after leaving the palace?"

Xie Yan smiled, "It seems that Yao Yao misunderstood me."

Luo Junyao thought to himself, how could I have misunderstood you?It's clear that everyone in Shangyong has misunderstood you, okay?
"If Yaoyao doesn't have anywhere to go, how about going with me?" Xie Yan asked.

Luo Junyao immediately became interested, "Where?"

Xie Yan said: "You will know when you go."

As expected, the carriage did not go to Luo Mansion after leaving the palace gate, but went to the outer city from the opposite direction.

In terms of prosperity and wealth, the inner city is naturally the best place in Shangyong, but in terms of fun and fun, the place where ordinary people live in the outer city is several times better.

The carriage left the inner city all the way, and the surrounding streets became lively in an instant.Sitting in the carriage, you can also hear the noise from the street outside, which is completely different from the quiet and solemn place where the rich and powerful in the inner city live.

Luo Junyao was even more curious about where Xie Yan was taking her.

Xie Yan naturally saw her curiosity, but he didn't tell her directly, he just smiled at her and didn't speak.

Pretending to be mysterious!

The carriage passed through the bustling market, and then turned into an alley, and the outside gradually became quiet.

Luo Junyao opened the curtains of the car curiously and looked out, and he was indeed driving in a not-so-spacious alley.

"Look at what?"

Luo Jun shook his head and said with a smile: "If someone blocks the carriage from the front and rear, and then suddenly attacks from above, even if the two of us don't confess to being here, your carriage will definitely be lost."

Xie Yan smiled, "Don't worry about shaking, no one dares to do anything here."

"Huh?" Luo Junyao became more and more curious, "Do you know the people who are staring at us around here?"

As soon as she opened the curtain, she actually noticed that there were people staring around, but she didn't feel any hostility.Guessing in his heart that it might be Xie Yan's person, at least he should not be an enemy.

Xie Yan was about to answer, but the carriage had already stopped, "My lord, we are here." The driver driving the carriage in front said solemnly.

Xie Yan got up and got out of the carriage, then reached out to help Luo Junyao who had just come out of the carriage, "Yaoyao might as well guess where this is."

Luo Jun got off the carriage and looked around. They were standing in an alley where only one carriage could pass, and there were high courtyard walls on both sides.

At this time, the carriage stopped in front of a double-opening gate that didn't look very eye-catching. There were no guards or plaques at the gate. It was really hard to see what this place was for.

But Luo Junyao had other ideas. She closed her eyes and thought for a while, then said, "This is an alley on the right side of Yichun Street in Dongcheng, and the entrance of the alley is less than one mile west of Qingming Bridge. I remember... this alley The main entrances of the houses on both sides face Changyun Street and Yanliu Lane respectively. Yanliu Lane should be behind us, so... what we are going to now is the backyard of a certain house or shop on Changyun Street."

Xie Yan rarely looked at the girl in front of him in surprise, "Have you been here before?"

Luo Jun shook his head and smiled, "I have visited the whole Shangyong."

Not only did she have the most complete topographic map of Shangyong in her mind after visiting, it is three-dimensional and can be consulted anytime and anywhere, which is definitely more accurate than any current map.

Xie Yan said with a smile: "Then Shall you guess where this is again?"

Luo Jun smiled and said: "If you take me to the back, I will guess that you plan to take me to the brothel. But here..." The time is too short, and she really doesn't know exactly where it is.

Moreover, since Xie Yan brought her here, it is very likely that the real purpose of this place may not be the same as its apparent purpose.

Even if she remembered where the main entrance was, she might guess wrong.

Xie Yan held her hand and smiled, "Then go in and have a look."

There was no need to knock on the door, but the door was opened from the inside after a while.

A middle-aged man in common clothes turned sideways respectfully to invite the two of them to enter, "My lord, please come inside."

Xie Yan asked, "Is Cui Zheyu here?"

The man said: "Knowing that the prince is coming, the boss has been waiting for the prince."

Xie Yan nodded, and pulled Luo Junyao to walk inside.

Cui Zheyu?Destroying Lan Zheyu... Why doesn't this name sound like a good person?Luo Junyao thought to himself.

Could it be the pseudonym of some romantic scumbag?
Xie Yan was obviously no stranger to this place, the backyard was very quiet, and the two of them walked all the way there without encountering a single servant.

On the contrary, there was a faint noise coming from the front, Luo Jun shook his ears to listen carefully to the sound, and after a while, he opened his eyes slightly.

Xie Yan looked down at her, and said with a smile, "Have you heard it, shake?"

Luo Junyao looked at Xie Yan, "You run a casino?!"

Faintly coming from the front, it was clearly the voices of many people yelling to place bets.

Apparently, there's a casino out front.

It's not surprising, this place is next to Yanliu Lane, since ancient times, there has been no separation of families.

Xie Yan shook his head and said: "This is not my place, I just know the boss... just let him do some things by the way."

"That Cui Zheyu?" Luo Jun shook his head, "This name is a bit strange."

Xie Yan said: "You can meet him, it will help you in Shangyong in the future."

Hearing what Xie Yan said, Luo Junyao became more and more curious.

The two walked through the corridor, stepped over the courtyard door, and stepped into an open door. The noise ahead became clearer.

Luo Junyao was sure that this was indeed a casino.It is still so noisy in broad daylight, which shows that it is still a thriving casino.

"My lord, this girl, please." A man who looked like a servant was waiting at the door, ready to lead the way for the two of them.

He did not lead the two to go forward, but walked through the hall behind to a staircase.

The man bowed respectfully and said, "Please, both of you."

Xie Yan led Luo Junyao up the stairs, and after walking a few steps, he heard a laughing voice from upstairs, "Today, it is rare that His Royal Highness the Regent is willing to step on such a humble place. I am really honored."

It was a woman? !Still a woman with a very nice voice!
Luo Jun looked up, and sure enough, he saw a slender woman in black leaning on the railing. Her body seemed soft and boneless, but she already had a very charming appearance just leaning on it.

Xie Yan didn't answer, but just walked up to the second floor with Luo Junyao.

The woman naturally also saw Luo Junyao, raising her eyebrows slightly as if she was looking at Luo Junyao curiously.

Naturally, Luo Junyao was also looking at her.

She is not young anymore, she looks like 27 or [-].Wearing a black embroidered brocade dress, her hair was pulled up in an irregular bun, her black hair and black clothes didn't see any accessories all over her body, but she had an unbearable aura.

Her appearance is considered good, but there are so many beauties in Shangyonghuang City, I am afraid that she cannot be ranked only in terms of appearance.

But her temperament is very different, her gestures are full of coquettishness and even make people suspect that she is not a woman from a good family, but Luo Junyao senses a hint of danger from that seductive aura.

The imperial city of a country is naturally a land of crouching tigers, hidden dragons. The former second daughter of the Luo family, as a pampered girl, is still too little to get involved.

Luo Junyao lingered for a moment on the mole of tears under the woman's left eye and a white flower in her hair, then moved her eyes away without a trace.

"Ah, did the lord even bring distinguished guests here?" The woman held a round fan depicting mountains and rivers in her hand, covered her lips and smiled, "Where did the lord abduct such a beautiful little girl?"

Xie Yan raised his hand to block the slender hand she wanted to reach out, and warned: "Cui Zheyu."

The woman smiled and stood up straight.

"My lord is still so boring. This must be the daughter of General Luo, the future princess regent?" The woman named Cui Zheyu said: "Don't worry, my lord, even if I don't look at your face, I won't mess with you." General Luo, the two of you please."

This woman is actually the boss here, the Cui Zheyu that Xie Yan brought her here?
How could a woman have such a strange name?

The two of them followed Cui Zheyu into the room. The room had obviously been treated with special soundproofing, and the noise that could be heard clearly outside just now became almost inaudible once they stepped into the room.

Cui Zheyu was also polite, and sat down first after stepping into the room.

I poured three cups of tea with my own hands, held up one of them and said with a smile, "I heard that His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has made an engagement with Miss Luo Er. I will replace the wine with tea to congratulate the two of you."

The two sat down opposite her, took a sip of tea and accepted her congratulations.

Cui Zheyu looked at the two, and the smile on his face deepened.

Cui Zheyu said: "My lord, if General Luo knows that you brought the second girl to me, I'm afraid he won't follow me?"

Xie Yan said lightly: "This is not something you should worry about."

Cui Zheyu clicked his tongue lightly, and sighed: "Well, the lord didn't bring the second girl to my place for tea, did he? I have some rough tea here. If you want to drink tea, please come to Nancheng Pinyiju."

Luo Junyao looked at the woman in front of him with great interest, and found that she didn't seem to be afraid of Xie Yan at all, and even had a hint of provocation.

Of course Luo Junyao, a woman who was not afraid of Xie Yan, had seen it before, but she was the first one to provoke him.

Xie Yan wasn't even angry, but said flatly: "Cui Zheyu, I didn't ask you to go back to the capital to provoke me."

Cui Zheyu snorted softly, and soon showed a charming smile again, this time shaking at Luo Jun, "Second girl, look at how wicked this man is, do you really want to marry him? Think about it?"

Luo Jun shook his head and said with a smile: "Thank you sister for reminding me, I think it's pretty good."

"Where is it good?" Cui Zheyu asked in surprise, as if Luo Junyao had said something unbelievable.

Where is Xie Yan?Was this girl blind at a young age?

That's right, how can you think Xie Yan is good if you are not blind?

Luo Jun shook his head and said seriously: "It looks good."

Xie Yan raised his eyebrows slightly and did not speak.

"..." Cui Zheyu was speechless for a moment, she was really embarrassed to say that Xie Yan was not good-looking.

After all, with such a face, she would be jealous if she was a man.

After a long while, Cui Zheyu snorted softly, shook his head and sighed: "Little girls nowadays, they only know how to look at faces."

Xie Yan said lightly: "You don't look at your face, what are you doing to provoke Xie Xiao?"

"Cough, cough, cough!" Luo Junyao, who was sitting next to him, heard this suddenly, and almost choked on the tea.

Xie Yan stretched out his hand and patted her on the back lightly to comfort her, Luo Jun shook his head and his eyes were watery from choking.

"Thank... Xie Xiao?"

her creditors!She took someone else's things, but the matter didn't seem to be done, and she was about to find a way to return the things.

Thinking of the Zhaoying sword that I just got a few days ago, my heart hurts!
Cui Zheyu snorted lightly, and said: "The prince said this, why do you want me to provoke you? Just for fun."

Xie Yan said: "If you think Ancheng Palace can't kill you, just play."

Cui Zheyu was a little displeased, the tear mole in front of her eyes made her beautiful face even more bewitching.

She snorted softly and said, "Everyone, I would like to get together and get back together. Why are you taking revenge? You royal relatives are a little bit stingy."

Oh open!

Xie Xiao met a scumbag, and felt sorry for him for a second.

She remembered... Xie Xiao seemed to be in his early twenties this year, the beauty in front of her should be about the same age as Xie Yan, obviously her status was not ordinary, no wonder Xie Xiao didn't dare to tell Princess An Cheng directly.

According to the current criteria for choosing a spouse by the rich and powerful, if Princess Ancheng knew that Xie Xiao liked such a girl, she would probably have passed her right away.

Xie Yan said: "I don't care about your trivial matters, I just remind you. If you die, I will have to find someone else, which is too troublesome."

Cui Zheyu said casually: "I know what's in my heart, so I don't need to worry about the prince. What is the prince's order when he comes here today?"

Xie Yan looked at the girl beside him and said, "I asked you to investigate the matter earlier, and I will bring Jun Yao to meet you by the way."

Cui Zheyu's eyes lingered on Luo Junyao's body, and he chuckled inexplicably and said, "It's a great honor."

Xie Yan said: "Jun Yao is the future princess regent."

Cui Zheyu smiled and said: "Understood, I will spread the meaning of the prince. If those people in the dark have no problem with their brains, no one would dare to fight against the prince. Of course...if there are one or two fools who are dazzled by money and power , it's none of my business."

Xie Yan chuckled lightly, and said: "You just need to spread the meaning of this king, so that no one will blame me later... If you don't teach, you will be punished."

Although Xie Yan smiled, the expression on Cui Zheyu's face was not as relaxed as before, and he was obviously a little more cautious.

Especially when he heard Xie Yan's sentence "If you don't teach, you will be punished", the hand holding the teacup unconsciously became a little stronger.

After a moment of silence, Cui Zheyu nodded and said, "I see." She looked at Luo Junyao with a little more seriousness, instead of the banter just now.

She picked up the teacup and smiled at Luo Jun, "Princess Regent, I'm sorry."

Luo Junyao didn't care either. She was a young girl who walked around Shangyong relying on her father's prestige. It was normal for her not to be seen by someone like Cui Zheyu.

She picked up the teacup and said with a smile, "Boss Cui is polite."

Cui Zheyu narrowed his eyes slightly to look at the girl in front of him, and quickly returned to his previous appearance of smiling sweetly, "It's rare that the second girl Luo came here. If you don't rush to leave, why don't you go down to play? If you win, you'll be a girl." , the loss is mine."

Luo Junyao hesitated, "How dare you do that?"

Cui Zheyu smiled and said: "It's rare that a noble lady like Luo Er is willing to come to my small place, why can't I just let you drink a cup of tea and leave?"

Xie Yan didn't know what came to mind, and suddenly smiled and said to Luo Junyao: "If you are interested, you can just play around. Boss Cui has a strict mouth and won't leak it."

Luo Jun shook his eyes and blinked, "Then... am I being impolite?"

Cui Zheyu smiled and said, "They're all our own people, why are you being polite?"

Therefore, Luo Junyao was really rude.

She was led downstairs wearing the mask Cui Zheyu gave her, but Xie Yan and Cui Zheyu didn't go with her.

The two went out to the upstairs of the casino lobby, sat upstairs and looked down at Luo Junyao in the lobby from the window.

First guess the dice.

Luo Junyao lost three games in a row, and started to win the fourth game. The chips in front of him piled up more and more, but Luo Junyao quickly lost interest in this game.

She turned around and went to the other side to push the Pai Gow. In the first few hands, Luo Jun Yao won and lost, but she was very quick at it, and she was already proficient in it, like an old gambler who has been in and out of the casino all year round.

The gamblers around were all attracted by the sudden appearance of the girl, and gathered around to watch.

Someone followed her to bet, and someone even opened another game to bet on who would win between her and the dealer.

It was still broad daylight, and there were actually not many people in the casino, but the atmosphere seemed to be more lively than usual at night when there were the most people.

Cui Zheyu, who was sitting upstairs, looked at the chips piled up like a hill in front of Luo Junyao, and couldn't help but look sideways at Xie Yan, "My lord, are you sure she is really the second girl of the Luo family?"

Xie Yan glanced at her lightly, "Can't afford to lose?"

Cui Zheyu snorted softly and said, "It's just a little money, what can I afford to lose?"

Xie Yan said: "Then watch."

"..." Xie Yan specially brought this girl here today, to warn Shang Yong that those forces in secret are fake, and it is true that he wants to beat her up, right?

(End of this chapter)