Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 218 Extra Chapter: Rong Junye (1)

"General, this should be the room!" A scout beside Rong Junye gave a simple cupped-hand salute and reported quickly. This scout's name was Yin Zhi, but people called him Shadow. If there was anything special about his appearance, it was that he was extremely ordinary, the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

Although he had found a clue, the scout's expression was not good. After all, he was a renowned scout in the army, who had made countless contributions in investigating enemy positions. But now, he was being asked to investigate a woman! A woman who had been sold into a brothel! This was not just a matter of using his talents in a bad way, it was an insult!

Although this woman was the descendant of a loyal minister, who was framed by the Second Prince and ended up with his family destroyed, the Sixth Prince was filled with righteous indignation upon learning of this after returning from Medicine King Valley.

And coincidentally, his own general was on leave to visit his family and happened to be in the capital.

So the Sixth Prince personally asked General Rong to rescue the loyal minister's relatives. Unfortunately, it was too late. Most of the loyal minister's family members had already passed away. Only two daughters were found to have ended up in this brothel, one a teenager and the other five years old.

This task was assigned to his general by the Sixth Prince, so it wasn't just an insult to him, but also to his general! Yin Zhi was furious, but he couldn't retaliate. Looking at his general, he seemed completely unfazed—truly impressive!

"Surround this Hongwu Pavilion for me, don't let a single fly out!" General Rong dismounted and pointed at Yin Zhi. "Shadow, come in with me. You all wait outside. Don't alert them. If they hide the people, it will be hard to find them."

"Wait a moment, General Rong, I'll go in with you!" A voice interrupted General Rong, and Yin Zhi's gaze fell on the man. This man was named Lan Muhe, a burly fellow with a thick beard, a flat nose, and a face full of menacing features! This man was sent by the Sixth Prince, ostensibly to assist General Rong, but everyone knew he was there to spy on him!

Lan Muhe was not a Han Chinese, but a Khitan. Although the Great Zhou and the Khitan were sometimes at war and sometimes at peace, there was a growing trend toward peace talks, and these were all matters of government importance. There was still a lot of interaction among the common people, and it was quite common for Khitans to seek positions or engage in business in the Great Zhou.

General Rong glanced at Lan Muhe, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He lifted his robe, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and used his lightness skill to climb over the wall.

Yin Zhi inwardly groaned. This Lan Muhe was cunning and ruthless by nature, and his general despised such people the most. But one should never offend someone like that, for he was a true villain! Yin Zhi was a spy, so his lightness skill was quite good, and he could leave no trace in the snow. With a single flip, he entered the courtyard.

Lan Muhe, however, was furious and unable to climb the wall. He cursed at the guards, and only then did someone step forward and squat down to let him use as a footstool.

These guards were the Sixth Prince's confidants, so they weren't exactly loyal to Rong Junye. But at least Rong Junye was an upright and honest man, so the guards were relatively cooperative with him.

But Lan Muhe is different. He has no talent, no martial arts skills, and yet he bosses the guards around every day, thinking he's someone important! The guards have long disliked him.

Lan Muhe was helped up onto the back of another guard and stood up unsteadily. Just as she was about to climb over the wall, the guard below suddenly swayed, and Lan Muhe lost her balance and fell headfirst into the courtyard.

"Ouch! Ouch!" Lan Muhe groaned, and probably afraid of alerting the enemy, she forcibly lowered her voice.

"My lord, are you alright?" The guard who had been used as a footstool asked with concern, though a forced smile played on his lips. "Get out!" Lan Muhe kicked the guard hard. Finally, with the help of three soldiers, Lan Muhe managed to climb over the courtyard wall.
-
Just a wall away, the Hongwu Pavilion was bustling with activity; the singing and dancing from the main hall could be heard even in the backyard, but Rong Junye did not linger there.

"Shadow, are you sure this Miss Yu is in the backyard?" Rong Junye became more and more uncertain as he walked. The backyard was very large with many rooms, and sounds that made people think could come from the rooms from time to time could not be opened one by one to search.

"General, you can rest assured that I've done my job well. I've already found out the location; it's in the west wing! Please follow me!" Yin Zhi knew the area well and led General Rong through the backyard of Hongwu Pavilion. Yin Zhi had an exceptionally strong memory for terrain; once he had walked a path, he could remember even the most complex ones. He could even immediately distinguish east from west, south from north in places he had never been to before. This was a life-saving skill for a scout.

Rong Junye suddenly stopped, and Yin Zhi, caught off guard, bumped into Rong Junye's back, her nose stinging from the impact.

Before Yin Zhi could ask anything, Rong Junye gestured for him to be quiet.

It turned out that there were voices coming from the west wing not far away.

"Even if I really had to become a prostitute, I could be the top courtesan!" The voice was clear and crisp, belonging to a young girl, but the content of her words was somewhat shocking.

This is... utterly shameless!
"Oh, of course! Miss Yu, your talent is known to everyone in the capital!" Another woman's voice came from the room, her tone full of affected coquetry.

Rong Junye rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and shivered. How disgusting!

Rong Junye approached the half-open window and looked inside. He saw a young girl sitting in front of the dressing table. The girl had her back to him, so he couldn't see her face, but he could tell from her back that she had a graceful figure.

This must be the person who uttered that shocking statement.

"Miss Yu, is there anything else you need? I'll have someone prepare it for you!" The madam looked to be in her thirties, past her prime, and must have been a stunning beauty in her youth, but alas, beauty fades with time.

“Mama Yu, since Ni Chang has already fallen into this predicament, I have to accept my fate. So the only way I can raise my price is to cooperate with you, and you can also make a fortune. This is the best solution for us, isn’t it?” Yu Ni Chang applied some face powder, turned around, tilted her head and looked at the madam. Her expression was indifferent, with a half-smile.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" The madam beamed with delight. She hadn't expected to buy such a treasure for only five taels of silver. Not only was her appearance and figure impeccable, but she was also proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was a renowned talented woman in the capital. Those hypocrites couldn't bear to see a beautiful woman in distress; they would probably sell her for a thousand taels of silver just for her first night.

"Ni Chang, I have a favor to ask." Yu Ni Chang stood up, bowed, and looked so delicate and frail that she evoked pity in people.