Chapter 914: A Unique Courtesan

Zu An thought, "What a coincidence! I was just wondering how to get to Hongxiuzhao – after all, what respectable person goes to a brothel without a good reason? – and now they've come to invite me. Yes, these are definitely friends worth keeping."

Chu Youzhao was startled: "What kind of place is Hongxiuzhao?"

She was inherently naive and had been well-protected by her parents and older sister in the Chu family, and by her maternal grandfather in the Qin family. Consequently, she usually had no exposure to such establishments.

Murong Qinghe leaned in and whispered to her. Chu Youzhao's face instantly flushed. "No! You can't go to a place like that!"

"Why not?" Pei You retorted, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "Nowadays, it's considered a refined pursuit for men to visit brothels for romantic escapades. You should go more often, or you won't be able to fit in with your social circle later."

Chu Youzhao gasped, thinking, "How can I, a woman, go to such a place?" She almost suffered an internal injury from holding her breath. After a long moment, she finally said, "No means no! If you want to go, go yourselves, but don't corrupt my brother-in-law!"

"How can that be called corrupting him?" Pei You exclaimed, flustered. "Even if your sister were here, it would be difficult for her to stop Master Zu from going, wouldn't it? Otherwise, if word got out, people would say your sister is a jealous woman, which would be bad for her reputation. Besides, as far as I know, Master Zu has already divorced your sister. They have no relationship anymore, so why should you stop him?"

"You..." Chu Youzhao's face turned crimson. This divorce was a thorn in the Chu family's side, and she didn't know how to refute him. She could only look at Zu An. "Brother-in-law, you tell them, are you going or not?"

"This..." Zu An also felt a headache coming on. Of course, he wanted to go, but publicly contradicting her now might upset her. Upsetting her was minor; he worried that if the Chu family heard about it, they might overthink things, especially since Pei You had just mentioned his divorce from Chu Yan.

As if sensing his dilemma, the more composed Gao Ying spoke up. "We're simply going for drinks and to listen to music, nothing more. Young Master Chu, you needn't worry. Furthermore, our sole purpose for this trip is to thank Master Zu for saving our lives in the secret realm. Young Master Chu, surely you wouldn't deny us this opportunity?"

Being young and thin-skinned, Chu Youzhao felt that further opposition would be unreasonable after hearing Gao Ying's explanation. So, she promptly declared, "Alright, I'll go with you too!"

She reasoned, "You say you're just going to listen to music, but who knows what else you'll do? If I'm there to supervise, you won't be able to corrupt my brother-in-law!"

Gao Ying and Pei You exchanged glances. However, considering that despite his youth, he was a young master of the Chu family and had a connection to Zu An, they didn't refuse.

Now it was Murong Qinghe's turn to panic. She tugged at Chu Youzhao's arm. "Brother Chu, you can't go!"

The thought of someone as pure and unblemished as Brother Chu being surrounded by those seductive hussies in a brothel—no, Brother Chu was so handsome, those women would definitely flock to him and try to entice him—made her head feel like it would explode.

Chu Youzhao felt a little guilty too, but to maintain his masculine facade, he puffed out his chest and said, "Don't worry, it's just a normal social engagement. I'm just going along to make sure they don't corrupt my brother-in-law."

Murong Qinghe thought for a moment and then declared, "If that's the case, then I'm going too."

"Brother Chu can watch my brother-in-law, and I'll watch Brother Chu."

Gao Ying and Pei You could no longer sit still. They frantically waved their hands. "No, no, that's not appropriate, not appropriate at all."

Taking the Chu family's young master was one thing, but taking a young lady to a brothel? What kind of situation would that be?

They were guaranteed to become the laughingstock of the capital's social circles by tomorrow.

And her grandfather, Murong Tong, had a terrible temper. If he found out, he'd probably come to their door and dismantle them bone by bone.

"What's inappropriate about it?" Murong Qinghe said indignantly, raising an eyebrow. "I ate and lived with men in the military camp back then, and it was fine. I'm going with you to see!" However, the next second, she whispered to Chu Youzhao, "Brother Chu, when I was in the military camp, I had my own private tent. I didn't actually live with those smelly men."

Zu An almost burst out laughing. The girl's sudden shift was too great. In truth, she didn't need to explain; everyone knew the Murong family would never let her live with common soldiers.

Seeing the troubled expressions on Gao Ying and the others' faces, he knew it was his cue. He pulled Chu Youzhao aside. "Why are you trying to join in on this? Go home quietly."

"No, I'm going," Chu Youzhao insisted, tilting his head up and meeting his gaze without backing down. "This smelly brother-in-law wants to get rid of me, he must be planning something bad."

"Stop messing around," Zu An whispered, lowering his voice. "Have you forgotten what happened last time at the Imperial Music Bureau?"

Chu Youzhao's face turned red. Last time, she was dragged to the Imperial Music Bureau, got drunk, and her disguise as a man almost fell apart. If her brother-in-law hadn't appeared, her innocence might have been compromised. She still felt scared just thinking about it.

Sure enough, recalling that past experience, her tone softened considerably. "Fine, I won't go. But you're not allowed to do anything that would betray my sister, or I'll definitely find out, since news travels so fast in the capital."

"Alright, alright, I promise I'll have a clear conscience," Zu An guaranteed, patting his chest.

A faint smile appeared on Chu Youzhao's face, oblivious to his wordplay.

Seeing that Brother Chu wasn't going, Murong Qinghe was naturally delighted and no longer insisted on going herself.

After finally seeing the two off, Gao Ying and Pei You both breathed a sigh of relief. "Brother Zu, your brother-in-law watches you very closely, just like your wife."

"He's just worried about his sister, after all," Zu An quickly changed the subject, fearing they might suspect Chu Youzhao's gender. "How are your injuries?"

"Our families brought in various elixirs to nourish us. Though we're not fully recovered, it doesn't affect our daily lives anymore," Gao Ying replied. "If it weren't for Brother Zu's magnanimous actions in the secret realm, putting aside past grievances to help us, we wouldn't have made it out alive."

Zu An smiled. "While there were some misunderstandings at first, we later fought side by side as comrades. You also bravely fought against the enemies. If our positions were reversed, you would surely have saved me too."

Seeing that he didn't boast about his achievements, the two found him even more likable. "Haha, Brother Zu is indeed generous! Today, we brothers must properly thank you for saving our lives and let you experience the prosperity of the capital."

As native noble sons of the capital, and given that Zu An had only recently arrived, they naturally wanted to extend their hospitality.

Their relationship hadn't been this close initially, but their shared experiences in the secret realm had forged a bond akin to life-and-death companions. Coupled with similar family backgrounds, they naturally became good friends.

Zu An feigned confusion and asked, "Why not go to the Imperial Music Bureau? It feels safer there, doesn't it?"

After all, many of its performers were daughters or relatives of disgraced officials, which generally gave it a higher status in the eyes of most people.

Gao Ying explained, "Last time, the Left Guardian General had an incident at the Imperial Music Bureau, and it involved the Demon Sect. Now everyone considers it bad luck; who would dare go there?"

Zu An's expression was odd; he hadn't realized it was still because of him.

At this point, Pei You added, "Brother Zu, you don't need to worry about the establishment's quality. Hongxiuzhao is just as famous as the Imperial Music Bureau, and recently, a new courtesan queen arrived there. Everyone who has seen her says she is incomparably beautiful and possesses extraordinary charm. We heard she'll be choosing a 'fated' guest tonight, so we specifically invited you to come see for yourself."

Zu An couldn't help but sigh, "It's all just marketing. They're brothel women, yet they constantly put on an air of aloofness to drive up prices."

Gao Ying and Pei You laughed. "Brother Zu truly hits the nail on the head."

"No, I only hit until blood flows," Zu An corrected.

Gao Ying and Pei You: "???"

"By the way, what's the deal with that courtesan queen?" Zu An thought it would be good to gather more information before going. Although Xiao Jianren knew something, that was official intelligence, which would definitely differ from what these patrons knew.

Gao Ying and Pei You exchanged glances, secretly chuckling to themselves. This fellow had just scorned them, but now he was clearly interested.

"Her name is Nan Xun. She excels in playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her dancing is simply exquisite. The advantages of a woman who can dance, heh heh, everyone understands..." Pei You, when talking about this, completely shed his usual gloomy and reserved demeanor, becoming quite eloquent.

Gao Ying also added with a smile, "If it were just that, it would be one thing, as most courtesan queens possess these skills; she merely combines them all. The crucial point is that she has an inexplicable noble aura. Her eyes often reveal a look... how should I put it, a detached gaze as if she's looking at mere trash or ants. That's what has made all the young masters in the capital itch with longing."

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. "You guys are really perverse. You dismiss so many gentle women who greet you with smiles, yet you prefer this type."

The two men also laughed. "Perhaps that's human nature. The more unattainable something is, the more it makes one yearn for it."

"That look is probably put on, right? She's just a brothel woman; how noble can she really be?" Zu An couldn't help but scoff.

"That's precisely the strange part," Gao Ying explained. "And I don't mind you laughing, but which of these noble young masters who frequent brothels aren't seasoned veterans? What kind of tricks haven't they seen from women? Yet, Nan Xun's gaze and demeanor don't seem feigned. It's precisely because of this that so many people are flocking to her."

Zu An thought, "No wonder someone like Yu Nan frequently visits Hongxiuzhao. This courtesan queen truly has something special about her." His curiosity about her grew even stronger.