A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 368 The honey trap is too sophisticated; you still can't handle it?

Zhao Zhen was very pleased to see Song Xuan boasting.

It would be hard to find a better poem than this one in the entire Song Dynasty.

Although the twelfth brother wrote this poem for his father-in-law.

But these are also good words to encourage the rest of the soldiers.

Especially those who accomplish the affairs of the emperor and the world, thus gaining fame both before and after their death.

It's inevitable that Twelfth Brother's own ambitions were involved.

Military terminology.

It simply wouldn't have become popular in the Northern Song Dynasty!
People still prefer words related to wealth and prosperity.

I must recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in my lifetime, or I will not rest in peace even in death.

Young people often think they will be able to rule the world when they grow up, but unfortunately even the emperor cannot completely control his own life.

Zhao Zhen didn't think the last line, "It's pitiful that your hair has turned white," suited him at all.

He firmly believed that once he took power, he would be able to achieve this goal quickly.

Zhao Zhen looked at a memorial written by Zheng Wenhuan, the county clerk, which detailed the whole story of Lin Kun's forced escape.

Whether he was forced or acting on purpose.

However, it was still a violation of the rules set by Master Song. Logically speaking, he should be punished, and Zhao Jin, the criminal who captured the fugitive, should be rewarded.

"Twelfth Brother, do you think Madam Lin might be tricked by the people from Wuyou Cave and obediently hand over the money?"

"If she's willing to give it, then she can."

Song Xuan didn't care. When a person doesn't have the ability to control wealth, his money will flow to others through various means.

And she doesn't sound like a clever woman.

Presumably, the Empress Dowager wouldn't want those around her to be too astute.

People who are too shrewd are more likely to find a way out for themselves.

He was unwilling to be overly loyal to Liu E.

This was also Liu E's principle in employing people.

However, according to Pan Chengjin's whispered words last night, he had been idly re-examining Lin Quan and discovered that the man was hiding something.

It turned out that Madam Lin had paid five thousand taels of gold to save his life.

Something must have happened that made her back down. She offered another thousand taels of gold to keep the secret and also asked Ma Liu to give up the assassination attempt.

However, when Lin Quan arrived at Ma Liu's place, he was offered a price of two thousand taels.

In reality, only a deposit of one thousand taels was paid. When Madam Lin asked that this be kept secret, Lin Rong gave Ma Liu another two hundred taels.

In the end, Madam Lin paid out 6,000 taels of gold, but Ma Liu of the Sheming Company only received 1,200 taels. The rest was all pocketed by Lin Quan, the middleman.

Finally, the hired assassin Ma Liu divided the remaining eight hundred taels of gold among his trusted men, and the government confiscated all of his family's wealth accumulated over the years.

Ma Liu then ran away with the newly delivered two hundred taels of gold.

Pan Cheng only asked Song Xuan when he would go to Lin Quan to collect the money, lest things get complicated.

Song Xuan told him not to rush. Now that Lin Quan was dead, no one knew that he cared about his money. If he went to search for it, he would only alert the enemy.

Song Xuan reasoned that if Madam Lin could be easily fooled by those around her, it would be quite normal for her to be fooled by outsiders.

"Twelfth Brother, after all, I drank her breast milk."

Song Xuan glanced at Zhao Zhen:
"What, if she killed someone, you'd spare her life just because she fed you?"

"this."

Emperor Zhao Zhen was still very sentimental at heart, and he was rendered speechless by Song Xuan's retort.

On the one hand, there are indeed old feelings involved, and on the other hand, I really don't know how to deal with it.

So one of them continued to handle government affairs, while the other continued to lie down and enjoy the cool air.

Just as he was busy with his own things, Qi Lecheng walked in, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:
"My lord, Su Qingrou, the most beautiful courtesan of Fanlou, wants to pay her respects. She looks anxious, as if she has something to say."

"Su Qingrou?"

Song Xuan opened his eyes and thought carefully about the courtesan in that 4A-level scenic spot.

"Twelfth Brother, I haven't met the most beautiful courtesan of Fanlou yet."

Zhao Zhen quickly exclaimed that he desperately needed pretty girls to cleanse his eyes.

Because most of the empresses and concubines that Liu E chose for him were of average appearance.

She's not exactly pretty, but she's not ugly either.

The brothel culture was very prevalent in Tokyo.

There were over 10,000 registered prostitutes in Tokyo alone, including official prostitutes, city prostitutes, and a large number of private prostitutes.

These people primarily served bureaucrats and intellectuals.

The main problem was the prevailing trend of indulging in pleasures, which was politically correct in the Song Dynasty.

The rulers operate in this way to weaken the political ambitions of their subjects through entertainment.

The Northern Song imperial family set an example by keeping a large number of courtesans and musicians in their household.

The laws of the Song Dynasty even permitted students of the Imperial Academy to frequent prostitutes. Whenever the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations was announced, the newly appointed scholars would invite their friends and patronize prostitutes for pleasure, and this practice was extremely popular.

It's rather unusual that someone like Song Xuan, who achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, didn't lead the way in going out to play.

Many brothels were already prepared, waiting for Song Xuan's visit to further enhance their reputation.

Unfortunately, the other party got married right away and gave all their enthusiasm to their new wife.

People are enjoying their honeymoon period right now and have no time to visit prostitutes.

Apart from Zhang Fangping, the other students from Yingtian Academy who made the list were also busy getting married, which effectively promoted this trend.

Besides various brothels, any legitimate establishment that displayed red lanterns also offered this kind of private prostitution service.

Many red gardenia lanterns hang at the entrance of Sun Yang's main store.

In the entertainment districts catering to ordinary people, there were more than ten entertainment districts in one entertainment district.

During the Song Dynasty, almost every famous poet, such as Yan Shu, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Qin Guan, and Zhou Bangyan, wrote erotic poems written with great enthusiasm.

Not to mention Liu Sanbian.

Eight or nine out of ten of his musical compositions depict scenes of brothels.

When Su Shi went out for a stroll, he was always accompanied by thousands of courtesans. They thought that Su Dongpo should also write a poem for them to enhance their own status.

"A skinny little girl, nothing to see."

Song Xuan thought to himself, "Why don't I take Zhao Zhen to see women's sumo wrestling without clothes on? Maybe he'll like it more."

"I want to see the skinny one too."

Zhao Zhennan's lips curled up, eagerly anticipating what this so-called courtesan would actually look like.

"Bring people in."

"Here."

Qi Lecheng turned and left.

Zhao Zhen chuckled, stood up, went to the mirror, and tidied his appearance.

Courtesan!

This was the first time in his life he had ever seen a courtesan.

He had long heard of the woman who could become the most beautiful courtesan.

He was an extremely talented person, even possessing a wealth of knowledge that rivaled many scholars.

Especially in Tokyo, the competition among these courtesans is fierce!
Zhao Zhen was eager to see what it was all about, but unexpectedly, he was offered up to do so.

Song Xuan knew that this courtesan, Su Qingrou, was trained by the people of Wuyou Cave.

They might have come to the county government office today to try and gather information.

He pondered that it was because Ma Liu had secretly gone to investigate the surface organization of Wuyou Cave.

Or were they suspicious because of Madam Lin's matter?
So they sent her to sound her out.

Song Xuan felt that these people from Wuyou Cave couldn't figure out his preferences when it came to women, so they just followed stereotypes.

Just then, Su Qingrou was led into the door by Qi Lecheng.

She first noticed a richly dressed young man, and then instinctively bowed.

Before Zhao Zhen could speak, Su Qingrou stepped past him and took two steps forward:
"This humble servant, Su Qingrou, greets Master Song."

A gentle breeze wafted past Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen turned around and stopped. He saw that his twelfth brother simply grunted through his nose without even raising his eyes.

This courtesan is quite beautiful. Could it be that Twelfth Brother is truly a romantic?

Even so, you're not tempted?

Su Qingrou pursed her lips, tears welling up in her eyes:

"Master Song, my only sister has been kidnapped. I beg you to save her."

"Your sister?"

Song Xuan glanced at her, quite surprised. How could her younger sister survive in the Worry-Free Cave?

"Yes, Qingrou lost her father when she was young, her mother was seriously ill, and she had a gambling brother and a young sister. That's why Qingrou became a prostitute. I never expected that my sister would disappear today."

Su Qingrou's tears gently streamed down her face and dripped to the ground, making her look truly pitiful.

Zhao Zhen immediately spoke:

"Twelfth Brother, we can't ignore this matter!"

Song Xuan leaned back in his recliner, raising an eyebrow slightly. Why did those words sound so familiar?
A gambling father, a sick mother, a young brother, and a sensible girl!

Could it be that their versions haven't been updated much?

Most sales pitches are like this!

Song Xuan hummed in agreement again: "Where does your sister live?"

"In Tianshui Lane, East Second Street."

Song Xuan stood up, walked to the map of Tokyo and took a closer look. It was several blocks away from Fanlou, so it wasn't convenient to take care of it.

The largest fireworks dens in the east of the city were Fanlou and Panlou.

Sweetwater Lane is located in the west of the city, which is already within the outer city limits.

This market area consisted of various brothels and two music bureaus that specialized in training courtesans, located next to the Bian River.

Once there is a major flood, it will definitely be submerged.

The Imperial College was located nearby, along with embassies of foreign states such as the Liao Dynasty.

Was it discovered today?

"Yes." Su Qingrou wiped away her tears.

"I had some free time today and went home to visit my family. Not only was my seriously ill mother gone, but my sister was also gone."

"What's your gambling brother's name?"

"He Jun".

Song Xuan had someone call Yu Gao over and asked her to describe her elder brother's appearance.

Su Qingrou asked with a puzzled look, "Shouldn't you be looking for my sister first, sir?"

"Perhaps your gambling brother sold them, mother and daughter, to pay off his gambling debts, so you have to catch your brother."

Su Qingrou was startled upon hearing this.

However, years of experience as a companion had long since cultivated in her the good habit of always wearing a smile on her face, even when she felt disgusted.

"You are truly wise, my lord. I never even considered this."

Zhao Zhen also appropriately displayed himself:
"Twelfth Brother, could it be that he was sold to the Worry-Free Cave?"

"Worry-Free Cave?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qingrou began to sob softly again:

"I don't know if it's the Worry-Free Cave."

Song Xuan directly instructed Yu Gao to connect with her and describe what her older brother looked like.

Seeing that Su Qingrou was still crying, Zhao Zhen also spoke up to comfort her.

Seeing his appearance, Song Xuan did not laugh at him. Our emperor brother has really never eaten well in the palace.

Neither good looks nor emotional value could offer him anything.

That's why Emperor Zhao Zhen was so interested in a prostitute.

Men, after all, will eventually reach a point where their brains are controlled by sperm.

Song Xuan would never use the words of the young Grand Secretary to humiliate Zhao Zhen.

However, according to stereotypes, without the professional filter, it's hard to believe that what these people say is the truth.

So Song Xuan took the abstract painting by Yu Gao and wanted to see what kind of work Su Qingrou could do.

"Did your elder brother reveal that you were the most beautiful courtesan at Fanlou?"

"I don't know."

Su Qingrou cried so hard that her tears fell like raindrops, making Zhao Zhen feel sorry for her. He really felt sorry for this girl who was so pure and untainted by the world.

"Where does your brother usually hang out at casinos?"

"I don't know either."

Su Qingrou looked at Song Xuan with teary eyes:

"So that my lord may know, if I return home, I will disguise myself and sneak away to see my mother and sister."

Song Xuan nodded. He knew that one lie required countless lies to support it.

The more questions you ask, the more problems will be exposed.

Song Xuan handed the portrait to Yu Gao:
"Go and find County Magistrate Ban, and have him send someone with the portrait to Sweetwater Lane immediately to investigate the Su family's situation."

"Yes."

After Yu Gao withdrew, Zhao Zhen gently gestured for Su Qingrou to sit down and speak.

Su Qingrou thanked him softly and gently, which truly changed Zhao Zhen's mood.

He used to consider himself superior and had never been involved with such people, but he never expected that these prostitutes would give him such a different feeling.

No wonder those ministers and his father liked to hold banquets and have this group of people accompany them.

Zhao Zhen hadn't understood before, but now he suddenly had an epiphany.

What does your sister look like?

Su Qingrou described her younger sister's appearance in fits and starts.

Song Xuan didn't notice the flaw in her statement, since she dared to report it to the authorities.

It's likely that Wuyou Cave arranged identities for her family.

As long as it's not just a game of cards being created out of thin air.

However, Song Xuan didn't think he could find the three of them; he just chatted with Su Qingrou anyway.

Let's talk about the details of your relationship with your younger sister, what illness her mother has, and what medicine she takes.

Song Xuan knew some medical skills, and from Su Qingrou's description of her mother's illness, he realized it wasn't just empty talk.

As expected of the top courtesan, she has quite a lot of experience.

It seems that the prostitutes working at Fanlou also had this disease, and she had even taken care of some of them.

Otherwise, I wouldn't know so clearly.

Although Su Qingrou cried intermittently, she was trying to stall for time and think about how to answer Song Xuan's questions.

Song Xuan put down his pen and ink:
“Miss Su, given your lack of understanding of many things in your family, I’m afraid you won’t be able to find your sister and mother anytime soon.”

Upon hearing this, Su Qingrou couldn't help but burst into tears, clutching her handkerchief.

This was the result she wanted, but she couldn't show any smugness.

Song Xuan wasn't particularly moved by her performance, but Zhao Zhen was a little restless and offered her words of comfort.

Song Xuan ignored him and let him indulge in his tenderness.

After crying for a while, Ban Feng sent someone back with a ransom note.

Song Xuan took a look and realized it was made by the No Life Society.

They knew Su Qingrou's identity and demanded that she prepare a thousand taels of gold to ransom her, or they would kill her family.

To prevent her from disbelieving, he also put one of her older brother's fingers in the envelope.

Her fingers slipped out of the letter, startling Su Qingrou so much that she jumped up.

Zhao Zhen quickly shielded her.

Su Qingrou leaned against Zhao Zhen's shoulder, which greatly excited him.

Song Xuan pulled out a piece of paper from the side, carefully folded it, and then picked up the broken side of his finger to examine it.

When a finger is cut off from a living person, the cut surface will generally show a shrinkage reaction and be uneven.

Moreover, the bleeding is significant, and there will be obvious splatter marks on the cut surface.

However, what is cut off after death is quite different; it is usually the entire cross-section.

The severed finger is very neat.

Song Xuan determined that the weapon had been cut off after the person died, then threw it into an envelope and sent someone to summon the coroner, Yin Ze.

Yin Ze took the envelope, examined it carefully for a while, and was just about to tell him the result.

"I'll go with you. Bring out that handwashing set; I want to wash my hands properly."

"Yes."

So Song Xuan took Yin Ze out, leaving Zhao Zhen alone to comfort the terrified Su Qingrou.

“My lord, this finger looks like it was cut off after death.”

Yin Ze watched as Song Xuan diligently washed his hands.

"Yes, that's true."

Song Xuan was still rubbing his hands together:
“I think that person is dead. His fingers are so rough, it doesn’t look like someone who plays dice all the time. I guess he found a substitute somewhere.”

It would be truly strange if no one died in Tokyo every day.

"A gambler's hands aren't this rough."

Yin Ze had handled gamblers' corpses before, and based on his work experience, the method was indeed riddled with flaws.

"My lord, is there a trap here?"

"Just don't tell anyone about this. I understand what they're trying to do."

"Here."

Yin Ze, a technician, had never received such good treatment before, so he did whatever the official said.

Even if he said that the finger was cut off when the deceased was alive, he could still make it sound plausible.

The right to interpret how the deceased died is entirely in my hands!

As long as the esteemed official has a need, we can search through ancient books to find the missing information for him.

Song Xuan understood how the Worry-Free Cave operated.

That is, by issuing a large-scale manhunt for the No-Life Society through the government, Ma Liu was forced to go to Cang Lin again to discuss the matter of Lin Zhongrong.

They want to make the kidnapping seem real.

Only in this way can they extort more money from Madam Lin.

The warrant for the capture of Ma Liu, the hairless giant, has been issued.

It can be said that Yu Gao's abstract paintings bear no resemblance to Ma Liu's appearance, and are completely unrelated.

It's not as accurate as describing it in words.

The fact that Wuyou Cave has been able to thrive for so many years suggests that there must be quite a few intelligent individuals among its inhabitants.

That was a brilliant use of a borrowed knife to kill someone.

They even sent a delicate and frail courtesan to lower our guard, which was truly "heart-fluttering"!
Song Xuan clicked his tongue twice, feeling that he was still not as comfortable using it as others.

Indeed, since ancient times, chicks have had their own ways of not urinating.

"Go back and rest."

Song Xuan shook the water droplets off his hands:

"I don't think there have been any deaths so far. We're mostly dealing with the bodies of people who drowned in the rain. We need to be careful to avoid getting infected with diseases."

"Yes." Yin Ze watched Song Xuan leave, then looked up at the dazzling sun.

Tokyo is flooded every year, and in his experience, if it doesn't rain heavily before the 15th of August, there won't be another chance.

After Song Xuan returned home, Zhao Zhen had already started chatting with Su Qingrou.

Where do I live? How can I do this at the county government office?
Zhao Zhen mentioned his cousin relationship with Song Xuan and said he had come to seek advice on some issues related to the imperial examinations.

Just as he was about to ask where he lived, Zhao Zhen saw Song Xuan enter the room, so he shut his mouth, pushed Su Qingrou away, and stood up.

"The coroner said it was the thumb of a middle-aged man."

After Song Xuan entered, he said, "I always thought they were from Wuyou Cave, but I never imagined they were from the Meiming Society."

"Twelfth Brother, we still need to capture the remnants of the Deadly Society as soon as possible!"

Zhao Zhen now suspects that Ma Liu, the hairless tiger, has fallen on hard times and is therefore unable to control his subordinates.
"Okay, Miss Su, you should go back first. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

Song Xuan waved his hand and said:

"If they don't receive a reply, they might send the letter to Fanlou, and then we can follow the clues to find out what happened."

"This humble servant thanks Master Song and Brother Zhao very much."

Su Qingrou wiped away her tears, lowered her head, and walked away.

Zhao Zhen did indeed escort her to the door and watched her until she disappeared into the courtyard.

"Twelfth Brother, could it be that Ma Liu is unwilling to truly submit?"

Zhao Zhen said without turning his head:

"They might say one thing to your face and another behind your back; we must be on guard!"

"Yes, Sixth Brother, since you already know this, I don't need to say anything more."

Song Xuan picked up the letter and placed it on the table. He then took out the letter from the bookshelf that asked Madam Lin to pay money and compared them.

Upon hearing Song Xuan's reminder, Zhao Zhen turned around, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Why did you say that, Twelfth Brother?"

"Is Miss Su pretty?"

"She is beautiful!" Zhao Zhen's eyes lit up: "I have never seen such a beautiful young lady in the palace."

"Yes, pretty young women like this are the best at lying. What they say may not be the truth."

"what?"

Zhao Zhen couldn't understand the reasoning behind Song Xuan's conclusion.

Why is it that the prettier the woman, the more likely she is to lie?

"Among the Four Beauties, Xi Shi and Diao Chan were so beautiful they could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and the moon hide its face and flowers blush with shame. Didn't they still manage to outmaneuver Fuchai, Dong Zhuo, and Lü Bu?"

"You're too young to handle such a honey trap!"

Zhao Zhen wanted to say that he could handle the situation.

But if even a mere courtesan is like this, and Twelfth Brother hasn't even mentioned Zhao Feiyan or anyone else yet, he feels a little guilty.

Song Xuan carefully examined the notes on the two letters:
"Although Miss Su's looks cannot compare to theirs, she is not an ordinary-looking woman. Otherwise, how could she have secured her position as the most beautiful courtesan in Fanlou?"

Zhao Zhen had heard of the Four Beauties and knew that two of them were "female spies." After thinking about it carefully, he realized that what his twelfth brother said made sense.

"But Lady Su is different, isn't she?"

"What's different? Is it because of a tragic background?"

Faced with Song Xuan's questioning, Zhao Zhen nodded.

He had never frequented brothels, so he naturally felt great sympathy for this kind of background.

"Sixth Brother, there's no need to take it so seriously. Almost every woman in brothels has a similar background. Once you've been there a lot, you'll be able to easily tell whether what they're saying is true or false."

Song Xuan snapped his fingers:
"For most people, money is the most important thing. If the customer likes her backstory to be even more tragic, she will make it even more tragic next time."

The price for prostitutes to leave prostitution is very high; they need a mid- to high-ranking official to write a guarantee for them, but most of these officials are unwilling to do so.

Zhao Zhen was taken aback, because he truly felt that Su Xiaoniangzi, this courtesan, was different.

Song Xuan raised his head:
"Sixth Brother has never had a good meal in the palace, which is why he cares so much about such a woman. When he takes over the reins of government in the future, he must choose a kind-hearted empress or a few kind-hearted concubines."

"Twelfth Brother, you..."

Zhao Zhen helplessly flicked his sleeves, his good mood instantly ruined.

Even though Twelfth Brother slandered Su Huakui so much, she still left a deep impression on Zhao Zhen.

There's nothing we can do; their "professional skills" are just too high.

Even seasoned veterans of the pleasure quarters are no match for the courtesan's various persuasive words and services.

Not to mention Zhao Zhen, a young emperor who had never seen the world.

"Sixth Brother, come and take a look. Do you see any similarities in the handwriting of these two letters?"

As a diligent student of Confucianism, Zhao Zhen naturally had extremely high standards for calligraphy.

Therefore, their appreciation ability is much better than that of the average person.

He knew, of course, that Song Xuan had created a new school of art based on cliff carving, and that no one had yet imitated him.

However, Pang Ji also greatly admired Song Xuan's calligraphy. He even went to the government office to find Song Xuan's memorials, copied them, and then took Song Xuan's original copy home to appreciate.

Not many people knew about this, but Zhao Zhen happened to know.

"Judging from the handwriting style, it seems to be from the same person."

After reaching this conclusion, Zhao Zhen immediately spoke:
"Twelfth Brother, so you're saying this case was also committed by the Worry-Free Cave?"

"That statement doesn't make much sense."

Song Xuan pointed to a letter in front of him: "This case of Madam Lin being blackmailed was committed by Ma Liu of the No-Life Society."

"But the kidnapping of Su Xiaoniangzi's family is the crime committed by Wuyou Cave."

Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly: "So although these two cases were committed by two different forces, the extortion letter was written by the same person!"

"Correct."

Song Xuan snapped his fingers to encourage Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen was also very excited; he paced back and forth.

"Could it be that this Worry-Free Cave wants to use my Kaifeng County government office to force Ma Liu to show himself and hand over Lin Zhongrong?"

"They've really confirmed it; they're planning to extort a large sum of gold from Madam Lin!"

"Not bad, Sixth Brother has improved; he wasn't easily fooled."

"Hey hey hey."

Zhao Zhen became extremely excited after being praised.

He hadn't experienced this kind of praise from an "elder" in a long time.

Although Liu E mentored him, it was mostly through suppressive methods.

encourage?

Encouragement my foot!

Song Xuan sat back down in the chair and poured him a cup of iced tea.
"Sixth Brother, don't you think Miss Su's arrival is too suspicious?"

"Weird?"

Zhao Zhen picked up the teacup, hesitating for a moment: "What's so strange about it?"

"I'm asking you."

Song Xuan didn't answer the question; he wanted to see if Zhao Zhen could understand.

After all, even heroes throughout history have found it hard to resist the charms of beautiful women, let alone ordinary people.

Many men can't bring themselves to say no to bad temptations unless they're impotent.

Zhao Zhen spoke with difficulty:

"Could it be that Miss Su was sent by Wuyou Cave to deliberately report a case so that we would help Wuyou Cave intensify its search for Ma Liu?"

Song Xuan snapped his fingers again:

"Congratulations, Sixth Brother! You have a discerning eye. From now on, it will be difficult for any minister in the court to easily deceive you!"

"what?"

Zhao Zhen actually wanted to be the first to rule out this counterintuitive idea.

Gain Song Xuan's approval, and then continue to think according to your own ideas.

"Then she must have been forced."

Zhao Zhen repeated himself with absolute certainty.

Song Xuan nodded:
"That's hard to say. It's probably not something they did willingly before."

"However, once she came out of the Worry-Free Cave, she had no chance to control her own destiny. Even if she became the most beautiful courtesan in Fanlou, she would at most have greater value in the political maneuvering, and in the end, she would just be a tool."

"If she stops being the top courtesan, she'll probably be given away as a concubine, which would be a good thing."

Song Xuan then pointed at Zhao Zhen and said:
"Sixth Brother, as the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, you must not take her into your harem just because you feel sorry for her."

"A prostitute is fine to have fun with, but don't treat her like a treasure."

"Otherwise, you will completely disgrace the Emperor of the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Zhen pursed his lips and sighed, admitting that his twelfth brother was right.

This is true.

If a prostitute goes to the imperial harem, even if she has a child, she will still be attacked by others.

Especially in the imperial harem, how many women are easy to deal with?
Even without Empress Liu's control, many ministers would not have agreed to this.

Even if you followed your father's example and had all the widows return to the palace, it would still be better than this.

Even if Emperor Huizong of Song built a secret passage specifically to see Li Shishi, he would not have taken her into the harem.

Who would put a private lock on a public bus?

That's immoral!

"I understand."

Zhao Zhen walked to the door again, seemingly reminiscing about the lingering fragrance left by Su Huakui.

"But there is no one in the palace who is so considerate. Even though she cried her heart out because of her family, she never neglected my feelings. Twelfth Brother, you don't understand how I feel."

"I really don't understand, because my wife is so gentle and lovely."

Instead of receiving comfort, Zhao Zhen heard Song Xuan boasting.

He was so angry that he flung his sleeves up, and finally fell heavily to the ground.

There is nothing we can do.

Who can blame them for falling in love at first sight!

Back then, I also fell in love at first sight, but unfortunately, the Empress Dowager cruelly broke us up.

This inner demon tormented Zhao Zhen until Liu Congde died, at which point he summoned Liu's widow to the palace to serve him, thus ending this regret from his youth.

It can be said that Zhao Zhen finally got to sleep with his white moonlight more than ten years later.

After giving his younger self a warm welcome, I wonder what he thought?
Song Xuan carefully put the letter away and placed it on the bookshelf:

"Sixth Brother, don't let a few women ruin your mind and steal your soul."

"With your composure, I think it was the right choice for the Empress Dowager not to leave Lady Wang to you."

"However, Empress Guo's personality is too wicked, and she is really not a good choice to be a wife."

"I."

Zhao Zhen wanted to refute, but then he shut his mouth.

Twelfth Brother is right.

I'm sure Twelfth Brother saw how foolish I looked when I was surrounding Su Huakui.

So he only spoke up to remind her after she left, as a form of advice.

"I don't know something."

After taking a few deep breaths, Zhao Zhen asked, "How could Twelfth Brother resist taking a liking to Courtesan Su?"

"She doesn't have a good figure, I don't like her."

"Not in good shape?"

Zhao Zhen thought that young ladies like Su Huakui were very likable.

Otherwise, how could she have become the most beautiful courtesan at Fanlou?

But then I thought about the women that Twelfth Brother liked, Gu Ziming's wife in Nanjing and Madam Cao in Tokyo, and they both seemed to have quite "robust" figures.

Compared to the cute little girls favored by the literati of the Song Dynasty, these women certainly appeared more robust.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you. You'll only know the wonderful feeling when you're older and meet a woman like that."

Song Xuan waved his hand:
"I'm too lazy to correct your aesthetic sense. You've been influenced by it since you were a child, and it's hard to change it."

Song Xuan stopped dwelling on the matter and said, "The reason I am so cautious about Miss Su is because I know she is also from Wuyou Cave."

"what?"

Zhao Zhen's mouth was agape for a long time.

In his memory, Wuyou Cave was dirty, rotten, and smelly; how could it possibly produce such "delicate flowers"?

But Zhao Zhen thought, how could Song Xuan possibly lie to him about such a matter?

"Sixth Brother, beautiful flowers that bloom on barren land are usually poisonous."

Zhao Zhen sighed softly. The beautiful image that Su Huakui had just built up in his heart shattered completely in an instant.

"Twelfth Brother, it seems we really need to be wary of honey traps from now on."

"Of course, you'll gain experience after a few more times."

Song Xuan explained to Zhao Zhen what happened at Taoran Inn back then: the people of Wuyou Cave liked to hang copper coins to indicate their identity.

The longer someone's copper coin hangs there, the higher their status in the cave.

Su Qingrou's status was much higher than that of the innkeeper and others.

Especially considering Su Qingrou's young age, it's clear she was lured in at a very young age and joined the Worry-Free Cave, where she gained a foothold.

"What about those young ladies who are not as good as Su, the courtesan?"

"There are plenty of prostitutes in Tokyo; they're either on the surface, underground, or dead."

Song Xuan spoke so calmly, but reality is just that cruel.

"The Worry-Free Cave must be eradicated, otherwise they will continue to exist alongside the Song Dynasty, and wouldn't even more young women die tragically in the future?"

“Yes,” Song Xuan said leisurely.

"Sixth Brother, why don't you wait until the floods hit Tokyo this year, then send a few trusted Imperial Guards in to infiltrate the city as spies?"

"Otherwise, we won't know where the road ahead lies, and even if we encircle and suppress them, they will rise from the ashes."

"Now I'm just waiting for Ma Liu to find out the location of Xuanwu Hall on the ground."

"Then I led my men to raid those two places, leaving only Zuixianlou untouched."

"It will cause them to distrust each other and attack one another."

"It would be best if someone from within the organization defected to us; that would greatly increase our chances of winning."

Although Zhao Zhen did not think there would be a major rainstorm this year, he still agreed verbally.

"Okay, Twelfth Brother, I will select suitable people as soon as I get back today."

Song Xuan nodded and said nothing more.

Zhao Zhen sat down, intending to continue his official duties, but he found that his soul had been with Su Hua Kui for quite some time.

I just can't calm down.

Could it be that you've been abstaining from sex lately and are now finding it hard to resist?
The courtesan Su, who was on the mind of the Song Dynasty emperor, sat in a donkey cart and slowly made her way to Fanlou.

Despite the hot weather, there were still quite a few people walking around on the streets.

Tokyo is always crowded.

Even during a major flood, high places are filled with people, let alone those in the water.

Although Su Qingrou did not guess that Zhao Zhen was the emperor of the Song Dynasty, she still felt that the young man had a kind of innocent beauty.

Like a child from a wealthy or powerful family who wasn't pampered much.

These kinds of people are the easiest to handle.

However, Song Xuan ruined it when she tried to get more information out of her.

I had only heard that Song Xuan was skilled at solving cases.

Seeing is believing; only today do I truly understand how formidable Song Xuan is.

The filling almost leaked out!
Fortunately, I was quick-witted and managed to get through it.

Although Su Qingrou had never met her elder brother, she knew very well that the wanted posters drawn by the government were vastly different from the real person.

Therefore, even if the government investigates, it will be very difficult to find out.

The only flaw is whether anyone in Sweetwater Lane really knows about He Jun's situation.
Anyway, it's perfectly normal for a prostitute to change her name and surname.

This is not a glorious profession.

Su Qingrou was unaware that Madam Lin had delivered the extortion letter to Song Xuan; he had simply driven the man away without handing over the letter.

In particular, Cang Lin was also unclear about it, otherwise he would definitely have asked someone else to write it.

Su Qingrou reviewed the situation twice in the donkey cart and felt that she had not revealed any major flaws in front of Song Xuan.

The only thing that bothered her was that Song Xuan's attitude towards her was truly problematic.

Someone like Young Master Zhao would be more normal, but Song Xuan remained unmoved.

Just how beautiful is his wife?

Last time, his father-in-law was there, so he couldn't act freely. This time, with his cousin by his side, is it still not okay for him to act freely?
If I don't get closer to Song Xuan, how will I be able to fulfill my godfather's many instructions in the future?

Su Qingrou still felt grateful to her adoptive father, Cang Lin.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be alive today.

"Young lady, we've arrived."

Su Qingrou got off the donkey cart, entered through the back door of Fanlou, put on a veil, and nodded to everyone before returning to her room.

But his adoptive father, Cang Lin, had been waiting for a long time.

Meeting like this is perfectly aboveboard.

Both of them had normal identities in Kaifeng Prefecture.

"Father."

Su Qingrou first bowed before beginning her tea-making demonstration.

"how?"

Su Qingrou recounted the details in detail that the kidnapping letter from the No Life Society had been delivered.

Song Xuan currently believes that Ma Liu and others have kidnapped his family, and he has promised to send people to conduct a large-scale manhunt for Ma Liu.

Upon hearing this, Cang Lin laughed heartily with great satisfaction.

"While it is said that heroes have emerged from among the young throughout history, it is also quite true that even heroes cannot resist the charms of a beautiful woman!"

Su Qingrou poured tea for her godfather.

Faced with her adoptive father's praise, Su Qingrou couldn't admit that her charm was useless in front of the top scholar Song, but instead had completely captivated the young man beside him.

He was almost about to answer any of the questions, but Song Xuan cut him off.

"Good, keep it up."

Canglin gently blew on the tea:

"I have a lot to do in Wuyou Cave in the future, and this Song Zhuangyuan is quite famous in Tokyo."

"It will be difficult for traveling merchants to stay at our inn, so we must find a way to get our Wuyou Cave inn into the list of safe inns."

"You'll need to work harder on this matter in the future, Qingrou."

"Yes, foster father."

Su Qingrou bowed again: "Qingrou will do her best to make this happen."

"Good good."

Cang Lin's eyes were full of pride; his eye for talent was truly exceptional.

He sneered inwardly: "Even if you, Song Twelve, are a Sun Wukong with fur stuck to you, don't even think about escaping my Five Finger Mountain!"

(End of this chapter)