My wife has a secret

Chapter 13: Drunken Mandarin Drum Tower

The female official looked at her, her eyes and face became much gentler, "This time when you return to Jiangnan, the queen also hopes that you can complete two other things."

Shen Shuangxu raised his head slightly, feeling a little confused and puzzled. It was rare for the empress dowager to not make things clear in the hall.

"what's up?"

"One is to be the legal wife and preside over the marriage between Xu Qing and Princess Danyang, and the other is to continue the Xu family's lineage."

Shen Shuangxu's delicate body suddenly stiffened, but her expression still remained somewhat indifferent.

"The first thing is easy. As the legal wife, I should help my husband take a concubine. But the second thing requires the balance of yin and yang and the observance of the laws of all things..."

Lian Huajun smiled and said, "Miss Shen, there are some things that I cannot say in the palace, so I will remind you outside... Your Majesty was promoted from a concubine to the position of Queen by the late emperor step by step. No one knows these things you are talking about better than Your Majesty."

Shen Shuangxu's expression remained unmoved.

"And do you think that the Queen knows nothing about your physical condition?"

The female official's words made Shen Shuangxu give up struggling.

In previous years, when the palace physician examined her body, if she had any hidden illness, it would have been reported to the empress dowager long ago.

"Let's not talk about the past. Next year, the young master of the Xu family will have his coming-of-age ceremony. I hope you will take good care of yourself and don't let the queen down."

After the female official said this, she looked meaningfully at the beautiful woman in front of her, then turned around and went back into the hall.

……

In the early morning, the sun rises in the east.

Xu Qing changed into the comfortable clothes again and started practicing in the backyard of the Xu Mansion.

In addition to the most basic stretching and jumping, he also set a running goal for himself.

It’s a pity that there were no tools like mobile phones to help in ancient times, so the only way to determine the approximate mileage was by counting steps.

When passing by the courtyard of the fourth room, Xu Qing suddenly found that the courtyard was quiet, the doors and windows were closed, and there were no servants moving around.

"come here."

Although the servants of the Xu Mansion wanted to avoid Xu Qing when they saw him, there were always times when they were careless.

The servant in the distance trotted over, his face full of panic, afraid that he had offended his master somehow.

"Master...Master, please give your orders."

Xu Qing asked, "It is now past the middle of the Mao hour. According to the rules of the Xu residence, should the young ladies from the third and fourth courtyards get up early to serve tea to the old lady?"

The aristocratic families have many rules, and even a rising star like the Xu family has many troubles.

For example, a lady who married into the mansion needed to follow the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. If she had nothing else to do on weekdays, she had to offer tea to the old lady three times from morning to night.

"Yes."

"What about the people in the fourth courtyard?"

After Xu Qing finished saying this, he looked up at the yard again. There was not even a sound of water boiling in the ear room.

"Master, it seems that the fourth young lady went out earlier."

The time now is past the middle of the morning and the sky is slightly bright.

Xu Qing really couldn't think of what kind of urgent matter would require a woman to rush out after dark. Could it be that... this fourth lady likes to make friends with all kinds of famous and wealthy people, and has some shameful secret?

……

When Xu Qing finished running and returned to the yard, he saw Fatty Zhu's round figure waiting at the door from afar.

"Boss! Boss!"

As soon as Zhu Yuande's eyes caught sight of Xu Qing, he smiled and said, "Don't you usually sleep in your room? Why are you suddenly in the mood to exercise in the mansion garden?"

Xu Qing was also a little surprised at Zhu Yuande's appearance. He didn't expect that he would come to his house today after they had just separated at the poetry meeting yesterday.

The people in the government office didn't stop him, which meant that this guy had a good relationship with them.

"How did you come?"

"Isn't it because I miss you so much? It's just that the maid in your yard is a little fierce. I wanted to go into the house to wait for you just now, but she refused to let me enter the yard."

Xu Qing pushed open the gate and saw Xiaohuan standing beside him with a well-behaved and innocent look on her face.

"Sir, don't listen to the nonsense that fat pig outside the door says. It's obvious that he has bad intentions and wants to drag you to those indecent places... And didn't you tell me, young master? If this guy comes again..."

"cough."

Xu Qing coughed lightly and his expression changed slightly.

"What's the indecent part? How indecent is it? You didn't even let Master Zhu finish what he was saying."

Zhu Yuande obviously heard the second half of Xiaohuan's words, but he didn't take it to heart. He chuckled twice and walked into the courtyard.

"Boss, I know you are still you... Master Zhang and I are going to take you to Zuiyuan Pavilion to drink some good wine and listen to some wonderful music to bond with you."

Xiaohuan stood behind Zhu Yuande, her beautiful eyes almost spitting fire.

Although it was not her place to meddle in her master's affairs, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable when she heard the nameplate of Zuiyuange.

"This is not good."

Zhu Yuande came closer, pointed at his belly button, and winked at Xu Qing.

"I heard that today is a special performance of Western dances. The Roman veil can't even cover this place."

Xu Qing's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he pretended to be deep and said: "Since this is the base of revolutionary friendship, it is indeed necessary to conduct an on-site investigation...Xiao Huan, quickly bring me my coat."

"..."

The streets in Suzhou City are lined with trees and numerous shops and tea stalls on both sides.

Some main roads leading to the east and west cities are often congested like in the previous life, and carriages cannot move for a long time.

But Xu Qing did not need to worry about these, because everyone in the city knew the bad reputation of Young Master Xu, and would often give way when they saw the Xu family's carriage.

"Boss, don't worry today. As your first battle after returning to the martial arts world, I promise to make sure everything is comfortable and clear for you."

Even wearing a thick fur coat, Zhu Yuande could still feel the freezing cold of autumn.

He rubbed his hands and smiled at Xu Qing who was sitting opposite him: "Brother Zhang has already prepared the banquet upstairs. He chose our private room and the chef that the boss appointed earlier."

"It's so perfect... Well, I just wonder what the scenery is like inside this Zuiyuan Building?"

After Xu Qing asked this question, he and Zhu Yuande, who was sitting opposite him, looked at each other and laughed out loud.

"Zuiyuanlou has been open on East Street for more than 20 years and has never been popular... Nowadays, the most popular person inside is Chun Shisanniang, who sings a Jiangnan tune. Do you know the old Mr. Nie who is famous in the literary world and is known as Chunnan Jushi?"

Mr. Chunnan? Why does this name sound strange? "I don't know."

"Oh, I forgot that you have lost your memory...Mr. Nie is the literary giant who wrote "The mountains and rivers are together at Qingming Festival, and the earth is divided by a line." Not only did he come to this Zuiyuan Tower, he also gave this Chun Shisan Niang a nickname that is pleasant and lingering."

At first, Xu Qing felt that the nickname of Chunnan Jushi was somewhat familiar. It was only after Zhu Yuande reminded him that he remembered that he had seen this poem in Lu Wanhe's room.

If he remembered correctly, these were the words that were stamped on the calligraphy and painting.

I didn't expect that the third wife, Lu, who lives in the house, could receive a poem from such a literary giant. It seems that Lu Wanhe is more extraordinary than I thought.

The carriage stopped in front of the Zuiyuan Tower, and a middle-aged woman dressed in fancy clothes came up to greet it.

After listening to Zhu Yuande's previous introduction, Xu Qing knew that this person was the madam of Zuiyuanlou, whose surname was Chen.

"Oh my, I heard some rumors about Master Xu a few days ago, and I was really worried... How could you let your precious body get bumped?"

Nanny Chen seemed very familiar, and with just a few words she brought herself and Xu Qing closer.

"Go up with Madam Chen and have a look. We will definitely choose the best rooms for the young masters."

"Do we still need to choose?" Zhu Yuande raised his eyebrows and said, "Madame Chen, you know that my boss likes your house, Room 1. Why don't you clean up that place quickly?"

"This……"

Although Nanny Chen had a bright smile on her face, she couldn't say the second half of the sentence.

Today, Room No. 1 of the Emperor's Palace has been reserved by a young man from the capital. It is said that the young man has a noble status, so she dare not chase him out.

But this Young Master Xu was not someone who was easy to deal with. The Xu family had risen in Suzhou, and it was thanks to the frequent visits of Young Master Xu that his Zuiyuanlou could stand up straight in front of the officials.

She can't afford to offend anyone.

"My two gentlemen, you may not know that this upstairs has to be used for other purposes today. Otherwise, we can just stay at Dizi No. 1 in the south. Anyway, we can hear Chun Shisan Niang singing anywhere."

"Can it be the same? Be careful or I'll take over your store..."

Zhu Yuande was filled with anger, and before he could finish his words, he heard a scream coming from inside the door.

After a while, a young man in a mink coat was thrown out by two burly men.

"Brother Zhang?"

Zhu Yuande leaned his head out and looked for a while, and found that the man was indeed their good friend, Zhang Ruihai, the son of the Zhang family.

Master Zhang had been beaten beyond recognition by this point, with bruises all over his body and several large bumps on his head and face.

When Nanny Chen saw this scene, her eyes almost popped out.

"Zhang... Young Master Zhang, what are you doing... Hurry up and call the doctor from the clinic next door to come over. Don't dare to hurt our Young Master Zhang."

The young master Zhang who was thrown out looked at Xu Qing and said intermittently: "Boss, you have to make the decision for me. The person who robbed our room is unreasonable..."

Xu Qing watched Master Zhang being carried away, and he began to have second thoughts.

He had never expected that as a playboy, visiting a brothel would bring him the risk of being beaten. Looking at the muscular appearance of the two men, he did not seem to be their opponent. Why not find an excuse to slip away?

"Boss."

When Xu Qing heard Zhu Yuande's call, he changed his mind and decided to go to the building to check out the situation.

Nanny Chen, who was following them, didn't dare to say anything, because the warrior who had just beaten someone was obviously not a guard from her Zuiyuanlou, but a guard brought by the noble young man from the capital.

Mr. Zhang had originally persuaded him to go to Room No. 1, but for some reason, he was still beaten up by the young master from the capital.

The interior of Zuiyuanlou was somewhat different from what Xu Qing had imagined.

The building looks plain from the outside, but the interior is decorated with golden-roofed mahogany walls and colorful paintings of various bird patterns.

The floor was covered with a brocade carpet in soft tones, and there were many lamps hanging on both sides for lighting.

I have to say that this building was well designed.

At a glance, the interior of the entire pavilion is spacious and exquisite. It not only highlights the semicircular stage in the center, but also allows the sunlight from several floors to shine through special mirrors onto the center of the stage, making the dancers more conspicuous.

"What a unique design, but unfortunately..."

Before Xu Qing could even look, two men as tall and strong as hills stood in front of him, blocking his way.

Both of them were wearing half-length shirts, with well-defined large muscles that were as hard as steel, rising and falling from time to time.

Xu Qing looked a little embarrassed.

He came here to drink and listen to music, not to admire the bearded man.

"My master said that Master Xu and his party are not allowed to enter."

"Hey, do you know who is standing in front of you? This is the son of Xu family in Suzhou..."

Before Zhu Yuande could finish his words, he was grabbed by a man like an eagle catching a chick. His fat weight seemed like nothing in front of the other person.

Zhu Yuande, who was dragged up, remembered the appearance of Master Zhang just now, and became much more honest and stopped talking.

"But my master also said that if Mr. Xu wants to enter the Zuiyuan Tower, he can, but you have to recite another poem of your Lu family, and the standard and level must reach the same level as yesterday's "Farewell to My Lover on the 15th Full Moon Night"."

"what?"

Xu Qing had already made up his mind to live a good life, but he didn't expect that this guard would deliver this pretentious and embarrassing plot to his face.

"Just one song?"

The guard with curly beard had no expression on his face and said in a cold voice: "Say two more poems, and my master will hand over the Emperor's Room No. 1 to you."

"interesting."

Xu Qing stretched his head and looked inside Zuiyuan Pavilion, and found that there were quite a lot of people in the building, not only beautiful singing girls and dancers, but also many guests who had already taken their seats.

Those who can hang out here during the day are all children of officials with some family background in Suzhou City.

"Okay, Nanny Chen, go arrange for two writers, and I'll read the poems to you right now."

Nanny Chen was originally worried about the quarrel between the two young masters, but who would have thought that the argument between the two would eventually turn into a poetry competition.

She had also heard about what happened at the poetry gathering yesterday. She heard that Ms. Lu from the Xu family had almost become a celebrity in the entire Jiangnan literary world thanks to this poem.

Someone has already reported exactly what happened at the Puyuan Poetry Conference to the capital. I believe that in the near future, the Lu family's name will spread throughout the great Qi.

Now that she could get two more poems from Lu in Zuiyuanlou, could her brothel also be famous forever and stand forever?

When she thought of this, Nanny Chen's mouth was crooked with smile, and she hurriedly asked the waiters upstairs to make room on the stage and move out the paper, ink and inkstone from upstairs.

Seeing that Xu Qing was actually planning to go on stage to recite poetry, the spectators in the brothel began to whisper and talk among themselves.

"Is this guy serious?"

(End of this chapter)