Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 429 The palace’s choice is wonderful.
Beijing,

Jingyejufang in Beicheng is a famous scholarly place in the capital.

Here, there is a famous academy in the capital. Qinglian Academy is located here. Water from Anhu Lake is introduced into the city. A lake is dug artificially to the south of the academy. There are many kinds of lotus flowers in it. Every time when summer comes, the lake has its own shape. Thousands of lotus flowers are in full bloom, which is really a grand sight in the capital.

Every time this is used as an opportunity, Qinglian Academy will hold a poetry meeting in the largest brothel in the capital, Yanchun Tower, inviting students from various academies in the capital, and even scholars from all over the country to come here. Naturally, they gather together and invite people from all over the place to sit down. Teacher evaluations, where literati and poets show off their talents, are also the place where scholars expect to become famous.

Especially in Jingyefang, most of the residences of civil servant families are located here, and a small number of nobles are also crowded together without conflict.

Zhang Jinyu was riding on a horse, leading people, and wandered towards the Prince of Chu's Mansion. He looked left and right along the way, and the scenery was breathtaking. He listened to Ji Qianhu's detailed description of the situation here, and heard that Qinglian Academy Located here, Zhang Jinyu's heart skipped a beat. It was the academy again, and he was really afraid of them.

"You mean, every year, Qinglian Academy holds a poetry meeting in Yanchun Tower. Where is the Yanchun Tower?"

"Master Hou, it's right there, on the west side of Qinghu Lake."

When Ji Yunhui heard the inquiry from the Marquis, he pointed to an attic not far in front. It turned out that Zhang Jinyu and his party had been here a long time ago. They were not far from Qinghu Lake. The academy was naturally on the north side of Qinghu Lake. On the opposite side, there was a pavilion on the west side. The conspicuous buildings everywhere have an ancient charm, and you can tell the difference at a glance.
It is located on a slightly larger island that extends into Qinghu Lake. It is quite wonderful. It is surrounded by the lake. There are actually flower boats parked at the small pier in front. Further west, opposite is the Shifang neighborhood of Beicheng. Extremely prosperous.

Zhang Jinyu had to admit that the brothels she had visited so far were all excellent places, and she really didn't agree with Dawu's ethos. Why should every poetry meeting be held in a brothel? Is there no other place?

"It's a good place, Yan Chun Tower. I remember it. Apart from this place, where else is a good place to hold a poetry meeting?"

Ji Yunhui thought for a moment and then said;

"Master Marquis, there is another place that can hold a poetry meeting. It is Manchun Courtyard not far from Prince Wei's Mansion in Xicheng. Together with Yanchun Tower and even Yunliang Pavilion and Yuelai Pavilion in Jiangnan, it is known as the four major brothels in Dawu, and there is one in Xicheng Yunshan, which is not high, also has a small lake called Qiu Lake at the foot of the mountain, and the other two academies in the capital, Yunshan Academy and Qiushui Academy, are located at the foot of the mountain."

Zhang Jinyu touched her chin and said secretly, good guys, the King of Chu and the King of Wei have found a good place. They have a brothel and an academy. They will gain both fame and fortune in the future. However, the eldest prince is much more stable. Dongcheng is the base camp of nobles. It depends on their future. Each has its own means.

Seeing that the Marquis remained silent, Ji Yunhui naturally followed behind without daring to speak, but in the carriage beside him, Chun He asked;
"Why is the Marquis silent? Is it possible that you still want to visit Yanchun Tower? I heard that the oirans of Yanchun Tower, Li Xiangjun and Chen Yuanyuan, are rare women. The Marquis doesn't want to kiss Fangze?"

Zhang Jinyu came back to her senses and looked at the woman Shi Chunhe in the carriage who opened the curtain, and couldn't help but smile.
"You are underestimating me. No matter how strange a woman is, sir, you are not rare. Have you ever heard that I went to a brothel to order a woman? Besides, since he is an oiran, he must be one or two. These two They are all, and they must not be separated yet, where does the idea of ​​​​Oiran come from."

Zhang Jinyu is free and easy and doesn't care. That's it. The names of the courtesans are familiar and quite nice. Li Xiangjun and Chen Yuanyuan. The former is beautiful, but he doesn't care. Many of them are just names.

When Chunhe saw Zhang Jinyu's reply, he thought about it carefully. He had never heard of a marquis going to a brothel to order a girl to stay overnight, and he felt admiration and comfort in his heart. Any man who goes to a brothel and doesn't want a brothel sister is a gentleman.

My heart felt warm, and my face had a smile.

"It's not the fault of the Marquis that he failed to win the election of the oiran. He disrupted the poetry meeting in Jiangnan. I heard about those oirans and was so frightened that I returned to the capital early."

"Why?"

Zhang Jinyu was stunned, as if it was true. I heard that the poetry competition was cancelled, but I never thought that the oiran selection would also be cancelled. It was a pity.

while talking,

On the east bank of Qinghu Lake, there is a mansion near the lake. It has green bricks and green tiles, high walls and a deep courtyard. The majestic Chu Prince's Mansion has arrived.

Zhang Jinyu only glanced at it and knew that this place was also a gathering place. As expected, he was the emperor's biological son, and his treatment was different. Although his former prince's residence was nice, it was a bit troublesome in a busy city and on the noble side. Others will know that the former prince was not unjustly defeated.

Ji Qianhu reminded him behind him,
"Master Marquis, Prince Chu's Mansion has arrived,"

"Yeah, I got it, dismount. Go in and have a look."

Zhang Jinyu dismounted and threw the reins back to the guards.

Chunhe also led the palace maid out of the carriage and came closer.
"Master Marquis, this palace used to be the residence of Prince Zheng when he was not a vassal. The layout inside has not changed. Prince Zheng is a blessed man. He has the largest seal among all the princes."

"Prince Zheng? But why did Zhou Changde, Prince Zheng, who has been enjoying happiness in the south, choose his house?"

Zhang Jinyu still couldn't recognize Prince Da Wu and knew very little about him. Prince Zheng seemed to have heard of him in Jiangnan, and he was also a master who had a tiger in his heart. But with Prince Wu around, he was just a fish in the shallows, waiting to collect his corpse.

"Why, the house here is not appropriate."

Seeing Zhang Jinyu's unusual tone, Chunhe asked hurriedly. It was related to the prince's safety, so he had to be careful.

Looked around for the next four weeks,
There are no messy alleys or alleys, so it saves trouble. Pushing open the door of the palace, the deputy commander of the imperial army, Dai Zijing, is waiting here with the imperial army.
"The last general, Deputy Commander of the Forbidden Army, Dai Zijing, meets the Marquis and the general manager of Chunhe,"

He knelt down with a roar,
There is a wink.

"Get up. The acting commander needs to carefully investigate this place. If anything is wrong, report it in time. You can also arrange for a team to patrol the courtyard wall outside the mansion. One more person and one more guarantee."

Zhang Jinyu looked around. Apart from the similar buildings and different layouts, there were no other differences in the palace.

"Yes, the general will arrange for the Forbidden Army brothers to patrol outside starting today."

Deputy Commander Dai Zijing immediately took the order. "Well, let's go in and have a look."

A group of people entered the palace again and walked towards King Chu's palace. Not surprisingly, it was also a single main hall. Although there were no partitions around it, there were two more connected side halls, like two ears. I don’t know what it means,

"Ji Yunhui, have these two side halls been checked?"

Zhang Jinyu pointed to the two side halls and asked with some confusion.

Ji Yunhui also raised his head and looked over. It was indeed unusual. He immediately asked,

"Ma Baihu, can you take someone to check those two side halls?"

Ma Deqiu, a member of the Royal Guards Department, reported immediately.
"Returning to the Marquis, Lord Qianhu, I led people to inspect the two side halls carefully, and found nothing wrong. However, there are shooting holes for crossbows in the two halls, and there are also watchtowers. There are no mezzanines in the surrounding walls, but there are some It’s weird, even I can’t understand it, but I’ve been examining it for a long time, but I still can’t figure it out, and I can’t find anything weird.”

Chun He was listening on the side, his face changed, he was a little anxious and asked;

"What do you feel is wrong?"

Seeing that it was the female history manager of Kunning Palace, Baihu didn't dare to deceive her and replied;

"Manager Huichun, I have checked it carefully several times. Although there is nothing wrong with it, I still feel something is wrong. I apologize for my subordinate's incompetence."

"you."

Chun He was angry. Just when he was about to scold him, he was stopped by Zhang Jinyu. Why can't a woman keep her temper?

"Don't be anxious yet. Just stand here and let me watch you carefully. Do you notice anything strange?"

Although the people around him didn't understand what the Marquis meant, they all turned their heads and looked intently, especially the female Shi Chunhe, who looked nervously for fear of missing something.

Zhang Jinyu actually didn't find anything wrong. Just like Dai Baihu said, it was just intuition and feeling uncomfortable. Generally, the palace is a separate hall, and there are two attics nearby. Is it possible that King Zheng is so afraid of death? , and was worried that someone would break into the palace and massacre him.

Think about it.
"Chunhe, when did King Zheng become a vassal?"

Zhang Jinyu suddenly felt something was wrong and asked hurriedly. Chunhe turned around suddenly,

"The Marquis has made a discovery. Prince Zheng left Beijing at the beginning of the first year of Yuanfeng. It has been eight years now."

That's right. The death of the former prince was something that happened before the current emperor took the throne. At that time, the capital was in chaos. The other kings may not have had their own calculations. This explains why King Zheng built these two side halls and attics. No, I can only go in and take a look.
"Stop looking, let's go inside. Lu Baihu, lead the way."

"Yes, Lord Hou."

Lu Baihu also observed for a long time. Although it was awkward, there was nothing suspicious. When he heard that the Marquis wanted to lead the way, he immediately responded.

The group of people went straight to the main hall and entered the room. The windows were bright and clean, sandalwood was overflowing, and there were all kinds of carved and painted decorations. You don't need to look at them. They were naturally decorated by people in the palace. There is nothing wrong with it. Stop. Step down,
"I won't look at this room anymore. Let's go to the side hall on the left first."

"Yes. Lord Marquis."

Lu Baihu led everyone out and entered the side hall on the left. As soon as he entered, he felt a chill on his head. He looked up and saw that the light on the roof was dim and could not be seen clearly. Zhang Jinyu ordered,
"On behalf of Baihu, arrange for someone to go to the top of the attic and search it to see what's up there."

"Yes, Lord Marquis, I will arrange someone for my humble position."

After saying that, he went out to call someone. Only Ji Qianhu next to him came over.

"Master Hou, what did you find?"

"Not yet. Let's go up and take a look first. Let's go to another side hall."

Zhang Jinyu turned around and left the left hall and continued to the right hall. Chunhe followed behind him, silently, looking around a little bored.
"Master Marquis, if we really can't ask the craftsmen to demolish these two side halls, then it will be done."

"It's a good idea, let's go and take a look first."

Zhang Jinyu glanced back at Chunhe. The method was good, but she was still curious about what King Zheng meant.

Entering the right hall, although I didn’t feel the same as before, there was always something wrong. I looked around and on the roof. They were the same as those in the left hall. If it wasn’t above and around, it must be somewhere.

Zhang Jinyu's eyes condensed, and she looked towards the underground in the hall. It was underground. She walked to the center of the hall, took the saber, and then smashed it down with the back of the knife. There was a "bang" sound, and there seemed to be an echo.

Suddenly, Zhang Jinyu raised her head and shouted,
"Ji Yunhui, call someone to dig it!"

(End of this chapter)