Duke of Zhenguan

Once it started, the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

The Cheng brothers were cheerful and outgoing, while the two Yuchi brothers, though not talkative, could drink their fill in no time.

Fortunately, they were all of the same generation, so no one forced Lin Chuan to drink even if he refused. This was because the Cheng brothers were facing off against the two Yuchi brothers, and Qin Huaidao was fanning the flames from the sidelines.

The young woman serving Lin Chuan picked up her chopsticks and placed a piece of mutton on the plate in front of him, saying softly:

"Young master, have some vegetables to tide you over!"

The young woman was quite young, with a beautiful face and a touch of childishness. Lin Chuan glanced at her and asked with a smile:

"What's your name, young lady?"

"My name is Meixiang!"

Lin Chuan nodded and turned to watch Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao playing rock-paper-scissors.

But as soon as he turned his head, Cheng Chumo spotted him:

"Ogawa! You're here too!"

Lin Chuan had no choice but to get up and join the Cheng brothers in fighting against Qin Huaidao and the two Yuchi brothers.

My head was spinning, and I lost more than I won at rock-paper-scissors. Not only did I get a lot of drinks, but I also made the two Cheng brothers drink a lot too.

After drinking two rounds, Lin Chuan couldn't take it anymore and had to resort to his secret weapon: urinating to escape.

He staggered out of the main room, and when he turned around, he saw that Meixiang had followed him out as well.

Seeing Lin Chuan staring at her with a puzzled look, Mei Xiang whispered:

"This servant will lead the way for you, young master!"

Let's go!

It's already out!

Mei Xiang silently led the way, with Lin Chuan following behind. After leaving the Peony Garden, Lin Chuan realized that the Qunfang Pavilion was much larger than he had imagined. A few months ago, when he came to sell wine, he had only been to the front pavilion. Today, he learned that the small courtyards behind the pavilion were the real places where the Qunfang Pavilion entertained guests.

Without a modern and sophisticated underground pipe system, it was impossible to build an outhouse in every courtyard. Instead, a courtyard was built specifically in the southwest corner downwind.

After following Mei Xiang for a long time, they finally arrived at the courtyard of the outhouse. Mei Xiang waited outside while Lin Chuan went in and comfortably relieved himself. He had just come out when he saw Mei Xiang retreating step by step with a look of fear on her face.

Before her, a young man dressed in brocade robes was staggering toward her.

"Why do these kinds of things always happen in brothels?"

Seeing this ridiculous scene, Lin Chuan sighed.

When Meixiang saw Lin Chuan, it was as if she had seen a savior. She nimbly dodged to the side, avoiding the young man's hand, and ran behind Lin Chuan with small steps.

The young man in brocade was clearly drunk. He glanced sideways at Lin Chuan, noticing that Lin Chuan was only wearing ordinary brocade and didn't even have a jade pendant at his waist. He impatiently scolded him:

"Get out of here!"

Lin Chuan glanced at the young man before looking away and said to Mei Xiang, who was hiding behind him:

Let's go!

Seeing that he was being ignored, and looking at Mei Xiang who was following behind Lin Chuan with her head down, the young man was furious and reached out to grab Lin Chuan's clothes.

Fortunately, the guards from Qunfang Pavilion who heard the commotion rushed over, hugged the young man tightly, and pleaded with him:

"Young Master Cui, you've had too much to drink!"

The young man was thin and frail, and had drunk too much. He was being held tightly by the burly guard, unable to move at all, and could only shout sharply:

"A bunch of bastards, let me go!"

The young man was of high status, and the guard could only hold him, daring not to make any other moves. Seeing that the commotion was getting bigger and bigger and more and more people were gathering around, the guard realized that things were not going well and quickly whispered to his companion to go and ask the manager to come and handle the situation.

A moment later, Chen Qi, who had dealt with Lin Chuan a few times, arrived with her maid, followed by Tian Hu and two guards.

"Young Master Lin? What are you doing here?"

Upon seeing that the party involved was Lin Chuan, Chen Qi looked surprised and asked with delight.

"I came here to have drinks with my friends!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Why didn't you say anything before coming, Young Master Lin? What happened?" Chen Qi asked the guard beside her in a low voice.

"Madam, Miss Meixiang came with this Young Master Lin, but Young Master Cui is blocking them from leaving..." the guard replied softly.

Jealousy and rivalry were commonplace in brothels, so Chen Qi wasn't surprised. She curtsied to the young master Cui, who was being held by a guard, and said sincerely:

"Young Master Cui, Meixiang is all alone, so it's really difficult to please everyone. We can only say that it's a matter of first come, first served. Since Young Master Lin came first, I hope Young Master Cui will understand."

I'll have two young ladies arranged for Young Master Cui right away. I apologize for spoiling your enjoyment today; consider all the expenses as my apology. Is that alright?

"Chen Qi, do you really think that just because you're a brothel madam who's climbed the social ladder, you have the right to speak to me? Get out of my way!" Young Master Cui said with a contemptuous look.

Chen Qi was not annoyed. She curtsied again and said softly:

"Young Master Cui, this is the Pavilion of Beauties, not Boling..."

Before Young Master Cui could speak, a voice came from the crowd:

"Since Madam Chen says this is the Pavilion of Beauties and talks about first come, first served, Young Master Cui has been thinking about Miss Meixiang for a long time. If we're talking about who came first, shouldn't it be Young Master Cui who came first?"

Why don't you ask this gentleman to part with his money? All expenses for this gentleman tonight will be on my tab!

"Mrs. Chen, how are you?"

As the voice faded, a young man dressed in white, holding a folding fan, walked up to Young Master Cui.

As soon as the white-robed young master appeared, Young Master Cui immediately quieted down, shook off the guards of Qunfang Pavilion, and stood silently beside the white-robed young master.

Chen Qi looked at the young man in white, her expression finally changing, and she said softly:

"Young Master Pei, it's his business if Young Master Cui is interested in you; I haven't promised anything!"

The young man in white raised his folding fan, pointed at Lin Chuan, and said with a smile:

"Madam Chen, why don't you ask this young man?"

After speaking, he looked Lin Chuan up and down, took the jade pendant from his waist, handed it to Lin Chuan, and said with a smile:

"My name is Pei Xu. This is just a small token of my appreciation; I hope you will grant it to me, my lord."

Lin Chuan looked at Pei Xu in front of him for a moment, then asked:

"The Pei family of Wenxi?"

Pei Xu nodded, smiled, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"What is your esteemed surname, sir?"

"Lin Chuan"

Lin Chuan cupped his hands in reply.

Pei Xu glanced at Lin Chuan with surprise, then smiled and said:

"So it's you, Lin Yuanwailang! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

Lin Chuan nodded, cupped his hands, and said:

"Goodbye!"

Pei Xu, who had assumed Lin Chuan would agree after learning his identity, suddenly changed his expression, stepped in front of Lin Chuan, and asked unhappily:

"Is Lin, the Assistant Minister, just making fun of me?"

As soon as Pei Xu finished speaking, Cheng Chumo's impatient voice came from behind the crowd:

"Pei Erlang, what's wrong with making fun of you?"

Seeing Cheng Chuliang, Qin Huaidao, and the two Yuchi brothers following behind Cheng Chumo, Pei Xu's face immediately darkened, and he frowned as he asked:

"Cheng Dalang, what does this have to do with you?"

"Pei Erlang, I can't stand your pretentious face. This matter has nothing to do with me, but it does to you?"

"Get out of here with Cui Wulang! If you ruin my drinking mood, I'll break your legs!" Cheng Chumo walked up to Lin Chuan and said irritably.

Knowing he couldn't afford to offend the Cheng and Yuchi brothers, Pei Xu walked up to Lin Chuan with a sullen face and asked in a low voice:

"Is your mother alright?"

After asking the question, he turned around, waved to Cui Wulang, and quickly left.

Watching Pei Xu turn and leave, Lin Chuan's mind raced with many thoughts. Suddenly, he softly asked Cheng Chumo:

"Brother Cheng, if I kill this man, His Majesty won't make me pay with my life, will he?"