It turned out to be this matter. Bai Siruo suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen Young Master Lu since their last encounter. She did feel a bit like going, but after a moment's thought, she still felt it wasn't appropriate for her to appear.
"Just send it over directly. Don't say you're from the Prime Minister's mansion. Just say it's to thank Young Master Lu for his help."
"Yes."
Bai Siruo had not spread the word about Lu Yuanfeng saving her, fearing it might be exploited by ill-intentioned people. Therefore, it was better for the household servants to know as little as possible.
Who knew that the Young Master Lu she was thinking of was currently in trouble at Changchun Tower.
After their last meeting with Bai Siruo, there had been no news. He had originally thought he could seize this opportunity to soar to success. Unexpectedly, when the family servant returned with news, it was that the Bai family's young lady was already engaged, and her fiancé was from the Prince of Kang's mansion.
A bucket of cold water was poured over him. Lu Yuanfeng, no matter how bold he was, would not dare to offend both the Prime Minister's mansion and the Prince of Kang's mansion simultaneously. If he did, his entire clan might be implicated.
Therefore, he was too lazy to pretend anymore. During the New Year, he booked a private room at Changchun Tower and invited three or four girls from Qin Huai Tower to accompany him with wine and music, living a life of leisure.
However, today, there was only one person in that private room, leaning into his embrace and feeding him wine.
"Young Master Lu, you promised to redeem me, didn't you? When will you fulfill your promise?"
The speaker was Lian Rui, a girl from Qin Huai Tower, formerly the top courtesan. She had a seductive appearance, a body as soft as silk, and skin as white as snow. Even in the middle of winter, she wore only a thin butterfly-patterned dress, which stirred the heart.
Lu Yuanfeng sneered inwardly. At her age, how could she still be as wishful as a woman newly entering the world of pleasure? She didn't even consider that who would be willing to take in a faded courtesan past twenty.
Setting aside the fact that her redemption fee had been pushed to a high price, whether she could still bear children at her age was another matter.
Redeem her? Then he would have his mother break his legs.
However, now was the time to fool her, so how could he speak the truth? He softened his tone and said,
"Alas, you also know my mother's temper. The last time I mentioned it to her, she was unhappy for a long time. It's the New Year season now. If I anger her, how can I come out to see you? Wait a little longer. In a few days, I'll be going to Jiangnan to handle some matters. Once they're done, while my mother is happy, I'll bring it up again. Perhaps she'll agree."
Anyone, even a fool, could understand the evasiveness in his words, let alone Lian Rui, who had been in the pleasure quarters for a long time.
Suppressing the disdain in her heart, she put on a娇滴滴 (jiāo dī dī - delicate and charming) expression again. Being so obedient naturally brought benefits.
"Then you should say it earlier. I've been looking forward to marrying Young Master Lu soon."
"Alright, whatever you say goes."
He took out an expensive tourmaline and gold hairpin from his embrace and handed it to Lian Rui. "You liked this last time, do you still like it?"
"I like it, I like it. As long as it's from Young Master Lu, I like it."
As she spoke, she put on the hairpin and embraced him, acting flirtatiously.
As the two were enjoying themselves, they suddenly heard a commotion downstairs. Annoyed that their good time was being interrupted, he frowned and pushed open the window, intending to curse them out. Who knew he would unexpectedly witness this scene.
Downstairs, a group of men dressed as servants had surrounded a handsome and refined young man. His face was already bruised, but it couldn't hide his good looks. However, his eyes were very stubborn. He spoke loudly to the steward among the servants.
"Even if you beat me to death today, I will not go to your damned Grand Princess's mansion to be a disgraceful male concubine!"
The words "male concubine" were shouted with great indignation, and the surrounding commoners immediately began to discuss.
Some of the bolder ones directly said to those around them, "It's probably the Grand Princess Changlin again. I heard she just snatched a good citizen into her mansion a few months ago. It's only been a few days, and she's snatching again?"
"Who says not? Poor this young man. If he doesn't comply, he might not survive today."
They dared not speak too openly, and no one dared to step forward to help him. They could only whisper among themselves.
This Grand Princess Changlin, relying on her royal status, was already accustomed to acting tyrannically. Taking male consorts and keeping several male favorites was, for the common people, just fodder for conversation. But her influence had grown deeper and longer. Since last year, she had publicly snatched several handsome young men.
If they didn't comply, they were beaten until they entered the mansion. Those whose families had people who sought help from the Grand Princess's mansion couldn't even get an audience. Some, gritting their teeth, went to the Ying Tian Prefecture to file a complaint, but unfortunately, the drumsticks couldn't break open the doors of the Ying Tian Prefecture.
How tragic.
Now, this one was probably another unlucky soul. Who knew if his ancestral grave was not buried in a good location, that he would be noticed by the Grand Princess.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering, the servant was too lazy to talk to the man anymore. The Grand Princess kept these henchmen to satisfy her desires, didn't she?
Since this fellow was uncooperative, he would knock him unconscious and take him away to complete the task.
He exchanged glances with the others and stepped forward, intending to knock him unconscious with a blow. However, someone jumped out of the private room window midway and shielded the man behind him, looking coldly at the lackeys with no warmth in his eyes.
"The governance in Dongdu City is so lax. To snatch citizens in broad daylight and beat them if they resist? What a style of the Grand Princess's mansion's henchmen."
"You..." The steward was furious. No one in the entire Dongdu City dared to reprimand them from the Grand Princess's mansion like this. He immediately waved his wooden stick and shouted, "Are you looking for death? How dare you curse people from the Grand Princess's mansion! Don't you want to live?"
"Hmph, so what if I curse you? I'm going to beat you too."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward and gave him a thorough beating. The steward was a paper tiger. He usually relied on the prestige of the Grand Princess's mansion to show off everywhere, but when it came to real trouble, he couldn't even touch the other person's clothes. He was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, unable to speak.
Seeing their steward being beaten, the others naturally stepped forward to help. However, one by one, they were all beaten to the ground, crying out in pain.
"You brat... If you have the guts, tell us your name! When I report back to the Grand Princess, I'll make sure your family is wiped out!"
Hearing his words, the man who had intervened sneered, "Wipe out my family? Then tell the Grand Princess that the gates of my Prince of Kang's mansion are always open. If she dares to come, she can just come and wipe us out!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the men lying on the ground gasped. The Prince of Kang's mansion!
How could it be the Prince of Kang's mansion!
He had seen all the men in the mansion. How could this person be related to the Prince of Kang's mansion?
He stubbornly continued to shout, "Bah, you think you can just casually claim to be from the Prince of Kang's mansion? I've served in the Grand Princess's mansion for many years, but I've never seen anyone like you. Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
"I go by my real name and surname. I am Xiao Muqian, the second legitimate grandson of the Prince of Kang's mansion. You can go back and ask Grand Princess Changlin if she still remembers me, her nephew!"