Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

When Lu Xiao learned of the other party's purpose, he immediately felt a sense of warmth in his heart.

Just as Zhou Qi said, apart from the two Liu sisters, Liu Xianya and Liu Wubing, he had no close friends in the capital and had no idea what the arrangements were for the Marquis's wedding.

So, when he left the palace, he was still thinking about something—

Who should I ask to help officiate my wedding?

After all, Emperor Dehong was Liu Xianya's family member, and while he could manage Liu Xianya's affairs, he wouldn't be of much help to her in this matter.

Seeing Zhou Qi come looking for him, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief:

"I was just having a headache over my wedding arrangements, but now that Young Master Zhou has personally come to my aid, it's truly a lifesaver!"

"Hehe, no need for formalities, Lord Marquis. If you're not too shy, just call me Brother Zhou. After all, I'm a few months older than you, so I have the advantage of being born earlier."

They were both only eighteen or nineteen years old, so that's not wrong.

Zhou Qi was also very humble, and after finishing speaking, he gestured for the two to find another place to talk:

"My lord, with just the two of us, it is absolutely impossible to handle every detail of the wedding. Fortunately, I have a few good friends."

"If we work together, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Why don't we go directly to Baiyulou and discuss this over tea?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao readily agreed.

"Brother Zhou, there's no need to keep calling me 'Lord Marquis'. Just call me by my full name."

"Hahaha, good! I like straightforward people like Brother Lu!"

The two smiled at each other and walked side by side toward the Jade Pavilion that Zhou Qi had mentioned.

At first, Lu Xiao thought that Baiyulou was a teahouse, but when he arrived at the door, he found that it was actually a brothel, with several graceful women personally seeing off the guests even in broad daylight.

Seeing the surprise in his eyes, Zhou Qi smiled:

"Brother Lu is not familiar with the capital, so he probably doesn't know the difference between Baiyulou and ordinary brothels."

"The women in the building are all virtuous women who sell their art but not their bodies. People come here to exchange ideas on music, chess, calligraphy, and painting with the girls in the building, and to appreciate poetry and literature."

"So Brother Lu, you don't need to worry that people will criticize you for being so fond of women when you're about to get married."

"Brother Lu, please!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled, gesturing for the other person to go first.

As soon as the two entered the building, an elderly, mature woman came to greet them personally.

"Oh my, isn't this Young Master Zhou?"

"It's been quite a while since you last visited. Will you, as usual, invite Miss Red Butterfly to play chess with you today?"

It seems he was a regular at Baiyulou.

Zhou Qi chuckled and waved his hand, then proceeded to introduce:

"Lady Peony, this is none other than Lu Xiao, the Hundred-Victory Champion Marquis of our Great Zhou Dynasty, the General Who Conquers the North!"

Upon hearing this, Lady Peony paused for a moment, then broke into an even warmer smile:

"So it's Lord Lu! I've long admired your name. Meeting you today, I can truly say you are a young hero, worthy of my utmost respect!"

"You're too polite, Madam!"

After Lu Xiao had given his greetings, Zhou Qi explained his purpose:

"Lady Peony, today I will neither drink nor play chess, but only to discuss the upcoming wedding with Brother Lu."

"Please find a quiet private room with a view of Baiyulou, serve a pot of fine tea, and then invite my three brothers Zhao, Wang, and Qian over."

"I understand!"

Lady Peony readily agreed, summoned a servant and gave him instructions, then looked at the two of them and smiled:

"It is truly an honor for Baiyulou to have Lord Lu grace us with his presence. Today, I would like to present Lord Lu and the gentlemen with three jugs of fine Yangchun Baixue liquor and a box of dried fruit and pastries as a token of my appreciation."

"Lord Lu, Young Master Zhou, this way please!"

After saying that, she personally led the way, guiding the two into a private room on the second floor directly opposite the main entrance.

Here, one can overlook the main hall in front and admire the flower garden behind, basically having a complete view of everything happening inside the White Jade Pavilion. Moreover, the rooms next door are where the two top courtesans of the pavilion reside, so one will not be disturbed at all.

After inviting the two to sit down, Lady Peony said warmly:

"I have already cleared out the private rooms on both sides, so you can all chat freely!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam!"

Zhou Qi smiled and thanked him. While waiting for his friend to arrive, he introduced Lu Xiao to the others:

"Baiyulou has three unique specialties: tea, art, and the phoenix tree!"

"This tea is the refined and elegant tea that Madam Peony just mentioned. It has a slightly bitter taste at first, but a sweet aftertaste that is endless. Enjoying it in winter is like feeling a gentle spring breeze."

"The art refers to the singing, dancing, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting skills of the women in the building."

He strongly agreed with this:

"In the entire capital, no one can compare with them in this respect."

After hearing him finish speaking, Lu Xiao fell silent, unable to contain his curiosity:

"And what about the last 'unique beauty,' the sycamore tree? Could it be the sycamore tree in the backyard?"

"Haha, Brother Lu is right."

Zhou Qi was taken aback, then smiled and shook his head to explain:

"The third wonder, the parasol tree, actually refers to the young lady named Qingyu in the building."

"Speaking of which, the reason why Bai Yulou is called this is because she surpasses all the women in the building in all aspects of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and because her name contains the character 'Yu' (jade), this place was renamed."

"The phrase 'a single jade plant stands tall, a thousand leaves spread like green clouds' perfectly describes her!"

He gestured for Lu Xiao to focus his gaze on the front hall on the first floor, and instructed several of the prominent women to prepare the time allotted for Madam Peony:

"Before this lady became the owner of Baiyulou, her stage name contained the character 'Bai'. It turns out she was also a beauty in the brothel. But a new generation replaces the old."

"Lady Peony really put a lot of effort into helping Miss Qingyu."

Lu Xiao hadn't expected that the name of a brothel would have so much to it. At first, he thought it came from the phrase "The Jade Capital in the Heavens, with its twelve towers and five cities."

With a slight nod, he surveyed the front hall and remarked that this place was truly excellent; no wonder Zhou Qi, the son of the prime minister, was so willing to come here often for leisure.

Amidst laughter and conversation, half an hour passed.

Three young men, dressed in fine clothes but each with a distinct style, walked in.

Zhou Qi introduced with a smile:

"Ladies and gentlemen, this gentleman before us is our champion, Brother Lu Xiao."

"Brother Lu, these are my good friends: Zhao Qing, Qian Haiyun, and Wang Xingrong."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them greeted Lu Xiao.

Zhao Qing on the left clasped his hands and said:

"I have always heard my father talk about the Marquis's great deeds, and I admire him greatly. I thought I would only be able to meet him on the day of his wedding, but I never expected to be able to witness his heroic demeanor today."

"Please accept my bow, Your Excellency!"

Lu Xiao was momentarily at a loss for words.

Beside him, Zhou Qi explained with a smile:

"Brother Zhao is the youngest among us, and his father is the Minister of War in the current court."

"The remaining two are the sons of the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Personnel, respectively."