Chapter 9

"Whether you do it or not, what does it have to do with me?" Young Master Wang snorted coldly and said, "This time, it's not my fault. It's your Qunfang Pavilion people who are not acting properly. Do you think you can play me like a monkey? Let me tell you, I won't stand for it. If you don't hand over Cui Niannü today, I'll make sure Qunfang Pavilion is in turmoil."

Hearing Young Master Wang say this, Kang Qingyan's smile gradually froze and then disappeared, replaced by a cold expression. Kang Qingyan whispered to Gao Yannai, "Young Master Wang, if you want to cause trouble at my Qunfang Pavilion, I, Kang Qingyan, won't stop you, nor dare to stop you. But before you do, I boldly ask you to move your esteemed presence and come with me to see someone. After seeing this person, if Young Master Wang still wants to cause trouble, I will not stand in your way."

"See someone?" Young Master Wang's brows furrowed slightly. Although he was a licentious and extravagant young master, he was not a complete fool. Hearing Kang Qingyan ask him to see someone, Young Master Wang immediately had some suspicions.

Qunfang Pavilion was located in the most prosperous area of Shuntian Prefecture, where land was extremely valuable. It was impossible for such a large brothel to operate solely on Kang Qingyan's efforts. Moreover, what kind of place was Shuntian Prefecture? It was the capital, where the powerful and the nobles were everywhere. To put it jokingly, if you threw a brick randomly in Shuntian Prefecture, you might hit a high-ranking official of the fourth rank or above.

For Qunfang Pavilion to have operated safely in Shuntian Prefecture for so many years, it must have had someone powerful backing it up.

However, Young Master Wang was not afraid. His father was the vice-magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, a real sixth-rank official.

Even a fourth-rank official in Shuntian Prefecture who did not hold a significant position would have to treat his father with respect.

Young Master Wang snorted and flicked his sleeves, saying, "Fine, I'll see this person. I want to see who this mysterious figure behind your Qunfang Pavilion is."

"Very well, Young Master Wang, this way, please." Kang Qingyan gestured with her right hand and led Young Master Wang upstairs.

Pushing open the door to Wan Jun Pavilion on the second floor, Kang Qingyan stood at the door and said, "Young Master Wang, please go in."

Seeing that Kang Qingyan did not intend to follow, Young Master Wang thought for a moment and said to the two servants behind him, "You two stay here and guard the door. I'll go in and take a look."

Saying this, Young Master Wang entered the room, and Kang Qingyan closed the door behind him. After entering, Young Master Wang cautiously looked around and saw a person sitting behind a screen. This person was about thirty years old, with a fair complexion, no beard, and slightly narrow eyes.

At first glance, Young Master Wang found this person somewhat familiar. When this person turned around and called out, "Young Master Wang,"

Young Master Wang was instantly startled.

"Liu... Liu Gonggong?" Cold sweat broke out on Young Master Wang's back.

Liu Jin, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat, the head of the Eastern Depot, and a close confidant of the emperor. Each of these titles alone was enough to make one walk with arrogance in Shuntian Prefecture, let alone all three combined.

Even if Young Master Wang's father was just a sixth-rank vice-magistrate in Shuntian Prefecture, even the third-rank prefect of Shuntian Prefecture would have to kneel and pay respects to Liu Jin.

Seeing Liu Jin, Young Master Wang immediately guessed that the real boss behind Qunfang Pavilion was Liu Jin. Such a powerful figure, how could Young Master Wang not be afraid? His legs turned weak, and he knelt on the ground, saying in a trembling voice, "Oh, Liu Gonggong, I, a mere man, failed to recognize your greatness. I didn't know that Qunfang Pavilion was your business. I..."

Liu Jin smiled and helped Young Master Wang up, holding his hand and patting it gently, saying, "It's fine, it's fine. Ignorance is not a crime. Now that you know this place is my property, I hope you will take good care of it in the future."

"Of course, of course." Young Master Wang nodded repeatedly.

Liu Jin nodded and said, "My young master is indeed sensible and likable. Remember to convey my regards to your father. When you have time, come to my residence with your father for a chat. Since we are both officials in Shuntian Prefecture, we should visit each other more often, or our relationship will become distant. Do you agree, young master?"

"Yes, yes. I will definitely convey your words to my father. When I have time, I will definitely visit your residence. I hope you won't mind my visit."

"That's not a problem. I would never find it a bother. Don't say such things in the future." Liu Jin smiled and said, "That's all for today. You should return home and rest. Remember not to reveal our meeting here today. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, I understand." Young Master Wang nodded and said, "I will take my leave, then. Goodbye."

Saying this, Young Master Wang bowed repeatedly to Liu Jin before leaving. As he stepped out of Wan Jun Pavilion, Gao Yannai let out a deep breath and turned to Kang Qingyan, bowing and saying, "Madam Kang, I have offended you. Please forgive me."

"You are too kind, Young Master Wang." Kang Qingyan bowed slightly and smiled.

Young Master Wang nodded and said to his companions, "Alright, let's go!"

"Yes!" The two servants did not dare to ask any questions and followed Young Master Wang out.

Seeing Young Master Wang leave, Zhu Houzhao frowned slightly. He shook his head and smiled, saying, "Qunfang Pavilion is quite interesting. I wonder who appeared to scare Young Master Wang away."

Hearing Zhu Houzhao mention this, Zhang Yong was delighted. He knew very well who the real boss behind Qunfang Pavilion was. He wanted Zhu Houzhao to know, but he could not tell him directly.

There was a reason for this. Zhang Yong was the chief eunuch in charge of conveying imperial edicts. This was a lucrative position, as all imperial orders passed through his hands and were issued to the entire country. Moreover, when Zhu Houzhao played, he rarely paid attention to state affairs, so Zhang Yong could forge imperial edicts, and the outer court would not be able to tell the difference.

This was why Zhang Yong could match Liu Jin in power.

However, he was still overshadowed by Liu Jin, the "emperor's shadow," who was the chief eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat and the head of the Eastern Depot. Zhang Yong was envious.

Only by bringing down Liu Jin could Zhang Yong become the first eunuch in the palace. Therefore, Zhang Yong wanted to reveal to Zhu Houzhao that the boss behind Qunfang Pavilion was Liu Jin, making Zhu Houzhao dislike Liu Jin.

However, if he said it himself, there would be three disadvantages. First, he lacked strong evidence, which might make it seem like he was framing Liu Jin. Second, reporting Liu Jin's misdeeds might make Zhu Houzhao feel that he was seeking power, leaving a bad impression of him as greedy for power and making Zhu Houzhao wary of him. Third, Zhang Yong was afraid that if he truly offended Liu Jin, he might face a strong counterattack that he could not withstand.

Now that Zhu Houzhao had brought it up, Zhang Yong quickly said, "Your Majesty, would you like me to investigate and find out who this person is who scared Young Master Wang away?"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Yong, thought for a moment, and then shook his head, saying, "No, have someone arrange a new room and prepare the best writing materials. Then have someone bring the young man named Jiang Xia here."

"Jiang Xia?" Zhang Yong was slightly stunned but nodded and said, "Yes!" As he stood up to leave, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What a lucky guy."

What is an emperor? A being whose words can decide life and death, whose thoughts can determine honor and disgrace. If someone is remembered by the emperor, as long as they seize the opportunity, they might rise to great heights and achieve glory and wealth.

At this moment, Jiang Xia had just returned to his room. When he saw Cui Niannü, he smiled and said, "It's over. Young Master Wang has left. You don't need to be afraid anymore."

Cui Niannü held a cup of hot tea. After so long, her fear had finally subsided. She looked up at Jiang Xia, and her beautiful eyes slowly filled with tears.

Then, Cui Niannü blinked, and tears streamed down her face.

Jiang Xia could not bear to see women cry, especially beautiful women. Seeing Cui Niannü cry, he quickly comforted her, "Hey, why are you crying? Isn't everything fine now?"

"Bang!" As Jiang Xia spoke, the door was pushed open. Turning around, he saw Kang Qingyan enter the room. Looking at Cui Niannü coldly, Kang Qingyan said, "You can hide today, but can you hide forever? You two got lucky today. What will you do tomorrow? Do you really think you can burn down my Qunfang Pavilion?"

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