The woman thought Xie Jiuan had taken a fancy to Mu Xia. She quickly explained and then placed the freshly brewed tea in front of Xie Jiuan.
"If you don't mind, sir, you can also consider us."
When Xie Jiuan heard the names Mu Xia and Xie Chengrui, a sarcastic smile played on his lips. He took out a few silver coins from behind and tossed them to the woman who had just spoken. His thin lips parted slightly as he said,
"Take them away."
"Thank you, sir."
The woman clutched the money tightly in her hand and then called on the people around Xie Jiuan to divide the silver.
After the people around Xie Jiuan left, it became quiet again. He looked at Gu Jiangyue and was relieved to find that the commotion on his side hadn't caught her attention.
Gu Jiangyue just stared at Mu Xia. She didn't go to her because she didn't know what to say even if she did. During this time, Xie Jiuan sat there sipping his tea, waiting for Gu Jiangyue.
"Oh, you've finally come! Our Mu Xia has been waiting for you so eagerly."
Before long, there was a stir at the door. The madam's teasing voice was especially distinct. Gu Jiangyue followed the sound and sure enough, saw a figure in yellow at the door.
Even though he wore a mask, Gu Jiangyue could instantly recognize him as Xie Chengrui from his yellow robe and the familiar aura around him.
"Do you still want Mu Xia? I'll go and call her for you right away."
The madam's face was full of flattery. Xie Chengrui didn't say anything but just nodded slightly.
Although the women in the brothel all knew he was Xie Chengrui, they didn't dare to say it. With the mask on, they couldn't identify him either.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
Mu Xia on the stage obviously noticed Xie Chengrui too. But after taking a glance, she continued to play the pipa. She couldn't come down until she finished the piece. That was the rule in the brothel.
Xie Chengrui was quite patient. He found a seat and sat down. Coincidentally, Xie Jiuan was sitting right next to him. Xie Jiuan also wore a mask. Afraid of running into someone he knew, Xie Chengrui felt a bit guilty and didn't dare to look at Xie Jiuan.
Xie Jiuan, however, was looking at Xie Chengrui with great interest. Xie Chengrui felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze but didn't say anything.
"Played beautifully. Reward!"
As soon as Mu Xia finished playing, before the applause could even start, Xie Jiuan casually spoke and then slapped a silver ingot heavily on the table.
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."
The madam quickly bent down to take the silver away. She was so afraid that Xie Jiuan would change his mind.
At the same time, Gu Jiangyue's attention was also drawn to this side. Even though she was dressed as a man before, she was a bit afraid to turn around and look at Xie Chengrui. But now, she was also attracted by the sound from Xie Jiuan's side.
Mu Xia also looked at Xie Jiuan. Although Xie Jiuan was wearing a mask, Mu Xia felt that his aura and generous spending were extremely familiar.
"Indeed excellent. Reward!"
Seeing the madam's reaction just now, Xie Chengrui got angry and slapped his silver on the table too.
Knowing that this man was Xie Chengrui, the madam didn't dare to say anything. As soon as he came, he would call Mu Xia over. Xie Chengrui always gave the money directly to Mu Xia, so the madam never made much money from this top courtesan.
"Thank you, sir. You've finally come."
A charming and seductive voice sounded. Mu Xia looked at the Second Prince, came down from the stage, and walked straight to his side to sit down.
Just when everyone thought that Xie Jiuan was new here and didn't understand the rules, they saw that Xie Jiuan wasn't angry at all. He just sat there quietly drinking his tea.
Watching all this, Gu Jiangyue got quite a bit of information. Xie Chengrui was always calculating. He maintained his reputation by being a good - guy rather than spending money. Since Xie Chengrui was willing to spend money on Mu Xia, it proved that he had some special feelings for her.
"Sir, let's go somewhere else to catch up."
Mu Xia sat beside Xie Chengrui. Unconsciously, she got closer and closer to him. She even secretly pulled her clothes down a bit, as if she really wanted others to think there was something between them.
"Let's go."
Xie Chengrui stood up and snorted in Xie Jiuan's direction.
"Right this way, sir."
Seeing that Xie Chengrui had agreed, the madam quickly stood up and walked in front to lead the way for Xie Chengrui and Mu Xia.
Under the madam's guidance, Mu Xia and Xie Chengrui went to the second floor together. Gu Jiangyue could only see which room they entered. As soon as the door closed, she couldn't see anything. Gu Jiangyue took a few more glances at Xie Jiuan while sipping her tea.
There was still no one around Xie Jiuan. Gu Jiangyue didn't know what he was here for.
Gu Jiangyue casually stopped a woman beside her. She lowered her voice and asked,
"Does that gentleman often come to see Mu Xia?"
"Do you mean the Second... the gentleman who just left with Mu Xia?"
The woman was standing there. Since no one seemed to be looking for her, she might as well talk to Gu Jiangyue. When she mentioned the Second Prince, she quickly covered her mouth, then turned her head and looked around. Only after finding that no one was paying attention did she feel relieved.
Gu Jiangyue nodded. She noticed that they seemed afraid to say that the man was Xie Chengrui.
"He just started coming to see Mu Xia recently. Mu Xia is really lucky. After losing the Ninth Prince, she immediately found this one. He used to come once in a long while, but recently he's been coming more frequently."
The woman told Gu Jiangyue the situation truthfully. Her eyes were full of envy.
Gu Jiangyue got a clue. She guessed that Xie Chengrui must have started coming to see Mu Xia so frequently after receiving the letter in which she rejected him.
"Thank you for clarifying my doubts, miss."
Gu Jiangyue placed some silver coins in front of the woman. The woman didn't decline and happily accepted them.
"If you have any other questions in the future, sir, you can come and ask me."
The woman looked extremely happy. Seeing Gu Jiangyue nod silently, she took the money and left.
Gu Jiangyue waited for a while longer. Taking advantage of the madam's absence, she immediately turned around and went upstairs. She thought her actions were quick enough and no one would notice, but Xie Jiuan saw it all clearly.
The first floor was noisy, while the second floor was much quieter. There was hardly anyone outside the rooms. Relying on her memory just now, Gu Jiangyue easily found the room that Xie Chengrui and Mu Xia had entered.
Seeing that there was no one around, Gu Jiangyue leaned her head towards the door and listened carefully to the sounds coming from inside.
As soon as Mu Xia entered the room, she got even closer to Xie Chengrui. Xie Chengrui didn't say anything.
"Mu Xia just wants to stay by the Second Prince's side and serve him for a lifetime."
Mu Xia's voice was slightly raised, extremely charming and seductive.
Xie Chengrui had come here to relax, but he still pushed Mu Xia away. After all, Mu Xia was just a low - born woman from a brothel and wouldn't be of any help to him. Xie Chengrui just used Mu Xia to gather information, and whether he would redeem her was another matter.