This place was a very lively and prosperous port city, with a large population of vendors and local people.

The inn they chose was also a decent one, not out of the ordinary in any way. Huo Fenglie inspected it, and the current environment was relatively safe.

After a day’s rest, the two planned to go out and have a look around.

Although there was no news about He Lan and Qin Yu hiding in the transport team, they could not sit still and wait for things to happen.

If they wanted to investigate the ship, they could only start from two angles. One was the Liu Family Chamber of Commerce, and the other was the port traffic records.

Although the people involved in the southern Imperial Examination case had been identified, the overall trial was proceeding very slowly. Students all over the country were concerned, officials at all levels were involved, and the obstacles were not minor. It was not as fast as the other two cases involved, so there was no news from the Liu family in the capital. They should still be detained for the time being.

Without the supervision of the Liu family for such a long time, the Chamber of Commerce had become impetuous and had hearts full of rebellion.

In Liu Zhenqing’s estimation, even if the Liu family was fine in the future, their ability to manage the Chamber of Commerce would be far less efficient. It seemed that the Chamber of Commerce their ancestors worked so hard to establish was nearly at its end.

There was a relatively large gathering place here for the Chamber of Commerce. If they snuck in, they could find out who was in charge of that section of water transportation.

The two of them had become perfect at doing such things, and soon discovered that this person’s name was Wang Qi. Although they truly wanted to kidnap him and interrogate him directly, the enemy would also know that they were here if he suddenly disappeared, which would not be conducive to their efforts. Therefore, they could only investigate secretly for the time being.

While Wang Qi was absent from his manor, the two of them sneaked in. The manor appeared ordinary, but Liu Zhenqing was well-informed when it came to fine products. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were either antiques or precious jade, very luxurious. It was impossible to accumulate such wealth just through legitimate business. It seemed that he indeed received a lot of money from unknown sources.

Not long after the two of them sneaked into the study and checked the account books, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but frown. Every ship that set off from Wang Qi’s hands had detailed transportation records, but they had nothing to do with weapons, or differed greatly. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual based on the account books.

“They’re really concealing it.” Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but say with a smile.

“The navy in charge of port inspection?” Huo Fenglie asked keenly.

Liu Zhenqing said with a chuckle: “Were they bribed not to inspect them, or are they just part of the same group? But with this method, no matter what they transport, no one will discover it.”

Just as the two were speaking, they heard a noise and hid after putting everything back in its place. Then they saw two little maids coming to clean the room.

Huo Fenglie intended to leave with Liu Zhenqing, but heard the two little maids chatting.

“Master will definitely not come back tonight. I even heard the Madam get angry in the back courtyard, saying that Master’s soul was snatched away by the courtesans of the Yaxiang Painted Boat.”

“As a man, he must make a pretense at flirting. And he is entertaining the navy general, so he will definitely go to the most famous Yaxiang Painted Boat.”

“I also think the Madam is ungracious. Ever since our master established a good relationship with the navy, the life of our family in the past two years has gotten better and better. No boss in the chamber of commerce is as rich as our master.”

“Hahaha, you’re right.”

The two little maids gossiped and laughed incessantly. Suddenly, they felt a gust of wind blow in from the window at the side of the study. They thought this was strange. Weren’t the windows closed?

Soon after, two figures appeared on the riverbank. It was bustling with people and lined with vendors, still busy even at night. It could be seen that this was the most prosperous place in the area. Looking around, there were several beautifully decorated boats parked on the branches of the wide river. Pieces of floating pink gauze covered the entire river like a dream.

Waves of beautiful songs floated to the riverbank, drawing passers-by in to stop and look around. With good eyesight, one could see the dancers swaying on the decks and the qin girl playing the lute. So lively.

“Big brother, would you like to see the shell bracelets? They are very cheap. They only cost a penny each. If you give them to a girl, she will like them.”

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie were looking around at the boats when they were stopped by a little girl walking toward them, peddling wares.

Liu Zhenqing looked down and saw that she was about six or seven years old. She was wearing coarse linen clothes, which were starched and washed out, and her skin was rough and nearly dark. There was a basket hanging on her body, which was decorated by various linked-together shells. The little girl smiled and raised the bracelet in her hand high. She smelled of sea water.

This was most likely the child of a fisherman’s family, coming out to sell things in order to supplement the family’s income. There were still many such children. 

Before Liu Zhenqing could do anything, Huo Fenglie had already paid the money, as if he knew Liu Zhenqing would be soft-hearted and look out for the child. He not only accepted the bracelet made of hard white shells, but also gave the little girl another four pennies.

The little girl took them in surprise and moved to pick out four more beautiful ones.

Huo Fenglie said directly: “No need, we are looking for the Yaxiang Painted Boat. Can you lead the way?”

The little girl’s eyes instantly lit up. This was simple. She accepted the money and led the way for the two of them.

Huo Fenglie gave the bracelet to Liu Zhenqing. After taking it, Liu Zhenqing smiled and wrapped it around the body of Huo Fenglie’s Chunjun sword. In an instant, the seemingly majestic cold black sword became a little cute.

Huo Fenglie also allowed Liu Zhenqing to casually decorate his sword that terrified his enemies.

The little girl couldn’t help but glance at it and mutter to herself, shouldn’t it be given to a girl?

Could it be that…..? The little girl also understood some things, and naturally knew that men could be together. Seeing that the two of them were good-looking, she couldn’t help but glance at them a few more times, which caught Liu Zhenqing’s attention. 

“What are you looking at?” Due to the fact that he didn’t look aggressive and asked the question with a smile, the girl naturally didn’t panic.

The little girl took this chance to say auspicious words: “The two big brothers match each other very well.”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly when he heard this.

Liu Zhenqing was also a little surprised, and couldn’t help but tease. He said: “How can you tell?”

Huo Fenglie glanced at Liu Zhenqing with restraint, thinking that he was joking with the child.

The little girl smiled and said: “It just feels that the two of you are very happy, the relationship kind of happy. I have seen many loving people standing together, and they all felt the same way you do. It just makes the people around you happy when they see it.”

The little girl didn’t know how to describe it. They were just pleasing to the eye.

Liu Zhenqing was a little embarrassed when he heard this. It turned out that this was the way they looked to outsiders. He hadn’t expected the girl to be so talkative. He turned to look at Huo Fenglie, and saw that Er-gou had already made like an ostrich and looked aside, pretending not to have heard. Somewhat unhappy, he said purposefully: “You are so clever and discerning. You guessed right. We are indeed a couple, and have been married for many years. Our love is extraordinary, oh.”

The little girl laughed.

Huo Fenglie, however, paused slightly and almost stopped in place. Fortunately, he had encountered similar situations before. Anyway, it was Qing-ge messing around, so it was his own fault if he took it took seriously.

Just as he was thinking this, he felt Qing-ge draw near. “Ai, this little lady is sharp, ah. Her eyes are like bright mirrors.”

Huo Fenglie suddenly had difficulty breathing. He looked at Liu Zhenqing at a loss, not daring to think about what this sentence meant. Liu Zhenqing straightened again and chatted with the girl.

“Little sister, do you often come out to sell things? Do you study?”

The Great Zhou Dynasty had once carried out reforms. Both men and women, regardless of their circumstances, were able to request education. There were small public classrooms everywhere to teach locals how to read, so even beggars could attend classes and learn free of charge. At the peak of the reforms, one could even receive a free meal after studying and passing an exam, and many poor people who could not afford to eat relied on this to fill their stomachs. Therefore, during the period when the Zhou Dynasty was at its peak, the overall quality of life for the common people was greatly improved. Only, subsequent emperors of Great Zhou gradually felt that this was unnecessary. This good practice was not passed down, but there were still free classes in many prosperous areas where both men and women could learn to read and write. And there must be such prosperity here.

“I am literate. It’s just that my grandma is my only family, and she usually sells dried fish to support us. She has been sick recently and can’t make dried fish, so me and my friends go out to sell things and make money.” As she spoke, she pointed toward the children nearby who were dressed the same as her. All they could do was search for the best-looking shells and make them into decorations. “It’s a pity that not many people like such beautiful shells, but the customers who come here are generous, and I can make several pennies in one night.” The little girl did not appear bitter when she spoke, but instead smiled optimistically.

“Your family?”

“We all live in a small fishing village on the east coast, and we originally came from the islands. Later, we were attacked by pirates and many of our relatives were lost. My mother went ashore with a full belly and died after giving birth to me.” The little girl’s emotions did not fluctuate much as she spoke of this incident. After all, she hadn’t experienced it personally.

There were many small islands in the waters of Ming’an County, and those islands had residents. When they came to the mainland to live, they were called islanders.

In fact, Liu Zhenqing had always felt that the lives of the residents on the islands were very precarious, and troops could not be stationed on the island at all times to protect them. He had hoped to move the island residents to the mainland, but leaving one’s hometown behind was not something that the adaptable and rootless Liu Zhenqing could relate to. They simply wanted to live on their own islands for generations, so migration was slow. There seemed to be many people like the little girl who had their families wiped out and fled to settle on the mainland. The local government arranged for them to settle permanently in small fishing villages.

Huo Fenglie had been silent all this time, but suddenly said: “Zhao Haicheng.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. He had also thought of this person.

The little girl was very excited when she heard this and said: “You also know of Lieutenant General Zhao? I heard that he is also from a small island. He not only fights pirates, but he also always looks after us small island residents. Since he became an official, it is said that the remaining people on the island rarely have any accidents. Many people in our small fishing village have moved back. He is a great hero in our hearts!”

The two of them stared for a moment, and Huo Fenglie frowned slightly. Because that person had reported Liu Zhenqing, and he didn’t like him. But Liu Zhenqing could only chuckle. People were indeed multi-faceted and could not be generalized. Just like he was cursed at by the world, but some people would regard him as a good person.

The little girl chattered on about Zhao Haicheng, and it seemed that she truly admired him. Suddenly, she also made a small complaint: “But my grandma doesn’t like him. My grandma says that real heroes are not like him, but the ones who can change the destiny of generations. It’s too bad they missed the opportunity. I feel like what grandma says are just myths and legends, and that Lieutenant General Zhao can really help us.”

The little girl talked a lot, and in a few moments, she led them along the plank road to a huge painted boat.

“Well, this is it.”

Liu Zhenqing raised his head and looked over. Sure enough, Yaxiang Painted Boat was written on it, and it was also the largest painted boat in the entire expanse of water. Its level of sophistication was even more different. There was an endless stream of customers coming and going, and by the clothes they wore, they were either wealthy or noble. It was obviously a den of money.

Having brought the guests, the little girl left with a bound.

The two of them boarded the boat, and Liu Zhenqing quickly integrated into the lively atmosphere. Huo Fenglie still had a cold and uncomfortable expression, so no woman dared to solicit him as a customer.

Once the two of them took their seats, Liu Zhenqing began to lecture, “Don’t be so nervous. Take it easy. Or if that doesn’t work, just drink some wine. With you like this, how can we get information?”

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing in embarrassment. His imposing manner from the battlefield could not be casually covered up, so in the end, he had no choice but to lower his head and drink to conceal it.

Because they were sitting in a private seat in the inner cabin, a girl quickly came forward to greet them.

Liu Zhenqing was a flurry of words, using the ploy that they wanted to cooperate with the merchants who had river transportation channels, but was frustrated because there was no point at which to get his foot in the door. Using his good looks and selling misery, he made the girl feel distressed, and they soon learned that Wang Qi was indeed on the ship, and that he was in the top cabin. Their mother was personally entertaining him.

Not only that, but they also learned that there was currently an official’s family member and a foreign bodyguard in the room, who should be discussing cooperation.

The girl kindly suggested: “The young masters can attend the Flower Party later. Perhaps they will have a chance to chat.”

“What is the Flower Party?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

The girl gave a graceful and charming smile and said: “The young master is indeed a merchant, but he doesn’t know about the Flower Party. Then does the young master know who our most popular courtesan is?”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head.

The girl pretended to be mysterious and said: “The courtesan is already thirty-four this year.”

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie were both surprised. After all, the flowering period of courtesans was generally very short.

The girl explained in detail: “Our family’s top courtesan was the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan back then, a legendary beauty. She was awarded the title of number one courtesan in Jiangnan at the age of sixteen, and to this day, no one can steal her position. Even though she is in her thirties, there is still an endless stream of dignitaries who want to get close to her. But the top courtesan is no longer just selling her body. She owns this boat, and it is not easy to enter her palace. That is why we have the Flower Party. By chance, the top courtesan is holding a Flower Party, and Boss Wang’s crazy wife will definitely attend. Then the young master can just find a way to meet Boss Wang.”

But after the explanation, the two people in front of her wore strange looks. The girl was a little unhappy, thinking that they didn’t believe there was a courtesan in her thirties. She said with dissatisfaction: “If you two don’t believe it, you will find out later when you take a look. But don’t blame me for not warning you, you must not offend the courtesan, otherwise….the courtesan’s guests will not easily let off those who humiliate the lady.”

Liu Zhenqing quickly said with a smile: “I believe it, of course I believe it. Thank you, Sister, for clarifying my doubts.”

But Huo Fenglie suddenly said: “What is her name?”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched, and he heard the girl speak a familiar name.

“Lady Xi Ran.”

Liu Zhenqing immediately coughed. He didn’t know if Huo Fenglie still remembered this person, and felt that it was a bit troublesome to explain, so he could only find an excuse to make the girl leave. 

“That….” Liu Zhenqing inexplicably had a guilty conscience.

Huo Fenglie changed the subject and said: “How do you plan to approach Wang Qi and his party later? Approach directly or observe secretly?”

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a suspicious look. Seeing his indifferent expression, he thought that he really didn’t remember. After all, Huo Fenglie was still young at that time and would have only heard a few rumors at most, so how could he remember it so deeply? But he didn’t see that the board beneath their feet was unnaturally cracked, and that there was an uncontrollable petty jealousy in those lowered eyes.

Liu Zhenqing thought for a moment. “It wouldn’t be appropriate to approach him directly. I don’t know if he has met Liu Xiaozhu, so I had better observe him secretly.”

Soon, the Flower Party began. The two of them went to the location pointed out by the girl and sat near the wing in advance, pretending to be drinking alone.

The entire hall became lively. The girl was right. Most people had come here for Xi Ran. He had originally thought that a courtesan such as Xi Ran would have redeemed herself long ago, and didn’t expect that she would just get a pleasure boat and continue living like this. It wasn’t that he was criticizing her life from a lofty position, he was just confused and lamenting.

The surrounding bustle quieted at once at a certain moment. Only the beaded curtain could be heard shaking, and someone walked out of the stands in the high corridor.

Her beauty was unchanged, and her looks were not lost. Her waist swayed as she walked like lotus flowers were growing with each step. Full of charm, soft and boneless, her every move was full of extraordinary presence. Compared to when they met in their youth, she had a more obsequious and enchanting spirit.

She still liked to wear bright red, like a blooming rose, and one seemed to be able to smell the fragrance of flowers on her from a distance.

Liu Zhenqing was dazed for a moment, and didn’t see Huo Fenglie looking at him with an ugly expression.

Xi Ran gazed around and lightly opened her red lips. Her voice was gentle and affectionate, making people’s bones numb just listening to it, but she spoke very directly. “Thank you all for coming tonight. I am fortunate to be so honored, so I won’t speak any nonsense. Tonight is the Flower Party, and the one who pays the highest price wins.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the bidding started below.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie saw Boss Wang walk out of a side room. Following him out was a man who looked like a military officer and another who looked like a martial arts practitioner. But no matter how they looked at him, they had a strange feeling. It was unknown whether this was because of his attire or his appearance. 

The three of them came to the corridor. They had likely had too much to drink, and were in high spirits, all of them participating in the bidding and poked fun at each other about who was going to win.

As Liu Zhenqing watched, he heard Huo Fenglie lower his head and say: “Wait for me here.”

Having said this, he quickly backed away and sneaked out of the room at a speed that no one could notice. The three people in front showed no reaction at all.

After a while, Huo Fenglie came out again and retreated with Liu Zhenqing without saying a word.

He had apparently surveyed the situation inside, and it was suitable for hiding and eavesdropping.

But this reminded Liu Zhenqing of the last time they did such a thing. It was really thrilling at the time, but it was a pity that he missed the opportunity.

Liu Zhenqing suppressed a smile and let Huo Fenglie lead him. “Ai? Is there any special incense in here?”

Huo Fenglie naturally knew what he was talking about, and said straightforwardly: “No.”

“Ah?” Liu Zhenqing’s tone was deliberately regretful, and then he said: “Should we hide under the bed?”

“No need. There is a large stone sculpture against the wall, which is a blind spot that can conceal us. Although those two people know martial arts, their talent is not high, and they will not notice us.”

Sure enough, the two soon entered the room, and Huo Fenglie stuffed Liu Zhenqing into the corner between the stone sculpture and the wall, with him standing a little outside. And this place was strictly a wing qin room. Even if someone came, they wouldn’t be able to look back behind the stone carving, not to mention that the three people talking in the middle hall were separated from them by a screen.

In the face of this generous eavesdropping scene, Liu Zhenqing instantly lost interest. So boring, ah.

Soon after, the three enemies came in. It was obvious that none of them had succeeded in the competition.

One of them said in a bad tone: “Hmph, I think it’s just a deliberate way to attract customers. We didn’t see our competitor in the end, so who knows if there was some internal collusion. If this boat reaches the sea, let’s see if our brothers…..”

The other two people were good-tempered and offered words of persuasion. 

But Liu Zhenqing no longer wanted to listen to what they said, because the first person to speak had an extremely strange accent, and his words…..

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing, who wrote one word on his hand: Pirate.

Huo Fenglie’s face instantly darkened.

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Chapter Seventy-Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Seven