"Okay."
Xie Chengrui had no time to care about Mu Xia anymore. After giving his reply, he hurriedly followed Han Tian out of the door.
Gu Jiangyue had been staring at the stairs. Although she didn't know what had just happened, she did see Xie Chengrui coming down.
Just when Gu Jiangyue thought she could go up, she saw Xie Chengrui being stopped by the madam.
"Why is the young master leaving so early? Are you not satisfied?"
The smile on the madam's face couldn't hide her curiosity and worry. She had been counting on Xie Chengrui to redeem Mu Xia so that she could make a fortune. Now that Xie Chengrui was leaving, she naturally had to stop him and ask about the situation first.
"Get out of the way."
Xie Chengrui looked anxious and had no patience for the madam.
The madam was pushed and staggered. Then Xie Chengrui strode away. He didn't notice that the looks people gave him had changed. Xie Chengrui was not as gentle, courteous, and amiable as they had imagined.
Xie Chengrui followed Han Tian all the way outside the brothel. Han Tian stared blankly at the empty space outside. Where had his master gone?
"Where is Xie Jiuan?"
Xie Chengrui looked around but didn't see Xie Jiuan's figure. He felt as if he had been tricked by Xie Jiuan. He looked at Han Tian and asked.
"He was here just now. He must have left. Why don't you wait?"
Han Tian lied expressionlessly. His cold and seemingly honest face added a lot of credibility to his words.
Xie Chengrui looked at Han Tian's expressionless face and didn't detect any flaws, so he agreed.
"How long do I have to wait?"
Xie Chengrui looked at the glaring sunlight outside. His face was full of reluctance.
"I don't know."
This time, Han Tian didn't lie to Xie Chengrui. He really didn't know. Xie Jiuan had only told him to call Xie Chengrui out and said nothing else.
Under Xie Chengrui's gaze, Han Tian took out a stool from somewhere behind him. He placed the stool in front of Xie Chengrui.
"You can sit and wait."
Although Han Tian didn't know when Xie Jiuan would come back, he thought it wouldn't be anytime soon because he had seen the Ninth Princess in the brothel just now.
Seeing Xie Chengrui leave, Gu Jiangyue didn't rush in. Instead, she waited in her seat for a while. After making sure that Xie Chengrui wouldn't come back easily, she got up.
"May I ask what you're here for, young master?"
Just as Gu Jiangyue stood up and went to the second floor, when she was about to push open the door of Mu Xia's room, she was stopped by the madam.
Maybe the madam was still angry because of Xie Chengrui just now. She was in a bad mood. She put her hands on her hips and blocked Gu Jiangyue's way.
"I just want to go in and have a look at Miss Mu Xia's beauty. I won't do anything else."
Gu Jiangyue was quite respectful to the madam.
The madam sized Gu Jiangyue up and down. Maybe she remembered how Xie Chengrui had treated her just now, so she didn't side with Xie Chengrui anymore. She directly stretched out her hand in front of Gu Jiangyue and rubbed her fingers.
"Do you want silver?"
Gu Jiangyue saw what the madam meant and asked.
"Yes. Mu Xia is the top courtesan. As long as you can produce the silver, I'll let you in."
The madam smiled greedily.
Gu Jiangyue had already guessed that she would need to prepare silver if she wanted to see Mu Xia in the brothel, so she had brought some with her. The Flower Beauty Tower had good business, so Gu Jiangyue was not short of money. What was most important to her now was to hurry up so that Xie Chengrui wouldn't come back.
"Here."
Gu Jiangyue directly untied a bag from her waist and threw it to the madam. The madam weighed it in her hand. Looking at Gu Jiangyue's clothes, she thought Gu Jiangyue couldn't have so much silver. She opened the bag suspiciously. After confirming that it was real silver, she let Gu Jiangyue in.
"Second Prince, you're back... Who are you?"
Gu Jiangyue was dressed in men's clothes, and the madam didn't notice anything unusual. But when Gu Jiangyue pushed open the door and went in, it really gave Mu Xia a fright.
Gu Jiangyue didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pointed at the half - closed door. Mu Xia looked in the direction Gu Jiangyue was pointing and saw the madam's figure outside.
"He has paid. Serve him well. Don't do anything else, or that person won't spare you."
Gu Jiangyue guessed that the "that person" the madam mentioned should be Xie Chengrui.
Now that there were no outsiders, the madam's attitude towards Mu Xia was far from what it had been before. Mu Xia looked at Gu Jiangyue again and found that he was extremely handsome and didn't seem to have any bad intentions, so she nodded.
"Okay, I know."
Seeing that Mu Xia had agreed, the madam snorted and closed the door. She had to be obsequious in front of the guests, and she could only show her authority in front of Mu Xia and the others.
Before Mu Xia became the top courtesan, she also received guests normally. She led Gu Jiangyue to the table, raised her hand, and poured a glass of wine for Gu Jiangyue. Xie Chengrui hadn't come back yet, and Mu Xia was still a little uneasy.
"Does the young master want to listen to a song?"
Mu Xia asked. Gu Jiangyue was in the brothel for the first time. Moreover, she hadn't thought about how to talk to Mu Xia, so she simply agreed.
"Sure. Any song will do."
After pouring the wine for Gu Jiangyue, Mu Xia picked up the pipa beside her. Her slender fingers plucked the strings, and the tune was melodious and pleasant.
But Gu Jiangyue had no time to listen to the song. She was a little afraid to drink the glass of wine on the table. She just kept thinking. Finally, Gu Jiangyue organized her words and started to chat with Mu Xia casually.
"May I ask if Miss Mu Xia knows where the Second Prince has gone? I'm here to find him."
Mu Xia was a little confused. Since Gu Jiangyue knew Xie Chengrui's identity and knew that Xie Chengrui would come to her place, they must have a close relationship.
"Is the young master a friend of the Second Prince?"
Mu Xia still wanted to confirm.
"Yes. We've been close friends for many years. I haven't seen him much recently. I have something important to tell him. I often hear the Second Prince mention Miss Mu Xia."
Gu Jiangyue continued to deceive without batting an eyelid. But when Mu Xia heard that Xie Chengrui often mentioned her in front of his friends, she immediately became interested. Even the pipa in her hand stopped for a moment. She asked in surprise.
"What does the Second Prince often say about me?"
Gu Jiangyue picked up the glass of wine, drank it in one gulp, and then poured another glass.
"The Second Prince often says that Miss Mu Xia is well - educated, can sing and dance. She's no worse than the famous ladies in the capital. It's just that she can't help him with some miscellaneous things, so it's not good for him to mention your marriage to the emperor. It's a pity."
After saying that, Gu Jiangyue sighed to make her words more believable. She drank a few more glasses of wine, and her face was already slightly flushed.
Gu Jiangyue didn't drink the wine for nothing. People tend to tell the truth after getting drunk, and drunk words are often more credible. Just then, Gu Jiangyue thought of an important thing. There was a heavy rain in Jingzhou. If this matter was used properly, Xie Chengrui and Mu Xia would surely be trapped.