The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 162 Thousand-Eyed Armor Division
Jiaofang Division.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, several attractive female musicians moved among the seats, pouring drinks.

Upstairs, behind a beaded curtain, sat a beautiful woman playing the zither. Her slender waist was bound with silk, her willow-leaf eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes seemed to hold an unyielding sorrow.

This woman was Zhu Xiuxiu, the most famous courtesan in the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district).

In terms of appearance, Zhu Xiuxiu could not be called a stunning beauty, but she was pretty and dignified, with the demeanor and bearing of a lady from a prominent family. She was also quite knowledgeable in music and literature, and her quiet and gentle demeanor was very charming.

But within the brothel, her beauty was already unparalleled.

After all, most of the people in this brothel were the families of officials whose homes had been confiscated and who had been exiled; they weren't specifically chosen from human traffickers.

Moreover, in a world where high martial prowess can overthrow everything, even if someone is truly exceptionally beautiful, without cultivation to protect them, they would have long been forcibly taken away, and their fate would likely be extremely tragic.

Where could one still work peacefully and steadily in this brothel?

Even in the capital city, there are still lawless scoundrels...

Take, for example, the courtesan Zhu Xiuxiu. She had always been the exclusive possession of Gu Fangchen, the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei. Others knew this and dared not ask her to come out and keep them company.

No matter how much Gu Fangchen, that playboy, mistreats her, she is still Gu Fangchen's person.

However, because Gu Fangchen's identity is questionable, Zhu Xiuxiu has also been used for amusement recently, if not for the repeated troubles she caused before.

Most importantly, the Imperial Preceptor seems to have a soft spot for Gu Fangchen, so it's only at the level of having Zhu Xiuxiu come out to play the zither and sing songs.

If Gu Fangchen hadn't secured his position as heir apparent in the palace yesterday, everyone who had ever been associated with him would have suffered the consequences...

Downstairs, several young men, whose clothes alone suggested they were either rich or noble, huddled together, discussing something while holding a thin book.

"Look, look! The latest issue of the Little Heaven Rankings is out, and Gu Fangchen is indeed ranked tenth! It's not just a rumor!"

Everyone's eyes fell on the roster, and they all widened their eyes in surprise.

There is a certain time lag between the announcement of the changes to the Heavenly Rankings by the Heavenly Bureau and the compilation and release of the new rankings.

Therefore, before that, many people still thought it might be a rumor that Gu Fangchen had transformed from a useless person who could not cultivate into a sixth-grade expert.

Gu Fangchen had been diagnosed by experts as having her dantian meridians completely destroyed and being poisoned, yet she has now suddenly become a half-step grandmaster.

This is simply too unbelievable.

Even after the news that Gu Fangchen was still the heir apparent came out, some people still didn't believe he could be a sixth-rank official.

But now, they have no choice but to believe it.

"What should we do now... that Miss Xiuxiu, perhaps the young marquis should call her back?"

One of them cautiously glanced at a man in a brocade robe sitting next to them with a gloomy expression.

The man called Young Marquis was named Ji Peng. His father was Marquis Dingyuan, Ji Chuan, an old general under Xiao Yinghao.

Previously, because Xiao Yinghao and Gu Yuye were like oil and water, Ji Peng and Gu Fangchen also had many conflicts and repeatedly opposed each other.

If we're talking about who's the best, Xiao Yi has to be second; this guy is number one.

Someone else said:

"That's too cowardly... Gu Fangchen is just a prince again. So what if he's a sixth-rank official? Every family has a sixth-rank retainer."

"Besides, she was just a prostitute from the brothel; she probably doesn't even remember him..."

Ji Peng was indeed somewhat wary at first, but after hearing what others said, he felt that it was really not a big deal.

After all his twists and turns, Gu Fangchen only managed to return to the position of heir apparent.

Is being a sixth-rank official really that impressive?

These people were born into wealth and privilege; all they needed to do was wield a sword. No one would actually become a sword themselves.

Even Gu Fangchen herself was the same.

Even if Gu Fangchen's past mischief was all an act, he might not really care much about Zhu Xiuxiu; she was just a plaything.

Now that he has soared to great heights, these past dirty deeds should be buried deep in his dark history.

Ji Peng was just doing it for him.

Snatching Zhu Xiuxiu was just a fit of pique; once she's worn out, they can just dump her in a mass grave...

Upon realizing this, Ji Peng immediately relaxed and began to joke and laugh with the others without restraint.

The unrestrained and sinister laughter reached the second floor, almost drowning out the mournful piano music.

Suddenly, the madam of the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment institution) came out from the back of the second floor and leaned down to say a few words to Zhu Xiuxiu.

Zhu Xiuxiu's expression, which had been one of utter despair, froze for a moment. The note on her zither cracked and rang out, interrupting the conversation below.

Ji Peng's face immediately turned cold, and he said, "Your brothel is getting bolder and bolder. Are you looking for death?"

The mother immediately smiled apologetically, lifted the beaded curtain, and stepped forward, saying:
"Gentlemen, I'm sorry, Miss Xiuxiu has been redeemed and will no longer perform at the brothel."

Someone immediately questioned:

"You old slut, how dare you play us?! This brothel is full of descendants of disgraced officials, destined to be slaves for life, only to be taken in and never given out. Where would they get the chance to be redeemed?"

The mother's smile remained unchanged, and she only said in a fawning tone:

"This is His Highness's grace; he has specially freed Xiuxiu from slavery, and she will now be a law-abiding citizen under the Emperor's rule."

Ji Peng's face was grim as he stared intently at the frail woman above him, his gaze sinister.
"A law-abiding citizen? So what if you're a law-abiding citizen? Do you think you can get away with what I've set my sights on?"

He leaped into the air and in a flash arrived in front of Xiuxiu on the second floor, reaching out to grab her.

"Oh!"

Ji Peng was sent flying backward, crashing through tables and chairs in his wake, his fate unknown amidst the rising dust.

His guards' expressions changed drastically. They immediately looked ahead, sensing a terrifying aura, and retreated in disarray.

"Fourth rank?!"

An old figure chuckled and landed in the center of the hall.

It was none other than Hu Wenxin, the Spirit Blood Venerable, who had previously been taken as a slave by Gu Fangchen.

A sixth-rank official might still be considered a retainer in their household, but a fourth-rank official is beyond the scope of a retainer; in these noble families, he could be considered an ancestor...

Where did this person come from?
Behind the beaded curtain, Xuexiang, wearing a veil, emerged, raising her chin with the air of a head maid:

“His Highness said she will be a good citizen from now on, and she will be a good citizen. Anyone who dares to disturb Miss Xiuxiu’s life will suffer the consequences.”

After saying that, she placed a box of gold in Zhu Xiuxiu's hand.

The tears that had been welling up in Zhu Xiuxiu's eyes for so long finally rolled down her cheeks. Clutching the box, she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

Having devoted herself to the cause for many years and witnessed the bizarre deaths of her fellow women, all she sought was a way to survive.

I never imagined I could be free again.

Even if this might just be a show put on by the Crown Prince to demonstrate how different he is now, it is still her greatest wish in this life.

……

"You...you actually came?"

Zhao Wenyuan's face twitched as he looked at the handsome young man who sat down to drink tea quite naturally.

He had been praying that Gu Fangchen would forget about his bad friend when he heard that his father had invited her to his home.

As a result, this guy actually came to visit the Zhao residence immediately.

It can truly be described as a deep and profound affection...

It would be even better if he didn't have those two pieces of Yin-Yang jade that could be used as evidence.

"call……"

Gu Fangchen blew away the steam from the tea, raised her eyes, and said calmly:

"You seem to really don't want me to come? Fine, keep those two jade pieces for yourself, I'll be going now..."

He said as he was about to stand up.

Zhao Wenyuan quickly grabbed him:

"Oh, no, how could that be? I wish you could come every day!"

"You should accept these two pieces of jade..."

He smiled bitterly:

"I've already cooperated, Your Highness. With your current abilities, you can turn black into white. I'm just a lowly scholar with little influence, and I can't help you at all."

Gu Fangchen gave a forced smile:

"Is that so? The Proofreader can't help, and neither can the Thousand-Eyed Armored Division of the Eye of Heaven?"

Zhao Wenyuan's face immediately froze.

(End of this chapter)